Chapter 159: It's Hard to Find Popular Support
However, Gong Mengbi could not conclude that this incident was related to the Ghost King of the Juliu tribe, because the underworld was not peaceful, and if one incident of the Ghost Queen of the Juliu tribe occurred, it was not impossible that a second one would occur.
The ghost king of the Juliu tribe has almost infiltrated the power of that Yama Lord into a sieve, and it is unknown whether other Yamas can be immune.
But it was not easy to tell these things to Li Taoyun, because although the City God reacted quickly, he could not be cleared of the suspicion of collusion.
Li Taoyun is now working in the Inspection Department. If you talk to him too much, it will harm him instead.
Not long after, Kang Wen came back to report, "I've already asked all the foxes. All the ghost officials and ghosts they encountered before midnight were heading to the Ghost Gate. No ghost officials or ghosts were seen scattered outside."
Li Tayun sighed and said, "Thank you, Sister Wen."
Kang Wen comforted him, "Don't worry. At worst, you can just resign and return to Fox Academy. Once you're admitted to Sky Fox Academy, you won't be any worse off than you are now."
Li Tayun laughed and said, "Don't worry, Sister Wen. If I can't stay in the City God Temple any longer, I will definitely come back and ask the teacher to take me in."
Kang Wen sent Li Tayun out and sighed, "It seems he has been very busy recently."
Gong Mengbi found it very interesting just by listening to them talk.
When Kang Wen turned around and saw Gong Mengbi's eyes, his face turned red and he quickly slipped away.
Li Tayun went back to report to the City God, and the civil and military judges also came back to report that no lingering ghosts were found in Taiqing Temple and Huaguang Temple.
The City God then sent them to Wuning County with the little fox and the little ghost to search for any trace of the demon. However, they found nothing until dawn.
This incident caused a huge uproar, and the entire Wuning County was in turmoil for several days before it gradually calmed down.
Not long after, Li Taoyun came again, this time bringing a letter from the City God to invite Gong Mengbi to a banquet.
Gong Mengbi asked about what happened on the Zhongyuan Festival.
Li Taoyun said, "We searched for days but couldn't find him. We also asked many mountain spirits and wild ghosts, but there was still no news. Finally, the City God said there was no need to look anymore, as the underworld was already investigating the matter, so things quieted down. I don't know exactly what happened, but you might find out if you ask the City God at the banquet."
Gong Mengbi took the invitation and said, "I'll say a few good words for you at the banquet."
Li Tayun smiled and said, "Thank you, teacher."
Gong Mengbi shook his head and said, "Go ahead. Don't neglect your cultivation. Cultivation is the foundation of your life. Wait for the end-of-year examination. If you and the others you bring with you fail, you will suffer."
Li Tayun suddenly became solemn and promised, "I will definitely supervise them!"
The fox didn't dare to stay for long, fearing that Gong Mengbi would test his practice on the spot, so he slipped away quickly.
When the time came, Gong Mengbi went to the City God Temple for the banquet as scheduled.
Of course, this time it was not just Gong Mengbi who was invited to the banquet. Taoist Master Yao and Zen Master Fa Ming were also present, as they were discussing the Ghost Festival.
Gong Mengbi and his men had no choice but to accept the offer, but the City God also accepted the offer and invited them to dinner as Gong Mengbi had requested.
The banquet they ordered was from Yipinju in Wuning County, and the wine they used was the Yuelu wine sent by Gong Mengbi.
Gong Mengbi laughed and said, "How come you've been drinking this wine for so long?"
The City God laughed and said, "You are poor. You are reluctant to drink the good wine yourself and want to use it to entertain guests."
Gong Mengbi jokingly said, "Passed, passed!"
The City God was stunned for a moment and said, "Is it over? Alas, I am really worried and dare not get drunk."
The City God filled the glasses for the three men and said, "I have worked diligently since taking office, not daring to neglect anything. However, the fact that we are able to maintain this stability until now is entirely due to your support. Come, I offer my toast to you."
The four of them drank a cup of wine together, and the City God filled their glasses again, saying, "I've been so busy with official duties that I haven't had time to get together with you three Taoist friends. It's my fault for bothering you when you have something to do and not inviting you when you don't. I'll drink a cup myself as punishment."
He punished himself with a glass of wine, then poured himself another, saying, "Thank you all for your help on this Ghost Festival. I was able to avoid any trouble. I toast you all another glass."
When it comes to this topic, it's not just Gong Mengbi who is curious.
Taoist Priest Yao couldn't help but ask, "Have the Yin officials and ghosts that were lost that day been found?"
The City God showed a hint of annoyance and said, "I found it. But I didn't find it in the world of the living, I found it in the underworld."
Zen Master Faming was surprised and asked, "What does this mean?"
The City God said, "The underworld official and the group of ghosts he was escorting were already tied to a small boat and drifting on the Nai River. They drifted to other ghost towns and were fished out by people from other ghost towns. As for the group that passed through the ghost gate and came to the human world, someone pretended to be them and stole their seals."
"I reported this to my superiors and the underworld, but ultimately they couldn't uncover the identities of the ghosts that had escaped into the human world. However, they did catch a lot of borers, implicating a wide range of people. I was reprimanded by my superiors for not discovering the matter in time. Fortunately, I filed a report early, making amends, and avoided further punishment."
Gong Mengbi consoled him, "You delivered the goods according to the written documents. This matter is not your fault. Just a few words of reprimand will let it go."
The City God said, "It's a good thing this is the case. Otherwise, I, Qu, would be stripped of my official uniform right after taking office. That would be a real joke."
Gong Mengbi said, "Lord City God has fulfilled his duties conscientiously since taking office, and I believe the superiors have seen it."
Qu Chenghuang smiled but didn't respond. He simply said, "My government office is in ruins and is barely holding on. It's only a matter of time before we can destroy the people's hearts, but it's hard to say how long it will take to win them back."
The previous City God destroyed the hearts of the people, and as a result, the worship and belief in the City God in Wuning County have never been restored to their former state. Without sufficient incense, City God Qu couldn't even pay salaries and military pay, and naturally couldn't recruit more subordinates.
This was because the fox Gong Mengbi sent him was alive and did not require incense. He only needed to pay him some silver and ask it to help him attract some moonlight while practicing. Otherwise, he would have even fewer soldiers to support now.
Taoist Priest Yao said, "Now that the county magistrate is promoting benevolent policies and cultivating the people's support, I believe that things will soon improve for the City God."
Qu Chenghuang said, "I hope so. The current magistrate of Wuning County isn't having a easy time. The previous magistrate, the chief clerk, and other county officials embezzled relief grain. The county lieutenant secretly imprisoned the magistrate, took his seal, and then escaped. None of the county officials are capable of being employed. Fortunately, the Shen family donated the chief clerk, and with their local prestige, they've helped him gain a firm foothold."
Taoist Priest Yao said, "The Shen family is also a kind-hearted family. They took the initiative to provide relief during the flood. Later, when they donated money to become an official, they also used the money they donated for disaster relief. Although they came from a merchant family, they are well-known in the local area, which is rare."
Gong Mengbi just smiled slightly and said nothing.
The banquet for Qu Chenghuang was quite lively, but after the initial toast, he refused to drink, saying he was not a good drinker and did not dare to get drunk. Gong Mengbi, Taoist Master Yao, and Zen Master Faming were all practitioners and did not force him to drink. Instead, they chatted about strange anecdotes and exchanged news, and the banquet ended happily.
Gong Mengbi did not rush back, but went to the outside of the Shen family courtyard and looked from afar. Seeing that some signs of trouble had appeared, he felt relieved.
Late at night, without disturbing Chenshan's peace and giving him a good night's sleep, Gong Mengbi returned to Fox Hill.
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