Xie Lian said, “Looking for a place to stay. Fu Yao, why are you rolling your eyes again?”

Nan Feng asked, puzzled, “Why are you going towards the wilderness?”

Xie Lian, accustomed to sleeping rough, was planning to find a cave to make a fire. He realized, upon reflection, that Nan Feng and Fu Yao were martial officials, and if there was a Nan Yang or Xuan Zhen temple nearby, they could stay there instead of sleeping rough.

Shortly, they found a dilapidated land shrine in an inconspicuous corner, with broken incense burners and a small stone statue of a land god. Xie Lian called out, and the god, startled after years of neglect, saw three people. Two were surrounded by a bright aura, their faces unclear. He trembled, “What do you need, celestial officials?”

Xie Lian nodded, “Nothing. Just asking if there’s a temple dedicated to Nan Yang or Xuan Zhen nearby.”

The land god, after some calculation, said, “Five li from here, there’s a temple dedicated to… Nan Yang General.”

Xie Lian said, “Thank you.” The land god, blinded by the aura, quickly disappeared. Xie Lian left some coins and lit some incense. Fu Yao kept rolling his eyes.

Five li later, they found a bustling temple. It was small but complete, with many people. They entered, seeing a statue of Nan Yang, armed with a bow.

Xie Lian “hmm”-ed.

The statue was crude, quite different from Feng Xin.

But poorly made statues were common. Some gods didn’t even recognize their own statues. Few artisans had seen the gods, so the statues were either too beautiful or too ugly. They could only be identified by their poses, weapons, and attire.

Wealthier places had better statues. Poorer places had worse ones. Only Xuan Zhen General’s statues were generally good, because he’d have them remade if they were ugly, either by destroying them or subtly expressing his displeasure. Thus, believers knew to find skilled artisans!

Xuan Zhen Palace, like its general, was particular. Fu Yao spent an hour criticizing the Nan Yang statue, calling it distorted, vulgar, and poorly made. Seeing Nan Feng’s veins popping out, Xie Lian changed the subject, noticing a girl entering to pray, kneeling devoutly, “Speaking of which, Nan Yang Zhenjun’s main temple is in the southeast, yet your incense is strong here in the north.”

People build temples to imitate celestial palaces, and statues are reflections of the gods. Temples attract believers and offerings, becoming a source of power for the gods. Different regions worship different gods. A god’s power is strongest in their territory. Only the God of Martial might has believers and temples everywhere. Nan Feng should be proud that his general’s temple is popular here, but he doesn’t seem to be. Fu Yao smiled, “Yes, deeply loved.”

Xie Lian, “But I have a question…”

Nan Feng, “If it’s ‘should I say this or not,’ don’t say it.”

Xie Lian thought, “No, I want to ask ‘if anyone can answer.'”

He decided to change the subject. But Fu Yao said, “I know what you want to ask. You’re wondering why there are so many female believers?”

That was Xie Lian’s question.

Female believers of war gods are fewer than males, except for Xie Lian eight hundred years ago. It was simply because his statue and temples were beautiful. His temples were built by the royal family, and his statue was carved by top artisans, based on his face. Because of the phrase “In the depths of suffering, the heart remains in paradise,” artisans added flowers, and the temples were surrounded by flower trees. He was called the “Flower Crown War God.” Female believers liked his beautiful statue and temples, so they came to worship him.

But most war gods were depicted as serious, fierce, and cold, making female believers prefer to worship Guanyin. This Nan Yang statue wasn’t beautiful, yet there were more female than male believers. Nan Feng clearly didn’t want to answer. At that moment, the girl finished praying, getting up to take incense and turning around.

Xie Lian nudged the officials. They were annoyed, but their faces changed when they saw.

Fu Yao, “So ugly!”

Xie Lian, “Fu Yao, don’t say that about girls.”

Fu Yao was telling the truth. The girl’s face was flat, her features undistinguished.

But Xie Lian didn’t focus on her appearance. A large hole was in the back of her skirt.

Fu Yao was surprised but quickly composed himself. Nan Feng’s veins disappeared.

Seeing his change, Xie Lian said, “Don’t be nervous.”

The girl prayed, “Nan Yang General, please help me catch the ghost groom…”

She prayed devoutly, unaware of the three people at the statue’s feet. Xie Lian felt a headache, “What do we do? We can’t let her leave like this! People will see her.”

The hole in her skirt was clearly made by a sharp object. She would be ridiculed.

Fu Yao indifferently said, “Don’t ask me. She’s not worshipping our Xuan Zhen General. I saw nothing.”

Nan Feng was speechless. Xie Lian took off his coat and threw it over the girl, covering the hole. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

The wind startled the girl. She looked around, took off the coat, hesitated, and placed it on the altar, still unaware. She was about to leave. Xie Lian sighed. Seeing Nan Feng and Fu Yao frozen, Xie Lian sighed and appeared, jumping down.