Talent?
Huo Yuanjue followed her gaze, puzzled as to why the County God had suddenly brought up this newcomer’s talent.
Sun Qinghan’s cultivation had already reached the Golden Core realm, and her divine sense was extraordinary. With a single glance, she could tell that Qin Chuan’s divine sense far surpassed ordinary people’s—a sign of exceptional innate talent. But she said no more. Turning to the deputy temple chief, she said:
“Since all of you have determined that this place is most suitable, then in a few days, the county temple will send over more than a hundred spirit orange saplings. From then on, the matter will be entrusted to the fellow Daoists of the Agricultural Spirit Temple. This matter benefits the people of Heaven, so I hope you will hand in an answer that satisfies the common folk of Jiuchuan.”
The deputy temple chief and Huo Yuanjue were pinned down by her words. Though stifled and aggrieved, they could only answer respectfully in the affirmative.
Sun Qinghan’s expression was cold and detached, but she too had her own constraints.
Before taking office, the blessed land had placed deep hopes on her. Entrusting this spirit-poor county to her meant they hoped she could produce some achievements. Yet one person’s strength was ultimately limited. She could only set policy and point the way; the specific affairs still had to rely on her subordinates to complete.
After the County God departed, everyone from the Agricultural Spirit Temple respectfully saw her off outside the temple gates, watching as her party went into the distance.
Qin Chuan, who had been standing not far away and had heard most of what transpired, gradually furrowed his brow as he looked toward the two mu of vacant land under his charge.
“They want to plant spirit oranges here?”
It sounded like nothing more than planting fruit trees, as if it were no difficult task. But when a mission was personally assigned by the ruler of a county, who had even come to the fields in person to settle it, even the dullest person would know it was no trivial matter.
He had only just entered the Agricultural Spirit Temple, yet it seemed he had already stumbled into an extremely thorny assignment.
However, given his status, he had no way to learn more of the inside story. He could only return home on time and prepare to break through to the first level of Qi Refining.
Meanwhile, inside the offices of the Agricultural Spirit Temple.
……
At dusk, the chief temple head, Guo Shanshan, hurried back from a neighboring county, travel-worn and dusty.
The chief and deputy temple heads sat facing each other, both with expressions as heavy as water.
“What should we do?” Liu Shichang asked the true person in charge. “Should we devote our full efforts to helping the County God’s spirit orange plan succeed?”
Guo Shanshan was silent for a long while. Then he suddenly asked something entirely unrelated. “Old Liu, how many years do I have left before I can retire?”
Liu Shichang was startled and was just about to speak—
Guo Shanshan raised a hand to stop him, then said slowly, “A village-temple-level immortal official at the late Foundation Establishment stage has a lifespan of two hundred years. I am now one hundred and forty-six. I retire at one hundred and fifty. If nothing unexpected happens, four years from now, you will be the one to take over this position.”
Liu Shichang hurriedly said, “I…”
But Guo Shanshan lifted his teacup and said unhurriedly, “This new County God is young and eager to advance. Naturally, she hopes to accomplish something so she can be promoted as soon as possible.
“She can afford trial and error. Even if she makes a mistake, she can still be transferred to another county. She is still young, only twenty-eight years old, yet she already has Golden Core cultivation and a lifespan of five hundred years. Trial and error costs her little.
“But you and I are different. If we invest too much and end in complete failure, the consequences are not something you or I can bear.
“Furthermore, the temple’s spiritual energy is already insufficient. Where would we find the surplus to pour into such an unpredictable venture?”
Liu Shichang lowered his head in thought, then said, “You mean… this matter must be made to fail?”
“Not fail.”
Guo Shanshan said:
“It must neither succeed nor fail. This matter must be… dragged into a stalemate.”
Confusion appeared on Liu Shichang’s face.
Guo Shanshan said, “Half my body has already withdrawn into retirement, and you are about to rise to this position. At such a juncture, we seek no merit, only the absence of fault. If the matter becomes deadlocked, then it counts as having no fault. No fault is the safest path.
“Those spirit oranges from beyond the heavens have a low chance of surviving transplantation here to begin with. Drag it out a little, and this batch of trees will naturally be ruined.”
Liu Shichang finally understood.
There had long been a saying in the Heavenly Court:
When merit and fault offset each other, rank is hard to change;
With no cause and no effect, the immortal road lies broad.
After pondering carefully for a moment, his brow furrowed even deeper. “But in the end, this is Sun Qinghan’s first major task after taking office. This first fire she lights…”
“The New Heavenly Edicts have not been promulgated for long. The national policies set by those high in the court may have good intentions, but whether they succeed or fail in implementation depends entirely on how those below operate.
“In the current era of great change, let alone a small county like Jiuchuan, even the blessed lands and grotto-heavens throughout the world are still watching and feeling their way forward.
“The vision of the New Heavenly Edicts cannot be achieved overnight. At the very least, it will require three to five years of testing the waters.
“This period will be enough for me to land safely, and for you to take over without incident.”
Guo Shanshan took a sip of tea, his gaze drifting toward the observation fields.
“You said those two mu of land are being managed by a young fire-worker who only reported for duty today, has not yet been granted a register, and holds only a temporary talismanic writ?”
He smiled faintly.
“In my view, there is no need to replace him. Let that child be responsible. It is just right.”
Seek no merit, only the absence of fault.
Some matters, if delayed and dawdled over, with a few harmless little mistakes thrown in, would naturally come to nothing.
As for who would bear the nominal responsibility—who could be more suitable than a temporary fire-worker Daoist?
Wasn’t the path of cultivation all about cultivating tacit understanding?
……
Qin Chuan returned from the Agricultural Spirit Temple after his shift.
He had just stepped through the courtyard gate when he saw He Xingchen pushing his bicycle in as well.
“Brother Qin, how did it feel reporting for duty at the Agricultural Spirit Temple on your first day?” He Xingchen greeted him with a smile.
Qin Chuan thought for a moment, then decided to tell He Xingchen about what had happened in the observation fields today and hear his opinion. “There is indeed something I would like Brother He to help me consider.”
“They want to introduce and cultivate spirit oranges in Jiuchuan County?” After hearing him out, He Xingchen looked at Qin Chuan. “And in the end, they selected the field you are responsible for?”
“What is Brother He’s view on this matter?”
Qin Chuan asked. This neighbor of his, who likewise served in the public offices, handled documents and information every day in Langyin Pavilion; his channels of knowledge were naturally more open than most.
He Xingchen pondered for a moment, then said, “If this matter succeeds, it will naturally be a fine thing for Jiuchuan County. But if Brother Qin is to be directly responsible for the planting in the fields… I fear it may not be a good thing for you.”
Qin Chuan’s brow lifted slightly. “I would like to hear the details.”
He Xingchen said seriously, “At present, it is still difficult to say. But Brother Qin may as well wait and see who ultimately takes charge of this matter of planting spirit oranges. If an important figure in the temple leads it, then you need not worry; simply assist with peace of mind. But if…”
After all, he had already served in Langyin Pavilion for a year. Every day, he came into contact with all kinds of documents and information. Regarding certain winds within the Heavenly Court system, he naturally had a keener sense than ordinary people.
With He Xingchen’s subtle prompting, and given that Qin Chuan had no lack of workplace experience in his previous life, he immediately understood somewhat. His brow knit even tighter.
“You mean, if this matter is poorly implemented or some mishap occurs, I may be the first to bear the brunt and become the scapegoat?”
“This is merely a bit of my own conjecture. The key lies in what attitude the upper ranks of the Agricultural Spirit Temple truly hold toward this matter—whether they sincerely intend to comply with the County God and county temple’s orders and push it forward with all their strength, or whether they obey outwardly while defying inwardly, merely going through the motions and never wanting the matter to succeed in the first place.”
He Xingchen sighed softly.
“Brother Qin must first determine this point.”
“Many thanks for your analysis, Brother He.”
Qin Chuan’s expression was solemn.
“These words are no different from a dose of good medicine for me.”
“Brother Qin may wish to think carefully over the next two days.”
He Xingchen said:
“If I see any county temple documents or other reports related to this in Langyin Pavilion, I will inform you as well.”
“In that case, many thanks, Brother He.”
The two spoke a few more words before Qin Chuan finally turned and entered his room, his mood somewhat heavy.
He had never expected that on his very first day in office, he would be drawn into such a great storm, becoming a tiny pawn within the whirlpool.
Watching Qin Chuan’s back as he entered his room, He Xingchen also sighed inwardly.
He felt the same as Qin Chuan. This young fellow Daoist who had just moved into the household truly had rather poor luck.
But who could blame anything, when the moment Qin Chuan was selected, he happened to encounter this time of great change in Dongsheng World?
In such extraordinary times, let alone a newly advanced minor Daoist, even those in high positions, if they were the slightest bit careless, might lose their official posts, have their heavenly registers confiscated, see their cultivation completely destroyed, or even be thrown into prison.
“A new era may truly be coming.”
He Xingchen thought to himself.
In the next few years, he feared there would be few peaceful days even within Langyin Pavilion. He too would have to be cautious at all times and watch every step.
A place like their Langyin Pavilion, which controlled documents and served as a mouthpiece for “transmitting the Dao,” most needed to keenly discern the direction of the wind and choose the right side. Only then could they remain undefeated.