“Villain? What villain?”
Wu Ming asked casually.
“The special envoy from the Great Zhou imperial court, who brought an imperial decree promising Xiaolong a noble title if he could just delay things a bit…”
Ao Nu’s face turned red as he hesitated while speaking.
“I see!”
Wu Ming nodded inwardly and asked a few more questions, gradually piecing together an understanding of the divine ways in this world.
In the entire Great Zhou world, the strongest divine authority was naturally the Jade Emperor, who had attained the world’s status, ruled the heavenly court, and was impervious to myriad calamities, coexisting with heaven and earth.
This was the highest level of divinity, with ancient gods serving under the Jade Emperor in the heavenly court. Because they acted impartially, they had no particular demands on the lower world and could be said to conform to the great Dao.
However, beneath the heavenly court, the mid and lower levels of divinity were somewhat chaotic.
An emperor could proclaim someone a god with a single word; famous mountains and great rivers could have spirits that spontaneously gathered divine positions, and even cultivation sects had the power to bestow divinity.
Besides these, if someone could garner sincere faith from the people and accumulate incense offerings and beliefs, even an ordinary person could ascend to a divine position after death!
The heavenly court was impartial and recognized all these divine positions, though the consequences—good or bad—were borne by the deities themselves.
If a deity accumulated sufficient merit, it could steadily ascend in rank and be granted a divine position. However, if a deity, after ascending, only pursued offerings and sacrifices, causing heavenly wrath and public resentment, heavenly punishment would descend!
Ao Nu’s position as the river god of the Nu River was automatically formed by the river’s spirit gathering power, so it was not inaccurate to say it was granted by heaven and served as a subordinate of the heavenly court.
However, just like those human-established deities, if one claimed that Ao Nu’s demise would immediately provoke retaliation from the heavenly court, that would be nothing but self-flattery.
“This mighty celestial court… and the cultivation sects… such a profound Great Zhou, with a world rank of purple… then what of the Main God’s Hall?”
Wu Ming’s heart shivered, realizing that he would need to be even more cautious in his future actions.
Looking at Ao Nu now, he smiled again: “Hand over the imperial envoy, and cooperate with Wu Zhi in summoning rain. Resolve the drought in these two prefectures, and all past matters can be forgiven. How about that?”
“Obedience to the decree!”
Ao Nu bowed, greatly relieved inwardly.
The power gap was just too great. Especially considering Wu Ming’s young age and his rapid progress, he was destined to become a celestial immortal in the future!
Such an insurmountable gap made Ao Nu unable to even harbor resentment anymore.
“Good!”
Wu Ming nodded. To resolve the problem that had troubled Wu Zhi for so long was simply this easy.
At that time, letting her ascend the altar to summon rain once again, with Ao Nu’s cooperation, resolving this spring drought would no longer be offending heaven, but rather fulfilling heavenly mandate! The rumors would naturally collapse on their own.
“Little Dragon takes leave!”
After receiving the order, Ao Nu naturally would not stay here any longer. As he bowed and departed, he glanced at Wu Ming’s radiant aura and mused: “When one dynasty falls, another shall rise—this principle also applies to the cultivation path! Three hundred years ago, during the final years of the Shang Dynasty, a Yüqing Daoist emerged, since when the Yüqing lineage has dominated the secular Daoist sects… As heavenly cycles turn, could today’s Wu Ming be the Yüqing of old?”
This was truly a matter of utmost importance.
Though the Daoist sanctuaries were excellent, they were too aloof. The sects that truly interacted with river and mountain deities like himself were the secular Daoist sects.
Given Wu Zhi’s relationship with Wu Ming, once she ascended the throne, the Daoist sects would inevitably be controlled by Wu Ming’s lineage.
Ao Nu felt he must establish good relations now.
Even if it meant making the surrounding areas completely dry, he had to first resolve the spring drought in the Chufeng and Nanfeng prefectures!
Although this would greatly anger heaven, it would also support the human mandate! As fortune and misfortune waxed and waned, in the end, it might even bring benefits.
Moreover, if he refused, he would be killed immediately. Compared to possible future calamities, what was this now? Perhaps after leveraging this opportunity, future heavenly tribulations might be taken over by terrestrial immortals. In reality, he had no choice…
…
“What? Wu Zhi is going to lead the officials of the two prefectures in a ceremony to worship heaven and summon rain?”
Within the Fangsi Inn, the head of the imperial spies stood up in shock: “Is she seeking her own death? No! Wait, something’s wrong!”
He was ultimately a deep-thinking secret agent. Just one thought, and his mind quickly shifted: “Daring to stake her reputation like this, she must be extremely confident—not having invited a heavenly master for help, then having convinced the Nu River God! Damn it!”
The leader stood up and paced back and forth in the secret room, his face dark as he coldly ordered: “We must not let her succeed!”
Of course, they couldn’t allow Wu Zhi to succeed, or it would become a symbol of heavenly mandate, with the people of the two prefectures revering her like a goddess. All his previous covert actions would then become a joke.
In the struggle for the grand trend, with each side gaining or losing strength, if the Nanfeng army hadn’t wasted a year and the people instead longed for stability, then Dingzhou would be in danger!
“Zhang San, Li Si!”
“Present!”
Two spies knelt down, their appearances utterly ordinary—exactly the kind who would vanish into a crowd.
Frankly speaking, this was the essential quality of a spy. Unless it was for something like a honey trap, those handsome secret agents from past lives, who drew attention wherever they went, could hardly be considered real spies… Ha! They’d probably end up in a mass grave by the next day!
“You two are to spread rumors and mobilize people, saying that… wait!”
The spy leader’s expression suddenly changed: “Better yet, let’s relocate first! The governor’s actions this time were unexpected; perhaps they have obtained some top-secret intelligence! If the Nu River God sells us out, that would be extremely dangerous!”
He had, after all, been a spy for many years and could immediately sense danger at the slightest disturbance.
“Relocate? What about our base here…”
Zhang San and Li Si looked at each other in dismay.
“Burn all the letters! Take only gold and valuables and leave now!”
The leader was decisive, his eyes slightly red: “I know you’re reluctant! I’m even more reluctant! But if we don’t leave now, it won’t just be about whether we have property or not—it will be about whether our entire families can survive! Do you think… after doing all this, Wu Zhi would spare us?”
“Sir is right! We were blinded by greed before…”
The two subordinates weren’t stupid either. After being reminded, they quickly understood and nodded repeatedly.
“Indeed, such decisiveness is admirable, a pity!”
Suddenly, a thin voice pierced through the walls, causing the three of them to change expressions drastically!
Ding ding!
The sound of scales dragging on the ground echoed, accompanied by dense footsteps, clearly surrounding the place completely.
The opponent was like an extremely astute hunter, slowly tightening the trap until the moment of action, when it was already irreversible, and no matter how desperately the prey struggled, it was useless!
From the overwhelming confidence in the opponent’s words, one could hear that they weren’t afraid of them escaping, even harboring a cat-and-mouse mentality.
“We go out!”
The leader grabbed the sword hanging on the wall and exchanged glances with his two subordinates: “Today is the day we die for our loyalty to the court!”
As they exited the door, they saw the flickering lights of torches and a squad of armored soldiers surrounding the inn inside and out. In front of the soldiers were several families of women and children bound up, crying softly, their faces filled with terror. Despite already having suspicions, Zhang San and Li Si still couldn’t help but curse: “Their families shouldn’t be involved!”
“Cough cough…”
In front of the armored soldiers stood two generals, their faces vaguely similar—Chen Jingzong and Chen Shuncheng. This time, Wu Zhi had placed great importance on the mission and specially dispatched these two military experts to handle the situation.
“You all certainly have great patience, enduring for decades… cough cough…”
Chen Jingzong still appeared frail, yet his eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity like a tiger’s, making it impossible for others to meet his gaze directly: “We are the authorities! We believe in collective punishment! If one person commits a crime, the entire clan will be held accountable! We’re not some mere Jianghu ruffians, so your words are nothing but a joke, aren’t they?”
Zhang San and Li Si were momentarily speechless.
“Listen up!”
Chen Shuncheng stepped forward, sweeping his spear: “Surrender immediately, reveal your contacts, and we might spare your families. Otherwise…”
Zhang San and Li Si exchanged glances, showing some hesitation.
But then, a sword tip protruded from their chests, dripping with blood.
“Boss, you…”
The two fell, their faces filled with disbelief.
“Loyalty and righteousness cannot both be fulfilled. Brothers, don’t blame me—I’ll come down to accompany you shortly!”
The leader glanced at his family one last time, his heart hardening. Suddenly, he thrust his sword forward, its three-foot blade flashing coldly, charging into the armored soldiers.
“Hmph! Stubborn to the end, desperate struggle! Kill them!”
Chen Shuncheng waved his hand, and the soldiers surged forward…
“Uncle!”
Moments later, the soldiers moved in to seize the property, everything proceeding with practiced efficiency. Chen Shuncheng then cut off the three men’s heads, his face filled with anger: “This leader was quite skilled in martial arts; even in his dying struggle, he managed to kill two of my personal guards!”
“Cough cough… Now you understand the danger of a cornered beast, right?”
Chen Jingzong coughed repeatedly: “In the future, remember never to push an enemy into a corner unless you have an absolute advantage, or else you might face a desperate counterattack! Your old uncle here will eventually retire from the military, and the future of the Chen family will depend entirely on you…”
“Uncle!”
Chen Shuncheng’s eyes reddened: “Your injury…”
“Hmph! A soldier should have no fear! I know myself—if I retire from the army and rest properly, I might live a few more years. Otherwise…”
Chen Jingzong shook his head: “We still need to meet the governor later. Don’t show such weak emotions!”
“Understood!”
Chen Shuncheng wiped away his tears, mounted his horse alongside Chen Jingzong, and rode toward the governor’s mansion with the confiscated documents and secret letters in hand.
…
“Reporting to the Governor! The rebels have been completely eliminated. Here are the evidences!”
Inside the back garden, the scenery was serene. After walking a few steps, Chen Jingzong and Chen Shuncheng felt their minds refresh. Seeing Wu Zhi and Wu Ming sitting in a pavilion, they immediately approached and saluted.
“Good!”
Wu Zhi slightly nodded: “Now that the main culprits are gone, we must capture all their accomplices without letting a single one escape!”
Then she continued: “Your swift and decisive actions this time were commendable, and must be rewarded!”
Her beautiful eyes turned toward Wu Ming.
“Hehe… My beloved wife is scheming for something again!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly, waved his hand, and a wooden box floated down.
“What is this…”
Chen Jingzong opened the box and saw a faint aura of blood emanating from within, along with several smooth scales radiating draconic majesty, which stirred his heart profoundly.
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