Longzang

Chapter 1000 City of Destiny
Despite the cold winter, the county government office was bustling with activity.

A large pot was set up in the courtyard of the government office, with steaming hot horse meat simmering inside. People from most of the county had come over, all smiling and waiting for the new emperor to ascend the throne, then grant a general amnesty, and for everyone to enjoy the soup and meat.

In the main hall of the county government, Wei Youcai, his face glowing with health, appeared as if he had become a year younger. Surrounded by his two brothers and eight farmers, he entered the main hall and stood before the throne.

Wei Youcai straightened his modified dragon robe and cassock, casually rolled up both sleeves, and only then did he feel comfortable. He then went to the main seat and slowly sat down.

After settling into the chair, Wei Youcai shifted and moved around, feeling the entire surface of the chair with his bottom. Then, as if lost in thought, he said, "This chair isn't hot or cold, and it doesn't feel too uncomfortable... Is it unclaimed?"

Bald Old Six said, "In the struggle for power, the virtuous... and the wealthy will win! Brother, today is the day you ascend the throne, so what should we name our dynasty? 'Wealthy and Noble'?"

The Eighth Brother spat, "Is that the name of the country? It's not the reign title either! Sixth Brother, stop thinking. If it doesn't exist, you can't change it! Stop rambling. The eldest brother has already taken the throne. Hurry up and pay your respects! Do you remember what it said in the book? I taught you last night."

"Remember!"

The two then knelt down and bowed in worship, saying, "Long live the Emperor..."

Wei Youcai sprang up from the dragon throne in a flash and dodged to the side; he was a nimble fat man.

The sixth and eighth brothers were a little confused and didn't understand what was going on.

Wei Youcai glanced at the dragon throne and sighed, "My backside doesn't fit in this chair; it's pricking me. It seems the old rattan chair is the most comfortable. Alright, I've already sat on the dragon throne. A general amnesty is here. Time to eat meat!"

Upon hearing that they could eat meat, the farmers throughout the city cheered with joy.

Farmers aren't stupid. They've played along with you for so long, just for a bowl of meat soup.

Horse meat was plentiful at the time, so the broth was rich and delicious, with bits of meat visible in the soup. After a bowl of hot soup, many farmers who had been starving since they could remember burst into tears on the spot, and Wei Youcai became a year younger.

Old Eight was still somewhat unwilling and said, "Big Brother, are you really not going to sit?"

"Don't sit down."

"Alright, I'll chop it down and use it for firewood! If Big Brother doesn't sit, nobody else can!"

"It's okay, just leave it there, whoever wants to sit on it can!"

……

Outside Baocheng County, a large rebel army appeared and besieged the county town. At the same time, an elite rebel army of tens of thousands circled around to the rear of the city, blocking the government troops from coming to its aid.

Lu Jiande was wrapped in a thick mink coat, his face pale. He hesitated for a moment as he looked at the open city gates of the county town before stepping through them first.

The people of the city were overjoyed, their faces beaming, as they tidied the streets and repaired their houses. The city was filled with the lingering aroma of meat, and every household's pots and bowls still held a sweet fragrance.

Some people would glance at Lu Jiande, some would go about their work, and some would spit phlegm directly on the ground.

One of Lu Jiande's generals, unable to contain his anger, stepped forward and cleaved the spitting man in two with a single stroke! Hot blood splattered all over the ground, including on the Dharma General. A dozen or so civilians nearby, witnessing this scene, all spat in disgust!

The ruthless bandit, enraged, hacked down seven or eight men. Each man watched him silently, their eyes filled with hatred, but devoid of fear. When he reached the tenth, the bandit's hand suddenly went limp, and he turned back, calling out, "Big Brother..."

Unbeknownst to him, his face was even paler than Lu Jiande's at that moment.

Lu Jiande finally spoke: "Don't touch anything here yet, we'll talk about it later."

A moment later, he entered the county government office and saw the main hall, which had been set up as an imperial court, and the so-called dragon throne painted yellow. The court was set up in a more rudimentary way than a theatrical troupe's, with the floor covered in meat soup and oil stains.

The hall was dark and gloomy, with only the dragon throne emitting a faint glow.

Lu Jiande looked again, and the dragon throne was no longer shiny; it was just an ordinary official's chair. In trying to carve two dragon heads on the armrests, they had ruined the fine wood.

Lu Jiande arrived in front of the dragon throne, and for some reason, he suddenly had the urge to sit down. So, amidst the astonished gazes of the generals, he sat down and then shifted his body slightly.

The chair was a little hot, as if someone had just sat on it. Lu Jiande felt his heart beating a little fast, and he began to break out in a cold sweat. He suddenly saw several people peeking in at the entrance of the yamen and immediately ordered his men to bring them in.

Lu Jiande glanced at them and knew they were all ordinary farmers, so he asked, "Who were they here a few days ago? Where are they now?"

A middle-aged farmer said, “Our benefactor was a kind man who ate the same food as us and taught us many principles. Unfortunately, we are not smart enough to learn so many; we only remembered a few. But if we understand the Way in the morning, we can die content in the evening. Oh, that is, if we understand the Great Way in the morning, we will have no regrets even if we die in the evening.”

Lu Jiande frowned slightly. This was a farmer? But judging from his appearance, whether it was the calluses on his palms or the frostbite cracks on the back of his hands, it was clear that he was just an ordinary farmer.

As he was pondering, another general with a scar on his face suddenly became fierce and slammed his claw down, instantly turning the farmer into a pool of black blood!

He wiped the blood from his hands on his clothes and said, "Brother, some peasants dare to play tricks here, they're really asking for death! If they die by my hand, their souls will be scattered, they won't even be able to reincarnate, they won't be able to pull any tricks! Since they're asking for death, then I'll slaughter the whole city and see what they can do then!"

The general, who had been killing so many people that his hands were sore from killing, hurriedly said, "Wait! This city is very strange!"

The scarred general sneered, "You spineless piece of trash! What the immortals need is manpower. We've killed tens of millions of people on our way here, not counting those who would starve to death before the summer harvest. We've survived such a huge ordeal, and now you're scared to death by killing a few people? You're truly useless, you can't even keep up with a hot meal. Get out of the way, don't interfere with the brothers' immortality!"

Upon hearing the words "immortality," Lu Jiande finally made a decision, saying, "This game is full of deception and intrigue, quite interesting. It's a pity I haven't seen the person who set it up. Heh, he wants to play, but I'm not going to get involved in his game."

"Order the massacre of the city."

In the afternoon, the rebel army withdrew, leaving behind only an empty city. Flocks of crows circled around the city walls.

A young man suddenly appeared on the main road outside the city. He covered ten miles in a single step, and arrived outside Baocheng County in just a few steps. Seeing the black mist that lingered in the city, his expression changed drastically.

He took a step forward, reaching mid-air, and looked down into the city. The city was now filled with corpses, all of them staring at him with open eyes.

The boy's expression changed again. His terrifying divine sense covered the entire city, and he discovered that all the people in the city had died long ago. However, everyone's eyes happened to be looking in this direction before they died, and he just happened to walk into this direction.

Judging from the traces in the city, it must have been a massacre by the rebels. He had seen this scene many times before, but for some reason, he felt uneasy at this moment.

A purplish-black light shone in the boy's eyes, his pupils like two bottomless abysses, as he looked into the city. He saw that the city was filled with vengeful spirits, clearly afflicted by a vicious spell, condemned to eternal damnation.

However, while some of these vengeful spirits were in pain, they lacked hatred and resentment. On the contrary, many were filled with joy, quietly awaiting the moment when they would completely vanish. Some of these vengeful spirits even emitted a faint blue light.

The boy's face gradually turned pale, becoming increasingly unsightly.

The people of the city are all well-fed and clothed, literate and intelligent, and their wishes are fulfilled, their minds are clear, and they are fearless in the face of death. Each of these conditions, if met, could potentially lead to good fortune. Now, the people of this remote little county possess all of these qualities; it's no surprise that they have all developed good fortune.

That was bad enough, but surprisingly, quite a few people in the city had attained enlightenment and connected with the Dao of Heaven! The young man didn't know what profound principles of heaven and earth they had attained enlightenment about, and he was even a little curious. What kind of principle could be understood so easily? Even some farmers could understand it?

The young man was now both shocked and furious. A city of destiny, and his men had actually slaughtered it!
He drank this extremely poisonous wine completely, not wasting a single drop.

The boy suddenly groaned, and two streams of clear snot flowed from his nose.

At that moment, he finally realized that his side was not omnipotent. Some people couldn't stand it anymore and began to fight back.

……

Qingming, the Sixth Princess, skipped and hopped over to Wei Yuan, holding an official document, and put it down. Wei Yuan said, "I asked you to select important documents every day, why did you only bring one today?"

"I just find this one pleasing to the eye."

Wei Yuan became interested, took the document, and read it carefully. The document introduced a brand-new Dao Foundation, also accompanied by a Dharma Image. However, a temporary Dao Foundation Ceremony needed to be held within ten days, and Wei Yuan needed to personally preside over it and fully promote it.

Wei Yuan glanced at the almanac on the table; it was the beginning of March.

He then carefully studied the new foundation of the Dharma and the accompanying Dharma. The new Dharma was named:

All things are born.

(End of this chapter)