Outside the thatched hut of Nongling Temple.
In response to their greetings, the old man did not even lift his head, merely saying blandly:
“In the room at the back. Go fetch the farm tools and documents for Field Bing-Thirteen. That plot will be under your care from now on. The spirit plants must not be infested with insects, the soil must not harden, and the flowers and grasses must not wither. If there is the slightest mistake, you will be punished.”
“Yes.”
Qin Chuan took a deep breath and, following the instruction, turned toward the back of the hut.
Outside the door, Chen Dongyang bowed slightly and said:
“Elder Huo, the newly appointed County God of Qinghan County has already arrived at the temple. She may come to the experimental fields shortly. You should make preparations early.”
He had been given a task to come and remind Elder Huo.
The old man’s straw hat was finally nudged up slightly by his pipe, revealing a weather-beaten, ruddy face.
Elder Huo’s gaze turned grave, as though he were deep in thought.
“A new official taking office, and her first inspection brings her to our Nongling Temple… It seems the county’s direction of governance from now on—or rather, this new City God’s focus—is going to fall upon agricultural spirit matters.”
“You see clearly, Elder.”
Chen Dongyang cupped his hands.
Outside,
the old man sank into contemplation.
Inside,
Qin Chuan stepped into the wooden hut, and after a moment found a wooden chest labeled “Bing-Thirteen.”
Opening it, he saw that it contained farm tools such as a hoe, scissors, and an iron spade, along with several booklets.
He first picked up the booklets to examine them. Their covers were respectively inscribed:
“Introductory Foundation-Nurturing Art for Fire-Tending Daoists, Volume One”
“Complete Guide to Basic Crop Cultivation of Nongling Temple”
“Basic Spell Art: Five-Spirit Earth-Turning Hand”
“Basic Spell Art: Thousand-Stamen Bee-Attracting Incantation”
“Basic Spell Art: Medicine-Discerning Minute-Observing Eye”
Five volumes in all. Clearly, these were the required studies for a fire-tending Daoist responsible for tending spirit plants.
Qin Chuan first picked up that “Foundation-Nurturing Art” with great care—this was the first internal cultivation method he could currently practice. Then he took the carrying basket.
He was just about to put the farm tools inside when, unexpectedly, his fingertips had only just touched the medicinal spade.
【Item: Old Medicinal Spade】
【An old spade that has existed for twenty years and passed through the hands of many spirit farmers. It is stained with numerous currents of qi and contains hidden profundities. It can be refined into first-layer cultivation of “Five-Spirit Earth-Turning Hand,” or returned to the furnace for 1 point of Dharma Essence.】
Qin Chuan’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Have I walked into a treasure cave?”
He immediately stroked each of the other farm tools one by one.
With every item he touched, the joy in his eyes deepened.
These seemingly ordinary farm tools were, in fact, each and every one a treasure.
Before long,
seven farm tools lay neatly in the bamboo basket on Qin Chuan’s back: medicinal spade, sickle, shears, rake, hoe, trowel, and plowshare.
All of them were tools that the spirit farmers of Nongling Temple’s observation fields had used familiarly over the past ten-plus years.
Through long years of use, the dharma nature of various basic spell arts had long since seeped into these implements. It could be extracted by the Heavenly Accumulation Furnace, or used for reforging.
“Five-Spirit Earth-Turning Hand, Jade Sickle Non-Harm Art… The spell arts contained within these farm tools are all basic spell arts that the temple’s spirit farmers are required to cultivate.”
Qin Chuan looked at this basket of tools as though gazing at a basket of treasures.
Even if some spell arts were currently of no use to him, he could rely on the Heavenly Accumulation Furnace to return and refine them anew, extracting the purest Dharma Essence.
According to what the Heavenly Accumulation Furnace displayed, the seven farm tools added together could refine a full 10 points of Dharma Essence.
He had truly struck it rich!
This was enough to save him nearly half the bitter effort required to cultivate the second layer of “Thirteen Transformations of Shocking the Spirit.”
Of course, how to extract the Dharma Essence and spell arts within these farm tools and return them to the furnace without anyone noticing would test his courage and methods.
Qin Chuan did not act immediately.
He shouldered the bamboo basket and first walked out of the wooden hut.
Outside, Elder Huo had already risen from the reclining chair and was lowering his head, murmuring to himself about the matter of the new County God…
Senior Brother Chen Dongyang, who had brought him here earlier, was no longer where he had been. Presumably, he had returned to the gatehouse to busy himself.
“Elder Huo.” Qin Chuan deliberately spoke up, observing the proper courtesy as he asked for instructions on what to do next.
Elder Huo raised his head half a beat late, took a drag from his pipe, glanced at the youth before him, and said:
“The Bing-Three field you’re responsible for is over there, six mu in total.
At present, two mu are vacant. Of the remaining four mu, one mu is kudzu root, one mu is lily, half a mu is spirit mugwort, half a mu is spirit lingzhi, and one mu is leopard-skin flowers.
As for the specifics of tending them…
They are all recorded in the ‘Complete Guide to Basic Crop Cultivation of Nongling Temple.’ Study it properly and tend them carefully, and you won’t make mistakes. Go work now. Remove insects first, then loosen the soil.”
He pointed in the direction of the Bing-Three field.
Qin Chuan nodded in response. “Yes.”
Seeing Qin Chuan briskly shoulder the bamboo basket and prepare to enter the field, Elder Huo suddenly thought of something and warned him in a deep voice:
“Wait. The newly appointed County God may come to inspect later. You are a newcomer and do not understand many of the rules. Just keep your head down and do your own work. Do not raise your head, and do not draw attention to yourself, lest unnecessary complications arise and you make yourself a laughingstock.”
Qin Chuan’s heart stirred.
Sun Qinghan was coming?
On the surface, he respectfully acknowledged the instruction, then turned and left.
Although he had lived two lives, and in his previous life had experienced even more tempering, and knew deeply the many winding unspoken rules of the workplace, his understanding of the ways of this immortal officialdom was still shallow.
As the saying went: there were ten paths to officialdom, and nine were unknown to others.
He had many thoughts in his mind, but right now, none of them could be brought to bear at this moment.
He still lacked information.
……
Inside the administrative office of Nongling Temple.
A long table stood between two groups of people seated opposite one another.
Before each person was a cup of clear tea.
As the second-in-command of Jiuchuan County Temple, Sun Qinghan sat in the middle seat on the right. She did not touch the teacup, but smiled and spoke first:
“I have come today on behalf of the county temple mainly because there is an item I would like all fellow Daoists to examine.”
Liu Shichang hurriedly replied, “Good, good.”
Sun Qinghan gave a slight nod to a young female Daoist beside her. This person was precisely the attendant who drove her carriage and managed her documents.
The female registrar understood. Rising, she took more than a dozen golden, translucent spirit fruits from the brocade pouch she carried and placed them respectively before the Daoists of Nongling Temple.
“This is… a type of orange spirit fruit?” Liu Shichang asked tentatively.
“Why don’t you all taste it first? Afterward, we can discuss the matter.” Sun Qinghan lifted her teacup and said with a light laugh.
The Daoists of Nongling Temple naturally did not dare go against the County God’s intention, and one after another carefully peeled the fruit.
Liu Shigeng picked up a segment of flesh and put it into his mouth. After savoring it carefully, his eyes brightened slightly.
“The flesh is sweet, and the fragrance is rich. Most rare of all is that it is abundant in spiritual qi. The spiritual essence contained in this single orange is probably no less than a thousand grains.”
Hearing him speak, the other Daoists also began echoing and praising it:
“It is indeed extraordinarily sweet.”
“It surpasses any orange variety we have tasted before.”
“The spiritual qi of this single orange is so dense. If one ate four or five a day, it would likely equal several days of bitter cultivation for a Qi Refining Daoist.”
Only after everyone had voiced their opinions did Sun Qinghan speak again, her expression turning somewhat solemn.
“This orange is called the ‘Flowing Fragrance Orange.’ It is a variety from beyond the heavens, and it is one of the trial cultivation policies I have brought to Jiuchuan.”
“As everyone knows, among the thirteen counties under Lushan Blessed Land, my Jiuchuan has ranked last in fate and fortune year after year.
At the root of it all is our poverty of spiritual qi and the difficulty of stimulating the economy.
The causes behind this are complex. Some stem from the restrictions of the former heavenly law; some from certain fellow Daoists and immortal officials who held office while neglecting their duties; and there is no lack of outdated thinking among the majority of us Daoists, who have failed to keep up with the times.”
Liu Shichang and the Daoists of Nongling Temple all held their breath, not daring to breathe too loudly.
When she mentioned “fellow Daoists who held office while neglecting their duties,” she was naturally referring to Zhao Zhongji, who had just been dismissed from office.
Matters such as the promotion and downfall of immortal officials within the county temple were absolutely not things that Daoists like them, whose duties lay in cultivation and planting, could discuss recklessly.
“We will set aside the problems of individual fellow Daoists for now.”
Sun Qinghan’s tone was calm, yet carried its own authority.
“Fellow Daoists, not long ago, our county temple held a discussion. Combining this with the Daoist laws of the Heavenly Court, we determined that there are several core principles, which can be summarized as follows:
The foremost task lies in enriching life and benefiting the people, increasing wealth and flourishing qi. The Heavenly Court’s prohibitions on exclusive operation shall be relaxed, registered Daoists shall be permitted to establish sects and schools, worthy talents shall be widely recruited, and the spiritual excellence of the universe shall be gathered to jointly advance this grand undertaking.
“As for the meaning of these heavenly laws, when applied specifically to our county temple, and to our Jiuchuan County, after deliberation, we believe:
On one hand, we must invite sects and draw in spiritual resources. This matter will be handled by myself and Fellow Daoist Yuankang, who will travel between blessed lands, grotto-heavens, and even beyond the heavens to seek out suitable sects.
On the other hand, we must introduce several core local products within Jiuchuan itself—for example, the ‘Flowing Fragrance Orange’ you all tasted just now.”