Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?-Chapter 70 - Dont Treat Me as a God_1
Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Don’t Treat Me as a God_1
Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Don’t Treat Me as a God_1
In the early morning, Li Xuan had his consistent attendant Li Dalu carry a basket of freshly brewed bone soup, accompanying him to the metropolitan Chenghuang Temple near Jiming Temple in the north of the city.
There were many Chenghuang Temples in Jinling, and as it was the capital of the nation, The Court had officially bestowed it the title of Metropolitan Chenghuang Temple. It was considered the highest authority among the southern Chenghuang and all other Chenghuang Temples in Jinling, theoretically exerting control over all others to the south of the Yangtze River.
With the Ghost Festival approaching on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Metropolitan Chenghuang Temple was brimming with devotees. When Li Xuan arrived, the place was already crowded with people hustling and bustling.
The Ghost Festival was a holiday to honor the ‘Earth Deity’ among the Three Officials. Local gods fell under the jurisdiction of the ‘Earth Deity’, which is why people customarily worship the Chenghuang and the local deities before the Ghost Festival.
After much hardship and effort, Li Xuan finally managed to squeeze into the main hall to offer his respect to the Chenghuang. He then went to a secluded alley adjacent to the hall, where a deity shrine, half a person’s height, was located.
The deity worshipped inside the shrine was a mastiff. It went by the name ‘General Tingtian’.
The shrine was well attended too, with many believers paying their respects to this supposedly favored divine creature that served the Chenghuang, following their visit to the Chenghuang hall.
Li Xuan began by offering three sticks of incense, each as tall as a human. He then started chanting, “Mr. Ao, I, Li Xuan, make this presumptuous visit today and hope you would spare some time to see me. I heard that you like bone soup, so I had the chef from Sanweiju specially prepare some for you——”
Ever since their encounter at Zhuque Hall, Li Xuan had intended to visit this Tingtian Ao. But he was busy these days and had no spare time.
However, after repeating his visitation request three times, the deity statue remained unresponsive. This not only gained the attention of the surrounding worshippers but also puzzled them.
Having the deity representing the Chenghuang to grant a meeting, who was this young man to command such boldness? He must be quite the influential figure.
After waiting for about ten minutes, an evidently disappointed Li Xuan gently shook his head, “Let’s go, we shall return.”
“What about this dragon bone soup?” Li Dalu hefted the large basket in his hands, “Shall we leave it here?”
For the record, the basket was rather heavy, weighing more than a hundred pounds. He had carried it all the way from Earl Chengyi’s mansion in the south of the city to here, which was easily over ten li away.
“Leave it here? Why on earth? We’re bringing it back with us!” retorted Li Xuan, glaring at his servant, “I spent two hundred teals on this. This is the most authentic dragon bone soup from Sanweiju. Even if General Tingtian doesn’t like it, we can’t just waste it!”
Indeed, ordinary dragon bone soup did not command such a high price, even though it was prepared by the world-renowned chef. The soup Li Xuan had, however, was made from the bones of a horned crocodile. The crocodile had a horn-like growth and a body similar to a Nile crocodile. It was a descendent of the dragon clan, and considered a magical creature from birth, which legitimized it as ‘dragon bone soup’.
While there were many horned crocodiles in this world, not many follow the animal protection philosophy. Instead, these creatures had caused a lot of harm in the riverside area, leading to countless deaths. Therefore, everywhere there were calls to hunt these creatures down.
Some cultivators earn their keep by hunting and selling horned crocodiles to restaurants in the major cities, each one selling for two to three thousand teals.
Li Xuan couldn’t help feeling sorry for the dragon clan in this world, who were either ridden or eaten by people.
“Bring it back? But the deity might be angry.” Li Dalu complained, feeling his young master was rather inappropriate. Nevertheless, he sighed lightly and carried the basket towards the exit.
However, as soon as they stepped out of the Chenghuang Temple, a mastiff dog descended from the sky, “Li Xuan, you are quite unreasonable. You brought the bone soup all the way to me and now you want to take it back. That’s so insincere, so low, to the point of being disrespectful.”
Li Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle. As Yue Qianqian had informed him, this divine creature serving the Chenghuang couldn’t resist the allure of the dragon bone soup.
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He signaled Li Dalu to put down the basket. Tingtian Ao, with no regard for courtesy, flung the lid open and indulged in his first sip.
“Sure enough, it’s the work of a Sanweiju master chef. Simply delicious——”
A look of enjoyment crossed Tingtian Ao’s face: “Do you have any alcohol? Did you bring alcohol? This dragon bone soup doesn’t taste right without alcohol.”
Li Xuan chuckled, pulling two ceramic bottles from his sleeve: “This is the ‘Huanglongzui’ from Sanweiju too. They say it’s in limited production; I spent over a hundred teals just for these two bottles.”
“That’s enough.”
Tingtian Ao was overjoyed. With a quick inhale, he sucked the ball of liquid from the ceramic bottle into his mouth, looking even more intoxicated: “I never tire of fine foods and delicacies. This is a perfect combination. If you had brought a barrel of ordinary wine, it would have put me off.”
He feasted and drank heartily, quickly eating more than half of the bones in the dragon bone soup. Then, looking embarrassed and somewhat ashamed, he cast a glance at Li Xuan: “I know why you came here, but the matter you want to inquire about, I cannot help.”
Li Xuan furrowed his brow, unable to believe it: “Could it be, even with your capabilities, Mr. Ao, you’re unaware of the origins of the female ghost behind me?”
“I do know, but I dare not say it.”
Tingtian Ao appeared embittered, his tail drooped: “Once it’s talked about, endless trouble will ensue. Not only could I not guarantee my own life, but it could also implicate my master.”
“Endless trouble? Is it that serious?”
Li Xuan was reminded of a famous scene in the Journey to the West, where the Fighting Buddha fought against the Six-Eared Macaque and ended up in front of the Ksitigarbha Buddha, using his mount to distinguish between the real and the fake.
Eventually, he stated, ‘His name should not be revealed, nor can it help capture him.’ He also said, ‘If his name is revealed, it will cause calamity, disturbing the palace, causing unrest in the underworld.’ In the end, he could only let both of them go to find the Tathagata Buddha—
Could the impending disaster be so great that even Chenghuang could not handle it?
“Can you truly say nothing at all? Could you at least refer me to someone who can?”
“There is none. Do you think the background of the one behind you is simple? Without going through extraordinary events, how could one possess a god-emperor’s form?” Tingtian Ao resolutely shook his head, “There are actually a few people in Jinling City who possess these types of divine abilities. But are you sure you want to go to them? That would be like a sheep entering a tiger’s den, or trying to beat a dog with meat buns, a one-way ticket.”
Left with no other options, Li Xuan asked, “Could Mr. Ao teach me any self-defense tactics?”
“I don’t have any.” Perhaps worried that Li Xuan would get angry, Tingtian Ao put the last bone in his mouth, speaking in a muffled voice: “I’m just a dog, don’t treat me as a god.”
Li Xuan couldn’t help but sigh: “Fine, I originally wanted to build a gold statue for you, Mr. Ao. But now it seems I can save that money.”
“You only have this little bit of skill.”
Tingtian Ao looked at Li Xuan dismissively: “Don’t think you can fool me with this. With my ability, do you know how many have wanted to build a gold statue for me? But I don’t lack worshippers, or gold statues, and I don’t care to entertain!”
Li Xuan thought to himself, that’s true. Tingtian Ao’s abilities were like a 24-hour surveillance system that covered the entire city. Anyone who encountered him would probably end up worshipping him.
With great regret, he had no choice but to bow to Tingtian Ao: “My mind was on my own life, I spoke without thinking, and for any offense given, please forgive me, Mr. Ao.”
But just as he was about to leave, he heard Tingtian Ao suddenly call out ‘Wait’!
When Li Xuan turned around, he found Tingtian Ao staring intently at a certain part of him.
