Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 123 Another Anomaly! I Want to Become a Member of the Four Duty Officers?!

"If you encounter a highly skilled spiritualist who possesses the ability to kill from a distance, you can do the same."

Considering your previous experience at the Academy of Rebirth, perhaps there really is a demon causing trouble in our Jiangdu City!

Yu Feng's gaze grew cold.

Compared to those S-level eerie instances in remote and sparsely populated areas, cases like this one that wreak havoc in the city are more likely to cause panic and attract the attention of the authorities.

This is why, despite only four people dying, the incident was immediately classified as an A-level case.

It is precisely because the victims appear to be random, scattered in different locations, and without any clues.

If the perpetrator is allowed to continue to succeed, similar cases will inevitably recur in the future.

If the situation escalates, the entire Jiangdu City will likely be shrouded in a shadow of terror.

"Furthermore, at the same time, there were people both inside and outside the city planning to achieve immortality through corpse dissolution. If these two things weren't related, even a ghost wouldn't believe it!"

The incident at the Academy of Rebirth also brought Yu Feng considerable stimulation and a wake-up call.

Lu Chen nodded and frowned: "It is indeed strange. It is very likely that it was all done by one person! So, the master wants me to find the real culprit before the last human is killed."

“That’s right. Since you have a special relationship with the Underworld, use some means to find the real culprit for me! Once the target is identified, you don’t need to worry about the rest. I will bring him to justice.”

A chilling killing intent ignited in Yu Feng's eyes.

"No wonder the magistrate asked me to solve the case; it's a perfect match for my expertise. Bring up the souls of these people, and we'll know the answer in no time."

This case might be extremely difficult for others.

But for Lu Chen, it was a piece of cake.

When a person dies, their soul returns to the underworld.

Now that he's in the underworld, what difference does it make to Lu Chen if he's still alive?
Even if it's a vengeful ghost seeking revenge.

They will leave clues before they take action.

As long as we follow this clue, finding the real culprit will be a piece of cake.

Lu Chen's Yama Token flashed in his palm, and he began to summon Fan Rusong and Xie Qingyi.

“By the way, sir…” Lu Chen suddenly remembered something: “Isn’t the Netherworld passage already open? Why don’t you just go to the Sun Family Temple in the south of the city and ask Yama?”

By this time, the news that the Sun Family Temple could invite ancestors had already spread.

Wouldn't it be more convenient to just ask directly?

"You think I didn't think of that?" Yu Feng shook his head helplessly. "I already sent people there. But the underworld has a rule that non-immediate family members cannot invite ancestors. So I sent a few more family members to try, and guess how the underworld responded?"

"How to say?"

"The underworld said we could only reminisce about the past and not reveal anything else, but that's not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is... the underworld can't find this person at all!"

"No such person found?"

Lu Chen could understand the first half of the sentence, but the second half stunned him: "If a person is dead, where else could they be but in the underworld? It's impossible for them to be reincarnated so quickly."

As they spoke, two streaks of black light appeared, and Fan Rusong and Xie Qingyi gracefully materialized, bowing in unison: "Greetings, General!"

—General?
Yu Feng's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say much. He simply gestured with his hand, "You investigate first, and we'll talk about it later."

Lu Chen nodded and spread out the four documents: "Xiao Ru..."

"Yes, General!"

"Find out where these four souls are in the underworld now."

"Yes, General!"

Fan Rusong flipped his palm, and the "Book of Evil" unfolded in mid-air, its pages turning rapidly.

However, a moment later, her surprised voice rang out: "Huh, that's strange..."

"What's wrong?" Lu Chen asked.

"Reporting to the general, no information was found about these four souls; the underworld has not included them in its records."

"What?!" Lu Chen suddenly stood up and turned to Xie Qingyi: "You should check it too."

"Yes!"

Xie Qingyi summoned the [Good Deeds Register], but the result remained the same—no such person could be found.

"That's strange. If the person is dead, where else could they be but in the underworld?" Lu Chen's mind raced. "Could it be... on City God Street?"

Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong shook their heads at the same time: "Impossible, General. Even in Chenghuang Street, the dead are registered. If they are not registered, they cannot stay for long. But once they are registered, it is equivalent to entering the underworld's system, and my sister and I can find out about them."

"What happened? The person is definitely dead; I saw the body with my own eyes."

Lu Chen was completely baffled. Could it be that a few mere demons could transcend the Three Realms and be outside the Five Elements?
"This……"

Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong looked at each other, puzzled.

But at this moment, Yu Feng suddenly sighed, "It seems... I was right after all."

Lu Chen looked in the direction of the sound.

Yu Feng's gaze instantly turned serious: "These people are not only dead, but their souls have also been scattered! That's why they can't be found."

"Soul scattered and spirit destroyed?"

Lu Chen's expression hardened.

Fan Rusong and Xie Qingyi exchanged glances again, their expressions suddenly changing before turning cold and stern: "If that's really the case, it's a serious violation of the laws of the underworld!!"

"That's right. If someone dares to cause the souls of the dead to be scattered, that's an extremely serious crime that would anger the underworld! May I ask, General, what exactly happened?"

Lu Chenxuan then briefly recounted the details of the case.

"Another case of immortality through corpse liberation?"

The two women's expressions changed drastically: "It seems that Jiangdu City has recently... been plagued by evil spirits!"

Lu Chen reached out, signaling the two women not to rush.

His mind raced: "There's only one way left."

Yu Feng abruptly replied, "You want to go see the City God?"

Lu Chen nodded: "Since their souls have all been scattered, searching for the underworld is obviously useless. The City God is a roaming deity who patrols the city day and night, so I believe he should have some clues."

——Fuck!

Lu Chen was speechless.

I thought it would be a piece of cake.

And then another unexpected problem arose!

It can only be said that the monster who used this method of corpse dissolution is indeed extremely vicious.

It not only harms people's lives.

They didn't even leave behind their souls.

Such a ruthless and annihilating approach!

This is truly outrageous and despicable, and it arouses the wrath of both gods and men!

Yu Feng nodded: "This is also the deeper reason why I called you here. Actually, I had a guess at the time that it was possible that these people had already been completely destroyed, and if that were the case, what should be done... So I also thought of the City God."

I even specifically ordered an official from the city lord's mansion, whose service to the City God was at least 20%, to offer incense and prayers. They burned incense a full 180 times, but there was still no response.

Upon hearing this, Xie Qingyi slightly pursed her lips and said, "Lord City Lord, although the City God records the good and evil of the city, he is in charge of matters after death. Even if there are demons causing trouble, there will be divine punishment and karmic retribution."

It's perfectly normal that you won't get any results if you ask so abruptly.

“That’s right.” Fan Rusong nodded in agreement.

Yu Feng nodded and smiled, "I understand that principle, which is why I invited your general over. The City God and the Underworld are in a superior-subordinate relationship. With your general's current prestige, surely the City God will give you some face out of respect for the King of Hell?"

"This……"

Fan Rusong and Xie Qingyi looked embarrassed.

If it weren't for that incident on Chenghuang Street, things would be fine.

But now, even their direct superiors have been...

This matter of saving face... it's hard to say.

Lu Chen pondered for a moment and said, "Let's give it a try first."

Yu Feng nodded emphatically: "Yes, how will we know if it will succeed or not if we don't try? But if you want to ask, you don't need to ask the Day and Night Guardians. It's faster and more convenient to ask the Four Duty Officers directly."

Lu Chen's eyes lit up: "That's right! You've reminded me, Lord City Lord. Look at my brain, I didn't quite catch that right for a moment."

The so-called Four Duty Officers are deities in Heaven who are responsible for recording and reporting, equivalent to Heaven's postmen.

The "four values" refer to the four units of time: year, month, day, and hour.

"Gongcao" was an official position responsible for tasks such as document processing, recording, and performance evaluation.

Among them, the [Year Official] is responsible for managing and recording all good and evil events that occur throughout the year.

It has the widest jurisdiction and the longest time span.

The [Moon Official] is in charge of all good and evil events that occur within a month and records them.

And so on.

【日曹】 and 【时曹】 correspond to different time periods.

In other words, as soon as a person opens their eyes, everything they do will be recorded by the Four Duty Officers and uploaded to the Heavenly Court!

— To weigh merits and demerits.

The saying goes, "Heaven is watching from above."

This deity refers to the Four Duty Officers!
When Taoist priests hold fasting and ritual ceremonies, the memorials and petitions written by the priests need to be delivered to the Heavenly Court by messengers.

The Four Duty Officers were among the most important "messengers".

Especially rituals involving "revering heaven and invoking the gods".

Then it is necessary to go through the Four Duty Officers to accurately present the relevant documents to the corresponding deities.

Don't underestimate these people.

Although his official rank wasn't high.

But his position is certainly not insignificant.

This is a typical example of a low-ranking official with real power.

Therefore, in Taoist scriptures, one can often see phrases such as "burning incense to open the Three Pure Realms, and riding on clouds to respectfully welcome the Four Duty Officers."

In some cases, they can even be listed alongside the Three Pure Ones in a single sentence.

Of course, the Four Duty Officers are further divided into the "Major Four Duty Officers" and the "Minor Four Duty Officers".

The fourth-ranked official is a righteous god in the Heavenly Court.

The name of the person in question is [Li Bing].

The title of Yue Cao is Huang Chengyi.

The character "日" is composed of the characters "周登".

At that time, Cao was Liu Hong.

These four are essentially the leaders.

The four minor officials are priests.

Embedded in the City God system.

He served under the local city gods.

Since we need to find the real culprit.

Clearly, there is no more suitable deity than the [Four Duty Officers].

……

"But sir, what if I fail to find the real culprit before the last demon?"

Lu Chen suddenly thought of something and asked in return.

"Should my primary focus be on catching the mastermind, or should protecting the human demon from death also be a criterion for evaluating the mission?"

"Of course, catching the murderer is the priority!" Yu Feng naturally understood what he meant, and waved his hand helplessly, saying, "As long as you catch the mastermind, it doesn't matter if it's late or the fifth person, Xiao, dies."

"Okay, that's enough for me!"

Don't underestimate this point.

Jiangdu City has a population of one million.

That demon's killing range was simply too wide.

Even if a demon has its heart ripped out, it must be someone who has committed the sin of killing.

Not to mention how many of them have been in prison.

It's hard to say there aren't any outside this prison...

After all, there are countless evil people in this world.

As long as the framework isn't completely closed, the human must be protected.

This also greatly reduced Lu Chen's time constraints.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you. I'll wait for your news!"

"Very well! Respectfully seeing you off, sir!"

After giving his instructions, Yu Feng returned to the city lord's mansion.

Lu Chen then instructed Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong: "You two go back to the underworld first and report this matter to King Yama. See what he has to say. I'll wait for your news."

"As ordered!"

The two women exchanged a glance, then transformed into wisps of green smoke and returned to the underworld.

Lu Chen was the only one left in the office.

He looked at the documents in his hand, recalling the scenes from Chenghuang Street...

"It seems that this time, we really have no choice but to deal with this City God Li!"

(End of this chapter)