When they returned to the courtyard, Li Bingjie had already stood up from the bamboo chair. Without saying a word, she took the book "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and walked out. The driver, on Li Bingjie's behalf, asked Xu Zhengyang to borrow the book and return it later. Xu Zhengyang smiled and said it was no problem, consider it a gift to her.
Unexpectedly, when Li Bingjie reached the courtyard gate, she suddenly stopped, turned around to look at Xu Zhengyang, and said softly, "I'm going to the capital the day after tomorrow too."
"Oh, well, okay then, let's go together," Xu Zhengyang interjected, then looked a little puzzled, realizing he hadn't been very polite.
Li Bingjie nodded slightly, said nothing more, and turned to walk out of the alley.
Xu Zhengyang scratched his head as he sent the food out, thinking to himself, "What are you going to the capital for?"
Watching the Audi A8 drive out of the village, Xu Zhengyang suddenly slapped his forehead. What a coincidence! Yao Chushun and the others just left! Well, since Li Bingjie is gone, he should hurry over to Fuhe City. After all, he's practically a shop owner, so he should at least check things out and see how things are going. Hmm, and while he's at it, he should also look after Zhong Zhijun.
Just as Yao Chushun said, by building good relationships with the police officers at the Fuxing Street Police Station outside the antique market, the shop can avoid a lot of trouble caused by malicious people after it opens.
So he took out his phone and called Yao Chushun, asking him to turn the car around and come back to pick him up, since he figured the car hadn't gone very far.
Although he had a motorcycle, which would be more stylish to ride, he might have to drink tonight. He couldn't ride the motorcycle after drinking; it was too dangerous. He would have to take a taxi back then... Thinking about this, Xu Zhengyang called Zhong Zhijun again and briefly told him about opening the shop. After a slight surprise, Zhong Zhijun jokingly said that he could come to him for food and drinks every day from now on, and promised to contact the Fuxing Street Police Station immediately and ask a few acquaintances for help.
The Iveco van quickly returned, picked up Xu Zhengyang, and drove out of the village.
"What? Your girlfriend left?" Yao Chushun asked with a smile.
"What girlfriend? Just a classmate of mine."
"A woman, a friend."
"Mr. Gu, how old are you this year?"
Why are you asking this?
"Just ask."
"Oh, fifty-one..."
"Sigh, what a disrespectful act towards elders!"
"..."
Yao Chushun quickly changed the subject, saying, "You should go too, meet Zheng Ronghua, and get to know him. That old guy has plenty of money. If you find any good stuff in the future, sell it to him..."
"Are you expecting one person to support our shop?" Xu Zhengyang frowned.
"Fuck you! I'm talking about the best stuff, for Zheng Ronghua!"
"I don't understand these things, but I'm handing the shop over to you anyway..." Xu Zhengyang shook his head and smiled, "Master Gu, how much do you estimate our antique shop can earn in a year?"
"If your online business is thriving, you could probably earn around 300,000 to 500,000 yuan in the first year."
"Only this much?"
"If you want to get rich, you'll have to keep your shop open for a long time. You son of a bitch, you only make money without putting in any effort, what more do you want? Besides, we agreed from the beginning that we weren't planning to make any money, we were just going to squeeze Zou Mingyuan's son out of business!" Yao Chushun gritted his teeth when he mentioned Zou Mingyuan.
Xu Zhengyang nodded and didn't say anything more.
Originally, he didn't expect the antique shop to make much money. He just wanted to have a legitimate sales channel for the treasures he had dug up, and also to have a legitimate source of income!
Leaning back in his chair, Xu Zhengyang rubbed his temples, looking somewhat tired.
The capital city! Huang Chen! Yu Xuan!
I, Xu Zhengyang... am about to leave!
With his right hand in his pocket, pretending to pull out a jade stone, Xu Zhengyang picked up the county register and began to read it, communicating with it telepathically, consulting it, and pondering its contents. Today, after reading *Journey to the West*, he had some thoughts and reflections. Within the scope of his guesses, he still needed to consult the county register again, even though it often remained silent… a little bit would do.
Yao Chushun, standing next to him, stared at the piece of white, smooth, and high-quality jade. His triangular eyes gleamed, and drool dripped from the corner of his mouth!
Hmm, that's a bit of an exaggeration.
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 51: Raising Ghosts
The Fu River flows gently, its surface shimmering with starlight; frogs croak incessantly along its banks and in the rice paddies, and a gentle breeze occasionally caresses your face.
Under the cover of night, a slightly drunk Xu Zhengyang walked alone along the riverbank. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes were half-closed, and he was humming a song that he had recently come to enjoy singing more and more:
People say heaven is wonderful, where immortals live a carefree life.
How many tears are behind success?
Everyone says life is hard, full of toil and suffering.
When the sweat dries, there is laughter.
Immortals are made by humans; cultivation requires no fuss.
Only by enduring the bitterest hardships can one achieve true enlightenment.
You must have the heart of an immortal.
Paradise on Earth, I'm sure to come.
Immortals have no worries, they cast aside fame and fortune.
Be like an immortal, forgetting both gain and loss.
Heaven and earth are the same.
Heaven is good
The world is good...
...
Xu Zhengyang had just returned from Fuhe City by taxi. When they reached the national highway intersection, he asked the driver to stop, paid the fare, and got out. He then chose to walk back to his village along the riverbank, a journey of only a few kilometers. It wasn't that he was trying to save a few yuan on the fare; rather, he wanted to walk alone and have some peace and quiet to think about things.
With an expert like Yao Chushun handling the antique shop business, Xu Zhengyang didn't need to worry about anything.
Besides, he's a complete novice; if he wanted to help, he'd only make things worse. It's better for him to just relax and be a hands-off manager.
At the banquet in Fuhe City, Yao Chushun and Zhong Zhijun accompanied the police officers from Fuxing Street Police Station. Xu Zhengyang, who was not good at socializing, did not feel uncomfortable. He ate, drank, and chatted casually, and returned home satisfied.
But I'm a little tipsy!
After walking slowly for a while, feeling that the effects of the alcohol had worn off considerably, Xu Zhengyang lit another cigarette and casually summoned the county clerk, saying in a low voice, "Strictly speaking, as the subordinate of the City God, I may not be qualified to go to Heaven, but I should at least be qualified to go to the Underworld, right? What do you say?"
The county clerk did not respond.
Xu Zhengyang seemed to have already guessed that the county clerk would not answer, so he smiled and continued to ask, "My position as the Gongcao, and also the position of the land god of the nine towns and ten villages, should be different from other gods, right?"
The county record flickered with light and took a long time to respond: the soul is bound to the physical body.
"Yeah, I guessed it a long time ago." Xu Zhengyang wasn't particularly frustrated or depressed. He took a couple of deep drags on his cigarette and said softly, "I also guessed a few things, well, just guessed, I don't know if it's true or not, but I'd guess it's probably true..."
After muttering and grumbling for a while, the county clerk remained silent, as still as an ordinary piece of jade.
"Alright, I won't waste any more time on this." Xu Zhengyang let out a long sigh and said, "Summon a few ghosts over; I have some things for them to do."
The light on the county record began to flicker slowly.
After all, it's a county with hundreds of thousands of people, so the chances of finding ghosts are indeed much greater. Before long, six or seven shadowy ghosts drifted in from all directions and lined up a few meters away from Xu Zhengyang, prostrating themselves half a foot in the air, each one trembling and seemingly somewhat afraid.
Xu Zhengyang said solemnly, "Let me introduce myself. I am the local official in Cixian County, in charge of the land deities of nine towns and ten villages. I have summoned you here today to do a few things. Well, you should know that humans and ghosts cannot meet or communicate, but if I grant your permission, you may meet and communicate with the people I designate..."
"Don't even think about seeing your family, that's impossible."
Xu Zhengyang easily assigned tasks, and the six or seven ghosts trembled as they prostrated themselves on the ground in worship.
After finally finishing his story, Xu Zhengyang felt dizzy and weak. He forced himself to stay awake, waved to send the ghosts away, and plopped down on the riverbank, lighting a cigarette and smoking...
The reason for summoning these ghosts was simply that he was too lazy to visit Shen Qun, Guo Haigang, and their families in his dreams anymore—that was too troublesome. It was better to just find a group of ghosts to do these things, saving him the trouble of being exhausted every night. Besides… the appearance of ghosts should be more effective than him visiting their dreams, and their deterrent power should be much stronger.
Since two or three days have passed and they still won't budge, insisting it's just a nightmare, then don't blame me for making you tremble with fear in the middle of the night.
Incidentally, it also serves to promote the prestige of the Earth God and the Chief Clerk; once the news spreads...
Xu Zhengyang looked down at the county register and asked with some concern, "Besides Huaxiang, how many people in other towns and villages have been worshipping deities recently?"
A: Yes, many.
Really? Xu Zhengyang scratched his head in surprise. Rumors shouldn't spread this fast, right? Logically speaking, at most only some people in a few villages in Huaxiang would believe the rumors after hearing them from Shuanghe Village. How could there be so many rumors throughout the county? In today's society, with atheism so prevalent, this possibility is unlikely.
Just as he was wondering, the county register flashed again: Since there are no other gods in the entire county, all the faith of mortals in gods belongs to the official in charge.
Holy crap! No way?
Exhausted, Xu Zhengyang suddenly stood up, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He looked up at the endless, deep night sky with a blank expression, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of his throat.
What does this mean?
Although Xu Zhengyang lacked formal education and exceptional intelligence, when someone dedicates themselves to something and reflects on it daily, they can gradually grasp the crucial aspects of that matter. That's why he was so excited upon seeing that sentence in the county register…
Xu Zhengyang calmed his excitement, took a few deep drags on his cigarette, flicked the butt far away, and then changed the subject, asking, "I've been thinking about something these past two days. Although no one in reality has ever experienced being possessed by a ghost, it's recorded in some books, there are legends about it, and some movies and TV series also tell stories about it. So, does being possessed by a ghost actually exist or not?"
A: Yes.
"Since humans and ghosts cannot communicate, but I can make ghosts communicate with humans, then... is it possible that long ago, for a ghost to possess someone, it also required the command of some deity to do these things?"
A: Yes.
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang frowned. Logically speaking, ghosts possessing people do bad things, so how could a deity instruct a ghost to do bad things? However, he didn't have time to ask these questions right now. That wasn't what he was concerned about, so he quickly asked, "Are there any limits?"
A: Ghosts whose lifespan has ended can only stay within the territory governed by the Earth God and obey his instructions. Ghosts whose lifespan has not ended can be taken out of the territory by the Earth God, who will then use his supernatural powers to help them possess and seize the souls of others.
"Oh..." Xu Zhengyang nodded, inwardly cursing which bastard set this rule, why does everything have to consume divine power? Then he asked, "Can ghosts only stay in the world for seven days?"
A: Yes.
Are ghosts whose lifespan hasn't ended the same?
A: Those whose lifespan has not yet ended need the protection of the local deities to verify their identity. After the judge makes a decision, the ghost messengers will take them to the underworld. If there are no deities to protect and verify their identity, they cannot enter the underworld. After seven days, they will be devoured by the yang energy of the world, their souls will be scattered, and they will perish completely.
Xu Zhengyang frowned and asked, "Among those dozen or so ghosts just now, were any of them still alive?"
A: It is extremely rare for someone to die before their lifespan is over, but this time something is strange. There have been two such cases in our county recently, among the ghosts that just came.
"Call them back!" Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to investigate why two ghosts whose lifespans had not yet ended had strangely appeared in the county recently.
The county magistrate was in the east of the river. Soon after, a man and a woman, two ghosts, drifted rapidly from afar. As if they were not in control of their own destiny, upon seeing that it was the magistrate summoning them, they hurriedly and fearfully prostrated themselves half a foot in the air.
Xu Zhengyang temporarily ignored the two ghosts, frowning as he communicated with the county clerk telepathically: "I am a local deity, and I should protect these two ghosts whose lifespans have not yet ended. Should you notify the judge?"
A: The local land administration department reports to the official in charge of land management, who then forwards the report to the judge.
"Nonsense! I am now the Earth God and his Chief Clerk, you'd better inform the Judge immediately!"
A: I have tried to contact you several times recently, but have received no response.
"Damn, does that mean these two ghosts who haven't reached the end of their lifespan are just waiting to be completely destroyed?"
A: The land can collect ghosts and record them in the local records, and temporarily protect their souls for forty-nine days with divine power.