"Lu... Master Lu, this... this is not a joke..."
The tables and chairs were shaking slightly. Ji Xin, who was unable to recover for a while, slowly sat back up with the help of the armrests. He saw that Lu Liangsheng opposite him had a serious expression and was not joking. He quickly turned his head and glanced at the various departments around him. The chief clerks and ghost messengers who were handling official business seemed not to have noticed the gaze cast by the City God. They withdrew their gazes one by one and continued to concentrate on their own work. For a moment, the originally silent court became noisy again.
“You…you guys!”
Ji Xin gritted his teeth and turned back to look at the white-haired Lu Liangsheng opposite him. He wanted to slap himself in the face. Even though he had a strong character in the past, he could only force a smile now.
"Master, is it really Li Jing from Chentangguan...?"
As the first City God in the world and the one who has held the throne the longest in the temple, he knows much more about the gods in heaven than the later City Gods. He was ranked among the immortals when he was first deified, and he is even considered the leading god in heaven. There are basically statues of him in temples everywhere, and the incense he receives is much more than that of this, the number one City God in the world.
Lu Liangsheng naturally saw what he was thinking and stood up and clasped his hands.
"The evil star disaster was caused by these gods. They came to the human world in the hope of causing chaos so that they could worship the gods and destroy the All-Spirit Formation. City God Ji, my master knows your concerns, but you are not a god in heaven, but a god in the world of the living. It is your duty to protect the people."
"Ji also knows this principle."
Looking at the national teacher in front of him, Ji Xin knew that he must respond to the other party's visit, but he was worried... Thinking of this, his concentrated body trembled a little, and he stood up and walked tremblingly.
"It's not that Ji doesn't want to help, but Li Jing has been a god for a long time, and he is also the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and his commander-in-chief..."
Before he could finish, Lu Liangsheng interrupted, "They should all be down."
"ah?!"
The figure walking over there had his eyes wide open. Ji Xin stared blankly at Master Lu in front of him, stumbling onto the chair while holding his forehead. Even without a body, he could feel dizzy. He reached out for the teacup beside him, put it to his mouth and nose with a slightly trembling hand and sniffed gently.
"Master, please let Ji take his time... take his time... This matter is really too horrifying."
After taking a sip of tea, Ji Xin stood up and was about to go to the inner room. Behind him, Lu Liangsheng suddenly called him: "Ji Chenghuang, where is the heroic spirit that you had when you replaced Emperor Gaozu of Han and helped him evacuate Xianyang safely? Have you been sitting in the position of Chenghuang for so long that you have lost your conscience and courage as a human being? "
The noise in the courtroom quieted down. The figure in front of him trembled a little, and slowly put his feet back on the ground. Lu Liangsheng stepped forward and said, "City God, you protected Emperor Gaozu of Han because you thought he could restore peace to the world and allow the people to live and work in peace and no longer suffer from war. Are you afraid of the gods who are so high above you now?"
The figure lowered his head, standing still, and one could vaguely see Ji Xin's shoulders stretched out. Under the wide sleeves on both sides, his hands were clenched into fists, pressed against the sides of his legs, and a low voice could be heard.
"Master Lu... Ji Xin has never forgotten, but I have already died once for the people of the world, what else do you want? I have been in this position for a long time, but if I had no conscience, how could I have stayed in this position for so long? How could I have guarded this city and its people for countless years!!"
The last sound was almost a roar. The doors, windows and tiles of the temples outside were all vibrating. The believers who were burning incense and praying were so frightened that they ran out of the building and looked at the eaves where dust and tiles were falling. They quickly knelt down with their hands clasped together.
In the main court, Lu Liangsheng was speechless for the first time. Yes, he had already died once for the unification of the world. To let him fall into a desperate situation again would be too selfish of him.
Lu Liangsheng pursed his lips, raised his sleeves silently, bowed to the other party wordlessly, turned and walked out of the hall. The moment he stepped over the threshold, Ji Xin's voice rang out behind him.
"Master Lu."
Over there, the figure with his back turned slightly to the side, his expression unclear in the darkness, "Leave the Heavenly King here, and Ji Xin will give the Imperial Master an answer in three days!"
At the door of the hall, an old face showed a smile. As Lu Liangsheng stepped out of the door, he swung his wide sleeve on the right, and a wisp of golden air flew out instantly. Ji Xin turned around, unfolded a booklet and put it inside, then quickly closed the booklet.
A voice from far away outside was heard returning to the court.
"If this plan fails, I will die so that there will be no more chaos in the world. Not only you, but also me, Lu Liangsheng!"
With Ji
Ji Xin looked down at the book in his hand, then looked at the empty palace door over there. A smile appeared on his face. He glanced at the ghosts who were all looking at him and snorted heavily.
"work"
After he walked to the court with his hands behind his back, he could faintly hear a heroic laugh.
Hahaha…
Ha ha…
My path is not alone!
…
The sun slanted down the eaves and cast its shadow on the ground, while the breeze caressed the ancient pines outside the temple. Lu Liangsheng walked in and out of the temple gate, hunched over in the sight of others. On the stone steps below, Li Yuanba sat up from the stone, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, slapped his face to make himself sober, and then he saw the old man had walked up to him.
"Master, what took you so long inside?"
In the bookshelf behind the old donkey who had gotten up and followed, the voice of the Toad Taoist was also asking, "How was the talk with the City God?"
"He agreed and will give me an answer in three days."
The ancient pine trees swayed, making a rustling sound. Lu Liangsheng looked back at the solemn and dignified City God Temple, pulled the reins and walked to the official road outside.
"The city gods and the underworld in the human world are different from the gods in heaven. In this matter, they should stand on the side of humans, and they should also stand on this side."
As we approached the city gate, we saw the streets crowded with carriages and people. It was almost time to close the city gate, and people were coming in and out more frequently. There were also many more soldiers guarding the city gate than usual. I didn't know which dignitary in the city was going to hold a martial arts competition, and all kinds of gangsters were gathering towards the capital, making the already crowded and noisy city seem even more mixed.
When Lu Liangsheng entered the city, he heard a lot of noise.
The tavern was full and the waiters were so busy that they forgot to shout. The clean streets became muddy, leaving many footprints. Amid the cries of peddlers walking through the streets, there was also a fight that broke out in an alley. The patrolling constables heard the noise, drew their swords and hurried over, chasing a few outlaws who were fighting each other all over the street, causing bystanders to shout in panic, and the stalls were overturned, with pots and pans in a mess.
Lu Liangsheng took a look from afar and frowned even more. He wondered who could have come up with such a stupid idea at this critical moment!
Soon, he disappeared into the street bathed in the sunset and returned to Wanshou Temple, which he had not visited for many years.
The setting sun was hanging over the city walls. The temples in front of the Hibiscus Pond were covered with a layer of rosy clouds. Children in the square were wearing Taoist robes and doing boxing. In a wooden building with smoke rising from the kitchen, the sound of chopping boards could be heard. A hardworking woman cut a few dishes, piled them aside, and urged her husband who was lighting the fire at the stove to add two more handfuls of firewood.
Outside, we could hear the cheers of children finishing their classes.
Li Jinhua twisted her sore arm, raised her face to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and looked out the window. The sunset glowed in and fell on her face.
"How come it's night already?"
She vaguely remembered that she had just finished lunch and had just prepared the food. After a while, a child's voice was heard outside asking when the meal would be served. Li Jinhua smiled, wiped the water stains on her hands, walked out of the door, squatted down, and pinched a chubby child.
"It's almost done, Xiaoyun, go tell your mother to prepare dinner."
"Okay grandma!"
The three-year-old child shook his head and skipped towards a wooden building in the distance. Li Jinhua supported herself on her knees and turned to walk towards the kitchen. She felt someone watching her from a distance.
Turning my head, on the stone steps over to the mountain gate, I saw old donkeys chewing grass and walking around with their tails wagging. Next to them, there was an old man with a white beard and a gray robe standing there, also looking over.
A smile appeared on the face that was older than her.
There was a soft whisper.
"Mom... I'm back."
At this moment, the annoying cicada chirping seemed to disappear from my ears in an instant.