Shulong Daojun

Li Chengqian was slightly taken aback, and said, "Master Lu, please speak freely."

Lu Qianbian's mind raced for a moment. He put away his calm expression and said in a deep voice, "Success will determine the fate of the world, failure will mean the end of everything."

If the Prince of Yan ascends the throne smoothly, all my words and actions can be attributed to "following the trend," and I will have the merit of supporting the imperial court and stabilizing the world, so there will be no major problems.

But if it doesn't work out, the flowing water and fallen flowers will fade away with spring, leaving only the world of heaven and earth.

Therefore, if the King of Yan wins, I win; if the King of Yan loses, I also lose.

After speaking, he suddenly sighed, paused for a moment, then turned to Li Chengqian with a slight smile and said, "Does the Prince of Yan have the confidence to sit on the throne of Great Yu?"

Upon hearing this,

Li Chengqian strode forward with his hands behind his back. After nine steps, he suddenly turned his head and said arrogantly, "In this world, who else but me?"

"I have been planning for the Great Yu for over a decade, and everything is under my control. Daoist Lu, please rest assured."

Lu Qianbian nodded and smiled, gave a slight bow, and said nothing more.

Li Chengqian was the most powerful prince he had chosen after visiting all the princes. He commanded a large army and was deeply favored by the Emperor of Dayu, a favor unmatched by any other prince.

Therefore, all that is needed is to proceed according to plan.

......

Lin Shu returned to Qingwu City and, through a divine miracle, distributed the items he had obtained in Yan to the city's officials. Without lingering, he headed straight for Chu County.

Although he helped Yan region resolve the problem of the clam spirit, Lu Qianbian seemed quite amiss, and he had a feeling that something big was about to happen.

Therefore, Jiang Heng needs to expedite every step.

One step behind means you'll be behind at every step.

If we continue to only engage in small-scale activities in Chuzhou County, how is that any different from playing around in a pond?

Why not take advantage of the opportunity before the city god of Pingjiang takes office, seize Pingjiang city and its subordinate counties and townships, and win over the county gods and local deities, thus completely sidelining the city god?

Even if it fails, one must still keep the people in check and follow the proper path of the true gods.

At this moment, Jiang Heng was sitting in the back hall of a temple, chatting with Gu Changming over tea about various matters in the county. Every three sentences they spoke revolved around "Xianyou Zhengshen" and every five sentences mentioned "good friend".

On one side were carefully prepared seasonal fruits and three sticks of vegetarian incense.

Gu Changming was overwhelmed by what he heard, but there was nothing he could do but smile and wait.

He had come with a request, but happened to run into Jiang Heng, who had come with gifts.

No, it can't be said to be a coincidence.

Jiang Heng had been smiling and carrying gifts, wandering around outside the temple for several days, but had not yet stepped inside.

To this day, I have accepted my own invitation.

Thinking of this, Gu Changming listened to Jiang Heng's witty remarks and sighed inwardly.

Several days have passed since Gao Chengyun left office, and the position of the city's righteous god in Pingjiang City is now vacant, causing some panic and unease among the righteous gods of various counties and the local earth gods in blue robes.

If that were all, they could manage to maintain their composure, stabilize the city and county, and preserve some peace for a time.

However, news is most easily leaked in places with green tiles and red buildings. As people came and went, the fact that the magistrate of Pingjiang City was mentally unstable was already known both inside and outside the city.

The incident happened there, and no matter what other officials tried, they couldn't silence the public's gossip.

However, this matter is simply too absurd.

Although it is said that the matter has been reported to higher authorities, it is still unknown when the new local official will take office—it could be as short as half a month or as long as half a year.

This gave rise to some thoughts among the many refugees gathered outside the city.

After all, there were no fish, shrimp, crabs, wild mushrooms, or other seafood around, and without food, life was already difficult to sustain.

The local deities and the local earth gods of each county have seen groups of refugees peering out, and sensing something amiss, they are becoming increasingly panicked.

Of course, Chuxian County is an exception.

This was because Jiang Heng had already led the refugees from outside the county to seize it, so there was no need to worry at all.

This left Gu Changming momentarily speechless.

While he felt relieved, his old friends became increasingly worried, frequently asking: What if those refugees stormed into the county? Where is our way out?

The accumulated thoughts of the past had already settled in his heart, and the addition of the word "origin" was like the last straw. Gu Changming simply stopped thinking about it and accepted it directly.

Source? It's Jiang Heng, and even more so the City God behind him.

With this thought in mind, Gu Changming came to his senses, looked at Jiang Heng, and tentatively asked, "Young friend Jiang, the method you didn't mention that day, was it to have me serve under that City God?"

Jiang Heng neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply replied, "Gu Zheng is wise and discerning."

"So it is!" Gu Changming was slightly pleased upon hearing this and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking of the current situation of his old friends, he pondered for a moment and spoke again: "Young friend Jiang, do you have a way to contact the master?"

Or do you know when that esteemed official will return to Chuzhou? I have some matters to report to him.

Jiang Heng paused for a moment, but remained outwardly calm, and said, "What is it, Gu Zheng Shen? Can you tell me?"

"The Venerable Master Xianyou is always very busy. If I can help him, it would be best not to disturb his important business."

As soon as he finished speaking, he adopted a posture of listening attentively.

After hearing this, Gu Changming had some doubts, but he didn't think much of it.

Jiang Heng's words were true; Lord Cheng Zheng was indeed preoccupied with important matters.

However, having served as the county magistrate for many years, I have often received help from my old friends, and our friendship is quite deep. If I were to disregard this now, it would be too heartless of me.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Changming sighed and said, "It's not that I doubt young friend Jiang's abilities, but this matter concerns several other county gods, and ultimately it must be decided by the city god himself before it can be considered valid."

He then changed the subject, his tone earnest: "If you can get in touch with young friend Jiang, I hope you will lend a helping hand."

After speaking, he immediately bowed deeply with his hands clasped in greeting.

Things had come to this point, which put Jiang Heng in a somewhat difficult position.

He did have a way to contact the True God of Manifestation, but given what he had said before, he knew that the True God would not appear in Chuzhou County.

Therefore, he found it difficult to agree to Gu Changming's request.

However, if we refuse now, it will inevitably shake their resolve to submit, and may even create a rift between us.

Just as he was pondering this, a questioning voice rang out: "Young friend Jiang, is there something you're worried about?"

It was only when Gu Changming saw that Jiang Heng had not answered that he spoke up to ask.

Jiang Heng's eyes flickered slightly, and he made up his mind: agree to this matter first, keep Gu Changming calm, and deal with the rest later.

Just as he was about to speak, a gentle breeze swept through the temple and landed right in front of him, revealing his form.

It was Lin Shu who had rushed over.

Upon seeing this figure, Jiang Heng and Gu Changming both showed a hint of joy in their eyes. They were about to cup their hands in greeting when a surge of magical power stopped them.

"In urgent situations, expediency is key; there's no need for excessive formalities."

Lin Shu glanced at the two of them, noticed the fruits and vegetables placed to the side, and after a moment's thought, he understood somewhat. He then said, "If Gu Zhengshen has any needs, please speak freely."

Without hesitation, Gu Changming hurriedly said respectfully, "My lord, I would like to introduce two old friends to you."

They are all righteous gods of the county, of good character, diligent in performing their duties, and have the demeanor of righteous gods.

"I wonder if you, sir, could grant me an audience?"

"Oh? Is that so?" Lin Shu frowned.