A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Using the dim light from the mill, Ma Genshan sized up the approaching man. He was no longer nervous. Since this man had come with Zhou Can, he naturally posed no threat to him. Moreover, judging from the man's tone and manner of speaking, Ma Genshan had a vague feeling that this man's status was even higher than Zhou Can's.

Sure enough, Zhou Can said, "Ma Genshan, why don't you pay your respects to Lord Duan? Lord Duan is the one who holds the Black Iron Cloud Crane Token."

Ma Genshan's expression changed slightly. Although he was only the intelligence chief of Tongbai County, he knew what the Black Iron Cloud Crane Token meant.

Holding the Black Iron Cloud Crane Token meant that one was the highest-ranking person in charge of their entire intelligence system.

Ma Genshan immediately knelt down and said, "This humble servant Ma Genshan greets Lord Duan!"

Duan Rong said, "Get up."

Ma Genshan kowtowed again before standing up. He looked at Duan Rong and Zhou Can with a sly glint in his eyes and said with a smile, "My lords, you must have something to tell me before you visit so late at night?"

Zhou Can glanced at Ma Genshan. After all, this man was just a country bumpkin. It was somewhat impolite of him to ask about the purpose of the inquiry before the adults had even spoken.

But Duan Rong didn't take it to heart; he still quite liked Ma Genshan's straightforward approach.

Duan Rong said, "That's right. I've read the information you've gathered about the statue in Tongbai County these past few days. Is there a Dragon King statue in Tongbai County that has been worshipped for four thousand years?"

Ma Genshan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

These two gentlemen arrived late at night without even an invitation, clearly in a great hurry. Moreover, the gentleman in question seemed to be of extraordinary status, leading him to initially assume it must be something important. However, to his surprise, the gentleman inquired about the statue once again.

To be honest, he was quite puzzled when he received Zhou Can's instructions a few days ago. Why would he need to investigate statues of deities within the county that had been incense burning for over four hundred years?
Although Tongbai County is located in a remote area, he is still an intelligence officer and a legitimate undercover agent. Could we assign him some decent work?
Although he was puzzled, he still investigated and sent the information over. Unexpectedly, the two officials came in person tonight to inquire about the matter again.

"It seems that this matter is not as simple as I thought before." Ma Genshan couldn't help but have a jumble of thoughts.

Seeing that Ma Genshan was stammering and silent, Zhou Jian asked, "Ma Genshan, didn't you hear the adults asking you a question?"

Ma Genshan's hesitation wasn't without reason, because the so-called Dragon King statue with four thousand years of incense offerings had undergone some changes. But at this moment, Duan Rong asked, and Zhou Can urged him from the side, so he had no choice but to answer: "Yes, Lord Duan, Lord Zhou. According to the county annals, that Dragon King temple does indeed have a history of more than four thousand years."

Duan Rong nodded and asked, "Where is that Dragon King Temple?"

Ma Genshan said, "It is located twenty li southeast of the city, on the west bank of the Guan River."

Duan Rong said, "Both of you come with me."

As soon as Duan Rong finished speaking, he swept the two of them up into the sky. Zhou Can was alright, after all, he had been through it before. Ma Genshan was so frightened by the sudden rise into the sky that his liver trembled and his lips quivered.

Looking down from the sky, one can see a river flowing through the southeast of Tongbai County, surrounded by mountains, its surface shimmering in the moonlight. This river is the Guanhe River.

Duan Rong wrapped the two of them up and flew southeast towards the Guan River.

Before long, they arrived at the west bank of the Guan River, about twenty miles away. Sure enough, they saw an ancient temple on a high point on the west bank. The moonlight shone on the roof, and the light of an ever-burning lamp shone from the temple gate.

Duan Rong then wrapped the two of them up and landed not far from the temple.

Looking at the Dragon King Temple, which was emitting a dim, ever-burning light, a hint of worry flashed in Ma Genshan's eyes. Zhou Can was right beside him, and he caught this look in Ma Genshan's eyes.

Zhou Can often dealt with Ma Genshan, and he couldn't help but glance at the Dragon King Temple in front of him, immediately sensing that there might be something wrong with it.

Actually, Zhou Can guessed correctly.

Ma Genshan did indeed investigate the temples within the county and consulted the county annals. The Dragon King Temple on the west bank of the Guan River does indeed have a history of over four thousand years. It was built by the local ancestors to worship the Dragon King every year and pray for favorable weather.

However, there was a twist in the story that he only learned after sending the message. Over a hundred years ago, the Guanhe River experienced a massive flood that washed away the statues in the Dragon King Temple. The statues in the current Dragon King Temple were later reconstructions, only about a hundred years old.

Zhou Can instructed him to investigate statues that had been burning incense for over four hundred years. In that case, the Dragon King statue in this temple doesn't fit the description, since it's only a little over a hundred years old.

However, the message had already been sent, and Ma Genshan thought it was an unimportant matter, so he didn't send any more messages to explain. But he didn't expect that the two gentlemen would visit him tonight and specifically ask about the statue.

He was now deeply worried, fearing that his mistakes would be exposed, yet also worried that if they weren't, they might cause even bigger problems later. He had come to realize that the investigation of the statue was far more complex than it seemed, and that something else was involved. Otherwise, why would it have drawn the personal attention of two high-ranking officials?
Duan Rong, however, was completely unaware of the turmoil in Ma Genshan's heart. He had already strode into the ancient Dragon King Temple.

This Dragon King Temple isn't actually very large. In the center stands a statue of a deity with a human body and a dragon's head, its carving simple and unadorned. On the altar to the statue, various offerings are laid out.

Judging from these offerings, the Dragon King Temple is quite popular.

Duan Rong was filled with anticipation as he slowly walked to the statue of the Dragon King. After four thousand years of incense offerings, he was eager to see what level of spirit it possessed.

Duan Rong gently placed his palm on the statue, thinking to himself, "Read the spirit of the artifact."

Immediately, a data panel shimmering with a faint light appeared before his eyes. Looking at the data panel, Duan Rong's expression changed drastically.

Ma Genshan stood outside the Dragon King Temple, his heart pounding with worry. He was torn between telling the two officials the truth. Just then, Duan Rong strode out of the Dragon King Temple. As soon as he stepped out, his eyes shot towards Ma Genshan, his face grim.

Ma Genshan's heart skipped a beat, only to hear Duan Rong coldly say, "Ma Genshan, how dare you!?"

Ma Genshan's legs trembled, and he knelt down, crying out, "My lord, I know my crime."

Duan Rong said, "That Dragon King statue is only a little over a hundred years old, how dare you lie and say it's four thousand years old?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Can frowned and cursed inwardly: This Ma Genshan is truly muddle-headed.

When Ma Genshan heard Duan Rong recount over a hundred years in one breath, he looked up in surprise, his eyes wide with astonishment. He wondered how this Lord Duan knew so much. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he dared not hide anything any longer, recounting the entire story in detail.

After hearing Ma Genshan's explanation, Duan Rong's expression softened slightly. He said, "At least there's a reason for this. It wasn't a deliberate attempt to deceive or misrepresent information. If it was intentional deception or misreporting, then I, Duan, will have no choice but to expel them from the family."

Upon hearing the words "clean house," Ma Genshan turned ashen-faced with fear and immediately kowtowed repeatedly. "I deserve to die! I never meant to deceive you, sir... I was just careless..."

Duan Rong looked at Ma Genshan and asked, "Are there any problems with the other two statues, one a mountain god with incense offerings for a thousand years and the other a city god with incense offerings for two thousand years?" Upon hearing Duan Rong's question, Ma Genshan stopped kowtowing, raised his head, and said solemnly, "My lord, I dare to guarantee with my life that there are absolutely no problems with those two statues."

Duan Rong nodded, then suddenly turned to look at the Guanhe River in front of the Dragon King Temple. Under the moonlight, the Guanhe River shimmered and flowed into the mountains.

Duan Rong suddenly said, "Ma Genshan, you said that the four-thousand-year-old Dragon King statue was swept away by a flood more than a hundred years ago?"

Ma Genshan replied, “Yes, sir. According to the older generation, after the Dragon King statue was taken away, the villagers were afraid that a natural disaster would strike. They organized people to search and salvage along the Guanhe River for more than a month, but they could not find any trace of it. So they rebuilt a new one.”

"Is that so?" Duan Rong looked at the shimmering river water, as if asking himself.

"You two wait for me here, don't move," Duan Rong suddenly instructed Zhou Can and Ma Genshan, then took to the air and flew above the Guan River.

Hovering above the Guanhe River, feeling the dense water vapor floating around him, Duan Rong suddenly released his divine sense and plunged into the riverbed, more than a hundred feet deep.

Duan Rong followed the rushing river downstream, figuring that even if the flood had swept away the statue, it would probably have been carried downstream.

Zhou Can and Ma Genshan stood not far from the Dragon King Temple, watching in astonishment as Duan Rong floated strangely above the rushing Guanhe River. As the river flowed, his suspended figure, like a ghost, flew towards the mountains.

Ma Genshan spat out a mouthful of saliva and asked, "What is Lord Duan doing?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Can turned to look at Ma Genshan and said, "Ma Genshan, I now regret letting you be the person in charge of Tongbai County. How could you make such a huge mistake on something as simple as investigating the age of the statues?!"

After Zhou Jianduan Rong left, he began to criticize Ma Genshan.

Ma Genshan said, "Sir, there's a reason for this. How was I supposed to know there would be such a change in the middle?"

Zhou Can sneered and said, "Even if you didn't know at first, why didn't you send a message to correct me when you found out later?"

"This..." Ma Genshan was speechless for a moment, only then realizing that Zhou Can had already grabbed his braid tightly.

Seeing that he was no longer speaking, Zhou said, "Considering that this is your first offense, I will not punish you this time, but I will keep a record of it."

Ma Genshan glanced at Zhou Can but didn't dare to say a word.

Duan Rong flew along the rushing Guan River, disappearing into the mountains. The river surged through the mountains, creating a loud rushing sound. He had already flown nearly a thousand meters and explored the riverbed a thousand meters away.

According to Ma Genshan, the statue that had been worshipped for four thousand years was swept away by a flood more than a hundred years ago. More than a hundred years have passed, and even if it is a statue, it is long gone and no one knows where it has been.
Moreover, Ma Genshan's words were only heard from the older generation. Since they were passed down orally, there were bound to be errors. What if the statue was not swept away by the flood at all? Could he have followed the current all the way to the sea?

Just as Duan Rong was about to give up, his expression suddenly changed, because he had discovered something.

Under the probing of his divine sense, Duan Rong discovered that right here, at the bend between the mountain and the river, deep in the silt at the bottom of the river, about twenty meters deep, there was a statue of a deity.

Upon investigation with divine sense, it was indeed a dragon-headed, human-bodied deity statue, and it was similar in size to the one in the Dragon King Temple on the shore.

Duan Rong's eyes were cold and sharp, flashing with a deep, expectant glint.

He knew that he had likely already discovered the Dragon King statue recorded in the Tongbai County Annals.

Having received incense offerings for four thousand years, Duan Rong naturally wanted to see what the spirit of the statue was all about.

With a thought, Duan Rong was immediately enveloped by the power of the laws. On the river in the night, his figure disappeared like a ghost in an instant, and the next moment, he appeared in the silt twenty meters deep at the bottom of the river.

Duan Rong was enveloped by the power of the laws, so the silt could not stick to him. He raised his hand, his palm piercing through the silt, and gently pressed it onto the dragon king statue lying diagonally in the silt at the bottom of the river.

The moment the power of law in his palm disappeared, Duan Rong felt something sticky on his palm, but the clear sensation meant that he had touched the ancient statue that had likely been buried deep in the river for over a hundred years.

Duan Rong's eyes deepened as he thought to himself, "Reading the artifact spirit!"

The next moment, a data panel shimmering with a faint glow appeared in the dark mud at the bottom of the river.

Duan Rong stared at the data panel in front of him, his eyes flashing.

Artifact: Stone statue of the Dragon King

Spirit Rank: 23

Absorption Requirements: Host's mental strength is level 23 (not met)

Devouring effect: Four thousand years of incense offerings (deeply comprehend the complex laws of time).

Duan Rong stared intently at the four thousand years of incense within the devouring effect, and deeply comprehended these words.

The City God statue he had previously devoured, which contained incense offerings accumulated over a thousand years, represented a preliminary understanding. The change in wording indicates a qualitative shift in this power of law.

Four thousand years of incense offerings have indeed made a difference.

Unfortunately, he couldn't devour it.

Because a spirit of the 23rd rank requires the host to also have a mental strength of 23, even though he had completed the entire Womb Sutra, his mental strength level was only 22.

Not only that, he can't devour it now, he probably won't be able to for a long time, and it's even possible that he will never be able to devour the spirit of this statue.

He has already mastered the entire Womb Sutra, and he himself doesn't know how much his spiritual power will increase in the future, unless there is a cultivation method even more powerful than the Womb Sutra.

Although absorbing and digesting tree spirits could increase his spiritual power, he had already tried it. The digestion of tree spirits was extremely slow. His spiritual power, however, only increased by a significant margin with each level beyond the twentieth. At the rate he could achieve by absorbing and digesting tree spirits, he estimated it would take a hundred years to gain even one level. (End of Chapter)