A boring day was about to end again.
Ling Ping'an leaned back in his chair and hummed a little tune. His fingers filled in the options on his phone screen.
He was fulfilling his civic duty to fill in the annual tax return.
In the Federal Empire, taxpayer was a very strange word.
That was because most citizenship rights were closely related to taxes.
For example, the right to vote and the right to propose proposals were not innate.
The qualifications of voters in the Empire were directly related to taxes.
If one did not pay taxes, he would not have the right to vote or propose proposals.
He could not participate in the national examination either.
Therefore, in the Federal Empire, the qualifications of a taxpayer were very important.
Even if many people, especially those with low incomes, paid zero taxes every year.
However, this tax return had to be filled in every year.
Moreover, it had to be filled in and reported within the legal time.
Only then would the various agencies of the Empire be willing to serve you.
Otherwise, all federal agencies would refuse to serve you.
Because you were not the target of their service.
Therefore, accountants in the Federal Empire were very popular.
People above the middle class needed an accountant to help them fill in their annual tax returns.
Firstly, they had to restructure their finances to reduce taxes as much as possible within the legal framework.
Secondly, they had to avoid some income not being legally declared in accordance with the law, resulting in a tax stain that would affect their enjoyment of federal services.
However, people like Ling Ping'an did not need it.
That was because his tax file was directly classified into the third category.
In other words, it was the 'other category'.
He could enjoy a special tax exemption policy with an annual income of 200,000 yuan or less.
Filling in this form was just a formality.
Therefore, he filled it in very quickly. If he encountered any problems, he could just check the third option.
After filling in the form, Ling Ping'an put down his phone.
The annual civic duty was completed.
He stood up and stretched. Then, he looked at the kitten, Bastet, who had been lying in the corner of the counter. He said, "Time to sleep!"
Bastet jumped down from the counter and landed at his feet.
Ling Ping'an took out its blanket and placed it at the door.
The little guy obediently lay down.
Ling Ping'an turned off the light and said to it, "Good night!"
Thus, he walked upstairs with his phone.
The kitten lay on the towel. In its amber eyes, it reflected its master's shadow.
It slowly closed its eyes.
Behind it, the pyramid was reflected.
Countless prayers and wishes came rolling in.
The line of faith connected all the temples of the Cat Goddess in the Egyptian Kingdom.
Those tall temples built in the center of each city.
The devout believers were praying.
The priests chanted the sacred scriptures of the goddess.
They wanted to connect with their god in order to receive his power and favor.
But …
The Cat Goddess did not move.
He did not want to interfere anymore.
He was just a pet, and a pet should behave like a pet.
He could lend his divine power to help Egypt settle the civil strife.
This was already his limit. If he interfered any further, he might be beaten to death by a fist descending from the sky!
Moreover …
Now, it was a time of great competition.
The Cat Goddess could feel that the concentration of spiritual energy was continuing to rise.
He understood that soon, the ancient gods of this world would become active.
Therefore …
What Egypt needed to do now was to calm down and lick its wounds.
Don't get involved in what you can't get involved in.
Don't think about things you shouldn't think about.
A small country with few people should have the awareness of a small country with few people.
… …
Ling Ping'an took a shower and changed into his pajamas. He sat on the sofa in the living room and drank Kvass.
The empty living room was very quiet.
For some reason, he didn't feel sleepy at all.
On the contrary, he was very excited.
"What's going on?"
For some reason, he had the urge to go out for a walk.
He didn't know how long it had been since he had such an urge.
It was like... it was like...
It was still when he was young... he didn't understand anything and just liked to go out and play.
He climbed the wall of the industrial park and slipped into the factory to cause trouble.
Or he would catch cicadas under the tree with the neighbors' children or fish for frogs by the river next to the industrial park.
However, when he grew up and understood, he didn't like to go out more and more.
When he was a little older, the mobile Internet came.
Everything could be solved with a mobile phone, so he didn't want to go out even more.
"Hmm..." he finished a bottle of Kvass and stood up. "Since I have nothing to do... let's go out for a walk..."
"The nearby night market..."
"The surrounding shopping malls and so on..."
As he spoke, he began to change his clothes.
He had always been like this, doing as he pleased and doing whatever he wanted to do. He would never be shy or hesitant.
He changed into his clothes and shoes and walked downstairs.
Meow!
As if hearing his footsteps, the kitten at the door stood up and ran over quickly.
Ling Ping'an picked up the little guy and walked to the door without turning on the lights. He took out the key and pulled up the shutter door.
Then, he pushed the door open and looked at the quiet street outside.
Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The moonlight was like frost white, shining on the city.
The street lamps in the streets were lit up one by one.
The creeper on the wall of the industrial park opposite could be seen clearly.
The night wind blew in the streets, making it a little cold.
Ling Ping'an hugged his cat, walked out of the door, and locked it.
"Little darling..." Ling Ping'an said to his pet, "Let's go on an adventure tonight!"
Meow!
The kitten meowed softly in agreement.
In the amber cat's eyes, the image of its owner was reflected.
The head shrouded in the fog slowly appeared.
Two dots of fire, like specks of starlight, drilled into the eyes.
An ordinary-looking young man wearing a pair of cheap eyeglasses appeared in the peephole.
Ling Ping'an had already looked to the left, at the end of the street.
He remembered that after crossing this street and turning left, there was a park.
Thus, he walked over with the cat in his arms.
It had been a long time since he had gone to the back mountain of the park at night.
… …
"General..." Song Shihui was urgently called and woke up from his cultivation. "He's out!"
Song Shihui immediately opened his eyes and stopped his cultivation.
Then, he connected the big screen in his room to the surveillance center.
Thus, he saw a video that was sent over.
The door of the ancient God, which had been tightly closed, was pulled open.
In the darkness, two dots of fire slowly appeared under the camera.
The fog shrouded an indescribable head.
The thin young man appeared under the camera.
He held his pet and appeared under the camera.
Then...
The head that was filled with fog revealed flesh and blood bit by bit, and the two dots of fire turned into specks of starlight, condensing into a pair of black and white eyes.
He smiled.
He seemed to be facing the surveillance camera.
That smile was meaningful, but indescribable.
Then, he closed the door, turned around, and walked towards the end of the street.
The street lamp reflected him. His shadow was ordinary.
Song Shihui was stunned.
He watched the video over and over again.
Because this video was the first time that evidence of the owner of the bookstore changing form was shown to the Blackguard.
Don't underestimate it. In that instant, he changed from nothing to something.
Because...
This was very likely to be some kind of trust or acceptance.
This was very easy to understand!
For example, many circles in the capital were not ones that could be entered with money.
If one was not qualified enough and was not recognized, they would be rejected no matter how rich they were.
By the same logic, this ancient God showed the moment of his form changing in front of the camera, and he did not hide anything.
This was a kind of trust.
It meant acceptance and recognition in a certain sense.
Otherwise...
It was impossible for outsiders to peek into any of his secrets with this kind of status.
Even if this secret was actually useless.
But...
"He went out?" Song Shihui thought, "What does he want to do?"
Especially that meaningful smile.
Song Shihui kept recalling that smile in his mind. He understood that this person deliberately went out at this time.
There must be a purpose.
But what did he want to do?
Song Shihui didn't know.
He could only instruct Xia Ping on the other side of the communicator, "Activate all monitoring methods immediately..."
"I want to know... his whereabouts..."
After thinking for a while, he added, "If he doesn't want to, don't force it!"
The criteria for unwillingness had already been set.
For example, the camera could not work properly...
Or the surveillance could not be cared about...
That was not allowed.
Even if it was a malfunction, it must be regarded as not allowed.
Because... the Blackguard must not take the risk.
Any risky options had to be eliminated!
That was wisdom!
The result of the analysis of countless think tank staff.
… …
Ling Ping'an carried his pet, walked through a secluded alley, and turned into a road.
This road, which used to be bustling with traffic, was now devoid of vehicles.
Occasionally, he would see a taxi passing by.
Ling Ping'an was also used to it.
Ever since the factories in the industrial park had either closed or relocated.
A large number of workers and their families, along with their machines, were packed onto cargo ships and sailed to Beizhou, Nanzhou, and Xisong.
Manufacturing slowly disappeared from the mainland.
The service industry rose.
A new economic cycle began.
The depression of the eastern district of the city was already destined!
Continuing forward, after passing through two intersections, the shadow of a park built on a mountain appeared in front of him.
When he arrived here, the market became lively.
Because this place had already entered the traditional construction night market.
This night market had a hundred years of history!
During the heyday of the industrial park, it was the most prosperous!
When he was young, Ling Ping'an often came here to play.
Because there were not only all kinds of delicious food here.
There were also all kinds of fun performances to watch.
All kinds of performances and acrobatics from all over the Yangtze River and overseas could be seen here.
Unfortunately...
Ling Ping'an walked in the night market for a while and shook his head.
The traditional performances had all disappeared.
This reminded him of the pitiful circus he met last time.
Those people who were disabled but still wanted to rely on themselves instead of being supported by the country.
He sighed.
"Technological progress is not all good!" He said.
Under the wave of the mobile Internet, his bookstore was a victim.
Acrobatics, circus, puppet shows, monkey shows...
They were also victims.
But...
This was the general trend of history!
Unstoppable and undefiable!
Those who complied would prosper, and those who disobeyed would die!
Ordinary people like him had no choice but to welcome it with open arms.
Walking out of the night market, he raised his head and looked at the park at the top of the mountain.
Thus, he walked forward along the steps of the mountain road.
This park had a history of a hundred years. It was also built for this heavy industrial base back then. It was one of the basic facilities that provided leisure and entertainment for the workers.
Similar facilities used to be spread throughout the entire eastern district of the city.
Unfortunately...
Now...
Ling Ping'an looked at the mottled steps and broken fences around him.
This place had been in disrepair for a long time.
Fortunately, this park had enough history.
Therefore, even though it was already very late, there were still many people in the park on the mountain.
Most of them were old people and children.
Under the street lamps, people were either walking or playing in the park's shade and fountain square.
Ling Ping'an looked at it and felt a little childish.
He carried his cat and walked in.
Suddenly, he noticed that there seemed to be a crowd gathering at the foot of a downhill stairs on his left.
Many old people were surrounding a stall and discussing.
Ling Ping'an went over curiously. Thus, he saw a man with a bare upper body and a red cloth wrapped around his head sitting at the stall.
A little girl, holding a gong, stood behind him.
She faced the crowd of onlookers and cupped her hands like a little adult, "Dear elders, dear brothers and sisters..."
"Our father and daughter came from the land of Chu and passed by this precious place..."
"According to the teachings of our ancestors, please use the Fu Ji to solve the doubts of the elders!"
"If it works, please pay with a day's rent and food money!"
As Ling Ping'an listened, he also saw the thing in front of the strong man.
It was a dustpan. There seemed to be a thin layer of fine sand in the dustpan.
The man held a pen in his hand and his eyes were tightly closed. He did not say a word and only the little girl spoke behind him.
Ling Ping'an looked at it and immediately became curious.
As a liberal arts student, he knew about the Fu Ji.
It was probably a feudal superstition from ancient times.
It was somewhat similar to a god beating.
But...
From the corner of Ling Ping'an's eyes, he caught a glimpse of a small bronze statue in front of the man's dustpan.
The bronze statue was written in ancient traditional characters: Taiyin Goddess, Lord of the Gods in the Clouds, Goddess of High Media.
A string seemed to have been plucked in Ling Ping'an's heart.
An article that he had learned in school involuntarily appeared in his mind.
"Bathing in Orchid Soup, Mu Fang, Hua Cai Yi, Ruo Ying..."
There was no liberal arts student who did not read Qu Zi's masterpiece.
So...
"The God of their Fu Ji is the Lord of the Clouds?"
This was interesting!
That was because most of the Fu Ji were Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, Emperors, and so on.
An ancient faith like the Lord of the Clouds, logically speaking, shouldn't it have disappeared by now?
"No wonder they are so miserable..." Ling Ping'an thought.
Shouldn't the feudal superstitions now be dominated by the gods that the general public was more familiar with?
The Lord of the Clouds? Wasn't it too unfamiliar?
No wonder the onlookers only looked and didn't ask.
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