A Visitor at the Door
"Hey, Qingnü, it's been two days already, where's the opponent you said needed my help?"
After sitting idly with Yin Yunze outside Qingling County for two days, Lord of Du Mountain complained for what seemed like the umpteenth time today.
"Mountain Lord, let's wait a little longer—maybe someone will come out soon!"
Hearing Lord of Du Mountain's complaints, Yin Yunze could only helplessly offer a word of comfort.
However, as his gaze fell upon the ruins of the still unrebuilt City God, Yin Yunze couldn't help but feel uneasy.
So many days have passed, why hasn't the City God shown any reaction?
To be honest, Yin Yunze knew in her heart that she absolutely couldn't tolerate someone spreading such negative information about her everywhere.
I need to grab at least two knives and chase that person who spread the message for two blocks to feel better.
But now, almost ten days have passed, and even the official spread of the negative information has been going on for a week.
After a comprehensive media campaign, the dirty deeds and bad things the City God did are now common knowledge.
Now, even a dog passing by has to piss in front of the City God before it can leave.
If the City God hadn't noticed it before, that would be one thing, but with almost everyone cursing, how could City God possibly turn a deaf ear?
That temper of hers is just too good!
Moreover, this isn't something that can be calmed down by being good-tempered and hiding for a few days!
With Guo Jing, such a fanatical hater, maintaining the hype for a hundred or eighty years might be impossible, but lasting for ten or eight years is definitely not a problem.
This is a matter of life and death; it's not something the City God can avoid by hiding like a coward.
After several days of no response, Yin Yunze could only suspect that the other party was holding back something big.
Therefore, for safety reasons, Yin Yunze even asked Lord of Du Mountain for help.
After all, aside from being a bit dim-witted, Yin Yunze still recognized Lord of Du Mountain's strength.
With the two of them working together, no matter what tricks the City God uses, they can at least block them.
But after waiting with Lord of Du Mountain for two more days, Yin Yunze couldn't help but wonder if the City God was really just going to sit and wait for his doom?
Compared to Yin Yunze's deep concern, Lord of Du Mountain seemed relatively less worried.
If there's a fight, then fight; if there isn't, it's good to get closer to Qingnü.
"But just waiting like this is so boring!"
Upon hearing Yin Yunze's words, Lord of Du Mountain immediately rode the wind and approached, his enormous tiger head poised to rub against Yin Yunze.
"Lord of Du Mountain, what are you doing!"
In response, Yin Yunze immediately reached out and blocked Lord of Du Mountain's large head.
Lord of Du Mountain rubbed against Yin Yunze's hand, then shook his head slightly and said, "I've been waiting here with you like an idiot for so long, Qingnü, what's wrong with letting me rub against you! It won't make you pregnant!"
"That's hard to say!"
Yin Yunze slapped Lord of Du Mountain on the head and immediately distanced himself from Lord of Du Mountain.
Who knows if there really is some kind of magic in this world that can make you pregnant just by touching someone? It's better to be safe than sorry.
"You're so stingy!" Lord of Du Mountain looked at Yin Yunze with a hint of resentment. "You called me and I came to help you, but you won't even let me rub against you!"
"If you're so unwilling, then you can go back."
Looking at Lord of Du Mountain, Yin Yunze said somewhat helplessly, "Later, I'll send someone to deliver some things you like to you as payment for these two days!"
"It's not that I'm unwilling!" Looking at Yin Yunze, Lord of Du Mountain quickly said, "It's just that you shouldn't avoid me like this! I've already let you ride me, so why don't you say you'd let me ride you back? What's wrong with me rubbing against you for a bit?"
"Is this the same thing?! I----"
Just as Yin Yunze was about to reply, he suddenly received a message from the mortal body, and his expression changed slightly.
Looking at Lord of Du Mountain, Yin Yunze hesitated for a moment, then said, "Shanjun, you stay here and guard this place for me. I need to go back to the village."
A guest arrived at the Qingnü Temple, whom Yin Yunze had to personally receive, while Fan Ti was busy assisting Guo Jing and the young witches who had been dispatched.
She already harbored resentment towards her divine body for spending so many days idly, but since it was still considered a proper matter, her mortal body didn't feel particularly resentful. However, if the task of receiving guests continued to be left to her mortal body, she might really explode.
"No!" Upon hearing Yin Yunze's words, Lord of Du Mountain immediately objected, saying, "If you leave, it'll be too boring for me to stay here alone! Anyway, nothing's happened these past two days! A little longer won't make a difference! I want to go check on you."
Hearing Lord of Du Mountain say this, Yin Yunze thought about it and felt that it made sense.
After all, it can't be such a coincidence that nothing happened after ten days of guarding, but problems arise after leaving for a short while, right?!
Moreover, Yin Yunze really had things to do when he went back.
"Alright then----come if you want, but remember to turn into human form. I have guests, don't scare them!"
Considering that Lord of Du Mountain was not his subordinate but had been invited to help, Yin Yunze didn't say anything more.
After giving his instructions, Yin Yunze transformed into a streak of light and returned to the statue in the Qingnü Temple.
Following closely behind, Lord of Du Mountain, also enveloped in the fierce wind, headed towards Clear Creek Village.
After Yin Yunze and Lord of Du Mountain left, quite some time passed, and the Day and Night Wandering Gods hurriedly walked out of the City God.
After returning to the statue, Yin Yunze's gaze swept across the main hall, only to find that there was now a group of people there.
At first glance, Yin Yunze spotted the middle-aged man among the crowd, who, despite being dressed in casual clothes, was enveloped in a strong Dynastic Karmic Luck.
The intense purple aura emanating from this middle-aged man, far surpassing that of Xu Hanxian, indicated that he was definitely not an ordinary person.
The middle-aged man was around forty or fifty years old. His features were quite handsome, but his gray hair and undeniable wrinkles made him look old.
At this moment, Sun Qin, Zhang Liuyun, Peng Shulan, and Xu Hanxian were all waiting respectfully beside the middle-aged man.
Besides these familiar faces, there were also quite a few unfamiliar faces, who appeared to be the middle-aged man's subordinates.
After a brief investigation, Yin Yunze stopped hiding and, swaying his nine tails, walked out of the statue and came before the crowd. The crowd, who had been chatting idly, gasped in surprise when they saw Yin Yunze emerge alive from the statue.
The image of this beautiful woman with fox ears, nine tails, and white hair surprised the middle-aged man, who exclaimed, "Are you the Lady Qingnü?"
"It is indeed Qingnü— " After a slight curtsy, Yin Yunze looked at the middle-aged man and said softly, "Qingnü greets Your Excellency, the Prefect!"
As he spoke, Yin Yunze's gaze swept over Zhang Liuyun, whose face was full of smugness.
Yin Yunze truly hadn't expected that Zhang Liuyun would actually manage to bring the prefect himself over, something he had only intended to do with requesting an imperial edict!
No wonder Zhang Liuyun was so evasive and mysterious when I inquired about the progress earlier; she was waiting for this!
Yin Yunze even complained that Zhang Liuyun's actions were too slow.
But now, Yin Yunze has discovered that Zhang Liuyun's ability to act is a little too good.
Although his true form was merely a mortal, Yin Yunze found the Dynastic Karmic Luck from the prefect, which far surpassed that of the county magistrate, somewhat dazzling.
The difference between a village god and a county magistrate was not so bad, but upon seeing this prefect, the Dynastic Karmic Luck seemed to gain weight and press down on Yin Yunze.
"Your Lady Qingnü, there's no need for such formalities! My surname is Liu, and my given name is Zhengyuan. You may simply call me Zhengyuan."
Fortunately, when facing the deity Yin Yunze, the prefect displayed an even more obsequious attitude than Xu Hanxian: "Your Majesty, I must first thank you for your Fox Rice! If it weren't for your single-handed efforts to provide relief to these eight counties—otherwise, I don't know how many impeachments I would have faced!"
Those who reach the position of prefect at their age are generally not fools.
Compared to county magistrates Xu Hanxian, who might sulk with Yin Yunze over a moment of youthful idealism or personal gain, this was a different story.
But the prefect was all too aware of Yin Yunze's value.
To be able to provide relief to eight counties single-handedly—that's like a true deity, even more loving than one's own mother!
Putting everything else aside, with Yin Yunze around, no matter how much tax the prefect collects, at least the people won't starve.
In those days, the greatest achievement was to collect enough taxes and send them to the imperial court.
As for Yin Yunze not being human, but perhaps even a nine-tailed fox demon?
Please, weren't those gentry and powerful families who cooperated with the prefect in the past even more despicable? Liu Zhengyuan had no choice but to hold his nose and feign compliance with them.
Wouldn't it be better to cooperate with a god who has no shortage of money than with those beasts in human skin?!
If one cannot see this point, one cannot even hold the position of prefect.
Of course, the gift of one thousand taels of silver that Yin Yunze had Zhang Liuyun bring to Liu Zhengyuan also played a significant role.
That one thousand taels of silver alone was enough to buy Liu Zhengyuan a smiling welcome.
For the same amount of one thousand taels, those gentry and powerful families would have preferred to recoup ten thousand taels.
On Qingnü's side, all she needed were a few documents that had little practical value.
As a high-quality client with minimal hassle and high pay, Liu Zhengyuan naturally had to be more attentive.
Seeing that the prefect was easier to talk to than the previous county magistrates, Yin Yunze relaxed a bit. "Lord Liu, you flatter me. Qingnü only did her best. The people's well-being is entirely due to your effective governance—"
Regardless of whether Yin Yunze was speaking sincerely or not, Liu Zhengyuan was still quite pleased to be praised by such a beautiful Nine-Tailed Fox fairy.
"Your Lady Qingnü's words make me truly unworthy of such praise—I, cough cough cough cough—"
Looking at Yin Yunze, Liu Zhengyuan opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly started coughing violently.
After coughing forcefully a few times, Liu Zhengyuan looked at Yin Yunze with embarrassment and said earnestly, "Please forgive me, Lady Qingnü, I've caught a cold these past few days—as I get older, I'm prone to headaches and fevers—I've seen quite a few doctors, but none of them have cured me—"
Yin Yunze glanced silently at the people around him, all drenched in sweat, and then sensed something.
Compared to a cold, the prefect's biggest health problem is clearly kidney deficiency!
Clearly, the prefect's coughs were deliberately staged for Yin Yunze's benefit.
This is also why Yin Yunze felt that inviting the prefect over would be somewhat troublesome.
Certainly, this is an opportunity to build good relations.
However, there's also the fear that the prefect's appetite is too great, and things might get out of hand.
Since the other party had already made their demands and needed his cooperation, Yin Yunze had no choice but to play along.
"It seems that you've been overworked. Fortunately, Qingnü also knows a little about healing arts."
As he spoke, Yin Yunze took out the Mutton-Fat Jade Purification Vase and then a stemmed glass.
He activated the Authority over Frost and Snow to create a pure block of ice, and then Fox Fire.
Yin Yunze poured the warm water into a glass, and finally added a drop of nectar.
Holding the cup of Nectar Water, Yin Yunze handed it to Liu Zhengyuan.
"If Lord Liu trusts Qingnü, please drink this cup in moderation."