Chương 38: A Desolate City God Temple

One week later. White Flower City. Fang Cheng and Qin Hao had traveled tirelessly and finally arrived at the city gates. It was early morning, before dawn had fully broken. The sun had barely peeked over the horizon, casting a faint, weak light over White Flower City, dead and lifeless, with not a spark of vitality. They walked into the city. It was eerily quiet. Every household was draped in white mourning cloth. The streets were mostly empty, save for a few pedestrians hurrying past with weary, worried faces.

They passed through the eastern market. Most of the shops were closed, their doors hung with white silk banners. Only a few were open, but the shopkeepers looked distracted, exhausted, and the clerks couldn't be bothered to greet customers. Qin Hao sighed repeatedly at the sight. White Flower City was even worse than he'd imagined. The people seemed to have lost all hope for life. The entire city was like a withered corpse, devoid of any vitality.

Fang Cheng patted his shoulder and reassured him, "It's much better than when I left. Back then, the streets were piled with corpses. You couldn't walk without stepping on bodies." Qin Hao sighed again.

"I wonder how many people are still alive." Fang Cheng replied, "Let's find Magistrate Li Sanshui. He should have a rough count." Qin Hao nodded. The two headed toward the Yamen. White Flower City's Yamen was located in the southeastern corner of the residential area north of the eastern market, not too far. When they arrived, they found the Yamen just as desolate as the rest of the city. There wasn't even a guard at the gate. They walked inside.

Fang Cheng knew the place well and led Qin Hao straight to the back hall. A young Yamen runner came out of a room, yawning. When he saw Fang Cheng and Qin Hao, his eyes went wide. He rubbed them, looked again, and then broke into a mix of surprise and joy.

"City God, I mean, cultivator, you're back!" The runner's name was Wang Hu. He was the one who had reported Yuan Min's death to the City God Temple. Later, when the demon-summoning formation activated, he and the coroner had each grabbed Fang Cheng's legs, begging to be eaten.

"My lord, if you hadn't thrown me into the City God Temple back then, I'd be dead!" Wang Hu was overcome with emotion. Fang Cheng scratched his head, trying to remember. He recalled throwing a few people around, but he couldn't remember who.

"I don't need your thanks. But if you can, spread the word about my great deeds to the people. Let them worship me, revere me, love me... ahem..." Fang Cheng coughed, realizing he'd been too forward. He quickly covered up, "Don't misunderstand. I mean, they need someone to look up to. That way, they'll have hope and regain their will to live. They won't fall into despair anymore. I'm doing this for their own good." Wang Hu nodded solemnly.

"My lord, you truly are a kind-hearted cultivator. I'll do exactly as you say and encourage them to find hope again." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"Good." Fang Cheng laughed approvingly. That hit the spot. Then he asked, "Where's Li Sanshui?" Wang Hu hesitated.

"The Magistrate is resting in his room. Should I go get him?"

"No need. I'll find him myself." Fang Cheng waved and walked toward the inner rooms. Qin Hao followed close behind. Fang Cheng pushed open the door to Li Sanshui's room and looked at the bed. The old man was sleeping soundly, snoring like thunder. Fang Cheng walked over, grabbed Li Sanshui's collar, and shook him vigorously. Li Sanshui stirred groggily. When he saw Fang Cheng, he froze for a moment, rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times, then finally snapped awake.

He sat up abruptly and asked in a panic, "Is the demon back?"

"Back my ass!" Fang Cheng snapped.

"The Hall of Eternal Life sent me to be White Flower City's City God." He pulled the appointment letter from his storage ring and shoved it in Li Sanshui's face. Li Sanshui glanced at the seal and confirmed it was real, though the last time Fang Cheng had shown him one, it was real too.

"My lord, we've known each other for a while now. Just give it to me straight. There's really no demon hiding in the city?"

"Believe it or not." Fang Cheng couldn't be bothered to argue. He pointed at Qin Hao behind him.

"This is my Temple Keeper. You'll work with him from now on to rebuild White Flower City." Qin Hao clasped his hands to Li Sanshui, introduced himself, and asked about the city's current state. Seeing Qin Hao's earnest demeanor, Li Sanshui realized Fang Cheng really was the new City God. That was good news. At least it meant there was no demon. But it was also bad news. His days of leisure were over. A new official always started with a bang.

And this was Fang Cheng, a great cultivator who'd turn the whole city upside down just to solve one murder case. With him as City God, Li Sanshui's life was about to become chaos.

"Sigh. After the disaster, about ten thousand people survived. But many have come to see White Flower City as cursed. They're moving away. Now there are probably only two or three thousand left, and more are leaving every day. Soon, White Flower City will be a ghost town." Li Sanshui put on a sigh, deliberately exaggerating to discourage Fang Cheng. Qin Hao fell for it, lamenting the situation. With everyone avoiding White Flower City, how could they attract investment? Who would dare move here?

Fang Cheng knew Li Sanshui well and saw through his exaggeration. He reassured Qin Hao, "It's fine. As long as we make an announcement in the Hall of Eternal Life's name, the panic will subside." Li Sanshui cut in, "My lord, it's not that simple. The people have a lot of resentment..."

"Shut up." Fang Cheng snapped. Then he ordered Li Sanshui:"Gather all the Yamen runners and have them go door to door. Tell the people that the Hall of Eternal Life has appointed me as their City God. And spread the word about my great deeds, how I slew the Heavenly Demon and saved White Flower City. Make sure everyone knows about my good works." Li Sanshui could see that Fang Cheng was determined to stay. He had no choice but to put on a flattering smile.

"Brilliant, City God! This strategy is genius! With your great deeds, the people will lose their resentment and will surely worship you, revere you, love you..." Fang Cheng patted his head.

"Enough flattery. Get to work. Everyone in the city must be notified. If I find out you missed anyone, hmmph..." He let out a cold snort, making his threat clear.

"Yes, yes. I'll make sure it's done." Li Sanshui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and agreed. Fang Cheng nodded, satisfied, and left the Yamen with Qin Hao. It was nearly midday. Time to open the City God Temple for business. They soon arrived at the temple in the western part of the city. The doors were wide open. Fang Cheng remembered he'd left them that way. In the open space outside the temple, incense sticks burned in the soil, smoke curling upward. Someone had clearly just been there to pray.

But inside the temple, not a single incense stick was lit. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. It seemed that no one had set foot inside since Fang Cheng had left. Qin Hao asked in confusion, "Why would they pray outside instead of coming into the temple?" Fang Cheng laughed.

"People are practical. They prayed at the temple every day, and what did they get? Their City God summoned a Heavenly Demon and brought ruin upon them, families broken, homes destroyed. What's the point of burning incense? If it were me, I'd tear down this damned temple. What I want to know is, who's the idiot still burning incense out here?"