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

Chapter 136 The Kind-hearted City God.

It took a full hour to eat.

The banquet has just ended.

Sun Yourong specially arranged for a bodyguard to drive Lu Chen back to Yunding Mountain Villa.

Watching the car lights disappear into the distance, Sun Dechang, Wu Lao, and Sun Yourong stood side by side.

Old Wu took a deep breath and sighed, "Once young friend Lu rises to the ranks of the newly wealthy and powerful, the political landscape of the north of the city will likely undergo a significant transformation."

Sun Dechang, however, was full of confidence: "Don't worry, with Xiao Chen's abilities, the Zhao family might not be able to suppress him. If they dare to act recklessly, my Sun family... will definitely not sit idly by."

Old Wu glanced at the grandfather and grandson, stroked his beard, and chuckled, "It's a pity my Wu family has no daughters of marriageable age, otherwise we would definitely compete with your Sun family for her."

"Grandpa Wu~" Sun Yourong blushed so much that even her neck turned crimson.

"Hahaha." Sun Dechang laughed triumphantly, then changed the subject: "Old Wu, what about you? With your cunning, you probably won't let this opportunity slip by, will you?"

Old Wu chuckled, "If the Zhao family really goes too far... then my Wu family is willing to lend a hand!"

Sun Dechang patted Old Wu hard, pointed at him and laughed, "Old man, no wonder your Wenchang Emperor's favor with the gods is so high! In half a day, not only did you gain the Kitchen God, but you also got involved with this soon-to-be noble. When it comes to scheming, I, Sun Dechang, admire you!"

Mr. Wu remained expressionless at first, then burst into laughter.

"Then let's wait and see how the Zhao family and the Lu family clash. It'll also be a good opportunity to test what kind of methods this soon-to-be head of a powerful family will employ in the future!"

"Okay!"

During their conversation, these two influential figures in Jiangdu were already anticipating the waves that were about to be stirred up in the north of the city.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yourong, who was standing to the side, looked worried.

The gap between the newly rich and the established families, though not a case of an egg hitting a rock, is like a fierce dog fighting a hungry wolf.

How easy is it to rival the Zhao family in the north of the city?

After all, the Zhao family had already suppressed all the newly rich in the north of the city.
No matter how powerful Lu Chen is, he can't possibly persuade a deity to intervene in mortal affairs.

The conflicts among mortals must ultimately be resolved by mortals themselves.
Forty minutes later, at Cloud Peak Villa.

Lu Chen first took a refreshing bath, and then immediately began copying the nine volumes of the Lesser Three Classics and the Complete Book of Respecting the Kitchen God.

The latter is an essential scripture for the "Invitation of the Saint" ceremony.

Taoist rituals and ceremonies are extremely rigorous, and the ceremonies are often very similar.

Different deities require different scriptures to be recited.

For example, this time, the goal is to revitalize the "Fireworks Book," so we need to use the "Complete Book of Respecting the Kitchen God."

In addition, a magical artifact capable of illuminating all things is also required.

Therefore, a Bagua mirror is also needed.

Of course, Lu Chen also had to make this mirror himself.

"Sigh, rogue cultivators have no prestige," Lu Chen sighed. "It seems I'll need to gather a complete set of magical artifacts in the future. A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools! Otherwise, when I need them at the last minute, I'll be in a real bind."

Lu Chen calmed his mind and began to concentrate on "copying".

Tonight is clearly going to be another sleepless night...

The key point is that these scriptures cannot be photocopied, unlike ghost money or joss paper, where the paper itself is merely a medium.

The essence lies in the related talismans and incantations.

The reason why scriptures contain merit is that they have been passed down for thousands of years and have taught countless people, thus their merit is immeasurable.

Although Lu Chen didn't understand why these scriptures still had this effect after he transmigrated.

In short, even in the rituals and ceremonies of the previous life, all the scriptures were copied by hand.

Anyone who dares to photocopy scriptures will face a barrage of loving judgment from the Enforcement Hall!
As time passes by.

I kept copying until midnight.

After copying six scriptures in a row, Lu Chen felt dizzy and almost fell asleep.

“General!”

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out, startling Lu Chen awake instantly, his hair standing on end!

"who?!"

"General, it's me!"

A crack appeared in the room, and a graceful figure floated down, immediately kneeling before Lu Chen.

"Are you... Hu Sanniang from Chenghuang Street?" Lu Chen immediately recognized the person—no, the ghost.

"It is indeed I, your humble servant." Hu Sanniang raised her head, revealing a captivating smile, then said solemnly, "I have come on the orders of the City God to invite the General. The City God captured the mastermind behind this at midnight tonight!"

"What?!"

Lu Chen's pupils constricted sharply: "You caught them? Where?"

"Now on Chenghuang Street!"

"Is it a ghost?"

"No, he is a fifth-rank spiritual practitioner, currently imprisoned by the lord in City God Street. General, why don't you go and see for yourself, and the lord can explain the details?"

Lu Chen's mind raced—the murderer was captured so quickly? And he was a fifth-grade spiritualist?
"Okay, just a moment!"

Lu Chen remained calm. With a flick of his hand, the King of Hell's Decree appeared, and the four underworld messengers materialized as summoned.

"General!"

Seeing this, Hu Sanniang was slightly taken aback, but then understood and said with a smile, "Shall we set off now?"

"Wait a little longer!" Lu Chen raised his hand to stop them, then looked at Xie Qingyi and Fan Rusong: "Are Seventh Master and Eighth Master available right now?"

Xie and Fan exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

"Then we'll trouble Seventh Master and Eighth Master to come up here."

"Yes, General!"

Without further ado, Xie and Fan turned into wisps of green smoke and returned to the underworld.

Hu Sanniang: "."

Lu Chen chuckled: "Sorry, I just like a lively atmosphere; it's more fun with more people, right?"

"No, it's alright."

Hu Sanniang responded with a forced smile.

Lu Chen waited quietly.

The reason he didn't summon Zhong Kui for the time being was that he didn't want to disturb him. After all, the True Lord is different from the underworld officials; he must be very busy.

For now, we're just heading to City God Street; having the Seventh and Eighth Masters to protect us is enough. If anything unexpected happens, we can ask for help again later.

A moment later, four wisps of blue smoke reappeared in the room.

“General!”

Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu bowed respectfully.

Lu Chen clasped his hands in return, saying, "I am deeply grateful to Seventh Master and Eighth Master for accompanying me to Chenghuang Street."

"General, you are too kind. It is my honor!"

Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu were happy to see this happen—this gentleman was generous and would certainly not let them work for nothing.

"Okay, let's go."

Lu Chen stood still, protected by the six Yin Messengers.

Hu Sanniang was both amused and exasperated. With a flick of her sleeve, she summoned a magical artifact that hovered above Lu Chen's head, instantly creating a protective barrier around him.

"This is the City God's brush; it can protect the general from the yin energy of City God Street."

After saying that, she summoned another magical seal, tearing through space once more.

“The City God’s Seal!” Lu Chen recognized the origin of the item at a glance.

Previously, a similar magical artifact also floated around the City God.

However, compared to the one for the City God of the Prefecture, the one for the City God of Li is clearly of a lower grade.

"General, please!"

Lu Chen nodded and stepped into the crevice, followed closely by the six Yin Messengers.

In the blink of an eye, the group returned to City God Street.

However, this time the destination was not the city gate, but directly the City God Temple.

"General!!"

Li Chenghuang immediately greeted him with a smile and bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

Lu Chen was taken aback when he saw the other person's appearance.

The other person was wearing a mask, completely covering their face.

"General, let me explain," Hu Sanniang interjected. "The reason we were able to capture the villain so quickly is entirely due to the City God's secret technique, which allowed him to traverse this local spacetime and find the scoundrel's trail. However, this technique comes at a great cost, requiring a significant portion of one's lifespan and causing one's appearance to deteriorate rapidly. That's why Your Excellency wore a mask to avoid startling you, General."

"The City God's secret techniques?!"

The six underworld officials gasped in shock.

Xie Bi'an bowed deeply, clasping his hands in respect: "My lord, this price is far too heavy!"

Li Chenghuang seemed unconcerned about the arrival of the six underworld officials, waving his hand and saying, "Bian, you flatter me. I have already made a grave mistake in this case of corpse dissolution, and it is too late to mend things now. As long as the real culprit can be captured and the people of the city can be kept safe, I will be satisfied. A mere lifespan is nothing to worry about."

Having said that, he looked at Hu Sanniang and scolded her, "Don't spread alarming rumors and disturb the general."

Hu Sanniang clasped her hands in a fist salute, tears glistening in her eyes: "If the general does not believe me, please remove your mask, and you will see for yourself."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen bowed respectfully: "My lord, may I please remove my mask so that I may have a look?"

"Well," Li Chenghuang sighed helplessly, "I just hope it won't frighten the general."

He slowly removed his mask, revealing his true face.

--hiss!!
The moment I saw the face beneath the mask.

Lu Chen gasped.

Where was the Li Chenghuang before them, who was as handsome and dignified as he had been just half a day ago?

It looks exactly like a dried-up corpse!
"It really is the City God's secret technique!!" The six underworld officials were even more excited upon seeing this.

If one uses magic to disguise or change one's appearance.

Xie Qingyi and the other underworld officials might not be able to see it.

But the Xie brothers would definitely be able to tell them apart at a glance.

"Your Excellency's actions are deeply appreciated! On behalf of all the people of Jiangdu, I thank you for your kindness!"

Lu Chen bowed deeply.

"General, you flatter me. This is simply my duty!"

Li Chenghuang hurriedly put his mask back on and reached out to help him up.

"If I have frightened the general, I hope you will forgive me." Li Chenghuang bowed and apologized.

"Absolutely not!"

At this moment, Lu Chen's impression of this City God Li changed drastically.

To risk one's own lifespan to capture the real culprit—this sense of responsibility alone is worthy of admiration.

"General, why don't we go and check on the culprit?"

"Please lead the way, sir."

"please!"

Li Chenghuang led the way, and the group arrived at a side hall.

Before they even got close, they heard a series of roars: "Let me out! How can a living person be detained in Chenghuang Street? You are violating the laws of Heaven! Let me out!"

"General, this is the villain!"

Upon reaching the front of the hall, Lu Chen peered inside and saw a disheveled man with a face covered in scars, bound by several chains and struggling incessantly.

Upon seeing Lu Chen, the other party became even more frantic: "Who are you?! You're not a ghost messenger! You're a living person too! Quickly, let me out!"

"Shut your mother! You evil cultivator!"

Lu Chen rebuked him angrily, then turned and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this person's background?"

"General, this man's surname is Qiu, and he is not from Jiangdu. According to his Book of Life and Death, his ancestral home is in southern Hunan. Because his lifespan has not yet ended, his detailed life story is not yet recorded. Furthermore, since he is a living person, it is inconvenient for me to perform a soul-searching technique—this would be against the natural order, and I hope you will understand."

Lu Chen frowned. What? It's Xiangnan again?!
Why does this place seem to breed so many heretical practitioners?!
　From yesterday until now, I have written a total of 14,000 words.

　　People...feel numb.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)