Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Li Yuanshan looked at Fang Zheng and said solemnly, "If you do this job well, you will achieve great merit, but the risks are also great."

Yongqing County has been very unsettled in recent years, with frequent disturbances caused by evil spirits, especially this year.

A few months ago, the entire family of He Tingtao, the owner of Xixinzhai, was wiped out, their souls lost.

Later, Chu Tiankuo, a rank-eighth-grade supervisor, died suddenly at home in a gruesome manner.

A few days ago, another female student, Liu Qingyu, was forced to her death and turned into a vengeful ghost, killing several people.

Now, there's another case of a family being wiped out.

Please be careful during your exploration.

Fang Zheng nodded in understanding and then asked, "Master Li, what do you mean by saying that Chu Tiankuo's death was extremely gruesome?"

I have heard that Lord Chu died suddenly from an illness, and his body was quickly cremated out of fear of plague.

Li Yuanshan shook his head and snorted coldly, "That was the news that was released to avoid panic among the people in the county."

As far as I know, Chu Tiankuo was beheaded; the room was filled with blood, and his soul vanished without a trace.

Fang Zheng frowned slightly. Just as Liu Qingyu had said, Chu Tiankuo had been murdered.

He asked casually, "Lord Chu holds an important position, yet he was framed. This matter cannot simply be left unresolved, can it?"

Li Yuanshan nodded and said, "Of course, I heard that officials from the prefecture will soon come to take over this case, and there will definitely be a great upheaval in the Yongqing County officialdom."

Fang Zheng's mind raced as he realized this was a golden opportunity for him and Liu Qingyu.

He then asked, "Lord Li, there is still something I don't understand. The imperial court's laws oversee the entire realm, so why is there such unrest in this county?"

Li Yuanshan shook his head and said, "Over the past thousand years, the calamity of the Great Qian Dynasty has been secretly arising, and the net of fortune and law is not as tight as before."

Inevitably, this allowed some tyrannical and oppressive people to take advantage of the situation.

On the other hand, our Northern Youzhou was only seized from the demon race a little over a hundred years ago. Its transformation from a demonic land to a law-based system is relatively recent, and its oversight is far less stringent than that of the fertile Central Plains.

Fang Zheng nodded, understanding. He then inquired about some secrets of the Yongqing County officialdom from Li Yuanshan before taking his leave and departing from the Gates of Hell.

As his spirit returned to his body, Fang Zheng looked at the sky outside; it was already faintly bright on the horizon.

With a thought, he summoned the control panel.

Looking at the 30 strands of gray energy above, he followed the old rule and first did a bonus ten-pull in the newly activated "Ghost Gate Tour" card pool.

【Burning Soul Fire】×1 (Collector's Edition, Grade 9 Gray, Righteousness): A special skill card. After use, you can learn Burning Soul Fire, which attacks the soul and is difficult to defend against. It also increases the power against ghosts.

【Yinmo】×2 (Common, Common, Black, Intelligence): Consumable card, ink used for writing documents in the underworld, has a certain deterrent effect on ghosts.

【Yin Paper】×2 (Common, Common, Black, Gift): Consumable card, special talisman paper for writing underworld documents, has a certain deterrent effect on ghosts.

【Soul Polishing Stone】×2 (Common, Common, Black): Consumable card, can polish Yin Official Magical Artifacts, slightly increasing their power.

【Soul-Searching Candle】×2 (Rare, Common, Black, Letter): Consumable card. When lit, it can search for ghosts within a certain range.

【Underworld Official System Study - Fragment】×1 (Rare - Common Black - Intelligence): Secret Card. Use to obtain basic information about the Underworld Official System.

As he browsed the card descriptions, Fang Zheng smiled; these cards were all very useful.

In particular, the Soul-Burning Fire is a rare offensive spell that is extremely effective against ghosts.

He then invested the remaining 20-plus merit points into the "A Chinese Ghost Story" card pool and obtained another gray card.

【Shadow Lantern】(Rare, Grade 9 Gray, Intelligence): A rare card. When used, it grants the Shadow Lantern, which captures auras, tracks down enemies, and increases its power against ghosts.

In addition, they also acquired a bunch of cards that enhance their foundation, such as Yin Qi affinity.

Fang Zheng nodded to himself. Now, apart from the official robes and the Soul-Binding Chains, he had the Soul-Burning Fire, Liu Qingyu, and the Tiger-Painting Secret Technique as trump cards, making him more confident about the upcoming mission.

He used the newly acquired cards one by one, then laid out ink and paper on his desk, picked up his brush and drew a picture of soldiers in ink, folded it and put it into his sleeve before pushing open the door and going out.

The two constables at the door were dozing against the wall. When they heard the door open, they lazily raised their eyelids.

I thought he was that poor scholar who had been banished to sweep the streets, and I didn't even bother to say hello.

But when they looked up, they were both stunned.

He wore a gray official robe with subtle patterns, and a jade plaque hanging at his waist, clearly engraved with the words "Patrol".

This outfit, this aura, what kind of official is this?

He is clearly a legitimate underworld official!

The two constables jolted awake, their drowsiness vanishing instantly.

One of them rubbed his eyes, staring incredulously at the official robe Fang Zheng was wearing, his voice trembling: "Official...official robe?"

"Fang Zheng, no, Lord Fang, you've become an official?"

Fang Zheng nodded slightly, took the patrol token from his waist, and showed it to the two men.

"A ninth-rank official was dispatched to inspect the Gates of Hell and was ordered to investigate the case of the massacre of a family in Anping Town."

"Please lead the way, you two."

The two constables exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

Yesterday he was a street clerk kicked into the mud by the county magistrate, and today he's transformed into a ninth-rank underworld official?

Even underworld officials are still officials, far superior to minor officials in the mortal world.

The speed at which this person rose to prominence is simply astonishing.

But the official seal couldn't be faked. The expressions on the two constables' faces changed from shock to envy, and then from envy to flattery.

One of them immediately bowed, his tone so respectful it was as if he were a completely different person.

"Lord Fang, it is truly rare to find someone like you with a yang body and a yin official."

According to regulations, you must first report to the county government. I'll show you the way.

Not to be outdone, the other chimed in, "This way, sir, please. I'll hold the lantern for you."

This was the normal procedure, Fang Zheng smiled faintly and stepped forward.

Two constables followed behind, one on the left and one on the right, bowing and scraping.

Fang Zheng led the constables to the county government office. Before they even entered, they could hear a commotion inside.

Looking up, I saw that the scholar Chen Moxuan was pulling on the sleeve of Steward Cao, his face red and his neck thick, and he said angrily: "Fang Zheng is the top student in the imperial examination, with both virtue and talent, but you have made him a clerk."

"Don't you, Cao family, know who's behind this?"

Steward Cao flung his hand away, a forced smile on his face, and said smugly, "Lord Chen, you must provide evidence before you speak."

Sending Fangzheng to the Qingdao Office was decided by several officials in the county government. What does it have to do with our Cao family?

Besides, if Fang Zheng were really as capable as you say, he could definitely make a name for himself sweeping the streets, wouldn't you say?

Hahaha!"

Before the laughter had even subsided, he turned his head and saw Fang Zheng striding across the threshold.

Butler Cao's eyes lit up, feeling that today was a double celebration, as Fang Zheng was practically delivering himself to be humiliated.

He took a few steps forward, stretched out his index finger, almost poking Fang Zheng's nose, and said in a sarcastic tone: "Oh, isn't this our top student and future official, Fang Zheng?"

"Are you in such a hurry to take office?"

Fang Zheng remained expressionless, and with a slight tremor of his left hand, a layer of gray yin energy silently covered his palm.

Soul-burning fire.

The next second, the slap came in a wide arc, clean and decisive.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, Butler Cao was sent flying sideways, spun halfway in the air, and crashed headfirst to the ground.

His pig-like screams echoed through the county government gate. He rolled on the ground, clutching his face, which was swollen like a pig's head, in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face.

The Soul-Burning Fire doesn't burn the skin and flesh, but the soul.

That feeling is unbearable for ordinary people.