Yin Politics

Fang Ming dealt with all the miscellaneous matters before his expression turned solemn. "Now, let us discuss something important. I wish to show mercy to my followers and spare them the suffering of vanishing seven days after death." His expression was exceedingly grave.

"Please enlighten us, my lord!" This truly was a momentous matter. Most of Fang Ming's subordinates had submitted because they feared that very fate. In this world, the dead became ghosts, then perished after seven days. It was an ironclad rule. Could their lord wield such divine power as to defy Heaven's will?

Seeing their expressions, Fang Ming guessed what they were thinking and gave a bitter smile. "You misunderstand. I don't yet possess such immense power. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't dare defy Heaven's will." By Heaven's will, he meant the natural laws of this world.

"Guo Sheng, explain it to them."

"Yes, my lord!" Guo Sheng stepped forward. "Under our lord, followers make wishes according to their incense contributions. This is our established practice." Everyone knew this.

Seeing them nod, he continued, "But human life is short, and followers inevitably die. Those who spend all their incense before death need not concern us. But some followers still have incense left in their accounts after they die..."

Everyone understood. Fang Ming already had more than ten thousand followers, and he had been in this world for five or six months. During that time, some followers had inevitably died for one reason or another.

Some followers had been devout in life, worshipping every day but making few wishes. When they died, quite a lot of incense remained in their accounts. But keeping it would look far too greedy, and it would also form a karmic connection with the followers, harming his Fortune. Fang Ming's Divine Way had previously been much like a transaction: you paid, I did the job; neither more nor less, with the accounts settled cleanly. It was impossible to avoid all karma, but he had kept the harm to a minimum.

Now that people had died with their money still in their accounts, what should be done? That was the question. Their numbers were still small, but they would grow over time. Rules had to be established, or disaster was sure to follow.

"Our lord pities his followers and does not wish them to vanish and return to Heaven and Earth. He has therefore established rules and set aside a section of the City God's Divine Domain to build a village where the ghosts of his followers may live!"

"Our lord is benevolent! This is a blessing for all the people!" His subordinates bowed in delight.

But they had misunderstood. Fang Ming wasn't foolish enough for that. Guo Sheng's voice continued, "After a follower dies, our lord will send someone to guide them to live in the Divine Domain. Their support will be paid from their remaining incense, at half the usual rate. They will also be given a choice: if they have family or friends who are followers, they may transfer their incense to them, with a ten-percent tax, leaving them with nine-tenths."

In other words, a follower whose account held not a single wisp of incense after death could still come to the Divine Domain. This would extend the original seven days to fourteen—a final benefit Fang Ming offered to those who had crossed paths with him. If a follower chose to transfer ten wisps of Divine Power to his wife or children, the transfer would be made within the accounts, without any action in the real world. That greatly reduced the cost: only one-tenth would be charged, so nine wisps would actually be transferred. Of course, without Divine Power to sustain him, the follower would still live only fourteen days.

Besides, these ghosts were all followers. When Fang Ming needed to recruit people in the future, he would naturally consider them first. This, too, was a chance to escape their suffering.

Now everyone understood. Their lord was still the same as before; he was only giving his followers a chance to eke out a little more time. In the end, they still had to rely on themselves.

Fang Ming certainly wasn't foolish. After all, he had never claimed in his preaching, "I'll ensure you enjoy blessings in the underworld forever after death, free from drought and flood!" or anything of the sort.

At present, whether among the common people or the officials, everyone took a cut for their services. What's more, this concerned life and death. His subordinates didn't think Fang Ming's price was too steep; they bowed gladly. "Our lord's grace toward his followers is truly their great blessing!"...

"Excellent!"

"Xie Jin, expand your patrol area to cover the entire county. Bring in every newly dead wandering soul you encounter. Guo Sheng, I'll trouble you to work a little harder: use the accounts and household registers to identify the followers, check their incense, and settle them one by one." Seeing that his subordinates understood his policy, Fang Ming issued his orders.

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

The two accepted their orders gladly. This was a great deed that bestowed blessings on others and accumulated abundant merit.

Fang Ming smiled. This was only his first move; he had other measures in reserve, but there was no need to mention them yet.

Wang Daniu was an ordinary villager in his twenties, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a simple, honest heart. No one in the village called him by his given name. They all called him Big Fool, and after a while, only his family remembered his real name. Outside, he was just Wang the Big Fool.

One day, he was returning from the fields when he saw a child fall into the water. Without a second thought, he leaped in to save him. He got the child out, but a sudden cramp seized him and he sank beneath the water. By the time the other villagers pulled him out, he was already dead.

"Oh no, Big Fool's stopped breathing!"

"Ah! At least he still has a few younger brothers and sisters. His family line won't be cut off."

"Nonsense! Big Fool was a strapping young man, and now he's gone just like that. Who knows how hard his parents will cry? Besides, losing a strong young man like him will drag his family right back into hardship, just when things were starting to improve!"

"That's true! We should send someone to report his death. The village won't leave them to fend for themselves, especially Doggie's family. Big Fool saved their only child, so they ought to show some gratitude. If everyone pitches in a little more, his family can still get by!"

The crowd chattered noisily, with sobs breaking through here and there. They went off to arrange the funeral, and that was that.

A little while later, a figure floated up from the river. He was half-transparent, his face pale and bluish. It was Wang Daniu.

Daniu only felt that something was wrong and wanted to go home. He paid no mind to how strange his body felt. He floated all the way there. Fortunately, the living couldn't see him, or he would have frightened plenty of people.

When he reached the village entrance and tried to go in, a soft yet unyielding radiance pushed him back. Daniu was astonished. He tried again, but still couldn't get through. He muttered, "That can't be right. Why can't I get in? Uncle Zhang said the village has a Land God protecting it, so ghosts can't enter... But I'm not a ghost..."

At that thought, his face turned deathly pale. He had already guessed the truth, but kept trying to deny it. Shaking his head, he tried several other directions, but couldn't get in anywhere.

He climbed a slope overlooking the village. He had been here before; from here, he could see his little house.

Now he saw a dense crowd surrounding his home, and a white cloth hung at the entrance. He knew what it meant. When someone in the village died and their family couldn't afford funeral supplies, everyone would chip in to buy white cloth to hang by the door.

His fear grew, but he couldn't look away. At last, he saw the elderly and children in the courtyard, gathered around someone lying on the ground and wailing. They were his parents and younger siblings. The person on the ground looked awfully familiar. When they covered him with the white cloth, he understood: that person was dead.

His mind suddenly cleared, and he remembered saving the child. He collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Am I dead? What will happen to my parents and my younger brothers and sisters?" At last, he couldn't hold back and burst into loud sobs...

He didn't know how long he had been crying when the sound drew several people over.

They were Yin Soldiers under Fang Ming. One of them stepped forward and said, "Corporal, there's a wandering soul here. Looks like he just died!" The body of a newly dead soul was naturally more substantial than that of other wandering souls, but would steadily dissipate with time. This Yin Soldier had patrolled for a long time and seen plenty; he recognized the signs.

"Is that so? Bring him over. Let me have a look." The corporal was tall and imposing, Killing Intent blazing in his eyes. He was clearly a veteran forged in battle.

Several Yin Soldiers went forward, pulled Wang Daniu to his feet, and hauled him before the corporal. The corporal inspected him carefully, nodded, then said, "What a pity!"

A Yin Soldier with a shrewd glint in his eyes stepped forward. "Big brother, how about..." He made a gesture, killing intent showing in his eyes.

"Don't be stupid!" The corporal knew exactly what he meant. If they killed this soul and reported that a Ferocious Ghost had been causing trouble, they could claim to have slain it and collect five copper coins. A soul scattered immediately after death, and patrol squads had no military clerks accompanying them, so tallying battle merits was extremely difficult. The only proof was the soul energy left on their weapons. There was a seventy- or eighty-percent chance they could kill an innocent and claim the merit.

But if they did it, they would leave traces. A clerk might not notice, but could they really be sure the other officials wouldn't? Especially... He was one of the earliest to follow Fang Ming and had gone with him to suppress bandits in the mountains. He knew the full extent of his lord's might.

As a Yin Soldier, he could serve for a long time. The longer he had been a soldier, the more he understood how rare such an opportunity was. To risk his future for a mere five copper coins? He wasn't that stupid!

"Don't even think about doing something like that again! I might let you off, but my blade won't!" The Yin Soldier was also a distant relative of his, and usually liked to pocket a little something on the side. But he needed to make this clear, lest he get dragged into trouble too.

"Don't take it to heart, big brother. I was only joking!" The Yin Soldier shuddered, realizing his big brother had meant every word. He hurriedly apologized.

"Don't ever think about it again!" The corporal snorted, then asked Wang Daniu, "Are you a newly dead soul?"

Wang Daniu didn't know he had just passed the gates of hell and nearly died a second time. His face was still streaked with tears. The corporal had touched a raw nerve, and his tears started flowing again. "I don't want to die..."

"Cry, cry, cry. What the hell are you crying for..." The corporal kicked Wang Daniu in the butt. Not killing him to claim the merit was already showing plenty of mercy; he hadn't exactly been a good man himself back then. Besides, the military order was to bring newly dead souls to the City God's Divine Domain. It didn't say they couldn't be marched there under guard. Getting someone who had just died to obey and follow them would take who knew how much effort, and the corporal wasn't a patient man.

He ordered, "Take him into custody. We're heading back to the city!"

His subordinates answered, "Yes, sir!" They hauled Wang Daniu upright and half-dragged him along the road back.

Wang Daniu had naturally been to Anchang County's city before, and had always envied its bustling streets. Now, as a wandering soul revisiting a familiar place, he felt even more conflicted.

As they entered the city, Wang Daniu was stopped outside by the protective Fortune surrounding it. The corporal smiled, took out something like an official document, and slapped it onto Wang Daniu. The obstruction immediately vanished, and they entered the county seat.

Wang Daniu watched with envy and asked, "Big brother, do you have any more of those things? Could you give me one? I want to go home and have a look!"

At this, the whole squad burst out laughing. The corporal put away the document first, then kicked Wang Daniu and scolded him. "You've got a good eye, kid. This is the City God's travel permit. We need it to escort you lot. We have to inspect it every day. If we lose it, I'll be in a world of trouble. And you still want one..."

Living souls were naturally blocked by the protective aura of the county seat and its villages. But Fang Ming was now the City God, governing the whole county, so he could issue travel permits that allowed wandering souls to enter the county seat.