"No rush, take your time to think it over," Xu Zhengyang said gently.
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang had made up his mind that even if Ouyang Ying said she wanted to return to the world of the living, he would fulfill her wish!
The Records of the Nine Provinces inappropriately reminded Xu Zhengyang in his mind: As the God of the Province, you hold a high position and great power, so you should set an example and never act recklessly.
Yes, back when you, Xu Zhengyang, were a clerk, you possessed a corpse and were resurrected. The Heavenly Laws only punished you by reducing your divine power. However, now that you are the God of the Province, if you still act so arbitrarily, it is not in keeping with your status.
Xu Zhengyang said to the Nine Provinces Record in his mind: "The spirituality of the Heavenly Laws should be stronger than yours. Tell it for me that I... have rebelled!"
Xu Zhengyang had been troubled by these matters lately, and with Ouyang Ying's actions, he was already feeling restless and uneasy. When he heard that the Records of the Nine Provinces mentioned some heavenly laws and regulations, he could no longer hold back his anger.
The Nine Provinces Record flashed with golden light and trembled violently: Do you know what a terrible crime this is?
"What a load of rubbish! Back in the day, officials of the third rank and above had the power to impeach the Emperor, even the Heavenly Emperor! Which one of them wasn't a regional lord? And what Emperor or Heavenly Emperor didn't fear? Now, I'm the only deity in the Three Realms, while I, the Provincial God, am just a human. Why doesn't it consider my feelings? Why does it keep opposing me? These Heavenly Laws and Rules... If this continues, what other choice do I have but to rebel? Huh?" Xu Zhengyang roared, "Tell it, I married a mortal, and she's pregnant. So what? I made my brothers gods, and they also have wives and children... So what? Either it accommodates me and discusses things with me, or if it's not a matter of great importance, it should consider things from my perspective as a human god! Otherwise, I really will rebel!"
As expected, the Nine Provinces Record was suppressed by the powerful aura of the Province God and stopped saying anything. Instead, it flickered with light and began to communicate with the Heavenly Laws.
At this moment, Ouyang Ying seemed to have figured something out. Her expression calmed down, and she said softly, "Brother, can you really grant my wish?"
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang nodded, then quickly added, "Yingying, don't, don't... sigh."
“I won’t make things difficult for you.” Ouyang Ying smiled and said, “I don’t want to be reincarnated. I can’t bear to leave behind the memories of this life… Oh, right, brother, when I said I liked you, I didn’t mean to ruin your relationship with your wife, nor did I think about clinging to you or becoming your lover. I just wanted you to accept me and acknowledge me. That would be enough for me…”
That's the truth.
But as we said before, in matters of the heart, most people can't shake the fear of either advancing or retreating—to put it bluntly, it's like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. If Xu Zhengyang had truly agreed and accepted it, then given Ouyang Ying's nature, while she certainly wouldn't have forced Xu Zhengyang to divorce his wife and marry her, she would inevitably have loved Xu Zhengyang with a painful yet blissful love, and sought his love in return.
This is really not a great evil.
After all, humans are, in themselves, the most emotional of all beings.
What could Xu Zhengyang say? He could only nod hypocritically and guiltily. If he said he wasn't moved at all by such a kind-hearted girl who dared to love and hate but had no malice whatsoever, then he would truly become a god without a shred of humanity.
Ouyang Ying said with a wry smile, "Brother, can you please prevent me from being reincarnated?"
“Okay.” Xu Zhengyang readily agreed and said seriously, “Even if you want to be reborn, I will grant your wish.”
"I'm not going to be human anymore, it's too tiring. Being a ghost is easier, I can see things more clearly, and I won't have any suicidal thoughts." Ouyang Ying laughed, happy and sincere, without a trace of pretense. "Besides, if I were human, wouldn't you be afraid I'd pursue you again?"
Xu Zhengyang nodded with a wry smile.
After a moment of silence, Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Yingying, since you don't want to be human and don't want to be reincarnated, then I'll bestow upon you a divine position and let you manage some things, okay?"
"Huh?" Ouyang Ying was taken aback for a moment, then said happily, "Okay, okay, brother, what kind of things should I take care of?"
"Think about what matters in the human world that's suitable for you to concern yourself with..."
Ouyang Ying tilted her head and thought for a while. Her big eyes widened, and she looked at Xu Zhengyang with longing in her eyes. She said, "I want to be the god of love, to bless and pity those poor children without relatives or love, those lonely old people without children to take care of them, and to make lovers finally get married, and to make those who deceive feelings all die a horrible death..."
"Okay! Okay!" Xu Zhengyang agreed with a smile, then reminded him, "But you must remember, you can only instruct the ghost messengers on these matters. Don't inflict the punishments yourself. Also... matters of the heart are the most complicated. You must be responsible from a fair perspective. Maliciously deceiving someone's feelings will naturally be severely punished. Be more cautious about everything else, understand?"
Ouyang Ying was completely surprised this time. She grabbed Xu Zhengyang's hand and shook it, saying, "Brother, are you serious?"
"Hehe, silly girl, do you think I'm joking?" Xu Zhengyang deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Regret it, huh? Then don't be a god anymore, be a carefree ghost."
"No, no, no, I'd rather be a god, I'd rather be a god," Ouyang Ying said excitedly.
Xu Zhengyang took Ouyang Ying's hand and walked out of the government office with a smile, saying, "You can't be a god for now. These days you should learn from Judge Li Haidong how to be a god. There are heavenly rules and regulations that cannot be violated... Now come with me to see Rouyue. She misses you so much that she doesn't even want to go back to school."
"Oh," Ouyang Ying replied somewhat guiltily.
As soon as they stepped out of the government office, before Ouyang Ying could even ask Xu Zhengyang where they should go (there was no road), she suddenly felt dizzy and screamed, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in the outer room of Xu Rouyue's bedroom.
Xu Rouyue was leaning back on the sofa, looking somewhat dejected as she read a book.
Ouyang Ying called out a few times, but found that Xu Rouyue couldn't hear her at all. Ouyang Ying was a little anxious and wanted to find Xu Zhengyang.
Just then, Xu Zhengyang lifted the curtain and walked in, smiling gently as he said, "Rouyue, don't be afraid, Yingying is here."
Xu Rouyue suddenly looked up and saw that Ouyang Ying was indeed standing by the coffee table opposite her, looking at her excitedly. Xu Rouyue couldn't help but tremble, whether from excitement or fear, she didn't know, but she quickly calmed down, stood up, and softly called out tentatively, "Yingying!"
"Rouyue..."
The two women embraced excitedly, only to find that they had missed their target!
Xu Rouyue almost fell to the ground, but luckily her brother caught her quickly and said calmly and gently, "Yingying is a ghost now and has no physical body, but that won't stop you from talking for a while... Remember, don't stay too long, there will be other opportunities in the future."
"Oh, thank you, brother." Xu Rouyue nodded quickly.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head, smiled, turned and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.
As he walked into the courtyard, Xu Zhengyang smiled and approached Li Bingjie, who was standing under the eaves of the west wing.
But he sighed inwardly, wondering if this was an abuse of power for personal gain.
No!
He found the most suitable reason for himself: in the divine institution, the positions of gods in the future will always need to be more complete, so... having such a "god of love" can be considered as enriching the positions of gods in the Heavenly Court.
The legendary Matchmaker God?
Guanyin Bodhisattva?
Hearing Xu Rouyue's exclamation from inside the house, Yuan Suqin, the nanny Xiao Zhou, Qingling, and Zhu Jun all ran out of the house.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand to stop them and said, "Go back inside. Don't disturb Rouyue. She has some things to do."
Everyone was puzzled, but nowadays no one would object to Xu Zhengyang's words, not because they feared or obeyed him, but because they... trusted him.
Back in the outer room of the bedroom, Li Bingjie slowly sat down on the sofa and said with a smile, "Zhengyang, did you call Yingying back?"
"Yes." Xu Zhengyang did not deny it.
“Then you… she’s quite pitiful.” Li Bingjie quickly changed her words halfway through her sentence.
Xu Zhengyang sat down next to Li Bingjie, held her soft, boneless hand, and gently patted it, saying, "Don't overthink it."
“Actually, if you had agreed to her back then, I wouldn’t have objected,” Li Bingjie said softly. “Someone like you, even if you don’t have three or four wives, it’s only natural that you have a few close female friends…”
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Oh, by the way, I have to go on a long trip in a few days. Think about it, would you like to stay here or go to Jingniang Lake? Well, if you want to stay in the capital, that's fine too."
"Let's go to Jingniang Lake, it's quieter there," Li Bingjie said.
"Okay, you and Mom and the others will go together tomorrow."
"Um."
...
Xu Zhengyang did indeed need to go out. One reason was to establish the City God's Palace, but more importantly, he needed to personally find some materials to make divine artifacts. Simply buying them would be too expensive, and the quantity was extremely limited.
In the future, we will need many magical artifacts.
Moreover, if Ouyang Ying really becomes a god, she'll need a handy divine weapon to use.
Volume Six, Chapter 324: Overall Planning, Ensuring No Two Things Are Delayed
Given Xu Zhengyang's current position and abilities, he is indeed not yet capable of amending the Heavenly Laws.
Moreover, he never intended to excessively modify the Heavenly Laws. As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order. There are already existing rules, so there's no need for him to expend divine power to create them. He simply draws divine power from his own body to enrich and ensure their operation. Of course, Xu Zhengyang was unwilling to give up such a great deal.
However, due to his inherent selfishness and his reality as a god-human, he inevitably clashed with the Heavenly Rules on many issues.
This is something he cannot accept or tolerate.
That's why Xu Zhengyang, in a fit of rage, threatened the Heavenly Laws with rebellion.
In this respect, he has the ability and the status!
As for the outcome of the negotiations between the Nine Provinces Record and the Heavenly Laws... many people in this world are stubborn and won't listen to reason, and it seems that even the Heavenly Laws, a sentient artifact, has the same temperament. Since the day Xu Zhengyang angrily ordered the Nine Provinces Record to negotiate with the Heavenly Laws, the Nine Provinces Record has not responded.
If there's no reply, it means an agreement has been reached.
Because if the negotiations fail, the Records of Kyushu will inevitably have to notify the main god.
Xu Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't be getting struck by lightning every few days anymore. That was really...no fun. There were many advantages; at least his wife and children were safe, and Chen Chaojiang and Ye Wan were also fine. Everything was good.
After seeing Ouyang Ying, Xu Rouyue's sorrow vanished, allowing her to confidently continue her studies abroad. However, this trip brought a small disappointment. Regardless of whether Ouyang Ying was human or ghost, Xu Rouyue hoped to be with her. Unfortunately, Ouyang Ying politely declined with a smile, saying, "I'll come see you when I have time. Zhengyang-ge has appointed me as a god, so I need to study hard. Besides, I have some things to do..."
Watching the ghost, the human, and the two girls chatting happily, Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated. In the past few days, he had temporarily granted Ouyang Ying the authority of a ghost messenger, and even gave her a ghost messenger token and a soul-beating ruler, so that she wouldn't be bullied by other ghosts when she wandered around.
In addition, Xu Zhengyang personally taught Ouyang Ying how to use the ghost messenger's authority and low-level artifacts such as tokens and soul-beating rulers.
Xu Zhengyang's thinking was simple: as long as his sister and Ouyang Ying were happy, he would let them be.
After Xu Rouyue left, Ouyang Ying obtained Xu Zhengyang's consent and went to do what she had always wanted to do.
Talk to your parents...
When she was alive, Ouyang Ying had occasionally suppressed her hatred and tried to talk to her parents. However, she was always treated like a child by the adults, who never gave her a chance to confide in them, nor did they ever listen to what she had to say. Now, as a ghost messenger, she could easily appear in her parents' dreams, or even, if Ouyang Ying wished, appear before them... without needing their consent or their willingness to listen to her.
What did I say? You have to listen, whether you want to or not.
Her father was in Beijing, and no matter where he was imprisoned, it wouldn't prevent Ouyang Ying from visiting him. Ouyang Ying's mother, on the other hand, was abroad. This time, her daughter died, and she didn't even come back to see her. The reason was truly heartbreaking. It wasn't that she didn't feel sorry for her, but it was because of the conflict between the divorced couple. Ouyang Ying was awarded to her father by the court!
In that case, Ouyang Ying would have to go through a lot of trouble to see her mother; she would have to go abroad.
Anyway, even if Ouyang Ying's mother went to the moon, you are still a native of the capital and are under the jurisdiction of the City God's Office.
Li Haidong cautiously raised his objections to Xu Zhengyang regarding this, questioning whether such indulgence of Ouyang Ying was somewhat inappropriate.
Xu Zhengyang replied, "There's nothing wrong with it. As parents, we bear a great responsibility for Ouyang Ying's death. We should always pay some price..."
"But... sir, shouldn't we reconsider the matter of Ouyang Ying's deification?" Li Haidong asked tentatively.
“There is indeed something wrong with this matter. I have my own selfish reasons.” Xu Zhengyang sighed and said frankly without any attempt to evade the question, “This young lady is strong-willed, tends to overthink things, and has a kind heart… In the future, she may inevitably make some mistakes when making certain decisions. You should keep a closer eye on her.”
"Yes," Li Haidong bowed in response.
...
In early February, the cold air in the north showed no obvious signs of abating.
Xu Zhengyang and Zhu Jun drove for more than 2,000 miles and arrived at Yutian City in Xinjiang Province, a large border province in western China.
Yutian City is located on the northern foothills of the Lunkun Mountains and the southern edge of the vast Taklamakan Desert. It is the political, cultural, and transportation center of the entire Yutian region, and is known as the "Jade Capital" for its world-famous mutton-fat jade. The city is predominantly inhabited by local ethnic minorities, with other ethnic groups also residing there. In recent years, with policy reforms and a series of planning measures, Yutian City's economic development has progressed significantly, and its modernization is comparable to some medium-sized cities in central China.
The purpose of coming here is, of course, to find more top-quality mutton fat jade to use in making divine artifacts in the future.
Of course, Xu Zhengyang was a person who really liked to plan ahead. While searching for materials, he could also take advantage of the situation and build a few City God Temples at the same time. In this way, he saved a lot of time.
In the specific management of the state god's office and even the city god's office, Xu Zhengyang was lazy and acted as a hands-off manager because he felt he didn't have that much ability, and managing everything in detail was too tiring; he had more important things to do. However, when it came to establishing the city god's office, Xu Zhengyang was absolutely unwilling to relinquish power to Li Haidong or Chen Chaojiang.
Firstly, the establishment of the City God's Palace requires the assistance of a powerful artifact like the Nine Provinces Record. The City Scroll he created could only be copied to enable the City God's Palace to operate normally.
Secondly, Xu Zhengyang was unwilling to entrust such great power to others, which would require promoting them further, so this was not advisable for the time being.
Before coming to Yutian City, Xu Zhengyang had already instructed Zheng Yaokai of Ronghua Group to make arrangements to find some professionals to mine mutton fat jade in Yutian City.