Chapter 10

The inner city of Qinglong was renovated from a palace, housing important facilities such as the government office, academy, and granary. The city also had temples dedicated to the city god and the god of literature, all located within the inner city. Moreover, the thirteen main deities worshipped in Qinglong City all had their temples in one place.

Apart from the grand temple dedicated to the Heavenly Emperor, the other temples primarily worshipped the local city god. These two temples were essential in every city. The temple of the god of literature, the temple of the agricultural god, and the temple of the kitchen god, among others, were added according to the cultural inclinations of the city.

Xun Yi ran to the temple area and first entered the city god temple. Since he was temporarily serving as the city god, he greeted the temple keeper: "Uncle, I'll be eating here at noon. Please prepare for me."

Today, Bai Fu told him about the connection between the city god and the Xun family, which helped him understand why the Xun family always came to the city god temple to offer incense and pray for blessings on the first and fifteenth of every month. The Xun family was even one of the largest patrons of the city god temple, helping to renovate it every year.

"It's not just a matter of the older generation. Every generation of the Xun family's head would be invited by the city god to assist when they were young. The Xun family has a dedicated rest room in the city god temple, used to store their physical bodies when the city god enters the netherworld during the day."

Xun Yi had only been to the rest room in the city god temple a few times with his father and grandfather. However, his grandfather spent an hour in the room before he died, which he now realized was likely to communicate with the city god.

Arriving at the rest room, he lay down on the bed, and the city god's power guided his spirit, instantly transporting him to the grand hall of the city god.

With a loud boom, divine light illuminated the palace, resplendent and colorful. The civil and military judges hurried over.

"Hey? Why are you here during the day today?" the civil judge asked, "Do you want to go and interrogate the headless ghost now?"

Thinking of the headless ghost and the nightmare he had, Xun Yi shook his head: "Let's wait until tonight. I'm here today because of the Luoru pens."

He then recounted what he and Bai Fu had seen that morning. The civil judge drew a circle with his judge's pen, and a light mirror appeared, reflecting Xun Yi in the rest room. Xun Yi held a large bunch of Luoru pens, and the civil judge reached out to take all the pens into the netherworld.

"Someone is using literary energy to disrupt the divine path. Perhaps you should talk to the temple of the god of literature. I'm sure they would be interested."

"The temple of the god of literature? I've met those temple keepers, and they are all very rigid. They might not listen to me," Xun Yi said, thinking of the temple keepers he had encountered last year when he went to offer incense.

"Not them, but the deity enshrined in the temple of the god of literature," the civil judge said mysteriously. "Have you met any other deities yet?"

"Deities? The God of Literature?" Xun Yi's heart stirred. "The God of Literature is said to oversee literary fortune. Would he meet a small-time acting city god like me?"

At this, the civil and military judges burst into laughter: "You still have a mortal mindset. Do you think the lineage of literary deities only includes the three gods of literature?"

Xun Yi felt embarrassed and looked at Bai Fu. Bai Fu, the guide, quickly explained: "The deities of heaven and earth have different roles and thus different types. The war god is combative, the fortune god oversees life, the dragon god controls clouds and rain, and the ghost god manages the underworld and the cycle of rebirth. The literary deities occupy a place in the celestial hierarchy, akin to the fortune gods. The God of Literature oversees literary talent and wisdom, helping people to open their minds and inspire creativity. The God of Literature and Examination oversees exams and is responsible for supervision. In ancient times, when the imperial examination system was established, the collective wishes of the candidates to succeed in the exams eventually gave birth to a deity overseeing exams. Over the dynasties, the accumulated wishes formed the second god in the literary lineage. Additionally, there is the God of Virtue and Good Deeds. Besides these three, there are many other literary deities. Speaking of which, we civil judges are also a type of literary deity, having transformed into deities after our literary hearts remained unextinguished after death.

The temple of the god of literature in Qinglong City worships the God of Literature, but the deity in charge here is a状元 (zhuangyuan, top scholar) who passed the imperial examination ninety years ago. He died young, but his literary heart remained unextinguished, and he became a deity, practicing in this temple."

"That top scholar, Ke? When I was young, my mother took me to the temple of the god of literature, hoping I would learn from him and succeed in the exams to serve in the government. When can we meet this top scholar?"

"Cough, cough!" Seeing Xun Yi's respectful gaze, Bai Fu said, "As an acting city god, you don't need to be too respectful. In terms of rank and status, the city god, appointed by heaven, commands the mountains and rivers, far surpassing a scattered deity like him who hasn't yet received a formal position. We'll use a divine curtain to summon him." He then had the civil judge write an invitation, which turned into a paper crane and flew out of the hall.

The military judge brought a screen, and the divine light formed a curtain to conceal Xun Yi's figure.

Soon, a young man in a crane robe hurried over: "This humble deity, Ke Zheng, pays respects to the city god."

Xun Yi watched from behind the screen. The man was courteous, elegant, and handsome, just as the legends described. "It's a pity he died young at the age of twenty-eight."

Thinking this, Xun Yi cleared his throat: "Top scholar, no need for formalities." His clear, youthful voice transformed into a deep, mature voice through the screen, even surprising himself.

Ke Zheng looked at the screen, which depicted the mountains and rivers around Qinglong City, concealing the city god's true appearance. The voice seemed different from usual.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

"I'm fine, but you have a problem. Bring the Luoru pens for him to see!" Xun Yi feigned seriousness and had the civil judge present the evil deity's pens to Ke Zheng.

"I observed the city last night and found these. How do you, a literary deity of the god of literature lineage, explain this?"

Ke Zheng picked up a pen and examined it, puzzled: "This pen has been infused with literary energy, but it's not the wisdom-enhancing energy of our god of literature lineage, nor the stabilizing power of the God of Literature and Examination, or the virtue-enhancing power of the God of Virtue and Good Deeds. Strange..."

He examined it closely, then broke the pen and poured out some black powder.

Xun Yi leaned forward, about to ask a question.

Bai Fu interjected: "Sir Ke, what is this ash?"

"It's the pollen of the Luoru flower, mixed with other special pollens. It also contains two mysterious drugs that are addictive." Ke Zheng, being a literary deity, was well-informed: "These are evil deity pens, almost identical to those produced by our temple, making them hard to distinguish. May I ask, sir, where did you get these?" He then took out a pen from his temple, which looked identical but was far less effective than the evil deity's pens.

The literary pens, infused with the power of the god of literature, subtly enhance wisdom and broaden the mind without side effects.

The Luoru pens, on the other hand, forcibly stimulate the brain, expanding unexplored areas to enhance memory but causing damage to the user.

"Using divine power to stimulate the brain is burdensome and dangerous, and there's a risk of soul theft." Ke Zheng looked grim. The third of next month was the date of the imperial examination, and scholars from various towns would gather in Qinglong City. If they were eager to win, they might be tempted to use these evil deity pens. However, the God of Literature and Examination would likely detect them immediately, preventing any major issues.

Ke Zheng thought about it and decided not to get involved. It would be better to focus on studying poetry and improving his own divine rank.

"Someone said they were from your temple." Xun Yi relayed the information he had gathered that morning. "There were sightings of these pens being sold near your temple. You, a literary deity, are unaware of this? Or are you secretly involved, or..."

Or, did you create these Luoru pens yourself?

Ke Zheng broke into a cold sweat: "Sir, don't say such things. If the God of Literature and Examination hears, my literary heart will be destroyed."

The God of Literature and Examination was known for his stern and impartial nature. If he found out that these evil deity pens came from the temple and Ke Zheng did nothing, he would be accused of negligence. The God of Literature and Examination's anger would be severe, and even the God of Literature would not intervene.

"The God of Literature and Examination oversees exams, and these Luoru pens would be detected immediately, constituting cheating. When the God of Literature and Examination is enraged, not only will I be in trouble, but even you, the local deity, will be held responsible." Ke Zheng's eyes darted, linking his fate with the city god's: "Sir, with your command of three thousand troops, please take action against the evil deity."

The civil judge immediately understood Ke Zheng's intention to avoid involvement. Just as he was about to speak, Xun Yi said from behind the screen: "Indeed, it is within my authority. However, you, a literary deity, have been negligent. I will assign you a task, which you must complete within three days. If not, I will report to the celestial court and have the literary deities deal with you."

Ke Zheng's face fell: "Sir, please instruct."

"These evil deity pens are causing suffering among our students, and some have fallen ill. If they miss the upcoming special exam, their futures will be damaged. You, who once passed the imperial examination, can you bear to see this? If I forcibly confiscate these evil deity pens, it could cause panic in the mortal world."

"What do you suggest, sir?"

"Make a batch of genuine literary pens overnight to replace them, and restore the students' lost energy and spirit."

Xun Yi then told Ke Zheng the locations of the Luoru pens he had discovered that morning.

There were dozens in the academy alone!

Ke Zheng sighed: "This will be a lot of work!" However, as a literary deity, he was not skilled in combat. It was safer to do this than to confront an unknown evil deity.

After the two deities agreed, Ke Zheng bowed and left.

As soon as he was gone, the civil judge complained: "He's too good at avoiding responsibility. This is his negligence, allowing the evil deity to mix these evil pens with the literary pens. Why help him clean up the mess? We should report to the celestial court and let the literary deities handle it."

Xun Yi emerged from behind the screen and said: "It's a city matter. Reporting to the celestial court would take time. If we capture the evil deity today, wouldn't that be better? Moreover, this literary deity will compensate the students, ensuring they are not affected by the special exam. It's worth the effort." Many of the victims were his classmates, and Xun Yi cared about his long-time companions. He didn't want the matter to escalate, so he decided to have Ke Zheng make a batch of genuine literary pens to replace the evil ones without alarming them.

"Sir, you are kind-hearted, but it will be troublesome for us. We need to determine if the evil deity is present in person. If it's just a follower spreading the Luoru pens, we can't interfere in the mortal world. Even if it's the evil deity in person, we need time to unlock the authority to mobilize the troops."

"The gap between humans and deities?" Xun Yi stretched. "I understand. If it's an evil deity, we'll call on the generals and judges to act, and we can take our time. But if it's just a mortal, I'll handle it myself!"

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