These thoughts, like hemp threads, tangled in his mind, impossible to shake off, yet impossible to unravel.
After finishing his cigarette, a black sedan pulled up on the side of the road at the exit. A man in a black suit got out of the car, glanced at Xu Zhengyang, and then crossed the road and walked along the side of the road at the exit.
Xu Zhengyang knew it was someone coming to pick him up. Since they were still dozens of meters away, Xu Zhengyang simply flashed his headlights to signal them, then started the car and drove over.
Seeing this, the man did not hesitate and turned to walk back.
Xu Zhengyang drove west along Jingshishan East Road, following the black sedan. Along the way, he was thinking about how to deal with what Li Ruiyu was going to say when they arrived. In addition, he was considering whether he should arrange for ghost messengers to follow Li Ruiyu around every day to keep an eye on him.
We drove all the way out of the Fifth Ring Road, and it was already getting dark.
Xu Zhengyang didn't bother to carefully memorize or observe the route; it wasn't important to him, because if he wanted to know, it would be easy. So, lost in thought, he followed the car in front of him, turning corners as they drove until they reached the gate of a residential area guarded by armed police. Only when Xu Zhengyang stopped did he realize that his vehicle needed to undergo a thorough inspection.
Since someone was there to pick them up, there was no need to check the person carefully; after checking the vehicle, they simply went inside.
The residential area is built on a row of low hills, with dozens of unassuming villas standing there, exuding a solemn and dignified atmosphere in their simplicity. The roads within the area are clean, and the towering trees on both sides are not very green, with their branches already bare and desolate.
The car stopped in front of a villa, and Xu Zhengyang slowly got out of the car.
However, to his surprise, just as he stepped into the ironwork gate of the villa, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the dark sky.
...Heavenly Tribulation (Part 2)
A dazzling bolt of lightning, as thick as an arm, streaked across the dark sky in an instant. It struck straight down without any prior warning. Even with Xu Zhengyang's current supernatural abilities as an Imperial Censor, and his extremely agile reaction speed, he had no time to dodge this lightning-fast attack.
Lightning struck Xu Zhengyang silently between his slightly raised eyebrows!
The two men who brought Xu Zhengyang here were stunned and froze on the spot.
After the lightning struck Xu Zhengyang, everything returned to normal. There wasn't even a trace of injury on Xu Zhengyang's brow, as if the scene had never happened at all...
Xu Zhengyang stood there, head slightly tilted back, brows furrowed, lost in thought.
"Xu, Zhengyang," a man tentatively called out.
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang stiffly moved his neck, finally straightening it after tilting it back. Despite the excruciating pain all over his body, he walked calmly into the villa's courtyard.
The two men exchanged a glance. Had they just imagined it?
Soon, the two came to their senses and hurriedly walked into the courtyard, entering the building before Xu Zhengyang.
Xu Zhengyang wanted to walk fast but couldn't, and he deliberately slowed his pace, not wanting anyone to see how severe the blow he had suffered; his expression, because he had to endure the excruciating pain throughout his body while maintaining a calm demeanor, appeared much more serious and somber than usual.
After hearing his subordinate's report of what had just happened, Li Ruiyu was quite puzzled and shocked. He immediately thought of some words his grandfather had said to him before he passed away. Could it be that Xu Zhengyang's actions had angered some system, leading to his punishment?
The thought only flashed through Li Ruiyu's mind for a moment before he saw Xu Zhengyang walk in with a gloomy face.
"Zhengyang, what just happened?" Li Ruiyu stood up and asked, seemingly concerned.
"It's nothing." Xu Zhengyang looked at Li Ruiyu with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
Li Ruiyu didn't press further, and smiled as he gestured for her to come and sit down.
Xu Zhengyang nodded, walked over and sat down on the sofa opposite Li Ruiyu. His expression was still gloomy. He was still immersed in the dangerous attack just now and couldn't recover.
Wu Ma, who used to work as a nanny in the courtyard house on the western outskirts of Fuhe City, came over and made tea. She glanced at Xu Zhengyang with concern but said nothing. Xu Zhengyang gave her a slightly forced smile, and Wu Ma smiled and nodded before turning and leaving.
The living room fell silent for a moment.
Li Ruiyu did want to talk to Xu Zhengyang today, but looking at Xu Zhengyang's cold and serious expression, no one would be in the mood to talk to him anymore.
After a long while, Xu Zhengyang seemed to just come to his senses. He reached for the teacup on the table, took a sip of tea, picked up the stand-in, and then smiled, saying, "Sorry, I was thinking about something just now..."
"It's alright." Li Ruiyu nodded calmly.
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "You wanted to see me? Is there something you need?"
"Let's just chat. Even a casual chat is fine." Li Ruiyu relaxed, picked up his teacup, took a sip, lit a cigarette, leaned forward, and pushed the cigarette case and lighter towards Xu Zhengyang, gesturing for him to smoke. He then said, "So many days have passed, how are you? Your anger should have subsided by now, right?"
"It's alright, I'm sorry for the trouble." Xu Zhengyang didn't stand on ceremony and lit a cigarette.
“Zhengyang, you can’t keep going like this forever, can you?” Li Ruiyu said with a smile. His tone and attitude, along with his ordinary clothes instead of his crisp military uniform with the gleaming stars on his shoulders, gave him a genuine air of casual conversation.
Xu Zhengyang tilted his head slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "What do you mean?"
“These kinds of things, if they happen too often, can’t be covered up.” Li Ruiyu reached out and flicked the ashtray lightly, leaning forward slightly. His elbows were resting on his knees, making him appear even more approachable and gentle.
"Oh, you should know, I didn't mean to do this." Xu Zhengyang used a polite form of address this time. Regardless of what Li Ruiyu was thinking, at least his attitude was friendly and kind. Moreover, he was, after all, an elder, so Xu Zhengyang couldn't continue to be arrogant.
This was unavoidable. The rigid and aloof divine nature of the Imperial Censor had been severely damaged by the lightning strike. Xu Zhengyang's inherent humanity had taken over, and he was now unable to even perceive Li Ruiyu's inner thoughts.
Li Ruiyu smiled and nodded, then sighed and said, "There's a saying, 'Those who are not in a position should not meddle in its affairs.' Zhengyang, do you understand the meaning of this saying?"
"It's alright, not too big, not too small. I do have an official position." Xu Zhengyang took a puff of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "I won't establish any sects, much less organize or recruit believers. You can rest assured about that... However, because of my personality, sometimes when I see injustices, I can't help but get involved."
“It’s much better to leave it to the government to do than to do it the way you did,” Li Ruiyu said earnestly.
Xu Zhengyang said, "I would like that, but there are some things..."
“It’s inevitable.” Li Ruiyu knew what Xu Zhengyang meant by the second half of his sentence, so he said with some helplessness, “The world is so big, and there are so many people. No one can manage them all. As the saying goes, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Society is a big dyeing vat.”
"Uncle Li, to be honest, I hope you don't mind," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile.
"Um?"
“You really are not suited to be a lobbyist,” Xu Zhengyang said earnestly.
Li Ruiyu was taken aback, then burst into laughter and nodded in agreement, "That's true."
"Alright, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Xu Zhengyang sighed softly and said, "I hope you won't take offense if I've offended you. Actually... I had no choice but to do this. I'm telling you this because divine power cannot be desecrated. Do you understand what I mean?"
A hint of dissatisfaction and anger flashed in Li Ruiyu's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. Relatively speaking, Xu Zhengyang's humble attitude today was beyond his expectations, so even though the latter part of his statement had a slightly threatening tone, Li Ruiyu could still accept it. Because in his initial imagination, he had already mentally prepared himself to endure Xu Zhengyang's domineering and forceful nature when talking to him today.
Admittedly, as Xu Zhengyang said, he was truly not cut out to be a persuader. Perhaps he could handle anyone else. At least he would have a strong confidence to deal with anyone in the world with a firm attitude. But when facing Xu Zhengyang, a man of great power, yet a young man with a violent, unyielding, and impetuous nature.
How do you have a proper conversation with this kind of person? Intimidation and threats are absolutely not an option.
Therefore, Li Ruiyu was somewhat surprised and delighted that Xu Zhengyang could show such an attitude. He said, "I am not very clear about the system you mentioned, but I understand the meaning of the saying that divine power cannot be profaned."
"Um."
"Zhengyang, you, or rather, all of you, do you want to do something? Don't tell me you just want to restore fairness to this society, or to salvage the so-called morality and humanity that humanity has lost..."
"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." Xu Zhengyang shook his head and said very seriously, "There's also a saying that Heaven's will is unpredictable. Knowing too much is not a good thing for you..."
Li Ruiyu was slightly disappointed and said, "You made a promise to the old man."
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang understood and smiled, "I can guarantee that, don't worry."
"That's good." Li Ruiyu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Ruiqing has been too busy these days and hasn't been able to find the time. I'll have a good talk with him later. I'll try my best to support and help you in the future, but I hope you won't resort to drastic measures all the time. It's best to go through normal methods. We'll do our best to give you the green light. Hehe, you don't think that's unfair, do you..."
"That would be perfect." Xu Zhengyang nodded with a smile in agreement.
Li Ruiyu said in a joking tone with a sigh of relief, "We put in a lot of effort every year in the areas of cracking down on organized crime, fighting corruption, and combating bribery. It seems like you're going to have to take over all of these tasks?"
“If I could make the decision, I would reinstate the torture…” Xu Zhengyang said with a smile, but a ruthless glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.
Li Ruiyu paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Young and impetuous, full of youthful vigor."
"It should be said that he hated evil as if it were his enemy, and drew his sword in anger."
Li Ruiyu reached out and took the cigarette pack from Xu Zhengyang. He lit another cigarette and said, "If you really did what you did, you'd scare people half to death, which wouldn't be good."
"Um?"
“If everyone just acts like an honest person, not only will they lose their fighting spirit…” Li Ruiyu said in his usual easygoing tone, “Without courage and valor, how can the army fight?”
“These are two different things…”
"I'm so glad to hear that!" Li Ruiyu's tone became more relaxed, and his expression seemed to have softened a lot. "I asked Aunt Wu to prepare some food and drinks for me later."
"I'm driving, so it's not convenient for me to drink."
"Stay here tonight."
"I have something else to do..." Xu Zhengyang smiled.
Li Ruiyu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Then I won't keep you any longer."
"Farewell!" Xu Zhengyang stood up and politely said goodbye, still walking out at a leisurely pace.
Li Ruiyu hesitated for a moment, but finally put aside his pride and got up to see him off.
The guards outside the door were clearly surprised that their leader would personally escort Xu Zhengyang out when he left, and they were immediately puzzled as to what the young man's identity was.
After walking out of the courtyard gate, Xu Zhengyang got into his car, turned around, nodded and smiled at Li Ruiyu who was standing at the door through the car window, honked the horn, and then drove away.
They were still checked at the entrance of the residential area before being allowed to pass.
As soon as Xu Zhengyang drove out of the residential area and turned a corner, he quickly pulled over and stopped the car. Then, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, those damn heavenly laws! I'll tear down those lousy heavenly laws sooner or later!"
If it's true that since ascending to the position of god and acquiring supernatural powers, Xu Zhengyang, in his divine status, has interfered too much in human affairs, and would sooner or later suffer punishment for violating the heavenly rules too many times, then his recent act of brazenly using the divine artifact Qiankun Ruler in the Eastern Trade City, causing a slight earthquake in the entire Eastern Plaza, was simply a direct offense against the heavenly rules, something the city scroll had warned him about when he first became the City God.
However, because so much time had passed, Xu Zhengyang had almost forgotten about the matter. A few days ago, he was filled with anger and kept wanting to be domineering, to vent his hatred, and to intimidate others... As a result, he did something that actually achieved his goal.
Then, the heavenly tribulation inevitably descended.
They arrived a little late, and landed just as Xu Zhengyang arrived at the door of Li Ruiyu's residence.
Fortunately, this calamity only affected him personally and did not harm others.
Fortunately, the Jade City Scroll that had always existed in his mind managed to withstand and absorb most of the energy of the Heavenly Tribulation at the most critical moment. This allowed Xu Zhengyang to have his divine power completely destroyed, but he did not lose his soul, his official position, or his powerful physical abilities.
Yet he had to endure the excruciating pain that felt like his muscles were being torn apart, while pretending to be calm in front of Li Ruiyu.
Fortunately, the power of his faith was unwavering, so after resting for a while in the villa's living room, Xu Zhengyang's mental state improved somewhat, at least enough to talk to Li Ruiyu normally. Otherwise, Li Ruiyu might have become suspicious and noticed something. As soon as they entered the living room, when Li Ruiyu asked Xu Zhengyang what had happened, Xu Zhengyang almost couldn't help but lie and say, "I had a conversation with someone above."
Well, in a sense, we did have another exchange.
Xu Zhengyang pulled out the city scroll and rebuked through gritted teeth, "Why didn't you inform me sooner? Do you know how dangerous it was? If Li Ruiyu had figured it out, he might have shot me on the spot!"
The city scroll flashed with light and replied: "The Heavenly Laws are supreme divine artifacts. No god or divine artifact other than the Emperor can know in advance when punishment will be imposed."
"Then you should at least warn me that I'll suffer a divine calamity, shouldn't you?"
A: I told you long ago that to use the Qiankun Ruler, you must report to the Heavenly Court and obtain the Emperor's decree.
"Fuck you!" Xu Zhengyang cursed angrily.
Xu Zhengyang rested for a while before lighting a cigarette and driving into the city. After entering the Fourth Ring Road, he randomly found a hotel to stay in and rest, not even bothering to eat.
However, upon reflection, every cloud has a silver lining. Although he endured the heavenly tribulation and his divine power was almost completely destroyed, it wasn't a serious matter. After all, he had a continuous supply of faith power, so he wasn't in a hurry to do anything big. Once he recovered a little, he could command the ghost messengers without delaying too much. Moreover, this incident also reminded Xu Zhengyang that he should be more careful in the future and not impulsively use the Qiankun Ruler to scare people.
However, it seems that he often has no control over whether he gets angry or not; the divine nature of the Imperial Censor also controls nearly half of his temperament.
I truly hope that the divine nature of the Imperial Censor, which was destroyed by the heavenly tribulation, is completely gone.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 227: Are they relatives?