Fortune and Divine Arts

A few days later, the weather gradually grew hotter. Fang Ming was chatting with He Yuqing. Ever since He Yuqing had come to his territory, he had answered whenever Fang Ming asked him something. If Fang Ming asked him to handle a task, he would readily agree and do it to perfection. Yet he still never offered to serve Fang Ming as his lord.

Fang Ming guessed that He Yuqing had placed himself in the position of a guest advisor. He chuckled to himself. As expected, scholars were thin-skinned. Still, whenever something came up, He Yuqing would seek his advice. After all, although Fang Ming knew something about this world, his knowledge was far from comprehensive. With He Yuqing's suggestions to consult, he could avoid making mistakes.

Just then, Fang Ming asked, "What does Mr. He know about the Way of Fortune?"

He Yuqing picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, "The Way of Fortune may seem ethereal and elusive, but it truly exists. Aristocratic clans and prominent families with illustrious pedigrees all dabble in it, though some know more than others."

"Oh?" Fang Ming's eyes lit up. "Could you tell me more?"

He Yuqing smiled. "Since the honored deity wishes to hear it, I shall tell you everything I know. But this is only a fragment of what my He Family has accumulated. It is not systematic, and there are many errors and omissions. I hope the honored deity won't laugh at me."

Fang Ming nodded, and He Yuqing continued, "Everyone has fortune, but the amount differs. In a household, there are red and yellow auras. Fortune precedes events: when it is weak, calamities befall you; when it flourishes, nothing can stand in your way." Fang Ming asked, "Then how does one see fortune?"

He Yuqing gave a wry smile. "We mortals, with our naked eyes, naturally cannot see fortune. But I've heard that among the qi refiners of the Daoist Sect, those with profound cultivation who have opened their spiritual eyes can see the depth of one's fortune, even its color and precise form. My family has gone to great lengths to gather information and fill in the gaps, and only then have we obtained a few reliable details."

Before Fang Ming could ask, he continued, "Those with meager fortune have only a thread or two of it. They are mostly common folk. Those with abundant fortune can have it gather like mist or even condense into a mass. Such people are extraordinary and bound to achieve something."

"If distinguished by color, black is Calamity Aura. Its presence bodes ill and makes trouble more likely."

"White aura is mostly found among commoners. Ordinary people usually have this aura."

"Red aura is already extraordinary. An ordinary person who has it is a prodigy of their time, worthy of being called the finest talent in a county."

"If an ordinary person acquires yellow aura, they are certain to become rich and honored. If they serve as an official, they are usually at Principal Sixth Rank or above."

"Blue and purple aura are signs of great nobility. Ordinary people cannot possess them; they can only be seen among the officials of a province or the imperial court. That is why people speak of a hall filled with blue and purple robes at court assemblies."

Fang Ming nodded. This was broadly similar to what his Qi-Reading Divine Art showed him. He asked, "What about its form?" "The forms fortune takes are a closely guarded secret. My family had some information, but it was later proven to be fabricated and unreliable. So we don't know either." He Yuqing answered with a wry smile.

After thinking a moment, he added, "There are two other things my family doesn't know whether to believe."

Fang Ming asked with interest, "Please, tell me."

He Yuqing's voice turned distant. "A lord who can gather people can obtain the fortune of his subordinates. Even if the lord originally has little fortune, it can gradually be changed. That is why rulers tend to have extraordinary fortune. This is the Way of the system."

He paused, then continued, "It is said that powerful Daoist cultivators can seek out dragon veins and locate auspicious sites, communicating with the earth's veins. By burying one's ancestors in an auspicious grave, they can augment the Fate Pattern and fortune of their descendants in the mortal world. Some can even find a dragon's lair and identify a hidden dragon..."

His voice trembled slightly.

Fang Ming was startled, but He Yuqing took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Most of this is probably just rumor. The honored deity should hear it and let it go."

Fang Ming smiled, but kept the matter in mind.

Just then, Pearl came in to report that He Dong and Wang Liulang had arrived to report back. Fang Ming told Pearl to bring them in.

He Yuqing said, "Since the honored deity has business to attend to, I'll take my leave." After he excused himself and left, Fang Ming watched his retreating figure and sighed. He was the most impressive scholar-official Fate Pattern Fang Ming had ever seen, but, unfortunately, he only wanted to be a guest advisor.

Fang Ming shook his head and put the matter aside. He saw He Dong and Wang Liulang enter. Pearl bowed and left, closing the door behind her.

He nodded, then asked, "Have the two of you completed your assignments?"

He Dong bowed and replied, "My lord, as you instructed, I have registered the Qingxi Township believers in the household records and recorded their incense offerings. Here is the register. Please look it over." He handed over a booklet.

Fang Ming took it and casually flipped through a few pages. Seeing that it was clearly organized and carefully recorded, he said, "You handled this assignment well. What about Guo Sheng? How is he doing under you?"

He Dong's expression didn't change as he reported, "Clerk Guo is skilled with the brush and conscientious in his work. He is a talent."

"Mm! Very good." He Dong hadn't tried to discredit Guo Sheng, which showed he knew his limits and hadn't overstepped. No wonder he was an old hand at being a county registrar.

Fang Ming was very satisfied. He turned to Wang Liulang and asked, "Have the Yin Soldiers all been stationed?"

Wang Liulang gave a military salute. "Reporting to my lord, I have assigned everyone to their posts. Each squad has moved into its quarters and begun training and patrolling for Ferocious Ghosts. The barracks have also been put in order. After these past few days of adjustment, the men under my command have all settled in."

"Mm!" Fang Ming nodded and said with a smile, "You've worked hard. You handled this well!"

Wang Liulang dropped to one knee with a sharp thud. "I would lay down my life to serve my lord!"

Fang Ming waved him up. "There's no need for that."

He continued, "All of you have handled your assignments well. Deliver my order: all subordinates are to assemble in the main hall of the Land God shrine's Divine Domain. I have something to announce."

He Dong and Wang Liulang bowed and withdrew.

Before long, the core members under Fang Ming had all arrived in the main hall. Their expressions were solemn. Their lord usually discussed business in his study; if he had called them to the main hall, it had to be something important. Uneasy, they stood in the vast hall, where the emptiness only heightened their anxiety.

As they were wondering what was going on, Fang Ming arrived. Everyone bowed in greeting. He accepted their salutations, took the seat of honor, and looked down at their rather sparse gathering. "You needn't stand on ceremony. I summoned you here to announce something important!"

"Please give us your instructions, my lord," the others said, exchanging glances.

"Mm." Fang Ming nodded. "You handled your assignments very well this time. I have decided to reward you according to your merits!"

Before anyone below could react, he called, "He Dong!"

He Dong stepped forward. "Your subordinate is here!"

"You have faithfully performed your duties and compiled the Qingxi Township accounts in an orderly fashion. I now appoint you Recording Registrar, in charge of the accounts, and grant you the Earth Escape divine art." Fang Ming pointed. A flash of red light appeared, transforming into a talisman that flickered in midair before sinking into He Dong's forehead.

He Dong was enveloped in red light. After a moment, when he emerged, he was already wearing a registrar's official uniform. He still looked somewhat dazed, but instinctively dropped to his knees and said, "Thank you, my lord!"

Fang Ming continued, "Guo Sheng!"

Guo Sheng stepped forward. "Your subordinate is here!"

"You are a gifted writer and conscientious in your work. I appoint you Clerk of the Fertile Land Office and grant you a divine art! You will be responsible for granting the Qingxi Township believers' wishes for fertile land." Fang Ming pointed. The talisman sank into Guo Sheng's forehead, and he too changed into a clerk's uniform.

Before the others could react, Fang Ming continued, bestowing rewards one by one.

"Zheng Kuan, you have also earned merit. I appoint you Clerk of the Disease-Driving Office and grant you a divine art! You will be responsible for granting the Qingxi Township believers' wishes to drive away disease in their livestock!"

"Wang Liulang, you have won many battle merits and have followed me for a long time. I appoint you Clerk of the Child-Giving Office and grant you a divine art. You will be responsible for granting the Qingxi Township believers' wishes for children! You will still command two squads." Fang Ming's voice was gentler this time, since Wang Liulang had been the first to follow him.

Wang Liulang stood to one side, thinking he would only be handing out rewards to the civil officials. He hadn't expected to receive one himself. He froze for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you, my lord!"

Fang Ming looked at the four men below him and said, "I have just implanted the divine-art talismans in your bodies. You need only activate them with Divine Power to use them."...

Seeing the four of them looking both delighted and bewildered, Fang Ming had to cough to get their attention. Once they had collected themselves, he continued, "Wang Liulang, Guo Sheng, Zheng Kuan, go to He Dong each day to get the names of the believers whose wishes need granting. Then calculate the Divine Power required and come to me to draw it. After that, go and help the believers fulfill their wishes. You must follow the list precisely. There must be no omissions or shortages, or else..." A chill crept into his voice.

"Your subordinates wouldn't dare!" The four knew the consequences and bowed respectfully.

Fang Ming smiled and had the four return to their places in line. He looked at Xie Jin, whose expression hadn't changed, and nodded approvingly. "Xie Jin!"

"This subordinate is here!" Xie Jin stepped forward and gave a military salute.

"You are exceptionally brave and know how to lead troops. I permit you to form another squad and station it at the Land God shrine barracks."

"Thank you, my lord!" Xie Jin was delighted. This meant that the troops under his command would outnumber Wang Liulang's. Was this a sign that his lord intended to promote him? And what had it meant that Wang Liulang had just been granted a divine art?

Fang Ming nodded and gestured for Xie Jin to return to the ranks. He looked at the red-and-yellow aura above Xie Jin's head and sighed inwardly. Xie Jin had the highest Fate Pattern among his subordinates, enough to hold the post of a Principal Sixth Rank military officer. Wang Liulang was not bad either, but with a red-and-white innate aura, he could at most rise to Principal Eighth Rank.

Compared with Xie Jin, he fell somewhat short. When the Yin Soldiers were expanded in the future, Xie Jin would be better suited to lead them. But Wang Liulang had been the first to follow Fang Ming, had earned merits, and had committed no faults. How could Fang Ming simply kick him aside to make room for Xie Jin?

He could only appoint him to a civil post while leaving him in charge of military affairs for now, giving him a chance to focus elsewhere and giving Xie Jin an opportunity. Once Xie Jin established his authority in the army and earned enough merits, he could naturally be promoted.

Then Fang Ming would see what position suited Wang Liulang. He had already considered the possibilities: if Wang Liulang wanted a civil post, then when Fang Ming rose another rank, he could send Wang Liulang out to serve as the Land God of a village, overseeing one area, with the possibility of further promotion later. If he wanted a military post, then his only option would be to serve as Fang Ming's personal guard captain. The position didn't exist yet, but it would be established eventually, and it was an important post. After all, he had been the first subordinate to follow Fang Ming, so Fang Ming had to look after him.

The divine-art talisman script he had just used was something Fang Ming had conceived of earlier. After continually studying the divine-office talismans and gaining insights from his recent promotion, he had finally brought the idea to fruition.

It was a talisman he had created himself, incorporating some principles from spirit-medium arts. He turned the Land God's innate divine arts into projection talismans and implanted them in his subordinates. Fang Ming held the highest authority over them and could reclaim them with a thought or command them to destroy themselves.

With one of these talismans, a subordinate could use a divine art by activating it with Divine Power. Yin spirits had no Divine Power, so they could only draw it from Fang Ming. Of course, as Yin spirits, they had spiritual power and could use that to activate the talisman as well. Unfortunately, it consumed a great deal of spiritual power, and after only a few uses they would dissipate.

Fang Ming had implanted one of the Land God's innate divine arts in each of the four subordinates. He Dong received Earth Escape. Since he didn't need to go out and grant wishes, only manage the accounts carefully, Fang Ming had given him Earth Escape for self-defense.

Guo Sheng received the Fertile Land Divine Art, Zheng Kuan the disease-driving divine art, and Wang Liulang the child-giving divine art. With these, they only needed Divine Power to perform the arts, freeing Fang Ming from his overwhelming workload.

From then on, each day He Dong would first calculate how many people needed their wishes granted, provide a list, and work out the Divine Power required to perform the divine arts. He would report the amount to Fang Ming, who would condense the Divine Power into large coins and give it to the three men. They would then follow the list to the villages or around Qingxi Township to perform divine arts for the believers. Each evening they would check the accounts. As long as everything was strictly monitored, Fang Ming had no fear of his subordinates stirring up trouble.

That was how the system was established. When Fang Ming was promoted again in the future, he could promote them to heads of their respective offices, then to departments, saving himself a great deal of effort. Of course, once his territory expanded, he could appoint Day and Night Patrol Gods to inspect every region daily and investigate wrongdoing.