Chapter 113: The Rat Spirit Steals the Incense

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Inside the Dragon King Temple...
The temple caretaker, who was actually a rat spirit in disguise, appeared aged but remarkably vigorous. Sitting before the sandalwood table, he would still greet those purchasing incense with a cheerful smile, wishing them good fortune...
People ahead were buying incense, worshipping, offering incense, praying—some sought rain, others wished for safety, and some hoped for a bountiful harvest in the coming year...
The world was unsettled, and it seemed that only within this Dragon King Temple could one find some solace for the soul...
Xu Boqing quietly observed the incense seller amidst the crowd. When those before him finished and left, he stepped forward with a smile and asked, “Old sir, I am new to this place. May I ask how the incense is sold here?”
The old caretaker raised a finger and said with a cheerful smile, “One copper coin for three sticks of incense...”
“Oh?”
Xu Boqing’s curiosity stirred. He picked up a stick of incense from the sandalwood table and sniffed it. The fragrance of herbs blended with mugwort teased his nostrils...
It was clear that the incense sold here was not of poor quality.
In mountain temples, especially those flourishing with worshippers, incense could be quite expensive; a single high-grade stick might even cost several taels of silver...
Some temples even explicitly forbade bringing outside incense inside, claiming that “burning external incense brings no merit” or “ashes from outside incense have no blessing,” all as a pretext for profiteering!
Yet the incense sold by the old caretaker in this Dragon King Temple—three sticks for one copper coin—was hardly a fair price; it was practically a bargain at a loss...
“This incense is really this cheap?”
“Most who come to pray here are local villagers. Charging just one copper coin is merely a gesture of goodwill...”
The old caretaker explained with a smile, “I don’t depend on this for a living. If a worshipper has no money, they only need to say so, and they may take the incense for free...”
“Your generosity is commendable.”
Xu Boqing took three sticks of incense and casually inquired, “May I ask if there are any particular customs when offering incense in this Dragon King Temple?”
“It depends on what you pray for...”
The old caretaker patiently explained, “Three sticks for personal blessings, six sticks for two generations, nine sticks for three generations. There’s no strict rule; it all depends on your wish...”
“...”
At that moment, a woman behind Xu Boqing impatiently interrupted, “Young man, if you want to chat, take it elsewhere. Don’t block us from worshipping the Dragon King...”
“Apologies, apologies...”
He glanced behind and realized he was in the way. He quickly apologized and stepped aside to the sandalwood table by the old caretaker.
The woman said nothing more, dropped a copper coin into the donation box, swiftly took three incense sticks, and proceeded to worship at the main hall of the Dragon King Temple, offering incense...
Xu Boqing’s eyes flickered but he said nothing.
He stood by the sandalwood table like an outsider, quietly watching the passing worshippers and the old caretaker wishing them blessings, peace, and fortune.

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For some reason...
A strange feeling arose in his heart...
It felt as though it was not the worshippers who were praying, but rather this rat spirit disguised as the caretaker. It was uncanny...
Outside the Dragon King Temple, Wu Qin also recovered his senses, wiping the blood from his nose and dryly said, “Young master, I fear this person is no ordinary being.”
If an ordinary cultivator or minor demon lost three hundred years of lifespan, they would not just bleed from the nose but might die instantly from the shock...
But he was an old turtle who had attained the Way, with a much longer lifespan than other demons. Even so, losing three hundred years of life pained him greatly...
“I see it now...”
Ao Xing’s gaze tightened toward the temple interior, watching the man in a pale moon-colored robe staring strangely at the caretaker, muttering, “He must have sensed the caretaker’s true nature as well...”
“This person’s aura is faint, his fate obscured like clouds and mist, impossible to discern clearly. Even after sacrificing three hundred years of lifespan, I could perceive nothing but a vague sense of great terror...”
Wu Qin’s voice faltered, his expression drooping, “Such a sign means either profound cultivation or a formidable background. Either way, it’s no surprise he can see through the caretaker’s demon form.”
Ao Xing nodded slightly...
He thought to himself that perhaps it was just an illusion caused by tired eyes. He had recently left the Dragon Palace and never met this man before; how could there be any cause and effect between them?
Impossible, absolutely impossible...
At that moment, a troop of soldiers arrived riding horses from the distant official road, led by Kong Qing, who had been dispatched by the overseer.
The vendors at the market along the official road heard the sound of hooves from afar. Upon seeing the soldiers, they panicked and hurriedly began packing up, moving toward the roadside...
Afraid that any delay would bring the overseer’s whip upon them...
As the soldiers approached, those who had mocked Kong Qing earlier trembled in fear, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground like ostriches...
Kong Qing, however, ignored them, signaling with a hand gesture. The soldiers dismounted and split into two groups: one to disperse the crowd, the other to surround the Dragon King Temple and drive away the worshippers.
The old caretaker inside the temple was slightly startled...
He glanced at Xu Boqing by the sandalwood table, who remained calm and unflustered, as if he had anticipated this...
The caretaker narrowed his eyes and asked sternly, “I believe I have no enmity or cause with you, yet why do you press me so relentlessly, as if to force me to my death?”
“Old sir, why are you so sure this person was summoned by me?”
“Isn’t it you!?”
“It is I...”
Xu Boqing did not deny it, waving toward the outside. Kong Qing and the soldiers understood and retreated a little.
Xu Boqing did not immediately give orders to attack but began to toy with some incense sticks on the table and casually asked, “May I ask how many years you have cultivated, old sir?”
The old caretaker hesitated, unsure of Xu Boqing’s intent...

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But he knew since Xu Boqing asked, he must have discerned his true nature.
This man’s aura was faint, yet standing right before him, his cultivation must be far superior.
After some thought, he answered gravely, “I have lived over four hundred years since birth, over three hundred years since awakening my spiritual consciousness, and over a hundred years since taking human form.”
“To become a rat spirit who has attained the Way is truly not easy...”
Xu Boqing nodded slightly and asked, “I see you are a rat demon, yet you carry no malice. Why then do you steal incense in this Dragon King Temple?”
“Steal incense??”
The old caretaker’s expression darkened, his aged face contorted as he said, “I built this Dragon King Temple myself. The incense offered here is all good quality. I only ask for a coin in goodwill. Whose incense have I stolen?”
Xu Boqing nodded thoughtfully and asked, “If it’s not theft, why did you not build a temple for the Rat King, but instead build the Dragon King Temple? And why serve as caretaker here?”
“You...”
“Using another’s name—isn’t that theft as well?”
“So what?”
The caretaker no longer denied it, his eyes reddening with shame and anger as he snarled, “You immortals have your blessed lands and inherited Dao arts, each with supreme cultivation, but have you ever cared for this mortal world? Huh?”
He paused, then shouted with righteous fury, “Though I am but a wild mountain spirit, I know the suffering of the people!”
“...”
Xu Boqing was silent.
“I am but a rat spirit, unworthy to build shrines or temples!”
The caretaker’s voice faltered, then he snapped coldly, “Yet I have never done evil, never harmed anyone. I enjoy the village’s incense offerings and protect their safety. What wrong have I done? What crime committed?!”
With that, he glared fiercely, then suddenly sank into the ground, using earth escape to flee from the Dragon King Temple.
Xu Boqing’s gaze tightened as he watched the ground. His Heavenly Eye Technique could track his swift movement beneath the earth...
He toyed with the three incense sticks in his hand, glanced at the Dragon King statue inside the temple, and considered the immense karmic bond between the rat spirit and this divine image. If he were to offer incense, his fate would likely be no better than that of the toad spirit...
After hesitation, he sighed deeply and refrained from any incense offering. Instead, he leapt out of the temple, landing on the branches and giving chase...
Outside the Dragon King Temple...
The villagers dispersed by the soldiers did not go far but lingered nearby, craning their necks to watch the spectacle, gasping at the sight of someone “flying” away...
Amid the crowd, Ao Xing and Wu Qin exchanged a glance, activated their invisibility, and followed in flight...