By now, Wan Yun no longer harbored any sense of superiority. Even if Xu Zhengyang hadn't appeared today, the way things had unfolded had already caused him to lose face—the worst possible outcome. For him, the blow of losing face was roughly the same as being sentenced or even dying.
"Me? Am I guilty?" Xu Zhengyang asked, somewhat surprised.
“The murder is a fact,” the other person sitting in the middle said solemnly.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "That was self-defense. We need to make that clear. Besides... don't you all think that having special privileges means you can't be bound by the law and morality? Fine, then I'm happy to be a privileged person today. Even if I'm guilty, none of you can do anything to me!"
"On what grounds? Your father-in-law? The power of the Li family?" Wan Yun sneered.
Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing glared angrily at Wan Yun at the same time.
The man in the middle shouted angrily, "Enough! What kind of talk is this? Are you trying to start a fight?"
The room fell silent for a moment, and Xu Zhengyang smiled meaningfully at the most influential speaker.
"What exactly is your purpose in doing this?"
The dignified man looked at Xu Zhengyang with deep, penetrating eyes.
Xu Zhengyang coughed lightly, tossing his cigarette butt into the porcelain cup filled with tea. He then sat up straight, his eyes sweeping over the assembled guests. A slight smile played on his lips, revealing a serious and authoritative expression. He raised his right arm, swinging it from left to right as he spoke. His voice was rough and intimidating, like the friction of metal against stone:
"I have come here today to tell you clearly, and I even allow you to tell the whole world, that from this day forward, there are gods in this human world..."
"In the eyes of the gods, everyone is equal!"
Xu Zhengyang raised his right hand in front of him, his index finger pointing slightly. "Don't let the level of power or position determine right and wrong. You need to know what each person's status, position, and power are truly for!"
...
The room suddenly fell into an atmosphere even quieter than before, with a hint of eeriness.
Apart from Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing, everyone else was dumbfounded, their eyes filled with not only doubt and surprise, but also a hint of mockery? Disdain? ... In short, it was a very complex mix.
"Xu Zhengyang, do you know what you're saying?" Finally, one of the people sitting in the middle said calmly.
Xu Zhengyang stared coldly at the other party, his back already soaked with cold sweat. In fact, he could feel the same immense pressure, because Cheng Juan kept reminding him that what he was doing was inappropriate, but he didn't directly say that such words and actions violated the heavenly rules.
"Don't think it's absurd..." Xu Zhengyang's expression remained unchanged, still cold and authoritative, exuding an imposing aura. Before everyone could fully recover, Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "You should have a good talk with them..."
As soon as he finished speaking, an old man with white hair and beard, bright eyes, and a kind yet dignified expression suddenly appeared out of nowhere at the doorway.
It is none other than Li Haidong, the current acting judge of the City God's Palace!
Everyone stared in disbelief once again! Completely stunned!
Xu Zhengyang stood up, his face grim as he surveyed the crowd, and said calmly, "I did not do anything directly, but I spared no effort or time to do this. I have already done my utmost, and I am also telling you that even gods do not use force or act arbitrarily... If I wanted to kill someone, it would be an easy thing for anyone."
Perhaps to convince everyone present of his words, Xu Zhengyang looked at Wan Yun and said in a cold voice, "For example, if I were to order you to kneel, would you dare not kneel?"
Kneel down!
A sharp shout!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wan Yun involuntarily stood up with a blank expression, walked to Xu Zhengyang, bent her knees, and knelt down with her head down!
Xu Zhengyang ignored him completely, turned and walked out, leaving behind a sentence that echoed in the spacious room:
"I will not interfere in political affairs. There are rules for everyone in the world, but everyone has their own duties, and everyone needs to fulfill them..."
...
Another chilling silence descended.
It wasn't until Old Li's heavy sigh that everyone came to their senses, and their hearts immediately jumped into their throats.
How is that possible?
An old man who has long since passed away will mysteriously appear here out of nowhere!
Whether it was due to the old man's prestige during his lifetime or his current appearance as an inexplicable ghost, everyone in the house was extremely tense and fearful.
Even if they hold high positions and have experienced countless trials and tribulations, their minds have long been hardened and cold as steel.
I still can't bear the thought that something beyond reality is actually happening right before my eyes.
We have no way of knowing what Old Li and these high-ranking officials discussed that night. However, it is certain that everything Old Li said was prepared in advance and approved by Xu Zhengyang. In other words, it is possible that Xu Zhengyang instructed him to say those things.
This matter is destined to be completely buried in the annals of history and will never be known to the public.
However, those who knew about the incident, including Li Ruiyu and Li Ruiqing, couldn't help but feel grateful to Xu Zhengyang, and even relieved...
Just as Xu Zhengyang said: I have done all that I could say.
At least, I've left you all with ample leeway, refraining from unleashing a thunderous punishment under divine wrath that would leave you in a difficult position, unable to understand, and unable to explain to the public.
Since the witness testimonies and physical evidence are conclusive, you can handle it.
As gods, you have all followed the rules of the human world. What about you in the future?
A month later, the Far East smuggling case that had attracted worldwide attention reached a new climax. Former high-ranking official Wan Yun was arrested and imprisoned on charges of bribery, harboring criminals, murder, framing, and other crimes, and is awaiting trial.
The whole country was shocked!
Most people find it hard to accept that a high-ranking official, who was once a paragon of virtue in the eyes of the world, would be burdened with so many crimes just before his inevitable retirement. People can't help but wonder if there is some unspeakable conspiracy involved.
However, after the initial doubts and disputes, people's thinking shifted to another point: Look, if such a high-ranking official can be investigated and sentenced, what will be the consequences for other officials who violate laws and regulations...
The government's image, after being shrouded in a shadow, was quickly cloaked in a cloak of light, concealing many of its flaws.
It's a good thing, after all.
The positive impact far outweighs the negative impact!
How did I say it again?
Yes, the eyes of the masses are discerning!
Ordinary people may not have extraordinary wisdom, but they are not fools!
Volume Six, Chapter 302: It's Not Easy to Be a God
Xu Zhengyang tacitly approved of the higher-ups' cover-up of the truth about the incident and their failure to make it public.
Although Xu Zhengyang had declared with divine might that night, "I have come here today to clearly tell you, and even allow you to tell the world, and indeed the entire world, that from this day forward, there are gods in this human world..."
But this doesn't mean that he really wanted to reveal his identity to the whole world in such a forceful manner.
Gods, in the minds of humankind, should be transcendent beings, not interfering excessively in worldly affairs, ethereal and illusory. If they were to truly appear in the hearts of everyone in this world, they would bring not only positive influences, but also perhaps generate resentment.
It's like when people are pursuing a fair and free life, they suddenly discover that no matter how hard we try, there is an existence and framework that we cannot overcome, which is binding us.
What's the point of living then?
Humans are the most imaginative and emotionally complex creatures, and no one can predict what the consequences will be once this matter is revealed.
Moreover, Xu Zhengyang also wanted to live a normal life.
The problem is...
These high-ranking officials couldn't help but feel worried when they considered these inappropriate points. What exactly was Xu Zhengyang's attitude? Since he had already said he would make this public, would keeping it a secret further provoke his displeasure and anger? For these powerful and influential figures, Xu Zhengyang held no sense of awe, only fear.
A god with incredible abilities, capable of easily destroying any living being.
This alone is enough to terrify everyone; moreover, no one has any confidence that they can eliminate the existence of a god.
Because... without any precedent to follow, who would dare to risk offending the gods and incurring their wrath?
As for negotiations, let's not even go there. As the old saying goes, the will of Heaven is unpredictable, and the will of the ruler cannot be defied. Who knows what he's really thinking? If you anger him, it won't be a good thing.
Fortunately, within this high-ranking circle, there was someone who could connect with and speak with the deity—Li Ruiyu, the father-in-law of this earthly god. So everyone placed their hopes on Li Ruiyu, while also harboring some concern. If the Li family wanted to seize the opportunity and rise to absolute power, who could stop them?
However, with Xu Zhengyang's words still around, there shouldn't be any major problems, right?
He said he would not interfere in politics, that there are rules in the world; he also said he would not abuse his power.
The gods should keep their word...
Indeed, Li Ruiyu soon brought back Xu Zhengyang's tacit approval.
Therefore, under the meticulous arrangements of all parties, the details of the case released to the public were extremely detailed and all seemed normal. As for Xu Zhengyang's actions, they were disguised as those of a secret investigator from the Ministry of Public Security. In addition, since all his actions were taken in a state of passive defense, everything seemed reasonable: secretly carrying out the task of investigating the case inevitably led to malicious retaliation and obstruction from criminals; as for his admirable and astonishing personal combat skills, that was also reasonable. Think about it, as a special secret agent of the public security department, he was naturally the elite of the elite.
As the saying goes, without three points and three skills, how can you join the Liangshan bandits?
Of course, the general public is unaware of the specific identity of this secret investigator based on the information disclosed by the authorities.
The police officers who knew that the investigator's name was Xu Zhengyang had nothing to say.
No matter how big a news event is, it will eventually fade away under the public's attention, eventually becoming just a few words occasionally mentioned in memory.
The high-level officials' attention to Xu Zhengyang reached its peak! Almost every day, someone would inquire with the special departments about where Xu Zhengyang had gone that day, what he was doing, and whether he had been in contact with anyone… The answers were mostly the same: Xu Zhengyang had gone on vacation to this place again, and he had stayed in this city for two days yesterday…
That's truly the carefree life of immortals!
The gods of love, just as legend says, are indeed enamored with the mundane world and thus descended to earth...
Why haven't they sent heavenly soldiers and generals to capture him and bring him back?
No one knew for sure whether heavenly soldiers and generals had been arranged, but this mortal deity did send someone to deliver a message to them.
In early autumn, Xu Zhengyang leisurely made a phone call to Li Ruiyu from Laipeng Island in the East China Sea, saying, "Dad, tell them that it's pointless to have people watching me every day. Don't worry, as long as I do my job and don't do anything bad, I won't interfere in politics. Let them not have to live in fear all the time... Oh, by the way, tell them that once or twice is fine, but not a third or fourth time. I'm getting annoyed now, so stop watching me. Bingjie isn't very happy about it either."
"Okay, I understand."
Li Ruiyu was both amused and exasperated. This son-in-law only acted like a junior when addressing people and spending time with his family. But when it came to actually discussing certain matters, he showed no sign of being a junior at all; he was the boss!
When these words reached the ears of the higher-ups, they were immediately chilled to the bone.
That was a real eye-opener, and I'm terrified!
It turns out we're all just habitually presumptuous. We dared to send people to follow a deity, without considering that no matter how clever our methods, they couldn't fool a god. I used to ignore you all because the god was disdainful, or perhaps magnanimous…
Xu Zhengyang's life was certainly not the carefree tourist life that some people imagined.
The reason he and his wife Li Bingjie traveled around was to establish more City God Temple branches and strive to make City God Temples flourish everywhere as soon as possible.
However, having learned from his past experiences, Xu Zhengyang is now eager, but he won't rush to scatter seeds everywhere.
As the saying goes, a tall building starts from the ground up; the foundation must be solid. Otherwise, if the foundation becomes unstable, the entire building may collapse and be destroyed in an instant.
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang's establishment of the City God's Office was much slower than before.
In each city he visited, he would stay for ten days to half a month to accumulate enough divine power. This would ensure that after establishing the City God's Palace, there wouldn't be a shortage of divine power to operate other City God's Palace institutions and supply the ghost messengers. Moreover, Xu Zhengyang set a rule for himself: aside from the consumption of divine power, after establishing each City God's Palace, he would ensure that the divine power he had accumulated increased like a savings account, and that it could not be used as working capital.
Everything should be done in advance to deal with unforeseen circumstances; in addition, sufficient divine power should be provided for future promotions.
What frustrated Xu Zhengyang was that it was like running a company; even a very profitable business, as you gradually expand and manage it, the profits always seemed insufficient to cover expenses. Even if you've secured fixed capital in advance and don't want to make any unnecessary moves, sometimes things don't go your way.
For example, there are now 22 City God Temples of varying sizes across the country.