Chapter 31: Stealing the Incense, The Bodhisattva's Form

Chapter 31: Stealing Incense, The Bodhisattva's Form

At dawn the next morning, Ning Xuan was already lying in a soft, fragrant bed.

Every inch of flesh on his body that had once been gnawed by demons was now imbued with the scent of rouge.

Even the wind outside the window carried the scent of rouge.

Ning Xuan felt at ease; he felt every muscle in his body in a state of pleasure.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

The footsteps of the person knocking were very light and slow.

Ning Xuan said, "Come in."

Xiao Jie entered.

She walked in with her head bowed and hands hanging low, weeping softly. The tips of her embroidered shoes shuffled forward until she stopped a foot away from the bed.

Without even opening his eyes, Ning Xuan said, "You heard too many stories yesterday. Do you want to tell me a story too?"

Last night, while he was at the Chenxiang Pavilion, the courtesans there naturally knew who this young master was. Consequently, some began to chat with Ning Xuan about their pasts, hoping this young gentleman would feel pity and lead them through a "social climb."

Thus, Ning Xuan had listened to many tragic tales and accompanied many young ladies in drinking fine wine.

The cost of the fine wine was all covered by the ladies.

The ladies received extra money for it.

This was the "gentle paradise" he spoke of—where there was wine, stories, and red sleeves adding fragrance.

Xiao Jie cried, "Young Master asked me to buy a mansion near the Kushi Zen Monastery, but... I searched for a long time and couldn't find one. I could only buy this one. Please forgive me, Young Master."

Last night, while Ning Xuan went to the Chenxiang Pavilion, Xiao Jie had spent the night searching for a mansion.

In the end, Xiao Jie had purchased the mansion with the best lighting, the most beautiful design, and the largest floor area, located directly opposite the Chenxiang Pavilion.

"You," Ning Xuan sighed. "Forget it. This residence is only three streets away from the Kushi Zen Monastery in Wangyue Estate. It is already very close."

The look of distress on Xiao Jie's face vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy nod. "It is indeed very close!"

Neither of them mentioned that the mansion was directly across from the Chenxiang Pavilion.

Ning Xuan instructed further, "Find some time to have someone bring my horse, my dog, my chickens, and all those treasures here."

Xiao Jie responded, "Yes."

Then she turned and left.

She was sensible enough not to seek trouble after the Young Master had returned from a night of revelry at the Chenxiang Pavilion.

Ning Xuan watched her retreating figure.

Truth be told, few women could compare to Xiao Jie.

Not only did she know her place and how to get things done, but she was also very light.

She felt weightless in one's arms, pressing nothing against a pillow, like a delicate swallow; she was truly a beauty of her generation.

Combined with that chance encounter in front of the Kushi Zen Monastery that day...

It seemed Xiao Jie also owed him a story.

The new mansion was incredibly quiet.

Aside from the scent of rouge, there was actually the fragrance of flowers and water.

Aside from the sound of the wind, there was actually the sound of wind chimes.

Those noisy wind chimes were Xiao Jie's favorite.

Like a mother beast declaring her territory, she would hang wind chimes from the eaves whenever the Young Master did not object.

Once the wind blew, the sound of the chimes was like the crashing waves of a vast ocean—very noisy.

Ning Xuan liked this noise.

Noisy and vulgar was much better than the deathly silence of the Black Moon's daylight world.

Noisy and vulgar—that was what he loved.

However, after Xiao Jie had gone far away, he forced himself to sit up and took out the small chest he had brought last night.

He had brought nothing extra when he left the Ning Estate except for this small chest.

Now, he opened it.

Inside the chest lay four Bodhisattva statues.

One belonged to the Bear Demon, and the other three had been scavenged from Mount Manfeng.

When the demon left, the Bodhisattva remained; he had said he wanted to see it, so the ugly servant had given it to him.

The four Bodhisattvas had ordinary appearances, much like the Bodhisattva shell revealed by the Incense-Stealing Rat that day.

Their bodies were as clear as pure water, their hair like green lotus petals, their faces like full moons, with a white tuft between their brows. Their eyes looked downward, their lips held a faint smile, appearing both majestic and compassionate.

Ning Xuan recalled what the Great Third King of the Bear Demon had said: "Good incense, sincere heart, and proper strength—only then can one receive a response from the Bodhisattva." With a thought, he summoned the [Incense-Stealing Rat].

The massive boost to his mental attributes and the existence of his innate demon art, "Incense-Stealing Technique," meant that when he looked at the Bodhisattvas, he did not see deities, but rather the outlines of treasures composed of swirling incense wrapped in jade-like, inanimate shells.

There was the Brocade Lacquer Kasaya, the Yin Wind Banner, and the treasures of the monkey and sheep...

He stared at the Bodhisattva statues, suddenly raised his hand to press down slowly, and simultaneously activated the "Incense-Stealing Technique."

He would not burn incense.

He would steal it.

He felt a bit nervous.

After all, he did not know if these Bodhisattva statues held other mysteries.

But if the Incense-Stealing Rat could steal it, could he not?

Within the Bodhisattva statues, the outlines of the treasures began to blur. As the first wisp of incense was drawn in, the rest followed, being unraveled like silk and drawn toward Ning Xuan, spreading forward along his five fingers.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the treasure outline within the first Bodhisattva statue was completely exhausted.

Ning Xuan felt a strange power entering his body; these powers were like a thin mist, swirling and moving around him.

This was the power of incense.

He had not been able to use the treasures themselves, but he had sucked in all the incense that constituted their outlines.

He clenched his fingers, and the incense moved according to his will, quickly forming a massive golden palm outside his body. This palm was larger than a person, much like the Bodhisattva he had seen that day.

Seeing that he had achieved enough, Ning Xuan stopped absorbing and put away the remaining three statues.

He wanted to wait and see.

A few more days passed.

Ning Xuan's days and nights were reversed.

During the day, he would return to the mansion yawning.

The mansion had become a bit more lively, as Xiao Jie had hired several maidservants.

But only a little, as the mansion only had a few more maids now.

"Has anyone come looking for me?"

Though it was obvious, Ning Xuan asked casually.

Xiao Jie shook her head and said, "Not a single soul."

Ning Xuan was not surprised.

The time elapsed so far was enough for those who should know to know of the "Young Master of the Ning Family," but... they were still waiting for the dust to settle.

Once it settled, either people would move on and things would grow even colder than they were now, or the gates would be crowded with masters from all over trampling the threshold to find him.

Yes! They would come looking for him, not for Master Ning.

He... would become the new Master Ning, and to some extent, he would be even more formidable than the old Master Ning.

The Imperial Court feared high-ranking officials because those officials gathered a large number of loyal subordinates through Dragon Qi, making them dangerous to allow to pass to a second generation; however, the Court clearly did not fear martial artists who had nothing to do with Dragon Qi and could instead cooperate with Celestial Masters to guard the mountains and rivers for a long time.

The Court was not stingy about granting real power to such "special talents."

Ning Xuan went to a private meditation room that had been cleared specifically for his cultivation.

The room was large, over ten feet in length and width.

Ning Xuan clenched his hand, and that ten-foot-long golden palm emerged outside his body once more; this was the power of incense.

After a few days of simple testing, he discovered that this incense had no side effects.

He took out the remaining three Bodhisattva statues and began to absorb them one by one.

Half an hour later...

*Clack.*

*Clack.*

*Clack.*

He cast aside the three Bodhisattva statues.

With a thought, a bright, golden Bodhisattva gradually expanded outside his body, with green lotus hair, a face like a full moon, and a white tuft between its brows.

He hunched his back, assuming a crouching posture; only in this way could he fit fully within this ant-hole-like meditation room without bursting it open.