Chapter 141: Chapter 142: The Magic of an Official Position
The winding journey from Woling Pass to Immortal Spirit Lake was more than four hundred li. Did Lui Yao pay the price of Dragon Blood to summon the Crocodile God here just to enjoy the scenery?
Of course not. The man was planning to have his armies converge. With the Crocodile God’s support, he probably wanted to make himself Commander-in-Chief.
Hee Lingchuan asked, "If I kill Lui Yao and take the Dragon Blood, will you work for me too?"
"No, the Dragon Blood is already with me," the giant crocodile blinked. "But if you kill him, I can help you once, free of charge."
"Oh? Why are you being so kind?" ’Could this be my lucky day?’
"He had a hand in Hong Xiangqian’s death." The giant crocodile’s vertical pupils turned to Hee Lingchuan. "Take my tear. In the future, immerse it in Immortal Spirit Lake, and you will have my protection."
The tear at the corner of its eye was about to hit the ground, so Hee Lingchuan quickly caught it in a Crystal Bottle.
’So these are crocodile tears?’ Holding it up to the light, he saw the teardrop had a faint blue shimmer.
Judging by the Crocodile God’s confident tone, it had to be something special. Hee Lingchuan stoppered the bottle tightly and stored it away with great care.
"I have one more question."
"Speak." The Crocodile God was clearly getting impatient.
"Why did you leave the Northern Demon Kingdom to enter Da Yuan?" Apparently, after leaving the Northern Kingdom, the giant crocodile had journeyed continuously south. It first participated in the Battle of Woling Pass, which shocked the entire Yuan Kingdom, and then followed the waterways to Immortal Spirit Lake.
The land of the Yuan Kingdom was crisscrossed with a network of waterways, which were all expressways for the giant crocodile.
"That was years ago. The new emperor of the Northern Kingdom took the throne, and my clan and I did not see eye to eye," the Crocodile God said coldly. "And we weren’t the only clan to leave."
"So what are your plans for the future?"
The Crocodile God thought for a moment. "Immortal Spirit Lake is nice. I’ll just live here."
The lake’s surface alone was an eight-hundred-li expanse of open water. Underwater, there were countless caves and secret passages connecting to numerous streams and rivers. Food was also abundant. The Crocodile God was very satisfied with the local geography.
Hee Lingchuan cleared his throat. "In that case, have you considered taking on the role of a Water Spirit?"
"Like that turtle?"
"Exactly," Hee Lingchuan said with a smile. "If you remain a wild demon with a taste for human flesh, the locals might not tolerate your presence."
The Crocodile God scoffed, clearly disdainful.
Hee Lingchuan pressed on with his persuasion. "Even if you aren’t afraid, they won’t show any mercy to your children. So, you’d be better off accepting the position of Water Spirit. You’ll have to ensure the safety of these waters, but in return, you’ll have access to Primordial Power allocated by the Royal Court and enjoy regular Sacrificial Offerings from the humans. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."
Upon hearing the two words "Primordial Power," the Crocodile God was tempted.
That Turtle Demon was far weaker, yet with the boost from a Water Spirit’s Primordial Power, it had fought fiercely for an entire night before falling. ’If I could also get a boost from Primordial Power, it would be a huge boon to my future Cultivation.’
Besides, after the nearby residents built a shrine and tablet in its honor, they would be required to make regular Sacrificial Offerings to the Water Spirit by tossing large quantities of live poultry and livestock into the lake.
What demon wouldn’t want a supply of fresh, free food?
’I get tired of eating fish all day. A little variety now and then would be nice.’
The Little Crocodile Demon beside her quickly nudged her with its tail, urging its mother to accept the offer.
The Crocodile God had one last question. "Can you really make something like this happen?"
"I can!" Hee Lingchuan promised, thumping his chest. "As long as you help us kill Lui Yao, you will have performed a great service. I can ask the Qiansong County Magistrate to write to the local Government Office and request the position of Water Spirit of Immortal Spirit Lake for you. With such a powerful Demon as their guardian, the local officials will be laughing in their dreams."
This world was shared by humans and demons. The presence of demons in Human Kingdoms was as normal as the presence of humans in Demon Kingdoms. For particularly troublesome or uncontrollable Great Demons, the government’s best strategy was recruitment—offering them a position as a Water Spirit or Water God.
After weighing the pros and cons, these sapient Great Demons rarely refused. After all, they got to rule their own territory while receiving Royal Pay or enjoying Sacrificial Offerings, and the humans got to live in peace. It was a win-win situation.
As for a demon’s prior record—be it man-eating or flooding villages—all was forgiven. The Government Office actually preferred recruiting demons to pardoning Mountain Bandits. Demons were generally more straightforward, less prone to scheming, and less likely to suddenly betray them. Many demons held their positions as Marsh Wardens and Water Spirits for one or two hundred years. Even when dynasties fell, the new rulers would quickly reaffirm their posts.
Thus, the Crocodile God agreed with little hesitation.
Once Hee Lingchuan had roped in such a powerful ally, the looks Wu Shaoyi and his men gave him turned a little strange.
To be honest, even the Dragon Blood Lui Yao had offered wasn’t as tempting to the Crocodile God as an official position as a Water Spirit.
Such was the power of being on the official payroll.
One of Wu Shaoyi’s men, Lian Deng, rubbed his hands together and spoke to Hee Lingchuan. "Brother Hee, we’re helping the government soldiers deal with Lui Yao. That means shedding blood and sweat, and we might even lose some of our men. But it seems to me... uh, there isn’t much in it for us, is there?"
Hee Lingchuan glanced at Wu Shaoyi. Seeing him stand silently to the side, he knew the man was of two minds. So he said, "As long as you are considered rebels, you will be hunted by the authorities, no different from the Lui Thief."
The faces of the rebels darkened.
Ever since their defeat at Woling Pass, they had all learned how hard life was as hunted dogs with no home. Even Wu Shaoyi was lost, with no idea what the future held for his men and no promises he could make.
Hee Lingchuan immediately followed up, "Unless... you’re willing to accept amnesty!"
Amnesty? Hearing the word, they all looked at each other, but there was no real aversion in their hearts.
Hee Lingchuan didn’t need to look at the others. He only had to watch Wu Shaoyi. Seeing the man’s impassive face, he knew he had a chance.
These three bands of Floating Bandits had secretly converged on Xianling Village for the sole purpose of joining forces, hoping they could carve out a place for themselves to live.
In fact, "if you can’t beat them, join them" was a viable path. Even a proud, untamable beast like the Crocodile God was about to get on the official payroll. Watching from the sidelines, the rebels were green with envy.
"Can you make that promise?" Wu Shaoyi stared at him intently. "You’re just a junior official with the army. What authority do you have?"
"I can. And I can because I am the eldest son of Hee Chunhua, the Qiansong County Governor!" Hee Lingchuan coughed a few times, knowing it was time to play his trump card. Empty promises were useless, no matter how grand they sounded. Identity was the only thing that carried real weight—the kind of thing that could knock a man flat on his back, and he’d get up smiling. "My father is heading north to Xiazhou to serve as Chief Steward, and the troops he’s bringing are his own loyal men! Once you surrender, you will become trusted members of my Hee Family, future veterans of the army. In Xiazhou, you’ll be able to live the high life and throw your weight around!"
He knew it was useless to talk about ideals or the meaning of life with these hardened men. Practical guarantees were what mattered.
Those eight words alone—"live the high life and throw your weight around"—summed up the lifelong aspirations of most men.
Sure enough, the Mountain Bandits’ eyes flickered. They were tempted.
Lian Deng rubbed the back of his neck. "The Royal Court has gone back on its word more than a few times. Even if General Wu swears allegiance, what if they..." They were a Rebel Army, naturally wary and suspicious of government troops.
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