Chapter 218: A Thread of Incense Power

Speaking of Chief Escort Cao.

After learning that Gu Ning’an’s path in Great Wu would diverge from their escort route, he insisted on treating Gu Ning’an to a feast for two whole days before finally letting him go.

Before parting, he warmly invited Gu Ning’an to visit Tiger Head Escort Agency if he ever got the chance, promising to properly host him as a guest.

And so, on a sunny day, the group that had traveled together parted ways at a fork in the official road.

Now, about Commandant Zhao—this official, notorious for being a public nuisance, had recently become the hottest topic in the border town.

From eighty-year-old grandmothers to babbling toddlers, people of all ages gossiped about him.

It was said that the reason for his sudden change of heart was that he had offended a great master at the city gate.

This master had cast a spell, making a female ghost “supervise” Commandant Zhao, forcing him to do good deeds, forbidding him from committing evil, and even compelling him to repay all his past debts!

And so, this former scourge of the town had abruptly transformed into the most virtuous man in the city!

He punished guards who extorted money from travelers entering the city. He plowed fields and sowed crops for elderly farmers too weak to do so themselves.

As long as a task was remotely charitable, he would appear immediately to lend a hand.

If he didn’t show up right away, all one had to do was call out three times, and within the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Commandant Zhao would arrive to help.

The most outrageous incident? One day, he saw a dog giving birth on the street and volunteered to assist in delivering the puppies!

At first, those who received his help were wary, fearing he might revert to his old self if he ever got upset. But when some brave souls mustered the courage to ask him about the “female ghost,” he candidly admitted it.

He even claimed that under the supervision of the “lively young lady,” he now went to bed early, woke up refreshed, and felt more energetic than ever.

Hearing it from the man himself, the townsfolk, who had been dreading the return of their former tormentor, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They all wished that the “lively young lady” would keep watching over Commandant Zhao—so he would remain a good person for the rest of his life…

…

The sky was darkening, hinting at incoming rain.

Along a winding path, Gu Ning’an walked at a steady pace.

Ever since arriving in Great Wu, he had been receiving incense power from different directions almost daily.

Previously, when he was in Great Qian, the distance had been too great, causing the incense power to merge before reaching him—arriving in consolidated bursts.

But now that he was in Great Wu, the incense power reached him before it could merge, trickling in separately.

Suddenly, he sensed something. Looking up, he saw a thin thread of incense power rushing toward him at high speed.

Unlike before, this strand was as fine as a hair—seemingly coming from a single individual.

This time, instead of dispersing it, Gu Ning’an gathered it in his palm and activated a technique to trace it back to its source.

With a flash of mystical light, the thin strand of incense power shot forward with a whoosh!

Gu Ning’an took to the air, flying after it with spell-driven speed…

…

In a remote village.

The cracked, dry earth was stained with a foul, yellowish-white substance.

Two massive wolf demons, their fur grayish-white, lay sprawled on the ground like small hills.

Beside them lay numerous mangled limbs—within easy reach should they wish to take a bite…

One of the wolf demons, the larger of the two, chewed on a bone and grumbled, “Second Brother, how much longer do we have to wait? We’ve been feasting for three days now, and I swear that statue in the temple is a fake!”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘Universal Immortal.’¹ That yellow weasel must’ve made up the whole story!”

The wolf demon beside him, referred to as “Second Brother,” bore a scar across its face. It let out a derisive snort. “Don’t be impatient. If we can devour that so-called Universal Immortal, it’ll be a great merit when we return home.”

“Fine, then. I’ll take a stroll through the temple, scare that little girl a bit, and grab some food while I’m at it.”

Saying this, the larger wolf demon stood up and strolled leisurely toward the temple at the eastern end of the village.

…

At the village’s eastern end stood a flat-roofed temple, with a plaque above the entrance inscribed with three characters: Universal Temple.

Stepping inside, one would see a nine-zhang-tall stone statue towering over the altar.

The statue’s face was indistinct, its attire resembling that of a Confucian scholar. It held a sword in one hand and a folded fan in the other, with a brush as thick as an arm tucked at its waist. The entire figure was stained black with dried blood.

Before the statue, where offerings and incense should have been placed, lay a heap of corpses piled layer upon layer.

Men and women, young and old, were among the dead. Their deaths had been gruesome, yet all their bodies remained oriented toward the statue.

A girl, no more than ten years old, covered in filth and blood, with disheveled hair, had contorted herself into the pile of corpses, hiding within its depths.

In her small hand, she clutched a half-burned incense stick, whispering a desperate prayer toward the statue.

“Merciful Universal Immortal, please save our village…”

Roar—Roar!

Two low growls came from outside the temple.

The girl quickly pinched out the ember at the tip of the incense and curled herself deeper into the corpse pile, holding her breath.

Heavy footsteps approached. She clenched her eyes shut, sensing the wolf demon’s presence just a meter away.

Clang—Bang—Thud!

The wolf demon deliberately made noise, sending waves of terror through the girl, yet she dared not utter a sound.

After toying around for a while, the wolf demon, seemingly satisfied, casually picked up two corpses in its jaws and swaggered toward the temple’s exit.

Suddenly, a flash of white light flickered in its slit-pupiled eyes!

In the next instant—

With a thud, a massive wolf head tumbled out of the temple entrance, rolling across the ground!

Scorching blood sprayed in all directions, its stench nauseating.

Hiding among the corpses, the little girl took small, shallow breaths. She heard the commotion at the temple door but assumed the wolf demon was simply acting up again.

Tap—Tap.

Footsteps echoed through the temple as Gu Ning’an stepped inside.

Crossing the blood-soaked ground, his feet made crisp sounds, yet not a single drop of filth stained his shoes…