Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 966 - 822: The Temple of the Land

Chapter 966: Chapter 822: The Temple of the Land

Several years later.

A carriage was moving forward on the official road.

After the Taoist Court united the world, they refurbished the original official roads and post stations... ensuring there was a station every fifty li to provide officials with places to rest and facilitate the delivery of official documents.

At the front of the carriage, in the driver’s seat, sat Gan Yu.

His eyes were lifeless, staring blankly ahead, yet also somewhat cautious.

After all, inside the carriage was sitting a peerless Monster King!

His journey to the capital this time was completely out of necessity, with his family in the grasp of a powerful demon; he had no choice but to go.

Thinking of this situation, Gan Yu couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.

Ever since he agreed to the conditions of the Muddy Water Saint several years ago, his luck had suddenly improved.

He not only ’luckily’ survived the pursuit of a Dead Sword Immortal but also managed to collect scattered troops, ambushed a logistic team of a rebel army, and made a minor contribution.

Subsequent events also seemed to fall into place by sheer luck, establishing some merits.

Gan Yu was naturally clear about what was going on.

Add to that the fact that Fang Xi took out plenty of gold and silver from the Dragon Palace, allowing Gan Yu to make arrangements.

After some manoeuvres, during the last military awards for merit, he too was considered to have some contributions, and was promoted up two ranks and one class and summoned back to the Ministry of War to report.

Thinking of the various envious and jealous expressions of his colleagues, Gan Yu could only offer a wry smile.

He certainly knew that being summoned to the Ministry of War meant that he had escaped the quagmire of Zhu State; let alone a promotion, those colleagues would probably have been willing to accept a demotion.

Recently, seeing himself escape a deadly path, even being envious and jealous was extremely restrained of them.

’It’s just... in the past, I was diligent and loyal to the Taoist Court, but I was summoned by an imperial decree to send me to death... Now I am secretly a rebel, but instead I gain rank and wealth, and my official fortune flows unimpeded...’

Gan Yu sighed.

"Gan boy, why the sigh?"

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man in black appeared, sneering.

"I was just reflecting on the Taoist Court... it’s gradually becoming like the former dynasty."

Gan Yu shared his thoughts.

Fang Xi, however, shook his head: "Even the former dynasty ultimately perished, didn’t it? This shows that governing people with God Path has its abrupt shortcomings... Gan boy, you’ve read many books, do you know why the former dynasty perished?"

This was actually a question Fang Xi had in mind; after all, with the power of the Taoist Path, it seemed unlikely to fall into such a state.

Having become the Earth God of Hei Shan, he had also heard some rumors.

Although this matter was taboo to the Taoist Court, there were always some small pieces of information circulating amongst the high echelons.

He brought it up now just to test Gan Yu’s thoughts.

"I have heard..."

Gan Yu’s face revealed a hint of confusion and incomprehension: "It seems like it was punished by... divine retribution?"

"Divine retribution?"

Fang Xi laughed heartily: "How could that be possible? The God Path dynasty, with the responsibility of maintaining peace and welfare for the people, wouldn’t escalate to such a degree where heaven and people are indignant; even if it did... it wouldn’t be punished by divine retribution... Divine will has been difficult to question since ancient times, so how could it deliberately reveal itself, let alone deliver punishment?"

"I also think so, but it is said that the former dynasty was at its peak when it encountered divine retribution... According to the observations of Qi Observing Scholars on the dynasty’s fate, they believed that the former dynasty could continue for another ten thousand years, yet it suddenly perished... Apart from divine retribution, there seems to be no other possibility."

Gan Yu shook his head.

"Heavenly Court rules the world, Taoist Court governs people..."

Fang Xi stroked his chin: "So it seems, after excluding many possibilities, the only impossible one might actually be the reasonable explanation?"

...

The capital city.

The city walls were towering, and each piece of bluish-green brick stood the test of time, emitting a faint scent of incense.

At the four gates and eight bridges, along with various docks, the flow of people and goods was like several long dragons, all converging into the city.

"The capital city, being under the emperor’s feet and the land of prime virtue... except for special permission, livestock like mules and horses are not allowed to enter the city, all are arranged outside the city in the ’Mule and Horse Fair’... within the fair, there are specific deities patrolling, and problems are fairly unlikely to occur."

Outside the Mule and Horse Fair, a fresh scent of animal feces and urine hit one’s face.

Gan Yu’s face showed embarrassment as he recounted his observations from when he entered the capital to take the Jinshi exam.

"Is the ’Horse King God’ the deity worshipped in this Mule and Horse Fair?"

Fang Xi’s eyes flashed, and he smiled.

The Horse King God was a deity specifically in charge of managing large livestock for the Taoist Court, ensuring that the animals do not fall ill and that livestock thrives. With plenty of incense offerings in the mortal realm, despite overseeing an inauspicious Godhood Position, he held a rank corresponding to a fourth-grade official.

He had Gan Yu store the carriage while he himself took a chariot with special permission from the Zhao Carriage and Horse Shop and entered the city.

Just as they passed through the ’Tianwu Sect’, Fang Xi felt an oppressive force lingering around him.

He immediately knew that he had entered a powerful ’Divine Domain’!

A gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he saw golden auspicious energy like clouds above the capital, converging in the direction of the imperial palace along the central axis.

At the end of Heavenly Street, one could barely make out the golden-blue True Dragon, its purple eyes as if in a doze.

Fang Xi immediately closed his Spirit Eye, not wishing to provoke the national dragon representing the Taoist Court’s fortune.

"The emperor holds a Heavenly Rank, comparable to a Cultivator ’Returning to Emptiness’!"

"Plus this national True Dragon, that’s another ’Returning to Emptiness’ entity... and with the geographical advantage of the Divine Domain..."

"Even the typical late stage ’Returning to Emptiness’ cultivator would probably be no match for the emperor in the capital city."

He formulated a judgment in his mind, and then sent Gan Yu off to the Ministry of War.

He himself got off the carriage and started wandering alone in the capital city.

"Gan Yu is an imperial officer, who was previously ordered to return to the capital to report; he carries the aura of imperial command... which is the key to fooling the Divine Domain’s laws and prohibitions."

"Of course, no matter how well one deceives... there’s always a time when they’ll be exposed."

Fang Xi, clad in a black robe, strolled leisurely through the imperial city, blending in like a traveler from out of town.

The imperial city, being the hub of the Taoist Court, boasted an extremely bustling market where the crowds were thick, needless to say.

Even more critical was the peculiar sight of temples that appeared every few steps.

"Metropolitan City God Temple!"

Fang Xi came upon a City God Temple where a market was set up in the spacious temple square, with numerous stalls, teeming with activity at the time.

It was said there were no curfews at night, and lantern shows were held, truly a spectacle of the capital.

He strolled with ease, stopping in front of a temple as if guided by an unseen force.

The temple wasn’t big, consisting only of a few rooms at the front and back, dwarved by the Metropolitan City God Temple and with barely any incense offerings.

The once gold-plated plaques had long since become mottled, and the incense in the earthenware tripod at the front had burned out...

It looked every bit the picture of desolation, a pitiful sight against the chilling autumn wind.

"The temple of the land?"

Fang Xi looked up at the plaque and couldn’t help being speechless, "Misfortune in one’s past life leads to living near a county town; evil deeds pile up, and one finds oneself attached to a provincial city; with sins overflowing, one ends up in the capital... This Earth God, truly has it rough!"

Usually, an Earth God would only govern the land of a single village, but within the imperial city, that meant just one street.

With the splendor of the Metropolitan City God Temple to compete with, a modest temple of the land indeed struggled to attract devotees and incense offerings.

Though it was broken, its very survival to this day was quite remarkable.

"Is this where the threads of fate entangle?"

Fang Xi looked at the temple of the land but did not enter, continuing on his way as usual.

His Divine Consciousness had already swept through the temple, noticing the shrine within. The Earth God was not depicted as the typical white-bearded old man but as a graceful young lad.

Moreover, it seemed the deity’s statue had been restored, and beside it was an empty shrine where the statue had been destroyed, with only a piece of skirt visible, suggesting that a goddess might have been worshipped there originally.

But other than that... there was nothing unusual.

...

Ministry of War.

Gan Yu entered, routinely submitted documents, then prepared to return to the inn to await a summons.

Considering how busy the Ministry of War was, this minor official of the seventh rank would thank his lucky stars if he got a response within half a month.

But this time, things were different.

"Are you called Gan Yu? Hmm... the former Faithful and Brave School Captain from Zhu State?"

He hadn’t yet left the gates of the Ministry when a clerk hurried over to him.

"Indeed, I am the officer in question!"

Gan Yu was extremely polite, which was only fitting, given that this was a clerk from the Ministry of War, whom he didn’t want to offend.

Besides... although the clerk held a lower office, he might actually have a sixth or seventh rank in terms of the Taoist Record or even possibly be his senior from the civil service examinations!

After all, the Taoist Court was notorious for its surplus of high-ranking but underemployed officials.

And being assigned to the Ministry of War, even as a clerk, was a position many would vie fiercely for.

"Tsk tsk..."

The clerk scrutinized Gan Yu from top to bottom, then, with a bow and a smile, said, "A principal official from the Ministry wants to see you..."

The Ministry had one Minister, two Vice Ministers on the left and right, and four major principals below them.

Any of them had the authority to decide the course of Gan Yu’s career.

Naturally, Gan Yu dared not delay and quickly said, "Please lead the way."

He followed the clerk through several long corridors, and the surroundings suddenly grew quieter.

"This is it."

The clerk brought Gan Yu to a large hall and bid him farewell with a bow.

Gan Yu hesitated for a moment before entering the hall and said, bowing, "Junior official Gan Yu, greets the principal... Huh?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he hadn’t seen any officials, which gave him a start.

As he looked up, he saw that the central seat, covered with white tiger skin, was also empty.

Suspended on the wall behind the seat was a painting.

Depicted on the canvas was a figure of an imposing military officer!

"Gan Yu!"

With a roar from the military official in the painting, Gan Yu felt as if his liver and gallbladder were splitting, a Giant Strength transmitted from his Taoist Record within his body, forcing him to fall prostrate to the ground.

After that, his mind became muddled, unaware of his surroundings.

The figure in the mural stretched its head forward, amazingly passing through the paper to appear in the hall—it was a Deity of the third rank or above.

He gazed at Gan Yu for a while, then suddenly pounced on him.

Gan Yu’s body convulsed, his forehead knotted in agony, seemingly resisting instinctively.

At that moment, a Dragon Chanting echoed from the Void.

An imperial edict gradually unfolded in mid-air.

The expression of pain on Gan Yu’s face quickly receded, and he stood up, first patting his body and then saying, "Very good... The Ministry of War is a critical place of the Taoist Court, strictly governed by Taoist Law, and I have requested an imperial edict in advance to seal it off; it would be difficult for the Outside Evil God to notice any anomalies..."

"The invasion of the Outside Evil God, the emperor had long sensed, but it was difficult to restrain..."

"Now that it has infiltrated the capital, it has indeed walked into its own demise..."

"I must complete my task well."

’Gan Yu’ closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his demeanor and temperament were indistinguishable from the real Gan Yu.

He bowed in the direction of the imperial palace, then stood up and left the Ministry of War without looking back...