Infinite Professions

Chapter 373 - 195: Foundation (Part 2)

"These are the divine officers under the Divine Monarch!"

The Temple Priest smiled and introduced further, "The Divine Monarch oversees Little Yellow Mountain, governing the lands of surrounding villages and counties, and naturally has assistant officials and clerks under their command."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand towards the two statues standing tall and robust, with an imposing aura.

"These two are the Night and Day Traveling Gods, who were once Strongmen of Little Huang Village. One was named Liu Hong and the other Song Qiang. They fought valiantly to protect the village from bandits and died in battle. After their death, the Divine Monarch conferred upon them the title of Night and Day Traveling Gods, to patrol the mortal realm and oversee good and evil!"

"This is Black Impermanence General Guan, and this is White Impermanence General Zhang. These two were sworn brothers in life, both chivalrous warriors who entered the mountains with swords to eliminate bandits, but unfortunately were ambushed. Unwilling to live disgracefully, they both died in battle and entered the Underworld together. The Divine Monarch, moved by their loyalty and merit, took them under his command and conferred upon them the titles of Black and White Impermanence Generals, tasked with arresting lawbreakers, demons, and evil spirits."

"This is the Mountain-Moving General Mei Sanlang. In life, he was a very filial person. To restore his blind mother’s sight, he bravely entered the mountains seeking deer milk, but unfortunately fell into a ravine and died. The Divine Monarch, moved by his filial piety, conferred him the title of Mountain-Moving General. He has the power to move mountains and fill the earth, able to protect the people, develop mountains and forests, and build roads."

"This is the Water Transport General Wang Liulang. He unfortunately fell into an underground river in a mountain ravine and became a water ghost, unable to escape. Yet, he did not harm others to take their place, but instead helped drowning people. The Divine Monarch, moved by his kindness, conferred upon him the title of Water Transport General. He has the ability to transport water and regulate rivers, benefiting the people by diverting water and opening channels to prevent floods and droughts."

"This is Nie Qian the Nie Executive Controller, gifted with skillful hands and unique craftsmanship, able to assist in weaving..."

"These are the Yellow Turban Warriors under the Divine Monarch, stationed in front of the Dharma Protection Altar, subduing demons..."

"This is the fertile land officer..."

"This is the six livestock officials..."

"This is the Avoiding Plague God..."

The Temple Priest spoke with fervor, introducing the origins of the various gods.

The young man listening was both amazed and astonished.

It is quite normal for a local deity to appoint assistant officials and clerks, as even divine beings cannot handle everything personally and need a team to assist and manage affairs.

So, this was not particularly surprising.

But the problem was...

As he looked at the orderly array of divine statues enjoying the incense, and the Spirit Lord plaque behind them, the young man frowned internally.

Having assistant officials and clerks is normal, nothing strange about it.

But for a Seventh Grade Little God to have so many assistant officials and clerks, that was not so normal.

Where did he get so much Divine Power?

Was the incense of Little Yellow Mountain really so prosperous that it allowed him to maintain so many subordinates, sustain such a large retinue, while ensuring the tax revenue of the Prefecture City, and still frequently perform divine wonders like opening mountains to build roads, fertilizing land, and raising livestock, entering dreams to govern the people...

All these are unusual, and there must be something sinister behind it!

The young man frowned inwardly but maintained a calm exterior, taking out a piece of silver, offering three sticks of incense, before leaving the temple with his advisor and the horseman’s escort.

Exiting the temple, descending the mountain, and returning to the horse racetrack, the young man frowned tightly, no longer as composed as before.

His advisor saw this but remained silent, offering no interruption.

In fact, they already had some understanding of the situation here, but words on paper are not as impactful as witnessing it firsthand.

The strength, foundation, and roots of the Little Yellow Mountain God were even more substantial than they had imagined.

In just two decades, such an enterprise was established.

This deity... is extraordinary!

No wonder there were those in the prefecture who were apprehensive, harboring intentions to curb its influence, even sending their young nobleman to observe.

But can their young nobleman truly affect such a figure?

The middle-aged scholar remained silent.

The young man, too, was speechless.

"This deity’s foundation is deep. To eradicate it, one must either completely uproot it or reassign it elsewhere."

"The former is violent; the latter, more moderate!"

"But even the moderate approach involves a cut."

"If the prefecture orders the deity to be reassigned from Little Yellow Mountain, will he comply or resist?"

"A deity like this, though constrained, is not without power. Especially now that his local faith runs deep. If he resists, there will be many troubles, perhaps even great chaos."

"A local tyrant, truly a local tyrant!"

Despite the whispers and sighs, outward appearances remained calm, maintaining a dignified facade.

Thus, the carriage sped along, quickly passing through the more than ten miles of mountain roads.

Once out of the Little Yellow Mountain path, they entered the land of Qinghe County.

"Young master!"

The voice of the driver reached him, causing the young man to furrow his brows once more.

He pulled back the carriage curtain and glimpsed a vast expanse—a sea of golden rice fields stretched out on either side of the road, spanning countless acres, with an unending appearance of abundance.

"Such a harvest!?"

The young man furrowed his brows, startled once again.

Though unlike previous anomalies, the fields appeared mundane, he understood well that the Divine Dao is formed from the Human Dao, and the Human Dao is rooted in agriculture. The value and significance of this stretch of rice fields were no less than previous wonders, perhaps even exceeding them.

For this is the root of livelihood, the foundation of all matters.

Where there’s grain, there are people; where there are people, there is strength.

If extraordinary times arise, these fertile fields could become the foundation for action!

"Such a foundation..."

The young man muttered, a tinge of regret emerging in his heart.

Had he been too hasty in taking on the role of Qinghe County Magistrate?

"Young master!"

Amidst the young man’s scattered thoughts, the carriage driver spoke again: "Look!"

"Hmm!?"

The young man furrowed his brow, following the voice, only to see at the end of the golden sea of rice a tightly constructed fortress had appeared. Apart from the gatehouse at the village entrance, it was surrounded by high walls, with smoke rising within.

"Is this Little Huang Village?"

The young man observed without surprise.

Local gentry building dock fortresses was a conventionally accepted practice.

Though this was mostly the practice of large families in rural counties, it was rare for a village to build such a fortress so meticulously, but with the strength of the Song Clan, it was understandable...

"Young master, this is not Little Huang Village!"

The driver gradually brought the carriage to a halt and looked toward the stone tablet at the village entrance: "This is Xinshan Village."

"Xinshan Village?"

The young man was taken aback, glancing at the stone tablet to find the words Xinshan Village indeed inscribed there.

The middle-aged scholar behind him approached, observing the towering walls and tightly constructed Xinshan Village: "This Xinshan Village was established by the Song Family... After Qinghe County quelled the banditry on Little Yellow Mountain, a new village emerged at the base of Little Yellow Mountain, complete with a dock fortress?"

"A newly established village, also building a dock fortress?"

The young man’s brows furrowed tightly, a hint of unease flashing in his eyes: "Wasn’t the banditry on Little Yellow Mountain already eradicated? Why would this new village still build a dock fortress?"

"This..."

The middle-aged scholar paused, unsure how to respond.

Local gentry building dock fortresses had a very legitimate reason—to defend against bandits and secure themselves.

This reason was so legitimate, it was irrefutable.

During the founding of the Great Chen, an edict was issued to dismantle these fortresses, but the local gentry and Noble Families complied superficially, causing even the remarkably talented Grand Ancestor of the Great Chen Dynasty to ultimately accept the status quo, tacitly approving their construction.

The ensuing power struggles and entanglements in this are difficult for outsiders to see clearly.

But in the end, the imperial power conceded.

The fact that the imperial power, in its prime during the founding of the dynasty, had to make such a concession is terrifying to consider.

As a member of a noble family, the young man was, frankly, not opposed to the fortress issue, since his family did the same, and on a grand scale.

But even his family did not act so excessively.

Building a dock fortress in Little Huang Village could be understood, especially before the pacification of Little Yellow Mountain, given it was the Song Clan’s base. It was reasonable to build a fortress.

But why build one in Xinshan Village?

Wasn’t the banditry on Little Yellow Mountain already eradicated?

What does building another fortress mean?

The young man furrowed his brows, and then suddenly realized, turning to his advisor: "How many new villages were established after pacifying Little Yellow Mountain?"

"Well..."

The middle-aged scholar pondered briefly: "About a dozen, spread around Little Yellow Mountain, with seven or eight within Qinghe County alone."

The young man said nothing, promptly turning to order the coachman: "Go take a look!"