Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me
Chapter 1162: August 17, Wrongful Death City_2

Chapter 1162: August 17, Wrongful Death City_2

Of course, not everyone who died unjustly could enter the Wrongful Death City.

If one had committed too many sins in life, they wouldn’t be considered as having died unjustly but rather having died with unresolved guilt. After death, their soul would be cast directly into hell, so there would be no need to enter the Wrongful Death City.

However, due to the lack of supervision in the Netherworld, a small change had occurred with Jiang Chen’s Wrongful Death City.

Yes, since there was no supervision anyway, Jiang Chen simply expanded the authority of Wrongful Death City. Initially, it could only accept those who died unjustly, but now, any wandering spirit had to be collected into the Wrongful Death City.

Jiang Chen dared to do this precisely because of the utter lack of order in the Netherworld. If there had been a complete order in the Netherworld, how could such an act by Jiang Chen have been allowed?

And the greater the power of the Wrongful Death City, the closer Jiang Chen was to the position of the Emperor of Fengdu.

If one day, all the ghosts in the Netherworld who could not be reincarnated came to Fengdu City, the time when Jiang Chen crowned himself emperor would not be far off.

While it’s deplorable to break the rules, Jiang Chen’s purpose in breaking them was to establish a new order in the Netherworld. Thus, his actions could be understood.

If one day, he truly became emperor, then his actions today would be celebrated by countless people. The same intention, but due to different outcomes, would lead to two different effects.

People are blind and inclined to follow the crowd. As long as you are great enough, even if you make a mistake, you don’t need to worry, and you don’t have to explain anything, because people will proactively find excuses for you.

They will think that you must have some unspeakable dilemma, but that your motive is definitely for everyone’s good.

This can also be regarded as individualism and blind worship, which can easily cause one to get lost in the cheers of the crowd and fail to recognize their own mistakes.

It’s no wonder that great personage from later generations strongly opposed individualism and blind worship. Unfortunately, contrary to his wishes, he was enshrined as a deity after his death, and in his name, countless things were done that were entirely against his original intentions.

...

In different situations, one must make different choices. In the situation of the Netherworld, Jiang Chen needn’t worry too much; going all out to foster a cult of personality is the way to go, after all, he truly intends to ascend to divinity. Without building a cult of personality, how can he be lauded as a deity?

As long as all the ghosts in the Netherworld truly believe that Jiang Chen is the Emperor of Fengdu, then he might as well be; this is the so-called "popular will."

The power of one individual is limited, but the power of all beings is infinite. With the establishment of the Divine Dao, even a mortal, blessed with the power of all beings, could ascend to divinity in one step and possess limitless power.

Emerging from the void, Jiang Chen stepped into the Wrongful Death City. He intended to leave the Netherworld, but instead of going through the Ghost Gate, he had a reason to come to the Wrongful Death City.

Wrongful Death City is very special; it doesn’t belong entirely to the Netherworld, but rather lies half in the Netherworld and half in the human world, or to put it another way, it’s established at the overlapping space of the two realms.

Usually, the Wrongful Death City indeed resides in the Netherworld, but each year when the Hungry Ghost Festival comes around, the space where the Wrongful Death City is located undergoes change, descending from the Netherworld to the human world.

The Netherworld and the human world are too close. Periodically, the fringe areas of both realms overlap, and then new passageways appear between the two worlds, which are typically connected only by the Ghost Gate.

And this, for the human world, is a disaster. Countless souls escape from the Netherworld through this area, entering the human world and plundering the vitality of the living.

The turmoil in the Shu Region, although partly due to changes in the Netherworld, owes more to the fact that this location is an overlap between the human world and the Netherworld, where the space is most fragile. A slight disturbance would cause it to shatter, allowing the passages between the two realms to open up.

Otherwise, the human world being so vast, why would it be just the Shu Region that suffered from ghostly calamities?

Another reason Jiang Chen established the Wrongful Death City here was to block the passage between the two realms. As long as the Wrongful Death City stands firm, no ghost from the Netherworld could enter the human world.

Before he left the Hall of Reincarnation, Jiang Chen had calculated the time and realized that there were only a few days left until the Ghost Festival. Therefore, he didn’t go to the Ghost Gate but instead headed back to the Wrongful Death City.

He planned to leave the Netherworld and take the opportunity to check on the situation in Wrongful Death City.

...

Due to the upcoming Ghost Festival, Wrongful Death City was extremely bustling, even holding a night market. The streets were filled with countless pedestrians and lined with all kinds of shops on both sides.

This scene was no different from the mortal realm. If Jiang Chen hadn’t known he was in the Netherworld, upon seeing the lively sight before him, he might have thought he was in the Imperial Capital of Luoyang.

"So lively, it seems the disciples of the Shangqing Palace have managed this place well."

After wandering around for a while, Jiang Chen nodded in satisfaction. He didn’t care whether Wrongful Death City was bustling or not, what he cared about was whether the disciples managing the city were doing their duty.

Now it seemed they indeed took their responsibilities seriously. The condition of a city cannot be declared, it must be seen.

If the people within appear indifferent, lacking any sign of vitality, or if they show a pallor on their face, or bear expressions of sadness, or if children cannot enjoy education, common folk cannot afford housing, cannot receive medical care, and the basic necessities of life are not guaranteed...

Then, it would be clear that the officials managing this city are utterly incompetent, and they should be executed.

Conversely, if the people here are well-cared for in old age, the youth have dependencies, doors remain unlocked at night, then the officials of this place are undoubtedly doing an excellent job and should be rewarded.

While the situation in Wrongful Death City is certainly unique and vastly different from the mortal world, the principles of governance are the same. Seeing their genuine smiles, it’s evident that the people must be living comfortably in Wrongful Death City; otherwise, they wouldn’t be in the mood to visit the night market.

For the disciples of Shangqing Palace to manage Wrongful Death City well is not surprising to Jiang Chen. After all, managing Wrongful Death City well is their merit, which is fundamental to whether they can step into higher realms in the future; naturally, they dare not take it lightly.

In this world, saints are always a minority. To hold the disciples of Shangqing Palace to the moral standards of a saint is clearly unrealistic. Jiang Chen is aware of this, he himself couldn’t achieve such a standard, let alone the disciples of Shangqing Palace.

Therefore, to constrain others with morality is utter nonsense.

Under such circumstances, how could he ensure that the disciples of Shangqing Palace perform their duties in managing Wrongful Death City well?

To this end, Jiang Chen thought of a method—that is, to let them manage Wrongful Death City well for their own sake, rather than for others.

People are inherently self-interested, and this is especially evident among cultivators, who often espouse the notion of ’saving oneself before saving others’, Jiang Chen being no exception.

Of course, the ’saving oneself before saving others’ practiced by cultivators is nothing like what some people claim. It’s not about becoming rich first and not only failing to help others become rich but instead turning around to exploit those who helped them become wealthy.

Thanks to the blessings of the Taoist Ancestors, through his efforts, the value system among Mystic Sect cultivators has been very upright. They always keep their word, and after saving themselves, they indeed save others. In fact, some immortals, while saving themselves, do not forget to save others as well.

Otherwise, do you think immortals have nothing better to do than to establish sects? Or why would some forebears leave their inheritance in the deep mountains and forests for others to find, if they were crazy?

No, that’s not the case. The forebears left their inheritance precisely to save others. "I have embarked on the path of Immortal Dao, thus I leave my inheritance behind to aid others on their journey to the Immortal Dao."

Simply put, it means ’I have become wealthy first, but I haven’t forgotten my initial intention, so I deliberately leave part of my fortune to help others become prosperous too.’

...

Jiang Chen’s method was tailored to the characteristic of the cultivators’ focus on self-cultivation. The existence of Wrongful Death City was to uphold the order of the Netherworld. Thus, proper management would result in corresponding merit.

This merit, Jiang Chen did not want for himself; whoever managed Wrongful Death City would receive it. With the temptation of merit, was there any doubt that those disciples of Shangqing Palace would strive to manage Wrongful Death City well?

For this merit, they would surely give their utmost effort!