My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1007 Even Immortals Need to Make a Living
Inside the new Binhai City Government Affairs Hall, citizens came and went in an endless stream, the hall was crowded with people, and the conversations were noisy and chaotic.

In the northwest corner of the hall, there is a separate office area, and the number of citizens coming to this area to conduct business has decreased significantly.

The Demon Alliance had long ago begun to promote a modern decoration style. The windows in the lobby all had marble countertops and large transparent floor-to-ceiling windows. Stainless steel swivel chairs were placed in front of the workstations. All the furnishings and decorations prioritized simplicity and efficiency.

However, the decorative style of this area is simple and elegant, with patterned wooden carved window railings, a vermilion lacquered desk about three meters long with the "Yin and Yang" pattern carved on the edge, and an ever-burning candle burning in the bronze candlestick on the desk, the flame flickering but never going out.

The workstation exudes an air of authority, with a bronze incense burner on a vermilion desk, where wisps of smoke condense into the characters for "justice" in mid-air.

Behind the workstation, in the armchair, sat a young man with a slightly immature appearance. Although he was wearing a rather large and imposing official robe, he did not exude any official airs.

In front of the workstation, an elderly woman dressed in mourning clothes held a memorial tablet. When she saw the young man, she hesitated about whether to kneel down. The young man waved his hand and said, "The custom of kneeling is no longer in effect. Please speak your business, there are other people in line behind you."

The woman cried out, "My lord, my husband fell seriously ill and passed away before he could even make his final arrangements. He was the one who deposited all our savings in the bank, and he was the only one who knew the password. When I went to the bank to withdraw money for his funeral, that vixen at the counter insisted that I had to come in person to process it, and even a death certificate from the hospital wouldn't suffice."

The young man scratched his head, glanced at the name on the memorial tablet, made a few moves on the computer on the table, and said, "Is your husband Ding Daniu's birth date and time Ren Shen year, Ding Wei month, Ji Wei day, Bing Chen hour?"

The woman quickly replied, "That's right, that's right!"

The young City God snapped his fingers, and a phantom image suddenly appeared on the screen behind him—it was the woman's husband.

The woman immediately burst into tears, crying, "You heartless bastard, how could you leave your whole family like this!"

The ghost looked remorseful and mumbled, "Old woman, I had no choice. My time has come... The King of Hell wants me to die at midnight. Who dares to keep me alive until dawn? I can't bear to leave you all behind..."

As he spoke, the ghost's eyes reddened, but he could not shed a tear. He stepped forward and embraced the woman.

"Alright, alright!" the young City God said impatiently. "Time is limited, just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Hurry up and settle your affairs, and I'll give you a 'Deceased Soul Authorization Agent Certificate.' You can take the certificate to the bank and withdraw the money."

The yin-yang couple quickly huddled together and whispered to each other. After finishing their business, the man and the ghost chattered on about unrelated farewells. Although the young city god was impatient, he waited for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before waving his hand and sending the ghost back to the underworld.

The woman then left, thanking the City God profusely.

This scene in the City God's office was witnessed by Yun Zhongzi, who was sitting at the divination table by the door. He stroked his beard, feeling quite moved.

Officials under the Jiejiao system, whether human or divine, really did human things!
It was only a little past 11 a.m., but the young City God, who looked inexperienced and unreliable, had already received more than twenty people who came to him for help. He handled each request swiftly and efficiently, leaving the people satisfied.

What is even more commendable is that, unlike in the past when people prayed to gods and Buddhas, this young city god disliked being worshipped and was very down-to-earth and pragmatic in his work.

Unlike some minor deities that Yun Zhongzi had encountered, who clearly had no supernatural powers but loved pomp and circumstance and the adoration of mortals, demanding offerings of three kinds of animals and grand sacrificial ceremonies for even the smallest matters.

The demands of ordinary people who cannot afford offerings are ignored.

"What? You want to ask about your fortune? The Demon Alliance's laws strictly prohibit gambling. You're not planning to ask about your fortune and then go to an underground gambling den to try your luck, are you?" Just as he was recalling this, Yun Zhongzi heard the young man's dissatisfied loud refusal from the City God's office: "The city's public security department has already issued me a crime warning. Therefore, from this day forward, I will no longer handle fortune-telling services. If you want to have your fortune told, turn right after you leave. There's a third-party organization that cooperates with the government over there. Go there and ask them."

"By the way, just a reminder, the services they provide are charged separately, and all the predictions they make are not government actions and have nothing to do with me."

"You're so young, and you don't seem reliable at all. I don't even want to ask you."

The person seeking divination was a young human man dressed in a slovenly manner. He muttered to himself as he walked out of the City God's office. After looking around, he immediately spotted Yun Zhongzi, dressed as a Taoist priest, sitting at the divination table.

He sized up Yun Zhongzi's appearance and immediately his face lit up with joy. He scurried forward and said, "This half-immortal is more pleasing to the eye. What is this Taoist priest's name? Quickly tell me how my fortune has been lately."

"The divination fee is 100 meat coins. Please pay first before I can perform the divination..."

Yun Zhongzi, with an inscrutable expression, calmly said...

"So expensive? Why don't you just rob someone?!"

"I also want to destroy the demon strongholds and monstrous caves in the mountains and forests around this city and steal some meat and money. However, firstly, I have not been able to find a single wild evil demon bandit gang within a radius of ten thousand miles, and secondly, robbery is illegal, and double-crossing is not an option."

Yun Zhongzi sighed and said, "This city is nice, but it's not easy to live here. Everything requires money. Unfortunately, my house was robbed and I lost all my savings. So I can only set up a fortune-telling stall to earn some travel expenses."

"With such a high price, how accurate are your calculations?"

"It's guaranteed to be accurate, even more accurate than Jiang Ziya's fortune-telling stall back then. However, if you abuse the secrets I reveal to you to make ill-gotten gains, you will surely suffer the consequences."

……

After talking with the new generation of Earth Goddess and City God Brother that night, Yun Zhongzi did not get any valuable information from them. So he decided to stay in the city for a long time to observe this new regime established by adhering to the teachings of the Jie Sect more carefully.

Even if he were an immortal who could abstain from grains and live on dew without needing food expenses, he would still need a place to stay if he wanted to stay in the city.

Otherwise, if they sleep in the park or find a cave in the surrounding mountains to stay in, they will be caught by the police and patrolmen and sent to the shelter.

When Wen Rui reshaped the earth, Yun Zhongzi's cave dwelling was cleaned up and restored to its initial state, and all the gold, silver, precious metals, spiritual herbs, gems, antiques, and low-level magic treasures he had accumulated were lost.

He did carry some top-tier magical treasures and elixirs in his personal bag. Firstly, he was reluctant to exchange these top-tier magical treasures and elixirs for ordinary currency, and secondly, in this third-tier city, there were no appraisers of sufficient stature to value his top-tier magical treasures and elixirs.

Yun Zhongzi, who was almost destined to sleep under a bridge, received help from the young City God. He set up a fortune-telling stall at the entrance of the City God's office in the government affairs hall to earn rent and managed to rent a small apartment.

(End of this chapter)