From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 12 Inspection
Outside the thatched cottage of Nongling Temple.

The old man didn't even look up at their greetings, and simply said:

“Go to the back room and fetch the farming tools and documents for field number 13. You will be responsible for taking care of that field from now on. The sacred plants must not be infested with insects, the soil must not be compacted, and the flowers and grass must not wither. If there is any mistake, you will be punished.”

"Yes."

Qin Chuan took a deep breath and followed the instructions to go to the back of the house.

Outside the door, Chen Dongyang leaned slightly forward and said:

"Elder Huo, the newly appointed Qinghan County God has arrived at the temple and may come to the experimental fields later. You should prepare in advance."

He was tasked with reminding Old Master Huo.

The old man's straw hat was finally lifted slightly by his pipe, revealing a weathered, ruddy face.

Old Master Huo's gaze was solemn, as if deep in thought:
"The new official has taken office and his first inspection tour is to our Nongling Temple... It seems that the county's future policy direction, or rather, the focus of this new City God, will be on the matter of Nongling."

"You are wise."

Chen Dongyang cupped his hands in greeting.

outside,

The old man fell into deep thought.

inside,

Qin Chuan stepped into the wooden house and found a wooden box marked "Bing Shisan" a moment later.

Upon opening the box, one finds farm tools such as hoes, scissors, and shovels, as well as several booklets.

He first took the booklet and looked at it, and wrote the following on the cover:

Firework Taoist's Introductory Cultivation Exercises, Volume 1

Complete Guide to Basic Crop Cultivation in Nongling Temple

Basic Spells: Five Elements Earth-Turning Hand

Basic Spell: Thousand-Scented Bee Spell

Basic Spells: The Eye for Identifying Medicine

The book consists of five volumes and is clearly a required course for Taoist practitioners who care for sacred plants.

Qin Chuan carefully picked up the "Cultivation of Vitality" manual first—the first internal energy cultivation method he could currently practice. Then he took the basket on his back.

Just as he was about to put the farm tools in, his fingertips accidentally touched the medicine shovel.

[Item: Old Medicine Shovel]

This ancient shovel, having existed for twenty years and passed through the hands of many spiritual farmers, is imbued with numerous energies and contains profound mysteries. It can be refined into the first level of the "Five Elements Soil-Turning Hand" cultivation technique, or recycled into 1 point of magical essence.

Qin Chuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Have I stumbled into a treasure cave?"

He immediately stroked the remaining farm tools one by one.

With each item he touched, the joy in his eyes intensified.

These seemingly ordinary farm tools are actually all treasures.

Soon.

In the bamboo basket on Qin Chuan's back, seven farm tools lay neatly arranged: a shovel, a sickle, scissors, a rake, a hoe, a trowel, and a plowshare.

These are all tools that the Ling farmers have become familiar with using over the past ten years or so, as observed by Nongling Temple.

Over the years of use, the essence of various basic spells has long been infused into the artifact, which can be extracted by the Heavenly Essence Furnace or used for remelting.

"The Five Spirits Soil-Turning Hand, the Jade Scythe Invulnerability Technique... the magic contained in these farming tools are all basic magic spells that the spiritual farmers in the temple must learn."

Qin Chuan looked at the basket of things as if they were a treasure trove.

Even if some spells are not currently useful, they can be refined in the Heavenly Essence Furnace to extract the purest essence of the spell.

According to the Heavenly Essence Furnace, the seven farming tools combined can produce a total of 10 points of Dharma Essence.

I’m really rich!
This would save him nearly half of the hard work required to cultivate the second level of the "Thirteen Transformations of the Divine God".

Of course, extracting the magical essence and spells from these farm tools without anyone noticing would test his courage and skill.

Qin Chuan did not make a move immediately.

He picked up the bamboo basket and went out of the wooden house first.

Outside, Old Master Huo had already stood up from his recliner and was deep in thought about the matter of the new county god...

The senior brother Chen Dongyang who had led him here earlier was no longer there; he must have gone back to the gatehouse to keep busy.

"Elder Huo," Qin Chuan addressed him deliberately, politely inquiring about the follow-up matters. Elder Huo hesitated for a moment before raising his head, taking a puff of his pipe, glancing at the young man before him, and said:

"The field you are in charge of, No. 3, is over there, totaling six mu."

Currently, two mu are vacant. Of the remaining four mu, one mu is planted with kudzu root, one mu with lily bulbs, half a mu with artemisia, half a mu with lingzhi mushrooms, and one mu with leopard skin flowers.

How exactly to care for it...

The complete guide to basic crops for Nongling Temple contains all the information. Study it carefully and tend to the crops diligently, and you won't make any mistakes. Now go and get to work; first, remove the pests, then loosen the soil.

He pointed in the direction of Field No. 3, Section C.

Qin Chuan nodded and replied, "Yes."

Seeing Qin Chuan deftly shoulder his bamboo basket and prepare to head to the fields, Old Huo suddenly remembered something and solemnly instructed him:

"Wait a minute. The new county magistrate may be coming to inspect soon. You are a newcomer and don't know many of the rules. Just focus on doing your job well, don't look up or attract attention, lest you cause trouble and become a laughing stock."

Qin Chuan's heart stirred.

Is Sun Qinghan coming?
He respectfully agreed and turned to leave.

Although he has lived two lives, and had more experience in his previous life, he is well aware of the many intricacies and unspoken rules of the workplace, but his knowledge of the intricacies of the immortal officialdom is still shallow.

As the saying goes: There are ten paths to becoming an official, but nine of them are unknown to most people.

He had many thoughts in his mind, but none of them could be applied to the present moment.

There is still not enough information.

……

Inside the public hall of Nongling Temple.

Two groups of people sat facing each other at a long table.

Each person is served a cup of tea.

Sun Qinghan, as the second-in-command of the Jiuchuan County Temple, sat in the middle seat on the right. He did not touch the teacup, but smiled and spoke first:
"Today I have come on behalf of the county temple, mainly to present something to you fellow Daoists."

Liu Shichang quickly replied, "Okay, okay."

Sun Qinghan nodded slightly to a young female Taoist priest beside her. This was her attendant who drove her carriage and handled her documents.

The female scribe understood, stood up, took out a dozen or so golden and clear spiritual fruits from her brocade pouch, and placed them in front of the Taoists of Nongling Temple.

"Is this... an orange-type spiritual fruit?" Liu Shichang asked tentatively.

"Why don't you all try some first, and then we can discuss this matter later?" Sun Qinghan said with a light laugh as he picked up his teacup.

The Taoist priests of Nongling Temple dared not disobey the county god's wishes and carefully peeled off the fruit.

Liu Shigeng picked up a segment of fruit and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully, his eyes brightening slightly:

"The flesh is sweet and the aroma is rich. What's most precious is its abundant spiritual energy. The spiritual energy contained in this one orange is probably no less than that of a thousand seeds."

Upon hearing him speak, the other Taoists echoed his praise:
"It is indeed exceptionally sweet."

"Better than any orange I've ever tasted before."

"The spiritual energy of this single orange is so concentrated. If one were to eat four or five a day, it would probably be equivalent to the result of several days of arduous cultivation by a Qi Refining Daoist."

After everyone had expressed their opinions, Sun Qinghan spoke again, his expression slightly serious:

"This orange is called 'Liuxiang Orange,' a variety from outer space. It is a trial planting policy that I brought to Jiuchuan."

"As everyone knows, Lushan Blessed Land governs thirteen counties, and our Jiuchuan has always been at the bottom in terms of fortune."

The root cause lies in the lack of spiritual energy and the difficulty in boosting the economy.

The reasons for this are complex. They include the limitations imposed by past heavenly rules, the incompetence of some fellow Daoists and celestial officials, and the outdated views of many Daoists like ourselves, who are unable to keep up with the times.

Liu Shichang and the Taoist priests of Nongling Temple held their breath and dared not breathe too loudly.

The phrase "a fellow Daoist who holds a position without doing his job" naturally refers to Zhao Zhongji, who was recently dismissed from his post.

The promotions and demotions of the celestial officials in these county temples are matters that these Taoist priests, who are in charge of planting, are absolutely not to be discussed.

"Let's leave aside the issues of individual fellow practitioners for now."

Sun Qinghan spoke calmly, yet with an air of authority.

"Fellow Daoists, not long ago our county temple discussed and, in conjunction with the Heavenly Court's Daoist teachings, determined several core principles, which can be summarized as follows:"

The primary task is to improve people's livelihoods, increase wealth, and revitalize the nation. The restrictions on the Heavenly Court's monopoly should be lifted, allowing ordained Daoists to establish their own sects, recruit talented individuals, and gather the spiritual essence of the world to jointly undertake this grand undertaking.

"The significance of these heavenly laws and regulations, specifically applied to our county temple and to our Jiuchuan County, is, after discussion, considered to be:"

On the one hand, we need to attract a sect and guide the spirit. This matter will be handled by me and Fellow Daoist Yuan Kang. We will travel between blessed lands, grotto heavens, and even beyond the heavens to search for a suitable sect.
On the other hand, we need to promote several core local products in Jiuchuan—such as the 'Liuxiang Orange' that you all just tasted.

(End of this chapter)