Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 474 A Madman in Chu
"Name?"

"Wang, Wang Feng."

"What kind of monster?"

"Can't you tell, sir, that I am a dog demon?"

……

Outside Kaiyang County, officials sat registering people, while the one registering identities was a dog-headed, human-shaped monster.

Kaiyang County recently introduced a new policy that allows even demons and ghosts to register their household registration.

After learning about the situation, many demons and ghosts from other places came to ask for an identity.

After all, once they have a status, they are no longer mountain demons or wild ghosts, and can enter the city openly.

The official looked at the dog demon before him and said calmly, "Whether you are a wolf or a dog is not for me to decide, nor is it for you to answer randomly. Once you're registered, your identity cannot be changed. If there's a problem, that's your problem. Answer my questions..."

"Understood, sir!" The dog demon nodded repeatedly.

The official then asked, "Gender, realm?"

"It's male, at the second level of the Demon Realm," the dog demon replied honestly.

The official continued, "Have you committed any crimes or murders in the past?"

The dog demon shook his head repeatedly, "My lord, how dare I! If I had committed any wrongdoing, how could I dare to come here?"

"That's not necessarily true. Some demons and ghosts try to slip through the cracks..." the official said calmly. "Think it over before you speak. If they find out what evil deeds you've committed in the past, your punishment will be three times more severe. Even if it's not a capital offense, it could become a capital offense. If you surrender now, you might receive a lighter sentence."

"Hey, I'm just here to register, not to turn myself in!" the dog demon quickly said.

Upon hearing these words, the dog demon was so frightened that it wanted to run away, but seeing the official with a knife standing beside it, it dared not move.

The official glanced at the dog demon. "Demons and ghosts without problems will naturally be registered. Those who break the law or commit crimes will be asked to surrender and will have to serve their sentences. Of course, as long as they haven't killed anyone, the sentences won't be heavy... Our Kaiyang County is currently undergoing construction and needs manpower; they can be assigned to corvée labor as needed..."

"Alright, alright! Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. You don't want this place to turn into a trial court, do you?"

The dog demon was speechless for a moment. He glanced to the side and saw that several ape demons were carrying things out of the county town, chatting and laughing all the way. It seemed that they had gone into the town to buy goods.

The dog demon whispered, "I stole a few things before..."

"what?"

The official remained calm and prepared to take notes, saying, "Tell me in detail."

The dog demon had no choice but to recount some of the things it had done.

"Gone?"

The officials made a record of it and kept an eye on the dog demon.

The dog demon hurriedly replied, "That's all. I'm very timid and have never done anything significant."

The official said casually, "Really gone? If it's discovered, you know the consequences."

"It's really gone!" the monster said, shaking its head.

The official quickly scribbled a few lines and pushed a petition in front of the dog demon. "Come on, sign and put your fingerprint here. Go and perform three years of forced labor, then pay the fine... If you don't have the money to pay the fine, you can pay it off, or you can work in lieu of the fine..."

"If you behave well, I might get you a formal identity sooner. Don't complain about this or that. Who would give you an identity in other prefectures or counties? You'd probably be killed by the time you got to the city gate..."

"Since you've come all this way to develop Kaiyang County, you'll be a part of our county from now on. Work hard; you seem to have good potential, maybe you can become a demon official someday..."

"We have demon officials here. They are paid by the government, and if they perform well, they can even get spirit stones and pills."

Amidst the officials' rambling, the dog demon, in a daze, signed and sealed the document, and was then taken away to be assigned labor tasks.

……

Lu Zheng led a group of officials to visit various places to dig irrigation canals, build wells, and sow seeds.

It truly allowed these divine officials to experience the lives of ordinary people.

No one dared to complain; they could only do their jobs honestly.

The acting city god originally wanted to invite Lu Zheng to go to the county town to take a look, but he ended up following Lu Zheng day and night to work in the mountain villages.

For these officials of the gods, this was nothing short of a mental torment.

Lu Zheng stood by a river, watching a small stream of water flow down the irrigation canal towards a distant mountain village.

"The drought here is too severe. We still need to send people out to patrol more often and check the situation in each township."

The acting City God beside him quickly replied, "Definitely, definitely."

Lu Zheng added, "The City God has been out for two days; he should go back to the county town to take a look. He can't neglect other matters."

The acting city god breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "Young Master Lu, would you like to visit the county? You must have had a long and tiring journey."

"No need," Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "I'll just look around. You don't need to follow me. Go and do your own things."

The acting City God quickly assigned tasks to his subordinates, and everyone politely bid farewell to Lu Zheng before leaving in twos and threes.

Lu Zheng shook his head slightly, wondering if these people felt that much pressure following him around.
Having gained a moment of peace, Lu Zheng entered his little world.

He saw Qingwan and Qingyi sitting by the volcano, writing there.

"Lu Zheng, Xiao Qingyi can talk now!" Qing Wan exclaimed excitedly.

Qingyi stared at Lu Zheng as he approached, her mouth agape as she mumbled, "Lu... Zheng."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and patted Qingyi's little head.

He noticed that in the short time he hadn't seen Qingyi, her eyes had become more lively, and her small body didn't seem so thin anymore.

It appears that the other party is slowly mastering its own power, gradually transforming from a desiccated corpse into a powerful being.

Lu Zheng recalled his memories and found a cultivation technique, which he then tried to teach Qingyi.

He didn't provide the drought demon with any specific Taoist practices, but he knew some fire-based magic.

Upon attempting to communicate with Qingyi again, Lu Zheng discovered that her comprehension skills had improved significantly, and she had become much more intelligent. Lu Zheng asked Qingwan to move away and then released the suppression of righteous energy on Qingyi.

A powerful aura was released instantly.

The already arid volcanic land became even drier and hotter.

A visible heat wave rippled out from Qingyi's body.

Lu Zheng said softly, "Control this heat, you can control it. Imagine it as something that belongs to you, collect it, and put it in a place that feels right to you..."

Qingyi's eyes flickered, and she followed Lu Zheng's instructions as if she understood but not quite.

The scorching heat slowly dissipated, entering Qingyi's limbs and bones, rather than condensing in one place.

It seems that this small body is a furnace that holds endless heat.

Lu Zheng carefully sensed Qingyi's changes and said in a low voice, "Very good, keep it up. If you feel uncomfortable, you can tell me."

"I... am fine," Qingyi mumbled.

“Okay, take your time, no rush,” Lu Zheng said.

As time slowly passed, the powerful, restless energy within Qingyi's body gradually calmed down and merged into various parts of her body.

Qingyi's body gradually emitted a trace of spiritual energy, and her withered body returned to normal.

It doesn't become flesh and blood, but rather transforms into a special fire-elemental spirit.

Qingwan, who was not far away, clicked her tongue in amazement. "I feel like she's even more powerful than those at the fifth realm."

Lu Zhengdao said, "The peak of the fifth realm... she has barely managed to integrate the power bestowed upon her by the power of heaven and earth, but she still needs to practice slowly in order to use such power."

They are born with great power, but mastering and controlling it requires a process.

It needs to be guided step by step, otherwise if Qingyi's power were to fully erupt, the whole area would be set ablaze.

Qingwan exclaimed in surprise, "Your cultivation level is truly higher than ours!"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Xiao Qingyi was born of heaven and earth, we can't compare to her."

Lu Zheng stood aside and observed for a while. Once he was sure that Qingyi could control her own power under normal circumstances, he felt relieved.

He stayed with Qingyi for a while, then left the little world.

With too many things to do, I had no choice but to entrust Xiao Qingyi to Qing Wan's guidance.

Once outside, Lu Zheng found that the heat outside was much less intense than when he was with Qingyi.

"It's a pity he's just a little guy; he doesn't know how to use his own power yet..."

Lu Zheng muttered to himself that if Qingyi could use her power at will, she could help alleviate the drought in this area.

The drought is passing through, and the red land is thousands of miles away.

If a powerful drought demon can do this, it can naturally absorb the intense heat that exists between heaven and earth.

However, Qingyi is still young and obviously cannot do that level of skill.

Lu Zheng raised his head slightly, preparing to check the directions.

A figure flew swiftly through the sky.

"Ha ha……"

Before anyone arrives, the sound comes first.

It was a disheveled man, barefoot, with his chest and belly exposed, looking unrestrained and dissolute.

The man stepped through the air, descending step by step, heading straight for Lu Zheng's position.

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes as he looked at the approaching man, sensing a peculiar and mysterious aura emanating from him.

When the man saw Lu Zheng, his eyes gleamed and his smile became slightly manic.

"Phoenix, oh phoenix! How your virtue has declined! The past cannot be changed, but the future can still be pursued. Alas, alas! Those who govern today are in grave danger!"

The man's wild, unrestrained laughter drifted over, echoing throughout the heavens and earth.

Upon hearing his voice, Lu Zheng's heart inexplicably began to race.

It was as if some special force was stirring his mind.

The man's words were a song sung by a madman to Confucius, intended as a warning to Confucius.

The world is in chaos and disorder, and those in power are in danger of losing their lives. Why not just give up?

Lu Zheng's eyes flickered, and the Wenxin in his chest released its aura to stabilize his mind and isolate himself from the influence of the man's loud singing.

"Though there be thousands of people, I will go."

Lu Zheng spoke slowly, and a surge of righteous energy burst forth, instantly shattering the man's words.

Seeing Lu Zheng's imposing aura, the man's heart pounded like a drum, yet he remained unaffected by him, which surprised him.

"Excellent, excellent! You must be Lu Zheng!"

The man strode in barefoot, his clothes fluttering, exuding a carefree air.

Lu Zheng remained calm and asked, "Who are you?"

The man smiled broadly and said leisurely, "Wang Tong is just a hermit in the mountains."

Wang Tong? Lu Zheng's mind raced. He had heard of a reclusive scholar named Wang Tong in the State of Chu, but he wondered if this was the person standing before him.

Lu Zheng didn't know much about Wang Tong.

But this person came to influence his literary mind with songs, so his intentions are probably not simple.

(End of this chapter)