Worshipping the Gods at the Ministry of Revenue

Hong Cheng laughed heartily. "Captain, we're Night Guards, not lapdogs of the Divine Capital Yamen, nor petty thugs from the Military and Horse Bureau. We Night Guards fought our way up. Of course, you're the captain, so I wouldn't dare challenge you. But if you want to trade blows with me, I'll gladly oblige. Even if you beat me black and blue, if I, Hong Cheng, utter so much as half a plea for mercy, then I'm the son of a bitch who got fucked by a dog."

After speaking, Hong Cheng grinned, revealing snow-white teeth. His body swayed lightly as the bones throughout his body crackled like bursting beans.

The exposed joints seemed to have earthworms writhing and tangling beneath them. The knuckles of both hands bulged into huge lumps, gleaming with a metallic sheen as though he wore thick brass knuckles.

Li Qingxian stared at Hong Cheng.

Hong Cheng smiled broadly. "Those of us who practice the Hard-Bone Technique aren't good at much else, but we're damn good at fighting."

As he spoke, he lightly slammed his fists together before his chest, producing the ring of clashing metal.

"Captain Li, it was nothing. I didn't take it to heart," Han Anbo said with a smile.

Li Qingxian nodded. "That's right. It was only a small matter. I was originally going to treat the new deputy captain to a drink and build some rapport. But Lord Zhou has just assigned Team Jia-Nine a task. Since you're here, come handle it with us."

Li Qingxian turned and headed out.

Hong Cheng froze for a moment. Watching Han Anbo and Yu Ping pass by him, he hesitated briefly before stepping after them.

Along the way, Li Qingxian remained expressionless and silent.

Hong Cheng kept a cheerful smile, occasionally saying a few things, but no one responded.

Even after asking several times where they were going, Li Qingxian acted as if he had not heard him.

When they passed the entrance to Wanping Street, Han Anbo paused and looked toward Yu Ping.

Yu Ping also wore a puzzled expression.

This road was very familiar.

It was here that day that Pang Mingjing had forced Li Qingxian into a carriage.

The four continued onward.

Only when the Evil God Statue emerged behind the buildings did Han Anbo's expression change slightly. He hurried a few steps to keep close to Li Qingxian and lowered his voice. "Don't act rashly."

"I'm the captain. Listen to me," Li Qingxian said.

Han Anbo walked at his side, looking at Li Qingxian's youthful face as warmth surged through his heart.

"It isn't worth it... for my sake," he whispered.

Li Qingxian said nothing.

Yu Ping lifted his head to glance at the statue, recalling what had happened that day.

At first, Hong Cheng had kept talking to himself. But as they drew closer and closer to Ministry of Revenue Street, and as the Evil God Statue grew larger and larger, he fell silent.

Everyone in the Night Guard knew about Pang Mingjing.

Everyone also knew that, in order to save Li Qingxian, Zhou Chunfeng had used his connections in the Ministry of Revenue.

Hong Cheng shot the statue a suspicious glance, then looked at Li Qingxian. He grew increasingly hesitant.

To most people, Ministry of Revenue Street, Ministry of Justice Street, and Night Guard Street were no different from Demon Race territory.

Before long, the four arrived at God-Worship Street, which ran alongside Ministry of Revenue Street.

Black stone paved the ground, and every household hung lanterns with white backgrounds and red lettering high overhead.

There were no cries of hawking wares, no sounds of haggling.

People came and went, yet the place was silent and desolate.

The shelves in the shops lining both sides were filled with sacrificial goods: incense, candles, wine, fruit, paper offerings, prayer documents, yellow flags, command tablets, colored cords, and more.

Before an incense-and-candle shop, Li Qingxian stopped. "Deputy Captain Han, buy a set of nine incense sticks. Put it on the public account."

Han Anbo sighed softly. "Yes, Captain Li."

For some reason, seeing Li Qingxian's icy expression made goosebumps rise on Hong Cheng's arms.

But thinking of Wei Yong's encouraging gaze and Tao Zhi's harsh words, he gritted his teeth and smiled. "Captain Li, Han Anbo stopped being deputy captain long ago. Calling him that so carelessly disrupts the Night Guard's rules."

Li Qingxian seemed not to hear him. He stood there quietly, watching Han Anbo take out copper coins and count them into the shopkeeper's hand.

Hong Cheng's face stiffened with embarrassment.

The shopkeeper accepted the money and wrapped up nine pale-yellow, one-foot incense sticks. Handing them to Han Anbo, he said, "May the gods bless you."

Holding the incense, Han Anbo followed Li Qingxian onward.

Hong Cheng trailed hesitantly at the very back, looking around in every direction.

They turned right, passed through an alley, and stepped onto the broad Ministry of Revenue Street.

The sunlight close to noon was a blinding sheet of white.

With nothing blocking them, the five Evil God Statues pressed down on everyone's hearts with their invisible aura.

Not far away, the Ministry of Revenue's distinctive blood-gold double-striped walls were especially eye-catching.

Ministry of Revenue Street was empty. Though there was clearly nothing there, it made one's heart panic.

Hong Cheng stopped walking, his legs going weak.

Li Qingxian turned to look at Hong Cheng, a trace of ridicule appearing on his face. "What? Scared?"

"What are we doing here?" Hong Cheng asked, forcing himself to be brave.

"To collect money. Other than demanding payment, what else would we come to the Ministry of Revenue for?" Li Qingxian looked surprised.

"Y-you... are you going to harm me the way you harmed Pang Mingjing?"

"Do you practice the Hard-Bone Technique, or the Soft-Bone Technique?" Li Qingxian asked.

Hong Cheng swallowed, his throat bobbing. He glanced at the Ministry of Revenue's high walls, drew a deep breath, and said, "I'll wait outside."

Li Qingxian smiled. "Are you sure you want to stay alone on Ministry of Revenue Street?"

"I'll wait on God-Worship Street," Hong Cheng said.

Li Qingxian stared into Hong Cheng's eyes and slowly said, "On your first day as deputy captain, you disobey an order from Zhou Chunfeng, Director of the Divine Capital Office. Do you know the consequences?"

Hong Cheng fell silent. He remembered the punishment he faced for crippling Finance Office soldiers, remembered Tao Zhi's smile and the threats in his words, and finally imagined what would happen if he were driven out of the Night Guard.

He gritted his teeth. "I'll go! If you harm me, Director Wei won't let this rest!"

"Keep up."

After saying that, Li Qingxian continued onward. The four arrived at the side gate of the Southern Court. Li Qingxian produced his Night Guard waist token and asked a guard to find Luo Jing.

Before long, Luo Jing hurried over with Duan Heng following behind him.

"Little Lord Li, only a few days have passed, and you've already entered the ranks. Congratulations, congratulations!" Luo Jing cupped his hands politely.

"We're one of our own. No need to be so polite," Li Qingxian said coldly.

Luo Jing's smile faded. He looked at Li Qingxian in surprise, then swept his gaze over the three behind him. Finally, his eyes settled on Hong Cheng. A Principal Tenth Rank official was trailing at the back of the group?

Hong Cheng's whole body stiffened, his heart pounding wildly. Luo Jing wore a Gold-trimmed Oriole Badge, marking him as a Principal Eighth Rank civil official. Why was he being so polite to Li Qingxian?

Seeing Luo Jing look over, he hurriedly bent at the waist and bowed. "Hong Cheng, deputy captain of Team Jia-Nine of the Night Guard Street Patrol Office, greets you, my lord."

Luo Jing only caught the words "deputy captain." He glanced at Han Anbo thoughtfully, then looked to Li Qingxian. "Did Lord Zhou send you?"

Li Qingxian said, "Take me to worship the gods first. We can't break the rules this time."

"Alright." Luo Jing led them across Ministry of Revenue Street and into the North Court of the Ministry of Revenue.

Once they passed through the gate, an enormous square spread out before them.

At the center of the vast square, the five gods seemed to stand amid the clouds, as tall as the sky itself, their tops impossible to see.

Li Qingxian no longer looked up. He could only vaguely see layers upon layers of dark clouds piling in the corner of his vision above his eyes, with countless eyes trembling and peering out from within them.

Li Qingxian surveyed the surroundings. Blood-Gold Paint covered the entire square. At first glance, it looked as if dried blood had been smeared across the ground.

Along the edges of the square on either side of the statues stood numerous small god statues, like guards serving the five gods.

Li Qingxian seemed to lose his sense of space. This place was clearly within the Divine Capital and should not have been large, yet for some reason, it felt boundless as far as the eye could see.

Not far ahead stood a full thirty offering tables made of red sandalwood with colorful patterns. Upon each were the three sacrificial livestock of pig, ox, and sheep; the three sacrificial fowl of chicken, duck, and goose; and the three sacrificial fruits of pear, tangerine, and crabapple.

Long incense stood upright in the brass censer at the center of the offering tables, white smoke curling upward.