Tu Min started. "Divine Lord, perhaps I didn't explain myself clearly..."
Xu Yi cut him off. "Left Cao Official, answer my question."
Tu Min said, "They won't extract it. If Divine Lord truly accumulates enough incense to condense ten Spirit Essence Beads, those above will only receive more. After all, that statue of Emperor Qin Guang takes a full fifty percent."
Xu Yi thought it over. That was indeed true. No matter how enthusiastically he threw himself into this, the biggest share of the benefits would still be taken by those above.
Tu Min said, "I haven't finished explaining, Divine Lord. Please don't rush to a conclusion. You must understand that if you take measures to grant favors to your followers and make the incense flourish, but fail to meet the target, the punishment will be far worse than for an ordinary City God who misses his target. He won't merely be stripped of office; he'll be arrested and sent to the Netherworld Prison, where he'll be confined for a hundred years. Since the Nether Court explicitly announced its new laws, not one underworld official has dared to commit such a grave offense. I implore Immortal Lord to think this through."
Xu Yi said, "The consequences are indeed serious, but the potential gains are just as great. Left Cao Official, do you have any other reason to persuade me? If not, I'll go my own way."
Tu Min felt his brain throb. He had gone on at length, earnestly trying to persuade Xu Yi, only to have every word fall on deaf ears.
"Immortal Lord, you must consider this carefully. The previous Divine Lord failed to accumulate even one Incense Spirit Essence Bead during his term. He was stripped of office and permanently removed from the official rolls."
Xie Hua