I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Everyone's gaze towards Zhong Jiu changed. Before, they thought he was a skilled boss, but now he looked like a "little madman."

"Are you stupid too?"

Wu Yuanying glared at him, annoyed. "If you don't leave here, Mo Huolie will take revenge sooner or later!"

"Not leaving doesn't mean there's danger."

Zhong Jiu looked at Old Tian and his tone became serious, "Old man, since you are the temple keeper, do you know that the City God's Palace has an 'Eighth-Rank Yin-Yang Official'?"

This question left everyone bewildered, except for Old Tian, ​​whose eyes suddenly lit up and whose hunched back straightened slightly: "You also know about the Yin-Yang Master?"

Modern people have almost forgotten about the City God, let alone obscure official positions like "Yin Yang Gong Cao".

Old Tian had lived for seventy years, and this was the first time anyone had mentioned this to him.

"Of course I know."

Old Tian's face showed respect. "The Yin-Yang Clerk, a rank of eighth grade, is the City God's right-hand man, overseeing all affairs of the City God's Mansion. Although his official position is not high, he is the core of the entire government office!"

Zhong Jiu nodded in satisfaction and raised his voice so that everyone around could hear: "Now someone is causing trouble on the City God's territory, beating up the temple keeper, and even threatening to demolish the temple. This is a serious crime that violates the laws of the underworld!"

He paused, then looked at the old man and said, "Old man, as a temple keeper, you are the representative of the gods in the mortal world. Why don't you hold an altar tonight, perform a ritual, and present a petition to the Yin-Yang Official, so that he can inform the City God? Then, the gods will naturally punish these bullies."

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room erupted in chaos:

"Setting up an altar to invoke the gods? This kid must have been reading too many fantasy novels!"

"An official in charge of Yin and Yang? I think he's just a brainless official!"

Wu Yuanying grew anxious and tugged at his sleeve, whispering, "Don't get involved! If we can't get the gods to come, the old man will lose even more face!"

But Old Tian was tempted, his eyes flickering with hesitation.

Chung Kau pressed his advantage: "What, old man, do you not believe in the existence of the City God, or do you not believe that your sincerity can move the gods?"

These words struck a nerve with Old Tian. He looked up sharply, his eyes resolute: "How could I not believe you! Fine, tonight I'll perform a ritual and summon Lord Gongcao!"

"Old Tian, ​​you're not kidding, are you?"

An old man playing chess quickly advised, "Inviting gods is no joke!"

"Invoking the gods is a serious matter; how could I joke about it?"

Old Tian's face flushed, and his voice trembled slightly. He had guarded the temple his whole life, and finally had the opportunity to verify "whether the gods exist." You can imagine how excited he was.

A few young people scoffed, "What era are we living in? Still believing in this? Are you out of your mind?" Then they turned and left.

Zhong Jiu looked around at the crowd and said loudly, "The ceremony will begin at midnight tonight. If you don't believe me, feel free to come and see for yourselves. Seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving."

These words instantly piqued everyone's curiosity; joining in the fun is an innate human trait.

"It's been so peaceful in Guiling City lately, I'll bring my grandson to visit!"

"I want to see what immortals look like!"

"I bet five cents it's definitely a hoax!"

The group dispersed noisily, mostly with a mocking attitude of "watching the joke."

Wu Yuanying's live stream room exploded with activity, the number of online viewers soared, gifts kept pouring in, and everyone was shouting "I must watch the live stream tonight".

Wu Yuanying tugged at Zhong Jiu's clothes, her face full of doubt: "You really think you can summon a god? Everyone believes in ghosts, but gods..."

"Sincerity brings results."

Zhong Jiu smiled and looked at her, "You should start a live stream tonight, I guarantee your popularity will skyrocket, maybe even break a million viewers."

Old Tian had already turned and entered the temple, starting to search for ritual props that had been sealed away for many years—a peach wood sword, yellow paper, cinnabar, and a Bagua robe, laying them out one by one, his hands trembling slightly.

He was both nervous and expectant; the faith he had upheld his entire life would finally be revealed tonight.

Looking at the busy old figures in the temple, and then at Zhong Jiu who looked confident, Wu Yuanying suddenly felt that something big was probably going to happen at the City God Temple tonight.

She quickly messaged the website operator: "I'll be live-streaming tonight at midnight. The title will be 'Live Coverage of the City God Temple's Invocation Ceremony: Do the Gods Really Exist?'"

The operations team replied instantly: "Sis, this headline went viral! I'll get it featured on the homepage right away!"

Wu Yuanying glanced at the message and immediately grabbed Zhong Jiu's sleeve, pressing him for an answer: "Are you coming tonight or not?"

"certainly."

Zhong Jiu nodded, a smile hidden in his eyes. He not only had to come, but he also had to "dress up in style," though he wouldn't look like an "ordinary handsome guy" anymore.

Wu Yuanying didn't grasp the deeper meaning behind his words, taking it as a definite yes, and nodded vigorously: "If you come, I'll come!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the live stream chat:

"Holy crap! My goddess is smitten! And we've only met a few times!"

"Female fans are furious! Stay away from my husband!"

"I suggest renaming it 'Wu Xiaoge's Pursuit of Her Husband's Story,' I'll send ten rockets to support it!"

Wu Yuanying was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth, but she didn't have time to argue with her fans. The news that Old Tiantou was going to hold an altar to invite the gods had spread like wildfire throughout Guiling City.

The City God Temple is a centuries-old landmark in Guiling City; who among the locals hasn't heard of it?

With the added boost from Wu Yuanying's live stream, and the video he recorded of the City God Temple posted on various social media platforms, the city's "spirit of joining in the fun" was instantly ignited.

"Shall we go to the East City tonight to see the 'Summoning the Gods' ritual? I heard that old man is going to invite a deity to deal with the Fiery Fire Gang!"

"We absolutely have to go! I'll bring my wife and kids; consider it a free show!"

Most people don't believe in "invoking gods" at all; they're just bored and want to see Old Tian make a fool of himself. After all, who still believes in "divine intervention" these days?

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Fiery Fire Gang, a farcical scene of "slaughtering the pig with medicine" was unfolding.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! You trying to break my leg, you bastard! Be gentle!"

Mo Huolie lay sprawled on the chair, his back covered in bruises as purple as eggplants. When the apprentice applied the medicine with even a little force, he screamed and howled.

The younger brother was so scared his hands were shaking: "Big brother, I... I'll be gentle..."

Just then, one of the henchmen scrambled in, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Boss! Something terrible has happened! That old geezer is going to hold a shrine tonight to summon the gods, saying he's going to get them to deal with us!"

"Summoning a deity?"

Mo Huolie was stunned for a moment, then clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he didn't even care that the wound on his back was reopening. "Hahaha! Has this old man been beaten senseless? Invoking a god? Why doesn't he just invoking Buddha himself?"

A group of henchmen who had been kicked by Chung Kau also laughed, but their laughter aggravated their injuries, causing them to collectively gasp in shock, making the scene both comical and embarrassing.

"Big brother, should we go take a look?"

The messenger leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I heard a lot of people have gone to see the excitement."

"Go! We have to go!"

Mo Huolie slammed his fist on the table, his eyes flashing with malice. "Send word down to get those two excavators moving! I'm going to dig up that dilapidated temple, people and all, right in front of the whole city!"

He shouted, spitting as he spoke, "Don't say he can't summon a god; even if he did, I'd smash him back with an excavator! In Guiling City, I'm a god!"

This arrogant attitude reached the special operations team's office.

"Set up an altar to invite the gods? You're not kidding me, are you?"

Zhong Yingmei dropped all the documents in her hands and checked them several times.

"Is it being talked about throughout Guiling City?"

"It's absolutely true! Wu Yuanying, also known as the recently popular internet celebrity 'Xiao Yingzi,' her live stream recording has gone viral, and people are already starting to gather in Dongcheng."

Several subordinates reported to their superiors at the same time.

The news gave Chung Ying-mei a headache. Although the yin energy had weakened a bit, the threat of ghosts had not been completely eliminated. With so many people gathered, what if something went wrong?

"Issue a notice immediately, urging citizens to go home! Gathering is too dangerous!" she ordered immediately.

But his subordinate looked troubled: "Captain Zhong, I'm afraid this won't work. People are restless right now, and the official credibility isn't what it used to be. Besides, so many people have already made appointments; we simply don't have enough manpower to stop them."

That hit the nail on the head. Since the ghostly calamity broke out, most municipal civil servants and grassroots staff have been staying at home to avoid the disaster, and even the police have not been able to go out on patrol.

With only so many people in the special task force, it would be a drop in the ocean to try and stop them.