"Ma Shangfu? That name sounds auspicious!" The man smacked his lips and said, "Brother Ma, it's not that I can't trust you, but our Taoist sect has always been secretive and we must take precautions. Please tell me to punish the evildoers. What’s going on with Si?”
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "Didn't I just say it before? I just want to pay a visit to the Master of Punishing Evil."
"where are you from?"
"Coming from the north."
"The north has a long history. Why are you coming to the south?"
"Isn't it true that people live in the south? Whenever they come to a place, they have to worship the mountains of that place," Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile, "Brother, you can see that my cultivation level is slightly higher than yours, but I have no ill intentions towards you, and all the merit earned today belongs to you, so I’ll beg you to lead the way.”
The man nodded and said, "That's all. If you try to do something dirty to me, I can't do anything to you. I'll just take you away for a while."
"Brother, what do you call me?"
"My name is Zhang Renxia, and our chief minister's name is Qiu Zhixin."
"Zhang Renxia, Brother Zhang, this name is so domineering!"
"The name was given by the master, but what's the use of having a domineering name? In the past years since I entered Taoism, I have been frightened and have become an eighth-level person. Brother Ma, please be optimistic about the key to the door. Let's get on the road now!"
Zhang Renxia walked around in circles and brought Xu Zhiqiong to the Punishment Department.
Xu Zhiqiong stood at the door and looked at it for a long time, then turned around and asked, "Is this the Department of Punishing Evil?"
"What's wrong?" Zhang Renxia didn't understand Xu Zhiqiong's question, "Isn't this the case for all evil punishment departments?"
How is it possible that this is the case?
This broken wall is not five feet high.
The broken door was out of shape, and there was a hole more than a foot deep underneath.
The paint on the broken plaque on the door has peeled off, and even the words are unrecognizable.
If you didn't know better, you would have thought it was a ruined temple in a barren mountain.
Squeakyyyyyyy~
Xu Zhiqiong opened the door and saw an alley.
Zhang Renxia led the way: "This one is the Judge's Pavilion, and the other one is the Zhonglang Pavilion."
"Just a judge's office?"
"There is only one official in Zhuzhou, so why does he need so much time?"
"Is there only one Suo Zhonglang?"
"There is no Suo Zhonglang. Originally there was, but now...you will know in a moment."
"How many are there?"
"What is Fei Yi Lang?"
Xu Zhiqiong pursed his lips, not knowing how to explain.
Master once said that the magistrate's way was in decline. If we only look at it from the capital city, it is not in decline.
If you go to Huazhou and take a look, you will find that the Taoist sect is very prosperous, but the evil punishment department in Huazhou was destroyed by Xu Zhiqiong.
If you go to the Yonglu Punishment Division, you will see that the Taoist sect has declined a bit, but it has not fallen to this level!
How does this look like a punishment for evildoers?
This long history doesn’t feel shabby?
Xu Zhiqiong followed Zhang Renxia through the alley and saw a courtyard.
This yard is spacious after all, with more than a dozen houses of various sizes inside.
The brick floor is full of cracks, the roof tiles are scattered and broken, and the most bizarre thing is that there are layers of spider webs under the eaves.
"Brother Zhang, aren't our evil punishment departments located at the junction of yin and yang?"
Zhang Renxia nodded and said: "Yes!"
"Can there still be spiders in this place?"
"This is not a spider, this is a silkworm. It is much bigger than a spider. It is an alien species from both the Yin and Yang realms. In the early years, there were quite a few of them in the Department of Punishment of Evil."
"Why is it gone now?"
"This thing has spirituality and likes to go to popular places. Maybe it dislikes the fact that our Evil Punishment Department is too deserted."
Do you even dislike bugs?
Looking at the dust and debris on the ground, Xu Zhiqiong asked: "How long has it been since this yard was cleaned?"
"It's been a long time. I remember that there was an immortal soul living here two years ago. He possessed the broom and could sweep the yard. But later he thought it was too shabby and couldn't bear it, so he left."
Can’t even stand the immortal soul?
Zhang Renxia took Xu Zhiqiong to the main door and vaguely heard someone singing inside.
"Little lady, don't be afraid of people. My brother will panic when he sees you. You have a white face and red lips. Brother, I will be so sweet when I kiss you. Sister..."
Bang!
When Xu Zhiqiong pushed the door open, the entire door fell off the door frame.
A man's voice came from the door: "What are you doing! No big noise! Can't you be gentler? Find two nails and fix the door for me in a while!"
Zhang Renxia waved his hand and said: "Brother Ma, you can go in by yourself. You broke the door. I will not be involved in this."
This room with the door missing is Chang Shi's Mansion.
Xu Zhiqiong stepped into Chang Shi's Mansion and saw a bookcase in the house, which was covered with a thick layer of dust.
There was a recliner behind the bookcase. Lying on the recliner was a man wearing a mask. He yelled at Xu Zhiqiong, "Who are you?"
Everyone came in, and he couldn't bear to move.
"Are you Qiu Changshi?"
Qiu Zhixin burped and exhaled the smell of alcohol: "My name is Qiu Zhixin, and I don't have a long history."
Xu Zhiqiong took a look at it and understood what he meant, as well as what Zhang Renxia meant before.
Zhang Renxia said that there used to be a Suo Zhonglang, but now there is no more.
The reason is very simple. This Qiu Zhixin, Qiu Changshi, only has a sixth-grade cultivation level. He is not a real Changshi, he is just a Suozhonglang.
The Zhuzhou Punishment Department does not even have a fifth-grade cultivator, but it has a sixth-grade lieutenant as the chief historian.
When Qiu Zhixin saw that Xu Zhiqiong was silent, he also looked at Xu Zhiqiong like a child of sinful karma.
Seeing that Xu Zhiqiong had a fifth-level cultivation level, Qiu Zhixin finally stood up.
"You are the new Chief, right? This seat must be given to you!"
Xu Zhiqiong waved his hand and said: "I was passing by and I have a business deal that I would like to discuss with Qiu Changshi."
"Don't call me Qiu Changshi, and don't be ashamed of me. Who am I to be a Changshi? I'm the only sixth-grade middle-ranking doctor in the Zhuzhou Punishment Department.
The original chief history officer died two years ago. I was afraid that our punishment department would ruin the business, so I worked as the chief history officer for him for two days. Since you are here, I will quickly make room."
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Evil people are rampant in Zhuzhou. Logically speaking, our judge's business should not be deserted. How come our Taoist sect is in such a state of decline?"
"The more evil people there are, the better our business will be?" Qiu Zhixin shook his head and said with a wry smile, "The more evil people there are, the harder our lives will be.
Killing evil people can earn merit, but if there are too many evil people, it will be difficult to kill them. Which one can we afford to offend?
I killed a bad boy half a year ago, but the prefect took action personally. The whole Zhuzhou was looking for me. I spent half a year in the Punishment Department without even daring to leave the house! What kind of business was there?
You should find someone else to take care of your business. We don’t have the ability, and we don’t dare to take on this job.”
"Today I'm looking for you instead of anyone else. The matter happened within the boundaries of Zhuzhou, so it's your turn to take action. This is the duty of our Taoist sect."
"Don't talk to me about your duties!" Qiu Zhixin sneered, "What's the use of just talking about your duties? There are so many things about your duties..."
"I will tell you this duty today!" Xu Zhiqiong's tone changed, "Today's business, whether you do it or not, you have to do it!"
Qiu Zhixin was stunned for a while and asked: "What do you call this comrade?"
"My surname is Ma, and my name is Ma Shangfu!"
"Ma Shangfu? I've never heard of your name, but judging from your accent, you should be from the capital, right? Sent by Tsukazaifu?"
"Don't worry about where I'm from," Xu Zhiqiong said in a deep voice, "Ask all the judges of the Zhuzhou Punishment Bureau to come to the Punishment Bureau and finish this big business tonight."
"But this matter..."
"Don't let anyone get into trouble," Xu Zhiqiong's tone became colder and colder, "Qiu Changshi, I've already said good things to you, but if you say anything more, it will hurt your friendship!"
"That's all, you have a high level of cultivation, you have the final say!" Qiu Zhixin opened a wooden box, rummaged for a while, took out the punishment order, wiped the dust on it, handed it to Xu Zhiqiong and said, "
This thing is for you to use."
Xu Zhiqiong would not use orders to punish evildoers, but simply said: "Since this is your territory, you still have the final say."
"Then I have overstepped my bounds." Qiu Zhixin took the order to punish evil, gathered the power of imagery on his fingertips, and wrote a line on the order to punish evil.
He wants to call all the judges in Zhuzhou to the Punishment Department.
Is such a big battle necessary to deal with a prefect?
unnecessary.
But Xu Zhiqiong must organize some battles. If it continues to be abandoned, the state's evil punishment department will be finished!
After waiting for more than an hour, six judges came slowly.
Three mortal officials, two guide bookkeepers, and one promotion official.
Qiu Zhixin introduced: "This comrade's name is Ma Shangfu. He is a long-time punisher of evildoers from the capital. There is a business for everyone to do today."
Everyone glanced at Xu Zhiqiong and lowered their heads one after another, showing no enthusiasm for business.
Xu Zhiqiong asked: "Are these the only judges in Zhuzhou?"
Qiu Zhixin said: "There are more than thirty people on the list. Since they were not called, they must have given up on our sect."
The recommendation official came forward and said: "Mr. Qiu, I am here today because I have something to discuss with you. I got married last month and want to live a down-to-earth life in the future. I will not care about the matters in the Taoist sect from now on."
Qiu Zhixin smacked his lips and said, "We only have one judge. If you leave, who will judge you in the future?"
"Zhang Renxia will soon be promoted to the seventh rank. I still have some achievements, so I will give them to him as well."
Hearing this, Zhang Renxia stepped forward and said: "Qiu Changshi, I also have something to discuss with you. There is a hot spring in Huazhou waiting for me to go back and manage it, so I have to put aside the Taoist affairs."
"You, you also want to..."
A mortal official said: "Qiu Changshi, I am not born to be the material of our sect. While I am young, I want to change my sect."
Another mortal official said: "Qiu Changshi, I also want to..."
"That's it, that's it, just leave if you want!" Qiu Zhixin shouted, "We can come and go as we please in the Taoist sect, but we must not forget the rules. When we leave the Taoist sect, we must not let out even a single word."
Everyone said yes, and just as they were about to leave, Xu Zhiqiong ducked and blocked the door.
"Where are you going?"
The official was stunned for a moment and said: "This Chief Ma, our Chief Qiu said that Taoists can come and go as they please. What do you mean by this?"
"Who said you can come and go as you please? Why should you come and go as you please! Where do you think Judge Road is? You can come when you want and leave when you want?" Xu Zhiqiong pulled out a short knife and pointed at the crowd and said, "Who dares to leave today?