A life of idleness in the world of demons

Chapter 59. The Imperial Examination
More than half a month later, summer finally came to an end.

Inside General Ning's mansion, the noisy cicada chirping had subsided considerably.

When the secret chamber opened again, Ning Xuan came out and casually crushed a palm-sized Bodhisattva statue into powder, scattering it into the dust on the ground.

A bodhisattva statue that has lost the power of incense offerings is nothing more than a clay doll.

This Bodhisattva statue was obtained by him through hunting demons.

New demons always emerge from Wangyue Mansion.

Ning Xuan killed the demons, obtained the Heavenly Demon Scroll, and also the possible incense and Bodhisattva statues; Chou Nu, on the other hand, was assigned dragon energy through his father.
Both brothers practiced diligently day and night.

The only difference is that Chou Nu practices asceticism, while Ning Xuan practices joyful cultivation.

He has successfully refined the Heavenly Demon Talisman of the Fragrant Rat.

Now, the shortfall in incense offerings that was supposed to be 12.5 in spirit has been made up by him using the incense offerings he had accumulated at Wangyue Mansion, as well as the newly acquired "Incense Bodhisattva Statue".

In the past, he was always ambushed by the "approaching Heavenly Demon," but this time, he was able to understand the opponent's power through his own probing before actively refining the "already arrived Heavenly Demon."

During this refining process, he naturally made many new discoveries.

First, the incense-like outer shell of spiritual demons can be weakened in advance.

In other words, on that day, he encountered the Fragrant Rat at the Auspicious Merchant Guild. His attack caused the Fragrant Rat to consume a lot of its incense. Then, when he was refining the Fragrant Rat, its incense shell was much weaker than when he first saw it. Simply put, it was easier to fight.

This means that from now on, if he encounters a powerful and difficult-to-deal-with spiritual demon, he can ensure the success rate of the refining process by first weakening it in reality and then refining it.

Secondly, after the demon spirit reaches level 10, its power seems to undergo a qualitative change, making it a second-grade demon.

Previously, Ning Xuan's incense offerings could only take the form of a golden Bodhisattva, but now he can create them at will, and each image he creates is no longer a transparent golden body, but rather more solid and realistic.

What does this mean?
This suggests that the so-called "hunchbacked mountain man" is just a shell.

The fragrant rat uses this "shell" to spread its faith, and it merely imitates the appearance of "a certain deity in the ancient Western Regions faith" by sculpting the incense shell into the shape of that hunchbacked mountain god.

This
Ning Xuan can do it now too.

He could also be "Hunchback Mountain Man".

Any demon that has incense offerings and whose spirit reaches level 10 can be a "Hunchback Mountain Man".

Third, in addition to being able to freely create incense-infused bodies, second-rank demons can also manifest their divine power over extremely long distances. The prerequisite for manifesting their divine power is not complicated; all that is needed is the presence of their own essence blood with a rich aura.

Ning Xuan pondered as he strolled along, eventually settling down in a scenic pavilion.

The pavilion was luxurious, with readily available fruits, candied fruits, and fine wines for the general to enjoy at any time.

If it remains untouched for a day, it will be assumed that it has been given as a reward to the servants in the household.

He sat in the pavilion, poured himself a glass of fine wine, and picked up a piece of "Pearl Cheese" and put it in his mouth.

The sweetness and milkiness of the "Pearl of the Western Regions" blend together, creating a delicious sweet and sour flavor.

He grabbed another piece of dried yak and chewed it vigorously.

Finally, he picked up the wine jug and took a big gulp.

His brows were still furrowed.

Because he did not obtain the most essential power, which was also the power he most desired, during this refining process.

He glanced at the panel:

【Fragrant Mouse】

[Demon-like Species: 10.0, Class Rat, Family Citronella, Species of the Spiritual Type]

[Innate Demonic Art: Incense Condensation Technique: The green shrine gathers the smoke from the jade incense burner, transforming it into immortal longevity, refining incense flames, and reflecting them back upon oneself]

Gone.

The difference between "Fragrance Stealing Technique" and "Fragrance Condensation Technique" is probably that one stealthily collects only a tiny bit of incense each time, while the other openly and honestly condenses a considerable amount each time.

There was no magic to "generate incense offerings." Nor was there any magic that would make people like "Liu Shirong" "become as loyal as if they were hypnotized once they believed in them."

Ning Xuan thought for a moment and realized that perhaps "as long as there is faith" it can generate incense offerings and make people loyal.

He couldn't wait to get up and find Mrs. Jie.

Lady Jie was surrounded by a group of noble ladies from Wangyue Mansion, who were all chatting and laughing behind their backs.

Ning Xuan picked up Lady Jie in his arms and, amidst the surprised and envious gazes of the noblewomen, turned and walked into the main room. After a cautious and somewhat unsatisfying act of love, he made a request: "Burn an incense stick, worship me, and then believe in me."

Mrs. Jie was secretly pleased.

She had long known of her husband's powerful physique, and that ordinary women could no longer satisfy him; she simply considered this a new and exciting experience.

Since the destruction of Flying Eagle Tower and the complete revelation of the past, her heart has been completely tied to Ning Xuan, and she will play along with whatever Ning Xuan wants.

So, Lady Jie bowed very seriously to the Buddha statue in Ningxuan Dangkushi Zen Temple, meticulously and devoutly, even silently reciting in her heart, "Now I offer my body, skin, bones, flesh, tendons, marrow and brain, to the man before me."

She also took the incense burner, selected the finest incense, and lit it with the most devout posture.
Afterwards, she raised her face and looked at Ning Xuan, who was receiving her incense offerings, with the purest and most devout expression.

She felt that her husband could finally climb down from the "shrine" and get his hands on her.

But Ning Xuan did not.

He has come to the conclusion that the idea that "faith alone can generate incense offerings and loyalty" is not valid.

He knew his own concubine well.

Mrs. Jie is a smart woman and would never be perfunctory with him.

Lady Jie worshipped him with far more sincerity than the merchants of the Auspicious Merchant Guild and the Wealthy Merchant Guild when they worshipped that "Hunchback Mountain God".

Those merchants, especially Liu Shirong, were all seasoned veterans. Who would really go to such lengths for their beliefs?
But not only did they believe, they also did everything they could to expand their faith and recruit more people.

Ning Xuan immediately concluded that there was someone behind the Fragrance Rat, and the Mountain Mo Cult was not so simple.

He had a headache.

The world is too complicated.

He had only seen the tip of the iceberg when he encountered the "Frozen Hell," the "Three Demons of Shanyang Prefecture," and the "Shanmo Cult."
God knows how many more terrible things are out there.

He didn't want to think about it anymore.

Have I been working too hard lately?

He wants to just let things fall apart and not care about anything else.

So, Ning Xuan invited Liu Shirong, whose mind had been bewitched by the Mountain Demon Sect, and three other scholars from the Ning family who already held the title of "Juren" and had the surname Ning. He also selected many courtesans from the Chenxiang Pavilion. Together with Madam Jie, they boarded a carriage and went to enjoy the scenery of the lake and mountains.

My father's health is deteriorating day by day, so it's impossible for him or Chou Nu to succeed him as the prefect of Wangyue Prefecture. Therefore, it can only be one of the three scholars from our family.

Even a powerful general cannot act arbitrarily and appoint people to positions of authority at will; Ning Xuan certainly cannot either.
His becoming a general extended the Ning family's life and provided them with a way out.

However, if the Ning family, the lineage of the prefect, wants to continue, the best way is to become a tribute student in the imperial examinations in the capital, and then take part in the palace examinations, achieving a first, second, or third rank.

At least that's how one gets the qualifications to become an official.

Of course, only the top three can qualify directly.

The rest require divine favor and the emperor's personal permission.

In previous years, it would have been normal for successful candidates to go to the capital for the imperial examinations, but since the recent outbreak of the demonic disaster, travel has become difficult and isolated. Interestingly, the emperor has not made any changes and still requires candidates to go to the capital for the examinations.

This means that very few people will actually participate in the test, and without escort, it will be impossible for them to arrive safely in the capital.

Ugly Slave had told Ning Xuan about this before, and Ning Xuan was still having a headache about how to send the three away. After all, if he left Wangyue Mansion, the manor would lose its leader.
But things are a bit better now.

He left a trace of his essence in Wangyue Mansion, which would allow him to manifest his divine power thousands of miles away.

P.S.: Starting tomorrow, I will fix the update time to 5 PM. It may be two short chapters released consecutively, or it may be one long chapter, depending on the situation.

(End of this chapter)