Chapter 139: The Way of the Gods, The Way of Humanity

Lu Liang said, "Let's split up and search around separately! How strange, I clearly saw lamplight just a moment ago, why did it vanish as soon as we reached this place?"

Hearing this proposal, several of the scholars could not help but chime in, "This... is probably not a good idea."

Liu Ping, standing nearby, was utterly speechless. Why on earth were they randomly triggering death flags for no reason? Weren't they just asking for trouble...

Lu Liang scoffed, "What's wrong with it? We all carry swords and are scholars of the Great Xia; if any demonic specters attack, we'll just slay them on the spot. If it happens to be a alluring female demon, we can even take her into our chambers!"

"You make it sound so effortless..." Despite saying that, hearing these words, the scholars visibly relaxed, and so the group dispersed to search the premises.

*What the hell, they agreed just like that?* Liu Ping could not help being dumbfounded. Shaking his head, he felt his way past several courtyards until he reached the rear pavilion of the entire ancient estate.

Looking around, he stepped onto the moon terrace—a place traditionally used for admiring the moon and observing the stars, where the ground remained pristine and free of even a speck of dust. Halting his steps, he looked up at the moon in the night sky, casually retrieved a blanket from his treasure pouch, spread it out on the ground, and lay down on his back to rest.

Gazing at the starry sky, he found the scene quite leisurely. He truly did not take the minor demonic specters of this place to heart.

Having journeyed all the way here in a rush, he felt somewhat fatigued, and before he knew it, he drifted off into a hazy sleep.

After an unknown passage of time, Liu Ping groggily opened his eyes, only to discover that his spirit had inadvertently left his physical body. Just as he prepared to return to it, a ghost suddenly appeared in a corner ahead.

The ghost was short and walked with a comical gait, arriving at Liu Ping's side in no time before dropping to its knees with a thud.

Only then did he clearly make out its appearance; it turned out to be an extremely ugly little imp. Finding it rather amusing, Liu Ping asked, "Why are you kneeling to me?"

The little imp did not dare to raise its head. The aura emanating from Liu Ping was nearly suffocating to it. Trembling all over, it stammered, "G-g-great lord, this this this humble one was sent by the City God to invite the lord over to, to, to share a drink!"

"The City God?" Liu Ping was slightly stunned. After a moment of careful thought, he recalled who it was. "Ah, it's Yin Bing. Come to think of it, I do have some affinity with him... Very well, lead the way."

As he spoke, his primordial spirit departed along with the little imp. However, since his physical body remained right here, he naturally could not be careless and casually cast numerous protective restrictions around it.

They soon arrived outside the ancient estate, where a carriage was waiting.

The carriage was exceedingly peculiar. The horse pulling it lacked hind legs; it possessed only its front half, while its rear half seemed to have transformed into the carriage body and wheels.

When Liu Ping boarded this carriage, he was astonished to discover that the cabin truly was formed from the horse itself—it felt very soft and possessed a distinct fleshy texture. He was secretly amazed; this kind of genetic modification was slightly ahead of its time!

Before long, Liu Ping arrived at the City God Temple.

Yin Bing was actually waiting right at the entrance of the temple. Seeing Liu Ping step down, he quickly bowed and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Young Master Liu!"

Liu Ping also cupped his hands in a return salute, saying, "To have Yin Brother personally come out to welcome me—I am deeply honored, but there was truly no need to go to such lengths."

Yin Bing shook his head. "Had Young Master Liu not graciously yielded the position of City God that day, this Yin would never have been able to attain this seat. Not to mention your righteous act of personally taking that evil specter away with you days ago. Regardless of which matter it is, my heart is filled with boundless gratitude. It is well worth the trouble."

"Whether it was the former or the latter, it all began because of me; you have no need to feel any gratitude whatsoever."

"One cannot speak thus. Today I invited Young Master Liu here precisely to share a few fine cups of wine with you as a token of my appreciation. Hurry inside, the banquet is already prepared."

"Since you insist, Ping shall not decline further."

"Haha, that's more like it!"

He followed the City God Yin Bing into the interior of the City God Temple.

Yin-soldiers on either side hurriedly pushed open the vermilion gates, revealing a winding covered corridor. After walking for a moment, they reached a side hall.

Ghostly servants quickly pulled open the doors to reveal a vast interior. At present, it was brightly illuminated, and not far away stood a large table laden with various kinds of wine and food, exuding a rich fragrance.

"I had always hoped for an opportunity to treat you to a drink, but I never expected you to invite me first. I am truly ashamed," Liu Ping said with a smiling shake of his head.

"What words are these? Besides, I am usually far too busy dealing with the daily interrogations of wandering ghosts, and can only carve out time to invite Brother Liu for a drink like this."

Liu Ping was not surprised that the City God had managed to track him down. Given the authority of a City God to mobilize considerable power, how difficult could it be to uncover his true identity? It was simply that they had never managed to locate him before, and this time his subordinates had accidentally happened to witness him entering the ancient estate, which prompted this invitation.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food, the two of them conversed quite agreeably.

Yin Bing possessed an upright and resolute nature, a man of his word. Although he could be rather rigid in certain aspects, it did not prevent Liu Ping from appreciating him, and as they conversed, both developed a strong impulse to become sworn brothers.

Amidst their wide-ranging chat, Liu Ping brought up the subject of the Wu family's ancient estate.

Hearing this question, Yin Bing shook his head and said, "I am not entirely clear about this matter. As you know, I am newly appointed, but the Judge who has served here continuously up to the present should know a thing or two."

Thereupon, Yin Bing summoned the Judge. The Judge bowed deeply in salute and looked at Liu Ping with astonishment—this person had actually survived? Subsequently, upon hearing the City God's explanation, he became even more shocked: Liu Ping had actually exterminated an evil specter of the half-step martial general or demon commander tier? That was simply too ferocious! He could not help being utterly dumbfounded.

Hearing the question that followed, the Judge quickly answered, "I am indeed aware of this. Since Young Master Liu is asking about this, you must already know the rumors surrounding it?"

"I am indeed aware."

"Though those rumors are not entirely trustworthy, the core of the matter is the absolute truth. The Wu family brought this upon themselves through their own actions; otherwise, how could those rat spirits commit such atrocious, heaven-defying deeds without divine retribution descending upon them?"

Liu Ping frowned slightly.

The Judge continued, "Young Master Liu might feel some displeasure at my words, but this is indeed the fact of the matter. Yet, even if it is the fact, how can one simply turn a blind eye? Within the commandery city, to harm human lives—these demons are simply courting death. To put it lightly, the Wu family got what they deserved, their actions had a cause, and there were extenuating circumstances, so a warning would suffice. But to put it gravely, this is rebellion and defiance of the heavenly order, a perverse act that can never be redeemed through ten thousand deaths!"

"Then why on earth have those rat spirits still been allowed to occupy that ancient estate?"

The Judge sighed and said, "Why? Naturally because of the disparity in strength."

"Strength? Mere rats compared to the likes of you?"

"When you say 'us', which 'us' do you mean? If we speak of the entire divine path as a whole, they are naturally nothing more than ants that can be crushed at will. However, everything they have done falls within the tolerance permitted by the Heavenly Dao. Since the Heavenly Dao does not inflict punishment upon them, our superiors naturally find it difficult to dispatch people to act against them. After all, nearly a thousand wronged souls died there, and their sudden rising to harm and exact vengeance is not considered much. Therefore, since the powers above do not make a move, it should fall to us to act. Yet our strength is simply no match for those rat spirits."

Liu Ping was somewhat surprised. "Are they really that formidable?"

"Does the Young Master know of the Five Immortal Clans of the Dao of Demons?"

"The Five Immortal Clans? Fox Immortal (Fox), Yellow Immortal (Weasel), White Immortal (Hedgehog), Willow Immortal (Snake), and Grey Immortal (Rat)?"

"Correct, exactly those five clans. Although these demon immortals are not recognized by the Heavenly Court, they are renowned and powerful aristocracy in the demon realm. The Wu family's ancient estate happens to be occupied by the offspring of an elite demon commander from the Grey Immortal clan, and they have intricate ties to that powerful demon commander."

Only then did Liu Ping understand, and he nodded. "So that's how it is."

No wonder the City God dared not make a move; it turned out a powerful demon commander was lurking behind the scenes. That was the equivalent of an Earth Immortal, an opponent the City God could not possibly defeat. Even Ao Jingyu would likely only match them evenly, and she would still have to factor in geographical advantages.

Had they been wreaking havoc among mankind indiscriminately, intervening would be completely justified. But this case involved souls rising up to take vengeance, falling into a rational and reasonable scope where a household of over a thousand members had perished and naturally sought retribution. Thus, lacking official backing and unable to crush them through sheer strength, the authorities could only let the matter rest.

Of course, this 'reasonableness' only applied within the purview of the divine path; from a human perspective, those demons deserved to die ten million times over. However, upon hearing the tale, Liu Ping felt little emotional stirrings and had no intention of playing the righteous savior by wading into muddy waters.

Yet, man proposes while heaven disposes, and things are all too prone to deviation. Even though Liu Ping had already made up his mind not to provoke them, and those rat spirits likewise dared not harm him—nor would they harm the scholars, at most resorting to intimidation—it seemed completely impossible for any entanglement to arise. Nevertheless, the trajectory of events would ultimately force Liu Ping to make the choice of taking a hostile stance against them.

For next, an event occurred that he simply could not tolerate.

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[Author's Note: I suddenly realized I forgot to ask for recommendation votes and monthly tickets these past few days. Well, I'm asking for them now. If anyone has any, please help cast them. Three chapters tomorrow. (To be continued...)]