Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 294 Meeting the Judge on the Road
Yang Feng brought Lu Zheng and the other man to a living room and had someone serve them spiritual fruits and fine wine.

Yang Feng asked with a smile, "I wonder what you two like to eat on weekdays. I'll have someone prepare it."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "No need to bother. I wonder why the City God of Yang suddenly invited me to be his guest?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng explained, "I only learned of Mr. Lu's fame when I attended the banquet. Even the City God of Yongzhou, Mi, praised him highly... I may have been rude before, so I hope Mr. Lu will not take it to heart."

Yang Feng stood up and offered Lu Zhengjing a glass of wine with a sincere attitude.

After so many years in the officialdom of the Chu State, Yang Feng was able to take on responsibilities and let go of them.

After knowing that Lu Zheng had an unusual background, he lowered his status and treated him with courtesy.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng stood up and returned the greeting. He couldn't ignore the other party's attitude.

"You're too kind, City God Yang. These minor incidents have already passed. I'm not that petty." Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "I'm a straightforward person. City God Yang, please don't take it too seriously."

Yang Feng smiled when he heard this. "Frank words may be unpleasant to the ear, but what Mr. Lu said is thought-provoking and there's nothing wrong with it. Come on, sit down, come on, don't be so formal."

"Speaking of which, Mr. Lu, you are traveling to Chu. Where are you going? I am quite familiar with Chu. Perhaps I can tell you about the local customs and practices."

"The Chu State is vast. Even in Yongzhou alone, the conditions in different places vary greatly..."

Hearing Yang Feng's words, Lu Zheng said, "I don't have a clear itinerary. Chu is a country with many gods and spirits, which is very different from An. I came to Chu to see the differences between the two countries and broaden my horizons."

"Is that so?" Yang Feng said slowly. "Chu inherited the rule of the previous dynasty, and it is indeed quite different from Anguo. If Master Lu wants to truly understand Chu, he must visit its capital. It is no worse than your Anguo capital..."

Lu Zheng thought that he mainly wanted to understand the situation of the people in the world, not to see the prosperity of any place.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly. "I haven't even been to the capital of Anguo. But if I have the chance this time, I can go and see the capital of Chu. It is said that there are powerful gods there."

Yang Feng's eyes flickered as he whispered, "There's a shrine in Chu. The gods whose statues are erected there are all the most prominent gods in Chu. As for whether the real deities of those gods are in Chu, outsiders don't know..."

Lu Zheng asked curiously, "What kind of god is qualified to have a statue in that temple?"

Yang Feng stroked his beard and said, "First, they have connections. They are naturally noble royals, such as my boss, the City God of Yongzhou, who has a seat there. Second, they have real abilities, which allow them to be worshipped by the common people, and then be valued by the court, so that their statues can be erected in the shrine, enjoying incense from all over the world."

Yang Feng paused, then continued, "To have a statue in the Chu Capital Temple is to be considered as having lived as long as the country! For small gods like us, if we don't do our job well, we could be dismissed any day."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but nodded, then asked, "Why doesn't Yang Cheng Huang work hard to get a position?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng laughed and shook his head, "Mr. Lu, you're overthinking it. The Chu State has been established for hundreds of years, so there's no place left in the shrine for you to have a statue there now. You'd have to have done something extraordinary to have one!"

"Yang is just a small-time City God, serving in this small county. To put it bluntly, even if I do a good job, I'm afraid I won't be able to move from this position... As long as there's no major chaos, I'm already lucky enough to hold on to this position. How could I dare to ask for more?"

Yang Feng had tried hard to climb up the ladder before, but there was no position for him. Moreover, he could not achieve any great political achievements in this county, so it was better to just muddle through.

Lu Zheng asked, "The gods in the Divine Palace don't have performance evaluations or anything like that? Wouldn't that mean there would be people who just sit there doing nothing but eating and drinking?"

According to Yang Feng, it seems that it is much more difficult to get promoted as a god in the State of Chu than to become an official.

Yang Feng's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice and said, "Well, how can I put it... Of course there is, but he hasn't committed any unforgivable crime. You can't just banish him from the Divine Palace because of a few unsatisfactory political achievements, right?"

"Not to mention the Divine Palace, there are also many such people among the officials of the imperial court. Mr. Lu is a scholar and should understand the reasoning behind this. Some things are difficult to handle."

"We can talk about this kind of thing in private, but don't say it in public."

"In the Chu State, there's a saying that there are gods above your head, so there are some things you really can't say carelessly..."

In the State of Chu, if you insult the gods casually, it is very likely that they will notice it.

Regardless of other gods, if someone says something bad about Yang Feng around the Yu County City God Temple, Yang Feng will feel it.

Of course, Yang Feng rarely encounters such things. As long as the matter is not serious, he doesn't bother to pay attention to it. After all, it takes a lot of energy to appear in spirit and punish someone.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "I will pay attention to what Yang Chenghuang said."

As he spoke, Lu Zheng took out a small notebook and asked, "Since Yang Chenghuang is so familiar with the Chu State, why don't you tell me about the Chu State? For example, which gods are in the temple and what their duties are... If I meet such an important person in the future, I won't be blinded."

Seeing Lu Zheng's serious attitude towards seeking advice, Yang Feng happily told Lu Zheng about some things, as they were not secrets at all.

Qing Wan, who was standing next to him, was also listening curiously, with a serious expression on her face.

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, the night had passed and the sky was already bright.

Lu Zheng discovered that Yang Feng, as the local city god, did know a lot about the Chu State.

At least it was more comprehensive than some of the information he had learned from other people or books.

The sunlight shone in, and Yang Feng felt the heat of the light. He couldn't help but wave his hand to pull up the curtain to block out the sunlight.

He was just a distraction, and being away from the statue in broad daylight made him feel uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Thank you for your hard work, City God Yang. We can't stay here for long. City God Yang, go and rest as well."

Lu Zheng took out another jade bottle and said, "There are two spirit-nourishing pills in here. Yang Chenghuang can use them."

The other party had taken the trouble to tell him so much, so Lu Zheng couldn't just say nothing.

"Hey, how can I take Mr. Lu's things?" Yang Feng quickly refused.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's impolite not to return the favor. We'll take our leave now." Yang Feng said, "Why don't you stay a few more days? I'm on my way back and will treat you both well then."

"No need to bother." Lu Zheng said, "Business is more important."

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng didn't want to force them to stay, so he asked someone to escort Lu Zheng and Qing Wan out of the mansion.

Qing Wan followed Lu Zheng, recalling the stories she had just heard. She counted on her fingers and said, "The Chu State actually has so many gods, I can't even count them all..."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Just treat them as officials. There are many official positions in Anguo."

"There's also the God of Wealth. If we go and worship him, can we get money?"

"Maybe... But it's better to rely on ourselves than on God. Besides, we are not short of money."

"Right!"

"Praying to the gods requires sacrifices and offering incense, so it's hard to say whether you've gained any benefit from it."

“Yes!”

Qing Wan thought about it and agreed with him, but she was puzzled and asked, "If that's the case, why do the people here still offer sacrifices to the gods?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Maybe they haven't figured it out, or maybe there's no other way..."

All living beings suffer, mainly because they do not have the power to remove the shackles that bind them.

Over time, the people have become accustomed to suffering, and even those in power think that the people's suffering is natural.

The existence of many gods in Chu State only added an extra shackle to the people of Chu State.

Qing Wan frowned when she heard this, "Then what should we do?"

Lu Zheng said softly: "Keep moving forward, you will always find a way out."

Qing Wan scratched her head, feeling that she understood a little, but also felt that she didn't understand.

The two of them walked slowly out of Yu County and along the county road.

Not long after walking, Lu Zheng suddenly stopped.

Qing Wan bumped into Lu Zheng unexpectedly and looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Zheng stood there and sensed for a while, and found that the slight rejection of him by this world no longer existed.

His mind raced, thinking of the bit of luck Yun Fuyao had given him yesterday.

That trace of luck probably came from the world of Chu.

“Is there such an effect?”

Lu Zheng felt it carefully and confirmed the subtle changes in himself, which made him think a lot.

Without the rejection of heaven and earth, he would no longer be suppressed here like other intellectuals in other countries.

Suddenly, a golden light came rapidly from the sky.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan raised their heads slightly and saw a man in a white robe with golden light shining all over his body.

The man's eyes were deep. When he saw Lu Zheng and the other man, he slowed down and stopped directly in front of them.

Lu Zheng looked calmly at the man approaching him, and felt the extraordinary aura he exuded. He was obviously a god.

The man looked at Lu Zheng with great interest and said slowly, "Are you the Lu Zheng from Anguo?"

Lu Zhengdao said, "I don't know who you are talking about, but it should be correct. Who is it?"

The man said calmly, "The judge under the Yongzhou City God is Zhao Ming."

"It's Judge Zhao." Lu Zheng nodded. "Judge Zhao, did you come here specifically to see me?"

The fact that the City God of Yongzhou sent a judge over was beyond Lu Zheng's expectations, but it did not surprise him.

Zhao Ming smiled and said, "I've heard that you're quite capable. I'd like to spar with you. What do you think?"

Lu Zheng couldn't see through Zhao Ming's intentions, but seeing that he had a fighting spirit but no murderous intent, he thought for a moment and said, "Please teach me."

As he spoke, Lu Zheng picked up Qing Wan and gently threw her to the side, letting Qing Wan watch from a distance.

Zhao Ming put one hand behind his back, his eyes flashing with golden light, and said quietly: "Mr. Lu, make the first move!"

Lu Zheng's expression was calm. "Judge Zhao, you've come a long way. Can't you rest for a while?"

"That's not necessary, it's just a discussion." Zhao Ming said with a smile.

Lu Zhengdao said, "Then you should make the first move. I am a young man and I must respect the elders and love the young."

Zhao Ming's eyes flashed when he heard this. He said no more and raised his hand. A golden chain attacked Lu Zheng directly.

(End of this chapter)