Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 460 Ambition

Lu Zheng reached out and patted Yang Wan on the shoulder.

Yang Wan didn't dare to dodge, and his body trembled so badly that several clods of dirt fell off his clay sculpture.

Lu Zheng looked at Yang Wan and said earnestly, "Yang Tudi, you don't want to stay here for the rest of your life, just being the local earth god of a few villages, do you?"

Yang Wan stiffened and quickly said, "Of course, but..."

Yang Wan understood Lu Zheng's meaning: he wanted him to use the drought to gain fame and make some achievements in the county.

"But what?" Lu Zheng asked.

Yang Wan said in a low voice, "This is overstepping my bounds. I can manage my own affairs, but I can't manage others. Besides, this kind of showing off is probably inappropriate..."

If he and Lu Zheng were to help the people of the county fight the drought together, it would be too much of a show of force and would inevitably make other colleagues envious.

Everyone else is just coasting along, but you're taking an unconventional approach, bringing in some expert from who-knows-where to alleviate the drought. What's the meaning of that?
Hearing Yang Wan's concern, Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes and said, "Why don't you just share the credit with the county god?"

"If the county magistrate questions you, just say that you acted expediently due to the urgency of the situation, so you took care of things first, but you did it all for the sake of the people of the prefecture and county, and to share the burden of the magistrate. I think your superior will understand you..."

Yang Wan couldn't help but lean back, looking at Lu Zheng with surprise, thinking to himself, "How come this guy is even better than me?"

Yang Wan blinked. "The Immortal Master's words are not without reason!"

Having a rare opportunity to turn his life around, Yang Wan figured he shouldn't miss it.

Lu Zheng then took out a golden pill. The pill emitted a refreshing fragrance that made people feel clear-headed.

"This is a spirit-nourishing elixir. Even a deity like you can strengthen your foundation after taking it..."

Lu Zheng handed the pill to Yang Wan and said calmly, "Take it. If you work for me, I will certainly treat you well."

In order to help the local people, Lu Zheng needed a guide, and Yang Wan was quite suitable, which would save him a lot of trouble.

Yang Wan's eyes lit up when he saw this; he could tell the difference between good and bad pills.

Yang Wan flashed a golden light, his spirit detached from the clay body, reached out and took the golden pill from Lu Zheng's hand, then swallowed it.

Once the elixir entered the body, it immediately released a rich medicinal power, which quickly merged into the divine spiritual body.

Yang Wanzhi felt his mind clear and comfortable, his body swaying, and wisps of divine energy emanated from him.

Soon, Yang Wan returned to his body, and even the statue he possessed became more lifelike.

"Good Dan!"

Yang Wan smacked his lips, his expression still showing some lingering enjoyment.

He added, "Let's go, the nearest village isn't far from here..."

Having received the benefits, Yang Wan naturally couldn't afford to be negligent.

So, under the cover of night, Lu Zheng and his two companions hurried to another village.

With the hot wind blowing all the way, Yang Wan squinted and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, there's still something I don't understand. Why would you two do these things?"

"Don't you understand?" Lu Zheng said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Yang Wan remained silent for a moment, then said softly, "In my life I was a human, and in death I became a god. I have seen quite a few people in my life. I only feel that there are too few good people and too many evil people in this world..."

"Yang doesn't consider himself a good person, but he's not a bad one either. However, his actions were to protect himself, which is understandable."

"I have long heard of chivalrous and virtuous people in the world, people who have a righteous heart and a strong sense of justice. I imagine you two are such people."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "It's not as noble as you say. I'm just doing what I believe is right."

Yang Wan thought that by doing these things, he had probably already surpassed many others.

Before long, the three arrived at the outskirts of a village.

By the moonlight, Lu Zheng surveyed the village and discovered that the drought there was also very severe.

Even late at night, many elderly people and children in the village suffer from heatstroke.

Lu Zheng secretly infused some villagers with a trace of righteous energy to alleviate the sweltering heat.

Then, Lu Zheng looked at Yang Wan and asked, "Where are the gods here?"

Yang Wan pointed to a mountain peak, "It should be up there. He has a cave dwelling there, and he usually stays there."

"Oh, right, he was a dog demon who was later enfeoffed as a god by the county town god."

"I heard he was originally a dog kept by a relative of the county god, and he got some good fortune..."

As he spoke, Yang Wan's expression still carried a hint of disdain.

Gods are all different, and colleagues should be mindful of their identity and background, and there may be mutual discrimination.

Yang Wan held a hint of contempt for a demon who had been conferred a god title.

Before long, Lu Zheng and his two companions found a cave in the mountains.

Inside the cave, a faint light could be seen.

Deep inside the cave, a man sat on a soft couch, with two young girls attending to him.

These two young girls, barely out of their teens, were offerings presented to him by the villagers; they were girls from the village.

In this day and age, many ordinary people who wish to serve the gods do not have the opportunity.

The man lay there leisurely and comfortably, with a glass of chilled fruit drink beside him.

The weather is hot these days, and even gods like him don't want to go out; they stay in their caves to cool off.

Suddenly, the man's ears twitched, and he looked toward the passageway.

"Who goes there?" The man sat up straight, his eyes flashing with wariness.

"it's me!"

Yang Wan spoke softly, then stepped forward and appeared before the man.

Lu Zheng and Qing Wan followed behind.

Upon seeing Yang Wan and then the two strangers, the man frowned. "What are you doing here so late at night? And who are these two?"

The man tried to sense the presence of Lu Zheng and the other man, but found that he couldn't.

Yang Wan couldn't help but say, "These two are experts I invited. There's been a severe drought this year, and they came tonight to help you, to help the village..."

Yang Wan explained their purpose there.

Upon hearing this, the man frowned and glanced at Lu Zheng and Qing Wan.

He was very puzzled. Could there really be such a good thing in the world? Could there be some problem with it?

Regardless of the true nature of these two so-called experts, Yang Wan himself didn't believe they would be so kind.

He had dealt with Yang Wan before, and the other party had kindly asked people to help him alleviate the drought. Perhaps he had suffered from heatstroke and lost his mind.

The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Our village is perfectly fine, no need for you to trouble yourselves."

Yang Wan raised an eyebrow. "Very good? We just went to check, and the crops in the fields are almost all dying from the heat, and quite a few villagers have caught the fever..."

"That happens all the time! What year can you really expect perfect weather? Wind and rain, droughts and floods are all normal! And who doesn't get sick? What do I care if someone gets sick? That's fate..." the man said dismissively. "Hey Yang Wan, why are you worrying about this kind of thing? Are you just bored?"

"Please, expert, your place is even worse than mine. Where did you find such an expert?" the man said with a mocking expression.

Upon hearing this, Yang Wan's face darkened. "This year's disaster is extraordinary. Don't be ungrateful."

The man said quietly, "Whether someone is kind or not, I can't tell."

Yang Wan couldn't help but say, "Aren't you a dog? You can't even tell good from bad people. You've lost your true nature and humanity."

The man was furious upon hearing this. He was now a god and hated it most when people mentioned his past.

"Hey Yang, say that again if you dare!"

The man immediately stood up, glaring angrily, releasing a divine aura that shone brightly.

Nearby, two girls were trembling with fear.

Yang Wan said, "Your old master Yang isn't easily scared. What, does the dog want to bite someone?"

Afterwards, Qingwan shook her head, thinking, "These two are simply unbelievable..."

The man was furious upon hearing this and was about to step forward to fight Yang Wan.

However, at that moment, a terrifying pressure descended.

The man trembled with fear; the sweltering heat sent chills down his spine.

Lu Zheng looked at the man and said calmly, "I've already told you what happened. Now, go and inform the villagers. Is that alright?"

"No, no problem..." Cold sweat seeped from the man's back.

Just from the oppressive aura emanating from Lu Zheng, he knew he was no match for Lu Zheng at all.

Under such circumstances, how could the man possibly stand up for himself?

Yang Wan, standing to the side, felt no pressure and instead gloated.

Lu Zheng then said, "Yang Wan, you take him there. By the way, what's the deal with these two?"

Lu Zheng looked at the two thin girls kneeling in the corner.

The man said cautiously, "These are the servants the villagers offered to me..."

"Offerings? Isn't that inappropriate?" Lu Zheng said.

The man quickly replied, "They are villagers, and they did it voluntarily."

What do you mean by "voluntary"? If people are driven to the brink of desperation, selling their children is considered voluntary?
Lu Zheng said calmly, "I've conferred upon you the title of deity, not for you to enjoy yourself. Take them back to the village and settle them properly. If anything goes wrong..."

Lu Zheng knew that the Chu people here revered the gods to the core, but he still did not want these gods to act recklessly and exploit the people at will.

If it happens once, it will happen again. Since we've seen it, we must stop it.

Yang Wan quickly replied, "Understood. I promise to handle this matter properly and keep an eye on him to prevent him from doing it again."

The man was displeased, but dared not say anything.

Yang Wan led the man to the village to gather the villagers.

On the way, the man looked around and couldn't help but whisper, "Hey Yang, tell me the truth, who are those two people? Could they have been sent by higher-ups?"

Just now, Lu Zheng gave him the feeling of being one of those important figures above him.

Yang Wan chuckled upon hearing this and said, "I can't say, but I certainly won't harm you."

"Heh, hard to say..." the man snorted.

Yang Wan urged, "Hurry up, I still have other places to go. There are dozens of villages and towns in this county, I'm very busy."

The man looked surprised and suspicious upon hearing this. "Since when have you been able to manage the affairs of the entire county?"

Judging from Yang Wan's words, it seems he wants to alleviate the drought in the entire county. Is this something Yang Wan should be doing?
Yang Wan said with a serious expression, "What are you saying? We are the righteous gods of Great Chu. Even if we are the lowest-ranking gods, we should do our best for Great Chu. This year there is a severe drought and natural disaster. How can I sit idly by?"

(End of this chapter)