"Do I need you to do these things for me?" the old man interrupted Xu Zhengyang.
"This..." Xu Zhengyang was speechless. It was true; if he wanted to rebuild his house, wouldn't that be an easy thing for him? Why did he have to try to kill himself? Did he have a death wish? Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang cautiously asked, "Then, old man, what made you so upset?"
The old man sighed and said, "Alas, I'm tired of living."
"No way? He actually guessed that..." Xu Zhengyang looked at the old man in disbelief.
"Should we help or not?"
"This... how can I help?" Xu Zhengyang asked hesitantly.
"I'll give you all my divine power, and you'll become the local earth god..." the old man said, surprising everyone.
Xu Zhengyang was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped to the ground.
"Don't you want to be a god?"
"No, no..." Xu Zhengyang hurriedly shook his head. Who wouldn't want to be a god? The problem was... Xu Zhengyang's small-business mentality made him habitually calculating. Looking at the old man's appearance, he was clearly doing poorly, to the point of being tired of living. It was clear that being a local earth god wasn't a good job. Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang awkwardly said, "Grandpa, don't worry about it. There's a long road ahead, isn't there? Everyone has their troubles sometimes. As the saying goes, every family has its own problems..."
The old man glared at him and said, "Stop talking nonsense, are you going to help or not?"
"Don't be angry, don't be angry," Xu Zhengyang quickly said. "You made me the local earth god, so you can just walk away?"
"Hmm." The old man nodded and said, "Originally, when a bolt of lightning struck, my soul would be scattered. I have no physical body, and once my divine power is gone, I would naturally die... Oh right, you don't need to worry that you will be like me and have difficulty dying. After all, you have a physical body. If you don't reach the realm of an emperor in the future, once your physical body dies, it will all be over."
"Who the hell would be crazy enough to want to die?" Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, but said aloud, "As the saying goes, one shouldn't accept a reward without merit. Aren't I just taking advantage of you, sir?"
The old man quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, you're helping me out."
"Grandpa, you're a deity. If you really want to give me your divine power, it seems like you don't need to consult me, right?"
"Oh, you can't say that. I've been in this world for so long, and I've never done anything wrong, nor have I ever forced anyone to do anything against their will. This is a matter of principle."
Xu Zhengyang raised an eyebrow, thinking that he had guessed correctly. The profession of Earth God was not a good thing. Otherwise, why would the old man say "forcing people to do the impossible"?
Having probably discerned what Xu Zhengyang was thinking, the old man waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, the Earth God is still a deity. It will only bring you benefits, not harm, for a mortal like you to become one. Oh, by the way, the little bit of divine power I have left can at most make you half an Earth God, consider it a part-time job."
"Could I refuse?"
"no."
"You're forcing me to do something I can't..."
"Cough cough..." The old man coughed twice to cover his embarrassment and said, "At least, at least it's a way of repaying my life-saving grace."
"That's true." Xu Zhengyang grimaced and pouted, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt helpless. Seeing the old man's expression, he knew that if he refused, who knew what kind of trouble might arise? So he simply closed his eyes, spread his hands, and said righteously, "Since that's the case, I, Xu Zhengyang, cannot be ungrateful, I cannot be ungrateful. Consider it repaying a debt of gratitude. Damn it, whether I live or die, I weigh a hundred pounds or so. Come on, give it to me, do whatever you want with me..."
He had thought that since the other party was a deity, and he had been wronged so much, they should at least show some mercy and compassion and let him go.
Unexpectedly, seeing Xu Zhengyang's straightforwardness, the old man no longer hesitated. He immediately raised his hand and pointed in the air, a faint golden light gently pouring out from between his fingers, entering Xu Zhengyang's brow. The light disappeared instantly. Xu Zhengyang felt a warm current surge into his brow, spreading throughout his body before returning to his mind.
"All done?" Xu Zhengyang opened his eyes, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Damn, you actually did it to me?"
The old man smiled kindly and nodded, his wrinkled face conveying a sense of satisfaction and relief.
Xu Zhengyang moved his limbs and checked his internal organs. It seemed that he was fine. He decided that this was a way to repay the old man for saving his life and to fulfill the old man's dying wish. He figured he had done a good deed. As for whether being a local earth god was good or bad, he could always just quit after the old man died.
"This is the 'Local Record,' containing the household registration records of all the land, people, and animals in the entire village." The old man handed Xu Zhengyang the piece of white jade in his hand and said, "This 'Local Record' contains profound secrets. Of course, in the current world, I doubt you'll ever have the chance to decipher it in your lifetime. Also, your divine power is insufficient now; you're only half a local god, so you can't open this 'Local Record'..."
Thinking it was some kind of magical artifact, Xu Zhengyang took it with a pout, only to find it was just a useless thing. Unexpectedly, the moment it touched his hand, it transformed into a stream of light and disappeared, startling Xu Zhengyang into exclaiming, "Ah!"
"Don't worry, it's just recognized its master." The old man's voice was much lower, as if he was losing his strength, and his figure also began to change, floating and indistinct, as if he might disappear at any moment.
Seeing the old man in this state, Xu Zhengyang realized that he was probably about to lose his soul, so he quickly asked, "Grandpa, what's so great about being an immortal? What should I do?"
"Sigh...whatever." The old man's figure had gradually faded away, seemingly unwilling to answer Xu Zhengyang's question, only softly saying, "If you don't want to be an immortal, then so be it..."
"Hey, please explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?"
"The immortals are long gone, just legends... I have nothing left to cherish, I'm too lonely..."
Xu Zhengyang watched helplessly as the old man's figure finally disappeared into the temple. Completely bewildered, he recalled the old man's words: "What legends? Isn't that nonsense? Immortals are just legendary things. You have no attachments? You live a lonely life?"
What does this have to do with me? I asked how to become a god, so at least tell me how to use this divine power!
They're completely unrelated!
Volume 1, Land, Chapter 003: Encountering a Ghost
As the saying goes, "Those who survive a great calamity are sure to have good fortune in the future."
Xu Zhengyang had no idea that being struck by lightning not only didn't kill him, but also granted him the so-called position of the Earth God and half the divine power of one. Could this be considered a blessing? However, he didn't see any good fortune, but bad luck came quickly. After returning home from the Earth God Temple that day, he had a high fever for two days in a row, and the IV drips and injections cost him eighty or ninety yuan, which made Xu Zhengyang very distressed.
He didn't dare tell anyone about what happened at the local temple. First, he was afraid his family would worry; second, if word got out, people would laugh at him, and no one would believe such things.
So he kept it to himself. After recovering from his illness, he rested for three more days, carefully examined his body, and found that there was nothing wrong, which put his mind at ease.
Whether one possesses supernatural powers or not is irrelevant; whether one becomes a deity or not is also unimportant, as long as one's body is healthy.
A few days later, he forgot about it and stopped thinking about it. After all, he was just an ordinary person from a poor family, and his real concern was how to exchange his millet for enough to earn a few extra dollars each day. As for the duties and powers of the local earth god… they couldn't be used to make money or put food on the table.
Until half a month later...
That morning, while exchanging millet in Wangjia Village, Xu Zhengyang landed a big job. Someone wanted him to deliver 200 jin of millet to Fuhe City, and to make sure he didn't make the long journey for nothing, they offered him an extra 1 mao per jin of millet.
Xu Zhengyang was overjoyed. After agreeing on the price and getting the exact address, he immediately rushed home. In the afternoon, he ground the millet into small millet, packed it into bags, and without even taking a break, he hopped on his bicycle, loaded with the millet, and excitedly headed towards Fuhe City.
Fuhe City is more than 80 li (approximately 40 kilometers) away from Shuanghe Village. It was already past 4:30 PM when we arrived, and we were carrying 200 jin (approximately 100 kg) of millet. Once in the city, we had to ask for directions to find the village. So by the time we unloaded the millet, collected the money, and headed back, it was already dark.
Fortunately, he returned empty-handed, and having earned fifty yuan, Xu Zhengyang was in a good mood and full of energy. He pedaled the empty bike like a whirlwind towards the village, determined to buy two bottles of ice-cold beer to treat himself when he got back...
It was a clear night, with the Milky Way stretching across the sky, supporting a dense array of stars and a high-hanging crescent moon.
A gentle breeze carries the croaking of frogs from the rice paddies on both sides of the road. Even the chirping of cicadas in the treetops seems less noisy and chaotic than during the day, as if rhythmically harmonizing with the frog croaks, playing a symphony of the summer night.
As he approached the village, Xu Zhengyang slowed down considerably. After all, he was exhausted from the 160-170 li round trip, and seeing the faint lights of the village in the distance, he completely relaxed.
Lazily pedaling his bicycle, Xu Zhengyang hummed a song while smoking a cigarette:
Immortal mountains separated by a sea of clouds, connected by a jade belt of rosy peaks.
It is said that there are celestial beings living in seclusion.
Celestial beings need not envy; mortals should work hard.
Even the most difficult things can be a source of joy.
With ambition, one can encourage oneself and not complain about hardships;
Striving with sweat and blood, yet laughing proudly at gains and losses...
...
Xu Zhengyang is content with his current life. He is confident that with his hard work, he can help his family escape poverty and live a happy life. Of course, he also has a very practical goal: to save enough money to open a grain store in Fuhe City.
As for whether he will become rich and powerful in the future, that's another matter. Although he longs for it, Xu Zhengyang knows it's unrealistic.
Passing by the Earth God Temple, Xu Zhengyang recalled the scene from half a month ago, and smiled to himself, saying, "Gods and immortals aren't necessarily living a good life, otherwise the Earth God wouldn't have taken his own life... It's just like the song says, 'Jade palaces and celestial palaces, piled high with gold and jade, the mortal world is no less beautiful than the fairyland.' So, I should just live my life honestly..."
Muttering these words, Xu Zhengyang had already passed the local earth god temple when suddenly an anxious voice came from behind him: "Hey, earth god, earth god..."
There wasn't a soul in sight on the road outside the village, and it was nighttime. Startled by the sudden sound of voices, Xu Zhengyang nearly fell off his bicycle. Fortunately, Xu Zhengyang was quite agile and quick-witted, and being an experienced cyclist, he managed to brace himself with his feet and pull the bicycle to a stable stop in the middle of the road.
A nameless anger surged within Xu Zhengyang. Damn it, scaring people in the middle of the night! He turned around, cigarette dangling from his lips, and saw a figure rushing out of the earth god temple under the bright moonlight, waving and calling out, "Earth God, wait a moment!"
"Is he calling me?" Xu Zhengyang recognized the figure, but there was no one around. Remembering his status as a half-land god, he was puzzled. Who was this person? How did he know he was a land god? Xu Zhengyang focused his attention and looked closely. The person was getting closer and closer.
Before he could even see the face clearly, Xu Zhengyang's eyes widened in shock, and he gasped. My God, this is a ghost!
The figure running towards Xu Zhengyang was so fast that its feet barely touched the ground, and its movements were unpredictable.
Just as Xu Zhengyang came to his senses and was about to turn and flee, he saw the figure stop three or four meters away from him, then kneel down without hesitation and kowtow repeatedly, pleading, "Earth God, please have mercy and help me..."
"This..." Xu Zhengyang snapped out of his shock and thought that the ghost was afraid of him. That made sense. After all, he was a god. How could a ghost not be afraid of him? But, but this ghost looked very familiar, and its voice was familiar too... But he couldn't tell what it looked like because of the poor lighting at night, or because ghosts are inherently blurry.
Xu Zhengyang tilted his head, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and asked, "Hey, who... are you?"
"Earth God, I am Zhao Laoguang from Shuanghe Village." The ghost continued kowtowing as it spoke, repeatedly apologizing: "When I was alive, I didn't believe in ghosts and gods, and I even defecated and urinated in the Earth God's temple, thus blaspheming the deity. Please forgive my sins..."
"Uncle Guang?" Xu Zhengyang quickly got off his bicycle, no longer afraid, and hurriedly walked towards the ghost, saying, "Why are you back?"
Zhao Laoguang is a man in his forties, and he is quite a well-known figure in Shuanghe Village.
Everyone in the village knew that Zhao Laoguang had made a lot of money as a contractor a few years ago. Later, somehow, he met a woman from the south, bought a house in the provincial capital, and started a family. It was said that the woman even had a child with him. Fortunately, Zhao Laoguang still had some conscience and did not abandon his wife and his daughter and son. He would often come back to his home in the village to stay for a while and leave some money behind.
His family and Xu Zhengyang's family lived on the same street, and the two families knew each other well. So when Xu Zhengyang heard that it was Zhao Laoguang, he quickly stepped forward to help him up, because he couldn't accept his elder kowtowing.
Unexpectedly, as he took a step forward, Zhao Laoguang's body swayed and rapidly retreated, maintaining a distance of three or four meters from Xu Zhengyang. He didn't even stand up as he retreated, simply kowtowing as he floated backward, muttering, "Earth God, Zhao Laoguang cannot bear to be addressed as such..."
"Uncle Lao Guang, it's me, Zheng Yang!" Xu Zheng Yang said, embarrassed, and hurriedly revealed his identity.
"Zhengyang?" Zhao Laoguang finally stopped kowtowing, raised his head and looked at Xu Zhengyang in confusion. "Earth God, you, you are Xu Zhengyang?"
"Ah, right, Uncle Guang, don't you recognize me?"
Xu Zhengyang was puzzled, then he remembered that Zhao Laoguang was now a ghost. Perhaps... humans and ghosts are different, ghosts can't see the appearance of humans, and humans can't see the appearance of ghosts either?
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang had no idea what kind of image he had in Zhao Laoguang's eyes. He was radiant with golden light, and even ghosts couldn't see his face clearly. On his head, however, he wore a goose-wing hat with three words clearly written on it: "Earth God".
"Earth God, whether you are Xu Zhengyang or anyone else, please forgive my sins and do me a favor..." Zhao Laoguang began kowtowing again.
"Alright, alright, stop kowtowing. Just tell me what it is?" Xu Zhengyang was now certain that Zhao Laoguang couldn't see through him, so he simply stopped arguing about it.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Laoguang stopped kowtowing and prostrated himself on the ground, sobbing and choking as he said, "Two days ago, I was driving from the provincial capital to Hexi Province when my brakes failed halfway there, and I plunged into a reservoir and drowned. Nobody knows about it to this day... After I became a ghost, I realized that I could only stay in the world for seven days, so I went back to the provincial capital first, thinking of finding my concubine to bring my body back. But ghosts and humans can't communicate, and I discovered that my concubine was having an affair behind my back, so I rushed back to find my wife and children in my village... But I can see them, but they can't see me. How can I tell them this news? And I also want to tell them that I buried a savings book under the west wall, with more than a million yuan in it, which I left for them."
"Well... how do you want me to help you?" Xu Zhengyang asked.
"Please, please tell them I'm dead, so they can come and retrieve my body. I need to be buried in my family's ancestral grave. And, and they need to know about that savings account, otherwise they'll never know!" Old Zhao said, kowtowing repeatedly, though no sound came out.
"Oh, okay, I'll tell them when I get back." Xu Zhengyang nodded in agreement without hesitation. It was a small matter, just a small favor.
"Thank you, thank you so much! You are a great and magnanimous Earth God, your merits will last forever..."
Listening to Zhao Laoguang kowtowing repeatedly and uttering words of praise, Xu Zhengyang inexplicably felt incredibly comfortable, as if his blood was starting to flow with joy. Xu Zhengyang thought he was getting a little smug after receiving so much flattery, so he nodded and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"It's gone, it's gone," Zhao Laoguang said hurriedly.
"Oh, then go in peace. Don't linger in this mortal world. Enter the underworld for reincarnation as soon as possible, atone for your sins, and be reborn as a human as soon as possible..." Xu Zhengyang said smugly, starting to act like a local god. Influenced by the comfortable feeling inside him, he thought about how nice it would feel to be a god...
"Yes, yes, thank you so much for your great kindness, I will never forget it, and I will burn incense and kowtow to you every day in my next life..."
After a few more compliments and flattery, Zhao Laoguang's ghost got up and drifted away into the distance, disappearing into the deep night in no time.
Xu Zhengyang felt smug for a while, then rode his bicycle towards the village, thinking he should hurry up and tell Zhao Laoguang's family... Oh no! This won't do! As Xu Zhengyang rode his bicycle, he suddenly realized, how should he tell Zhao Laoguang's family about this? Should he just say: "Auntie, hello, I am the local earth god. Uncle Laoguang is dead, and his ghost has come to me, asking me to tell you to hurry up and collect his body?"
He would definitely be beaten out by Zhao Laoguang's family with sticks and kitchen knives.
Xu Zhengyang regretted agreeing to this without thinking it through.