Infinite Professions

Chapter 392: Chapter 204: Coercion (Part 2)

What should be done?

What should be done!

Seeing Lu Ji remain silent, Zhou Bo sneered coldly: "We’ve reached this point today, Brother Lu, do you still want to shield him?"

"..."

Hearing this, Lu Ji finally raised his head, glanced at him, and immediately countered: "Then what do you want to do?"

"Hmph!"

Zhou Bo snorted coldly: "This person harbors ill intentions and should be stripped of his official position and title, reduced to a mere Yin Soul, and never employed again!"

"Is that so?"

Lu Ji smiled without changing his expression: "Then why haven’t you done it yet?"

"..."

At these words, Zhou Bo fell silent. After a long time, he finally spoke: "Then I must ask Brother Lu to go with me to meet the Lord of the Mansion, request the Lord to issue a decree, and summon government soldiers. After all, he holds a Seventh-Grade title..."

"You also know he has a Seventh-Grade title?"

Before the words were finished, he was interrupted, Lu Ji looked at him coldly, posing a crucial question: "What crime would you accuse him of to strip him of his title, just because he reported the Dongping County City God?"

"This..."

Zhou Bo’s words faltered, not knowing how to respond.

"To condemn without a name is to frame!"

Lu Ji spoke coldly: "In this way, he will surely resist to the death. At best, he could mobilize the millions of people in Qinghe and Huangshan to publicize this matter, creating pressure. At worst, he could rebel openly, turning from righteousness to heresy, and occupy a territory!"

Within his words, his gaze was sharp as a sword, piercing straight into Zhou Bo: "By then, will it be you, Zhou Martial Judge, leading the army to Huangshan to suppress the rebellion, or will the Lord of the Mansion personally go to quell it? And afterwards, how will the Lord explain to the Jinling Divine Monarch? How will the faith of the millions in Qinghe and Huangshan Counties be rectified?"

"..."

With these words, Zhou Bo’s expression became even more unpleasant, already not knowing how to answer.

"Hmph!"

Lu Ji snorted coldly, directly clarifying matters with him: "I know you covet his foundations in Qinghe and Huangshan, but not everything can be pinched and manipulated by you, Judge Zhou. Now his momentum is already formed, his foundation is solid, and he has acquired legitimate authority through righteousness and justice. Not to mention you and me, even the Lord cannot easily move against him. Otherwise, Celestial Thunder and Earth Fire could ignite at any moment, throwing the situation into chaos. Who will clean up the mess, and who can clean it up?"

"..."

The words were clear, and the consequences spoken outright, leaving Zhou Bo silent, unable to refute but still somewhat unwilling: "Then should we let him grow unchecked, threatening the Prefecture City? In the past, aiding him allowed him to establish a foundation in Huangshan. If we continue to let him be, it will be even harder to handle in the future."

After speaking, Zhou Bo’s eyes sharpened: "Why not give him a transfer order, move him away from Qinghe and Huangshan, and let a newly appointed god take his place. Subtly, we could seize his faith and sever his foundation!"

Hearing this, Lu Ji was also moved: "A promotion in name but a demotion in practice, divide and conquer?"

"Exactly!"

Zhou Bo nodded: "Transferring him for promotion wouldn’t be without reason, right?"

"Then what position should he be transferred to?"

Lu Ji’s eyes sharpened, but he quickly regained clarity: "Such a calculation, with his depth of mind, how could he not know? An ordinary position, a promotion in name but a demotion in practice, he will certainly not accept. At that time, he will still make a scene."

"Then appoint him as an Assessor Magistrate of the Punishment Department!"

Zhou Bo said coldly: "Doesn’t he like to wield authority and justice to advance his position? Then let him get his wish by promoting him to the position of Assessor Magistrate of the Prefecture City Punishment Department. This Standard Sixth-Grade official position shouldn’t be considered a promotion in name but a demotion in practice for him, right?"

"Assessor Magistrate of the Punishment Department?"

Lu Ji was stunned, full of surprise.

The Prefecture City God is a Fourth-Rank True God, with his highest subordinates being the Civil and Military Judges, holding a Standard Fifth-Grade official position. Below that are the Six Departments and Six Divisions, namely the Speed Reporting Bureau, Inspectorate, Punishment Department, Salary Increase Bureau, and Longevity Bureau. The heads of the Six Departments are the Assessor Magistrates, holding a Standard Sixth-Grade official position.

This Punishment Department, as the name suggests, is mainly responsible for judicial punishment, overseeing Yin and Yang, and supervising Divine Beings. It is equivalent to an official of the Ministry of Justice, wielding heavy power, with the authority to decide life and death over some low-ranking deities.

But such an important position...

"Reward virtue, punish vice, oversee Yin and Yang!"

Before Lu Ji’s thoughts settled, he heard Zhou Bo speak coldly: "Didn’t he report the Dongping County City God for corruption, malpractice, and murder? Fine, let’s appoint him as the Assessor Magistrate of the Punishment Department to investigate this matter, let him compete with the Dongping County City God, and even involve other local deities, Daoist and Buddhist Sects, Confucianism and the Legalist School, investigate them all!"

As he spoke, Zhou Bo’s eyes brightened, revealing a hint of murderous intent: "In this way, we can restrain him, entangle him in struggles on all sides, leaving him unable to extricate himself. Meanwhile, we will take this opportunity to divide his Huangshan foundation, and finally, capture him in one fell swoop, quell public anger, and resolve the matter!"

"..."

A scheme so cunning and vicious.

Lu Ji was speechless, yet hesitant.

"What?"

Zhou Bo glanced at him coldly, "Brother Lu still hesitant to decide?"

Lu Ji paid no attention, merely asking him back, "The Punishment Department already has an Assessor Magistrate."

"What’s the difficulty in that?"

Zhou Bo laughed coldly, "I can temporarily reassign him, that’s all."

His words were full of confidence.

Indeed, he was confident.

The Six Departments were divided under two Deputy positions, also split into Civil and Military branches. The Punishment Department belonged to the Military branch, directly under his jurisdiction as the Military Judge. Temporarily reassigning that Assessor Magistrate was just a matter of a word.

Yet, Lu Ji remained hesitant: "Let me think it over!"

"At this stage, what is there to think about?"

Zhou Bo said angrily, "Hesitation in a crucial moment only leads to chaos. This person is ambitious and ruthless. If you don’t find a way to remove him, he will inevitably bring calamity upon you, Brother Lu. Regret would be too late then."

"Let me think it over!"

Lu Ji shook his head and then sighed: "Perhaps he is influenced by Wish Power, not genuinely willing. After all, in the domains of Qinghe and Huangshan Counties, there live a million people, and as a Seventh Grade Little God, he enjoys so much incense that failing to suppress it and being driven by it is only natural..."

Within his words, he revealed a secret about the theft of divine power by incense!

To wear its crown, one must bear its weight. Everything with benefit also has a drawback, and so it is with incense.

Incense, after all, is faith, formed by the wish power of living beings.

As it is wish power, it naturally can’t be flawless and pure, containing beliefs and hopes of living creatures.

This impacts deities, potentially turning into toxic incense, gradually corroding a deity’s mind and consciousness, eventually causing them to lose themselves, transforming into the god wished for by the incense’s faith.

Not to mention, take Zhou Bo for example; as a Military Judge, his classic image includes an Official’s Hat, red robe, a dark face with fierce eyebrows, utterly matching the military judge’s portrayal among believers. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

However, his original appearance wasn’t like that; in fact, it was the opposite. Before becoming a god, he was a fair-faced scholar, but later he became a Military Judge, influenced by incense faith and wish power, gradually altering his image.

This is the toxic incense!

Faith has power, incense is toxic, enough to impact deities and even transform them, losing self-awareness.

Such a flaw is nearly incurable, only the rank and authority can resist, the higher the rank the less likely one is affected.

This is why all deities yearn for advancement.

Once one becomes a deity, although not restricted by Yin life’s span, toxic incense can still threaten their existence. To avoid losing oneself and persist, the deity must continuously elevate their rank and authority.

It’s said that only by attaining First-Grade Rank can a deity entirely escape wish power influence and avoid being poisoned by incense’s power.

Otherwise, why would those Third-Rank Great God in the mortal realm and Second Grade Heavenly God in the Upper Realm devote themselves to reincarnation, competing for the dragon chance?

It’s because they’ve been gods too long, their foundations amassed, divine power strong, while wish power accumulated as poison within them, needing further advancement to ensure self-preservation and conscious survival.

So, they have no choice but to gamble.

If Third Grade Gods are like this, it’s even more so for True Gods and Little Gods below that rank.

Nowadays in Qinghe and Huangshan Counties, with a million thriving inhabitants, the flourishing incense is not something a Seventh Grade Little God can enjoy wholly, let alone with frequent miraculous manifestations and strict enforcement of laws. Being seized by such wish power to foster a sense of justice, exposing illegal acts, is within reason.

Understandable!

But...

"Hmph!"

Zhou Bo snorted coldly, "It’s reached this point, and you’re still defending him? Fine, you keep evading responsibility, but when the threat grows into a monstrous menace, Brother Lu, don’t say I didn’t warn you."

With that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

"..."

Lu Ji sat in silence, alone in the room, his eyes sorrowful, speechless for a long time.

Such was the situation, months later.

Inside the Prefecture Government Office, in the back hall.

"Bang!!!"

"What do you want to do, what exactly do you want to do!?"

Lu Jingrui, the Prefect of Jinyang, angrily slammed a stack of reports on the ground, then with a furious table slap, sternly questioning the people before him: "Do you truly think this Jinyang Prefecture is your Song Family’s domain? Why not go all the way and impeach this entire prefecture along with me?"