novelapdf Chapter 108 Stealing the Body of Human Merit
Chapter 108 Stealing the Body of Human Merit
Chapter 108 Stealing the Body of Human Merit
A few days later, Chu Xun arrived in the capital city.
For ordinary people, this is already a very fast speed.
After Zhang Jingheng received the title of Duke of Protectorate, he was granted a Duke's Mansion as a reward.
It's easy to find.
After seven or eight years, I came to Kyoto again.
This place has only recently recovered somewhat from the war, and traces of battle are still visible everywhere.
Moreover, orphans, widows, refugees, and beggars are everywhere.
It will take at least a few more years for things to improve.
Upon arriving at the Duke's mansion and learning his identity, the steward hurriedly welcomed him inside.
Just then, the doctor came out, and Huan'er from back then, now the Duke of Protector of the Nation, Zhang Jingheng, hurriedly inquired about the situation.
The doctor shook his head with difficulty; the disease was incurable and there was no way to save it.
Over the years, fighting against the refugee army and worrying about national affairs, Zhang Jingheng has aged considerably.
He's only fifty years old, but he looks like he's over sixty.
With a full head of white hair, he looked even older than Qi Ermao.
Chu Xun felt a pang of sadness and quickly stepped forward.
Upon seeing him arrive, Zhang Jingheng forced a smile: "I thought you wouldn't be here for a few days."
"Is the situation not good?" Chu Xun asked.
"This is bad," Zhang Jingheng sighed. "It might only be a matter of one or two days."
Liu Yuqing came out of the house with red eyes.
She was an old woman, leaning on a cane, and her appearance was heartbreaking.
"Xiao Chen." After greeting Chu Xun, Liu Yuqing wiped her eyes and said, "I want to go to the City God Temple to pray for my mother's recovery."
Everyone knew there wasn't much hope, but Zhang Jingheng still nodded and said, "Okay."
Chu Xun then entered the room and saw Lin Qiaoxi lying on the bed.
He took out a small piece of old ginseng from his pocket and said, "This was left by my grandfather. I hope it will be useful."
Zhang Jinghui naturally knew the value of the old ginseng, and quickly ordered someone to slice it and brew it as tea.
After managing to drink a few sips of ginseng tea, Lin Qiaoxi regained some energy and was able to recognize people and speak.
She waved to Chu Xun, gesturing for him to sit on the edge of the bed.
With a somewhat weak voice, she asked, "How is the village?"
Chu Xun nodded: "Everything is fine. Everyone wants to see you again."
Lin Qiaoxi forced a smile: "I'm afraid we won't see each other."
"Mother!" Zhang Jingheng called out from the side.
Lin Qiaoxi looked up at him: "My body knows what's going on."
Zhang Jingheng remained silent. Lin Qiaoxi then looked at Chu Xun and asked, "Is that divine iron still working well?"
Strictly speaking, Chu was still in the preparation stage.
But he still nodded and said, "It works very well, much better than I expected."
"That's good." A smile appeared on Lin Qiaoxi's wrinkled, aged face.
"When Jingheng's father brought this divine iron back then, everyone said he was a fool. Now it seems he was quite clever."
She drifted into memories and talked about many things from her youth.
Chu knew most of the things.
Only a small part was unknown to him.
For example, on the occasions of the mother and daughter's birthdays, Zhang Sanchun would stay in the woodshed and make two cakes by hand.
Chu Xun taught Zhang Sanchun how to make cakes, but Zhang Sanchun was clumsy and not very good at this kind of delicate work.
But for some reason, he always seems to have divine help when it comes to making birthday cakes, and he always does a great job.
For example, Zhang Anxiu, the younger sister-in-law, heard someone say that if you apply beeswax to your body, it will turn white.
I tried it secretly many times, but it was completely useless.
She spoke, and Chu Xun listened.
It wasn't until much later that Lin Qiaoxi finally said she was tired and fell into a deep sleep.
Chu Xun stayed at the Duke's mansion for one night. The next morning, before dawn, he heard crying.
His heart sank, and he let out a long sigh.
The last of her peers has passed away.
Lin Qiaoxi's funeral was naturally of the highest standard.
Even Emperor Chongming came to pay his respects in person.
This was Chu Xun's first time seeing the emperor; he had only heard about him from others before.
Upon closer inspection, it does indeed possess a certain innate royal majesty.
But that's all; nothing particularly special.
Adding to the matter of Tang Shijun, Chu Xun had no good feelings towards Emperor Chongming and would turn his face away after just one glance.
After Lin Qiaoxi's funeral, Zhang Jingheng asked Chu Xun to stay in the capital for a few more days.
He has lived here for a long time, and rarely sees his old friends.
Now that his parents have passed away, and his most admired uncle is nowhere to be found, the only person he can still consider a relative in Zhangnan County is "Chu Chen".
Chu Xun naturally wouldn't refuse. The more people died, the more he understood that time was the one thing he had in abundance.
But it is also the most precious.
Besides visiting Lin Qiaoxi and Zhang Jing, there was another important thing I hadn't done during my trip to Kyoto.
Upon learning that Chu Xun wanted to go to the City God Temple, Liu Yuqing offered to guide him.
"My mother passed away, and I happened to be going to the City God Temple to pray for her next life."
The carriage carrying several people headed towards the City God Temple.
The carriage stopped shortly afterward.
As the Duchess of the State, Liu Yuqing naturally had a special person come to guide her to pray to the gods for blessings.
Chu Xun did not follow, only saying that he wanted to wander around.
Liu Yuqing didn't interfere and let him go on his own.
The scale of the City God Temple in the capital is more than ten times larger than that of the City God Temple in Zhangnan County.
There are more than a dozen rooms of different grades, each containing a statue of a deity.
The Department of Good and Evil, the Department of Yin and Yang, and the Department of Investigation.
Not only are there City Gods, civil judges, military judges, day-roaming gods, night-roaming gods, and Black and White Impermanence.
There are also generals like the Shackled General and the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, which are lacking in prefectural-level city gods.
To be precise, this is the real City God Temple, complete with everything you need.
Chu Xun carefully examined each room, but did not find any unfamiliar statues.
To ascertain certain matters, he went to the judge's house and displayed his cultivation.
"Where is the written judgment from the City God Temple? I would like to see it."
Inside the room, the golden statue of the judge trembled and then appeared.
Although they had met before, Chu Xun has now become young again, and Wen Pan can no longer recognize him.
Slightly puzzled, he bowed respectfully and asked, "What brings you here, esteemed immortal?"
Chu Xun asked, "I have heard that Duke Tang Shijun of Mingguo saved the people of the world and has performed great deeds. Why is there no statue of him here?"
Could it be that he has already been reincarnated and is not serving in the underworld?
The judge said, "A person of such great merit should naturally remain in the underworld. However, the City God has granted him a position as the head of the Department of Rewards and Good Deeds, but in the mortal world there is only the Department of Good and Evil, so no statue of him has been erected yet."
"Without a statue of a deity, wouldn't it be impossible to receive offerings?" Chu Xun asked, frowning.
"Not so," the judge explained. "The incense offerings of the Department of Good and Evil are divided in two. Although the Tang Chief Judge has no statue, he can still receive incense offerings. The underworld is naturally fair in its dealings."
After a moment's thought, Chu Xun asked, "I admire this Manager Tang's character. May I meet him?"
"Of course."
After Wenpan finished speaking, he led Chu Xun to the room of the Department of Good and Evil.
There is only one statue standing here, dressed in a vermilion official robe, with a dignified face.
In one hand, a mirror of good and evil; in the other, a stone-shaped execution platform.
Wenpan called out softly, "Chief Tang, a celestial being has come to visit. Why don't you show yourself quickly?"
Chu Xun glanced at him upon hearing his words but remained silent.
Then, a figure stepped down from the statue.
Also dressed in a vermilion official robe, holding a mirror of good and evil, with a clear face, it was Tang Shijun.
Tang Shijun stepped forward, first bowing to the judge, and then looking at Chu Xun.
Sensing his cultivation level, the immortal's expression became respectful: "This humble deity greets the immortal master. May I ask what business you have with me?"
Chu Xun rubbed his fingers, chuckled, and said, "Nothing much, I just heard about Lord Tang's efforts to save the country, so I came to pay my respects."
"It's just a small amount of merit, not worth mentioning," Tang Shijun said modestly.
Chu Xun chatted with the two worshippers for a while with a smile, while Liu Yuqing had already finished worshipping the City God without anyone noticing.
When they went out to look for Chu Xun, they happened to see him talking to someone in the room of the Department of Good and Evil.
There was no one in front of them, yet they chatted and laughed.
The middle-aged maid supporting Liu Yuqing couldn't help but ask, "This young Master Chu is quite strange. Who is he talking to?"
Liu Yuqing was also a little confused, and walked in that direction.
Chu Xun caught sight of the two approaching out of the corner of his eye, and said to Wen Pan and Tang Shijun, "Now that this matter is settled, I have worldly affairs to attend to, so I will take my leave first."
Wenpan and Tang Shijun bowed and returned to their golden bodies.
Chu Xun glanced once more at the towering statue of the God of Good and Evil, then walked out of the house.
Liu Yuqing had already approached and asked curiously, "Who were you talking to just now?"
"Just talking to myself. I've gotten used to living alone, and it's given me some quirks," Chu Xun said.
Liu Yuqing responded with an "oh," still somewhat puzzled, but didn't think too much about it.
She knew that living alone for too long could indeed lead to a tendency to talk to oneself, and that wasn't surprising.
"You're so young, why don't you find a good woman to marry? There are all kinds of women in the capital. Would you like me to help you find a few perfect matches?" Liu Yuqing asked with concern.
She also regarded Chu Xun as her own junior and cared for him very much.
Chu Xun shook his head and said, "I have no interest in romantic love."
Liu Yuqing and her maid exchanged a glance, their expressions both somewhat strange, and more so, disbelief.
Who doesn't enjoy the pleasures of love between men and women? You're not a monk.
Moreover, even if someone is truly a monk, there are examples of people breaking their vows and returning to secular life.
Liu Yuqing assumed that Chu Xun was just shy and didn't try to persuade him further.
They boarded the carriage and returned to the Duke's mansion.
Chu Xun then went to find Zhang Jingheng to say goodbye and go home.
"There are still a lot of poultry and livestock at home that are left unattended, and the fields are about to be harvested."
Knowing that the village was busy with farming, Zhang Jingheng didn't say much, but only said with concern, "After you're done with the work, please come and visit often. This place can also be your home."
Chu Xun nodded, took his leave, and departed.
Seeing that he was leaving quickly, Liu Yuqing came over and pulled Zhang Jingheng, saying, "How could you just let him go like that? I was going to find him a wife."
Zhang Jingheng shook his head and said, "He has a similar temperament to my uncle; he seems indifferent, but he's actually stubborn. You can't force him to do things he doesn't want to do."
After leaving the capital city, Chu De's pace quickened considerably.
With one step, he had already covered more than 150 meters.
The karmic fire has been burning for nearly five years, and the enhancement it has brought to the magic is gradually becoming more and more apparent.
After leaving the capital city for hundreds of miles, Chu Xun's gaze and expression quickly darkened.
The head of the Rewards and Benevolence Division in Kyoto City is definitely not Tang Shijun!
No one knew better than Chu Xun how proud Tang Shijun was.
He didn't want the unparalleled merit of saving millions of people and leaving his name in history.
He bravely faced death, solely to pave the way for his disciples.
This person only bent over once in his life.
That is to ask Chu Xun to allow him to die.
If he were truly serving in the underworld, even if a real immortal descended to earth, Tang Shijun would never have been so respectful.
If the judge had spoken in that commanding tone, the real Tang Shijun would have been lucky not to slap him twice.
Especially when talking about that great merit, he humbly said that it was a trivial merit and not worth mentioning.
That's utter nonsense!
One is one, two is two.
The real Tang Shijun might not accept this credit, but he would never say such pretentious things.
Chu Xun did not believe that a person would change from the inside out after becoming a temple deity.
Therefore, the "Tang Shijun" in Kyoto must be fake.
Where is the real Tang Shijun now?
"Stealing human merits and impersonating others."
"What a fine way to confer the title of a true god!"
Chu Xun took a deep breath and quickened his pace again.
Previously, he had no choice but to clash with the underworld in order to protect himself.
But things are different now.
Some ancient gods and immortals, who should have disappeared long ago but were unwilling to perish, remained immortal even after death.
Stealing human merits to be reborn in another's body.
If this happened to someone else, it wouldn't be a big deal, but it's absolutely unacceptable for it to happen to Chu Xun.
Tang Shijun has been replaced, but Zhang Jingheng is still in the running.
Huan'er's implementation of national policies is no less meritorious than Tang Shijun's.
No matter what, Chu Xun would never let Huan'er follow in his footsteps.
You have stolen power!
I will seize power!
Since the existence of the spirit of the Pine and Willow Water God has already created an irreconcilable conflict, why bother with any further concerns?
After returning to Songguo Village.
Chu Xun worked day and night to gather the essence of gold, forge meteorite iron from outer space, and condense the essence of Ren water.
Whenever he has a spare moment, he uses his supernatural powers to help others and earn incense points.
As the years went by, Liao Shouyi led his troops to fight for control of the southwest.
Zhang Jingheng pursued the remnants of the refugee army, but the northern barbarian tribes invaded again, forcing the Ministry of War to send troops to suppress them.
The world seems to be heading into chaos again, but Chu Xun has no time to deal with it.
Winter has arrived, and although it is snowing heavily outside, the house is as hot as an oven.
Before Chu Xun, the old bat's noble bearing was enveloped in a ball of flame, burning fiercely.
Spirit Fire Technique 21932/30000: Can fill an area of tens of feet with flames. It has an extremely high ability to control the temperature of the flames. The smaller the range, the higher the temperature. This fire-based technique has been upgraded to an astonishing level.
Using his fire control abilities, Chu Xun concentrated a large amount of flames in a small area in front of him.
At such a temperature, even steel would melt.
Moments later, the flames dissipated.
The spirit, which Chu Xun caught, was already burning red.
Driven by spiritual energy, a slight whistling sound was heard, and a burst of wind and fire shot out from the hole.
Fortunately, the walls were reinforced with earth-elemental magic, and the wind and fire struck them, creating a dazzling burst of sparks.
He waved his hand to disperse the flames on the ground, watching the temperature gradually drop, but still retaining a trace of fiery red spirit.
Chu Xun frowned slightly. The old bat's spirit had been scorched countless times, refined time and again, making its bones much denser than before.
The combined firepower of the gale increased its power by at least two times.
But in Chu Xun's opinion, it was still not enough.
An ordinary iron sword, when infused with the essence of metal, can be used to slay evil spirits.
Even the most powerful instruments of justice couldn't withstand much damage from him.
If the spirit of an old bat could be infused with the energy of the five elements, its power would surely be even greater.
Chu Xun asked Zhang Jingheng to help him find ancient books about the Five Elements, but they haven't been found yet.
"If we can gather the fire essence, this one magical artifact alone will be enough to deal with even a county-level city god."