Chen Chaojiang looked at Xu Zhengyang with a hint of doubt and said, "I'll listen to you."
"After seeing the news these past few days, you should have a better understanding of the messy state of society right now..." Xu Zhengyang's smile faded, his expression not exactly serious, but rather calm. He said in a flat tone, "If I were to handle these matters... well, you don't need to consider our relationship, nor do you need to only listen to my opinions. You can choose for yourself whether or not to take this job."
"I'll listen to you." Chen Chaojiang said the same thing, but with a hint of worry, "Zhengyang, it's not legal for me to do something like this."
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Think it over carefully and don't rush to agree."
Chen Chaojiang took a drag of his cigarette, then lowered his eyelids and said softly, "That's just my nature, I can't change it... If it weren't for Zhengyang keeping you in check, I'd probably either be executed long ago or spend my life in prison. So... I don't have anything to worry about. I'm making money, my family is doing well, and I'll be marrying my wife soon, all in style. I don't want to think about anything else. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it."
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang nodded, a wry smile appearing on his face. Then his expression darkened, and he became serious. "Chao Jiang, I have made my decision. I hereby bestow upon you the title of god!"
Chen Chaojiang suddenly raised his head, looking flattered and stunned as he stared at Xu Zhengyang.
When Xu Zhengyang returned to Beijing from Haizhu City last time, he mentioned this matter on the way, but Chen Chaojiang didn't pay much attention to it, taking it as a joke made by the deity Xu Zhengyang in a moment of emotion.
But now, it seems they're taking it seriously!
"The Supervisory Officer of the State God's Office is responsible for inspecting and supervising the twenty-three City God's Offices under the jurisdiction of the State God's Office..." Xu Zhengyang's expression remained serious. "Your partner is Li Haidong, the Chief Judge of the City God's Office and the Chief Clerk of the State God's Office."
"Li, Li Haidong?" Chen Chaojiang was even more surprised, and he no longer paid attention to the string of official titles and positions that Xu Zhengyang had mentioned.
"That's right, Li Bingjie's grandfather was Li Haidong, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armed Forces and President of the People's Republic of China!"
Chen Chaojiang's body trembled...
It should be noted that this powerful figure once staged a military coup, forcing a president and all his party's officials to resign and step down, and personally took the presidency. Undeterred by world condemnation and threats from several powerful countries, he deployed a large military force and used a bloody war to punish the surrounding troublemakers, thus creating a peaceful environment for the country's development for more than 30 years.
His prestige and achievements are absolutely renowned worldwide, unmatched by anyone.
Now, are we going to make Chen Chaojiang and this old man colleagues?
Well, if this is enough for Chen Chaojiang to hold on and not tremble, then... this old man is dead!
“Don’t worry about his past.” Xu Zhengyang seemed quite dissatisfied with Chen Chaojiang’s surprised reaction and even slight trembling. He said in a slightly reproachful tone, “Besides work, another reason I made you work with him is that you two should learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses and do your jobs better… Also, don’t put too much pressure on yourself; his rank is one level higher than yours.”
"Oh." Chen Chaojiang nodded, which offered some comfort to him.
However, Xu Zhengyang immediately added, "In addition, you are also responsible for supervising him. Remind him constantly not to be indecisive and to consider issues the way he did when he was in power."
Chen Chaojiang's heart clenched once again.
"Scared?" Xu Zhengyang was clearly angry. He curled his lip and snapped, "You're spineless!"
Chen Chaojiang gritted his teeth, looked up at Xu Zhengyang, and said coldly, "I'll listen to you."
"Okay, that's better!"
Xu Zhengyang nodded in satisfaction, opened a drawer, took out a small booklet, and tossed it to Chen Chaojiang, saying, "Go back and take a good look at this. This is a manual I wrote specifically about the duties and behaviors of deities. Once you've memorized it, I'll take you to see the ghost messengers, visit the State God's Palace, and discuss future work arrangements with Li Haidong..."
"Hmm." Chen Chaojiang took the manual but didn't flip through it much. His slender eyes had regained their usual icy coldness, devoid of any warmth.
"Alright, go back now." Xu Zhengyang smiled again and said, "Tell Ye Wan that you two won't be working together every day anymore, so don't let her hold a grudge against me."
A faint blush appeared on Chen Chaojiang's pale cheeks. He responded and got up to leave.
The door was closed.
Xu Zhengyang rubbed his forehead, took out another small notebook, and prepared to jot something down, but he couldn't concentrate. He put down his pen, got up, went to the window, opened it to let in some fresh air, and thought about the trial in Yueshan City tomorrow. He hoped that after the verdict, Li Haidong would obey orders and carry out that difficult task for him.
Volume Six, Chapter 317: Good and Evil Will Ultimately Be Rewarded
The night was deep, with no stars or moon.
Only on nights like these does the city light shine even brighter, casting a thin, soft halo over the entire city, like a protective shield in science fiction.
Currently serving as the City God of Fuhe City, and needing no further explanation, acting as the judge in one of the twenty-three City God's offices nationwide, Li Haidong, a ghost messenger, stood quietly atop the city center communications tower, watching the bright lights, flashing neon signs, and bustling traffic below...
We've already delayed it for another day; we have to get started tonight no matter what.
Li Haidong is feeling very lost right now. In fact, he often thinks these days how much better it would be if he didn't have this weird and terrifying profession!
But what would happen if he didn't pursue this career? Drifting in the River of Three Crossings for a hundred years, enduring the endless pain of venomous attacks… Li Haidong believed Xu Zhengyang's humanity wasn't so ruthless, but his divinity was unfathomable. With the mind of a god, could you refuse his request, or openly request to resign?
cannot!
Li Haidong knew how severe the punishments for ghosts and even ghost messengers were, and Xu Zhengyang had even taken him to the River of Three Crossings in the underworld. He had witnessed firsthand the immense suffering that evil spirits endured in the slow current. Li Haidong was also afraid and terrified, because it was a torment that ordinary people could not even imagine, let alone experience firsthand.
However, this time, the task that was clearly assigned to him was something that Li Haidong was a little... rusty with.
The phrases "decisive and ruthless," and "one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," are far from sufficient to describe Li Haidong during his lifetime. But wasn't his launching of wars, causing countless deaths, ultimately for the sake of more people living in peace, far removed from the threat of war?
Moreover, when has he ever personally killed a person?
Just because of momentary greed, evil thoughts, and selfishness, he lost his conscience and morality and committed the crime of extortion. To take the life of that old woman and even make her son and daughter-in-law mental patients for life, isn't this punishment really too much? And before this, the old woman's daughter had already been killed by Wang Yonggan!
The trial began yesterday and proceeded very quickly from start to finish; the outcome was exactly as expected.
The old lady's family lost the case, and Chen Hanzhe won and bears no responsibility.
One reason was that many people voluntarily stepped forward to testify for Chen Hanzhe with righteous indignation. Another reason was that, because of Xu Zhengyang, they knew about the involvement and pressure exerted by the municipal government's public security department in the case. However, the main reason for the swift trial was the old woman's family. After all the witnesses presented their testimonies, they withdrew their case in disgrace less than fifteen minutes into the trial.
The death of the old lady's daughter did not bring them much pressure; on the contrary, it spurred them to fight the lawsuit even more.
But it wasn't until just before going to court that the old lady's son learned some news from Qu Haobo, who had been suddenly dismissed from his post. He felt uneasy and fearful. Afterwards, seeing so many people looking at them with resentment and contempt, and countless people spitting on and cursing them, they finally couldn't bear it and chose to withdraw the lawsuit. It was too shameful.
Li Haidong, who was present at the time, shook his head and sighed with regret. If only he had known this would happen, he would not have done it in the first place. Now it is too late to regret it.
Besides feeling sorry for the old lady and her family, Li Haidong also felt some regret for himself.
If, upon first arriving in Yueshan City, I had hardened my heart and considered Xu Zhengyang's thoughts and intentions more carefully, and instead used the ghost messengers to instill fear and terror in the old lady's family, preventing them from further extorting Chen Hanzhe, then Xu Zhengyang's subsequent outburst of rage and his subsequent killing to establish his authority would likely have been avoided!
Li Haidong was well aware that Xu Zhengyang was trying to establish his authority over him!
Squeak...
A screeching sound of brakes came from the intersection below, followed by a loud crash.
Li Haidong looked down. The ghost messenger's eyesight was naturally much better than a human's. He saw a car crashed into the steps at the intersection. Under the streetlights, the skid marks were clearly visible.
A man quickly got out of the car and started yelling at the woman who was terrified after nearly being hit by a car for running a red light.
Seeing this, Li Haidong sighed softly, then gracefully took off and flew towards Kangping District.
In Yiyuan Residential Area, Kangping District, a typical four-story apartment building houses the elderly woman's home. Because her son, Xu Yang, is a policeman, and her daughter-in-law has a very good job, their family, while not wealthy, is certainly comfortable. The apartment is over 140 square meters, with four bedrooms and two living rooms, and is fully equipped with appliances.
The old lady has one grandson studying at university, which makes her family life happy and fulfilling.
At this moment, the old lady was lying in bed, unable to calmly rest and recover. It wasn't that she felt regret, guilt, or self-blame; rather, she was angry at those who had interfered. "What's it to you? Why are you all jumping out to oppose my family? What grudge do we have against you?" she thought.
The old lady's son and daughter-in-law were also sitting on the edge of the bed, sighing and lamenting. Instead of getting the money, they had brought shame upon themselves and the world.
Even Xu Yang's child, who's studying at a university elsewhere, called back. What's going on? Posts denouncing you have been published online, and they've doxxed our entire family...
After sighing and groaning for a while, the old lady and her daughter-in-law began to curse the meddlesome people in her affairs, and even told their son to remember who they were so he could use his power to make trouble for them later! As for Qu Haobo's claim that Chen Hanzhe had powerful connections and that high-ranking officials in the municipal government had intervened and exerted pressure, the family of three was even more furious, hurling insults at these people with a little power for abusing their authority and calling them shameless and despicable…
Li Haidong shook his head as he listened, wondering how this family could not realize that these words were actually insulting themselves.
This also makes me feel more at ease before taking action.
Li Haidong helplessly comforted himself, then waved his hand to summon the Soul-Slaying Ruler, and began to berate the old woman lying on the bed, who was exhausted from cursing but still groaning in pain from her wounds...
"Ouch!" the old lady suddenly cried out in pain.
She had never experienced such bone-deep pain before; a strange purplish-blue bruise appeared on her wrinkled old face.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Xu Yang and his wife hurriedly got up and stepped forward to ask with concern.
"Ouch! Ah..." the old woman cried out in agony again, "It hurts so much! Who whipped my face?"
"What?"
"Mom, what's wrong with you?"
The old woman was too preoccupied to answer any questions. She felt as if her face, head, neck, and body were being whipped relentlessly by a thin but immense force. Each blow struck her skin heavily, the pain penetrating deep into her bones and even her brain, making her feel as if her entire body was shattering.
At this moment, Xu Yangjia and his wife finally saw that clear bruises were constantly appearing on the old lady's face, forehead, and neck, as if she had been whipped hard.
What's going on here?
Xu Yang and his wife were so frightened that they even forgot to comfort or restrain the old lady who was rolling around and screaming in pain despite her injuries.
Finally, the old woman stopped struggling and kept groaning.
Just as Xu Yang and his wife were about to step forward to ask what was wrong, they heard a heavy sigh echo from inside the house.
An old man dressed in strange black clothes appeared out of nowhere beside the bed and in front of the window.
The old man's face was unclear, somewhat blurry; in his hand, he held a dark ruler.
"ah!"
The old lady and her daughter-in-law screamed in terror at the same time.
"Who, who are you?" Xu Yangjia hurriedly pulled his wife behind him, wanting to rush forward to shield his mother, but he was also afraid of this ghost-like person who suddenly appeared. Xu Yangjia even took two steps back.
Li Haidong said calmly, “I am the acting judge of the City God’s Palace. Alas… Your family has done something against your morals and conscience, which was seen by the Heavenly God, the City God, who has therefore ordered me to come and punish you. I had thought that if you had any remorse, I could have dealt with you leniently, but you have no remorse. You truly have no conscience… Old lady, your one wrong thought caused your daughter to be taken by the ghost messengers. Is this how you raise your children…”
These words truly terrified the family of three!
They all stared blankly, dumbfounded.
“Old lady, I have to take your life today. Besides, even as a ghost, you will still be punished…” Li Haidong looked at the old woman and said this with a hint of regret. Then he turned to Xu Yang and his wife and said, “What goes around comes around. There are gods watching from above. I will spare your lives for now. In the future, you should advise others not to do things against their conscience and morality. Oh… by the way, the God of the Prefecture has decreed that even so, you will still be severely punished after death. Don’t think about dying unless you want to suffer a torment worse than death.”
After saying this, Li Haidong once again raised the Soul-Striking Ruler high!
The soul-beating ruler drew a dark, shiny arc in the air and struck the old woman's forehead heavily!
A piercing scream rang out, but it abruptly stopped.
Still reeling from the shock, Xu Yang and his wife watched helplessly as a wisp of a ghost floated up from the old lady's body.
Li Haidong raised the ghost messenger token with his other hand and softly said, "Collect!"
Before the old woman could even scream, her soul was instantly absorbed into the ghost messenger's token.
Having captured the ghost, Li Haidong's figure suddenly and eerily appeared beside Xu Yang and his wife, raising the Soul-Beating Ruler high and rapidly and continuously whipping them.
A series of piercing, terrified, and rapid screams shattered the houses and echoed throughout the entire neighborhood.
When the old woman screamed earlier, a neighbor had already called the police. The police had just arrived at the community and, upon hearing the screams, rushed up to the fourth floor, broke down the door, and rushed inside.
There was only the family of three inside; no one else was there.
However, the scene was bizarre. The old woman was covered in bruises and was already dead; while Xu Yang and his wife were trembling and terrified, huddled on the ground, muttering incoherently: "We won't do it again, we'll never do it again, we're wicked, we deserve it, we know we were wrong..."
They've gone mad!
Good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished; it's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet!