Yin Politics

Fang Ming dealt with all the trivial matters before his expression turned solemn. "Now, let's discuss something important. I, this Venerable One, wish to bestow grace upon my followers, to spare them the suffering of dissipating seven days after death!" His expression was exceedingly serious.

"Please instruct us, my Lord!" This was truly a matter of immense significance. Most of Fang Ming's subordinates had been afraid of this very fate, which was why they had chosen to surrender to him. In this world, humans turned into ghosts after death and perished within seven days; this was already an established law. Could it be that their Lord possessed great Spiritual Power and could defy the will of heaven?

Seeing the expressions on his subordinates' faces, Fang Ming guessed their thoughts. He gave a wry smile and said, "You've misunderstood. This Venerable One does not yet possess such great Magical Power, and even if I did, I wouldn't dare to defy the will of heaven." This 'will of heaven' was the natural order of this world.

"Guo Sheng, you explain it."

"As you command!" Guo Sheng stepped forward and said, "Under the Lord, believers, based on their incense and fire contributions, have their wishes granted in order. This is the established custom." Everyone knew this well.

Seeing everyone nod, he continued, "But life is short, and believers will inevitably die. For those who have used up their incense and fire before death, we don't need to concern ourselves with it. However, there are believers who still have incense and fire remaining in their accounts after death..."

Everyone understood. Fang Ming's followers had already surpassed ten thousand. He had been in this world for five to six months. During this time, believers had died for various reasons.

Some believers had been devout during their lives, worshipping daily but making very few wishes. They died with a considerable amount of incense and fire left in their accounts. But doing so was too unsightly, and it also formed karmic ties with the believers, which was unfavorable for their fortune. Previously, Fang Ming's Divine Way was more like a transaction: you pay, I act; no more, no less; all accounts settled, no karma involved. While it was impossible to avoid karma entirely, the harm was minimized.

Now, people were dying, and their money remained. How to handle this was a problem. The number of followers was still relatively small, but it would grow in the future. Regulations had to be established, or major issues would surely arise.

"The Lord pities his believers and does not wish for them to dissipate into heaven and earth. He has specially established regulations, designating a portion within the City God's Law Domain to build a village and accommodate the ghosts of his believers!"

"The Lord is benevolent; this is a blessing for all living beings!" His subordinates rejoiced and bowed.

But they had misunderstood. Fang Ming wasn't foolish enough for that. Guo Sheng's voice continued, "After believers die, they will all be brought by those dispatched by the Lord to reside in the Law Domain. They will be provided for at half the rate according to their accounts. At the same time, an option is given: if a believer has family or friends who are also followers, they can transfer their incense and fire to their family. One-tenth will be taxed, and the remaining ninety percent can be kept."

This meant that if a believer died with no incense and fire left in their account, they could still come to the Law Domain. In this way, the original seven days could be extended to fourteen days. This was considered a final benefit Fang Ming offered, as they had known each other. If they chose to transfer ten units of Spiritual Power to their wives and children, it would only be a notional transfer on paper, without requiring actual action in reality, thus greatly reducing consumption. Only one-tenth of the cost would be incurred, and in reality, nine units would have been transferred. Of course, by doing so, this believer would not have Spiritual Power for sustenance and could still only live for fourteen days.

Furthermore, these Yin Soldiers were all believers. When Fang Ming needed to recruit people in the future, he would naturally prioritize them. This was also an opportunity to escape suffering.

With this explanation, everyone understood. Their Lord's nature remained the same; he was merely giving his believers a chance to prolong their lives, and they still had to rely on themselves.

Fang Ming was certainly not foolish. After all, when he promoted his beliefs, he had never said things like "I guarantee you eternal bliss in the afterlife, free from floods and droughts!"

At this time, whether in folk customs or official dealings, a commission was always taken. What more for such a significant matter of life and death? His subordinates did not feel that Fang Ming's price was too high; they all happily bowed, "The Lord's grace upon his believers is truly their great fortune!"

"This is excellent!"

"Xie Jin, you will now expand your patrol area to the entire county and bring all newly deceased wandering souls here. Guo Sheng, you will have to work a bit harder to distinguish believers according to their accounts and household registration, verify their incense and fire, and settle them one by one!" Fang Ming commanded, seeing that his subordinates understood his policy.

"Your subordinate obeys!" "Your subordinate obeys!"

The two readily accepted, as this was a matter that benefited others and brought great merit.

Fang Ming smiled. This was just his first move; he had other contingencies, but there was no need to mention them for now.

Wang Da Niu was an ordinary villager in his early twenties. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and was very honest. The villagers didn't call him by his full name; they all called him Da Sha. Over time, only his family remembered his real name, and he became known as Wang Da Sha outside.

One day, while returning from farming, he saw a child fall into the water and immediately jumped in without hesitation to save the child. As a result, the child was saved, but he himself suffered a sudden cramp and sank into the water. By the time other villagers rescued him, he had already stopped breathing.

"Oh no, Da Sha isn't breathing!"

"Alas! Fortunately, he still has a few younger siblings, so his incense and fire won't be completely cut off!"

"Nonsense! Da Sha, such a grown man, gone just like that. His parents don't know how much they'll cry! Besides, losing such a strong young man, the slightly better days his family was having will have to be reversed!"

"That's right! We should choose someone to go and report the death! The village won't just stand by, especially the Gou Wa family, since he saved their only child! They should at least show their gratitude, and with everyone's support, they can still get by!"

A group of people chattered noisily, interspersed with occasional sobs, and went to handle the funeral arrangements.

A while later, a figure floated out of the river. It was semi-transparent, with a pale blue complexion. It was Wang Da Niu.

Da Niu just felt something was wrong and wanted to go home, disregarding his unusual state. He floated all the way. Fortunately, the living couldn't see him, or it would have scared quite a few people away.

As he reached the village entrance, he was pushed back by a layer of resilient light just as he was about to enter. Da Niu was greatly surprised. He tried again, but still couldn't enter. He muttered, "This can't be? Why can't I get in? Uncle Old Zhang said our village has the Earth God's Blessing, and ghosts can't enter... But I'm not a ghost..."

Thinking this, his face turned deathly pale. He had already guessed something but was avoiding it. He shook his head and tried a few other directions, but none allowed him entry.

He climbed the high slope around the village, a place he had been to before, and could see his small house.

At this moment, he saw a group of people, a dense black mass, surrounding his house. White cloth was hung at the door. He recognized this. In the village, when a family died and had no money for proper decorations, they would collectively buy some white cloth and hang it at the door.

His heart grew increasingly fearful, but his eyes couldn't move away. Finally, he saw his elderly parents and siblings gathered in the small courtyard, crying around a person lying down. It was his parents and siblings, and the person lying down looked very familiar. Seeing the white cloth being covered, he knew this person was dead.

At this moment, his mind cleared. He remembered the incident of saving the child. He collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, "Am I dead? What about my parents and siblings?" He finally couldn't hold back and burst into loud sobs...

He didn't know how long he cried when his cries attracted a few people.

They were Yin Soldiers under Fang Ming. One Yin Soldier stepped forward and said, "Squad Leader, there's a wandering soul here. It seems to be newly deceased!" The body of a newly deceased soul was naturally more solid than that of other wandering souls and would dissipate over time. This Yin Soldier had patrolled for a long time and was experienced; he recognized it.

"Is that so? Bring him here for me to see?" This Squad Leader was tall and burly, with a murderous aura in his eyes, clearly a veteran forged in battle.

Several Yin Soldiers stepped forward, pulled Wang Da Niu up, and brought him before the Squad Leader. The Squad Leader examined him carefully, nodded, and said, "What a pity!"

A Yin Soldier with a shrewd look in his eyes stepped forward and said, "Brother, how about..." He made a gesture, and a murderous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Nonsense!" The Squad Leader naturally knew what this person was implying. If they killed this soul and reported back that a fierce ghost was causing trouble, they could directly kill it and receive five large coins. These souls dissipated after death, and the patrol team had no accompanying Clerk to record their merits, making it extremely troublesome. They would rely on the residual soul energy on their weapons as proof. Killing the innocent and claiming merit had a seventy to eighty percent chance of success.

But once this was done, there would be traces. Although the Clerk might not notice, could other adults be sure? Especially... he was one of the earliest followers of Fang Ming, having gone into the mountains to suppress bandits with him. He was well aware of his Lord's power.

He was also a Yin Soldier, destined to serve for a long time. The longer he served and the more he saw, the more he knew that such opportunities were rare. To risk his future for a mere five large coins, he wasn't that foolish!

"Stop thinking about such things! Otherwise, I might let you off, but my blade won't!" This Yin Soldier was also a distant relative of his, someone who usually liked to take small advantages. But he had to make this matter clear to him, lest he get himself involved.

"Brother, please don't mind, your little brother was just joking!" This Yin Soldier's heart chilled. He knew his brother was serious and quickly apologized.

"Never even think about such things again!" The Squad Leader snorted coldly and said to Wang Da Niu, "Are you a newly deceased soul?"

Wang Da Niu didn't know he had just skirted the gates of hell and narrowly escaped death again. His face was still streaked with tears. The Squad Leader's words brought back his sorrow, and tears began to flow again, "I don't want to die..."

"Crying, crying, what's with all the crying..." The Squad Leader kicked Wang Da Niu in the backside. It was already generous of him not to kill Wang Da Niu for merit. Besides, he wasn't exactly a good person back in the day. Moreover, the military order was to bring the newly deceased souls to the City God's Law Domain, but it didn't specify they couldn't be escorted. After all, it would take so much effort to get a newly deceased person to obey and follow willingly. This Squad Leader wasn't a patient man.

He commanded, "Hurry up, let's head back to the city!"

His subordinate responded, "Yes, sir!" They hoisted Wang Da Niu up and, half-pushing, half-shoving, started their journey back.

Wang Da Niu had naturally been to this county town of Anchang County before and had envied the prosperity within the city. Now, as a wandering soul revisiting a familiar place, his heart was filled with complex emotions.

As they entered the city, Wang Da Niu was blocked by the city's protective aura. The Squad Leader chuckled, took out something resembling a document, and stuck it onto Wang Da Niu. Instantly, the obstruction vanished, and he entered the county town.

Wang Da Niu's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Brother Soldier, do you have any more of those? Could you give me one? I want to go home and see!"

As soon as he said that, the entire squad burst into laughter. The Squad Leader first put the document away, then kicked Wang Da Niu again, scolding, "You brat, you actually know what this is! This is a travel permit issued by the City God to guide you all. We have to check it every day. If it gets lost, I'll be in trouble. And you want one..."

Living souls are naturally blocked by the Protective Aura of the county and villages. However, Fang Ming was now the City God, in charge of the entire county. Naturally, he could issue travel permits to allow wandering souls to enter the county town.