Chapter 21: The City God

The head of security in a county could command forces that were quite terrifying.

Even more so because he acted on behalf of the imperial court and was protected by divine favor. If he obtained an official document stamped with the county magistrate’s seal, ordinary mountain spirits, wild ghosts, or even minor deities would find it impossible to get near him.

“It seems I’ve picked up a really hot potato…”

Wu Ming felt a bit down, but since this was a mission assigned by the Main God, he had no choice but to accept it.

Looking at the sun, he saw that it was nearly noon, so he stopped wandering and headed toward a restaurant.

“Sir, please come in!”

The restaurant was two stories high, with a gilded sign indicating it was an established old brand.

As soon as he entered, a waiter wearing a white towel draped over his shoulder came forward enthusiastically: “Sir, are you dining alone? Would you like a seat by the window?”

“Sure.”

Wu Ming went upstairs and took a seat. As he slightly moved his nose, he smelled the aroma of wine and meat wafting toward him, and he smiled: “Your marinated meat seems quite good.”

“Of course! Our marinated lamb and beef are the best in Heitai! We’ve had this brand for decades. Beef isn’t always available, but today you’re in luck. A cow from Li Village outside the city died a few days ago, and our owner bought two legs. They’re fresh and hot… Would you like some, sir?”

The waiter was quite persuasive, so Wu Ming laughed and said, “Then bring me a pound. And stir-fry two vegetable dishes and bring a pot of wine.”

“Right away!”

The waiter went downstairs and soon returned with a pot of wine. Since grain was precious, the wine was somewhat cloudy, but it had a low alcohol content and was drinkable like a beverage.

Soon, two stir-fried vegetable dishes were served, green and fresh, emitting a fragrant aroma. Wu Ming was already hungry, but he remained calm, eating and drinking slowly with precise movements, clearly a well-mannered young man from a noble family.

“Sir, here’s your marinated beef!”

When Wu Ming was halfway through his meal, another plate of sliced beef was brought over. The meat was dark red in color, with a firm texture, and it was delicious, offering a perfect blend of color, aroma, and taste.

“Wait a moment!”

After taking a few bites, Wu Ming inwardly praised the dish and then called the waiter back.

“Ah! What can I do for you, sir?”

The waiter clasped his hands and asked respectfully.

“I’m a visitor here, newly arrived. It seems Heitai County hasn’t been very peaceful lately?”

Wu Ming said casually.

“Ah… Living next to that haunted mountain, peace would be unusual…” The waiter sighed with a bitter smile. “But you’re right, sir. In the past few months, many people have died in Heishui Town… Even the wandering monks and Taoist priests hired by the county have died one after another, and no one dares to go there anymore…”

“Oh? So it must be some kind of ghostly creature causing trouble?”

Wu Ming’s interest was piqued.

“Who says otherwise? The things near Heishan are all sinister, especially… Since the local land god’s temple in Heishui Town was destroyed three months ago…”

The waiter spoke offhandedly but then realized he had said too much: “Sir, please continue your meal… Feel free to call me if you need anything…”

With that, he hurried downstairs.

“The land god’s temple was destroyed? Could it be that because the land god was gone, unable to guide the souls of the dead, that’s why the trouble started? But that doesn’t make sense either… A mere town land god, what significance could he have? Couldn’t the City God simply appoint a new one?”

Wu Ming didn’t ask further, as he was already surprised that the waiter knew this much.

After finishing his meal, paying a few hundred coins, and leaving contentedly, he walked out.

…

“The City God Temple?!”

When he left, Wu Ming asked for directions and now stood in front of the City God Temple.

In this world, gods existed.

Not only here, but even in the Great Zhou world, deities were also present.

In ancient times, emperors held the power of the entire realm and had the ability to shape destinies, as well as to establish or abolish lower-level gods through rituals!

The origins of gods varied.

Some were officials or famous figures who brought blessings to the people during their lifetimes, and after death, their spirits were honored with temples and sacrifices.

Others were naturally born spirits who merged with the powers of mountains, rivers, and waterways, thereby gaining authority.

Still others were mountain spirits, monsters, ghosts, or demons who deceived rural men and women into offering them incense, blood, and food.

Generally speaking, their origins were diverse, but they had to be recognized by the imperial court or granted divine titles by heaven to be considered legitimate. Otherwise, they were all classified as “heretical cults” and suppressed by the orthodox government.

The City God of Heitai County was naturally one of the legitimate kind. The temple covered several acres and had a solemn air.

Legend had it that the Heitai City God was originally named Wang Xuanfan, a scholar of the previous dynasty. During his tenure as county magistrate, he encouraged sericulture, improved governance, and brought peace and prosperity to the region, with no thefts in the streets and homes left unlocked at night, and the population grew significantly, marking a golden age.

Later, when the imperial court increased taxes, he petitioned on behalf of the people and was exiled, eventually dying of illness on the road. The local people, moved by his deeds, built a temple in his honor, though it was destroyed several times.

It was not until the current dynasty that the provincial governor heard of this and reported it to the emperor, requesting permission to build a temple. After many twists and turns, he finally received the imperial decree and was officially recognized as a legitimate deity.

When Wu Ming arrived at the temple, he saw the statue of the god standing solemnly on the altar.

The temple was draped with divine curtains, with incense smoke curling around them. A fine nanmu wood table was placed in front, offering seasonal sacrifices. In the center was a clay statue of a middle-aged scholar wearing a seventh-grade official’s robe, dignified and solemn, with an air of authority in his eyes.

Following local customs, Wu Ming lit incense sticks and bowed several times.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched.

At the pinnacle of the Qi Realm, nearly reaching the Xiantian Realm, his physical perception had surpassed that of ordinary people tenfold. At this moment, he keenly sensed a force’s attention.

“Divine power?”

This feeling was fleeting. If Wu Ming’s spiritual sensitivity hadn’t been extremely sharp, he might not have noticed it at all.

Of course, even if he noticed, it wasn’t a big deal.

After all, the living and the dead were in different realms. It was not easy for a deity to interfere in the affairs of the living, especially when dealing with someone like Wu Ming, whose martial arts were nearly at their peak and whose vitality was extremely strong.

“Visitor, please wait!”

After donating a tael of silver as an offering, Wu Ming was about to leave when he heard a voice from behind.

Turning around, he saw a temple attendant dressed in ceremonial robes, smiling: “What is it that the visitor seeks? Perhaps you’d like to have your fortune told?”

“Fine!”

Wu Ming followed the temple attendant indifferently to a small table.

“Do you seek matters of love or your future career?” The temple attendant asked solemnly, exuding a certain aura, somewhat like a charlatan.

In his past life, Wu Ming had not believed in such things.

But now, in a world of gods and ghosts, he preferred to believe rather than doubt. He said, “I seek to resolve difficulties.”

“In that case, please write a single character at will!”

Wu Ming picked up a brush, unfolded a sheet of white paper, and casually wrote the character “Wu” (无), meaning “nothing.”

“Ah?”

The temple attendant exclaimed in surprise: “Originally nothing exists, so where can dust possibly cling? According to the visitor’s appearance, he should be free of disasters and calamities. But how could such a person possibly exist in the world? Truly strange!”

“The visitor seeks to resolve difficulties…”

The temple attendant took out a turtle shell and several copper coins, chanting some incantations. Suddenly, he turned the shell over, and the copper coins fell onto the white paper in a neat pattern, complementing the character “Wu” perfectly.

“The visitor is a divinely gifted person. His destiny and future are beyond my ability to interpret. But if you only seek to resolve difficulties, then you should head south!”

The temple attendant, eyes wide, sweat pouring from his forehead as if it had taken a great deal of effort, barely managed to continue.

“South?”

Wu Ming frowned, thinking about the layout of the county town. Generally, the east was noble, the west was wealthy, the north was poor, and the south was lowly. The east and west districts were where officials and gentry lived, while the north and south were inhabited by commoners and even the poor.

“Words of gods and ghosts cannot be fully trusted, but it’s worth checking out. However…”

Wu Ming inwardly smirked.

The County God seemed to be treating him as a pawn, trying to play the role of the chess master.

Of course, being chosen as a pawn at least indicated that he was somewhat useful.

Even if it was just exploitation, it was still better than being excluded.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll take my leave now.”

Wu Ming gave the temple attendant a final, deep look.

He saw the man tremble all over, his eyes showing confusion and even a hint of slyness, but he didn’t expose it. Smiling slightly, he threw down a few dozen coins and strode out.

“It seems… this must be the struggle between the City God, the county magistrate, and another force, and they might be at a disadvantage or have some concerns, which is why they had to seek outside help?”

If an ordinary cultivator encountered such a heavily entangled karmic matter, they would likely flee thousands of miles away.

But Wu Ming was different.

As the temple attendant had said earlier, he originally had no karmic ties to this world and was merely a passerby, so what did he have to fear?

What was a county magistrate? What was a City God?

If they opposed his path, he would cut them down without hesitation!

Of course, for now, he still needed to borrow their strength. He was no longer the teenage fool of his youth who would recklessly shout about defying heaven.

Still, an unexplainable surge of heroism welled up in his chest, and he couldn’t help but recite: “There will be times when the wind breaks the waves, and I will hang my sail straight to cross the sea!”

“Excellent!”

Suddenly, a scholar in a green robe clapped his hands nearby: “What a wonderful poem!”

Seeing Wu Ming look over, his face turned red again: “Greetings, sir. My name is Ye Xiaoyou. I came here to accompany my mother to offer incense and fulfill a vow. Seeing your distinguished demeanor and spontaneous poetry, I couldn’t help but admire you. Please forgive my rudeness…”

Looking closer now, he saw that Wu Ming was a youth of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in fine clothes, with a face as smooth as jade, and he secretly admired him even more.

“Oh, it’s Ye Brother. My name is Wu Ming. I’m from another province, traveling here…”

Wu Ming bowed with his fists, and seeing the luxurious carriages and well-dressed servants behind Ye Xiaoyou, he knew that the man came from a good family.

“Master…”

At this moment, the carriage curtain was slightly lifted, revealing a pair of bright, lively eyes. Soon after, a maid wearing golden hairpins and jewelry came over, lifting her skirt: “The mistress is urging us to leave…”

“My mother is calling. I’m truly sorry…”

Ye Xiaoyou awkwardly bowed: “My home is at the first house with two stone lions at the east water lane entrance… If Wu Brother has time, please don’t forget to visit me!”

“Could this person be a rabbit?”

After the reluctant farewell, Wu Ming couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Of course, in ancient times, borrowing from classical poetry could indeed serve as a stepping stone, but dreaming of exuding an overwhelming dominance and having everyone bow before you was nothing but a fantasy.