“Brother, you recognize the Plague Command Prince of my Plague Ministry as well. Could it be that…”
Emperor Plague’s eyes shifted slightly, as if he had guessed something.
Lord Wealth solemnly nodded. “I won’t hide it from you, Brother. He is the very brother I swore a pact with in the mortal world. The reason my Lord Wealth Temple can burn with incense once more is all thanks to the schemes of this sworn brother of mine.”
The gleam in Emperor Plague’s eyes deepened even further as he murmured, “So that’s how it is… so that’s how it is. That lad truly has surprised me. Aside from the Netherworld, I never imagined the revival of the Lord Wealth Temple was also his doing.”
“My sworn brother has extraordinary fortune and an endless bag of tricks,” Lord Wealth said with deep emotion. “In just a few short days in the mortal realm, he’s stirred up waves one after another. Even I often find it hard to believe.”
He then shifted his tone, his expression turning solemn. “To be honest, my brother initially came to me for advice regarding Lady Zheng’s matter. I was the one who directed him to see the Nether Lord, but somehow, it ended up alarming you instead. I heard that later… a prefectural city god was even executed?”
Emperor Plague nodded, his gaze resolute. “That’s right. That city god had to die. Without that execution, my determination would not have been made clear.”
Lord Wealth nodded and sighed. “I can roughly grasp the key points here. But, Brother… do you truly have to go this far? By doing so, wouldn’t you be cutting yourself off from Her Ladyship?”
Emperor Plague raised an eyebrow with a faint, knowing smile. “It seems the reputation of my Plague Ministry is indeed beyond redemption. Even you, Brother, know of the inside story behind this Heavenly Killing Intent.”
“I oversee the Incense Monitoring Bureau, Brother. At least eight or nine out of every ten messages that pass through the Heavenly Court go through my hands,” Lord Wealth said frankly. “Besides, Her Ladyship’s sudden increase in merit exchanges every year has to go through the Finance Ministry. If I couldn’t even spot clues like that, I’d be failing far too much in my duties.”
Emperor Plague laughed heartily. “Since you know the inside story, Brother, why didn’t you try to talk that lad out of it back then?”
Lord Wealth chuckled wryly. “Lord Star, if that lad could be talked out of anything, would my Lord Wealth Temple be thriving as it is today?”
Emperor Plague’s gaze sharpened as he nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a fair point. A newborn calf fears not the tiger, and he’s certainly not lacking in wits. He’s definitely got potential.”
“I doubt it’s just potential, would you say?” Lord Wealth asked with a meaningful smile.
Emperor Plague nodded, then shook his head. “Had you not come today, Brother, that lad would have only earned those four words in my heart. Now, naturally, his weight has increased a bit. Still, the fundamental reason I made my move was for the survival of the Plague Ministry.”
Before his words faded, he had already flashed to the front of the steps, clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed out at the sea of clouds beyond the hall.
“I know full well that if this continues, my Plague Ministry will fall into an abyss of no return, with never a chance to turn back.”
Lord Wealth quietly came to stand beside him and said thoughtfully, “Brother, if I may be so bold as to ask one more question—why has Her Ladyship been in such urgent need of so much merit lately? Logically speaking, innate deities have boundless lifespans. Why would it come to this?”
Emperor Plague let out a soft laugh. “Merit is to us what grain is to mortals. Who would ever complain about having too much? The more, the better, of course—it also gives us a better chance at attaining sagehood.”
Lord Wealth frowned slightly.
Emperor Plague continued, “Hasn’t my brother noticed how the movements of the Big Dipper have grown increasingly frequent in recent years?”
Lord Wealth’s expression shifted in shock. “Brother, are you saying…?”
Emperor Plague stopped just short of saying more. “I’ll offer you this piece of advice, Brother—think more about yourself, and think more about your own ministry. Regardless of anything else, our divine positions are already bound to incense offerings. The more incense you accumulate, the more leverage you’ll have to maneuver.”
“I am grateful for your guidance,” Lord Wealth said with a grave nod. “And what about Her Ladyship…?”
Emperor Plague replied, “Rest assured. Though I’ve drawn a line with Her Ladyship, it’s not to the point of a complete falling out. She… still has use for me.”
Lord Wealth sighed. “You’ve had a difficult time of it, Brother. To be honest, when I came today, I was actually carrying a harsh ultimatum with me as well.”
Emperor Plague perked up with interest. “Oh? With your virtuous nature, Brother, it’s rare for you to speak harsh words. I’m quite curious to hear this.”
Lord Wealth smiled wryly. “Forgive my embarrassment, Brother. In truth, I wanted to say—I don’t care about others, but if anyone dares lay a hand on my sworn brother, even if I hold a lowly rank and have little power, I will do everything in my power to protect him. That is a promise I have made to myself.”
Emperor Plague suddenly burst into laughter. Turning back to look at Lord Wealth, he patted him on the shoulder. “Good! Since you’re so open with me, from this day forward, you and I are true brothers. If that lad can blaze a new path for the Plague Ministry, I will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.”
Lord Wealth cupped his hands in salute. “To have the protection of a Star Lord—truly, that is my brother’s fortune!”
“Though given that lad’s temperament, my only fear is that someday he’ll provoke some immortal he shouldn’t have.”
Lord Wealth said, “That’s a matter for later. There’s no need for you to worry too much, Star Lord.”
Emperor Plague nodded.
The main hall fell into a brief silence.
After a moment, Emperor Plague suddenly spoke with feeling as well. “I won’t hide it from you, Brother. There’s something I’ve wanted to say from the bottom of my heart for a long time.”
Lord Wealth: “Brother, speak freely.”
Emperor Plague gazed at the surging sea of clouds, his eyes growing heavier. “The truth is… I’ve also really wanted to be a good deity…”
Lord Wealth’s expression changed slightly. After a long pause, he too let out a sigh.
——-
The next morning, in the southern part of the city—the Southern Suburbs Industrial Park.
Lu Chen led three thousand followers on a tour of the factory.
To be fair, with the crowd spread out, it wasn’t particularly cramped.
Of course, Lu Chen had no intention of keeping all these seasoned travelers cooped up in the factory—that would be such a waste.
These people were like a blazing fire when together, and scattered stars when apart.
The entire country was their vast sea of stars.
After the tour, Lu Chen called Zeng Rou and Wang Zhidong to his office alone.
“Here. This is a plan I drew up last night. It details our next focus and direction in full. Study it carefully.”
“Yes, Leader. I’ll be sure to look it over thoroughly.”
Zeng Rou accepted the documents with both hands.
Lu Chen waved his hand. “From now on, don’t call me Leader anymore. Just call me Mr. Lu. I’ve already registered the company. Starting today, you’ll be the General Manager of our Lu Corporation, and Elder Wang will serve as Deputy Manager to assist Zeng Rou. How does that sound?”
Wang Zhidong clasped his fists. “We’ll follow the Leader’s—”
“Ahem!”
“Oh! Whatever Mr. Lu says!” he corrected himself.
“That’s better.” With that, Lu Chen took out another document. “Here are the formulas for ten Plague Pills. I’ve screened them, and these are the most suitable remedies at the moment. You can start production as soon as possible—go ahead and buy whatever machinery you need. I’ve already transferred fifty million to you. Also, this ring contains some supplies from the Raksha Cult that you can use as supplementary funds down the line.”
Zeng Rou accepted the ring, nodding. “Understood, Mr. Lu. I’ll give it my all and won’t let you down. Oh, and speaking of which, Elder Wang here was originally a master pharmacist in the Raksha Cult. When I was treating Lady Zheng, the pill I gave her was actually made by Elder Wang.”
“Oh, really?” Lu Chen looked at Wang Zhidong with pleasant surprise. “In that case, I’ll put you in full charge of the Plague Pill project, Manager Wang.”
“You flatter me, Mr. Lu. My humble skills are nothing compared to the true teachings of Emperor Plague,” Wang Zhidong said as he flipped through the formulas, growing more astonished by the page. “These pills have extraordinary effects—every single one is a treasure!”
“Then study them to your heart’s content.”
Lu Chen stood up as he spoke. “Get to know the factory a bit more. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be going now.”
“All right, Mr. Lu!”
Zeng Rou and Wang Zhidong escorted Lu Chen downstairs and watched his car drive off into the distance.
“Let’s go, Elder Wang—no, I should be calling you Manager Wang now,” Zeng Rou said with a smile.
Wang Zhidong scratched his head. “It does feel a bit strange.”
“Let’s study things a while, then we’ll hold a meeting later.”
“Yeah, these Plague Pills are truly treasures! I’ve got to study them well!”
Wang Zhidong kept his eyes glued to the documents without blinking.
Leaving the industrial park, Lu Chen headed straight for the city lord’s mansion.
With the city lord’s token, he passed through without any hindrance.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Come in!”
Lu Chen pushed the door open and entered. “City Lord.”
Yu Feng was processing documents. Without looking up, he asked, “Got everyone settled?”
“They’re settled.”
“That was quick.” Yu Feng said, picking up a file folder from the desk, tucking it under his arm, and rising to walk over to Lu Chen.
“Come on, follow me somewhere.”
“Where to?”
“The morgue.”
Yu Feng was already out the office door.
“Another homicide?” A chill ran through Lu Chen’s heart as he quickly caught up.
A short while later, at the Southern City Government Office not far from the city lord’s mansion—the Forensics Department.
The morgue was thick with the sharp, pungent smell of disinfectant. Lu Chen instinctively covered his nose and mouth.
The forensic examiner silently pulled open four freezer drawers, then stepped back.
“Take a look.”
Yu Feng pointed.
Lu Chen: “…”
Fine. All for the mission, and for everything the mission entailed.
He stepped forward to look.
Inside the four freezer drawers lay four bodies.
Strangely enough, each of these four corpses had died in a completely different manner.
The first was covered entirely in frost—though it was hard to tell if that was due to being stored in the freezer for too long.
The second was a charred corpse.
The third had bloodstains all over the clothing around the abdomen.
The last had dried blood caked around the mouth.
“What is this?”
Yu Feng’s low voice came from behind him. “Kid… have you ever heard of a Corpse Liberation Immortal?”
