The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

Qin Kaixian? Qin Kaixian, the former captain of Sanyi Manor, who died from a demonic calamity?

Li Yi silently circulated the wood energy within his body, staring intently at the Yin spirit.

"How can you prove your innocence?"

The rattan-armored ghost calmly said, "In my previous life, I was merely a body cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining, and now I have lost my physique and Yang Qi; the commander was here just now, and if I had any ill intentions, I would have been smashed to pieces with one punch long ago."

Li Yi didn't relax and pressed on, "If you really are Qin Xiaoqi, the seven-day mourning period has passed, so why haven't you entered the cycle of reincarnation yet?"

Upon hearing this, the rattan-armored ghost's eyes flashed with a hint of relief and respect. Facing north, it cupped its fists and said:

"Although I lost my strong physique, I was fortunate to have cultivated the Taiyin Spleen Meridian. After my death, most of my cultivation was preserved. Moreover, the City God took pity on me and prepared to send me to work in the underworld. This is why I can stay here. I only hope that my wife and daughter can find a place to live."

Qin Kaixian's ghostly appearance was horrifying, yet his face was sincere. He then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Yi:

"Brother Li is kind-hearted and will certainly not mistreat the mother and daughter. I thank you in advance."

He paused, then continued:

"My wish has been fulfilled, and it is time to go to the City God Temple to take up my post. There is a hidden compartment in the northwest corner of the woodshed, which contains my savings of many years. Brother Li, you may take it as a thank you gift for my mother and me."

"this……"

Having said that, Li Yi had no reason to question it further. Seeing the ghost drifting towards the courtyard, he couldn't help but try to stop it:

"Don't you want to see your wife and daughter one last time?"

Qin Kai turned around first, his gaze falling on the main room of the east wing, his expression complex as he said:

"I have already entrusted my presence to a dream. Alas, the realms of Yin and Yang are separate, and the laws of the underworld govern me, so I cannot easily appear before mortals."

As they were talking, another ghostly figure swam in from outside the courtyard, dressed as a ghost messenger, but missing a soul-guiding bell in its hand.

Li Yi recognized him and, after thinking carefully, realized that he was the one who had extradited Yang Lin.

The ghost messenger nodded slightly to Li Yi and urged Qin Kaixian:

"The Left Judge summoned me to urge you. Now that your last wish has been fulfilled, hurry back to the City God Temple with me to begin your duties."

Qin Kai clasped his hands in a fist salute once more and followed the ghost messenger into the distance, but always lagged behind by a step, his gaze repeatedly turning back to look at the east room.

Li Yi watched the two leave, then strode into the west room of the main house, closed the door, and immediately activated the Investiture of the Gods.

Qin Kaixian.

[Opening acupoints for Qi circulation, Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian (July 21st).]

[Those who have not yet reached the final stage of Qi Refining can receive offerings from any local earth deity in any prefecture.]

The Spleen Meridian belongs to Earth and is Yin.

The fifth acupoint is... Shangqiu.

If I remember correctly, if one can open the sixth spiritual acupoint, "Sanyinjiao," it is considered to have broken through the shackles and entered the mid-stage of cultivation.

Li Yi thought to himself, "Qin Kaixian has only opened five spiritual acupoints. He seems to have a low level of cultivation, but in reality, he is far superior to me and is only one step away from the middle stage."

This person is loyal and righteous, and our relationship on the surface is better than that of He Bo Xiao Qing. He also happens to be an earth element cultivator.

Now that I am a minor officer in the garrison, the annual harvest from the military farms is a meritorious achievement. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a local deity to help me?

Without further hesitation, Li Yi immediately activated the Investiture of the Gods and issued the Heavenly Official's Decree.

Outside Sanyi Village.

"Fellow Daoist, there is no need to be reluctant to leave. Since you have become a messenger of the underworld, there will always be opportunities to come back and visit. Although the City God's Underworld Office of Qifeng County has many laws and regulations, the City God and his messengers usually do not interfere with the work of their subordinates. The ten underworld generals are also considerate of their subordinates and hate evil as if it were their enemy."

Throughout the entire underworld of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only those deeply loved by the people and possessing profound virtue can become heroic spirits, let alone the most heinous criminals who can instantly become gods and rule over a region's underworld.

Qin Kai listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

The so-called ruler is the origin of the people.

If the source is clear, the stream will be clear; if the source is turbid, the stream will be turbid.

Since the City God and the judges on the left and right are all spirits of the local area, how can they tolerate those who are eager for quick success and instant benefits and who are scheming and despicable?

Just as Qin Kaixian was about to ask which Yin general he was under, his soul was suddenly touched. He felt a sudden gust of wind rise around him, and a large amount of earth energy gathered and wrapped him in an earthen cocoon.

The underworld official had never seen such a massive gathering of earth energy before, and instinctively assumed that a powerful cultivator had intervened, so he retreated dozens of meters.

He quickly unfurled his sleeve, pulled out a copper bell, and began to shake it rapidly.

In an instant, all the ghost messengers within a radius of a thousand meters sensed the guidance of the soul-guiding bell.

Inside the City God Temple, a ghost messenger dressed entirely in black, holding a soul hook, sat in the back hall of the underworld. Suddenly, he saw the Mother Bell shaking rapidly, so he immediately got up and drifted away.

A short while later, more than ten colleagues had gathered around the ghost messenger from Sanyi Village, all holding copper bells and staring intently at the ball of earth energy in front of them.

A figure in black robes suddenly appeared, and the ghost messengers immediately bowed and said in unison, "Greetings, sir."

At this moment, Li Yi, a junior officer of Sanyi Manor, finally arrived. His gaze lingered briefly on Qin Kaixian before he approached the group of ghost messengers and greeted them:

"Greetings to all fellow Daoists, greetings to the Supreme One."

The dark-robed underworld official nodded slightly. "No need for formalities. I am Yao Zhizhao, the Right Judge of the City God."

He coiled the soul hook around his waist and whispered, "All you ghost messengers, watch closely. This is the sign of a born deity. Countless cultivators, let alone those who become gods, have barely even witnessed this. Comprehend it carefully, and do not miss it."

The earthen cocoon grew larger and larger, and earth energy from the entire Baihu garrison flowed towards this place. Before long, it attracted the tall man and several small flag bearers from the surrounding area.

Before anyone could call out, the earthen cocoon in the center suddenly collapsed and merged entirely into Qin Kaixian's body.

The former official of Sanyi Village closed his eyes, and without the earth qi enveloping him, he suddenly fell and disappeared into the ground, just like an ordinary person diving into water, without even making a splash!

"Wandering Immortals!" Right Judge Yao Zhizhao secretly praised, "They are indeed born gods. These mountain and water deities, with their divine escape techniques, are truly a sight to behold."

The ghost messengers immediately flattered:

"The Earth God's natural escape technique is amazing, but Shangguan's Ghost Scythe is capable of chasing souls and spirits, which is far beyond what ordinary Qi Refining minor gods can do."

Yao Zhizhao remained calm. After Qin Kaixian had become somewhat familiar with the Earth Divine Power and emerged from his body, Yao Zhizhao went straight up to congratulate him:

"From now on, Qifeng County will have a local envoy. Congratulations, fellow Daoist."

The Right Judge, as if performing a magic trick, flipped his wrist and revealed a bottle of pills. "Your visit came suddenly, and I was not prepared. Consider this bottle of Yin Spirit Pills my gift."

Qin Kaixian feigned confusion, accepted the jade bottle, and thanked him.

"Greetings, sir. My golden body has just been completed and still needs to be stabilized. Please atone for my sins to the City God and the Left Judge on my behalf. Once the golden body is stable, I will definitely pay them a visit."

Yao Zhizhao smiled and said, "Your Excellency is a local spirit, and this Yin Spirit Pill is beneficial to spirits and can help you stabilize your realm."

He waved his hand to drive away the ghost messengers, and said, "The people from the Conferred Gods Bureau will probably arrive soon, so you don't need to rush to the City God Temple. Just let it be."

After saying that, he drifted away and disappeared from everyone's sight without them noticing.

Qin Kai first tucked the jade bottle into his clothes, then turned around and saw the tall man and a group of junior officers kneeling on the ground.

His former superior immediately bowed down, and the entire centurion's office was filled with jubilation.

"All soldiers of the Hundred-Household Garrison respectfully welcome the Land God!"