"Huh? Why does it seem like there's no security?"
After traveling all the way from Great Azure Mountain to the Liuzhou City, Wei Gongzhan immediately noticed that the city gate seemed no different from usual. Although there were warnings sounding at the seaside and the docks were closed, the South Gate, which connected to the districts and counties, was still as crowded as ever!
"Of course there's nothing to be wary of." A Li rolled her eyes at the other person. "Weren't you quite clever when you were dealing with us last time? Why are you acting like your brain isn't working now?"
Wei Gongzhan: "."
A Li glanced at the child beside her and whispered, "According to this child's information, that mysterious woman only controls the Shen Family, not all the gods of Liuzhou. So, she can't act too ostentatiously."
"Why not control the door gods?" Wei Gongzhan, somewhat puzzled. "Controlling the door gods would greatly prevent you from entering Liuzhou City, wouldn't it?"
Many people familiar with A Li have discussed this topic for a long time: the door gods can identify demons, and A Li can alter memories. So, when these two things meet, will the door gods see through A Li first, or will A Li control the door gods' memories?
This issue had remained unresolved for so long, but today, the moment of truth was finally approaching, and Wei Gongzhan.
A Li rolled her eyes at the other person again, then swaggered over.
At this moment, A Li appeared no different from usual in his eyes, yet her glamorous and alluring appearance caused not a single ordinary person around her to give A Li a second glance. At that moment, Wei Gongzhan understood that everyone around him was probably being blinded by A Li.
What a terrifying ability!
I knew this thing was very dangerous before, but seeing it unleash its power up close made me realize just how dangerous it was.
No wonder it's been stuck in Great Azure Mountain and hasn't come out. Even allies probably wouldn't want to get close to something like that, right?
Because you'll never know when or what tricks she's planted deep in your memory.
With trepidation, the two followed A Li to the door. To Wei Gongzhan's surprise, the door gods not only failed to see through A Li's intentions, but he himself seemed to have been ignored as well.
In the past, when he arrived at the gate, many of the Door God Guard would greet him. His Blood Ginseng Wine was the best-selling wine in the army, Door God Guard in Liuzhou City were well-treated and fond of it, often ordering it from him privately. But this time, everyone looked at him with unfamiliar eyes, as if they had never seen him before.
In an instant, Wei Gongzhan understood again.
This fox demon not only changed her image in everyone's mind, but also changed herself and the child beside her. Otherwise, given the other party's vigilance, the three of them would have been too conspicuous.
But if that's the case, isn't this ability a bit too overpowered?
How could she possibly protect those around her? Just how many people could she actually protect?
Two? Three? Ten? Or perhaps one hundred?
If such a person were to lead a hundred top-tier experts, wouldn't they be able to easily infiltrate someone else's capital? And if their plan was meticulously executed, wouldn't they be able to easily assassinate the leader of an enemy nation?
Thinking of this, Wei Gongzhan couldn't help but swallow hard. Having a military background and having served as a deputy general, his first thought was naturally about its military value. And what he had gotten so far was an almost heaven-defying ability—utterly shameless.
"Alright, come in." A Li stretched, seemingly in a good mood, on this sunny day. "It's been a while since I've been to the city. It feels pretty good to have so many people."
Wei Gongzhan frowned deeply. A Li was still a demon; wouldn't she have a bloodthirsty reaction upon seeing so many people?
With her current abilities, if she develops a bloodthirsty reaction, probably no one can stop her from eating people.
Let's go find someone.
"Who?" Wei Gongzhan was taken aback for a moment, then realized, " Shen Yuan?"
Shen Yuan is one of the most outstanding disciples of the Heaven Academy, and is now almost a shoo-in for the vice dean. At present, he is practically in charge of the Blazing Yang Grand Formation, so it is the most suitable person to ask him.
"Are you kidding me?" A Li chuckled. "Find Shen Yuan? Do you think they're stupid? Shen Yuan is so important, they've got him completely under their control. How could they possibly get close to him easily? I'm very fragile; I'm not going to take that risk."
Upon hearing this, Wei Gongzhan breathed a slight sigh of relief. He didn't want to go to Shen Yuan, who was a rare confidant and friend of his. Moreover, Shen Yuan's most cherished family members were in Liuzhou City, making him vulnerable to being manipulated by the enemy. Under these circumstances, he didn't want to drag Shen Yuan down with him.
Although this fox spirit possesses extraordinary abilities, she is too fragile. Despite her Transcendent nature, if she were to face an enemy head-on, even a captain of the Door God Guard could probably kill her. This is her weakness!
She cannot easily take risks, nor can she afford to make the slightest mistake, otherwise she will be instantly annihilated. It seems that heaven is fair, giving her such terrifying abilities but limiting her actual strength.
"Then what do we do?" Wei Gongzhan asked in a low voice, "Since the other side didn't come because the barrier of Great Azure Mountain was broken, they must have already started keeping an eye on you. They won't show themselves easily. Under these circumstances, getting close will probably be extremely difficult."
"So we need to find someone who is unassuming but actually very important."
"Who?" Wei Gongzhan was puzzled at first, but then he immediately realized, "You mean Lord Zhou?"
--
Zhou Haitao?
Shen Shiyi stared at Shen San in astonishment. "What's the use of finding him?"
Zhou Haitao is the de facto administrator of Liuzhou. In Liuzhou, which is currently the most prominent city in China, Zhou Haitao, as an administrator, actually receives very little attention.
The reason is simple: he was just a mortal.
Civil officials lack divine power, disregard demons, and focus solely on domestic affairs, handling all sorts of trivial matters in Liuzhou. They have authority but lack the strength to back it up, which makes them appear quite ordinary to the public.
Especially in the eyes of a powerful family like the Shen Family, they were no different from nobody.
"Civil officials are not involved with ghosts and spirits, but after retiring with merit, they can seek a better position in the Underworld or even serve as Underworld. This provides them with a path to advancement, but also imposes significant restrictions, making civil officials, who actually control the people's livelihood and finances, feel like they are walking on thin ice, which greatly reduces corruption."
Liuzhou prospered for five years, and the wealth that poured in was immeasurable. It wasn't that no one was greedy, but the cost-effectiveness was extremely low.
Under the control of divine authority, it is almost impossible to go undetected. Taking such a huge risk, which could even affect one's next life, is simply not worth it. When the cost-effectiveness of corruption is not high, fewer people are willing to take the risk.
" Chen Qing's policy is good, but it also has a loophole. Civil officials without real power are essentially incapable of protecting themselves, yet they control very valuable resources. What if these resources fall into enemy hands?"
"How could any enemy possibly offer a better future for mortals like them?" Shen Shiyi rolled her eyes, but then realized, "But if it's an unreasonable demon like the Thousand-Faced Fox, then it is indeed possible."
" Zhou Haitao controls all the resources in Liuzhou, including the inventory of Baiyu, which is a fatal flaw!"
"I'll go find him!" Shen Shiyi said hurriedly.
"You can't look for him," Shen San stopped him directly. "If you step out of this door and come back, who can guarantee that you'll return as the same person you were before?"
Shen Shiyi: "."
"This is an open conspiracy." Shen Shiyi sighed. "I was too slow to think. If I had realized this the moment the servants reported the problem with the Great Azure Mountain barrier, and had laid an ambush with Zhou Haitao beforehand, it might have been possible to take him down. But now..."
"What should we do then?" Shen Shiyi asked anxiously. "Are we just going to let them control the resources? The Blazing Yang Grand Formation needs a massive amount of Baiyu to support it."
"No rush," Shen San said, rubbing his fingers together. "Let me think about it."