If the sect doesn't accept geniuses, they will become giants once they leave?

Chapter 28 Give them a banner!

Gambling in Sunrise City wasn't a serious crime; the only problem was that it was an underground casino. But those things were like cockroaches: when you found out about an underground casino, it was likely because there were so many other underground casinos that they squeezed out that one.

If there were no crazy reports, the government would not bother to intervene. Even if they arrested someone, they would not be able to detain them for long.

Seeing that Li Yanmo was openly running a gambling game in the prison cell, the constables from the yamen had no choice but to contact their superiors.

The final result of the discussion was to release the person.

But the people released were not Li Yanmo, and Li Yanmo himself was taken to a small room.

Out of trust in Leng Ningshuang, Li Yanmo was not in a hurry and even began to practice leisurely.

After being left there for an hour, someone finally came, but it was not Leng Ningshuang, but a middle-aged man with a square face and a majestic look.

"Li Yanmo, right? I'm Zuo Buqun, the head constable here."

"Hello, Lord Zuo," Li Yanmo opened his eyes and smiled at Zuo Buqun.

After reaching the great perfection of Qi training, it seems that he is only one step away from building the foundation.

"Li Yanmo, I won't waste any more words with you. The military sect now unanimously believes that you are in collusion with the Demon Immortal Cult. If you plead guilty, we can still give you a lighter sentence!"

Zuo Buqun did not sit down, but folded his arms across his chest and snorted coldly.

Seeing Zuo Buqun reveal his cards directly, Li Yanmo stopped pretending, slowly stood up, and his eyes gradually became sharper.

Zuo Buqun guessed what Li Yanmo was thinking and was immediately shocked. "You actually want to take action!?"

"Hmph—watch out!"

Li Yanmo raised his hand and a box with the word "bribe" written on it flew towards Zuo Buqun rapidly.

As a master who had achieved great perfection in Qi training, Zuo Buqun reached out, took it, turned it, and opened the box. The golden light shone on Zuo Buqun's upright face.

"Hmm--I can tell at a glance that you, Brother Li, are not a bad person!"

"That's, that's——"

Zuo Buqun laughed and personally escorted Li Yanmo out of the yamen. Seeing some constables looking at him in surprise, Zuo Buqun even explained to the other constables on Li Yanmo's behalf.

"Hahahaha—you all misunderstood Brother Li. He's a really kind man!"

"How could such a kind person like him be a member of the Demon Immortal Cult? Hahahaha——"

When they reached the gate, a man stopped Zuo Buqun and Li Yanmo. This man was Leng Ningshuang, who was looking for an opportunity to change back into the costume of a constable.

Seeing Li Yanmo and Zuo Buqun arm in arm, looking like they had met too late, Leng Ningshuang frowned, "Captain Zuo, this man is a wanted criminal who is in collusion with the Demon Immortal Cult. How can you let him go?"

"Xiao Leng, you can't say that. Brother Li looks like an honest man. How could he be related to the Demon Immortal Cult? But that playboy is very suspicious!"

Zuo Buqun waved his hand perfunctorily and then walked away from Leng Ningshuang with his arm around Li Yanmo.

Afterwards, Li Yanmo and Leng Ningshuang met at the Yellow Crane Tower.

"It's very likely that Zuo Buqun is the traitor," Li Yanmo asserted.

"Captain Zuo has a high reputation in the government office."

Leng Ningshuang held her chin and sighed helplessly.

She was unwilling to believe that Zuo Buqun was an undercover agent planted by the Demon Immortal Cult in the military camp, but Zuo Buqun not only accepted Li Yanmo's bribe, but also clarified the suspicion on Li Yanmo to other constables who were unaware of the plan approved by the prefect.

However, Leng Ningshuang wasn't a pretentious person. After sighing, she adjusted her mindset. "I did some research. The person who reported the casino was a street thug. But their actions were very hasty this time, so I found them through some clues..."

Leng Ningshuang curled her lips and said unhappily.

"Li Qiu behind the scenes."

"Master Leng, you seem very unhappy?"

"Of course!"

Leng Ningshuang raised her hand and slammed it on the table. "That Li Qiu is no good. He runs a dyeing factory on the surface, but he's been doing a lot of dirty work behind the scenes. He's involved in all those gambling dens. Now he has a change of heart and wants to report them? Who would believe that?"

After yelling, Leng Ningshuang calmed down and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you."

"It's okay. In a sense, our plan went very smoothly," Li Yanmo comforted.

"But there is no evidence. Li Qiu is just a mortal, not an ordinary person. We can't arrest him for reporting the casino," Leng Ningshuang scratched the back of his head, very distressed.

This is where the condensation frost gets the most tangled.

They originally thought that the Demon Fairy Church would throw out some baits like before to balance the suspicion, so that the military gate could effectively eliminate the Demon Fairy Church's hands and feet in Risheng City. However, they didn't expect that the Demon Fairy Church would do the opposite and directly blow up the casino, cutting off Li Yanmo's channel to increase his suspicion.

"Then... I should shout in the street that I am a follower of the Demon Immortal Cult?" Li Yanmo suggested.

Leng Ningshuang thought about it and shook her head in objection, "No - this is putting the cart before the horse, and it might also push the Demon Immortal Cult too far. They have a trump card. We can't do that before we figure out what that trump card is."

After thinking about it, Li Yanmo felt that his idea was too simple.

The Demon Fairy Cult let it go and even took the initiative to hand those animals over to him, not hesitating to throw away their own pawns to reduce the suspicion of the zoo, which shows that the Demon Fairy Cult has the means to turn all those animals into demons.

Li Yanmo suddenly remembered the tiger demon who preached Buddhist scriptures and chanted Buddha's name in the Taoist temple, and who also knew how to suppress people with the righteousness of heaven and earth. "Speaking of which... Lord Leng, can the righteousness of heaven and earth harm demons?"

Leng Ningshuang thought for a moment and then replied, "This needs to be explained starting from the righteousness of heaven and earth itself."

Li Yanmo resisted the urge to shout "jump over" and sat opposite Leng Ningshuang, listening to Leng Ningshuang's story.

"There's no distinction between good and evil in this world, and naturally, there's no such thing as righteousness. But humans are born with wisdom, so it's not an exaggeration to say they're the original demons."

"Human beings are demons. They use greed, anger, and ignorance to disrupt the lives of the people, turning all things into demons."

“This is where the Great Wilderness comes from.”

"Emperor Shun attempted to address these three evils, but was met with backlash. However, as the saying goes, everything reaches its limit and then reverses. Balance is everywhere. When evil flourishes, opposing forces inevitably breed. When the Shun Dynasty collapsed, sages emerged. Headed by Confucius, they delivered holy words, vindicating the opposing forces."

"That is the righteousness of heaven and earth."

"Emperor Yu later used the righteous energy of heaven and earth, combined with the words of the Holy Spirit, to forge a pillar to suppress evil spirits."

"That is the Holy Pillar."

Leng Ningshuang shook her head like a storyteller. "Then came the Confucian school. The great Confucian scholars were all mortals, but they were filled with righteousness. With a loud roar, even a demon at the Fusion Stage would be reduced to ashes."

"The righteous energy of heaven and earth was originally created to destroy the three thoughts, so it can naturally harm monsters."

"However, the vast majority of demons are beasts whose intelligence is awakened by the Three Minds. Even if the Three Minds energy in their bodies is washed away, only their cultivation is damaged, while their Qi and blood power remains. Only those demons that rely on the Three Minds as their foundation will be severely damaged or destroyed by the righteous energy of heaven and earth."

After thinking for a while, Li Yanmo told Leng Ningshuang what happened in the Taoist temple.

After listening, Leng Ningshuang nodded and said, "This is normal. The Dayu Dynasty used the Dayu Law combined with the power of the Holy Pillar to regulate the righteousness of heaven and earth, thereby suppressing the channels for the breeding of evil spirits."

"But as the saying goes, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below."

"In order to save the ghosts trapped by obsession, Emperor Yu used Buddhist teachings to create the Buddha Pillar."

"Salvation is a good deed. Not only will it not be harmed by the righteousness of heaven and earth, it can even sometimes be blessed by it. Furthermore, most demons are transformed from beasts, lacking human moral standards and the need to abide by the law. Therefore, these demons use Buddhism to exploit the righteousness of heaven and earth, reversing cause and effect."

Li Yanmo asked curiously, "Then can't the law be amended?"

Leng Ningshuang shook her head. "Good and evil are always in a state of balance. If one becomes too strong, the other will also become stronger. If the Holy Pillar were to suppress the myriad beasts, the righteousness of heaven and earth would lose its original meaning. Greed, anger, and ignorance would inevitably use the righteousness of heaven and earth as a breeding ground. That's why Emperor Yu issued an imperial decree to the Four Pillars."

"We are merely borrowing the righteous energy of heaven and earth, not mastering it."

Li Yanmo nodded thoughtfully, "Is the Demon Immortal Cult... evil in the eyes of the righteousness of heaven and earth?"

"To corrupt the beasts with the three thoughts of greed, anger, and ignorance, no matter how you try to conceal it, is an evil act and will naturally be struck by the righteousness of heaven and earth. But that's the problem."

Leng Ningshuang slapped her forehead in distress.

"The Demon Immortal Cult never does this kind of thing themselves, but instead lets mortals like Li Qiu do it. These mortals lack cultivation, so the righteousness of heaven and earth will only repel them. This will cause these mortals to become the breeding ground for the three thoughts of greed, anger, and ignorance. The demons then use Buddhist teachings to absorb the three thoughts of greed, anger, and ignorance from these people, thereby avoiding the influence of the righteousness of heaven and earth."

At this point, Leng Ningshuang said helplessly, "One of the saints wrote down the holy words to allow great scholars to freely use the righteous energy of heaven and earth to intimidate the demons. A gentleman judges by the heart, not by deeds; judge by deeds, not by the heart; there are no filial sons in poor families. This destroyed the demons rooted in greed, anger, and ignorance, but it also allowed the heartless monsters to exploit the righteous energy of heaven and earth."

"One Emperor, Yu, in order to draw upon the righteousness of Heaven and Earth to slay demons and bring peace to the world, judged a sage by his deeds, not his heart. Since there are no sages in the world, judging by their hearts, he revised the Sacred Pillar and the laws, lowering the harsh restrictions of Heaven and Earth's righteousness, allowing the military sects, who were unable to receive the blessings of Heaven and Earth's righteousness due to their bloodlust and taint of worldly power, to utilize Heaven and Earth's righteousness."

"But the result is that those demons can find loopholes and become more difficult to eradicate."

"This is the balance between good and evil."

Li Yanmo touched his chin and suddenly said, "Li Qiu... is doing good things now, so he will be favored by the righteousness of heaven and earth, right?"

Leng Ningshuang was stunned. Although she was unhappy, she nodded and said, "Yes."

"Those who are favored by the righteousness of heaven and earth are good people. Those who make good people do bad things are bad people, and they will be struck by the righteousness of heaven and earth, right?"

Leng Ningshuang didn't understand what Li Yanmo was trying to do, but she answered honestly, "Yes, this is also the reason why the Confucian School is immortal. Any evil demon who wants to harm the great Confucian scholars, even if he just has the intention, is likely to be counterattacked by the righteousness of heaven and earth."

Li Yanmo grinned, "Master Leng, if your military sect awarded Li Qiu and the others with a banner, letting everyone in Risheng City know how righteous and good they are, would they be blessed by the righteousness of heaven and earth?"

Leng Ningshuang blinked, realized what Li Yanmo meant, and couldn't help but take a breath.

"If the Demon Immortal Cult instigates or coerces these good people blessed by the righteousness of heaven and earth to commit the evil deeds of corrupting all beasts..."

Li Yanmo grinned evilly.

"Will he be struck by the righteous energy of heaven and earth?"

Leng Ningshuang imagined the scene and couldn't help but get excited, "I'll contact the governor right away!"

As Leng Ningshuang spoke, she took out the talisman paper for communication from her storage bag.

After hearing Li Yanmo's plan, Feng Shouyun, the governor of Risheng City, was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly.

"I will personally present the banner."

　Thanks to book friend Luoyu for the six recommendation votes

　　Thanks to book friend 20221014164913758 for the recommendation vote
　　

(End of this chapter)