Chương 81: We All Great Benefactor

Hu Tong rubbed his head, his face full of grievance. Whether my thing worked or not was not up to me. I wanted to rise up too. Do you think I did not? He also wanted to say to Fang Cheng: the way you acted just now, even if Su Mu had survived the Heavenly Dao's punishment, you would have torn him to shreds. Not gotten any answers out of him. But he only dared to grumble inwardly. If he said it out loud, he would get slapped again and scolded for having a bad attitude. Fang Cheng frowned.

Seeing that he could not get any information about the Anti-Cultivator Alliance, he returned to the main topic and continued questioning Hu Tong about the Demonic Spirit Gathering Array.

"What did Zhu Youchang conspire with you about?"

"Zhu Youchang? Who is that? I do not know him." Hu Tong shook his head. Fang Cheng snorted and gave Hu Tong two more slaps.

"Zhu Youchang was the Land God of Gaoliu Village. Later, he became the City God of White Flower City. He went to Dongyang City to see you. Still trying to deny it?" Hu Tong held his face and suddenly remembered.

"Oh, you mean him! Yes, yes, I almost forgot his name. I know him. He was Sikong Shang's lackey. Su Mu and I were planning to join forces with Sikong Shang to secretly unite Xijiang Prefecture and Lianshan Prefecture. Sikong Shang did not trust us. To show sincerity, Su Mu secured a City God position for him in that godforsaken White Flower City. Then Sikong Shang sent his lackey to take the post."

"Su Mu secured the position..." Fang Cheng thought for a moment.

"No. Zhu Youchang told me it was a high-ranking Hall of Eternal Life official who gave him the position. Which official was it?"

"There was no high-ranking official. Just a minor clerk in the Hall, and he was killed by Dark Night long ago." Hu Tong replied.

"We said that to reassure our people. Many cultivators are too scared to oppose the Hall openly. We needed to create the illusion of a powerful backer to boost their confidence."

"A minor clerk could secure a City God position for White Flower City? Are you sure you are not lying to me?" Fang Cheng was skeptical. Hu Tong replied, "That is what Su Mu told me. I do not know the details either. To be honest, I found it hard to believe. And I have heard that White Flower City has some forbidden secret. The Hall would need a high-ranking official to approve any City God appointment there."

"Exactly. So who is this high-ranking official?" Fang Cheng asked, rubbing his chin. Hu Tong shrugged.

"Su Mu might have known, but he kept it hidden. Or maybe he did not know, and his friend in the capital was the one who handled the hidden Hall official." Fang Cheng nodded in agreement. It seemed the situation was becoming clearer. Both the Demonic Spirit Gathering Array case and the new era Anti-Cultivator Alliance originated from the Great Sheng capital. Han Bingxuan had guessed the same in his letter and had gone to the capital. Based on the last communication, he had been there for over a month.

Fang Cheng wondered how his investigation was going. With that thought, Fang Cheng decided to write a letter. He took out paper and brush from his storage ring and wrote down everything that had happened in Shuili City, including Su Mu and Hu Tong's various dealings. Though he had not identified the specific individuals involved, at least it would give Han Bingxuan some leads. After writing, he placed the letter in a flying sword, activated its array, and sent it off.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. After that, Fang Cheng pulled out his little notebook and flipped through a few pages. He noticed something he had almost overlooked. He asked Hu Tong, "What is the Land God Self-Help Association? What dealings do you have with them?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just passing through." Hu Tong waved his hand.

"I could not reach Sikong Shang, so I went to Xijiang Prefecture myself. When I got there, I found out he was already dead. As I was about to leave, some low-level cultivator handed me a flyer, asking me to join the Self-Help Association. He said we needed to unite to resist the massacre by the great demon. I found it amusing, so I chatted with him. And that is how I learned about Brother Fang's... uh... good deeds."

"Heh. Just chatted?" Fang Cheng sneered.

"You think I am an idiot? The wanted posters you spread to the surrounding cities listed my good deeds in great detail. Some of them I had even forgotten myself. Hehehe..."

"Alright, Brother Fang. I admit my mistake." Seeing things were going badly, Hu Tong quickly backed down and apologized.

"That low-level cultivator mentioned you, and it caught my attention. Since you were doing so well in White Flower City and affecting Su Mu and my business, I offered him Immortal Crystals to get more dirt on you. I mean, more of your good deeds. As soon as he saw the crystals, he called over his companions. Over a dozen low-level cultivators showed up. They were all former Land Gods from Xijiang Prefecture. They had heard of your good deeds, and some had even witnessed them.

So from their accounts, I gathered all your good deeds. Honestly, there is nothing special about them. I do those things all the time too. Brother Fang, we are the same kind of people. Kill anyone in our way. Slay any demon we see. Be ruthless. Leave no survivors!" Hu Tong's tone was vicious, dripping with bloodlust. But as soon as he finished, he realized his mistake. He had just said that out loud. If Fang Cheng took it the wrong way, he would be dead.

"Uh... I mean, Brother Fang, that was a slip of the tongue. Do not take it seriously. We should be great benefactors. Spread positive energy. Promote truth, goodness, and beauty. No killing indiscriminately. Otherwise, our conscience will be troubled..." Hu Tong put on a sycophantic smile, looking at Fang Cheng pleadingly.

"Good point. I am indeed a great benefactor." Fang Cheng nodded in agreement.

"But you are not. Have you ever done a good deed?"

"Yes, of course! I do good deeds every day!" Hu Tong quickly said.

"I was the first to promote silk textiles in Lianshan Prefecture. I brought together the people of Dongyang City and the surrounding cities. I helped them find work, gave them food, shelter, and wages. I also supported those desperate Land Gods with Immortal Crystals and found work for them. To be fair, you could say I single-handedly supported Lianshan Prefecture's economy. Brother Fang, you know how hard times are. The celestial realm is in trouble, and the mortal realm is plagued by disasters.

I have done so much for the people. I am a great benefactor. When spirit beasts from the Everlasting Mountains attack, I organize cultivators to eliminate them. If Dongyang City had any other City God, it would not be as well managed as it is now. Maybe it would have already been destroyed by the great demons from the mountains." Hu Tong went on and on, praising himself, hoping to win Fang Cheng's approval. Fang Cheng just shrugged and asked one question:"Everything you did was done with a purpose.

In the end, it was all for yourself. Have you ever done a single good deed purely from the heart?" Hu Tong thought for a moment and replied, "As long as you do good deeds, does it matter what the purpose is? There has never been a saint in this world. Even if there were, they would have their own hidden motives for doing good."

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Haha." Fang Cheng clapped his hands and laughed.

"Grand Eunuch Hu, you speak so well. And you act so well too. I have asked everything I needed to. Now, let us say goodbye. Haha. Safe travels!" As his voice fell, the demon sword unsheathed. A flash of light. A large head flew into the air. Blood sprayed, splattering Fang Cheng's face. Hu Tong's head tumbled through the air, his eyes wide open, staring in disbelief at Fang Cheng. His mouth moved, as if to ask: "I did so many good deeds for the people. I contributed so much to Lianshan Prefecture. Why...

why did you still kill me?" Fang Cheng laughed heartily.

"I only said I would not eat you. I never said I would not kill you. As for your good deeds, haha, you did them so well. But you've really gone too far with all that showing off right in front of me. Who gave you the right to do so many good deeds? How could you have done more good deeds than me? If you do all the good things, then what am I supposed to do?

Well then, since you care so deeply about the people of this city, I'll just have to send you down to hell together with them, so you can continue watching over them even in the afterlife. No need to thank me – after all, I'm a truly kind-hearted person, aren't I? Ahahahaha..."