If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1055 Forced
"Greetings, King Chen Sheng!"

Judge Wang and his companions arrived beside the City God, first glancing at Chen Long and Song Hu with surprise and uncertainty, then bowing to Chen Sheng.

Judge Wang muttered, "What's going on? What happened to Chen Long? My lord, why don't you go back to the City God's Office? This is the middle of nowhere; aren't you being disrespectful to King Chen Sheng?"

Tu Chenghuang said irritably, "You still have the nerve to ask? I'm asking you, I told you to drive the Eight-Horse Chariot to Tianzhu Peak to pick up King Chen Sheng, why did it turn out like this?"

"What's going on now? What happened?" Zeng Wupan asked, puzzled.

"You bastards! You were the ones who went to pick them up, and you're asking me what happened?" Tu Chenghuang cursed angrily.

Zeng Wupan glanced at Chen Sheng and the others, whose expressions were cold and solemn, and hesitated before saying, "Tonight we are indeed only going to Tianzhu Peak to invite King Chen Sheng."

Perhaps Chen Long and Song Hu, those two roughnecks, were ignorant of etiquette and offended King Chen Sheng, causing some misunderstanding.

Why doesn't Your Excellency invite King Chen Sheng and the other celestial masters to the back office of the City God's Temple for a cup of tea, and then slowly clear up the misunderstanding?

The city god looked at Chen Sheng blankly.

Chen Sheng could tell that this fellow was angry and had a lot of temper.

But he was also angry inside.

Even if you meant no harm, your subordinates Song Hu and Chen Long are truly despicable.

After being discovered by the immortal master of Tianzhu Peak, instead of immediately kneeling down to beg for mercy, he pulled me away and ran away.

Isn't it normal for a guilty thief to be suspicious of them?
By the way, the way Chen Long looked at me earlier was quite dangerous.

Otherwise, why would the Bee Taoist act rashly?

Among Chen Sheng's subordinates was an unusual man named Song Liu.

That is, the elder brother of "Dead Ghost Song Zhou" who carried the "Seven Arrows of Nailhead" all the way from Taigong's tomb to the Xisha region.

He took two steps forward and whispered, "Since the City God has extended such a warm invitation, and the City God's Office is down below, why don't we go to the back office to talk?"
This is definitely not a good place to talk; there are many wandering spirits and ghosts around.

Chen Sheng understood Song Liu's thoughts.

Tu Ji was, after all, the City God of Fuli County, and could be considered a "local strongman".

Try to win people over if possible, and at least don't offend them too badly over trivial matters.

"Esteemed immortals, you may return now. The City God Tu has official business to discuss with me; I'll be right back," Chen Sheng said.

Chen Yu said, "General, your soul is currently out of your body, so it's not very safe."

I'll accompany the general. Fellow Daoists, you should all return to Tianzhu Peak first!

The Bee Taoist said impatiently, "We're already at the entrance of Fuli County, just a few steps away. What difference does it make whether we go back early or late?"

—Indeed, there is no difference, but we just killed "Chen Long, the Commandant of the Front Palace". If we send dozens more people to the City God's Office together, it will be seen as bullying others and will easily arouse the suspicion and resentment of the City God's spirits.

Chen Yu muttered to himself.

"Please come in, everyone! The City God's reception room is large enough to accommodate you all," Tu Chenghuang said calmly.

Leading Chen Sheng and the others directly to the back office, after serving them tea and spiritual fruits, Tu Chenghuang said directly: "King Chen Sheng, there are many extraordinary people on your Tianzhu Peak, including many true cultivators who have achieved Qi Refining."

Therefore, you should understand that the main reason why sorcerers and qi cultivators enter the mortal world to assist the Dragon Court is to use the imperial decree of the Human King to cleanse themselves of karma and karmic burdens, so as to avoid future punishment from the Heavenly Court.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Qi cultivators looked grim.

"The massacre of the City God is not something that all Qi cultivators who assist the King do in order to cleanse their sins by taking advantage of the nation's fortune."

We have joined General Chen Sheng for the greater cause of overthrowing the Qin Dynasty!

"General Chen Sheng has a destiny bestowed by Heaven. Our assistance in helping him achieve his great cause is itself an act of following Heaven's will and accumulating merit."

Why should General Chen waste the nation's resources to cleanse us of our sins?

"We've been at Tianzhu Peak for over ten years, basically since General Chen started his uprising, when we joined the group."

Even the shorter ones take five or six years.

Today, the master of Tianzhu Peak is of course General Chen, but we have also contributed greatly to this foundation.

Don't use phrases like "borrowing the nation's fortune" to humiliate us. We stand with the nation through thick and thin!

Tu Chenghuang waved his hand and said loudly, "Fellow Daoists, please don't misunderstand, and there's no need to be anxious."

I have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Tianzhu Peak.

I was merely reminding King Chen Sheng that to receive the blessings of humanity, one must obtain a royal decree.

"Have I said anything wrong, just this one sentence?"

"City God Tu, stop beating around the bush and just get straight to the point!" Bee Taoist said impatiently.

A flash of anger crossed the City God's face, but it vanished in an instant. He said in a muffled voice, "Wasn't I clear enough?"
Whom King Chen Sheng chooses to protect is none of my business.

But King Chen Sheng needed to give a 'royal order,' or at least personally vouch for him.

Chen Sheng understood a bit and asked, "Does 'slaughtering the City God' refer to the local deity of Heron Pavilion? Do I really need to come to the City God's Office in person for his sake? Is it necessary?"

Tu Chenghuang said in a deep voice, "He killed someone and wanted to exterminate that person's entire clan, violating the laws of the underworld and the laws of heaven, and will be held accountable by the underworld authorities."

His situation was actually similar to that of a cultivator who had committed evil deeds and was to be punished by the Heavenly Court.

The king is not incapable of protecting him, but the protection of a human king must be carried out according to established rules.

Ideally, the king should hold a ceremony to worship the heavens, and have the celestial master write a memorial to be submitted to the heavenly court, informing the star lord or the heavenly emperor that your 'Great Chu Kingdom' is willing to protect Yu Xichi.

If Your Majesty finds this troublesome, you can simply come to the City God's Office and make a promise in public.

We cannot remain silent and leave no document.

"A royal decree requires proof!"

Chen Sheng frowned and said, "I haven't started my rebellion yet! Where is the Great Chu Kingdom now?"

Tu Chenghuang said, "Everyone knows that King Chen Sheng has the mandate of heaven."

The country has not yet been established, and the nation's destiny is uncertain. You can use your fate to atone for Yu Xichi's sins.

"The destiny of heaven and the fate of the nation are all roughly the same."

Chen Sheng exclaimed in shock and anger, "How can my mandate of heaven be wasted so easily?"

Tu Chenghuang said, "Does Your Majesty wish to protect Yu Xichi? I sent someone to invite Your Majesty here to ask you this question."

If Your Majesty protects Yu Xichi and refrains from holding a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, but instead grants immediate approval, I can settle the Sun family's case immediately.

If I have misunderstood Your Majesty's meaning, Your Majesty can order Yu Xichi to come to the City God's Office to confess his crimes and submit to the law, and the case can be closed immediately.

In short, everything depends on Your Majesty; I dare not act on my own initiative, nor can anyone else make decisions for Your Majesty.

This is why Zeng Wupan and Chen Long insisted on inviting the King here tonight.

Chen Sheng's expression shifted between light and dark. "Lord Tu, is the Sun family's case really that serious?"

Tu Chenghuang sighed, "Yu Xichi, as the guardian of this area, beat a mortal to death in public and even threatened to destroy the Sun family."

Sun Yaowu's wife, Li, has already come to the City God's Office to file a complaint.

Regardless of how serious the case is, it has to be closed eventually, and the Li family has to be dealt with, right?

Chen Yu said, "This isn't a big deal, is it? How can you not deal with Li Shi, a mere village woman?"

Tu Chenghuang said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Chen, tell me, how should we deal with this?"

Even the most powerful person in a county has a thousand ways to dismiss a village woman crying out for justice. You are the City God!
Your authority and ability far surpass those of the county magistrate!
Chen Yu was secretly furious, and his words became increasingly sarcastic, saying, "Even if I were to offer a thousand solutions, what good would it do if the City God had no intention of helping and was only focused on making things difficult for General Chen?"

Tu Chenghuang glared at Chen Yu and shouted angrily, "Am I making things difficult for you, or are you making things difficult for me?"
Since you've already taken shelter at Yu Xichi, don't you understand why I insisted on inviting King Chen Sheng?
They forcibly killed my captain. Fuli is an ancient and famous city, and has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists in the struggle for supremacy in the Central Plains.

Throughout history, I have experienced hundreds of battles, both large and small, and have seen countless kings and generals.

Not a single one of my men has been killed indiscriminately!

The civil and military judges, who were listening in the audience, were both excited and moved, but also very worried.

"My lord, perhaps King Chen Sheng truly does not understand the reason. Please do not be anxious, let me explain to the king."

Judge Wang first offered a word of advice to the City God, then turned to Chen Sheng, whose expression was uncertain, and said, "Your Majesty, the local deity of Heron Pavilion sought your protection; surely he explained the reason, right?"

Chen Sheng said in a muffled voice: "Isn't it just that his wife committed adultery with a mortal, and he killed the adulterer?"
Even a husband in the mortal world, if he discovers a stranger stealing his woman, will beat him to death on the spot.

At best, the result would be nothing more than tattooing and exile.

Sun Yaowu's seduction of the wife of a deity is blasphemy against the deity.

"Shouldn't blasphemy result in death?"

Judge Wang said, "Indeed, Sun Yaowu was lustful and took the initiative to wander around the Earth God Temple, composing poems and flirting with the Earth Goddess."

But Your Majesty, think about it: Sun Yaowu is a mortal, so how could he see the true face of the Earth Goddess?
If it were just a stone-like statue in a local temple, would he have lustful thoughts?

The statues in the village temple are so exquisite and elegant that they can be compared to the statue of Nuwa that King Zhou saw during the Investiture of the Gods period.

The Earth Goddess did it on purpose, deliberately revealing her true face!

Sun Yaowu was physically strong, gifted, and good-looking. He was also literate and quite knowledgeable in literature.

The crucial point is that he was already destined for a short lifespan; he will die in the war at the end of this year.

Chen Sheng asked in confusion, "Is a short lifespan considered an advantage?"

Judge Wang looked at the Qi Refiner beside him.

Chen Yu frowned and explained to his lord in a low voice: "The union of men and women is the exchange of essence and energy, and the spiritual connection between them."

Humans have human energy, immortals have immortal energy, demons have demonic energy, ghosts have yin energy, and mountain spirits and monsters have evil energy.

The most precious thing is ethereal beauty, and the purest thing is genuine human charm.

When a person receives the essence of immortality, they will naturally live longer and enjoy endless benefits.

If a mortal gains the favor of a fairy or goddess, generally speaking, there will be almost no harm, except for the loss of good fortune.

Demons, ghosts, evil spirits, and monsters can benefit greatly from human energy; however, if a person is tainted by the yin energy of a ghost or the demonic energy of a monster, then that person will suffer great misfortune.

Demons often use unorthodox methods, and most are skilled in the art of sexual exploitation.

It can bewitch handsome mortals, but in ten days or half a month, the green tree will turn into rotten wood and its essence will be exhausted.

Even the most gifted mortals can only endure for three to five months before exhausting themselves and becoming useless.

If one does not use herbal remedies, an ordinary person might be able to survive for two or three years before contracting the disease and dying.

The Earth Goddess is ultimately a Yin deity, not a 'spirit deity' or 'immortal deity'.

Those handsome young men who live long lives, once they follow her, will eventually die young and die a violent death.

She died because of the Earth Goddess; she had a great karmic debt and committed great evil deeds.

If a young person has a short lifespan and shows signs of premature death, and dies before their vital energy is exhausted, then it is not the Earth Goddess who harms people's lives.

There is certainly cause and effect, but it is far less than directly killing ordinary people.

Moreover, the Earth Goddess only revealed her true form; she neither concealed her identity as the 'Earth Goddess' nor directly seduced the young man. It was the mortal youth who was first overcome by lust and lost control, thus diminishing her karmic burden.

At this point, Chen Yu couldn't help but sigh, saying, "I reckon this isn't the first time the Earth Goddess of Heron Pavilion has done this. She's a true veteran!"

Chen Sheng seemed to understand something and asked again, "Judge Wang, even if Sun Yaowu seduced the Earth Goddess, there are other hidden reasons."

He ultimately blasphemed; why couldn't Yu Xichi strike him dead with lightning?

Judge Wang glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty, the City God sent me to Tianzhu Peak to invite you because Li, as the complainant, has already arrived at the yamen hall, while the person she complained about, Yu Xichi, has run away."

They ran to Tianzhu Peak and received the protection of the Great King.

"Since the king protected him, the king should bear the consequences."

Chen Yu said, "Even if Yu Xichi is guilty, it's not a serious crime. General Chen Sheng's protection of him is just a small matter of expressing his support. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

Judge Wang sighed, "Does Lord Chen mean that King Chen Sheng is a great nobleman and Lady Li is an insignificant commoner, so this case is not worth mentioning and does not need to be taken seriously, right?"
But what if the Li family is also an extremely important person?
Did Yu Xichi really say nothing to the King or to everyone? Did he reveal not a single detail about the Li family's background?

Chen Sheng asked in surprise, "What is the background of the Li family? Yu Xichi certainly didn't say."

Judge Wang frowned and said, "He didn't say anything, so Your Majesty won't suspect anything? How was Li able to catch the Earth Goddess in adultery, and drag her from the inner room to the threshing ground, leaving her unable to struggle?"

Chen Sheng hesitated and asked, "Is what you really care about 'Old Mother Qiushan'?"

"Slap!" Judge Wang slapped his hand hard and shouted, "I knew it! Yu Xichi fled to escape punishment, how could he not explain the reason for his escape to you?"

"Who is the Old Mother of Qiushan? Why does the City God of Tu be so afraid of her and care so much about her attitude?" Chen Sheng asked.

Tu Chenghuang sighed, "King Chen Sheng, things are actually quite simple."

If you protect Yu Xichi, you will bear the consequences for him.

There's no need to hold an altar to worship Heaven. Go to the main hall and say to Li in front of everyone—whatever crime Yu Xichi committed, you will take the blame for him.

The case was closed immediately.

"Now that you've returned to Tianzhu Peak, I can finally have some peace here."

"Just who exactly is the Old Mother of Qiushan?" Bee Taoist stared at him and asked, "You are so wary of her, you must have either heard of her name or witnessed her power."

Could you please clarify this for us?
If she works at the City God's Office, it would be best if she could introduce us.

Tu Chenghuang frowned and said, "Wouldn't it be better to close the case directly and return to Tianzhu Peak immediately?"

"Hahaha~~~" Bee Taoist laughed loudly, pointed at the group of "Dazexiang Qi Refiners" around him, and said arrogantly, "Tu Chenghuang, look, there are dozens of fellow Daoists here, including General Chen Sheng."

The general is a man of destiny, and we are numerous and powerful. If we join forces, we have the power to change the world.

It is because of the Old Mother of Qiushan that you have gathered us here and kept us up for most of the night.

Now, with just a name and without even showing their face, they think they can fool us again?

Among the Qi cultivators on Tianzhu Peak, many frowned, not wanting to cause trouble.

Or rather, they felt it was completely not worth it to antagonize a being feared even by the City God for the sake of a small piece of land.

However, many people agreed with the sentiment and even chimed in.

"I have lived for hundreds of thousands of years and have never heard of the 'Old Mother of Qiushan'. Am I simply too ignorant?"

“Gu Zhenjun is a great power who is famous throughout the Three Realms. If you have never heard of her, ‘Qiushan Laomu’ must not be some great immortal or deity.”

"Either use a pseudonym, or remain unknown. If you use a pseudonym, you'll be secretive and evasive, not worth a second glance."

True immortals, even when concealing their identities and living a life of leisure in the mortal world, will still use various methods to hint at their true nature.

If she is ignorant of her place and deliberately puts on airs in front of us, we must expose her true colors.

If she were to be fooled by an unknown person, she would immediately become famous.

They'll rise to fame by stepping on our heads, while we heroes will become the laughingstock of the world.

"Is Old Mother Qiushan at the City God's Office in Fuli? If so, tell her to come out quickly!"

(End of this chapter)