ATPnovel Chapter 1355: 47: Erected as a Deity, Overturned into Loess
Chapter 1355: 47: Erected as a Deity, Overturned into Loess
Chapter 1355: Chapter 47: Erected as a Deity, Overturned into LoessAfter recounting all the rumors in Linyi City, Zhongxuan Sheng chuckled and asked, “So, how do you feel about it now?”
Jiang Wang countered, “Does anyone believe it?”
“Why wouldn’t anyone believe? Because you are Qi Country’s genius, its hero, the one who unfurled the national banner on Guanhe Platform?”
Zhongxuan Sheng said, “The statues on the altar, at their core, are nothing but soil. They can be offered on a table or trampled beneath feet. Do you think you’re already impervious in your golden body? Even the Golden Frame and Jade Marrow of a God Arrives powerhouse can be broken, let alone your illusionary halo.”
At first, Jiang Wang didn’t care much, as most of the rumors were baseless. But after hearing Zhongxuan Sheng’s remark, he couldn’t help but ask, “Then, right now, how many people are trampling on this patch of mud?”
“All throughout Linyi,” Zhongxuan Sheng remarked with a ghostly gaze, holding up fingers to count. “Not only is the slander rampant in the streets and alleys, but even in the Court—some want to file a case against you, some propose issuing a direct arrest warrant, others demand a thorough investigation of Green Sheep Town, even interrogating the people under your command… And there are whispers in Heavenly Mansion City’s Tai Xu Corner Tower advocating for it to be nationalized, suspecting you of harboring ulterior motives!”
Jiang Wang laughed.
“That laugh of yours seems a bit ironic.” Zhongxuan Sheng chuckled lightly.
“I just think…” Jiang Wang said, “I risked my life in the Lost World, I fought for Qi Country’s honor on Guanhe Platform. Based on my deeds and the merits I’ve earned, shouldn’t I be afforded a bit of trust?”
“Of course, there are people who trust you,” Zhongxuan Sheng replied. “Like me, like Shisi.”
“You don’t understand.” Jiang Wang shook his head. “Your trust stems more from emotions. I’m talking about those who are strangers to me—why would they pass judgment after hearing just a few words, while ignoring the things I’ve actually done?”
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand.” Zhongxuan Sheng stated, “What people say often has nothing to do with what you’ve done. This is just how the world operates, Jiang Wang. Haven’t you figured it out yet? When you’re riding high, soaring at the Cloud Summit, everyone gazes up at you. But when you fall into dust, the passersby—aren’t they bound to stomp on you? It’s only convenient!”
“Is it?” Jiang Wang’s expression grew complex.
“Those who praise you today may well be the ones to mock you tomorrow,” Zhongxuan Sheng suddenly burst into laughter. “Don’t take it so seriously, Lord Jiang! I’m merely helping you adapt ahead of time. You’re now a dignified third-ranked officer of the Court—there will be plenty more of this to endure! Qi Country may be vast, but its high places are awfully crowded. The higher you climb, the more you’ll face!”
Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow and pondered aloud, “Helping me adapt ahead of time—what are you implying?”
Zhongxuan Sheng showed no trace of embarrassment. “Spreading rumors about you being an Equality Country spy was one thing, but to claim you conspired to revive the monarchy? Quite ambitious, wouldn’t you agree? And yet, you wonder why there are rumors saying you kicked down a widow’s door, dug up graves for heirs with no descendants?”
“Why?” Jiang Wang stared at him.
“I did it!”
Zhongxuan Sheng said with a hint of pride, “Back then, unsure if you were alive or dead, I casually handled things as though you’d survive.”
Jiang Wang could scarcely guess his train of thought but still felt an itch in his teeth. “Even if you’re creating chaos, did you have to make me out as someone who desecrates graves?”
Zhongxuan Sheng’s grin stretched across his fleshy face. “So, does that mean you don’t entirely object to the widow’s bit?”
Choked by his wordplay, Jiang Wang faltered for a moment before muttering, “You truly have a way about you.”
“Do you think that’s all there is to it?”
Zhongxuan Sheng wore a peculiar expression. “There are even stories claiming we share certain… proclivities—people say we’ve always found excuses to live together, from Xia Shan Villa to the Shaking Light Quarter, seemingly inseparable every waking moment.”
“That one wasn’t me, though.” He added.
Jiang Wang was stunned. “Who spread that rumor? What’s the point in fabricating something like that?”
“Who knows?” Zhongxuan Sheng replied indifferently. “The higher you stand, the more people can see you. And with people, well, the more there are, the more variety you get—big ones, small ones, long ones, short ones.”
Jiang Wang rolled his eyes. “Are you even talking about people?”
“Hahaha.” Zhongxuan Sheng laughed, “Just lightening the mood. Back to the main topic—do you know where this time, my brilliance lies?”
“Reacting immediately to muddle the waters was already brilliant,” Jiang Wang said, not without praise. “What could be even more ingenious?”
Zhongxuan Sheng made a twisting sound, waved his hands, and said, “This is nothing.”
But his expression betrayed his satisfaction.
After all, flattery from the world’s leading Inner Mansion carried weight, awkward as it might be.
“The waters may be muddied, leaving everything unclear. But as you know…” Zhongxuan Sheng looked at him, “There really are fish in the water.”
Jiang Wang paused and replied, “Yes.”
Honestly, accusations that he colluded with Equality Country, sheltered remnants of the Yang Family, or exterminated the household of Zhao Heng City’s chief arrest officer didn’t bother him. His conscience was clear, and the truth was bound to emerge.
However, the allegation of him aiding Hell Has No Door’s Yama to enter Linyi City—it unsettled him.
Because it was true.
Although the circumstances and state of mind back then differed vastly from now, what was done could not so easily be erased.
“No need to shy away,” Zhongxuan Sheng remarked. “At that time, our choices were severely limited. You felt no allegiance to Qi Country and were fulfilling your promise to Yin Guan. Meanwhile, I desperately needed your help—I couldn’t let you leave Linyi. Ultimately, that was the choice we made together. To tell the truth, I had a follow-up plan back then, intending to deliver Yin Guan and his associates straight into Beiyaduwei. But Yin Guan himself didn’t trust you, leaving me no room to maneuver…
Of course, no matter how much reasoning there is, it remains a problem.”
Zhongxuan Sheng smiled faintly. “I thought the matter had passed. Now that someone’s brought it to light, we might as well resolve it for good.”
“How do we resolve it?” Jiang Wang asked.
Zhongxuan Sheng asked in turn, “Have you paid attention to the rumor or skipped over it because your conscience is troubled?”
Jiang Wang frowned, slowly repeating, “They say I’m secretly a killer for Hell Has No Door, that I helped Yama infiltrate Linyi, then concealed their escape afterward, even claiming Green Sheep Town is one of their hidden outposts.”
Zhongxuan Sheng asked, “Are you a killer for Hell Has No Door?”
“Of course not!” Jiang Wang declared. “Yin Guan invited me, but I declined.”
Zhongxuan Sheng continued, “Is Green Sheep Town a hidden outpost for Hell Has No Door?”
“Absolutely not! Green Sheep Town is clean,” Jiang Wang answered.
“Good.” Zhongxuan Sheng said, “The earliest rumor claimed you helped Hell Has No Door’s Yama infiltrate Linyi, collaborated with King Qin Guang and Wang the Coroner to murder Jubao Business Association’s chairman, Su She… And the rest was supplement added by me.”
“Rumors remain rumors because they lack a ‘source of trust,’ preventing them from becoming ‘words of trust.’ Once circulated, not even the initial spreader can provide an authoritative explanation—anyone can interpret them as they wish. Clearly, my additions made the tale more comprehensive, more detailed, and thus more convincing.”
“So?” Jiang Wang asked.
Zhongxuan Sheng replied, “Among all the rumors, this one is the most cohesive, the most believable, with the best chance of yielding concrete evidence. You could say it’s your Achilles’ heel. That’s why people will soon demand a thorough investigation of Green Sheep Town—and I’ll mobilize political resources to oppose it as much as possible. But in the end, things will proceed as they wish!”
By this point, Jiang Wang fully understood.
Green Sheep Town could stand up to scrutiny!
Since Green Sheep Town was never a hidden outpost for Hell Has No Door, and Jiang Wang was not one of their killers, the notion that he helped Yama enter Linyi naturally becomes nonsense!
In reality, amidst this seemingly insurmountable tide of negativity, this was Jiang Wang’s one and only vulnerability.
And Zhongxuan Sheng, with just a nudge, had already erased it.