Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 354 Xiang Songnian. (Second update!)

"Come in!"

A deep, authoritative voice immediately came from inside the door.

Upon hearing this, the constable gestured "please" to Lu Maohong and Zheng Que, but did not follow them inside himself.

Without hesitation, Lu Maohong quickly straightened his robes and led Zheng Que inside.

creak.

A soft sound of the door opening rang out, revealing a room that looked like a study, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on all four walls, filled with all sorts of volumes.

Further inside, a large scroll depicting the hunting of demons and ghosts hangs on the wall, and on each of the two tall tables on either side, there is a pot of spirit herbs that resemble orchids, blooming with clusters of small, beige flowers that emit a cool fragrance that is very refreshing.

Below the painting, there was a desk and a round-backed chair.

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark brown brocade robe was sitting upright in a round-backed chair. He wore a bamboo hat and black boots, and had a dignified and imposing appearance. He was quickly reviewing documents with his head down, and his aura was not obvious. He looked just like an ordinary person.

Upon entering, Lu Maohong immediately took two quick steps and knelt down with a thud before the seemingly ordinary figure, respectfully saying, "Your subordinate, Lu Maohong, the retainer of Taiping County, pays his respects to the Prefect!"

Upon seeing this, Zheng Que also bowed.

At the same time, Qingli found a beam she liked and immediately went over and hung herself on it.

Niannu followed suit and hung up next to Qingli as well.

despair!
The prefect put down his vermilion pen, glanced up at the two women swinging on swings not far from him, his expression calm and without anger. He only looked at Zheng Que for a moment before finally turning to Lu Maohong and giving a brief order: "Speak!"

Lu Maohong dared not hesitate and hurriedly said, "Reporting to the magistrate, the Four Symbols Soul-Suppressing and Spirit-Locking Formation within Taiping County has been completely broken!"

"The 'Iron Tree Prison' suppressed underground has been mysteriously resurfaced, and now there is not a single survivor in the entire Taiping County."

"The ten cartloads of taxes that were originally intended to be delivered from the city to the prefectural city were all destroyed by that 'strange' Iron Tree Prison."

"Only my subordinate and my nephew Zheng Que managed to break through the encirclement and come to the prefectural city to report the news!"

"This matter is entirely the fault of one of my subordinates."

"As a servant of the Taiping County City Lord's Mansion, I failed to detect the abnormality of the city's great formation in time. I am truly ashamed of the important task entrusted to me by the imperial court and have failed the City Lord's trust!"

“I implore the prefect to punish only one of my subordinates if necessary. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with my nephew…”

As he listened, Zheng Que suddenly froze.

Ten cartloads of tax revenue were all destroyed by the "strange" actions of the Iron Tree Prison?

This……

The truth is, when they encountered that "strange" Iron Tree Prison, only one cart of taxes remained out of ten carts!
All the taxes for other vehicles were lost due to the three "strange" events in Yaotai Mountain...

But Zheng Que quickly realized that while the tax revenue being lost in the "strange" situation was due to their lack of strength, the possibility of it being destroyed by the "weirdness" of the [Iron Tree Prison] was a different story...

That was not their responsibility at all!
It was the dereliction of duty by the already deceased lord of Taiping County!

Lu Maohong's words echoed in the study. Throughout the entire process, the magistrate's expression remained unchanged, and it was unclear whether he believed Lu Maohong's words.

Still no word?

After Lu Maohong finished explaining the situation, the magistrate's gaze fell on Zheng Que, and he asked indifferently, "Your name is Zheng Que?"

"Which sect's disciple are you?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que turned his head to look at Lu Maohong, who quickly gave him a wink, signaling him to answer quickly.

Zheng Que immediately turned to the prefect and replied, "Your Honor, I am Zheng Que, a native of Changfu Town, Taiping County."

"My master is the ancestor of the mayor of Changfu Town. His surname is Xu and his given name is Shangbaixiayan. He is not a disciple of any sect."

"Senior Lu is my senior martial uncle." (He is from Changfu Town, Taiping County.)

A smile suddenly appeared on the magistrate's originally serious and indifferent face.

Coming from a humble background, he was able to cultivate his spiritual power to a level comparable to, or even surpass, that of disciples from a sect... This wasn't just due to resources!

Talent, opportunity, luck, comprehension... none of these can be lacking!

Thinking of this, the prefectural judge didn't bother to dwell on what Lu Maohong had just said and directly asked Zheng Que, "Then are you willing to serve in the imperial court?"

This time, Zheng Que did not hesitate and immediately replied, "That is indeed my wish, I dare not ask!"

Upon hearing this, the prefect felt reassured and immediately said loudly to Lu Maohong, "Lu Maohong, you have done a good job this time!"

"I have just reviewed your resume. You have served the court for quite some years and have always been dedicated. Now that your cultivation has reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, it is time to prepare for Foundation Establishment!"

"The imperial court will never mistreat those who are loyal and meritorious."

"Next, go to the alchemy room, state your official title, receive a Foundation Establishment Pill, choose a Foundation Establishment cultivation method, and a Foundation Establishment guide compiled by the imperial court."

"In addition, I will have someone arrange a Linghe Cave dwelling for you in Xuanyuan Pavilion."

"You can conduct your Foundation Establishment in the Spirit River Cave of Xuanyuan Pavilion!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Maohong was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

After bowing, he quickly stood up, left the study, and, suppressing his excitement, closed the door behind him. He then practically ran towards the alchemy room.

In the study, only the prefect, Zheng Que, and Zheng Que's two ghost servants remained.

At this moment, the prefect stood up and walked towards Zheng Que, saying in a gentle voice, "My surname is Xiang, and my given name is Songnian. I am trusted by the court and have been appointed as the prefect of Qingrao Prefecture to assist the prefect and manage the affairs of the prefecture."

“Since you are from Changfu Town, Taiping County, you are also a subject under my jurisdiction, so I will not waste any more words.”

"The cultivation methods of rogue cultivators are not only slow, but also have various drawbacks."

"Now that you have joined the imperial court, you should naturally cultivate better techniques."

At this point, Xiang Songnian took out a jade slip and handed it over.

Zheng Que didn't know what kind of cultivation technique was recorded inside, but he still immediately bowed and accepted the jade slip with both hands: "Thank you for your reward, Magistrate!"

Xiang Songnian nodded slightly, reached out and patted Zheng Que on the shoulder. He quickly determined that Zheng Que's bone age was not even seventeen years old. His entire body was tough and pure, and there was not even a trace of yin energy!

Is it some kind of special innate spiritual entity?

Thankfully, it was discovered early!

Otherwise, if he is allowed to continue practicing unorthodox cultivation techniques, all his good foundation will eventually be wasted on building a foundation for his character and Dao!
Thinking of this, Xiang Songnian immediately continued, "You are a rare talent, unlike those ordinary rogue cultivators."

“Your talent is extraordinary. At less than seventeen years old, your cultivation has already reached the eighth level of Qi Refining.”

"In a few years, or even less, your cultivation will reach the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining. You will need to prepare for Foundation Establishment."

"However, there are different levels of Foundation Establishment, which can be divided into Human Quality, Earth Quality, and Heaven Quality."

"With your current talent, it would be a complete waste to merely build a foundation of character and cultivation."

"Even if you are at the Earth-grade Foundation stage, you still won't be able to unleash your true potential."

"If you want to go further on the path of cultivation in the future, it would be best if you could establish a Heavenly Grade Dao Foundation!"

"Zheng Que, do you intend to participate in the imperial examination for immortality?"

(End of this chapter)