Chapter 9

Just from one voice, Qiu Yan identified the gender of the speaker, and couldn't help but be surprised.

In the world of his previous life, the concept of gender equality was deeply ingrained, but in this world, after absorbing Qiu Yan's memories and gaining some understanding, he knew that this world was still at a stage where men and women had different statuses, which was why he was surprised.

However, after a moment's thought, he felt at ease.

"There's no need to say much about the mundane world. The one appearing before me is a deity, so it's normal for there to be differences."

With this thought, Qiu Yan calmed down.

Crack!

The person by the table moved slightly, and the armor on their body made a metallic clinking sound. This set of armor completely enveloped the person, not revealing a single bit.

"However, aside from the gender of this City God, just the attire itself is enough to surprise me..."

Swish!

Just as Qiu Yan's thoughts fell, a whistling sound arose. The City God raised a hand and flicked it, sending the book in his hand flying toward Qiu Yan.

In a flash, the book was in front of Qiu Yan. He instinctively took two quick steps back, his face showing caution, while the book hovered in mid-air.

At this moment, the City God spoke, still in a smooth voice.

"I made you wait for so long. This book is to make up for it."

As the words were spoken, Qiu Yan's gaze fell on the cover of the book, and four characters immediately caught his eye—

"The Way of Life and Death."

Strange fluctuations continuously emanated from the book.

"What is this?" Qiu Yan was startled, his gaze returning to the City God.

Not long ago, Qiu Yan had just clarified his thoughts and decided to find a cultivation method for his scholar incarnation. He didn't expect that the method he needed would appear before him in an instant, as an apology.

However, Qiu Yan's first reaction was not joy, but the realization that his connection with his incarnation had been seen through by this female City God.

Unexpectedly, the City God raised her head slightly, and her voice came from under the mask: "I know you have some karmic ties with that scholar named Qiu Yan, but he is just a mortal, while you are a born deity. Long-term contact will bring him misfortune rather than good fortune. Give him this book to repay the karmic debt. Whether he can cultivate or not is up to him."

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan was slightly surprised.

The City God of Yuan Ning continued: "Don't doubt it. You are a born deity, and of course, I won't let you go. I don't play games. If you are willing to join my staff or my command, I will not treat you poorly. This book is nothing."

Hearing this, Qiu Yan gradually calmed down and asked a question: "I hope the City God can explain the extraordinary nature of a born deity."

"I knew you would ask that," the City God of Yuan Ning nodded. "To become a deity, one needs a title and a belief. Whether it's the belief of the people, the belief of demons, or the belief of nature, it is an indispensable part of us deities."

"But among deities, a deity like you, who appears out of nowhere, is the most rare. Even if one is revered by the people in life and becomes a deity after death, or comprehends some secret of nature and becomes a deity after death, they are still limited by their original three souls and karmic ties, making it difficult to make decisions independently. Only a born deity like you, who appears out of nowhere, can break free from these limitations, and without a title, can..."

"Change your divine position and improve your divine rank!"

Qiu Yan frowned slightly, catching some information from the other party's words. However, his understanding of divine matters was limited, so he couldn't grasp the key points accurately. However, he did have some knowledge about divine ranks.

The divine rank is like the rank in the secular bureaucracy, an important standard for evaluating deities. For example, the Earth God Huang Jue in the southern part of the city is a sixth-rank deity, while Qiu Yan himself is a seventh-rank deity.

Different divine ranks mean different levels of control over divine power.

However, because he had been confined to one place for decades and had received little incense offerings, he had not even managed to condense a few divine stars, and he did not understand the methods to improve his divine rank.

"Regarding matters related to the divine path, as long as you join my command, I will inform you in detail. As for incense offerings, you don't need to worry. I won't force you, but you might want to think about it carefully."

At this point, she paused and then said, "A few demons that entered the city are related to that scholar. I have already sent people to warn them. This is not just to win you over. These demons have been eating the people of the city. Since the people worship and offer sacrifices to me, I should give them something in return."

"So the demons that entered the city are indeed related to me!"

Qiu Yan was not surprised by this, but the City God's straightforward approach to winning him over, without any pretense, was unexpected, and it raised some doubts in his mind.

"Why does this City God's attitude toward the people differ so much from that of the Earth God in the southern part of the city? However, from her words, it seems she hasn't discovered the connection between my true self and my incarnation, treating them as two separate individuals."

As he was thinking, he saw the armored City God raise her hand and make a few gestures.

Whoosh!

The air currents gathered a few wisps of smoke from the air, swirling around her hand and gradually forming a small fog ball. She flicked her finger, and the fog ball shot out, landing in front of Qiu Yan.

"This spirit incense can stabilize the mind and soul. If the scholar lacks the talent to open his spiritual senses, you can give him this. Otherwise, let him cultivate the Way of Life and strengthen his body."

Qiu Yan took a deep breath, looked deeply at the City God, and after a moment's thought, he flicked his sleeve to collect the fog ball, then silently bowed to the City God.

"This City God is straightforward and generous, offering a cultivation method just because she thinks I have a karmic connection with my incarnation, and even revealing important information..."

As he thought, Qiu Yan suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, a chill running through him, as if something was staring at him, causing the white light around his body to flicker slightly.

"Truly a born deity, with such sensitive perception." The City God nodded on the opposite side.

...

After about half a cup of tea time.

In the Liu family's courtyard, a light flashed in Qiu Yan's room, and a book appeared on the table. Beside the book, a scroll was laid out flat, and a figure slowly appeared on it.

Rustle.

The quilt was thrown back, and Qiu Yan's scholar incarnation sat up.

Just now, he had a brief conversation with the City God of Yuan Ning, gaining some benefits. The City God had said what needed to be said and then let him go. After bidding farewell, the true self of the deity left the temple and returned to his residence.

"Those demons came so quickly."

Recalling the conversation, Qiu Yan muttered, looking at his hands.

"However, I didn't expect that even the City God of this city couldn't see through the difference between my true self and my incarnation. This shows that the hair I used is not simple. In the future, I need to study it carefully to uncover its secrets. But the most pressing matter now is..."

Thinking about it, he got out of bed, walked to the table, and picked up the book.

"I wonder what's written in this book."

As he thought, he opened the book.

The next moment, a green light shone from the book, emanating from the neat rows of text on the pages.

The light illuminated Qiu Yan's face and then dissipated.

After a while, Qiu Yan's face showed a look of confusion, with lines of text flashing through his eyes.

After a long time, he came to his senses, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "What a marvelous technique. Just this one moment, and the content of the book was imprinted in my mind as memory, without a single omission! If I were to do it, I could only infuse someone's memory with divine power in person, but to do it through a book is impossible."

As he thought, his gaze swept over the neat rows of text.

"This book must have been written recently, possibly even copied by the City God herself. This shows how much she values me as a born deity, even putting so much effort into the 'mortal' by my side."

From the City God's words, it was clear that she hadn't seen through the secret of Qiu Yan's scholar incarnation, only thinking it was a mortal with a karmic connection. Even so, she had prepared this book, showing her meticulousness.

"This is indeed generous treatment..."

After some thought, Qiu Yan gathered his thoughts and refocused on the book.

The first page of the book had no less than thirty characters, but the core content was just a few words: "A brief overview," indicating that this book was only a general introduction, not delving deeply.

"Even if it's a general introduction, my flesh-and-blood incarnation, who has no cultivation foundation, will still benefit greatly from this book."

Lifting his hand, he turned the page, and immediately eight characters appeared before his eyes—

"The Way of Nature leads to divinity, the Way of Life leads to immortality."

PS: Thank you, Xiao Liang, for the tip. I have some matters tonight, so if I return early, there will be another chapter. If it's too late...