From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 20 Rain Order
Where can I get some money?

As Qin Chuan pondered, he secretly refined the large black pot in his arms. This thing was too conspicuous; he absolutely couldn't bring it back to the He family compound—a useless, broken pot like that would surely arouse suspicion.

Why not extract the essence of the teachings before going home?

He is now at the second level of Qi Refining, and his refining speed has increased considerably.

The "Spirit Chef" cultivation, worth 5 points of Dharma Essence, was completely refined in just half an hour.

[The furnace master has refined one portion of the spirit chef's cultivation.]

boom!
A phantom black pot flew out of the pitch-black furnace, suddenly exploded, and transformed into a series of written recipes—Baoling Congee, Five Elements Treasure Chicken, Eight Immortals Delicacies… all dishes that Qin Chuan had never heard of before.

At the same time, countless cooking experiences flooded into his mind.

Looking at the panel again:
Advanced Chef (Level 3)
This level of skill is enough to be a head chef in a big restaurant, or even the star chef.

"Could it be... that I should find a side job at a restaurant?"

Qin Chuan had just entertained this thought when he shook his head again—no time.

The work at Nongling Temple took up most of the day, and by the time I finished get off work it was already evening. Which restaurants were still open then?

He sighed and savored those spiritual recipes.

The Treasure Spirit Porridge needs to be cooked with spirit rice and a lot of medicinal herbs. The result is a pot of highly nourishing spiritual food that is extremely beneficial to cultivation and physical constitution.

But none of these materials are cheap.

Qin Chuan looked at his meager savings; he couldn't afford to eat like that even on ordinary days.

But, looking at the puddles on the street and his own somewhat sallow face, he gritted his teeth:

"At least I got paid today, so I'll treat myself to a meal!"

So he went to the grain store and the vegetable market to buy a few ounces of spirit rice and an old hen, and went to the spice store to collect some medicinal residue and spirit herbs to make seasonings. He returned to the He family compound and borrowed the He family's kitchen.

The He family was quite curious—Qin Chuan usually cooked on a small stove in the corner of the yard, just like everyone else in the yard. Why did he suddenly decide to use the large stove today?

after an hour.

As soon as He Xingchen pushed open the door to the courtyard, she smelled an indescribable aroma and exclaimed in surprise towards the kitchen:

"What are you making today? It smells so good!"

"Brother!" He Qingxuan ran out, her face flushed with excitement. "It's Brother Qin Chuan! He bought spirit rice and is making 'Treasure Spirit Porridge' and 'Five Elements Treasure Chicken'!"

He Xingchen was taken aback: "Spiritual food?"

He had eaten at the Ling Shan Restaurant in the county before, and he could understand the dishes just by hearing their names.

"Brother Qin made this?"

He strode into the kitchen and saw Qin Chuan serving porridge and distributing dishes.

Qin Chuan laughed and said, "I'm getting paid today, so I'll buy some spirit rice and spirit herbs to treat myself. I'll cook a lot, so everyone can have a bowl."

He had been staying here for over a month and got along very well with the He family. Although this meal cost more than two hundred coins, he was happy to share.

At the dinner table, He Xingchen had only taken a sip of porridge when he exclaimed, "This tastes just as good as the one at the county guesthouse! Brother Qin, you have this skill too?"

"A little cooking skill, nothing special," Qin Chuan said modestly.

"How can it not count!" He Qingxuan held the bowl, eating with a blissful expression. "It's so delicious! I wish I could eat Brother Qin Chuan's spiritual meals every day..."

The skills of a master chef are truly unforgettable.

He Xingchen shook his head and laughed: "Even Taoists need to be at least deputy abbot level to receive a monthly ration of spirit rice. We ordinary Taoists only get some as gifts during festivals, how can we eat it every day? Besides, how could you have the nerve to ask Brother Qin to cook for you every day?"

He Qingxuan blushed, lowered her head to drink her porridge, and dared not reply.

After dinner, Qin Chuan and the He family watched the news as usual.

Several key news items have attracted attention:

[The Great Celestial Venerable Haotian travels beyond the heavens to discuss the Dao with the Lord of the Perfect World]

……

[Dongsheng Tianxia has applied to join the 'Zhutian Merchant Guild'; negotiations are underway.]

... Both Qin Chuan and He Xingchen could see that the Heavenly Court was determined to reform and was making steady progress.

Then came local news from Jiuchuan County:

From June 20th to 21st, County God Sun Qinghan visited Longhufudi to learn from their successful experience in promoting yam cultivation, with plans to introduce it to Jiuchuan.

……

After dinner, Qin Chuan and He Xingchen sat in the courtyard chatting.

Qin Chuan subtly inquired about any ways to earn extra money.

"Brother Qin, are you short of money? How much do you need? If it's not much, I have some here that you can use first." He Xingchen thought he had encountered an emergency and was prepared to lend Qin Chuan money.

Qin Chuan shook his head: "It's not urgent, it's necessary for cultivation. Fellow Daoist also knows the trouble I encountered at Nongling Temple. I need to improve my cultivation and magic as soon as possible. Since ancient times, scholars have been poor and warriors have been rich. To accelerate cultivation, resources and money are indispensable."

"I see." He Xingchen said thoughtfully.
"I was thinking that with Brother Qin's skills, it would be nice to work as a chef in a restaurant, but then I realized it's neither respectable nor easy to schedule..."

He paused, then looked at Qin Chuan:
"However, there is another matter that may allow you to showcase your expertise—but first, I must ask, Brother Qin, how are your skills with spiritual plants now?"

Qin Chuan's heart stirred slightly, and he had already guessed some of the reason.

Originally, I wanted to hide my abilities, but then I thought that the other person's question might have helped me find a way out, so I said, half-truthfully:

"To be honest, Brother He, although I have only been at Nongling Temple for a little over a month, I feel that my skills in cultivating spiritual plants are already on par with those of fellow practitioners who have been cultivating in the temple for several years."

The Green Wood Vitality Technique is already at its fifth level. The next level will allow the generation of True Wood Qi. This miraculous healing technique is mastered only by Elder Huo in the entire Nongling Temple.

Now, he could say that his plant healing spells and needle-throwing techniques surpassed those of all his fellow fire-workers in the observation field.

After saying that, he created a vortex of green light in his palm, and more than a dozen spiritual plant needles flew around him.

"Qi Refining Level Two!"

He Xingchen was first surprised by the speed of his cultivation progress, and then he carefully observed the flying needle manipulation in his hand and the swirling ball of wood spirit light full of vitality. Although he did not understand the magic of the agricultural spirit, he could still discern the pure life force and skillful technique in it.

He stared at Qin Chuan in shock:

"You've only been in the temple for a little over a month, yet you've already made such great progress..."

Only then did he truly realize what a genius this fellow Daoist of the same age living in his courtyard was.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist He?" Qin Chuan asked with a smile as he withdrew his magic.

"Having witnessed your skills, I think you're perfectly capable of taking on private jobs as a 'spiritual plant doctor'," He Xingchen said seriously.
“Many Taoist priests, ordained monks, and independent practitioners in our county cultivate medicinal herbs privately. In particular, some pharmacies and alchemy workshops grow their own herbs for their own cultivation. However, medicinal plants are inevitably susceptible to diseases and pests, which is why the profession of ‘medicine doctor for medicinal plants’ has emerged.”

“I have a fellow Daoist in my chanting group whose first-tier spiritual herb, ‘Dragon Beard Orchid,’ is suffering from disease. If you are confident, I will introduce you to everyone at the next chanting group. If you can cure it, the consultation fee will be enough for your monthly salary.”

Qin Chuan was overjoyed: "Then I'll trouble Brother He to introduce me!"

He thanked them repeatedly, thinking to himself that the old saying was indeed true: when you're out in the world, you rely on your friends.

With connections and relationships, opportunities will naturally come knocking.

The two chatted for a long time until late at night before returning to their rooms to rest.

The next morning, as soon as Qin Chuan arrived at Nongling Temple, Elder Huo, the person in charge of the observation field, handed him two things:

"Your request for spiritual rain has been approved. Here are the 'rain decree' and 'rain certificate'. The rain certificate records the amount of rain you requested, and the rain decree is the spellcasting tool—regarding the amount of rain, you requested six mu, but the spiritual oranges only require two mu. You can distribute the rain over three days, one hour each day, and the spiritual orange problem should be temporarily alleviated after three days."

“Once the rain has been applied, the rain token becomes invalid. The ‘rain token’ is a ritual implement in the temple and must be returned after use.”

Qin Chuan was both surprised and delighted.

He initially reported an extra four mu to prevent the authorities from deducting any amount, but unexpectedly, the entire amount was approved.

It seems that resource allocation went much more smoothly in the matter of Lingcheng.

And the moment he received the document and the order—

The Heavenly Furnace trembled silently.

【Item: Rain Token】

The ritual implement used by Nongling Temple to bring rain is a standardized piece of equipment. When the command is given, the wind and clouds move and heavy rain arrives. Having been imbued with the Dharma nature of the Taoists of Nongling Temple for decades, it contains a copy of the 'Minor Cloud and Rain Technique', which can be refined or recycled into '50 Dharma Essence'.

(End of this chapter)