Chapter 115: Matters of the Water Division Concluded

Luo Feng reviewed the documents with a leisurely air. The slight upward curve of his lips was proud yet refined, and his flushed cheeks radiated an infinite warmth. His eyes, darting to the right with a playful glint, sparked wild imagination, while his subtly arched brows seemed to conceal both his merits and his schemes.

His inscrutable expression, half-smile and half-seriousness, left the many divine officials below in a state of nervous trepidation.

To kill or to release?

Would their superior just say something already!

As for the possibility that Luo Feng could not spot the discrepancies in the documents, not even the Water Department’s own immortals believed it.

As a Daoist—and a practitioner who had achieved the status of an Earth Immortal—one had to be proficient in poetry and prose; without a certain depth of knowledge, one could not enter the Dao, as it required the study of profound scriptures and celestial texts. Astronomy and geography were also mandatory, for alchemy and medicine required an understanding of the right time, the right place, and the nature of all ingredients. Even calculations of the celestial cycle were necessary, as the foundations of formations and the construction of talismans were rooted in mathematics.

In the mortal dynasties, there was a saying: "All pursuits are lowly, only scholarship is noble." Every clever person went to study for the imperial examinations. The same held true for the vast Primordial Universe: "All pursuits are lowly, only immortality is noble." Every clever person went to cultivate the Dao. Those who could become immortals were the intellectual elite; the academic underachievers couldn't even understand the scriptures, let alone cultivate immortality.

The records of three thousand years were indeed voluminous, but to an Earth Immortal whose mental processing was akin to a computer, they were nothing.

Three minutes later.

Luo Feng had investigated the three-thousand-year record and found a trail of clues. On the surface, the Water Department’s records were flawless. However, when comparing the documents year by year, one would notice that every hundred years, the frequency of the Water Department’s rainmaking rituals increased significantly, with the stated reason being demonic disturbances and droughts in the lower realms. Then, after a period of time, the frequency would drop sharply, with the stated reason being that dragons from the Four Seas or passing immortals had intervened to provide rain.

With these increases and decreases, the Water Department’s accounts were perfectly balanced. Even when reported to the Jade Emperor, the figures appeared normal.

Luo Feng hung the three millennia of weather records in the void and gazed coldly at the six department heads, pointing to the rows of eerily similar golden-script entries.

"My fellow immortal officials, do you have nothing to say?"

"For three thousand years, demons have been causing chaos. I would like to know which faction of demons dares to offend the majesty of the Heavenly Court."

"And these 'passing immortals' and 'dragon gods' who helped with the rain—ha! They have been helping for three thousand years. Do you have a list of their names? I must report this to the Jade Emperor so they can be properly rewarded!"

The heads of the six departments turned pale, remaining silent.

Luo Feng gestured to an official on the side. "Wind Department Head, you tell me."

The head of the Wind Department stepped forward, trembling, and bowed. "Reporting to the Star Lord, this... this was the work of demons in the lower realms. As I am in charge of the Wind Department, I truly do not know."

"Oh." Luo Feng nodded, then turned his gaze calmly to the head of the Inspection Department. "Chief Inspector, you command the Water Department’s divine generals and oversee the laws. You should know."

The Chief Inspector stood frozen, unsure whether to remain standing or kneel to plead for mercy. Glancing at the newly returned official Yang Sishui and the four Earth Immortal guardians at his side, he had a sudden stroke of inspiration.

He hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Star Lord, it was the Fire Crow Demon King of the lower realm causing trouble. He is a Heaven Immortal."

"His flight abilities are exceptional, and as we are merely Earth Immortals, we could not apprehend him. I beg the Star Lord to punish us."

In a few words, he shifted the blame to an obscure Fire Crow Demon King. The crime of embezzling and stealing from the treasury was transformed into a case of incompetence and dereliction of duty. It was only natural that Earth Immortals could not defeat a Heaven Immortal.

Luo Feng let out a cold laugh. "Where is this Fire Crow Demon King? What of his lair? I have some friendship with the Giant Spirit Heavenly General; I shall petition the Jade Emperor immediately to descend and slay the demon."

The Chief Inspector’s already pale face became even more wretched. He had assumed Luo Feng was just another Earth Immortal, but he hadn't expected him to have such rich resources and a deep background. He was likely a second-generation scion from a major sect serving in the Heavenly Court.

What should he do?

The Chief Inspector, originally a rogue cultivator, looked at Luo Feng’s calm expression and the Star Lord’s divine seal in his hand. Another idea struck him, and with a sudden realization, he knelt down.

"This minor god is guilty! This minor god is guilty!"

"I am willing to resign from my post as Chief Inspector."

"From now on, I shall follow your lead, Star Lord. Please, give this minor god a chance to redeem himself through merit!"

He didn't mention the corruption or dereliction of duty, simply kowtowing and admitting guilt.

Luo Feng glanced at him and said indifferently, "Since you know your mistake, you are not beyond saving."

"I strip you of your title as Chief Inspector and demote you to a Divine General."

The former Chief Inspector immediately thanked him and moved to the back. The other five department heads glared at him, cursing him internally as a traitor and a turncoat.

"As for the position of Chief Inspector, where is Jinxin?"

A handsome young Daoist boy of about ten years old walked in from outside, bowing and kneeling.

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

Luo Feng examined Jinxin. He had reached the Primordial Spirit stage, with three hundred and sixty-five nascent infants gestating within his body, each representing a life. The little snake of the past was now on the verge of ascending to immortality, possessing such immense power that ordinary Earth Immortals were no match for him.

"The rogue cultivator Jinxin is respectful and virtuous. I hereby appoint you as the Chief Inspector of the Water Department. May you embody the heart of Heaven and cultivate the world."

Luo Feng picked up the Water Virtue Star Lord’s seal and issued the decree with a golden word. In an instant, the Chief Inspector’s divine robes vanished from the former head and appeared on Jinxin. In the blink of an eye, the young boy transformed into a majestic Heavenly Court official.

Jinxin was overjoyed and kowtowed. "This minor god pays respects to the Star Lord."

Luo Feng nodded and flicked his sleeve. Eight Earth Immortal guardians appeared out of thin air.

"I grant you these eight guardians to command the Inspection Department."

Jinxin bowed again, then led the eight guardians to stand on the Star Lord’s right, while Yang Sishui and his four Earth Immortal guardians stood on the left.

"Do the other department heads have anything to say?" Luo Feng asked calmly.

The former Chief Inspector, now standing in the back with the other officials, looked happy, inwardly calling himself lucky. Although he had lost his position, he remained an official of the Water Department and kept his cultivation. A comeback was not impossible.

Seeing the twelve Earth Immortal guardians, the other five department heads immediately knelt, following the example of the former Chief Inspector, begging for mercy.

Luo Feng watched them coldly. The five department heads had withheld water essence, which must have led to severe droughts in certain regions, causing creatures to die of thirst and the people to live in misery. Sending them to the Heavenly Court’s Law Hall meant a trip to the Execution Platform.

Luo Feng shook his head and sighed. "Although you have committed errors, you have served the Water Department for many years. If not for merit, you have at least labored."

"Very well. I strip you of your divine positions and expel you from the Water Department."

"Yang Sishui will take charge of the Rain Department, and the other departments will be managed by their deputies for the time being."

The five department heads breathed a sigh of relief. Although they lost their divine status and the Heavenly Court’s fortune that supported their cultivation—and lost the chance to accumulate merit through rainmaking—they had at least kept their lives.

Except for the deputies of the Rain and Inspection departments, the deputies of the other four departments were delighted. With their bosses gone, they had a chance to become heads themselves. As for how to get promoted, it was naturally by pledging loyalty to the new Water Virtue Star Lord.

Luo Feng had been in office for less than a day, and the Water Department was already under his control.

Long afterward, the gods of the Heavenly Court heard of this and praised Luo Feng’s brilliant methods. Only the Jade Emperor, residing in the Jade Pool, had a strange expression upon hearing the news.

After a long time, he sighed.

"He has the air of my younger days."

...

The Heavenly Court's Water Department was a major division, vast and sprawling. It consisted of one hall, six departments, and twenty palaces. The palace where Luo Feng summoned the gods was the Water Hall, also known as the Hall of Water Virtue, the official residence of the Star Lord of Water Virtue.

The gods of the Water Department departed, each processing the terrifying events of the day. Inside the Hall of Water Virtue, only the new Chief Inspector Jinxin and the Star Lord Luo Feng remained.

Jinxin asked curiously, "Master, just letting those five go like that?"

This didn't seem to fit his master’s personality!

Luo Feng smiled indifferently. "The Heavenly Court has been established for nearly a million years, and an Earth Immortal’s lifespan is one hundred and twenty thousand years."

"Those five department heads had been in office for at least tens of thousands of years. It is impossible for them to have used up all the water essence and divine water artifacts they accumulated over all that time."

Jinxin, who had followed Luo Feng for years, understood instantly.

Jinxin smiled slightly. "The five department heads, through their corruption and bribery, caused the world to be unsettled and the creatures to suffer, and they were unfortunately killed by enemies on their way home."

However, Jinxin thought of another problem. He frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Master, by that logic, the former Chief Inspector is also a man who deserves to die. Why spare his life?"

Luo Feng chuckled.

"If they all died, it would be too conspicuous. Besides, when a new official takes office, driving away all the old ones makes people feel cold-hearted."

"Five hundred years from now, let's have them 'intercepted and killed by bandits'."