Of course, once the company's operations are on track and it starts to make a profit, the profits can be quite substantial.
Furthermore, Zhan Xiaohui and Wu Juan's goal is to open at least ten round-trip less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transport routes between cities within four years...
That night, lying in his hotel room, Xu Zhengyang's calm and composed demeanor vanished instantly. He was so happy that his eyebrows curved into smiles, and his squinting, delighted expression made Chen Chaojiang, who was about to rest in another room, think that Xu Zhengyang at that moment looked like a cunning little fox.
Zhan Xiaohui and Wu Juan were confident they could open branches in ten cities within four years, with the added support of their powerful and invincible City God. In a few years, wouldn't Jinghui Logistics be a nationwide phenomenon, spreading throughout major provincial capitals? And in a few more years, wouldn't they be able to launch international logistics services...?
How much money will I have to make by then?
Xu Zhengyang squinted, his eyes gleaming with delight as he imagined a rising logistics tycoon, a new star in the business world, a young and promising Xu Zhengyang. He was attending a high-society banquet, the kind of gatherings of beautiful women and talented individuals he'd only ever seen on television. He was carrying a bottle of Wuliangye liquor, chatting animatedly with these super-rich and successful people, downing the liquor straight from the bottle, getting those previously arrogant fellows tumbling under the table, vomiting…
"Oh, we should drink red wine, and drink it very elegantly," Xu Zhengyang scratched his head.
Putting aside these beautiful dreams and fantasies, Xu Zhengyang lit a cigarette, then turned off the light, lay down on the bed, closed his eyes and pondered for a while. In an instant, his consciousness flew back to Fuhe City, summoned the ghost messenger Su Peng to his side, and gave him some instructions.
This made him feel a bit like the legendary Judge Bao, who dealt with matters of the mortal world by day and inquired about matters of the underworld by night.
"Su Peng, have you found a suitable ghost candidate these past few days?"
"Sir, I've been searching, but haven't found a suitable one yet. However, in half a month, six death row inmates will be executed by firing squad at Jigong Mountain in Fuhe City. What do you think..."
"Oh, let me know when the time comes, and I'll take them all and then pick them out one by one."
"Yes, sir."
Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips. The speed was too slow. How could this be acceptable? Should he get a few more good ghosts to serve as ghost messengers?
"My lord, my lord, when will I be able to be like Brother Su, able to take on the duties of a ghost messenger and carry out missions on my own?" Wang Yonggan asked pitifully. He was suffering from Su Peng's beatings every day, and he really couldn't take it anymore. Little did he know that Su Peng had no intention of beating him; it was all on the orders of the City God.
Xu Zhengyang nodded, then said to Su Peng, "Come with me to Beijing these next few days, there are some things to do."
"I will obey your orders, sir." Su Peng bowed his head. Although he occasionally felt lonely while serving as a ghost messenger, he felt quite satisfied being able to teach those bad guys a lesson every day, feeling a strong sense of justice. Hmm, he hadn't yet considered what it would be like to live like this for a hundred years.
"My lord, Brother Su went to the capital with you. Does that mean I'll be in charge of handling things here at the Fu River?" Wang Yonggan seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, before waving his hand to summon both of the two ghosts into the case file.
Oh, the current case file should be called the City Scroll, which records all the cases, large and small, belonging to the Fuhe City, including the judges, officials, land registers, and other related matters. With this scroll, one can enter the underworld and act as a judge.
It's a very powerful artifact. As for its other functions, I'll tell you about them later.
After taking the two ghosts into the city scroll, Xu Zhengyang moved his divine sense and his entire soul instantly arrived in the Netherworld.
It was not just anywhere, but above the cliff where the River of Oblivion splits into the River of Three Crossings, which we had visited that day.
Volume 4, City God Chapter 155: Ghost Messengers at Your Side
The underworld was eerily quiet. Bright, bluish-green light shone through the dark, deep black sky, where a jade disc hung silently, watching down below. Mountains rose and fell, steep peaks stood tall, and lush pines and cypresses flourished, shrouded in mist. It was beautiful, yet it felt lifeless and chilling.
On the steep cliff in the middle stood three people silently—or rather, one god and two ghosts. Through the gaps in the clouds below, they could see the viscous red and yellow liquid in the Sanzu River, and the silent ghosts drifting within it. Originally, they could have cried out and wailed, but the sounds coming from the other side of the mountain terrified them into silence.
Not far away, faint, mournful screams could be heard from below the clouds, making Su Peng and Wang Yonggan, the two ghosts standing above, tremble with fear.
"My lord, this... this is... this is the underworld?" Su Peng asked in a trembling voice.
Xu Zhengyang nodded and smiled, "Look down, that's the Sanzu River."
"What is the River of Three Crossings?" Wang Yonggan asked, puzzled.
"The River of Three Crossings has three streams: fast, medium, and slow. The fast stream carries the souls of virtuous people after death, allowing them to reach the Pool of Reincarnation sooner, be reincarnated, and be born into wealthy and happy families in their next life. The medium stream is for those who have both good and evil, with evil outweighing good; they will naturally be reborn into ordinary, hardworking families in their next life. The slow stream is for those who have committed the most heinous crimes; they will be reincarnated as animals or even have their souls shattered into insects in their next life. Moreover, the slow stream is extremely poisonous, devouring souls and bones, and the journey to the Pool of Reincarnation takes more than ten years," Xu Zhengyang explained with a smile.
Wang Yonggan shuddered, so frightened he wanted to bury his head in his neck.
Although Su Peng knew he was not a heinous criminal, he was still somewhat afraid when he heard the mournful screams coming from under the clouds.
The claim that the Sanzu River's slow current would take more than ten years to drift is naturally Xu Zhengyang's own estimation. How could he know how long it would take for the fast, medium, and slow currents of the Sanzu River to reach the Reincarnation Pool? He was just trying to scare Wang Yonggan and warn Su Peng.
"Let's go down and take a look," Xu Zhengyang said softly. Then, with a wave of his hands, he slowly descended, while Su Peng and Wang Yonggan, the two ghosts, also fell involuntarily, following closely on either side of Xu Zhengyang. After falling below the clouds, the scenery suddenly changed. On both sides, the cliffs were covered with bright red spider lilies in full bloom, while below, a thick, yellowish-brown liquid churned, emitting a foul stench that made one want to vomit.
When they were still a few meters above the river surface, the river suddenly began to boil, and a huge wave surged high, roaring as it rushed towards the three of them.
Xu Zhengyang was prepared. He waved his hand and summoned the city scroll. With a slight tremor, the giant wave receded, and the river returned to normal.
One god and two demons floated in the air.
The giant wave was naturally aimed at the Ghost King Yonggan, but Su Peng, who was already a formal ghost officer, would not be affected by it because he possessed a ghost officer token and divine power. However, he was unaware of this, so the sudden change startled him just like Wang Yonggan.
By this time, they could see six evil spirits churning in the thick lava in the distance, their mournful howls echoing between the cliffs, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Wang Yonggan pleaded, trembling, "My lord. My lord, please have mercy, please don't, please don't throw me in here."
It would have been better if he hadn't said that. His words actually jolted Xu Zhengyang out of his reverie. "Hmm, no need to waste time thinking about useless things. I'll come back to this later." With that thought, Xu Zhengyang snorted coldly and kicked Wang Yonggan away.
"Ah!" Wang Yonggan cried out in alarm as his body plummeted downwards. The thick slurry in the river below reacted swiftly, whipping up a tongue-like wave that swallowed Wang Yonggan and swept him into the slurry.
In an instant, a shrill scream rang out from below. Wang Yonggan didn't even have time to cry out for help or beg for mercy. He could only scream repeatedly, feeling deep regret for the evil deeds he had committed in his previous life.
"M-Sir..." Su Peng trembled with fear.
"Don't be afraid, just teach him a lesson so he'll remember it and won't misbehave in the future," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
Su Peng shivered, wondering if the City God's words were an implication that he must obey orders and not have any ulterior motives, otherwise... Su Peng was slightly curious about just how much pain the thick liquid in the river below could cause to ghosts.
He really shouldn't have had that thought.
Suddenly, Xu Zhengyang flicked his finger slightly, and a drop of thick liquid, visible to the naked eye, flew up from the river below and hit Su Peng's ghost face with a "plop".
"Ah!" Su Peng screamed in agony, scratching wildly at his face. He was utterly unable to suppress the excruciating pain that pierced his very soul and the gnawing agony that gnawed at his very bones.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand, and Su Peng's body went limp, collapsing in mid-air. He then hurriedly struggled to his feet, bowing tremblingly.
"Since you're curious, I'll let you know. I'm not trying to teach you a lesson," Xu Zhengyang said with a light laugh.
"Thank you, thank you, sir." Su Peng nodded repeatedly, not daring to say anything more.
After a while, Xu Zhengyang, holding the city scroll, waved his hand, and Wang Yonggan's ghost broke free from the slow-flowing, thick liquid of the Sanzu River and flew straight down in front of Xu Zhengyang. Wang Yonggan immediately felt a lightness all over his body and lay prostrate on the ground. Although the excruciating pain that had made him wish he were dead was gone, he was still shaken and dared not complain at all. He didn't even dare to curse or vent his anger.
“Originally, you committed evil deeds in your life and had no good intentions. You should have suffered torment and punishment in the River of Three Crossings for more than ten years. However, I have considered that you once unintentionally performed a good deed of saving people. Therefore, I can make you a ghost messenger in the human world to atone for your sins and perform the duties of a ghost messenger for three hundred years. After that, you can be reincarnated and reborn as a human…” Xu Zhengyang said slowly.
"Thank you, thank you, sir, thank you, sir!" Wang Yonggan was moved to tears and kowtowed repeatedly.
Xu Zhengyang suddenly said in a cold voice, "If you dared to do anything wrong when you were a ghost messenger, I would throw you into the River of Three Crossings for fifty years, and then cast you into the eighteenth level of hell to suffer the torment of hellfire for eternity. You would never be able to be reborn."
"No, I wouldn't dare. I will do my utmost and obey your orders, sir," Wang Yonggan hurriedly replied, terrified.
“Okay, let’s go back then.” Xu Zhengyang nodded, waved his hand to summon the two ghosts into the city scroll, and with a thought, the world changed instantly, and they went from the Netherworld to the human world.
Xu Zhengyang opened his eyes in the darkness, but did not summon the two ghost messengers from the city scroll.
In his mind, Su Peng cautiously said, "My lord, I saw six evil spirits floating in the slow current of the River of Three Crossings. Why not use them as ghost messengers?"
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."
"Yes, yes, I wouldn't dare to do it again," Su Peng quickly bowed and replied.
"Wang Yonggan, today, I bestow upon you the Ghost Messenger Token and the Soul-Striking Ruler. Perform your duties as a ghost messenger and cooperate closely with Su Peng. The two of you must not have any conflicts. If you have any objections, you may inform me for a decision." Xu Zhengyang attached the Ghost Messenger Token to Wang Yonggan's soul and bestowed upon him the Soul-Striking Ruler. He then said, "As for any things you do not understand, you may consult Su Peng. Rest for today. Starting tomorrow, I will order you two ghosts to handle some matters in the capital."
"We will obey your orders, sir!" The two ghosts kowtowed and accepted the command.
Xu Zhengyang withdrew his consciousness, lay on the bed, lit a cigarette, and let out a soft breath.
Even after becoming the City God, there are some things he still needs to think carefully before doing, because... he's still a human being and needs to live a happy life in this realistic society. As for why he didn't capture those six evil spirits to be his ghost messengers, that's something he had to be careful about. Before killing those six people, they were alive, and Xu Zhengyang appeared in their consciousness in his true form. At the time, he was just angry and wanted to let them know who they had messed with, so he did it.
Therefore, the six ghosts knew very well who Xu Zhengyang was and what he looked like.
Therefore, they are absolutely unusable; let them suffer slowly in the flowing Sanzu River.
Lying quietly in bed, Xu Zhengyang felt no fatigue whatsoever. Whenever he thought about becoming the City God of Fuhe City, he felt a mix of excitement and helplessness, a bitter smile on his face. The night before he came to the capital, after becoming the City God, he had a conversation with the City Scroll, who had also been upgraded from the Case Files, and learned about the authority and supernatural abilities of the City God.
According to the county clerk's records from his time as a clerk, the City God was supposed to be able to ascend to the Heavenly Court. Furthermore, the case files from his time as a judge indicated that the City God had the authority and ability to appoint local earth gods within the city's jurisdiction. However, after becoming the City God, when he inquired about these matters again, the city records gave him a strange answer.
For the City God to ascend to Heaven, he must first report and obtain permission before the gates of Heaven will open, allowing him to enter. However… Xu Zhengyang hasn't yet tried to get the City God to report to Heaven, but he truly doesn't hope to receive permission to open the Chrysanthemum Gate. He'll try it when he has some free time after these days.
As for the matter of bestowing the title of Earth God, firstly, Xu Zhengyang did not want to do so, and secondly... it seems that after the City God bestows the title of Earth God, he still needs to submit a report to the Heavenly Court explaining the number of gods to be appointed and the reasons for it. Only after the higher authorities approve it can the Earth God have divine power and authority.
Damn it, another hopeless result.
Fortunately, the City God now has the authority to command thirty ghost messengers, which is sufficient within the Fu River region. However, when leaving the Fu River territory, he can only bring two ghost messengers with him, and this is limited to the Hedong Province. This is because, according to the Heavenly Laws, the City God's supernatural powers are restricted when he leaves his territory, hence the need for ghost messengers to be by his side, ready to obey his commands at any time.
Xu Zhengyang maliciously speculated that the reason for having these heavenly rules was to prevent some city gods from arbitrarily expanding their territories.
However, he himself, as the City God, had a physical body and was a person, so he had to take care of his physical safety at all times.
However, there's no need to worry too much. With his current skills, and the ever-present protection of the incredibly powerful Chen Chaojiang, plus two ghosts wielding ghost messenger tokens and soul-beating rulers by his side, in this world without gods, monsters, or demons, as long as he isn't instantly killed by a single shot... within Hedong Province, hmph, what is there to fear? What is there to worry about regarding his life?
I'm afraid of my own lifespan... Who decides lifespan? Is the Book of Life and Death still in existence?
Damn it!
Volume Four, City God Chapter 156: Schemes and Intrigues vs. Supernatural Abilities
As the saying goes, everyone's heart is made of flesh and blood.
Besides resorting to vicious and violent tactics in its competition with rivals, Speedy Logistics isn't entirely unpopular in major wholesale markets, where merchants are not intimidated or resentful but dare not speak out. Over the years, many merchants have become familiar with Speedy Logistics' staff, and even the once-arrogant thugs often chat and joke with some of the merchants.
Once it became a habit, no one paid any attention to the rampant arrogance and bravado of those thugs.
Therefore, Jinghui Logistics, having just opened, couldn't suddenly rise to prominence in the major wholesale markets and outshine Speedy Logistics. Moreover, in Wu Juan's mind, engaging in a price war was definitely not a wise move; it would damage the entire industry, reduce profits, and result in a lose-lose situation. To compete with Speedy Logistics, they could only build up their reputation, efficiency, and service attitude little by little, coupled with the hard work of their sales staff in promotion and customer acquisition strategies.
As the saying goes, to defeat your opponent, you must first understand them.
Wu Juan had surveyed merchants in several wholesale markets about their impressions of Subida Logistics. She knew that the industry monopoly inevitably led to the arrogance of Subida's staff, coupled with the inherently domineering nature of most of them. Therefore, most merchants didn't have a good impression of Subida Logistics. However, because it was convenient and the only company there, no one bothered with such things. Those who are truly in business don't want to get into arguments. They'll tolerate minor losses and frustrations; making money is the most important thing.
Since reopening in the days following the Lantern Festival, Jinghui Logistics has seen its business gradually improve due to its focus on service and good reputation. However, given the current situation, it is almost impossible for it to surpass Speedy Logistics within six months.
Like Xu Zhengyang, Wu Juan didn't entirely believe that a logistics company like Speedy, with its violent and criminal nature, would willingly allow Jinghui Logistics to steal food from what was rightfully theirs. The calmest hour is always before the storm, so Wu Juan had instructed the staff at each branch to be extra careful, preventing fires, theft, counterfeit goods, and human damage, among other things.
Originally, Xu Zhengyang, a complete novice and boss with no expertise in the field, was quite content to be a hands-off manager. Aside from secretly arranging for the ghost messengers to conduct some investigations, he preferred a leisurely life, traveling to various scenic spots, visiting Tsinghua University to admire the place he had once dreamed of studying; chatting and talking with his sister Ouyang Ying and the others; and drinking and joking with Huang Chen and Yu Xuan to deepen their relationship…
If things here weren't still unresolved and fraught with potential problems, he might have already returned to his own territory in Fuhe City and focused on his grand plan for developing his clergy.
However, someone also needed to make some arrangements in the provincial capital of Hedong, so Zhan Xiaohui hurriedly went there.
Back in Beijing, only Wu Juan and two of Zhan Xiaohui's trusted associates from Fuhe City were left to do the work. Xu Zhengyang, the true leader, had no choice but to stay at the branch office to stabilize morale. After all, even now, the branch office staff were still uncertain, each working with a slight sense of unease, fearing retaliation from the Speedy Logistics personnel.
More than a week has passed...
With everything calm, it seems that Speedy Logistics has truly given up its plan to drive Jinghui Logistics away and has accepted the other party's existence.
Even Wu Juan, the branch manager, breathed a sigh of relief and decided to increase business volume, sending sales staff to visit various small businesses and factories in Beijing. Meanwhile, because of the existing staff shortage, the branch headquarters hired three more loaders and two warehouse managers.
The small, simple office was warm and cozy with an electric heater on.
Xu Zhengyang sat in a swivel chair behind his desk, swaying slightly, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, listening to the music coming from his computer, his eyes half-closed in a state of complete enjoyment.
"Are we just going to keep waiting like this?" Chen Chaojiang asked coldly.
"Hmm?" Xu Zhengyang opened his eyes and looked at Chen Chaojiang, then smiled and said, "We can't just not understand why we should retaliate against our opponents after they kindly withdrew, can we?"