From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 35 Momentum
Inside Nongling Temple, the Longevity Society is in progress.

All eyes were focused on the old Taoist priest Huo Yuanjue, who stood in the hall.

His face was solemn as he made a profound self-criticism to everyone:
"I hereby apologize for my unwise action of contacting Abbot Chen of the county temple without authorization. This violated the temple's regulations, affected the unity of fellow practitioners, and broke the rules. I deeply regret this unwise move and will definitely reflect on it."

The other Taoist priests in the longevity positions all had expressionless faces, and some even twirled the pen in their hands absentmindedly.

Many people only just learned about Huo Yuanjue's situation.

The first reaction was dissatisfaction—the temple had already made a decision and there was a tacit understanding in private. How could you, Old Huo, suddenly turn against us for the sake of a mere fireman and even want to invite the great Buddha, County God Sun, to come?

Those who know you'll think you're helping that young man find a way out; those who don't will think you're setting a trap for Nongling Temple!
The idea of ​​planting Liuxiang oranges wasn't unheard of in the temple, but it simply wouldn't work in Jiuchuan. Even if they managed to survive for a year, they would have a very low chance of bearing fruit.

If Sun Qinghan were really brought here to see the current situation, who would take responsibility?

"The attitude is acceptable."

Guo Shanshan listened to the self-criticism expressionlessly, and only then did a sense of satisfaction rise in his heart.

He wanted to take this opportunity to teach this veteran a lesson—as long as he was still in this position, or even after he stepped down, such overstepping of boundaries would never be tolerated.

Now you should understand how many people oppose what you're doing.

So he organized this internal reprimand and even held a special meeting to force Huo Yuanjue to make a public apology.

"Mr. Huo, please sit down," Liu Shichang said gently, trying to smooth things over.

After the self-criticism is over, we still have to save face.

After all, Nongling Temple will be handed over to him in a few years, and Huo Yuanjue's experience with spiritual plants is indispensable. Even after retirement, he will inevitably have to consult him in the future.

Since Abbot Guo has played the good cop, it's only natural that he should play the bad cop.

The other longevity positions echoed this sentiment, inviting Elder Huo to take a seat.

Huo Yuanjue sat down slowly, his face grave.

Guo Shanshan's expression softened slightly, and he was about to reach for tea to continue presiding over the agenda—

boom!
A powerful pressure suddenly swept in from outside the temple, penetrating the halls and descending directly upon the Hall of Longevity!
Wow!

The teacups in front of Guo Shanshan and the others trembled in unison, splashing water onto their Taoist robes.

"The pressure of the Golden Core... it's County God Sun Qinghan!" Liu Shichang's face turned pale instantly; he was the first to recognize this terrifying aura.

Although Nongling Temple does not often interact with key figures in the county temple, how could they not recognize the aura and style of the eleven Golden Core cultivators in the county?
Guo Shanshan's beard trembled slightly. His mind raced, and he instantly understood. He was furious: "Chen Yuan! You accepted the gift but didn't do anything?!"

He immediately guessed that the deputy abbot Chen must have accepted his bribe but did not stop him. Instead, he actually invited Sun Qinghan as Huo Yuanjue requested!
Huo Yuanjue was equally surprised and suspicious. His bowing and self-reflection meant he was admitting defeat, and he had assumed Chen Yuan had weighed the pros and cons and given up on him, but who would have thought…

There's no time to think about it anymore.

Guo Shanshan, Liu Shichang, and the other longevity masters quickly exchanged glances and immediately stood up—

The meeting is over!

Hurry and go to welcome the County God!

……

Here.

Sun Qinghan slowly lowered the carriage, her black and white Taoist robes and black hair flowing freely without wind. Her divine sense had already swept over the observation field below, and the situation there was indeed almost identical to what she had heard.

The moment it landed, the pressure from the Golden Core spread out without restraint, pressing straight into the depths of Nongling Temple.

Under the oppressive force, the sky above the temple suddenly darkened, and the earth trembled.

"Is this the power of the Golden Elixir?" The Taoist priests in the temple were all trembling with unease.

Qin Chuan, mingling in the crowd, witnessed the Second-in-Command of Jiuchuan's fury causing the heavens and earth to change color, and his heart was filled with turmoil.
"This is the demeanor that we cultivators should have!" Every move she made stirred up the wind and clouds, and her anger caused the heavens to change drastically—especially within the Eastern Victory Heavenly Court system, Sun Qinghan, who possessed the two great celestial registers, "City God Assistant Register" and "Land God Altar Register," was second only to Gu Yuankang, the County God, in the Nine Rivers region, and could mobilize the power of heaven and earth in an entire county!
Just as his heart was surging with emotion—

Light flashed in the direction of the main hall of Nongling Temple, and ten figures instantly appeared before the carriage, bowing in reverence.
"I was unaware of the esteemed County God's presence and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

Sun Qinghan's gaze fell directly on Guo Shanshan, whose temples were turning gray: "Is this Abbot Guo?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shichang and the others felt a tightness in their chests.

This tone was completely different from the warm one during their first visit, and coupled with the oppressive aura just now, everyone had already guessed most of what was going on, and they were all uneasy.

Guo Shanshan managed to keep his voice steady and said slowly, "That's right. Last time the County God visited, I happened to be in another county and was unable to receive his instructions in person. I am truly honored to see you today. May I ask what teachings the County God has come to offer this time?"

"No need for formalities."

Sun Qinghan's voice was cold as she cut off the conversation:

"How are the fragrant oranges I asked you to plant doing now?"

In the distance, Qin Chuan stood among the pyre workers. Upon hearing this question, a thought struck him:
Brother Chu Yuance has indeed put in his full effort!

The usually dignified high-ranking members of Nongling Temple dared not respond at this moment, and all lowered their heads to avoid eye contact.

Only Guo Shanshan, gritting his teeth, replied, "Reporting to the County God, everything is progressing steadily according to your plan."

"Proceed according to my plan?" Sun Qing sneered. "If that's the case, then go to the fields and see for yourself."

After speaking, without waiting for anyone's response, he flicked his Taoist robe and headed straight for the observation field.

Guo Shanshan's expression immediately became uncertain, but he dared not fail to hurry up and follow.

Huo Yuanjue quickly found Qin Chuan in the crowd and winked at him, signaling him to follow closely behind.

In the blink of an eye, the county god arrived at the orange grove.

moment.

When everyone saw the spirit orange trees in this spirit field, especially the longevity holders in the Longevity Conference, their expressions turned to surprise.

Because it was originally within their expectations.

This field of oranges was handed over to a newly hired temporary pyrotechnician, and in just over two months, most of them have probably died or withered.

Unexpectedly, none of these orange trees have died.

Only about a dozen plants are not in good condition.

Even Guo Shanshan's expression became quite interesting. He glanced at Huo Yuanjue with a meaningful look: This old guy probably helped that stoker a lot.

Unexpectedly.

"Is this what you mean by proceeding according to my wishes?" Sun Qinghan's voice remained cold.

After seeing the condition of the spirit orange tree, Guo Shanshan felt more at ease. For a moment, he even admired Huo Yuanjue's ability. After all, the spirit orange tree was still alright, which naturally gave him something to say to Sun Qinghan. So he replied normally:
"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but it is normal for a dozen or so extraterrestrial species to be in poor condition when they first arrive in our local area. To be honest, this is the limit that Nongling Temple can do to take care of them. You should know that Nongling Temple in the neighboring county once introduced a batch of spiritual fungi from Yunnan, totaling more than a thousand strains, but they all died within the first month."

Upon hearing the abbot's reply, Liu Shichang immediately echoed, "Yes, Qinghan County God, given the conditions in Jiuchuan and Nongling Temple, the fact that everyone has put in their best effort to take care of things to this extent is already beyond everyone's potential."

The other high-ranking Taoist priests were secretly delighted. As expected of Abbot Guo and Abbot Liu, no wonder they were qualified to be abbots. Their answer was not only perfect, but it might even get the county god to provide more resources to Nongling Temple.

Unexpectedly, Sun Qinghan responded with a cold laugh upon hearing this:
"Take the best care? Everyone puts their heart into it? Okay, then tell me now, who exactly is responsible for the oranges in this field?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shichang's mind raced, and he was just about to assemble a group of people on the spot.

Unexpectedly, before he and Guo Shanshan could even speak, an untimely voice provided a perfectly timed reply:
“Your Excellency, this land of spirit oranges has been cared for by my student Qin Chuan from beginning to end. No one else has interfered in the slightest.”

(End of this chapter)