This is what's called "good intentions gone wrong." As the saying goes, "a dog bites Lü Dongbin but doesn't recognize a good heart." It's hard to be a good person, and it's even harder to be a god. I guess Lü Dongbin was just being nosy and meddling in other people's business, which is why he has this proverb that has been passed down through the ages.
What good is it for the local earth god to deliver a message?
Even if we didn't help Zhao Laoguang deliver the message this time, his family still got the news, didn't they? They even dug up that savings account with over a million yuan!
"What did I gain? I didn't get a single penny! And I even ruined two days of business." Xu Zhengyang was so angry that he drank half a jin of baijiu and still couldn't sleep. He pondered all night in frustration, but still couldn't think of a way to get rid of the divine power in his body, let alone who to ask to resign from his position as the Earth God.
So he made up his mind to never get involved in these messes again. These days, you should never do good deeds out of kindness, or you might suffer a great loss!
Of course, this was just something he said in anger.
Given Xu Zhengyang's personality, if he were to encounter an elderly woman crossing the street or a child falling down, he would most likely rush over to help them up. For example, once in Fuhe City, he offered his seat to an elderly man on a bus, but the old man arrogantly sat down as if it were his right, without even a thank you. Instead, he gave Xu Zhengyang a disdainful look at his country bumpkin-like attire. Xu Zhengyang was furious and vowed never to offer his seat again.
But even now, if he's on a bus, he'll still give up his seat to the elderly, people carrying children, and pregnant women!
This is human nature, conscience, and humanity!
Xu Zhengyang hadn't slept all night, but refused to rest the next day. With dark circles under his eyes, he went out to do business, hoping to recoup the losses of the past two days. However, he wasn't made of iron, so he looked listless, and business didn't go smoothly. It wasn't until noon, under the scorching sun and enveloped in heat, that he had only managed to sell half of the millet he was carrying.
After wandering around three villages, he arrived at the main street of Xinzhuang Village in Xinzhuang Township. He leaned his bicycle against the wall, sat down under a big willow tree, ate the two steamed buns he had bought with water, smoked a cigarette, and planned to doze off for two hours.
The worst part was that in this sweltering summer, even hiding indoors under a fan couldn't alleviate the heat. Moreover, under the shade of the willow trees on the street, even the occasional breeze felt like a wave of heat carrying flames, making one sweat profusely and feel utterly uncomfortable. So, exhausted and sleepy, Xu Zhengyang couldn't fall asleep. He simply lit another cigarette and, looking around aimlessly, soon noticed the "Xinzhuang Township Senior Citizens' Activity Center" diagonally opposite the crossroads.
The Xinzhuang Township Senior Citizens Activity Center was originally just an ordinary land temple, which was said to have been built during the Qing Dynasty. It had some historical significance and was even recorded in the county annals, so it was much better preserved than the land temple west of Xu Zhengyang's village.
Two years ago, to better protect this historical site, the township funded the expansion of the area around the land temple, building a wall and a gate. They also invited officials from the county to renovate the temple. Several rooms were then built in the courtyard. To save land resources and ensure the money was well spent, the enclosed temple was converted into a "senior citizens' activity center." Fitness equipment was installed, and the rooms were stocked with newspapers, books, and other reading materials, allowing seniors to relax, read, and exercise.
It sounds like a project that benefits the people, right? Actually, it's just a vanity project.
Apart from the elderly in Xinzhuang Village who come here occasionally because it's closer, who from other villages would travel all that way to exercise, read books, or watch TV? Besides, even the elderly from their own village are too lazy to come here; there's no one to take care of them, so they'd rather be comfortable at home.
Therefore, the "Xinzhuang Township Senior Citizens Activity Center" is empty for 356 out of 365 days a year, and even the gatekeeper is not in the guardhouse all day.
Fortunately, there was nothing of value inside, so there was no need to worry about thieves.
Now, Xu Zhengyang has taken notice of them.
A local temple? Wouldn't there be a local deity inside? Xu Zhengyang pondered for a moment, then considered going in to see if there was one. If so, he'd ask her to help him find a leader and resign from the position. Xu Zhengyang really didn't want this job; there was no benefit to it, was there?
Having made up his mind, Xu Zhengyang pushed his bicycle and headed there.
The streets were deserted in the afternoon. The heat wave assaulted everything, and the air seemed to melt, with visible signs of movement in the air.
Xu Zhengyang squinted, enduring the scorching sun, and hurriedly entered the courtyard of the "Senior Citizens' Activity Center".
Xu Zhengyang parked his bicycle in a shady spot, stepped into the local temple, and plopped down on the steps in front of the solitary statue of the local deity.
"Hey, Earth God, are you there?" Xu Zhengyang looked around, lit a cigarette, and then introduced himself: "I'm the Earth God of Huaxiang. We're in the same line of work, want to chat for a bit?"
There was no response. The clay statue, taller than a person, gazed kindly at the door, seemingly too lazy to pay attention to Xu Zhengyang.
"Really, I'm not lying to you, I really am traveling with you." Xu Zhengyang explained earnestly, looking at the clay statue.
After waiting for a while with no movement, Xu Zhengyang grew impatient. He wondered if this local earth god was tired of living and had already taken his own life. He frowned and cursed at the clay statue, "Hey... are you dead?"
Sure enough, there was no sound at all.
Sigh... Xu Zhengyang sighed. It seemed that, just as he had thought, the local earth god had also passed away.
The temple was much cooler and more comfortable than the outside. Somewhat disappointed, Xu Zhengyang simply lay down on the steps and soon, exhausted and sleepy, he drifted off to sleep.
He was awakened by a strange fluctuation. He sat up abruptly and looked around, but found nothing unusual. The strange fluctuation still lingered in his mind. Then... a cool sensation came from his palm. He raised his hand and saw that the white jade stone had appeared out of thin air in his palm, as if it had crawled out of his hand.
Local record? Xu Zhengyang still remembered that when the Earth God gave this thing to him before he died, he told him its name.
Then, Xu Zhengyang saw a scene on the smooth, mirror-like jade:
Zhao Laoguang's wife, Xiangqin, carrying a basket with paper money, candles, and incense, respectfully lit the candles and offered incense in the stinking, excrement-filled local earth god temple, then kowtowed and prayed, thanking the earth god for bringing them a message...
As Xiangqin kowtowed in gratitude, Xu Zhengyang felt a refreshing and comfortable sensation fill his mind, gradually spreading throughout his body, making him feel comfortable and relaxed in every part of his body.
However, Xiangqin's next words annoyed Xu Zhengyang.
After kowtowing and worshipping, Xiangqin respectfully said to the clay statue of the Earth God, "Earth God, if you have anything to say in the future, just send it to me in a dream. Don't send messages to that brat Xu Zhengyang in a dream. That brat is no good. Don't be fooled by his current respectable and diligent appearance; he used to be a scoundrel..."
Xu Zhengyang was furious: "When have I ever been bad? It's just that I got into a few fights before because of brotherhood."
Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking to himself, Xiangqin in the scene seemed to have heard him. She suddenly shuddered, trembling as she kowtowed and confessed: "I shouldn't have gossiped about people behind their backs. I was wrong, I'm guilty, I'll never dare to do it again. I only pray that the Earth God will bless our family more in the future. It's not easy being an orphan and a widow..."
"Your family of orphans and widows has it tough, hasn't it? Damn, over a million yuan in the savings account, enough to feed your grandchildren for generations!" Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, feeling both amused and exasperated. He was determined not to let anyone know he was the local earth god, or the village would be in chaos. Fortunately, no matter how much Xiangqin spoke ill of him, she was ultimately worshipping the earth god; she had no idea that the earth god was Xu Zhengyang himself.
Since people were worshipping him, Xu Zhengyang wasn't too angry. In fact, he was quite touched. It was really hard on Aunt Xiangqin. In this day and age, she could still buy something like "incense" to worship him.
Staring intently at the image on the jade in his hand, Xu Zhengyang found it quite interesting, like watching television, until Xiangqin respectfully left with her basket.
To Xu Zhengyang's surprise, just as Xiangqin left the screen, the image on the jade flashed and disappeared, but a line of red text appeared:
Xu Zhengyang
Zodiac sign: Pig
People from Shuanghe Village, Huaxiang Township
Twenty-one years old
Position: Local Earth God of Huaxiang (promoted to permanent position).
Xu Zhengyang was puzzled, thinking, "Well, how did I go from being a half-baked local deity to a full-fledged one? What can I do now?" Just as he thought this, an image flashed on the jade, providing the answer:
The Earth God is in charge of the household registration of all people, animals, and spirits in Huaxiang Township. He knows all matters, big and small, and judges good and evil according to the law. Every six months, when the Duty Officer on patrol is on duty, the Earth God can submit the records to the Duty Officer, who will then forward them to the Judge and the City God.
Gongcao? Judge? City God? What are these things? Xu Zhengyang frowned in confusion.
The local record seemed to be quite intelligent, knowing what Xu Zhengyang was thinking, and the answer was revealed again: Gongcao, Panguan, and Chenghuang are not things, but the direct superiors of the local earth god.
"Huh?" Xu Zhengyang chuckled and quickly asked, "What are you?"
A: Recorded locally.
"Nonsense..." Xu Zhengyang asked again, "Do you have a spiritual nature?"
A: No.
"robot?"
The jade trembled slightly, but offered no answer.
Xu Zhengyang found it increasingly amusing and asked again, "Hey, what abilities do I have now? Oh, right, I mean divine power. What supernatural powers do I have?"
A flash of light appeared on the jade, revealing a line of words: Within the territory of Flower Village, ghosts fear it; it can make ghosts appear before people; it can investigate the trivial matters of each household, and inspect the major and minor affairs of each place; it knows the living and dead things in each place; its divine eyes can penetrate three feet into the ground, and can pass through walls.
No way? Xu Zhengyang's face lit up with joy. Was he about to become rich?
How to become wealthy? Xu Zhengyang scratched his head, not really thinking about it. He looked up at the wall, trying to see what was outside, but to his disappointment, all he could see was the snow-white wall of the temple. "Yes, yes, my supernatural powers only work within the Flower Village area, and this is Xinzhuang Township!" Xu Zhengyang sighed, feeling deeply regretful that he couldn't immediately test the effectiveness of his powers.
Xu Zhengyang stared at the clear writing on the jade and chuckled as he asked, "So, how much does this local deity pay me a month?"
The jade remained unmoved.
"Oh, not salary, it should be called, offering? Ah, no, it's a stipend..." Xu Zhengyang slapped his forehead. He didn't even know which dynasty this thing came from, so he quickly perked up and explained seriously, "The job of the Earth God, well, this position, can't be done for free, right?"
The jade stone trembled slightly, but still did not reveal the answer.
"You damn well better say something!" Xu Zhengyang was getting angry.
A flash of light appeared on the jade, and the words describing the earth god's abilities disappeared, leaving only the smooth, flawless surface of the jade.
Damn it! Xu Zhengyang raised the jade stone as if to smash it on the ground, but in the end he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Suddenly, the jade trembled slightly, and a line of clear characters appeared: "Those who possess supernatural powers in this world can return to heaven and attain divine status; they do not covet worldly things, but only seek rebirth in the Pure Land."
Although Xu Zhengyang couldn't fully grasp the meaning of those four sentences, he could at least understand the gist of it. He spat and muttered, "Nonsense, just because he's a lousy local deity doesn't mean he's not interested in worldly things, and he even talks about being reborn in the Pure Land. The previous local deity ended up in a miserable state, what's the point of living for ten thousand years? In the end, he got tired of living and committed suicide, without even enjoying life..."
After grumbling for a while, Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, "Having supernatural powers is better than not having them, right? It won't interfere with my business and making money. Maybe I can even earn more with them. As for how to make money... I'll think about it carefully later." Hmm, every six months, a so-called superior, some kind of official called Gongcao, will come to inspect and submit reports on the good and evil people of this village.
That's easy! The emperor is far away, and I'm now the local tyrant. I can just pick a few people I don't like and call them vicious villains, then let the leaders deal with them. Plus, I can settle personal scores on official business. Why not?
How the leaders would punish the wicked was not Xu Zhengyang's concern, but he figured they wouldn't let him off easily.
Ignore it; there's no need to add to your troubles.
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang was no longer sleepy at all. He was full of energy and excitement. He immediately decided to return to the village to test his supernatural abilities and then seriously think about how to make a fortune with these abilities.
Just as he reached the temple gate, Xu Zhengyang realized that it wasn't right to hold this piece of jade in his hand. What if someone with ulterior motives saw it and took advantage of it? So he said to the jade, "Hey, don't leave it out there. Go back inside me."
The jade flashed and disappeared in an instant, making Xu Zhengyang even a little worried that it might be lost.
Quickly, with a thought, make the jade reappear.
"Hey, it works pretty well!" Xu Zhengyang happily relaxed, retrieved the jade with a thought, and nodded in satisfaction. He then turned and walked back to the steps, using a lighter to scribble a line of small characters on the statue:
The local earth god of Shuanghe Village in Huaxiang has visited. If you see this, please remember to visit the earth god temple in Shuanghe Village.
Feeling refreshed and cheerful, Xu Zhengyang walked out of the local temple, pushed his bicycle, and left the senior citizens' activity center, preparing to head home.
As he rode his bicycle out of Xinzhuang Village, Xu Zhengyang frowned as he approached the village entrance. He thought to himself: Stay calm, I must stay calm. I must act like an ordinary person and not let anyone notice anything unusual.
Normally, he wouldn't go home until he finished exchanging all the millet. If he went home today, his parents would be suspicious. Besides... after running a small business for more than a year, Xu Zhengyang had become used to being thrifty. He had come all this way, wouldn't it be a waste not to exchange all the millet before going home?
Besides, it's not even certain whether my little bit of supernatural ability will make me rich, so it's better to be realistic.
Money is what matters most when it's in your hands.
So Xu Zhengyang hurriedly got off, turned around, and started pushing his bicycle around the streets and alleys under the scorching sun, enthusiastically calling out, "Swapping millet..."
The sun was still scorching, and the cicadas were chirping wildly in the treetops.
I walked through half the village, but no one came out to exchange millet. I guess the villagers were still taking a nap under the fans or air conditioners to avoid the sweltering heat.
He continued hawking his wares until he reached the north of the village. As he passed a house, he heard someone shout from inside, "Hey, you want to trade millet? Can you shut the hell up? Damn it!"
Volume 1 Land Chapter 006 Clairvoyant Eyes
There are many people in this world who like to stir up trouble, especially young people. After watching too many gangster movies like "Young and Dangerous," they always think about picking fights and bullying others. Perhaps the village thugs even think about extorting protection money from those who go from street to street selling small businesses...
It's purely due to an overproduction of hormones and a problem with psychological impulses.
For example, the young man who is cursing Xu Zhengyang now looks about eighteen or nineteen years old. He has a buzz cut, wears shorts with his back bare, and has a dragon tattooed on his arm with bared teeth and claws. His face is flushed and his eyes are glazed and unsteady. He is obviously drunk.
Xu Zhengyang frowned as he listened to the young man cursing him. He glanced into the courtyard, sighed, and ignored the young man. He pushed his bicycle and walked straight away, thinking that his hawking had probably disturbed the people's drinking, because there were still shouts and sounds of drinking games coming from inside the house in the courtyard.
The young man felt annoyed when Xu Zhengyang ignored him. Under the influence of alcohol, he thought that the man who was exchanging millet should immediately smile and promise not to hawk the millet after hearing his scolding, and then apologize and slink away.
So the young man rushed into the street and shouted, "Hey, you little brat, stop right there!"
Xu Zhengyang stopped, turned his head, and asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"
Where are you from?