Chapter 125: Clue 125

Clue 125

Su Yuanshan was slightly taken aback.

"A single character?"

"What character?"

The little white fox licked its small paw and said.

"Lick!"

"What? Lick?" Su Yuanshan was completely stunned.

"No, no, I misspoke!" The little white fox seemed a bit flustered, embarrassed to the extreme.

"It should be the character 'Change'!"

Change? Change what? How to change?

To tell the truth, Su Yuanshan was completely confused, thinking to himself, could that guy have lost his mind and be messing with me?

Logically, that is unlikely; after all, I did save his life, is this how he repays the favor?

Since he could not figure it out, Su Yuanshan simply stopped thinking about it.

He turned his head and asked those ghost officials.

"Where are Ji Wenqing and Zhai Burang? And where have the deacons of the Six Offices gone? Why do I not see them coming to meet me?"

One of the ghost officials hurriedly stood up to answer.

"In reply to the Prefecture Lord, there was a summons from above; Wen Panguan has gone to Fengdu Mountain to handle matters. As for Wu Panguan and the Yinchai Xia Buqian, they went out to handle matters previously and have not yet returned, for reasons unknown!

As for why the deacons of the Six Offices did not come, it is because the Chenghuang underworld offices of the neighboring counties issued official letters of request for help to us, so they rushed over to assist, and they took some Yinchai and ghost officials with them, so..."

Su Yuanshan could not help but frown slightly upon hearing this.

"The Chenghuang underworld offices of the neighboring counties requested help from us? What is going on? Why does this seat know nothing about it? Who approved them to go?"

Seeing that Su Yuanshan seemed somewhat displeased, those ghost officials appeared a bit terrified, and one of them hurriedly explained.

"In reply to the Prefecture Lord, because the Prefecture Lord has not been in the office during this period and everyone could not contact the Prefecture Lord, they had no choice but to request instructions from above. They only sent people over after receiving approval from the Prefecture City God of this prefecture; no one dared to act without authorization!"

Another ghost official also explained.

"For reasons unknown, demon infestations have occurred frequently in the counties surrounding our Huangliang Xian, nearly several times more than before. They do not have enough manpower and are somewhat overwhelmed, hence they issued official letters of request for help to our county!"

Su Yuanshan nodded slightly and flicked his sleeves indifferently.

"Understood! Later, you shall immediately write a letter to those deacons and tell them to make it clear whose subordinates they actually are! Are they subordinates of the Huangliang Xiancheng God or of other Prefecture City Gods or County City Gods?

If they cannot figure it out, they can go elsewhere to seek employment; this seat will not hold them back!

For those who do figure it out, just remember one thing: everything must be reported to this seat. If it is not personally approved by my vermilion brush, even if the Heavenly King himself issues a decree, it will not count!

Do you understand? If you understand, then withdraw!"

These words made those ghost officials break out in cold sweat, and they repeatedly said, "Yes!"

Su Yuanshan nodded slightly and waved his hand, saying.

"Very good, as long as you understand, go and attend to your own affairs!"

The ghost officials bowed and withdrew, only the little white fox did not leave.

It seemed to not understand why the Prefecture Lord would be angry.

It is no wonder Su Yuanshan would be unhappy; after all, his "cheese" had been touched, how could this be tolerated?

Great chaos is about to begin; more than one person had told him this, and he knew this in his heart better than anyone. Those subordinates were the foundation for his foothold in this chaotic world; to put it bluntly, they were his "cheese."

If any divine official, regardless of rank, could mobilize his "men" at will, how could that be tolerated?

He thought to himself, this precedent must never be set! Even if they are to be mobilized, I must be the one to nod! Otherwise, let alone the County City Gods of neighboring counties, even if a Prefecture City God or Prefecture Lord speaks, it will not be effective!

Returning to the side hall study, Su Yuanshan busied himself for most of the night, reviewing backlogged official documents and thinking of ways to handle various miscellaneous matters; even the fortune or misfortune of a kitten had to be approved by his vermilion brush.

Fortunately, the red tape for these matters had been arranged in advance by the Wen and Wu Panguans and the various offices below, and they were only presented for his review, which greatly reduced his workload. However, even so, he felt somewhat exhausted, mainly mentally tired.

It was like a monitor who specifically watches surveillance, checking the footage every day. But the monitor watches surveillance for a certain period, while he reviews the surveillance of a life's entire span, then judges whether he (she or it) is good or evil, rewarding the good and punishing the evil!

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

In the small courtyard outside, the crowing of a rooster could be heard.

Su Yuanshan stretched and stood up from the grand master's chair, then extinguished the lamp, walked to the window, and opened the dark red vermilion window. He saw the horizon turning a pale fish-belly white, and the plum blossoms outside the window began to bloom in the chill.

The plum blossoms were graceful, their beauty radiant, and a faint fragrance floated on the wind, filling the room with scent.

The little white fox had curled up by the table and fallen into a deep sleep, its fur white and its body like a ball. Seeming to hear the sound of Su Yuanshan opening the window, it opened its eyes vigilantly, found nothing unusual, and lazily closed them again.

At this moment, a cloud of auspicious mist drifted into the sky, and someone on the cloud was heard shouting.

"Guangwang Shenjun has a decree, Huangliang Xiancheng God Su Yuanshan, come quickly to receive the decree!"

Su Yuanshan was startled upon hearing this, pushed the door open, and walked out. He saw the person descend from the clouds; it was actually the Day-Roaming God, with a minor official following beside him.

This scene startled the other underworld gods and ghost officials of the Huangliang County Chenghuang Temple, and they all came out one after another.

Seeing Su Yuanshan come out, the Day-Roaming God smiled slightly, unfolded the divine decree, and read.

"Guangwang's Dharma Decree: County City God Su Yuanshan, for beheading the bamboo demon, pacifying the plum and pine demons, exterminating the peach demon, and reporting the loosening of the seal in the Taoyuan Xujing, has achieved meritorious service and greatly enhanced the divine might of our underworld. Hereby commended.

Promoted to Suyang Prefecture City God, granted one Prefecture City God Mountain and River Seal, a set of Prefecture City God official robes, a black gauze hat, and a jade belt.

Monthly salary: one thousand wisps of incense, one hundred incense beads. However, although there is merit, there is also fault!

Considering his faults, his position shall be temporarily filled by the Ningliang Prefecture City God. Suyang Prefecture City God Su Yuanshan is temporarily reassigned as the Ningliang Prefecture City God, pending further judgment based on his future achievements.

You are to depart for your post in one month. Thus it is decreed!"

To tell the truth, although Su Yuanshan felt joy in his heart, he was also somewhat indignant. What he was happy about was that he did not expect the commendation to come so quickly, and he had been promoted. What he was indignant about was that his former direct superior was the Ningliang Prefecture City God, meaning his Huangliang Xian fell under the jurisdiction of Ningliang Prefecture. But now, that person had taken the benefits that should have belonged to him and gone to serve in Suyang Prefecture. Although it was only a temporary appointment and he still had a chance to turn the tables, he still felt uncomfortable.

The reason for his indignation was several-fold. First, Ningliang Prefecture was originally a poor and remote place, belonging to the worst and most difficult to manage among the many prefectures of the Kaiyuan Empire, a border region that was vast and sparsely populated.

The Huangliang Xian under his jurisdiction suffered from drought and lack of rain from time to time, and the population under his jurisdiction was not even fifty thousand, but this was already considered quite prominent in Ningliang Prefecture.

One could imagine the situation in other counties; it could be said that demon infestations were rampant, as numerous as the hairs on an ox, with people fleeing and becoming displaced. Otherwise, the County City Gods of those neighboring counties would not have had the nerve to beg his Huangliang Xian for help.

Added to the fact that it is a border region where wars frequently break out, even more commoners have fled Ningliang Prefecture.

Suyang Prefecture is different; it is one of the wealthiest prefectures in the Kaiyuan Dynasty, where celebrities gather, wealthy merchants and tycoons are everywhere, the economy is developed, the people live and work in peace and contentment, the population is large, and the Chenghuang Temples everywhere have flourishing incense; it is not just a little bit better than this place, one could simply say it is earning money and incense while lying down!

Who wouldn't be envious of such a good job?

Thinking of this, Su Yuanshan felt somewhat unhappy, but he had no choice but to accept the divine decree and take the official robes and seal.

Seeing this situation, the Day-Roaming God smiled and said.

"It is a great joy for the Prefecture Lord to be promoted, why are you still so gloomy?"

Su Yuanshan sighed and said.

"It is nothing, just some annoying trifles!"

"Annoying trifles?" The Day-Roaming God smiled and said.

"Losing a lucrative post and getting a clean, low-paying office instead, that shouldn't be a trifle! Haha! However, the Prefecture Lord need not worry; that Ningliang Prefecture City God position is only temporary. Once the Prefecture Lord has performed meritorious service, that seat will still be yours. I have said all I can, I will not say more, I must return to report back!"

However, just as he was about to leave, Su Yuanshan suddenly said.

"Divine Envoy, wait, there is one thing I would like to ask..."