“That’s right, a dead knot!”
“Then… what exactly is this dead knot? Could you tell me, junior?” Lu Chen hurriedly pressed further.
If it wasn’t a matter of magical power, then what could it be?
Something that could make a deity use such a serious term as “dead knot.”
Stove Lord pondered briefly, then flipped his palm. Instantly, a palm-sized gray leather booklet with scorched edges appeared before Lu Chen’s eyes.
It looked like a rolled-up scroll of a decree or edict.
And unlike Stove Lord’s body, which radiated divine light outward—
This booklet had no spiritual glow at all. It was dim and lifeless, like a dead object. Compared to Stove Lord himself, it seemed utterly out of place.
“This is my lifebound magic treasure, called the [Smoke and Fire Register], also known as the [Record of Human Affairs]. All good and evil deeds within every household will automatically transform into red (good) and black (evil) fire marks, inscribed upon this register. What you seek is simply to uncover the true culprit. In the past, I need only unfurl this register and one glance would tell me everything.”
Stove Lord paused, a hint of bitterness in his voice: “But now, this Smoke and Fire Register… I cannot open it.”
“Why? Is it also related to the matter of entering the temple?” Lu Chen’s mind raced.
“You’re quite sharp, young friend. It is exactly so. The [Smoke and Fire Register] draws its divine power from the smoke and fire of ten thousand households.”
“But what this temple gathers is incense smoke, which is absolutely not the same as cooking smoke and fire.”
“Ever since I moved into this temple, the Smoke and Fire Register has been cut off from its source of divine power. As days turned to months, its spiritual essence faded entirely, and it can no longer be opened.”
“This is also why, no matter how mortals make offerings to me, I pay them no heed—this is the difficulty.”
“Without the Smoke and Fire Register to assist me, how can I call myself Stove Lord? How can I help the common people?”
Stove Lord’s voice grew deeper and heavier: “What has been severed this time is not merely a hand or a foot—it is the loss of all four limbs.
Therefore, though I still hold the position of Stove Lord, I am… Stove Lord in name only.”
The more he spoke, the more despondent Stove Lord’s voice became.
Only then did Lu Chen suddenly understand—so this was the reason!
No wonder he had always felt that Stove Lord deliberately avoided accepting offerings. He had thought it was because insufficient incense had weakened his magical power, just like Zhong Kui.
But the real crux was that his lifebound magic treasure had lost its spiritual efficacy!
“This…”
Lu Chen’s mind quickly turned over the possibilities.
Spiritual essence completely lost, divinity extinguished? Reduced to a dead object?
If that was the case…
If the spiritual essence could be reinfused, and the magic treasure’s divinity rebound to Stove Lord once more, wouldn’t that solve everything?
Lu Chen’s heart pounded!
His blood raced wildly!
Within the Daoist tradition, was there a method to resolve this dilemma?
—Yes, brother, there is!!
He immediately straightened his back and pressed further: “My lord, this junior dares to ask—if this [Smoke and Fire Register] could regain its divine power, would you be able to use this treasure to uncover the true culprit?”
“Make the Smoke and Fire Register regain its divine power?!” Stove Lord’s expression turned stern, and for the first time, an obvious fluctuation appeared in his eyes.
He pondered briefly, then gave a solemn nod: “If you truly have a way, young friend, to restore this treasure’s spirit, then I naturally also have a way to solve your problem and find the true culprit.”
“Good! In that case, leave the matter of rekindling this treasure’s spiritual essence to me!”
“What did you say? Is that true!?” Stove Lord’s pupils abruptly contracted. Even the divine light around him trembled, and he nearly rose to his feet in loss of composure.
Lu Chen’s gaze was firm: “To be honest, my lord, with this method of mine, I wouldn’t dare claim absolute certainty, but I’d say there’s at least a fifty percent chance of success!”
Stove Lord’s eyes flickered uncertainly. He forcibly suppressed the surge of shock in his heart and said gravely: “Young friend, do not speak rashly. The [Smoke and Fire Register] is no ordinary magic treasure. Even if you have some connections in the Heavenly Court or the Underworld, if you wish to borrow another deity’s power to infuse spiritual essence, and the method is wrong, it will all be in vain!”
Lu Chen smiled calmly: “Rest assured, my lord. This junior has a secret art of his own. There is no need to borrow power from any other deity.”
“What kind of divine ability could achieve such a heaven-defying feat?” Stove Lord was intensely curious.
Lu Chen’s expression turned serious, and he said with firm conviction: “This method is called—[Consecration]. Has Stove Lord ever heard of it?”
“Consecration?” Stove Lord frowned, clearly unfamiliar: “Please enlighten me, young friend.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a cup of clear tea appeared before Lu Chen, with wisps of steam rising.
Stove Lord extended a hand in invitation.
Lu Chen recalled the benefits of tasting fine wine on City God Street earlier. He knew that these immortals’ tea and wine greatly helped the soul, so he did not decline. He raised the cup and drank it all.
A warm, gentle energy immediately circulated through his limbs and bones, and his spirit was greatly refreshed.
He set down the teacup and explained: “According to ancient texts passed down in my family, this [Consecration] secret art is specifically used to infuse spiritual essence into divine statues and magic tools, and to bind divinity to them.
In plain terms, it’s like giving a dead object a ‘spiritual interface.’
It allows it to connect with a deity and carry spiritual power, transforming an ordinary object into a sentient magic tool.”
As he spoke, Lu Chen pointed to the dim Smoke and Fire Register in Stove Lord’s hand.
“According to what you said, my lord, this object has now lost all spirituality. In essence, it is no different from an ordinary object. Strictly speaking, it can no longer be considered a magic treasure. Would this junior be correct?”
Stove Lord gazed at the Smoke and Fire Register in his hand, then looked at Lu Chen, frowning: “Not entirely correct, but it勉强 makes some sense. Continue.”
Lu Chen smiled slightly: “My lord, this junior has already finished. In short, with this method, it may be possible to help you reopen the [Smoke and Fire Register].”
“How exactly would it be carried out?” Stove Lord pressed.
“There’s no need to worry about that, my lord. This junior has a complete set of rituals prepared. If you trust me, why not let me give it a try? If it fails, there’s no loss. If it succeeds by luck, wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?”
Stove Lord was momentarily uncertain, clearly somewhat flustered: “Truly… a fifty percent chance?”
“At least fifty percent!” To strengthen his persuasiveness, Lu Chen immediately added: “To be honest, my lord, the merit method I mentioned earlier once helped a Well Dragon King obtain immense merit, enabling him to ascend as a Guardian Golden Dragon under the Wealth God. It even secured sweet rain for Longhu County, which had suffered three years of drought. Therefore, I am equally confident in this [Consecration] method!”
Facts speak louder than words.
With the successful case of Longhu County before him, Stove Lord was clearly moved.
Besides, the situation was already this bad. Might as well treat a dead horse as a live one.
“Good! Since that is so, I will trust you this once!” Stove Lord finally made up his mind, his divine voice resounding: “If you truly can help me rekindle the [Smoke and Fire Register], I will not only help you find the true culprit, but also reward you generously!”
Lu Chen sprang to his feet and bowed solemnly: “Thank you, Stove Lord! In that case, Stove Lord, wait for my news! Once I’ve prepared everything, I’ll inform you of the next step.”
For Daoist rituals, the foremost priority is choosing an auspicious day.
Back in Longhu County, it just so happened that those days were all auspicious.
But now, within Stove Lord’s consciousness sea, Lu Chen could not calculate an auspicious date.
He could only wait until he exited to determine the date.
Additionally, he still needed to prepare various ritual implements, talismans, and the Small Three Classics and Nine Volumes.
There was still a great deal to prepare, and it all required time!
Seeing Lu Chen’s confident and assured manner, Stove Lord took a deep breath and suppressed his churning emotions.
“Good. I trust you possess considerable divine ability, young friend, and will not disappoint me. I shall await your good news!”
“Rest assured, my lord. This junior will do his utmost!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Stove Lord gave a slight nod.
The surrounding scene instantly changed dramatically. Boundless white light once again flooded Lu Chen’s vision…
…
Meanwhile, in the back courtyard of the Wu Family Shrine.
The night grew darker.
A faint, lingering burnt fragrance hung in the air, causing quite a few stomachs to rumble.
Sun Yourong, Sun Dechang, and Old Wu were all gathered around the motionless Lu Chen.
Their faces were full of concern.
“Truly unbelievable! Young friend Lu actually activated this Stove Lord statue! We really struck gold this time!”
Old Wu could hardly contain his delight: “What’s even more incredible is that on his first offering, he was directly pulled into the deity’s consciousness sea! Such a fortuitous encounter… is simply unheard of!”
Even with Old Wu’s vast experience, he couldn’t help but gasp in awe.
Normally, only when one’s Servant Deity Degree reached above 20% would such an honor be possible.
Could Lu Chen’s first offering have already pushed his Servant Deity Degree up by 20%?
This was beyond what could be described as extraordinary talent!
“Old Wu, how long has it been?”
Sun Dechang was somewhat worried.
Being pulled into the consciousness sea could be good or bad. If it angered the deity,
it could cause irreversible damage to the soul.
Although such a possibility was less than one in ten thousand,
as long as it was possible, Sun Dechang couldn’t help but worry.
“About four or five minutes now. He should be coming out soon.” Old Wu replied, then turned to Sun Yourong and asked abruptly: “Rongrong, I heard young friend Lu has made offerings to three deities in total—one is the Wealth God, one is the Underworld King of the Netherworld, and another is the Plague Emperor of the [Plague Department], the Plague-Curing Heavenly Emperor. So what are the Servant Deity Degrees for these three?”
Old Wu couldn’t help but be curious.
After all, cases of being pulled into a consciousness sea on one’s first offering were exceedingly rare.
He wanted to glean something from the Servant Deity Degrees, to see what secrets this young man might be hiding.
“This…” Sun Yourong was momentarily troubled. After all, Servant Deity Degree was, to some extent, quite private.
So after thinking it over, she politely declined: “Sorry, Old Wu. If you really want to ask, you should ask him yourself. This junior really shouldn’t say.”
Old Wu paused, still unwilling to give up: “Fine, then let me ask differently, so you won’t be put on the spot. For young friend Lu’s highest Servant Deity Degree, has it exceeded 30%? No—35%?”
Sun Yourong looked at her grandfather. Seeing Sun Dechang give a slight nod, she finally answered softly: “It’s exceeded… and by far.”
—Hiss!!!
Far exceeding 35% Servant Deity Degree?
At such a young age?
Old Wu felt momentarily dizzy.
When he was Lu Chen’s age, his Servant Deity Degree with the Literary Emperor was barely 10%.
And even that was already considered outstanding among people.
“Old Sun, your judgment is truly sharp! Not only ruthless, but steady!” Old Wu sighed in admiration.
“Hahaha!” Sun Dechang burst out laughing on the spot.
“Huh? What’s going on? Did something happen?”
Just then, Lu Chen’s voice suddenly rang out, breaking the atmosphere in the courtyard.
“You’re out?” Sun Yourong quickly stepped forward, examining him carefully. “Are you alright?”
“What could be wrong? I’m perfectly fine.”
Having just drunk a cup of immortal tea, Lu Chen felt refreshed and incredibly comfortable.
“Young friend, what did Stove Lord say? Can this method be used to successfully make offerings in the future?” Old Wu asked urgently.
“Uh… Old Wu, it might not work for now.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Old Wu’s heart tightened.
“This… let’s discuss it later. The problem can be solved!” Lu Chen didn’t want to reveal too much, and instead said: “Old Wu, this junior has an unreasonable request.”
“Just say it!”
Lu Chen’s gaze returned to the Stove Lord statue: “This junior would like to temporarily take the Stove Lord statue back. Whether as a temporary rental, or I could simply commission one myself—roughly how much would it cost?”
Old Wu immediately understood that this must be related to “repairing” Stove Lord. He waved his hand at once:
“Young friend Lu, why be so formal? You helped my Wu family activate a deity—that’s a huge favor. Now that you have this intention, just take it. No need to discuss any cost. But roughly how many days will you need?”
Lu Chen placed his hands behind his back, his fingertips moving slightly as he calculated an auspicious date.
Perfect!
Two days from now would be an auspicious day!
“Three days at the shortest, four at the longest!”
Lu Chen deliberately left some buffer time.
“Good! No problem!”
Old Wu agreed readily.
