Chapter 150 The Lame Man Ascends to Godhood

"Where is Nie Feng? Is there any news about Guard Nie?"

Xu Changze asked urgently, his voice carrying a shrill edge he himself had not noticed.

The guard lowered his head even further.

"Guard Nie… I found Guard Nie's… corpse behind the back wall of the main hall. His chest was pierced through, his internal organs completely shattered, and he has already gone… cold."

A dead silence descended.

Xu Changze grabbed the corner of the table, his knuckles turning white, veins bulging on the back of his hands.

The golden body cracked, the divine cache vanished.

The Yin soldiers scattered, and Nie Feng lay dead.

The conclusion was clear and cruel: Chen Mu had not only killed the City God but had also slain Nie Feng, the Heart-Awakening Realm guard left behind by Wen Jingxing.

"Good… very good! Chen Mu… Chen Mu!"

Resentment and fear intertwined in Xu Changze's eyes, and he gritted his teeth until they nearly cracked.

He had long known this boy was troublesome, but he hadn't expected him to be troublesome to this extent. To kill two Heart-Awakening Realm experts in succession with a Dao Entry Realm cultivation was simply inconceivable.

At the same time, panic washed over him, almost drowning him.

The City God was dead, a critical link in the offering chain was broken. If the superiors investigated, how would he explain it? Nie Feng was dead, how would he explain it to Wen Jingxing? With Chen Mu possessing such strength, would his next target be him?

"Seal off the news immediately! If a single word of what you saw today leaks out, you won't have to worry about living anymore!"

Xu Changze roared at the guard behind him, who was frightened pale. The guard responded repeatedly and scrambled out, leaving him alone in the hall.

Unable to sit still any longer, Xu Changze paced the hall rapidly with his hands behind his back, like a trapped beast.

No, he absolutely could not sit and wait for death.

The death of the City God was a major matter. He was an orthodox deity decreed by the imperial court, enjoying the incense of the region and protecting the peace. His sudden fall would surely lead to a strict investigation if the superiors found out.

By then, his collusion with the City God, using living souls as offerings to Cultivate evil arts, would very likely be exposed.

Moreover, the City God Temple could not be without a master for a single day. If the divine seat remained empty, the order of Yin and Yang would fall into chaos. Departed souls would have nowhere to return, malevolent ghosts would easily breed, and before long, Yunmeng would likely turn into a ghost realm.

By then, let alone his official hat, even his head on his shoulders would be hard to keep.

He must stabilize the situation immediately.

Xu Changze took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down, the expression in his eyes shifting uncertainly.

Fortunately, he had been prepared long ago.

In all these years of colluding with the City God, how could he not have left a backup plan?

"Pass on my order! Immediately seal off the City God Temple, strictly forbidding anyone from entering or leaving."

"Mobilize all the yamen runners and local militia to completely clear the area within a hundred zhang of the temple. Tell the outside world that the temple was raided by thieves last night and that I need to personally inspect the scene. Strictly forbid any mention of the City God's golden body being shattered; just say the temple was damaged and needs repairs."

Xu Changze's voice was hoarse.

"Yes!"

"Also, go to the east of the town and invite that village guardian, Old Wang the Lame, to come here. Remember, be polite. Tell him I have an important matter to discuss, one that concerns the safety of all the people in the city."

Although the guard did not understand why, seeing the magistrate's ferocious expression, he dared not ask more and hurriedly left to carry out the order.

Xu Changze stood alone in the hall, watching the gradually brightening daylight, the muscles on his face twitching slightly.

Old Wang the Lame was a strange person; this was the consensus of all the people in Qinglin Town.

He lived in a dilapidated thatched cottage at the very eastern end of the town. He was about fifty years old, had been disabled in his right leg since childhood, and walked with a limp, which was how he got his nickname.

But Old Wang the Lame's strangeness did not stop at his leg.

He was born with the Five Misfortunes and Three Shortages.

Among the Five Misfortunes—widower, widow, orphan, alone, and disabled—he occupied the disabled one. Among the Three Shortages—wealth, life, and power—it was said his life was the shortest.

Such a person should have died young or lived a miserable life, but Old Wang the Lame had lived to fifty. Although he was poor, he had not starved to death.

What was even stranger was that Old Wang the Lame seemed able to see things that ordinary people could not.

The elders in town said that when Old Wang the Lame was a child, he could talk to thin air, and after growing up, he often ran to the graveyard to wander around in the middle of the night. Some people had seen him playing chess with someone in the Mass Grave, sitting there for the whole night.

Therefore, the townspeople kept their distance from Old Wang the Lame, both fearing him and finding him somewhat mysterious. Children would run when they saw him, and adults would hurriedly avoid him, so he became a strange person in the town.

After hearing this, Xu Changze took note and investigated secretly, only then discovering that there was something special about Old Wang the Lame.

This person's fate was unique. Although he suffered from the Five Misfortunes and Three Shortages, he happened to have a connection with the Yin Office, being able to connect with Yin and Yang and see ghosts and gods. Moreover, he was alone, with no attachments, making him easy to control.

From then on, Xu Changze secretly supported Old Wang the Lame, occasionally sending people to deliver rice, grain, and money, calling it government relief for the lonely and widowed. Old Wang the Lame did not refuse; whatever was given, he accepted, and he never asked questions.

This was a retreat route Xu Changze had left for himself. He had originally planned to wait until his cultivation improved further, or until he found a better substitute, to eliminate the increasingly uncontrollable City God and use this method to replicate a Puppet City God who would completely obey him.

Now, the plan had been forced to advance.

"Chen Mu, you have ruined my great plan. I will show you what it means to pull the firewood from under the cauldron, and what it means to die but not stay dead!"

By the end of the Chen hour, the City God Temple was already surrounded by a large group of yamen runners and local militia, with swords and spears drawn, the atmosphere grim. The townspeople were driven to a distance, discussing among themselves in fear and anxiety.

Dressed in his full official uniform and wearing his black gauze cap, Xu Changze stepped into the temple gate with a gloomy face, surrounded by a group of trusted aides.

The main hall was in a mess.

The City God's golden body sat on the high platform, but on his dignified face, a crack running from the center of his brows to his chest was shocking to behold. The inside was empty, devoid of its former divine charm.

The incense table was overturned, offerings were scattered, and the pillars and walls were covered in marks from the impact of Protective Aura. The blue bricks on the floor were shattered, and bloodstains were mottled.

Xu Changze's gaze swept over the direction of the back wall of the hall.

Nie Feng's corpse had already been covered with a white cloth, but the arm that pierced through the cloth, bent in an unnatural way, and the pool of long-dried dark red blood on the ground, attested to the tragedy of the battle last night.

Xu Changze's eye twitched, and he waved his hand, ordering people to carry the corpse away for disposal.

"My Lord, Old Wang the Lame has been brought."

The trusted guard reported in a low voice, and Xu Changze turned to look outside the hall.

A hunched figure was half-supported, half-dragged by two yamen runners, stumbling toward him.

His hemp clothes were worn and dirty, his hair was gray and messy, his face was covered in deep wrinkles, and his right leg was obviously withered and bent. He walked with a limp, and it was indeed the village guardian from the east end of town, Old Wang the Lame.

He was clearly frightened by this display, his eyes filled with panic, and he kept bowing and cupping his hands.

"Commoner… Old Wang the Lame… greets… greets the honorable magistrate…"

Xu Changze squeezed a smile onto his face that could be called gentle, stepped forward, and made a gesture of support.

"Old Man Wang, there is no need for such formalities. I invited you here today because there is a major matter concerning the safety of the people of Yunmeng, and I need your help."

Old Wang the Lame was flattered, yet filled with fear and anxiety, stammering.

"My… My Lord… I am just a useless person… what can I help with…"

"You can help, and it must be you."

Xu Changze interrupted him, his tone becoming solemn. His gaze swept over the yamen runners, local militia, and the few local gentry and elders he had specially invited, and he said loudly.

"Fellow townsfolk, last night, an evil spirit caused trouble and raided the City God Temple. To protect the people of Yunmeng, the City God fought the evil spirit with all his might, but unfortunately, his Divine Soul was injured and he has fallen into a deep slumber!"

"Fortunately, heaven does not cut off all paths. I have searched through ancient books and learned that if there is a person with a special fate and a pure Heart-Nature, they might be able to gain the recognition of the City God's residual divine will, temporarily act as the divine official, maintain the operation of the temple, protect the peace of the region, and wait for the City God to awaken or for a new decree from the imperial court!"

Immediately, his gaze turned to the bewildered Old Wang the Lame, and his tone suddenly became reverent.

"And this Old Man Wang is that destined person!"