Chapter Sixty-One: Revering Heaven and Honoring the Ancestors of Law

“Pay it no mind, just pass the message to the world of the living. The whole clan is on high alert these days...”

“Yes!”

Almost at noon the very next day, far away in Guanju Township, Wang Zhenling, who was still running about on Lili’s behalf, had already received the message.

The news first appeared in the dreams of the Wang clan members in the city, then was relayed to the clan chief in Jiaode, and finally reached Wang Zhenling’s ears.

Even though it took such a circuitous route, Wang Zhenling still received the news before noon. He was furious: “Very well, very well! Since that City God dares employ such methods, he can’t blame me for being ruthless!”

The confrontation between both sides was clearly intensifying, and now the City God had dragged the entire Wang clan of Danling into the fray.

To be frank, even Chen Bushi found it tricky to oppose the City God. Toppling him was no easy task.

In fact, even the county magistrate couldn’t remove the City God easily. For privately releasing criminal spirits, the magistrate could at most give the City God a lesson but lacked the power to depose him. That would require reporting the matter to the provincial governor for adjudication.

And now, that City God, reckless as he was, had implicated the entire Wang clan of Danling...

Didn’t he realize the power wielded by such an ancient local family, rooted in the land for centuries?

Traditionally, affairs of the underworld belonged to the underworld, and those of the living world to the living. Though the Wang clan held great power in the netherworld, they rarely interfered in the affairs of the living, especially in official matters.

Otherwise, with centuries of roots in Danling and countless members serving as officials, if the Wang clan resorted to their underworld influence every time a conflict arose...

That would have sparked fear and led to their annihilation long ago.

Thus, like the Wang clan, all great families adhered to this unwritten code and refrained from meddling in the world above.

No matter how fierce Wang Zhenling’s struggle with the City God became, the Wang clan would not ordinarily intervene directly.

Yet now, the City God himself had broken the rules by targeting the Wang clan’s ancestral home in the netherworld. He had only himself to blame for whatever retaliation Danling Wang would unleash!

Little did he know, the City God, accustomed to smooth sailing, had just barely survived the county magistrate’s rebuke and now harbored deep hatred for Wang Zhenling, caring little for any rules.

Wang Zhenling was overjoyed. This time, the City God was doomed!

After all, he had powerful backers and was acting on their behalf. If Chen Bushi still failed to give his all in such circumstances, it would chill the hearts of his supporters.

Without hesitation, Wang Zhenling covered his face and wept bitterly, then hurried to the county constable’s residence, where he knelt before Chen Bushi and cried out, “My lord, please uphold justice for me! That City God has dared to threaten the ancestral estate of my Wang clan in the netherworld. If this grievance is not avenged, I swear I am unworthy to be called human!”

Hearing this, both Chen Bushi and Master Feng exchanged incredulous glances. Could it be that the City God had gone mad?

“When Heaven wishes to destroy someone, it first drives him insane!” Chen Bushi sighed inwardly, but he was secretly delighted. This time, the City God was finished!

Everything must follow rules. Societies in every era function thanks to a set of regulations.

Even the emperor himself was not exempt and could not arbitrarily violate the rules.

Many rules might be ignored openly, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist—there remained a tacit code, understood by all, that kept things running beneath the surface.

Take Chen Bushi, a scion of the Chen clan from the Central River. He had come to the local counties to gain experience, but he couldn’t just wield his family’s power at will or attack whomever he pleased.

If he could, then anyone who dared disagree with him would be crushed. Even if it were possible, such behavior would only leave him isolated.

Not even the emperor dared act in this way. Those who did ultimately found themselves branded as tyrants and traitors.

Another unspoken rule was that family members should not be implicated by political strife.

With so many clans, each with their own interests, political conflicts rarely spilled over to implicate entire families—much less their ancestors in the underworld.

Such an act would incur universal outrage!

If today, in a bureaucratic struggle, you destroy my ancestors in the netherworld, what’s to stop me from doing the same to yours next time?

This would only escalate the conflict endlessly, leaving no peace for anyone.

Especially since the ancestral estate in the netherworld was the root and pride of every family. As the saying goes, “When the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold; when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves; creatures mourn their own kind.” Anyone who dared such a thing would be universally reviled and likely besieged.

Clearly, the City God had provoked the wrath of all!

Chen Bushi had long since devised a plan to deal with the City God, though he’d hesitated before.

But now that the City God had gone so far, Chen Bushi had no reason to hold back. When someone breaks the rules first, retaliating in kind brings no reproach.

With this in mind, Chen Bushi solemnly declared, “Rest assured, Zhenling. Since the City God has dared such madness, this is intolerable. I will not stand by and do nothing. This time, I will make sure he never rises again!”

Wang Zhenling was overjoyed and cried, “Thank you, my lord!”

But Master Feng smiled and said, “There’s no need to rush. So far, the City God has only made threats and hasn’t actually acted. Let him follow through and enrage everyone; then, dealing with him will be much easier.”

Chen Bushi frowned slightly. “But what if the City God truly loses his mind and harms the Wang clan’s ancestral estate in the netherworld?”

Master Feng offered Wang Zhenling an apologetic smile. “Every great family’s ancestral estate in the netherworld has been cultivated for centuries—it’s not so easily destroyed. Besides, we can send reinforcements to aid the Wang clan... And when this is over, the credit will be yours. After all, the post of City God in Danling will soon be vacant.”

The hint was unmistakable. Chen Bushi pondered for a moment, then tacitly agreed, turning his gaze to Wang Zhenling.

Anyone else might have exploded in rage at Master Feng’s words.

The ancestral estate in the netherworld was the very foundation of any family.

Revering Heaven and honoring one’s ancestors—ancestors were held in esteem equal to the Heavenly Emperor himself.

This alone spoke volumes about their importance. Even in another world, despite the influx of Western ideas and the rise of science, most people still honored their ancestors, tending graves and compiling genealogies.

All the more so in this world, where ancestral spirits truly existed, residing in the netherworld and protecting each family in the world above.