The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 101 Taking the initiative, using someone else's power

The fox, expressionless, put away the roster and pondered to himself.

The city god of this state came with great force, and although he spoke humbly, even a fox could tell from his tail that this fellow was up to no good.

The fox wasn't really bothered by the City God; that scoundrel looked like a corrupt official, and all he wanted was a position of power. Now that he'd fallen from grace, he wanted to promote his cronies to the top. The fox had heard this kind of trick three or four times while listening to storytellers.

The City God's purpose was clear, but the changes in the register puzzled the fox.

The fox sensed something was amiss that very day. This matter should have been handled by the City God's Office, but instead, all the usual procedures were being bypassed, and the entire responsibility was being given to the fox.

Is it because of the numerous government offices and bureaus in Taishan Prefecture?

Su Yinchai was always full of empty talk, but the fox had a feeling that this sentence was very likely one of the few truths he spoke, aside from complaining about being busy.

The fox buried its head in thought for a while, only to find its mind becoming increasingly chaotic. After all, the affairs of the underworld were too unfamiliar to the fox, and it disliked this feeling of being manipulated, so it simply put these thoughts out of its mind.

The fox leisurely found a sunny spot and settled down comfortably.

My heart ached as I basked in the sun.

But the fox is no longer the naive little fox it once was. In the past, after basking in the sun, the fox could forget all its worries and continue to nap and play. But now, even if the fox deliberately empties its mind, those thoughts about the City God still keep popping up.

This must be because the fox has grown up.

It's definitely not because the fox revealed its petty nature after gaining abilities.

The fox briefly recalled the events, then began to ponder them with great interest.

Foxes enjoy the feeling of scheming against others.

Three days later, at the hour of Xu and Hai, there will be yin within yin.

A carriage traveled silently through the streets, unseen by anyone.

Inside the carriage, the City God's smile vanished, replaced by a sneer: "The Taishan Prefecture is truly blind. This nobody, a mere scoundrel, dares to wield the power to select the City God?"

"To expect me to apologize to it is an utter disgrace!"

-

Ding Xun respectfully replied, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. Even if that fox has gained the favor of Mount Tai, it is still a self-taught individual and would never understand ranks and hierarchy. I'm sorry to have offended you, sir."

The city god's expression softened slightly, and he patted Judge Ding on the shoulder: "I know you are loyal, but this time you are here for the position of city god. You must endure the humiliation and bear the burden, and temporarily obey the fox demon's orders."

He paused for a few moments, then asked, "Have you carefully studied the fox demon's records?"

"Your Excellency, I have memorized them all."

"Very good, this is my only hope for turning things around. Don't waste my efforts." The City God smiled. "I hereby congratulate Judge Ding, no, City God Ding, in advance."

Judge Ding lowered his head, his eyelids drooping, and solemnly cupped his hands: "Your subordinate understands. I will never forget your kindness in nurturing me, sir, and I will certainly not fail in my mission this time."

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and the two got off one after the other, looking up at the scene.

The City God Temple is located here, covering an area of ​​two courtyards. It was once one of the most magnificent buildings in Tao County.

However, since the position of City God was left vacant, the temple has gradually fallen into disrepair. People have never had much patience for a god who is not effective at all, and they turned to worship the Peach God long ago.

Tonight, this dilapidated City God Temple, which has been in ruins for many years, will finally welcome a new master.

The city god looked at the temple with disdain, standing with his hands behind his back. A fleeting glint of desire flashed in Judge Ding's eyes.

A figure was already standing here.

"My name is Su An. May I ask how you two are addressed?"

The City God glanced at him and nodded slightly in return. Judge Ding stepped forward: "I am Ding Xun, a judge under the City God. This is my master."

"So it's the City God himself! I apologize for my disrespect." Su An remained calm upon hearing this and bowed again, saying, "Greetings, Judge Ding."

Another figure walked from the street corner, glanced at the two underworld officials but ignored them, and then bowed to Su An: "Sir."

Mr. Su quickly helped Lu Zheng up and said with a smile, "No need for formalities. I never imagined that one day I would be taking the exam in the same classroom as my own student."

The city god's expression darkened slightly, when he suddenly heard a soft sound coming from the temple gate.

"Squeak—"

The temple gates moved automatically without any wind, and a faint fragrance wafted in. At the same time, the fox's voice resounded in everyone's ears: "Now that everyone is here, please enter the hall."

The City God stepped forward first, followed closely by Judge Ding. The four entered the hall.

"Please forgive me, fox spirit. I am merely here to observe and have no intention of interfering with the assessment," the City God said politely, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Inside the hall were only a few long tables. A handsome young man sat upright before one of them, not even glancing at the group. He simply picked up an incense stick and placed it into the incense burner. Wisps of smoke curled and swirled towards them.

The city god used his sleeve as a fan and with a gentle wave, dispersed the fragrance.

"What does the fox spirit mean by this?"

The fox ignored him, its two fluffy tails trailing behind it, with tiny sparks of fire on their white tails.

The fox's red tail flickered slightly, and the candlelight inside the hall danced, its glow growing brighter and illuminating the murals behind it.

One by one, the demon soldiers, each wielding a steel fork and with a ferocious expression, laughed loudly. Below them were countless sinful souls, howling and struggling in various hells.

Compared to the portrait hanging in the center of the mural, this painting of a hundred demons in hell is nothing.

The portrait is indistinct, showing a person wearing a blue robe, a seven-tiered crown of azure blue, and the seal of Tongyang Taiping.

"Fujun----"

The crowd bowed respectfully and hurriedly kowtowed. The city god's expression changed, and he finally knelt down slowly and prostrated himself in kowtow.

After the four had finished their greetings, the fox picked up a document from the table and read aloud: "By the mandate of Heaven and the laws of Yin, and by order of the Lord of the Underworld."

"Since the absence of the City God, Taoyuan County has been plagued by disorder between Yin and Yang, disturbances by evil spirits, unresolved grievances, and unrest among its people. Although several rebellions have been quelled, the foundation remains unstable."

"Qingling Qingshu, in the midst of calamities such as the attack of ghosts on the city and Tao County, eliminated evil and punished the wicked, quelled the chaos and brought peace to the souls, with a heart of justice, and is capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities."

"The selection of the City God of Tao County should have been—but considering Qing Shu's contributions—"

The fox paused slightly: "The methods and standards for this assessment will be determined independently by him, without needing to report to the Taishan Prefecture or the City God Bureau. The selected person will be designated as the new City God of Tao County, and will be granted the seal and appointment by the Taishan Prefecture, and recorded in the underworld register."

"We hope that Qing Shu will uphold public-spiritedness, perform his duties diligently, select virtuous and capable individuals for employment, and live up to the trust placed in him by the Taishan Prefecture."

"This order."

"The seal of the Judicial Office".

The city god listened with a blank expression the whole way, but when he heard the last sentence, he felt a chill run down his spine.

The so-called Judicial Offices and Subordinate Offices were not the seventy-five offices of Taishan Prefecture, but rather the three offices and six cases above them. In Taishan Prefecture, from the Prefect down, the three offices under the command of the Duke of Haoli were the most prestigious.

This document was actually written by the official in charge of the court.

"This humble official will respectfully obey the imperial decree."

The fox chuckled inwardly. It hadn't been idle these past few days; it had specifically sought out a tutor to learn the entire document word for word, and had even sought advice on the techniques for reading it aloud, all in order to make a strong first impression and intimidate them today.

It seems to be working quite well.