"Young Master Feng, may I ask what exactly you intend to do?"
Under the moonlight, in the quiet and peaceful Feng family mansion, where a subtle fragrance wafted, a sprightly old man earnestly asked the young man sitting opposite him a question.
"Old sir, are you asking this yourself, or are you asking on behalf of the imperial court or the government?"
Feng Bingwen put down his teacup, and the little flower fairy holding the teapot beside him immediately tilted the pot obediently, and a stream of pale yellow water fell down, filling the teacup that had become too shallow.
"This is something I want to know, but the imperial court also wants to know."
The old man, who exuded a faint sandalwood scent, replied.
He was the City God of Qingshan County. He had been given a rather difficult task. Originally, it was supposed to be the City God of the prefecture who came to visit, but the task was passed down from one level to another and ended up on his shoulders. After all, this visit was not a good one, and he might offend a reincarnated sage if he was not careful.
"I see!"
Feng Bingwen smiled. He had accumulated enough good deeds and prayed to the Heavenly Book to see those guys who had been adding to his karma day and night. Naturally, he acted swiftly and decisively, dealing with them all in the shortest amount of time.
He has neither the time nor the patience to argue with those who add to his karma; if he finds one, he'll strike them down with lightning.
Those who commit minor evil deeds will be struck once as a warning; those who commit more evil deeds will be struck twice more; and those who go too far and even cause someone's death will be struck dead.
After he finished his tour, it's no wonder that legends about the God of Heavenly Punishment appeared in Yunze Prefecture. It's just that such a deity who punishes evil is especially loved by the people.
However, what he did was entirely at his own discretion, and he had already crossed the red line set by the government.
The government's bottom line for him was not to take lives, but Feng Bingwen ignored this red line when he wielded the Heavenly Thunder to kill villains.
Unfortunately, when you see something and happen to have the power to execute it, it's hard to tolerate following the rules and going through the procedures.
For example, human traffickers who are currently abducting women and children!
Moreover, Feng Bingwen crossed more than just this one red line. He actually killed quite a few people this time because his primary aim was to issue warnings. He would only take someone's life if they went too far.
The key point is that Feng Bingwen chose heavenly lightning as his method of punishment!
Let alone ordinary people, even demons and monsters, the orthodox cultivators of the Daoist sects and Xuanmen are extremely afraid of heavenly lightning. And cultivators who master lightning techniques are basically among the strongest in the same realm.
Feng Bingwen's mistake was that he frequently performed miracles in a short period of time, so much so that, without anyone deliberately guiding him, legends about the God of Heavenly Punishment began to circulate in the Yunze Prefecture region.
If it were an ordinary cultivator, daring to display their divine power so brazenly multiple times, they would have been captured by the gods and spirits of the Great Gan Dynasty long ago. Even if the local gods and spirits couldn't handle it, the Great Gan Dynasty would send Void Breaking Warriors, capable of altering terrain, to hunt them down. Even a Dao Miao Zhenren would have to give way.
However, Feng Bingwen's identity was so special that when he manifested himself, even if the ghosts and gods noticed him, they would turn a blind eye and pretend not to see him.
After receiving the news, the government chose to turn a blind eye, letting the incident fester and spread without taking any action. It wasn't until some arrogant aristocratic families in Yunze Prefecture joined forces to put pressure on the emperor that any action was taken.
However, this commotion was not what those people expected—the gathering of a powerful team of cultivators and warriors to subdue the chaotic god. Instead, it was the dispatch of a ghost god with whom they had a very close relationship, who politely inquired about the matter.
"Young Master Feng, are you looking to collect incense offerings? If you desire incense offerings, the imperial court can erect a statue and establish a temple for you. Currently, the legend of the God of Heavenly Punishment is circulating in Yunze Prefecture. If you find the name of this god appealing, you may..."
"Stop."
Seeing that the City God, who was manifesting the appearance of a pre-heavenly being, was talking more and more outrageously, Feng Bingwen quickly stopped him.
“Sir, you misunderstand. I don’t have any particular need for incense at the moment.”
It's true that he doesn't need incense offerings, but Feng Bingwen didn't rule it out entirely. Even if he doesn't follow the path of gods, he can still collect incense offerings to aid his cultivation, just like the Dragon Lord of Xuan Ting Lake.
"Actually, there's nothing to hide. I just want to sever some karmic ties."
"Severing cause and effect?"
The old city god's brows immediately furrowed.
Although he was a city god with immense divine power, capable of even contending with Yuan Dan cultivators within the Dharma Domain, matters of cause and effect were still too distant for him. He had heard of them, but he didn't understand them at all.
“Those I have struck with lightning in recent days were all people with whom I had a karmic connection not long ago.”
"It's that Medicine King God!"
Upon hearing this, the old City God immediately understood.
"Yes, those people survived because of me, but instead of being grateful and doing good deeds, they bullied me and caused me some inconvenience. So naturally I have to teach them a lesson and give them a warning."
"I see."
The old City God seemed to understand, but he pretended to know, nodding repeatedly. However, he couldn't help but ask one last question.
"But Young Master Feng, do you really have no intention of collecting incense offerings?"
"No."
Feng Bingwen answered decisively.
"Actually, if you really want to collect them, the government can help you."
After some deliberation, the old city emperor braced himself and continued to speak. Before coming to this mansion, he had been given a lot of instructions and even a considerable amount of room to maneuver. But now that he was being asked this question, all those preparations had become unnecessary.
"Sir, this isn't the first time we've met, so why be so secretive?"
Feng Bingwen reacted quickly; the old City God had repeatedly tried to steer the conversation toward incense offerings, so how could he not understand?
"Alas, since Young Master Feng has put it that way, then this old man will not hide it any longer."
He was indeed a virtuous and wise man in life, and when Feng Bingwen asked him this question, he simply came out.
"Does the young master know how the imperial court views you?"
"I really don't know that."
Feng Bingwen became interested. He had always thought that the Daqian court didn't take him seriously. After all, he had never seen any high-ranking officials or big shots come to curry favor with him. He was living a very peaceful life.
"I would like to hear the details."
"Troublesome, troublesome, and best avoided."
The old City God was very direct.
"Most importantly, the court doesn't know what you want to do, so it doesn't know how to treat you."
"Uh, I don't actually have the impressive background you all imagine, nor do I have any special ideas. I just want to live a simple life and have a peaceful and beautiful existence."
Feng Bingwen wasn't incapable of putting himself in the court's shoes; with his background, he was indeed a formidable opponent.
First, we can't resolve the issue by force. Second, without knowing his thoughts, we don't know how to make arrangements: appease him? Show him respect? Or form an alliance?
"Young Master Feng."
After carefully listening to what Feng Bingwen had to say, the old City God sighed.
"I believe everything you say, but do you think the court will believe it? Do you think His Majesty will believe it?"
"Probably not!"
Feng Bingwen thought about it and also felt it was nonsense.
"A reincarnated sage who has no desires and only wants to experience an ordinary life."
The old City God summarized, then shook his head. Not to mention the current emperor, whose thoughts were so deep and unpredictable, even he found it absurd.
"Isn't this great?"
Feng Bingwen couldn't help but laugh. He no longer argued with people or denied his status as a reincarnated sage, because it was useless. These guys didn't care what he was saying; they only believed what they saw.
"Let me tell you the truth. You may think that being without desires is a good thing, but for the court and His Majesty, they will only feel at ease if you have desires."
"So, the old gentleman believes I should accept the imperial decree, ascend the altar, and receive the incense offerings of the people?"
"Of course not."
The old City God quickly shook his head.
“I just think that there is no need for you to refuse, young master. You do not follow the path of gods, but you can use incense to create a divine body. It will have many benefits whether used for cultivation or fighting, and it will also put the court at ease.”
"That sounds good, but I don't know any divine arts. Even if you gave me this incense, I wouldn't know how to use it."
Feng Bingwen shrugged. If he still couldn't figure out the old City God's intentions for visiting, then he was really too dense.
It wasn't because he was trying to offend the court by appearing in his presence to question him a few days ago, but rather because he wanted to take this opportunity to build a deeper relationship with him.
"If you wish, the imperial court will provide you with suitable divine methods."
The old city god hurriedly said.
"Isn't this a bit too good to be true?"
An inscrutable smile appeared on Feng Bingwen's face.
"I just want some peace of mind."
The old city god also looked somewhat helpless.
This reincarnated sage acted in an overly simplistic and brutal manner, executing evildoers on the spot. Although only a few people were killed, it still frightened many others.
Now it's just about slaying the evildoers in the mortal world, but what will happen when this reincarnated sage gradually recovers his cultivation and regains the power he possessed long ago?
What will he do?
Among the powerful and influential people of the time, there are some whom this sage dislikes. Will a bolt of lightning strike down from the sky and turn them to ashes?
Going a step further, what if the current emperor's behavior does not meet the requirements of a sage? What should this reincarnated sage do? Depose the emperor and replace him with another?
Although it is a pessimistic idea, the possibility of it becoming a reality cannot be denied.
Such a sage, who wields the power of life and death, is truly terrifying.
"Sir, don't overestimate me. To be honest, I am somewhat tempted, but please allow me some time to consider it. I will give you an answer in a while."
Feng Bingwen stood up, making a gesture as if to see the guest off.
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