Chapter 3 Spiritual Official
The moonlight was hazy and the jungle was dark.
To the north of Lingshan, among the towering mountains, Chen Jiu was trying his best to run .
He leaped over rocks, gullies, dense forests and bushes as swiftly as a cheetah, so fast that it was difficult to catch with the naked eye.
He was quite familiar with every tree and blade of grass here. Entering the forest was like entering his own world. However, he didn't know where to escape.
He definitely couldn't stay near Lingshan. The underworld and the imperial court would send people to capture him. If he stayed nearby, he would be seeking death.
He had to flee further.
The problem is that the farthest he has been is within a few dozen miles around Lingshan Mountain. He is not familiar with places further than that.
what to do?
He was secretly anxious when he suddenly heard a loud cry from behind.
"My king, please stay."
What king?
This wolf demon is mentally ill!
Not only did Chen Jiu not stop, but he quickened his pace and rushed forward.
"Your Majesty, we can't go there!"
The wolf demon cried out urgently.
Why can’t I go?
Chen Jiu stopped, turned around, and said helplessly: "Are you sick? What do you mean you can't go there?"
The wolf demon was surprised and said, "My king, don't you know? To the north is Yidu, which is the lair of Wang Clan of Langya!
The Wang family of Langya is a family of spiritual officials that has been passed down for thousands of years. Aren’t you looking for death if you run over there?
The Lingguans are specialized in dealing with demons and monsters. Not to mention you and me, even the most powerful demon king can’t defeat those Lingguans!
My father warned me not to get close to Yidu within a hundred miles. Didn't your father tell you?"
Why did my dad tell me this?
I'm not a monster!
Upon hearing this, Chen Jiu couldn't help but frowned slightly.
Of course he had heard the rumors about the spiritual official.
It is said in "Soushen Ji" that the Great Spiritual Officer of Dutian punishes the Three Realms and the fierce generals patrol the Three Realms!
It is rumored that Lingguan has mastered ancient secret arts and is extremely powerful, even more terrifying than demons and monsters.
The aristocratic families supported by the Ming imperial family all had spiritual officials in their lineage, and the Wang family of Langya was a famous family of spiritual officials.
Langya is the ancient name of Qingzhou. Now the entire Qingzhou Prefecture is ruled by the Wang family of Langya!
If he hadn't killed the village head, there would be nothing wrong with going to Yidu.
Now that he has killed the head of the village, the situation is different. The Wang family of Langya is the local emperor of Qingzhou, and most of the government officials are their people.
The village head Wang Chengjiu once boasted that he was a distant relative of the Wang family of Langya. Now that he has killed someone, it would be strange if the Wang family of Langya would let him go!
In fact, he didn't want to go to Yidu, but he was most familiar with the mountains and forests in the north and they were the farthest places he went hunting, so he subconsciously ran to the north.
Chen Jiu frowned and thought for a while, then ran westward.
There was sea to the east and south, and he didn't want to jump into the sea, so he could only run west.
The wolf demon chased after him and kept chattering, "My king, don't be in a hurry to leave. Let's talk."
Are you done yet?
I'm running for my life, I don't have the time to complain to you.
Get out!
Chen Jiu pretended to be furious, pulled out a sharp horn knife, turned around and threatened: "You are itching for skin, right? Otherwise, I will peel it off for you!"
The wolf demon laughed nervously and said, "Why did you peel my skin? You already have a sheepskin coat."
There's nothing I can do, this guy really has something wrong with his brain.
Chen Jiu said helplessly: "Why do you always follow me?"
Why should I follow him?
The wolf demon was stunned for a moment, and suddenly said with a sad face: "I miss home."
Chen Jiu was puzzled and asked, "What does it have to do with me if you miss home ?"
The wolf demon said sadly: "I want to go home."
Chen Jiu said speechlessly: "If you want to go home, go home. I'm not stopping you."
The wolf demon smiled bitterly and said, "My brothers and sisters are all dead, and my parents are gone too. It's meaningless to be alone."
Alas, same as me.
Chen Jiu stopped dejectedly, and asked with some sympathy: "Then what are you going to do?"
The wolf demon muttered, "I came out to walk around and see if I can break through the third level of the Tiger Demon Divine Fist."
Chen Jiu suddenly realized, "Do you want me to teach you the Tiger Demon Fist?"
The wolf demon nodded slowly and said, "Yes, I would like you to teach me the Tiger Demon Fist."
How can I teach you?
Chen Jiu was puzzled and said, "Isn't the Tiger Demonic Divine Fist passed down from your ancestors? Why do you want me to teach you? I have only practiced it for a day. What is there to teach you?"
The wolf demon envied him and said, "You are amazing. You have reached the fifth level after practicing for just one day. I have been practicing for more than a hundred years but am still stuck at the third level. Can you tell me why?"
How do I know why?
Chen Jiu sighed slightly and said, "If I have time, maybe I can help you take a look. The problem is, I'm running for my life, how can I have time?"
The wolf demon also sighed slightly and said, "You can't run away if you run around like this. Why don't you come home with me? My home is in the deep mountains hundreds of miles away. It's rarely visited by people. It's a good place to hide.
Moreover, there are mountains for hundreds and thousands of miles there, such as Yishan, Mengshan, Lushan, Taishan, etc., and there are countless mountains.
There were countless powerful monsters and demons in the mountain, and the spiritual officials of Wang Clan of Langya did not dare to go in easily.
The ancestor cultivated there for hundreds of years without any problems, but after he transformed into a human form and ran to the human race’s territory, he was caught by the spiritual officer.”
He was indeed running around aimlessly; he didn't even know where he was going.
The wolf demon was right. If he fled to the deep mountains hundreds of miles away, he should be able to escape pursuit by the Wang family of Langya and the underworld of Jimo.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jiu nodded decisively and said, "Okay, I'll go home with you, and I'll go hide in the deep mountains and forests with you."
As soon as the man and the wolf disappeared into the forest, the land god of Lingshan turned into a wisp of green smoke and fled to Jimo County.
On the day of Jingzhe, many people are also offering sacrifices to the gods in the City God Temple in Jimo County.
After the sacrifice, the people left, and in the main hall of the City God Temple, only the magistrate Wang Xiangchun and the City God Xu Gongfu were left to discuss major plans.
The City God Xu Gongfu sits high on the shrine, with the Black and White Impermanence, the Day and Night Wandering God, General Gan Liu, General Fan Xie, General Niuma, and General Jia Suo on his left and right.
The magistrate Wang Xiangchun sat in a large chair with a backrest in the center of the hall, and on his left and right stood the county magistrate, clerks, and spiritual officials from various departments. Their imposing manner was no less than that of the gods opposite them.
Both gangs had stern expressions on their faces, as if they were arguing about something.
Magistrate Wang Xiangchun was rather displeased and asked, "City God Xu, why can't our Wang family be deified after death?"
City God Xu Gongfu said with a stern face: "You ask me? Don't you know the answer yourself? Why does your Great Dao Si Ren Wan Shou Emperor support you? He wants you to deal with those vassal kings!
You guys are so good, you all pretend to obey but actually disobey, not only do you not deal with those vassal kings, but you also dominate one side and act like a local emperor, causing the entire Ming Dynasty to fall apart!
You disloyal and unrighteous people want to be deified after death?"
Magistrate Wang Xiangchun shamelessly said: "What does this have to do with you? We, the Wang family of Langya, are just following the crowd. Do you want us to ignore other noble families and really go after the princes? If that happens, wouldn't our Wang family of Langya become the target of all the princes and noble families!"
Xu Gongfu sneered: "What does this have to do with me? Are you still pretending to be confused here?
Well, let me tell you, your Da Dao Si Ren Wan Shou Emperor has already informed our Northern Underworld that no one from aristocratic families will be deified after death!
You traitors, we in the Northern Underworld cannot afford to seal you off. The living world has already been messed up by you, and you still want to cause trouble in the underworld?"
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Wang Xiangchun sneered, "I am pretending to be stupid? Don't pretend to be a good person here. Would you listen to the Emperor's greeting?
You also said that we were pretending to obey but actually disobeying, as if you were very rule-abiding. Don't you know what the rules of your Beiyinsi are?
Well, I will also tell you that according to the rules of your Northern Underworld, deification depends on one’s moral character. Only people of high moral character can be deified after their death.
"What kind of character have you been in the City God's service for hundreds of years? Don't you know it yourself?"
Xu Gongfu retorted, "The deification depends on one's virtue. Don't you know what virtue your Wang family members have?"
Wang Xiangchun continued to sneer and said, "You still look at the moral character, what kind of moral character do those gods you have appointed have?
Let’s not talk about the distant past, let’s just talk about the one who was deified last year, Mr. Liu from Wago Village, what kind of person was he?
He has done everything from robbing women, forcing women of good character into prostitution, seizing farmland, running rampant in the countryside, murder and arson. What has he not done?
You still think I don't know that? "
The City God Xu Gongfu not only did not blush at all, but instead sneered: "Is it wrong for Mr. Liu to pay tribute diligently? You just confiscate his money?
We accepted his money and offerings and made him a god, but we did not help him to commit atrocities. What about you?
He raped women, forced women of good character into prostitution, seized farmland, ran rampant in the countryside, killed people and set fires, and did all kinds of evil. That's right!
Have you ever cared about it? You took his money, but not only did you not care about these things, you also aided and abetted him in his atrocities, helping him to harm the people who sued him. Do you think I don't know?
Let me remind you that no matter who you are, you will have to report to our underworld after you die. We know exactly how many immoral things your Wang family has done!"
This guy is so shameless.
Wang Xiangchun frowned and said coldly: "Okay, stop talking nonsense. You are talking so much nonsense just to raise the price!
Everyone knows the answer, and I am too lazy to talk to you about it.
Just name your price. Our Wang family can provide money, offerings, and even boys and girls, but please don't treat our Wang family as a sucker and ask for too much."
Hehe, wouldn’t it be better if you knew better earlier?
Xu Gongfu said proudly: "Forget about the money and offerings, these are nothing. Just take the boys and girls. One person can be deified, and then three hundred boys and girls will be deified."
Wang Xiangchun shook his head and said, "Do you think people are animals? You asked for three hundred! There are only a few people in Jimo. The most I can give you is fifty per person, no more."
Xu Gongfu immediately said with a stern face: "Are you still pretending? Don't you Wang family treat people like animals?
Besides, don't I have to take any risks? You can go and ask other counties in Qingzhou Prefecture who dares to take this job.
Your Wang family should have inquired about it a long time ago. If our Xu family didn’t have some influence in the underworld, would you come to me?
You also said that Jimo doesn’t have so many, so you won’t go to other states and counties to get them!
Okay, I'll give your Wang family some face. Two hundred and eighty, no less."
You can’t raise livestock like this!
Wang Xiangchun still shook his head and said, "No, the most we can offer is eighty."
Xu Gongfu said impatiently: "Alright, one price, two hundred and fifty, be quick and stop talking nonsense!"
The two men were bargaining when suddenly a puff of green smoke came out from the bluestone ground in the middle.
An old man with a white beard who was half a head shorter than an ordinary man suddenly emerged from the ground, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Report, Lord City God, the village god of Lingshan was killed by the hunter Chen Jiu in the village."
Upon hearing this, City God Xu Gongfu frowned and said angrily, "How can this be absurd? There are actually people who dare to beat and kill the gods of the underworld!
Pass on my order, all the gods in Jimo should hunt down the hunter Chen Jiu with all their might, kill him first, then capture his soul and interrogate him thoroughly. I want to see who is the mastermind behind this.
Some people are too mean, they are eager to make room for their own people before the situation even starts? "
Who are you referring to?
County Magistrate Wang Xiangchun raised his eyelids, turned around and asked, "Chen Jiu, who is he?"
The officials on both sides shook their heads to indicate that they did not know, except for the clerk in the Household Department, who took out a yellow book from somewhere and began to flip through it rapidly.
Soon, the page about Lingshan hunter Chen Jiu appeared in front of him.
This kid is not even sixteen years old!
While he was staring at the yellow book in deep thought, there was a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds outside.
After a while, the sound of horse hooves stopped, and a shout came from outside: "Report, sir, there is an accident in Lingshan."
Lingshan?
County Magistrate Wang Xiangchun immediately asked, "What's the matter?"
A loud voice came from outside the door: "Someone from Lingshan reported to the police that the hunter Chen Jiu killed Wang Cheng, the head of Lingshan Village."
I'm worried about having no excuses!
County Magistrate Wang Xiangchun pretended to be furious and said, "How dare you kill an official and rebel! Some people are too despicable to frame me in front of you. Who is the mastermind? I want to see who is behind this."
After saying that, he stood up and walked out quickly.
Something is wrong!
City God Xu Gongfu stared at the back of County Magistrate Wang Xiangchun and frowned slightly.
There is definitely something wrong with this Chen Jiu!
Magistrate Wang Xiangchun walked outside quickly and immediately sent a message through his spiritual sense: "All spiritual officials, listen up and quickly go to Lingshan to capture the hunter Chen Jiu."
There were cries of surprise coming from many places in Jimo County. Many spiritual officials were walking and suddenly they sank into the ground with their hands making seals and disappeared!
This is the secret technique inherited by the Wang family of Langya, "The Secret of the Divine Hidden Earth, Eternal Life in Thick Earth". These people actually did not hesitate to waste their spiritual energy to escape and catch people!
It was obvious that the magistrate Wang Xiangchun had discovered something unusual, so he wanted to snatch Chen Jiu from him.
City God Xu Gongfu used his spiritual sense to silently scan the area, and then asked, "Who is Chen Jiu, and what's so strange about him?"
The land god thought for a moment, then said carefully: "Lord City God, Chen Jiu is the hunter from Lingshan. Apart from being a little stronger, there doesn't seem to be anything special about him.
If we must talk about the surprising thing, it is the boy's age. He is only fifteen or sixteen years old, and I don't know where he learned such skills, but he can actually kill gods. "
Only fifteen or sixteen years old!
Upon hearing this, City God Xu Gongfu was secretly surprised.
The village god of Lingshan has been practicing for hundreds of years, and it is indeed extraordinary that a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old can kill him.
Even if this kid is gifted, he can't be so powerful. The only possibility is that the technique he practices is unique.
No wonder the magistrate Wang Xiangchun put aside the matter of the Wang family elders being deified after their death, and instead turned against him for a small hunter.
This kid may have obtained the god-level skills passed down from ancient times by chance!
Thinking of this, City God Xu Gongfu raised his hand impatiently and said, "Cinnabar, talisman, and magic pen, I will personally pass the order."
The attendants hurriedly presented it.
The City God Xu Gongfu picked up the magic brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and started drawing talismans.
"All the gods in Jimo, hurry up and search for Lingshan hunter Chen Jiu with all your strength. This kid must be caught. If the Wang family dares to stop us, kill them without mercy!"
He wrote it hastily, picked up the talisman and blew it on it in one breath. The talisman immediately turned into a ball of firework and disappeared.
At this time, in the old temples in Longquan, Beian, Yifengdian, Duanbofeng and other villages and towns near Lingshan, the talismans on the shrines spontaneously combusted without wind, and all the gods stood up and hurried out as if they were awakened.
Who in this world doesn’t want to cultivate and become a god, who doesn’t want to attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven, and who doesn’t want to gain eternal life?
However, for more than a thousand years, no one in the Yin and Yang worlds has cultivated to become a god, let alone achieved enlightenment and ascended to heaven.
Because the god-level techniques that can be used to cultivate into a god have been inexplicably lost, the techniques that have been passed down can only be used to cultivate to the level of an earthly immortal at best!
The martial arts are also divided into different levels. The upper limit of many martial arts is the king level. If you practice until death, you can at most become a demon king or a ghost king. The upper limit of some martial arts is the immortal level. If you practice until death, you can at most become an earth immortal or a ghost immortal.
If you don’t have god-level skills, cultivating to become a god and ascending to heaven is simply a dream!
For thousands of years, countless forces in the Yin and Yang worlds have been searching hard, but still to no avail.
Therefore, Wang Xiangchun and Xu Gongfu were ready to take action as soon as they found the slightest clue.
The god-level skills are enough to drive people crazy.
Every time rumors of god-level skills appear in the Yin and Yang worlds, there is always blood and gore.
All forces have the same idea: it is better to kill someone by mistake than to let him go!
For the sake of the god-level skills, they can really kill each other until rivers of blood flow!
Now Chen Jiu’s childhood dream came true. Unfortunately, it was not a good dream but a nightmare of being chased by someone.
