Huangtianpu Town Enshrines a God

When the giant god died, the Incense Qi he had condensed dispersed on its own. The arrow feathers stuck in the Snake Demon Yuan Qi also transformed into Incense Qi and scattered, vanishing without a trace.

Xu Ying examined the Snake Demon Yuan Qi's injuries and frowned slightly.

Yuan Qi's injuries were severe. He had already suffered internal injuries the night before, and on top of that came the arrow and sword wounds he had sustained in his battle with the giant god. Without treatment, he probably would not live much longer.

"I suppose I'm done for."

Yuan Qi took it rather calmly. "After I die, dry me into wax, and you'll be exempt from a year's taxes. Ah, I forgot—you'd be walking straight into a trap if you went to the yamen to pay taxes! Hahahaha—cough, cough, cough!"

He began coughing violently.

Xu Ying laughed. "You won't die. Have you forgotten? I'm a Snake Catcher. I can catch snakes, and I can heal them too. Huangtianpu Town is just ahead. I'll go there and get some medicine. Once I apply it, I guarantee you'll be leaping about full of life."

Yuan Qi's breath was weak and his spirits flagging. "Going to Huangtianpu Town would be like delivering yourself to their doorstep. The gods of Huangtianpu Town are probably no weaker than that giant god just now. In your current state, you're hardly better off than I am. You won't be their match. I'm a Strange Snake, and you're a Snake Catcher—we're enemies. If you abandon me and leave right now, I won't blame you."

Xu Ying shook his head. "There are no gods in Huangtianpu Town. I came here some time ago. I heard that Huangtianpu's god had been promoted and transferred elsewhere, while the City God hadn't arranged for a new god to come over yet. Still, you're right. I should abandon you and leave."

He left the Snake Demon behind and walked into the village.

Yuan Qi panicked and hurriedly called out, "I'm still saveable! Don't leave me behind! At least try to save me!"

Xu Ying said irritably, "Do you expect me to carry you into town to get medicine? I'm hungry. I'll eat something first. Don't move around for now."

Only then did Yuan Qi relax.

Xu Ying came to the place where the giant god had eaten earlier. The villagers had been frightened into hiding, and only a little girl of about ten remained sitting on the ground, holding a half-eaten chicken leg and staring blankly at him.

Xu Ying glanced at the table. Half a chicken remained, so he took a piece of broken silver from his robes and placed it on the table. "This is payment for the meal, on behalf of the big god."

He wolfed down the food, quickly devouring the half chicken to the last scrap.

Seeing how hungry he was, the Maiden held out the chicken leg she had not finished eating.

Xu Ying badly wanted to take it and gnaw a few bites, but he held himself back. He took out another piece of broken silver and gave it to her. "Little girl, help me look after my brother. Bring him a basin of water to drink, and don't let him die. Also, don't get too close. He's poisonous."

The Maiden nodded and licked the shreds of meat from the chicken bone like a kitten.

Xu Ying strode out of the village and soon reached Huangtianpu Town.

The town was decked out with lanterns and streamers everywhere, bustling with excitement. People carried roasted suckling pigs and chickens and ducks through the streets, led calves by ropes, and carried a bridal sedan. Trumpets and suonas blared and trilled as the procession hurried forward.

Xu Ying blended into the crowd and watched along the street as he searched for an apothecary. With all this commotion, could some wealthy steward be taking a wife?

A drum troupe came beating great drums down the street. Behind it was a tall decorated carriage, with a yellow ox leading the way, its body draped in red silk and ornaments. On the carriage stood a lotus-shaped shrine, and inside the shrine was a stone-carved divine statue.

The statue had six arms, with bronze ribbons winding between its arms and palms, looping around its front and back. It had two faces, one in front and one behind, both carved with exquisite detail and lifelike expression.

Two incense burners stood around the shrine, one before and one behind. Thick incense sticks as wide as arms burned within them, their curling smoke wafting over the statue.

The god of Huangtianpu was transferred away. Is this a new god being invited here? Xu Ying wondered.

The people of Huangtianpu Town had also set up a flowing banquet along the street. The fragrance made Xu Ying's nose twitch. He pushed his way forward, grabbed some meat, and stuffed it into his mouth to fill his stomach first.

Strangely enough, ever since he encountered that Great Bell at Jian Mountain, he had constantly felt hungry. He could never eat his fill, and his qi and blood had also been depleted.

He followed the decorated carriage for another half a li and finally saw Huangtianpu Town's apothecary.

The apothecary's shopkeeper and assistant were also standing at the entrance watching the carriage. Apart from Xu Ying, there was no one else in the shop.

Xu Ying swept his gaze around, then called over an assistant. "Gather some medicinal herbs for me."

The assistant glanced outside and asked indifferently, "Do you need a physician to write a prescription?"

Xu Ying shook his head. "No. I'll name the medicines, and you gather them. Hurry." As he spoke, he laid out the last few taels of broken silver he had.

He had originally planned to flee to another region and save the money to marry a wife. But now that Yuan Qi was injured, he could not worry about so much. He would buy the medicine first and think about the rest later.

The assistant's eyes lit up at the sight of the money. "What medicinal materials does the customer need?"

Xu Ying listed the names of the medicines and the number of catties for each. Hearing the names and quantities, the assistant could not help being startled. Is he treating an elephant? Who needs this much medicine?

Xu Ying needed to treat not only himself but also Yuan Qi, the Snake Demon. Yuan Qi was more than thirty feet long and weighed eight hundred pounds. Although he could not compare with an elephant, he was still no small creature, and naturally required a great deal of medicinal material.

As a Snake-Catching Clan, they entered the mountains and forests every day and dealt with venomous snakes, insects, demons, ghosts, and monsters, so they naturally had to know some medicine. Xu Ying had followed his grandfather and foster father for many years. His medical skills were not weak, and treating injuries was well within his abilities.

It was just that Xu Ying needed too many medicinal materials, and the assistant could not gather them all in a short time. Xu Ying simply left the apothecary and followed the decorated carriage, thinking, Let's see how they enshrine this god.

He had seen gods enshrined in villages before. It was very simple: when a virtuous elder passed away, the villagers built a shrine, made a statue from mud or wood, placed the memorial tablet before it, and offered sacrifices every day. After enough time passed, the statue would acquire miraculous qualities.

But enshrining a god in a town differed from doing so in the countryside. The gods of towns all held posts within the Yin Court and had to be formally invested by the Yin Court. During the reign of Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Damingxiao, they also received the Emperor's investiture, making the ceremony especially solemn and dignified.

Xu Ying had never seen such a god-ensthronement ceremony, so he could not help being curious.

The crowd escorted the decorated carriage to a temple in town. The place was already packed shoulder to shoulder, making it impossible to squeeze inside. Xu Ying stopped outside and looked in. Offerings and sacrificial animals flowed continuously into the temple, while several burly men carried the divine statue down and moved it onto a shrine inside.

Amid the curling incense smoke, a short Land God burst from the ground. With a swish, he unfurled a blue ceremonial scroll, bobbed his head, and proclaimed, "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Yin Court decrees: Huang Sanduo, the Yin God of Huangtianpu Town, was fond of charity and generous aid while alive. He amassed Good Karma, accumulated virtue through good deeds, and moved Heaven and Earth with his virtue, bringing ghosts and gods to tears with his righteousness. Now, by imperial command, Xue Lingfu, the City God of Lingling, hereby invests Huang Sanduo as the god of Huangtianpu, to enjoy the Incense Qi of the mortal realm and receive all the blessings of the dead! So decreed—"

The short and stocky Land God abruptly rolled up the blue scroll and cried in a shrill voice, "Begin the ritual music—the Dragon God summons the clouds, and the Rain Master spreads the rain! Bring forth Steward Huang's memorial tablet!"

As soon as his voice fell, drums and music erupted, and the trumpets and suonas blared even louder!

Dark clouds suddenly filled the sky. Xu Ying looked up and saw a huge creature dancing through the clouds, resembling the divine dragon carved on the temple pillars.

Suddenly, rain began falling from the sky. Vaguely, he could see a god standing atop the clouds, controlling the rain. That must have been the Rain Master God mentioned by the Land God.

The Rain Master and Dragon God were both officials of the Yin Court. Their appearance at Huangtianpu Town to enshrine a god was merely a formality. Once Steward Huang's memorial tablet was brought in, the rain stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the Rain Master and Dragon God vanished as well.

Inside the temple, the god-ensthronement ceremony continued.

Xu Ying asked someone nearby, "Could this Steward Huang be a man of great virtue? To be directly enshrined as the god of the town after death, with such a high status—he must have done many good deeds while alive, right?"

The people around him all sneered. Someone spat two mouthfuls of thick phlegm onto the ground right in front of Xu Ying, then twisted his foot over it.

Xu Ying was baffled. When he questioned them in detail, however, the townspeople of Huangtianpu fell silent, too frightened to speak.

At that moment, an aged voice chuckled. "Young fellow, you don't know. This Steward Huang Sanduo was a famous great benefactor in Lingling County. They called him 'abundant good fields, abundant treasure, abundant concubines.' The great benefactor certainly did no shortage of good deeds while alive. He showed his filial respect to the City God, stuffing plenty of money into the City God's temple every New Year and festival. As for the townspeople, he could likewise be said to have piled virtue upon virtue. The great benefactor opened brothels, letting girls work there so they could earn money. He seized land, making the townspeople sell off all their fertile fields and work for him instead, while he paid them wages to keep them alive."

The moment he said this, the people all around scattered with a clatter, keeping far away from them as though avoiding the plague.

Xu Ying looked over. The speaker was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in purple-black silk robes. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, while the beard beneath his chin was tied with a small black cord. He looked remarkably spirited.

"Steward Huang committed every evil under the sun. How could he still be enshrined as a god?" Xu Ying asked, puzzled.

The spirited old man smiled knowingly. "He bribed the City God. City God Xue Lingfu used his money to clear the way through the Yin Court, high and low, and buy him a divine post after death. Wouldn't that be easy?"

Xu Ying cried out, "The Yin Court is actually this corrupt?"

The spirited old man laughed. "If the Yin Court weren't corrupt, could ordinary people have been bullied into this state? They suffered his abuse alive and still had to suffer it after death."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the people nearby grew terrified. They retreated again and again, putting even more distance between themselves, Xu Ying, and the old man.

Just then, a booming voice rang out with a cold laugh. "There's no denying that Steward Huang bribed the City God. But how much better is the government? Could it be that the government received no benefits from Steward Huang?"

Xu Ying followed the voice and saw the crowd part to both sides. A giant twice the height of an ordinary man came striding over. He wore black boots with gilded qilins swallowing the sky beneath his feet, a red dragon-and-python robe, and a black-and-red official hat. His lean face was sharp and vigorous, his great sleeves fluttered, and his bearing was extraordinary!

Wherever the god passed, the crowd seemed to be pushed aside by invisible hands, automatically splitting to either side.

Xu Ying's heart jolted. Damn it—the City God's divine statue!

The giant was none other than Lingling's City God, Xue Lingfu. He had held the position for five hundred years, serving since the reign of Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Mingxiao and enjoying incense and sacrificial offerings!

City God Xue Lingfu walked straight up to Xu Ying and the spirited old man and sneered. "While alive, Steward Huang never failed to stuff silver into the government offices. When he forced good women into prostitution and the women in his brothels could not endure it and hanged themselves, the government accepted his silver and declared him innocent. When he seized land through forced purchases and sales, driving commoners to throw themselves into wells or rivers, it was also the government that wiped his backside for him. You officials can do these things, yet you think my Yin Court cannot?"

This old man is an official?

Xu Ying was shaken to the core. He hurriedly took a step back, putting more distance between himself and the spirited old man. Is the City God talking about him? Who is he? Just now he seemed righteous and awe-inspiring, like a good man. So he was in league with the City God all along. Neither of them is any good!

The spirited old man, Zhou Yihang, burst into loud laughter. Facing City God Xue Lingfu, he showed no fear at all. With his hands clasped behind his back, he said leisurely, "The City God speaks the truth. This old man indeed accepted no small amount of money and treasure from Steward Huang. Since we live in this world, of course we should enjoy ourselves as much as possible. If the people above us aren't clean, how could we officials below possibly remain clean?"

Seeing him admit it, City God Xue Lingfu was somewhat surprised. He smiled and said, "I thought you living people would be shameless enough to refuse to acknowledge it. I never expected you, Master Zhou Yihang, to admit it outright. You officials have tempered your faces through a thousand hammerings. They're even thicker than I imagined."

The spirited old man Zhou Yihang did not care about the sarcasm. He laughed. "My son is the magistrate of Lingling County. Why shouldn't I acknowledge what he does? Can the Emperor control my Zhou Family, or can the Yin Court control my Zhou Family?"

Xu Ying took another step back. This old man is Magistrate Zhou Yang's father! I'm done for...

If it had been ordinary Nu Masters like Ding Quan or Wei Chu, he could still have dealt with them. But if it was a Nu Master of the Zhou Family, he was helpless—let alone Zhou Yihang, the father of Magistrate Zhou Yang, whose strength was even more unfathomable!

When City God Xue Lingfu heard Zhou Yihang mention the Zhou Family, his expression changed abruptly. With Imperial Power fallen into decline, the Zhou Family was indeed a colossal force beyond the Emperor's reach!

"Criminal Xu Ying, you killed Steward Jiang and violated the law. I am taking you away." Zhou Yihang's expression was certain, and he smiled.

Xu Ying's body suddenly sank hard. He felt an invisible force clamp tightly around all four limbs, rendering him immobile. He had been locked down by the aura of the old man Zhou Yihang!

Under the pressure of that aura, Xu Ying felt his qi and blood grow sluggish. He could not circulate them at all, much less break free of the aura's restraint!

City God Xue Lingfu threw back his head and laughed, his voice like pealing thunder. "Imperial Power has fallen, Aristocratic Clans manipulate authority, and regional powers rule their own domains, but the divine authority of my Yin Court has not fallen! The Zhou Family may be without restraints in the mortal realm and may act tyrannically, but before the Yin Court, even if your Zhou Family Ancestor came in person, he would still have to give way! Xu Ying has violated the Heavenly Law and should be taken to the Yin Court for trial!"

Xu Ying's body sank hard once again as another incomparably powerful aura locked onto him. It was the aura of City God Xue Lingfu!

Xue Lingfu was a City God who had been enshrined for five hundred years, while Zhou Yihang was an unfathomable Nu Master of the Zhou Family. Either one of them far surpassed Xu Ying!

With nothing more than a wisp of aura, they were already strong enough to lock Xu Ying down completely, leaving him unable to move!

"Two old fossils. They aren't particularly capable, yet they're awfully arrogant." The mysterious voice suddenly spoke from within Xu Ying's mind.

Xu Ying was both startled and delighted. He hurriedly said, "Senior, can you kill these two old fossils?"

"No!"

The Great Bell rejected him without hesitation. "I'm seriously injured and can barely protect myself. I can't deal with them."

City God Xue Lingfu and Zhou Yihang naturally could not hear the Great Bell's words, but they did hear the phrase "two old fossils" burst from Xu Ying's mouth. They immediately turned their heads in unison, their eyes fierce as they fixed on him.

Xu Ying grunted, blinking innocently. In a small voice, he said, "My lords, the old fossils I was talking about weren't you..."