"This..."
Lu Chen was speechless, utterly floored.
These Four Duty Merit Officers spoke one after another, clearly leaving no room for negotiation.
"Ah, my fellow Merit Officer brothers, you can't put it that way."
Li City God smiled as he tried to smooth things over.
"General Lu is acting out of sincere devotion, with the people in his heart. Demons and monsters are now lurking within Jiangdu City, and turmoil is about to rise. As guardians of this region, how can we sit idly by and watch evil spirits run rampant?"
"City God, your words are mistaken. The duty of us four brothers lies solely in recording the good and evil of the mortal realm and examining merits and sins. Guarding a land has never been the duty of our kind since ancient times. That is a burden City Gods such as yourself should bear."
The Year Duty Merit Officer showed no courtesy whatsoever.
"Precisely!" the Month Duty Merit Officer cut in. "No matter what sort of demon it may be, when its hour arrives, the Heavenly Dao will naturally turn and bring down karmic retribution. If people like you come seeking a back door from us brothers whenever you encounter a thorny problem, then are the divine positions of us Four Duty Merit Officers still meant to be maintained?"
"My second brother speaks exactly right! This not only violates heavenly regulations, but also taints us with immense karma. And what is karma? Poison that pierces the gut, a steel blade that scrapes the bones! You may be seeking an easy way out, but would that not drag us four brothers down to share the blame?"
"Why waste more words on them? Without a judicial decree from above, simply see them out!"
The Day Duty Merit Officer was the most