"Captain Wang, I'll be staying in the county town for a while longer. If you hear anything about the thieves during that time, I hope you'll let me know." Lin Ze cupped his hands. Although he knew the chances were slim, he still held on to a sliver of hope. After all, once he completed this mission, he would obtain cultivation resources several times greater than what he had invested.
"Of course." Wang Long cupped his hands as well.
The group set out to return to the county town. Since Shen Zhui was injured, the rest of the Martial Arts Department rode swiftly back to the city from a nearby town's relay station, while Wang Long obtained a carriage and traveled with Shen Zhui.
By the time Shen Zhui opened his eyes inside the carriage, most of his injuries had already healed.
"Thank you for saving my life, Captain." Shen Zhui was about to salute. This was already the second time Wang Long had saved him.
"You're injured, so there's no need for formalities." Wang Long waved his hand. "Besides, I wasn't the one who saved you. It was the County Governor."
"The County Governor?" Shen Zhui asked in confusion.
"Take a look at the Yuanpin Pearl in your arms."
Shen Zhui hurriedly felt for it. The Yuanpin Pearl had originally been the size of an egg, but now it had shrunk by more than half, becoming only about as large as a big pearl.
"The County Governor mobilized the power of the temple and infused it into the Yuanpin Pearl, helping you block Li Zhong's attack. He then guided the pearl's spiritual energy to heal you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
"So it was the County Governor." Shen Zhui thought to himself. No wonder He Tong's slash suddenly went wide. And afterward, while resisting the attacks of two Xiantian Martial Artists, I felt an invisible force helping me.
Although he had reached the Perfection Realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, he still had not been confident that he could use the first form of his saber technique to block the full-force strikes of two successive Xiantian Masters.
Shen Zhui immediately bowed deeply in the carriage toward the county office in the distance.
Wang Long then told Shen Zhui everything that had happened afterward.
"He Tong's wife and child were actually captured by the Li Family and held hostage. No wonder..." Shen Zhui sighed as well.
Earlier, he had used the system's innate ability to check He Tong's Sin Value.
Yet he had found nothing at all. Clearly, He Tong had only recently been bought off and had not committed any evil deeds, which was why Shen Zhui had failed to detect anything.
The system's ability to determine Sin Value also had its limitations.
If someone had never committed any unlawful acts, or if someone had been released after serving a sentence and had already paid the price for their crimes, that person's Sin Value would be cleared and recalculated from zero.
A sudden sneak attack was practically impossible to guard against.
That strike from He Tong could be called a fatal blow.
If the County Governor had not made precautions beforehand, Shen Zhui would truly have died.
Even if Wang Long had avenged him afterward, it would have meant nothing to Shen Zhui once he was dead.
Still, the fact that Wang Long had managed to kill one Xiantian Martial Artist and severely injure another genuinely surprised Shen Zhui.
The carriage stopped, but not at the county office. Instead, it arrived at another location.
The City God Temple.
"Captain, what is this?" Shen Zhui lifted the curtain and looked out, immediately puzzled.
"Shen Zhui, I should have brought you here once you reached the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm. But before I got the chance, disaster struck."
Wang Long chuckled. "After this battle, you must be wondering why I was able to instantly kill a Xiantian Master, and why my Martial Arts Department, with barely more than two hundred people, can suppress the many experts from the various families throughout Heyuan County..."
"Please enlighten me, Captain." Shen Zhui listened obediently. He was indeed somewhat puzzled.
In theory...
There were at least thirty or forty Xiantian Masters among the large and small families in Heyuan County.
As for Houtian Martial Artists, there were at least a thousand!
Moreover, their Yin God ancestors protected them, allowing them to conceal heavenly secrets, block the probing of Divine Law, and cover up their crimes.
So how had the County Governor managed, within three years, to bring every clan and noble family except the two great families to heel? Even the two great families that had lorded it over Heyuan County for decades did not dare openly oppose him.
"Come with me." Wang Long got out first and led the way.
Shen Zhui followed closely behind.
This was not Shen Zhui's first visit to the City God Temple.
On the contrary, his adoptive father, Shen Shan, often liked to visit the City God Temple to worship the deity. Shen Zhui had accompanied him many times.
The City God Temple in this world was not much different from the temples Shen Zhui had seen in his previous life. In fact, its decorations were even less brightly colored than those of temples from his former world, possessing only a touch of austere antiquity.
The City God Temple was not large. Altogether, it had seven grand halls enshrining statues of deities.
Shen Zhui followed Wang Long into one of the divine halls. Inside stood a seven- or eight-meter-tall statue, solemn and imposing. Ribbons wound around it. Its right hand held a long saber, while its left gripped a Wolf Fang Club. One knee was raised, giving it a battle-ready posture.
There were still many commoners burning incense and offering worship in the City God Temple. Shen Zhui followed Wang Long in offering three sticks of incense, then went to a spacious, lofty building behind the temple.
The building was clearly a small divine hall. In the central position was the likeness of an old man dressed in Confucian robes, with a memorial tablet enshrined below.
On either side stood six ferocious statues with bared fangs and brandished claws. One of them was the saber-wielding statue Shen Zhui had just seen.
Of the seven statues, only the Confucian-robed old man in the central position was somewhat taller. Most of the others were roughly human-sized.
Shen Zhui studied them intently and discovered that every statue was lifelike. Their eyes were especially vivid, as though a ghostly radiance shone from them and pierced straight into the soul.
"Eight hundred years ago, the Son of Heaven of the Zhou Dynasty established his rule over the realm, abolished unauthorized sacrifices, and officially enshrined the gods, raising temples throughout the land."
"They were to observe the people's good and evil, bestowing fortune or disaster accordingly, so that no one in the worlds of the living or the dead could escape judgment."
After bowing to each direction, Wang Long slowly began to speak.
"City God Temples throughout the realm are divided into four ranks: king, duke, marquis, and earl. They correspond respectively to capitals, prefectures, provinces, and counties."
"They enshrine City Gods so that people will know fear. When people have something to fear, they dare not act recklessly."
Wang Long spoke each word in a low, solemn voice. Shen Zhui instinctively straightened his back, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
"Heyuan County belongs to Liangzhou and enshrines an earl-ranked deity. The statue in the central position is the Earl of Heyuan, who was established by the Zhou Dynasty and rendered illustrious meritorious service."
"To the left and right are six deities: the four generals Gan, Liu, Fan, and Xie, who followed the Earl of Heyuan into battle across the realm during their lives and were enshrined after death. They respectively oversee the Speedy Report, Investigation, Reward Goodness, and Punish Evil Divisions."
"There are also two Day and Night Patrol Deities, who oversee the Increase Stipend and Add Lifespan Divisions."
"The Earl of Heyuan in the central position oversees the Yin-Yang Division."
Shen Zhui looked up. After examining the statues carefully, he indeed noticed that each held different objects and wore a different expression.
Some held command flags, their faces weathered by travel.
Some held bright mirrors, their gazes sharp as blades.
Some held sabers and spears, overflowing with killing intent.
Some presented blessed peaches, smiling warmly.
Others clasped their hands together or held gold and silver in their arms...
"Earl-ranked City God Temples have only seven Divisions. Above them are marquis-ranked temples with eight Divisions, duke-ranked temples with sixteen Divisions, and king-ranked temples with twenty-four Divisions."
Only then did Shen Zhui suddenly understand why, in this world, whenever a case had been confirmed by a temple, it skipped the interrogation process entirely and proceeded straight to judgment.
Because the matter had already been confirmed by the gods.
Moreover, once a verdict had been confirmed by the temple, no one would refuse to accept it.
People might harbor selfish motives, but these Yin Gods officially enshrined by the Son of Heaven followed the heavenly laws of the imperial court and were untouched by emotion. It was absolutely impossible for them to be unjust.
"Every city is built upon the foundation of the gods, with a Supreme Magic Formation forged around it. Unless an existence with power surpassing that of orthodox gods attacks, officials dispatched by the imperial court are absolutely safe within the city."
After a pause, Wang Long continued, "As for the county office's forces, such as the three divisions of constables, since they do not hold official ranks, they still rely on their own strength."
"But once they receive the County Governor's seal, the personnel of the Martial Arts Department can borrow the temple's power, greatly increasing their strength!"
"Through the connection formed by a Daoist Law edict, they obtain a trace of divine power. This is the Summon Deity technique!"
"For example, when I used the Second Summon of Deity outside the city earlier, my strength increased several times under the blessing of divine power! A high-stage Xiantian Martial Artist who summons a deity can even slay a Spirit Bridge Realm Martial Artist!"
Please favorite and recommend!