Transformation Diagram: Starting as a Skinny Dog

So he first swallowed the Golden Body and fled. He would find another opportunity to deal with the Incense Qi later.

At that moment, the Chief Temple Priest, amid the loud shouts of the crowd, saw a small monster with wings under its ribs, no bigger than a palm, already flying out of the great hall. He didn't have time to consider how closely this little monster was related to the swallowing of the Golden Body. He instinctively bellowed, "Catch that beast!"

In an instant, the urgent sound of the great bell echoed throughout the City God Temple. From several halls, experts rushed out, including some with bows, firing arrows into the sky. WHIZ! WHIZ! WHIZ!

Chen Ku dodged more than a dozen arrows in succession, fully aware of the archers' strength inside the City God Temple. Some were even of the Mystic Barrier Realm. Unfortunately, they neither possessed Instructor Chai's Ultimate Archery Technique nor Chen Ku's Root Bone strength and Golden Eyes vision. Ordinary Mystic Barrier Realm archers might routinely shoot down wild geese or pheasants. However, Chen Ku's transformed Flower Fox Mink was a Second Realm Demon. With its quick movements and elusive dodging, it was impossible for any arrow to hit it.

Then, as Chen Ku's wings vibrated and he flew higher, it became even more impossible for the arrows to reach him. Chen Ku felt the threat of the arrows from below disappear. He dared not linger. Slipping away, slipping away. He immediately flew towards the city outskirts.

Meanwhile, at the very moment Chen Ku was in the Xiang Hall using the Transformation Diagram to swallow most of City God Duan Mingbi's Golden Body—an act that caused the Incense Bone of the Organ Placement to fall—elsewhere in the city:

「Inner City, North Street.」

The Parade Team was about to finish its route. Suddenly, the eight-bearer palanquin's Shrine exploded, turning into flying sawdust and revealing a small god statue not over two feet tall inside. It was the miniature version of City God Lord Duan Mingbi's statue from the City God Temple.

In an instant, the statue was exposed to the air, and the whole street was engulfed in flying dust and dirt clouds. The civilians were greatly shocked. The temple envoys carrying the Shrine in the parade were even more startled, especially the old man holding the Road Asking Incense, who turned deathly pale. In a moment, he seemed to lose the whites of his eyes and suddenly began to have a seizure, his head shaking... A few breaths later, he turned even paler but regained his senses and then shouted loudly, "Quick, go to the county government office!"

Half a quarter of an hour later, the Parade Team arrived at the county government office and directly entered the backyard. Inside the room, Shangguan Yun, clad in a white robe and not in his official uniform, suddenly frowned. "City God Duan? What is so important that you barge into the official residence with such fanfare?"

As he spoke, he looked towards the incense burner in the room. There, within the tendrils of incense smoke from the burner, a two-foot-tall general's silhouette had taken form, furious. "Something has stolen my Golden Body from Xiang Hall in broad daylight and even broke my Incense Bone! Shangguan Yun, as the Baojiao County Magistrate, I command you to quickly find out the truth."

Hmm? You 'command' me? Shangguan Yun stood with his hands behind his back and spoke indifferently, "What audacity! You are but a Yin God consecrated by Imperial edict, yet you dare to speak to this official in such a manner. Do you really think your Ninth Grade County Baron title holds sway in the Mortal Realm? Or perhaps you think I'm the same mediocre County Magistrate from six years ago?"

At those words, one could see Shangguan Yun's eyes whirl like vortices, exuding an intimidating pressure. In the eyes of the two-foot general formed by the incense smoke, there was not only the spirit and aura of Shangguan Yun but also the Da Ji's Destiny that Shangguan Yun embodied as a seventh-rank County Magistrate.

The City God was a noble title consecrated by the Imperial Court, bestowed upon righteous spirits ennobled after death. Everything they had was granted by the Imperial Court; ultimately, they were considered 'Daji Officials.' In terms of rank, this particular City God held a seventh-rank position and the title of County Baron. Had it been an ordinary County Magistrate, he could have been intimidated by Divine Power and suppressed by rank. But Shangguan Yun was different. This man not only possessed the Secret Ability of his Martial Arts Spirit but also never took such Yin Gods seriously. Therefore, the City God's fierce intimidation not only proved futile but also caused him to be repelled by Shangguan Yun's Spirit Martial Arts technique, which leveraged the intangible official authority and Qi Fortune of his position.

This intangible National Destiny and Official Authority, while useless against martial artists, naturally suppressed City Gods who were created and ennobled from the National Destiny.

Duan Mingbi's voice deepened. "County Magistrate Shangguan, do you really not intend to take care of this matter? My City God Temple is sanctioned by the Imperial Court, as is the Yin Department Yamen. Someone stealing my Golden Body is equivalent to stealing the plaque from your county government hall. Do you not care? Where does this leave the dignity of the Imperial Court?"

"This matter involves the dignity of the Imperial Court, and I will certainly take care of it. City God, please return to your temple, and I will assign people to thoroughly investigate this," Shangguan Yun said with his eyes closed.

"Then I shall await news from the County Magistrate!"

As the incense smoke dispersed, Shangguan Yun's gaze held a hint of something unusual. In broad daylight, steal a Golden Body? Who could have such ability?

Of course, he couldn't ignore this matter. He immediately sent Divine Catcher Blade King Wang Yixian, the head of the three groups in the county, to investigate.

In less than half a day, news of the theft of the Golden Body from the City God Temple had already spread throughout the streets and alleys of the city. It caused a sensation, especially since there were thousands of eyewitnesses at the scene.

As a result, all kinds of rumors started circulating. Some said, "The City God Lord demands yearly tributes and annual Donation Deeds, which angered the heavenly might, and Heaven directly took away his Golden Body"... This rumor was certainly spread by those scheming individuals who no longer wished to donate to the City God Temple, aimed at influencing and guiding public opinion.

Others claimed, "The master thief 'Kong Kong' from Qiu Dragon Mansion came to Baojiao County and stole the Golden Body in front of everyone." There were very detailed stories about this claim. They even said that before Kong Kong stole the Golden Body, he actually left a note at the City God Temple, saying he would come to take the Golden Body at noon on the fifth day of the new year. Then the City God Temple made preparations in advance and even gathered thousands of people, yet they still let "Kong Kong" succeed. People were shocked when they heard this... Kong Kong truly lived up to his reputation as the number one thief of Qiu Dragon Mansion, managing to do such an unbelievable deed.

The most widespread rumor, however, was what many eyewitnesses claimed as fact: a small, white, mouse-like monster with tiny wings flew out of the great hall just as the Golden Body disappeared. Many people saw this with their own eyes. Someone directly named this little Strange Beast, calling it the 'Two-winged Gold-devouring Beast,' and some even derived or invented its habits, saying, "The Two-winged Gold-devouring Beast, with wings under its ribs, shaped like a white mouse, specializes in eating gold, and is a rare type of Demon... Supposedly its excrement turns gold into the finest gold..."

For a time, quite a few people believed this to be true. The whole Baojiao County was in an uproar.

As for Chen Ku, he had already taken a detour outside the city early on, changed his clothes, and sneaked back into the city. Once inside the city, hearing the consequences and rumors stemming from all the chaos he caused, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Sure enough, no one would think I was the one behind it.

Regarding the outrageous rumors, he was also curious. How had they come up with them? They even named his Flower Fox Mink 'Two-winged Gold-devouring Beast' and claimed it ate gold and excreted the finest gold... However, the more preposterous the rumors, the safer he was. Ideally, if everything could be blamed on that so-called master thief "Kong Kong," that would be even better.

Chen Ku carefully returned home. On the way, he stepped in cow dung again. It seemed that, as the City God was not killed, the string of bad luck continued... But, thinking that he exchanged three days of bad luck for Ten Thousand Taels of gold, the deal wasn't too bad.

Just like that, he carefully stayed at home and did not go out.

「By the second day, the sixth of the month,」

Medicine King Hall was supposed to start work. Chen Ku felt it was best to stay at home for a few more days, to wait for the bad luck to pass and to keep an eye on the situation at the City God Temple. Thus, he stayed home until the eighth.

Chen Ku had not planned to go to work yet, but something was delivered to his door ahead of time.

"Shopkeeper Chen, this is the Iron Essence that Young Master Xie of Firewood Iron Shop lost to you before the new year, totaling Twenty Thousand Jin, now delivered to you. Please sign for it."

Chen Ku was overjoyed. He had not expected the Iron Essence from Xie Qingfeng to arrive. Now, not to mention that his Weapons could be made heavier again, the most crucial part was... The fourth Transformation Diagram. He could complete it now!