Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 56 Celestial Official Xiao Changyuan (Seeking Further Reading)

The counties of Wolho County are the areas most severely affected by this drought.

Therefore, three celestial officials were sent to each county. After the matter was resolved, one official remained in each county, and the rest went to other counties.

Xiao Changyuan was one of the three celestial officials, and he came from the Xiao family of Longjiang County.

At this moment, he was standing by the small lake that the Xu family had dug, staring blankly at it.

"Won't this also need to be filled up?"

The celestial officials' main purpose in visiting the various counties of Yuehu County was to use magic to bring rain and replenish the water supply.

They were equally powerless to help the crops and fruit trees that had already withered and died.

After all, while cultivators may possess great supernatural powers, they are not omnipotent.

Sun Fugui was the supervisor in charge of the lake excavation project when he suddenly saw a strange young man standing on the embankment.

The man was dressed in brocade robes and wore a jade belt. His face was as handsome as jade, and his brows exuded an air of nobility.

He quickly tucked the leather whip into his waistband, dusted off his clothes, and stepped forward with a forced smile: "Young master, where do you come from? I am Sun Fugui, the manager of this lake excavation site. May I ask what brings you here, young master?"

Xiao Changyuan looked puzzled: "There's a severe drought right now, and water resources are already scarce. Why are you digging up a lake? Are you hoping to find underground water sources?"

Sun Fugui smiled and said, "If we can really find it, that's a blessing from heaven. If not, that's fine too. As for the purpose of this, I don't know. This is something my master ordered."

"Who is your master? How can he have such influence and recruit so many people?"

“Who wouldn’t want to come if they could get a full meal?” Sun Fugui squinted and chuckled.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changyuan's heart stirred slightly, and his fingertips unconsciously caressed the jade pendant at his waist.

In this year of severe drought, rice is as precious as pearls and jade, and ordinary families can hardly afford even bran and chaff. Yet, these thousand-plus laborers are able to eat three meals a day.

This is a huge expense.

There are actually such families in the countryside of Qingjiang County?

"The master's surname is Xu. Young master, you must be from out of town. There are almost no people in Qingjiang County who do not know the Xu family. My eldest son is a man of extraordinary talent and a potential master. He has already reached the Innate Realm before he even turned twenty."

This matter was already common knowledge in Qingjiang, which is why Sun Fugui dared to tell others.

If the Xu family has given any instructions, anyone who speaks out will be killed, and all those associated with them will be expelled from the Xu family.

A Grandmaster Seed?

For such a martial arts genius to emerge from such a remote place, it must have taken hundreds of years of the region's martial arts fortune to produce just one.

"Could you take me to visit him?"

Xiao Changyuan's appearance and demeanor were extraordinary, but he did not have the bad temper of a young master from the Qingjiang family, which made Sun Fugui take a closer look at him.

He nodded slightly upon hearing this and then led him to the Xu family.

Upon hearing the servant's report, Xu Chuan guessed that it might be a celestial official who had arrived.

He immediately went out to greet them, and upon seeing the visitor, invited them into the hall and had a warm conversation with them.

"My name is Xu Chuan, and I am the head of the Xu family. May I ask how you are addressed, young master?"

"His surname is Xiao, and his given name is Xiao Changyuan."

"Young Master Xiao has an extraordinary bearing; he is clearly no ordinary person. He must be from the county town, right?"

“Master Xu has keen insight. I am Xiao from Longjiang County,” Xiao Changyuan said calmly and respectfully.

"I have heard that Longjiang County is much richer and more powerful than my Yuehu County. The Heilongjiang River meanders for thousands of miles, with its current sometimes rapid and sometimes gentle, and its banks are full of strange peaks, which are famous far and wide."

"Oh, I never imagined that Patriarch Xu would have such broad knowledge. Longjiang County is a whole county away from Yuehu County."

"I've heard a little about it." Xu Chuan smiled slightly, staring into Xiao Changyuan's eyes, and said after a while, "More than half a month ago, there was a notice from the Qingjiang County government that the Great Wei would send a celestial master to guard the county town to prevent natural disasters."

Xiao Changyuan's lips curled up slightly, as if this question had been expected. "It seems that Patriarch Xu has already guessed my identity. I am one of the celestial officials who came to Qingjiang this time. There are two others, but they are only staying here temporarily. They will leave after the drought ends and take up their posts elsewhere."

“Then isn’t Immortal Xiao the only immortal official in my Qingjiang County?” Xu Chuan immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said respectfully, “I have been disrespectful. Please forgive me, Immortal Xiao.”

Xiao Changyuan waved his hand with a faint smile.

“Master Xu, although I am a celestial official, I do not follow the ways of officialdom. We cultivators should be focused on pursuing the Great Dao, but this place is ultimately the territory of the Great Wei, and we have no choice but to obey its orders.”

"Then why not leave the Great Wei?"

Xiao Changyuan shook his head and chuckled, "It's not that easy!"

"We cultivators are under the protection of the Great Wei. Leaving the Great Wei would be fraught with difficulties, not to mention the scarcity of resources, which would be enough to deter people. Instead of fighting against humans and monsters every day, it would be better to stay in a corner and make plans slowly."

Of course, the price is to obey the orders of the Great Wei. As long as it's not an order like suicide, our aristocratic families will generally comply.

Unaffiliated practitioners are an exception; they come and go freely, remaining unaffiliated practitioners wherever they go, without any constraints.

"The only thing that can drive them is self-interest."

"I have heard that the reason why many rogue cultivators have joined the Great Wei in this expansion of the recruitment of immortal officials is because of the monthly salary of spirit stones."

Xu Chuan clasped his hands in a fist salute again and solemnly said, "Immortal Xiao has resolved a great dilemma for me."

Xiao Changyuan nodded slightly, recalling the lake from before, and said, "By the way, Patriarch Xu, although we celestial officials have come to bring rain and replenish the water source in accordance with the call of the Great Wei, I am truly sorry that I am powerless to help with the lake dug by your Xu family."

"Haha, of course." Xu Chuan said with a smile, "I ordered the digging of lakes, but after experiencing this drought, I am still wary and want to prevent a drought from falling again in the future."

"Master Xu is a man of great foresight. Although this lake has not yet been fully excavated, I, Xiao, am amazed by its scale. If it is filled in and perfected in the future, even if there is another drought like this, there will be no problem of water shortage."

“Just as Xiao Xianguan said,” Xu Chuan said, “As for filling it, the laws of nature have their own order. Heaven can’t keep not raining forever, and this lake will eventually be filled.”

"The laws of nature?" Xiao Changyuan raised an eyebrow, his face showing surprise, and then praised, "Patriarch Xu's insight is truly extraordinary."

A moment later.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Patriarch Xu. I should now go and carry out my duties. After solving the water problem in Dongxi Village today, I still have to go to other villages."

Seeing Xiao Changyuan stand up, Xu Chuan also immediately stood up, clasped his hands and said, "Immortal Official Xiao, I have always been curious about the matter of cultivating immortality. May I observe you performing your magic?"

"can."

Xiao Changyuan was slightly taken aback, but then he found it amusing.

Indeed, how many ordinary people are not curious about the practice of cultivating immortality and casting spells?

That's why I've met someone as easy to talk to and insightful as you.

Other independent cultivators probably wouldn't agree.

Xiao Changyuan had a good impression of Xu Chuan. He would be staying in Qingjiang County for a long time, and given the Xu family's wealth, he would likely have to deal with them frequently.

After all, once he leaves the Xiao family and takes up a celestial official post elsewhere, the Xiao family will basically no longer provide much assistance.

Moreover, the two places are thousands of miles apart, making it impossible for them to reach out and help.

Xiao Changyuan arrived at a square pond that was as dry as a tortoise shell, made a hand seal with his right hand, and his internal magical power flowed through it.

A beam of blue light shot into the sky.

A short while later.

Dark clouds covered the sky above Fangtang, and moments later, large raindrops began to fall from the clouds.

The area covered by this dark cloud was very small, only extending to the boundary of Fangtang.

Wow~
In an instant, the ground of the pond became wet, and then water gradually accumulated, with the water level slowly rising.

　I'm really looking forward to reading about this competition these next two days!!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)