Zhou Residence

Within the Land God's Divine Domain, Fang Ming sat upright in the seat of honor while a Yin Soldier beside him reported the news.

"...So the other party came up empty-handed and just left?" Fang Ming listened to the Yin Soldier's report, his expressionless face giving nothing away.

"That's exactly right!" The Yin Soldier was one of Xie Jin's longtime subordinates, always quick-witted; otherwise, he would never have been assigned to keep watch. He added, "After the Daoist said goodbye to the Zhang family, Butler Zhang escorted him back to the city. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Mm. I understand. You may go. I'll record this as a merit." A cold glint flashed in Fang Ming's eyes as he spoke.

"Thank you, my lord!" The Yin Soldier took his leave.

"Heh..." Fang Ming rose and paced a few steps, sneering inwardly. Though that White Crane's cultivation was shallow, there was no way he couldn't detect even the most basic Yin Soldiers. Fang Ming hadn't gone out of his way to conceal them, yet the Daoist had still come up empty-handed. That was certainly worth pondering.

Then there was Butler Zhang escorting him all the way into the city. Heh, as expected of a man who'd grown shrewd with age. Did he think the city's Human Dao Fortune could shield him? He still couldn't hide it from Fortune!

Fang Ming meditated on his own condition. Red-and-white qi gathered above his head and flowed into the seal, filling more than half of the Golden Seal. Around the Fortune, another layer of golden light shimmered, slowly seeping into his Life-Bound Qi. Red was gradually spreading through it, showing signs of purification. Meanwhile, not far away, the gray-black qi was drawing ever closer. The purification of his Life-Bound Qi toward red was naturally a good thing. Fang Ming's Life-Bound Qi was still only red and white, just enough to suit his Principal Eighth Rank divine office. But if he wanted to rise higher, that red-and-white Life-Bound Qi would no longer be suitable. Now that he had Human Dao Merit to slowly reshape his Fate Pattern, it was a great boon.

Unfortunately, the gray-black qi's approach meant that White Crane had discovered the clues and reported them without delay. Otherwise, it wouldn't have drawn so near. But even if White Cloud Temple was in Wu Prefecture, the message would first have to be discussed, then they would have to choose someone, and finally that person would have to travel here. All of that would take time.

Fang Ming had to use this window to raise his divine rank and strengthen himself, minimizing the losses from the coming disaster and preparing to deal with what followed.

With his plan settled, he wasted no time putting it into action.

Three days later, in the county office of Anchang County, inside the records room.

A clerk frowned as he read a document. He picked it up, walked over to a desk, and said, "Deputy Constable He, according to the news from the patrol office, a belief in something called the Land God has appeared out of nowhere in the north of the city and is spreading rapidly. Based on reports from our informants there, dozens of people already believe in it. They bow and pray every day. It's quite sinister. Do you think we should submit this to the secretary, then have him present it to the county magistrate?"

The deputy constable was responsible for coordinating the office's clerks, and each day plenty of reports from below passed through his hands before being submitted. The secretary, meanwhile, was primarily in charge of documents from the Six Offices. He was a rank above the deputy constable and already held official status.

The young man behind the desk wore a deputy constable's uniform and carried himself with a certain poise. He took the document and read it carefully, but the corner of his eye twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Such matters involving spirits and ghosts aren't suitable for us to handle. Even if we report it to the county magistrate, we'll have to wait until the Ghost-Banishing Office returns before it can be dealt with. There's no need to invite trouble. File this document and send it to the Ghost-Banishing Office." He Dong narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"Yes!" People in the yamen generally knew better than to meddle in other people's business, especially when ghosts were involved. Who would want to risk their revenge? The clerk had only asked in passing. He promptly agreed and handled the matter according to He Song's instructions.

Five days later, at night.

A figure appeared at the gates of Anchang County. He looked like a young man, wore an official uniform, and had deep, pitch-black eyes that seemed ready to shine from within and suck a person's soul inside.

The city gates were already closed, but soldiers still patrolled at night. They seemed completely oblivious to the young man.

Fang Ming looked up at the red-and-white web of Fortune and gave a cold laugh. He took one step and passed right through the city gate, entering the city.

The web of Fortune seemed to ripple faintly, then let Fang Ming in without stopping him.

Fang Ming burst out laughing. "Just as I thought... The plan will work."

"All that Divine Power and effort I spent wasn't wasted. I finally gained over a hundred believers in Anchang County."

"Heh... I still can't force my way through this law of Fortune, but the law of Fortune is gathered from the qi of all the people. My believers are part of that crowd, too. As long as they believe in me, they can open the door for me from the inside and let me in. Ha ha..."

For the past few days, Fang Ming had spent a great deal of Divine Power spreading his faith throughout the county seat.

The north of the city was full of poor people. All they had to do was pray silently each day, and they could enjoy a little pleasure every night. Word of this spread quickly. Not everyone believed it, of course, but there were always a few willing to give it a try.

After several days of effort, and at no small cost, he had gained over a hundred ordinary believers.

Those hundred or so believers were also part of the city's protective Fortune, and they could influence the law governing it. Since no one presided over the county seat's law of Fortune, Fang Ming had been given an opening. It was like holding a meeting of ten thousand people: if a hundred supported a proposal and the rest didn't object, the way Fortune worked meant it could pass.

Now, as long as Fang Ming didn't do anything in the county seat to outrage Heaven and Earth, he could keep operating there without being blocked from entering.

In his divine form, he was invisible to the night watchmen and street watchmen alike. He swaggered all the way to the southern part of the city and arrived before a grand residence.

Two stone lions stood by the entrance, imposing and majestic. Their eyes even seemed to gleam with a fierce light. Had they been placed outside the city, ordinary ghosts wouldn't have been able to get near the residence.

The main gate was vermilion, and two large characters gilded in gold—Zhou Residence—were written on the plaque above it. Though it was nighttime, there was still a gatekeeper on duty. Naturally, he couldn't stand outside because of the curfew, but he could keep watch just inside the gate in case of an emergency in the dead of night.

A red light flickered as Fang Ming passed through the barrier and walked by the gatekeeper. The man looked to be in his forties or fifties. He had dragged over a stool and was half-lying on it, drowsy with sleep.

Fang Ming focused his attention and saw that above the Zhou Residence, beneath the county seat's web of law, there was another thick layer of white qi protecting it. Threads of red qi formed above the white. He nodded to himself. The Zhou family really did have considerable influence in the county.

One had to understand that a household's Fortune was different from an individual's. An individual's Fortune was easy to raise, but a household covered the entire clan. For it to spread so far and still have thick white qi with threads of red meant they were already wealthy magnates among the great households.

According to what He Yuqing had told him earlier, a commandery-renowned family usually had a red residence: the Fortune of the entire clan was pure red. That was a truly terrifying level of power. In terms of strength, such an aristocratic clan could mobilize as much manpower and resources as the entire county seat of Anchang. No wonder they all got rebellious ideas as soon as troubled times came. It turned out they had the strength to back them up.

But there weren't many commandery-renowned families in a province. By convention, only three kinds were widely recognized. First, they had to be backed by a hereditary title of Earl, Viscount, or Baron. Second, each generation had to produce a senior official of fifth rank or higher. The last kind had fallen from the ranks of the great aristocratic clans renowned throughout the realm.

The original great aristocratic clans were the Yellow Residences, whose entire clan's Fortune was yellow. They were immensely rich and powerful; united, they even dared to contend with the imperial family from the shadows. They were famous throughout the realm, and many renowned scholars and masters came from their ranks. When troubled times came, a single proclamation from one of them could rally most of a province. In Fang Ming's view, they were much like the Yuan family of the late Eastern Han dynasty.

As he looked around, Fang Ming saw that the entire Zhou Residence was laid out in perfect harmony, with no features that clashed with its Fortune. Some even seemed to lend it strength. His heart tightened. They had clearly hired a master of feng shui to arrange the place.

Before long, he reached the rear courtyard. The ancestral shrine stood right in the center, taking up a great deal of space. It consisted of three halls, and people kept watch around them at all times. They occasionally stepped forward to replace the incense and offerings. Amid the curling incense smoke, a faint sandalwood fragrance drifted through the air. It was light and delicate, yet intoxicating. Fang Ming recognized it as the finest incense. He still hadn't had the chance to enjoy any himself.

The three great halls were wrapped in red-and-white Fortune, with red making up more than seventy percent. In terms of quality, it even surpassed Fang Ming's current Fortune, though it was lacking in quantity. After all, the whole Zhou family had at most a thousand people, while Fang Ming already had close to two thousand believers, along with the military aura of his Yin Soldiers. If he was willing to pay the price, he could break through. But that would surely provoke a backlash from the county seat's Human Dao law, and the consequences would be hard to predict!

Fang Ming hadn't come to start a fight, of course. He said, "Is the Zhou family's Ancestral Spirit here? Fang Ming, Land God of Qingxi Township, has come to pay a visit!" As he spoke, he infused his voice with Divine Power. The Fortune above him rippled faintly, carrying his words into the hall.

A short while later, a voice came from within. "I have been trapped here for many years. I never thought anyone would come to visit. This is a joy beyond words! Please wait a moment, honored guest, while I tidy my appearance." The speaker's voice trembled faintly. Its owner was clearly excited, which pleased Fang Ming.

After a long while, the voice spoke again. "An honored guest has come to my door. Unfortunately, I am bound here and could not come out to welcome you. Please forgive my discourtesy!" As soon as he finished speaking, an opening appeared in the red-and-white Fortune surrounding the hall, just large enough for one person to pass through.

Fang Ming was more powerful than this Ancestral Spirit and had no reason to fear any tricks. He walked in at an unhurried pace. As for the Ancestral Spirit, he had opened his last line of defense—the shrine's Fortune—and let Fang Ming enter without a second thought. Perhaps he didn't understand the importance of this, or perhaps he had other plans.

Fang Ming entered the hall and saw an old man with a white beard, dressed like a scholar. His features were ancient and plain, while his eyes shone with wisdom. He exchanged another bow and said, "Fang Ming, Land God of Qingxi Township, has come to pay his respects!"

The old man bowed as well. "I am Zhou Si, the eighth head of the Zhou family. After my death, I received sacrifices and became its Ancestral Spirit. It has been several hundred years since then. Please forgive me if I fail to observe proper etiquette."

Fang Ming smiled and said, "Not at all! I've come to visit because there is something important I'd like to discuss."

"If it's important, then please—ah, sit on the floor. My apologies, there are no everyday furnishings here. I'm afraid I've neglected my guest." Zhou Si's words abruptly stopped halfway through, and he looked a little embarrassed. As an Ancestral Spirit, he couldn't move things from the world of the living. He could only wander through these three halls; most of the time, he probably sat on the floor, living without any concern for his appearance.

To be honest, Fang Ming was astonished that this Ancestral Spirit, who had spent several hundred years imprisoned without even a chair or bed, forced to watch his family bring offerings that he himself couldn't eat, had still managed to remain rational and courteous. In Fang Ming's eyes, a life like that would drive anyone mad before long.

He looked around and said, "You truly live a frugal life, Mr. Zhou." With a wave of his hand, a table and chairs appeared, along with some wine and food.

"Ah!" Zhou Si reached out to touch them and found that his hand didn't pass through. He had actually touched solid objects. His eyes widened to the size of copper bells.

"Heh... Just a little trick. Please sit, Mr. Zhou. How about sharing a meal with me?" Fang Ming smiled, but didn't answer the questioning look in Zhou Si's eyes.

Zhou Si's face reddened, but he still sat down. Fang Ming poured the wine. Zhou Si took a sip, his eyes growing moist. He nearly shed a tear, but held it back. He and Fang Ming toasted each other a few more times. At last, Zhou Si let himself go and began to eat and drink.

Zhou Si's manners were refined, but he ate quickly. Before long, he had polished off every bit of food and drink.