The mechanics of the Divine Path Style had never been hidden from players by the developers, even when the game was first established. Yet by the start of the second closed beta, not a single player had managed to get this strongest of all styles off the ground. The reason was that it was simply too difficult!
As its name suggested, the Divine Path Style involved investing gods, accumulating blessings and merit through a myriad of deities, controlling mortal faith, and increasing fortune, thereby forming a faction-based style. This was not a solo path, but a farming-and-development style. The strength of players who followed it depended entirely on the size of their Divine Path faction, rather than the straightforward leveling and monster-slaying of other styles.
The process involved politics, public opinion, struggles between factions, the balance between humans and demons, and the promotion of Divine Path faith. Every aspect required racking one's brains to manage. It was extremely difficult to get established, and many people were stopped at the very first hurdle.
Why was that?
Because in the setting designed by Chen Qing's partner, the authority to invest gods lay with the legitimate official posts of mortal dynasties blessed with fortune!
In other words, you had to become an official before you qualified to invest gods. By then, the game's intelligent systems had already matured, and the game had an imperial examination system as well. That step alone stopped a huge crowd of academically hopeless players, sending them to the official website to curse furiously. Chen Qing remembered his partner making the trending searches within days thanks to all the abuse, surpassing him for the first time in the number of greetings directed at his relatives...
By a fluke, Chen Qing had chosen not to lie flat after transmigrating, instead burying himself in books and taking the imperial examination route. That had earned him a ticket to playing the Divine Path Style, but it was only the first step.
Under the rules of the Divine Path Style, mountains, rivers, waterways, and the City Gods of the underworld within one's jurisdiction were all eligible for investiture. But it was not that simple. Otherwise, if running around with an official seal and handing out titles indiscriminately could establish a Divine Path faction, this system would already have been invincible during the first closed beta.
The reason even many academically gifted players could not make it work was that they discovered the gods they invested were not recognized, seemingly unable to exercise their authority or accomplish anything!
For the invested gods, being unable to accomplish anything meant being unable to accumulate the people's faith. Their divine power would grow weaker and weaker, and as their divine power weakened, so would their bodies, putting their lives in danger.
Under those circumstances, the invested gods would degenerate into man-eating monsters again to survive, once more bringing calamity upon the people. They might even become evil gods and turn on you!
After all, you were the one who invested the god, so naturally, you bore responsibility for all the sins it committed. When it generated blessings and merit, you shared the benefits, sending your strength soaring. But the rules of the world were fair. When a god you invested generated resentment... hehe, you would have plenty to suffer...
That was why investing gods required particular caution. You could not play around recklessly; this approach required someone with brains to make it work.
After seeing Liuzhou's situation, Chen Qing knew which gods he should invest to reap the greatest rewards.
Yes, door gods!
After securing the provincial administrative commissioner's permission, Chen Qing did not even intend to spend the night in Jiangnan's prosperous capital. Without stopping to rest, he hurried back to Liuzhou overnight.
"Master, why are we leaving in such a hurry?" The coachman could not help grumbling. "Traveling in the dead of night isn't safe."
After learning that Chen Qing was a prefect, the coachman no longer worried about being cheated out of his fare. He went wherever Chen Qing told him to go. He charged by the day anyway, which was why he particularly resented such a rushed itinerary.
If they stayed a day in Jiangnan's capital, he would have food and drink, get to explore bustling Nanming Prefecture, and, most importantly, collect an extra day's pay.
Yet this official was so stingy that he actually traveled overnight to save money. Pah! Such a miser would surely become a damned corrupt official who took bribes.
"Ah, it's urgent. There really is no other choice. Thank you for the effort, Old Meng. By the way, Old Meng, the person who introduced you said you're still on your own?"
"Ah..." At the mention of this, the coachman's mood worsened further. "My wife and child passed away early. It's just me..." he said glumly.
"They died in an accident?"
"Mm..." The coachman suddenly froze. Right, how had his wife and child died?
"I... don't remember. It seems... it was an accident?" The coachman frowned, feeling that he had forgotten something very important.
Chen Qing poked his head out of the carriage and sat outside as well. Looking at the bewilderment on Old Meng's face, he roughly understood what had happened.
That large-scale erasure of memories about demons must have been extremely crude. Then again, how could they possibly make detailed adjustments for every individual? Naturally, they had simply erased them in a blunt and brutal fashion, resulting in cases like Old Meng, who had even forgotten how his wife and child had died.
"If you're on your own, why stay in the north? You're a good driver. How about coming to work for me?" Chen Qing offered.
The man's driving really was excellent. He kept the carriage steady even on many rugged mountain roads, sparing Chen Qing from motion sickness. Liuzhou governed seventeen counties, and the county officials everywhere had been purged by the court, leaving no one in charge. In a few days, he would have to visit them and investigate, so he would need a good coachman.
"Work for you?" Old Meng paused, then shook his head. "I... won't become a household slave."
"How would that make you a household slave?" Chen Qing immediately laughed. "Hmm... how about this? Come work at the prefectural office, Old Meng. You'll be responsible for taking officials of the sixth rank and above out of town on official business, with your master here getting priority. I'll count you as a clerk of the prefectural office. If you start another family someday, you can recommend your child to take your place. How does that sound?"
"Really?" Old Meng was immediately tempted. Having one's children and grandchildren take over one's post-wasn't that a privilege of those government clerks?
Although many scholars looked down on clerks, ordinary people did not see things that way. Government clerks had a little authority, a steady income, and could even pass their jobs on to their sons. This was an iron rice bowl!
"A coachman can become a government clerk too?" Old Meng asked, scratching his head.
"I am the prefect of Liuzhou. If I say you can, you can!"
In modern times, this would be a dedicated government driver. That had once been a highly sought-after job...
"Then thank you, Master! Oh, no, thank you, my lord!" Old Meng was so excited that, had he not been driving, he looked ready to drop to his knees in worship.
He really had judged correctly. This lord was a good official!
Chen Qing pursed his lips, a wave of satisfaction washing through him. He finally felt the joy of wielding authority. Hehe, all those years of hard study weren't wasted...
"By the way, when we're getting close to Liuzhou City, don't rush into town, Old Meng. Make a trip to Great Azure Mountain. Hmm... that's in the direction of Yushui County..."
"Oh, Great Azure Mountain! I know where that is!" Old Meng chuckled. "Don't worry, my lord. I know the Liuzhou area well. You mean Great Azure Mountain, where a wind dragon is said to be pinned down, right?"
"Yes, exactly!" Chen Qing immediately laughed. "You know this area that well, Old Meng?"
"Very well. I hauled goods in Liuzhou when I was young too. I've been to every county town under Liuzhou's jurisdiction. What are you going to Great Azure Mountain for in the middle of the night, my lord?"
"To pick up my son, and catch a few door gods while I'm at it..."
"Huh?"
"Lord Mu, is there something you need, visiting so late at night?"
Upon hearing that the education commissioner had come to visit, Gong Qinian hurriedly left his freshly bathed, sweet-smelling concubine in the courtyard residence, dressed himself, and rushed to the front hall to receive his guest.
"Please forgive this subordinate for disturbing you so late, my lord..." Mu Hongqing remained as polite and stiff as ever.
"Not at all..." Gong Qinian hurried to usher him into the reception hall, only to notice that someone had actually accompanied Mu Hongqing this time.
The figure was entirely shrouded beneath a black bamboo hat, giving off a somewhat chilling impression in the middle of the night.
"Ah, this is one of the apprentices under my charge, the most gifted one I currently have. Little Ying, come pay your respects to Lord Gong."
Hearing this, the apprentice behind him approached and removed her hood, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face. Beneath the moonlight, the girl's bearing was unusually ethereal and cool, making her seem like a beauty carved from ice.
Gong Qinian was briefly stunned. He was well experienced in romantic affairs and had seen plenty of Jiangnan beauties, but this was his first time seeing a woman with such an exceptional bearing.
Yet he dared not entertain the slightest improper thought. After all, the man had just said she was an apprentice. An apprentice accompanying the education commissioner was a spellcaster on the verge of graduating!
"This student, Chen Ying, pays her respects to the provincial administrative commissioner." The woman's voice was as cool as her bearing, but the colder she was, the more she set men's hearts aflame.
"No need for ceremony, no need..." Gong Qinian hurriedly put on the kindly smile of an elder. Although his beautiful concubine was only fifteen, that did not prevent him from playing a benevolent elder before other juniors. Smiling, he said, "Please don't take offense, young lady. This is the first time an old man like me has met a female spellcaster. You truly are a heroine who yields nothing to men."
Naturally, spellcasters could be either male or female. The court desperately needed spellcasters. As long as someone had the aptitude, why would it care whether they were a man or a woman?
It was simply that women's talent for spellcasting was harder to discover, and it was harder for them to rise. But any who did make it were certain to be formidable.
Gong Qinian understood this very well, and naturally dared not be disrespectful!
Only after the two had been invited into the hall did Mu Hongqing explain his purpose.
"I heard that the newly appointed prefect of Liuzhou had arrived in Nanming Prefecture. Since this apprentice of mine will be stationed in Liuzhou long-term, I brought her over to make his acquaintance."
"Oh, this young lady is the outstanding apprentice you mentioned before, the one who will replace you in Liuzhou, Lord Mu?"
Speaking of this female apprentice, Mu Hongqing's face showed a rare gentleness. "Although this apprentice of mine is young, her aptitude ranks among the best in the entire academy. Were she not so young, she would already qualify to be considered for an education commissioner's post."
"Oh?" Surprise flashed in Gong Qinian's eyes. Mu Hongqing was always modest and rarely praised his own people like this, so he hurried to agree. "That is truly remarkable. We'll be counting on you in Liuzhou, young lady."
"You are too kind, my lord..." Perhaps influenced by her master, the young lady was cool in bearing but not arrogant. She hurriedly rose to return the courtesy. "My master praises me too highly. This student will certainly spare no effort."
"Good, good, good!" Gong Qinian rubbed his hands. "With those words from you, young lady, I can rest easy."
"By the way," Mu Hongqing said, "is Lord Chen staying at your residence? This would be a good opportunity for my apprentice to meet him. After all, he and my apprentice will be working together a great deal in the future. They can get acquainted first and coordinate a few matters while they're at it."
His Majesty had asked him to bring Chen Qing something that could cost lives, and he wanted it off his hands as soon as possible.
"Well..." Gong Qinian immediately gave a wry smile. "I did want to have Lord Chen stay the night, but although he's young, he's a man of action. As soon as he received my authorization, he immediately set off back to Liuzhou overnight."
"Authorization?" A glint flashed through Mu Hongqing's eyes, but he asked without revealing anything, "Might you tell me about it?"
Gong Qinian hurriedly gave a rough account of his conversation with Chen Qing.
After hearing him out, the odd look in Mu Hongqing's eyes deepened. "My lord, you're saying he asked for military authority?"