Chapter 238: The Diligent Duke of Thunder Zhou

Chapter 237: The Diligent Duke of Thunder Zhou

On that afternoon, Magistrate Liu indeed presided personally at the county office, publicly trying Daoist Master Yongyang and many Daoists from the Xuanlei Temple while revealing the evidence.

Song You also went to see the commotion, and the tavern's staff went as well.

The scene was truly crowded.

Since Song You was not a local, he was unaware of the authority that Magistrate Liu had established in Pu Commandery over the past three years, nor did he understand the standing of Daoist Master Yongyang in the hearts of the people of Jingyu.

Being an outsider, he could not comprehend how shocking and important this day was for the locals. Only by witnessing the streets filled with people could he realize that this day would likely be recorded in the county's history and annals of Pu Commandery Jingyu.

Today’s public trial was quite interesting.

On one side stood representatives of the court and government, who had established great authority in the hearts of the people over three years through their governance and efforts to eradicate demons. On the other side were Daoist masters, revered by the people as immortals, with countless devotees and incense offerings.

The two sides had been in conflict for a long time, representing the struggle between political power and belief, as well as the clash of human effort and Daoist methods.

Daoist Master Yongyang had many fervent devotees, along with some individuals whose interests were deeply intertwined with him, all causing a ruckus at the scene. However, compared to the county magistrate, Magistrate Liu had more authority to deploy troops as the commandery magistrate.

Although Magistrate Liu had already received an official transfer order from the capital, it only addressed military and administrative matters and had not yet been fully carried out. Given his deep prestige, he had also summoned the Pu Commandery garrison, all clad in shining helmets and armor, standing guard nearby.

What surprised many was that these guards did not come into play.

Even more unexpected was that Magistrate Liu was exceptionally well-prepared; whether it was the trial process, the clarity of speech, or the evidence, no faults could be found.

The scene was overwhelmingly crowded, and Song You did not occupy a very forward position; he could neither see clearly nor hear well. After taking in the bustling atmosphere for a while and gaining some insight, he led the swordsman and the calico cat back to the tavern through the empty alleys.

It was only during dusk that he learned from the tavern staff that shortly after he left, many young Daoists and disciples from the Xuanlei Temple confessed their crimes and eagerly stood up to expose the misdeeds of the older Daoists. Magistrate Liu and the officers presented solid evidence one by one, even excavating numerous corpses and relics from the temple's mountainside, all displayed at the scene.

At first, the crowd was lively, but it didn't take long for the noise to diminish until it fell completely silent.

The middle-aged Daoists also gradually confessed and accepted their punishments.

Seeing that the situation was beyond redemption, Daoist Master Yongyang simply admitted his guilt as well. At this point, many people's faith crumbled, and a living immortal fell from grace.

The tavern staff recounted the events with disbelief, feeling as if their understanding of reality had been overturned.

Even though Song You was present, he found it astonishing to hear.

***

After dark that evening, Magistrate Liu arrived again.

This time, it was obviously not to invite Song You to dinner. In fact, he looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and bloodshot pupils, likely having not rested since the previous night. He had called for the officers, who brought in two full boxes of sealed unknown books and items and placed them in Song You's room.

“Magistrate, what brings you here?”

“Sir, these are the unidentified books and items found during the county officers' search of the Xuanlei Temple,” Magistrate Liu replied. “We sorted through those with recognizable titles and left behind these items we cannot identify. We are unsure if they are related to the dark arts, so we didn’t touch them, bringing them here for you to examine.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Magistrate.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Magistrate Liu replied. “Sir, you have already been of great help, yet we must trouble you further. It is I who should feel indebted.”

“Leave it here, then.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Remember to balance work with rest, Magistrate.”

“Thank you for the reminder, sir.”

Magistrate Liu bowed and, after a quick farewell, hurried off once more. The case of Daoist Master Yongyang was indeed complicated, involving numerous murder cases and connections to gods, ghosts and demons. Given that Daoist Master Yongyang had long since established considerable influence in Jingyu, it was a substantial matter that could not be resolved quickly.

If Magistrate Liu could resolve this case before leaving office, it would not only close several major cases but also remove a significant source of unrest for Pu Commandery. This achievement would surely earn him greater respect from both the influential and upright officials in the capital. Regardless of his motivations, he was genuinely doing good for the people.

Song You withdrew his gaze and turned to the two crates. It seemed he, too, would have a busy night.

He lit an oil lamp, borrowed another from the swordsman's room, and lit the two lanterns he had brought with him, finally brightening the room. He opened the crate, revealing its contents.

There were mostly two types of items. The first was various books. The second type consisted of various items that appeared to be magical tools, ritual implements, or strange objects whose purpose was unclear.

The tools were the easiest to assess—Song You only needed to pick them up and feel them to determine if they were ordinary or not. Most were ordinary items. Even if they were tools meant for rituals, their significance often lay in the ceremony itself, with the tools serving much like an altar table—useful but inherently unremarkable.

Only a very few items possessed spirituality, and some were talismans carefully crafted by the Daoists, each serving a purpose but mostly being malevolent objects. Song You casually destroyed those. If an item was a standard talisman, he kept it to hand over to Magistrate Liu the next day, as the objects themselves were not at fault, leaving it to him to decide how to deal with them.

The books required a bit more effort.

He had to skim each one. As expected, the majority were ordinary books. They were either Daoist classics or miscellaneous texts with esoteric titles unfamiliar to Magistrate Liu or his advisors, which led them to send them along to Song You for him to take a look.

A select few were indeed extraordinary.

These were of two types. The first type contained standard spells, either Daoist or martial techniques familiar to people in the

jianghu

. Harmless in nature, they were challenging enough that only those with a unique aptitude and dedication could learn them. Song You kept these, with plans to bring two particular texts back to his home temple, as even Hidden Dragon Temple’s library didn’t contain these.

The remainder he decided to carry on his travels. He thought that, should he encounter a virtuous monastery or temple, he could give them some of these works. With luck, someone might be able to master the arts—a few more skilled practitioners in the region could help keep minor demons and ghosts in check after his departure.

One type consisted of the Demonic Dao from Xuanlei Temple, which were mostly incomplete spells, primarily notes. Many of these were techniques that Song You had seen demonstrated by the Daoists of Xuanlei Temple, and he quickly burned them to ashes.

However, there was one particularly intriguing method.

“Prolonging life...”

This referred to a technique for extending one's lifespan through the use of yin souls, likely the reason why Daoist Master Yongyang could live for over a hundred years.

Song You took a quick look and found it quite clever.

“

Whoosh

...”

Everything was reduced to ashes.

After finishing up, it was already midnight.

Song You carried on as usual, rubbing his eyes. When he turned around, he saw the calico cat sitting perfectly still behind him, staring intently without making a sound—she was incredibly well-behaved.

He had no idea how long she had been waiting like that.

As he caught her gaze, she tilted her head slightly and met his eyes.

“Aren’t you going to sleep yet, Lady Calico?”

“Aren’t you going to sleep yet, Daoist priest?”

“I'm about to sleep now.”

“Then let's sleep now!”

The Daoist felt a touch of warmth in his heart.

Only after he blew out the lamp and walked toward the bed did the calico cat rise from the floor and follow him.

***

The next morning...

Song You had already dealt with all the books and items brought by Magistrate Liu the previous day, returning what needed to be returned and reminding him of things to note. He then said to the magistrate, “Now that this matter is settled, my rest here in Jingyu is also complete, and I’ve gathered all the supplies I needed. I won’t stay any longer.”

“You’re leaving, sir?”

“I haven’t traveled all of Hezhou yet, and there’s still a long journey ahead to the north. I’ve agreed with my companions to set out at dawn tomorrow,” Song You replied. “Thank you for your hospitality, Magistrate Liu.”

“

Meow

...”

“Lady Calico thanks you as well.”

“It is we, the people of Pu Commandery, who should be thanking you, sir. How could we accept your thanks?” Magistrate Liu said quickly. “Tomorrow, I will come to see you off.”

“Magistrate, your duties keep you busy. Such formalities are unnecessary.”

“Well...” Magistrate Liu didn’t press further. After a moment of thought, he finally said, “There is, however, one more matter I would like to consult with you on, sir.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“The commandery, influenced by the Xuanlei Temple in the past, primarily worshiped Duke of Thunder Fu Lei as the Thunder God. Although Duke of Thunder Fu rarely descended to exorcize demons, having his statue at the city gate provided a sense of protection and deterred evil spirits. But now... now it’s no longer appropriate to honor him in this way,” Magistrate Liu paused.

“Today, Magistrate Lin came by to ask me which Thunder God we should worship in the future, but after much thought, I couldn’t make up my mind.”

“...” After some consideration, Song You responded honestly, “Since arriving in Hezhou, I’ve observed that the most diligent in exorcizing demons here is Duke of Thunder Zhou.”

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

Song You thought that Duke of Thunder Zhou was indeed a good choice. Having traveled through Hezhou for three seasons now, he had learned much and gained a better understanding of the Heavenly Palace's approach to exorcism.

Recently, several great demons had emerged on the northern borders, claiming territories as their own. While these regions were already sparsely populated due to wars and past demonic havoc, the presence of these demons further threatened the human realm's authority and the Heavenly Palace.

Thus, both the Thunder and War Divisions focused primarily on suppressing these great demons. When Thunder Gods occasionally appeared elsewhere to exorcize demons, it was often because they either responded to the prayers of their worshippers or could not bear to see demons wreaking havoc, taking time from their pressing duties to intervene.

Duke of Thunder Zhou was indeed the most dedicated, living up to the growing incense offerings and his well-regarded reputation among the people of Great Yan.

“Then, I shall take my leave,” Magistrate Liu said.

“Take care.”

Magistrate Liu called for the constables to lift the items he had brought and left.

Song You escorted him to the entrance and, after watching him depart, headed upstairs to his room, slowly beginning to pack his belongings.

The inn’s attendants bustled about, having taken note of everything that had transpired.

Now, in his eyes, the magistrate was akin to a deity, no less impressive than the renowned ministers immortalized in ancient tales. Seeing the magistrate hold Song You in such high regard, he naturally developed a respect for Song You as well.

Yet, there was something he couldn’t quite grasp—

What exactly was it about this gentleman that made his magistrate, practically a deity in his own right, treat him with such deference, personally welcoming his arrival and seeing him off in person?

Unable to figure it out, he simply returned to his work.

Today, the inn had a few tables of guests, who appeared to be wealthy families from the city once oppressed by that Daoist Master Yongye. They seemed to be here to celebrate, seated in private rooms, drinking and discussing.

And what were they discussing?

Naturally, it was the mysterious, powerful divine immortal that the magistrate had spoken of, the one capable of slaying even Thunder Gods.

At first, the attendant listened without much thought, treating it as lively gossip. He listened to their discussions, to their speculations. But as he continued listening, he gradually realized something. Reflecting on it carefully, a sudden chill ran through him.