Merit

On the first day of the fifth month, Qingshan Village was holding its grand sacrifice. In particular, they had decided to worship at the Land God Temple, so the villagers arrived early. The offerings had already been prepared, and the temple had been completed—a small shrine modeled after the one in Qingyu Village, with quite a respectable appearance.

When the appointed hour arrived, the village head gave the order, and the craftsmen carefully placed the Land God Temple upon the altar. The village head stepped forward, lit the first incense stick, and bowed reverently. The other villagers followed suit, offering worship one after another as incense smoke curled through the air.

Fang Ming had come nearby early as well. Now, with a slight frown, he said, "I only refined six thousand strands of Divine Power from within the altar. There have been no major changes in my divine office talisman or Fortune. What am I still lacking?"

He had originally intended to use this matter to expand his divine office and seize the opportunity to alter his innate Fate Pattern, allowing it to bear Fortune. Yet unexpectedly, the divine office talisman had merely refined Divine Power and undergone no change.

Fang Ming's brows drew tight. If he could not elevate his divine rank, would all his efforts not have been in vain? Would he be condemned to remain a minor god forever? That was not what he wanted. Was it because he had too few believers? He decided that once he returned, he would stir up Dachang and the other villages to do the same and see what effect it had.

At this moment, the sacrifice was nearing its end. Remembering that they now had the Land God's protection and would no longer suffer as they once had, the villagers of Qingshan Village could not help weeping like rain. At first there were only a few, but it soon spread throughout the whole village. The villagers began kowtowing and worshipping before the Land God Temple once more, tearfully grateful to Fang Ming. Fang Ming immediately sensed a change within himself. He meditated upon his own Fortune and made a discovery: a thin layer of golden light had enveloped the Fortune above his head. His divine instincts told him that this was Human Dao Merit. The golden light slowly seeped into Fang Ming's Life-Bound White Qi. The white qi instantly burst apart, and from within it extended a strand of Life-Bound Qi, white tinged with red. The Golden Seal immediately grew considerably larger, absorbing the white qi. As the Life-Bound Qi stirred, the white Fortune actually began to change, flushing red and becoming Red Fortune.

In the end, red and white qi churned above his head. Half of the Fortune within the Golden Seal had formed, and one-third of it was red. Fang Ming's body changed along with it. The Divine Power within him had originally been entirely white, but influenced by Fortune, one-third of it began to condense, forming Red Divine Power. The Red Divine Power surged like roaring waves and wrapped around the divine office talisman. After a moment, the red light dispersed, and a new talisman formed. Fang Ming understood its meaning at a glance: "Subordinate Eighth Rank Land God, governing Qingyu Village and Qingshan Village." At once, he sensed a connection with the territory of Qingshan Village as well.

The talisman stirred, and another stream of information entered Fang Ming's mind. It was a new divine ability: Divine Strike Technique. It allowed devout believers to borrow Divine Power, multiplying their strength for a short time, though they would be left weak for several days afterward.

Fang Ming suddenly understood. He recalled a saying from his previous life: "First fate, second fortune, third feng shui; fourth accumulated hidden virtue, fifth study." The hidden virtue within it referred to Human Dao Merit and Heavenly Dao Merit. So long as one benefited the Human Dao, Human Dao Merit would descend. This merit possessed great power: it could turn calamity into fortune and alter one's Fate Pattern. As long as he continued protecting the people and aiding the Human Dao, he would naturally continue gaining Human Dao Merit, altering his own Fate Pattern, rising ever higher, and obtaining destiny. The rules of this world tied Fortune and Fate Pattern to official rank and status. Since Fang Ming was in this world, he too had to be influenced by them. Divine ranks in this world worked the same way. Thus, Fortune and Divine Power affected one another; Fortune could help purify Divine Power, and once higher-grade Divine Power nourished it, the advancement of the divine office talisman would follow as naturally as water flowing into a channel. At this moment, Fang Ming had clearly seen the road ahead and found his direction. He could not help throwing back his head and laughing, utterly delighted.

Qingyu Village, Divine Domain of the Land God Temple, main hall.

"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations!" He Dong and Wang Liulang bowed deeply.

They were congratulating Fang Ming for completely spreading his faith into Qingshan Village. They felt that their lord was even more imposing today, profound and weighty, making their hearts tremble involuntarily.

"Rise. This is indeed a joyous occasion. Hold a grand feast today!" Fang Ming ordered the banquet to begin.

Everyone was overjoyed.

Fang Ming knew well that no one cherished things they could obtain at any time. Thus, he usually only distributed ordinary fare such as the village's steamed buns. Though they too were condensed from Divine Power and could replenish divine strength and preserve his subordinates' existence, their taste was quite ordinary.

But whenever a subordinate rendered merit, he bestowed wine and meat. Whenever something greatly joyful occurred, he held a feast, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat displayed in dazzling abundance. Sure enough, his subordinates became more loyal and diligent in their duties, seeking rewards.

The feast began at once. He Dong, Wang Liulang, and their subordinates raised their cups in salute. "May my lord enjoy boundless blessings!"

Fang Ming nodded, raised his cup, and drained it. After eating a few bites of food, he saw that everyone was somewhat restrained and said, "No need for such ceremony. Eat while it's hot!" He then rose and went into the rear hall.

Everyone immediately began eating, now much more at ease. He Dong and Wang Liulang still paid some attention to their bearing, but the others scrambled and fought over the food, the atmosphere exceedingly lively.

After taking a bite of food, He Dong narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed. "The world believes that all becomes empty after death, yet they do not know it is even more terrifying. How fortunate we are to have encountered our lord!"

Wang Liulang continued, "That is why we should be even more diligent in our duties, to repay our lord!"

Everyone loudly agreed and drained their cups.

Fang Ming, however, used Earth Escape to reach outside the village. A thread of Red Divine Power curled around his hand as he continuously toyed with it. After thinking for a moment, the Divine Power transformed into red light and wrapped around his hand. Fang Ming swung his fist and found that it was much the same as using White Divine Power, at most somewhat stronger.

He then thought of the Divine Strike Technique and gained some insight. Looking at a stone on the ground, he reached out and weighed it in his hand. He failed to lift it, but the stone moved. Fang Ming was overjoyed and changed targets. This time it was a dead branch. With a movement of his hand, he lifted it. Had any villagers passed by at that moment, they would have seen a dead branch eerily "floating" in midair.

Once he lifted the dead branch, his Divine Power was consumed quickly. After roughly a dozen breaths, the red light was exhausted, and the branch fell to the ground. Fang Ming was delighted. He now knew that Red Divine Power could interfere with reality. Though it took ten strands of White Divine Power to condense one strand of Red Divine Power, and it consumed an enormous amount when used, this was unlike Dream-Delivery Divine Ability. If others set their hearts on ignoring him, Fang Ming could do nothing about it. But with Red Divine Power, he now possessed strength even in the world of the living!

Fang Ming had long noticed that the world was in great turmoil. He knew that more than two hundred years had passed since the founding emperor of the Great Qian Empire had risen from Guanzhong, swept across the realm, and established Great Qian. The court's strength was declining day by day, and the signs of regional warlords had already emerged. Though the current emperor wished to revive the dynasty, he was powerless to do so. This was destiny, but it was also because the population had grown and there was not enough land.

Whenever natural disasters struck, refugees appeared. The emperor would drive the refugees beyond Guanzhong and order the various provinces to settle them. He also conscripted vast numbers of landless or near-landless people from Guanzhong and sent them to the savage wilderness of Jiaozhou, ordering them to reclaim land. Meanwhile, he gathered heavy troops within Guanzhong and appointed trusted confidants as generals. Therefore, Guanzhong remained very stable.

But in all the other provinces, the people's resentment boiled over. Coupled with the mischief of ghosts and monsters, the court had no choice but to grant the provinces military authority and order them to suppress the disturbances. Many commanders took the chance to deceive those above and below, privately recruit soldiers, gather renowned scholars, and gradually grow their wings and feathers. The Daoist Sect's shadow lay hidden among them.

In Fang Ming's view, within another decade or so, the realm would descend into utter chaos. Then the regional warlords would carve up the land, wage war upon one another, and slaughter on a grand scale for decades. Seven or eight out of every ten people in the realm would die, clearing land to support a new dynasty and opening several more centuries of national fortune.

Wenchang Prefecture would not be able to avoid it either. If luck turned bad and it became a battlefield, warlords would divide and seize it back and forth, while roving armies passed through time and again. Killing would leave not a trace of habitation for a thousand miles, and white bones appearing by the roadside would be entirely ordinary.

The Divine Way originated from the Human Dao. If all the people were gone, could Fang Ming possibly fare well? He had to prepare for a rainy day. This power to interfere with the world of the living had arrived at precisely the right time.

At the same time, he could arrange forces in the world of the living to guard against attacks on the faith. Matters in the Netherworld could naturally be handled by Wang Liulang and the others; if that was not enough, Fang Ming himself could suppress them. But if someone in the world of the living forcibly destroyed the temples, they would need living forces to resist. Ordinary villagers could not be relied upon. He could only cultivate his own forces, but they could not be too strong, lest they provoke the authorities' suspicion.

As Fang Ming pondered, his heart suddenly stirred. He recalled the Western Divine Way from his previous life. The Western gods had also started from scratch. Each was independent, with no system above them pressing down. They explored on their own and bore their own profits and losses. He immediately felt that there were a few things he could learn from.

Western gods divided believers into several ranks: unbelievers, shallow believers, ordinary believers, devout believers, fanatics, and saints. Fang Ming adopted the first four. In his view, fanatics and saints both amounted to erasing one's mind; they were merely walking corpses, equivalent to destroying a soul and greatly harming merit. Fang Ming would not use them. Moreover, these two kinds of believers were too fanatical, like blazing fire: they burned all things away, then finally went out. They were a double-edged sword, liable to wound others and oneself alike. He immediately decided that he would not advocate fanatical faith in the future. When necessary, he would even have to intervene personally and cool his believers down to ensure longevity.

Once believers reached the level of devout believers, they could be promoted to temple keepers. He would provide them with additional Red Divine Power every day to nourish their bodies, while also granting them the Divine Strike Technique and giving them strength. This borrowed from Western priests and holy warriors.

Naturally, the expenditure would not be small, and it could easily draw attention, so there could not be many of them. One or two per village would suffice. At crucial moments, they could take the lead. Once the villagers had someone at the forefront, they could naturally gather together and protect the faith. However, he would also have to send down divine decrees, forbidding temple keepers from acting rashly and especially from using the Divine Strike Technique at will.

As for copying the West and forming some kind of holy warrior order, that would be rebellion. Even seeking death was not done like that.

East of Qingyu Village.

Li Dazhuang was devoutly kowtowing before the Land God enshrined in his home. Ever since he had prayed before the god for a son and the deity had shown his power, he had become a devout believer, offering respectful worship every day without fail.

Fang Ming smiled faintly and activated the Dream-Delivery Divine Ability.

Li Dazhuang's vision swam, and he arrived in the Land God's main hall. He had experience with this and was not surprised, though he was still extremely excited. Upon seeing Fang Ming, he immediately kowtowed, his head striking the ground with loud bangs, as he said, "Thank you, Land God! Thank you, Land God! I've wanted a child for so long. Thanks to the Land God showing divine power, my wish has finally come true."

Fang Ming's expression did not change. "Li Dazhuang, I have a task for you."

Li Dazhuang immediately said, "Whatever the Land God needs, just give the order! This old Li will stake his life to get it done for you!"

Fang Ming smiled. "There is no need for that. I merely want you to serve as my temple keeper, tending the offerings and cleaning the temple every day!"

"What's so hard about that? Countless people could beg for it and never receive it. I'll definitely do it! Many thanks for the Land God's favor!" Li Dazhuang performed another great bow.

Fang Ming nodded. "Since you are to be my temple keeper, you must also be granted a divine ability. Today, I grant you the Divine Strike Technique. Remember, you must not use it lightly, much less reveal it before others at will, or a great calamity will surely follow!" With a point of his finger, a thread of Red Divine Power turned into a talisman and entered Li Dazhuang's body.

Li Dazhuang's eyes brightened, and he returned to his home. Looking at the Land God statue before him, he bowed again and said, "I shall obey the Land God's divine command!"

Fang Ming saw that though Li Dazhuang was pleased, he did not shout loudly or immediately try out the Divine Strike Technique. Knowing that the man truly had a steady temperament, Fang Ming could not help feeling greatly satisfied.

In Fang Ming's view, the Divine Strike talisman inside Li Dazhuang's body was a transmitter and receiver. Whenever Li Dazhuang used Divine Strike, he would silently recite an incantation, and the transmitter-receiver would send out a signal. Once the deity received the signal, it could send Divine Power through that channel. The transmitter-receiver would receive the Divine Power and immediately transform it to enhance the body's qualities. That was the secret of Divine Strike. Each use of the Divine Strike Technique had to consume a thread of Red Divine Power. White Divine Power lacked the power to interfere with the present world and could not be used.

Of course, the highest authority over the Divine Strike talisman still lay in Fang Ming's hands. Thus, he could secretly send Divine Power every day, subtly nourishing believers and making their ears keen, their eyes sharp, and their strength greatly increased. He immediately decided to continue observing. If this experiment succeeded, he could then use it on Wu Xinling.