From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 38 Disposal
Qin Chuan was overjoyed—he would dedicate himself to this task!
This means an organization that can access Nongling Temple's resources while remaining relatively independent.

Joining would be like ascending to heaven in one step, boarding the great ship of the county magistrate!
"Qin Chuan." Sun Qinghan looked at the young pyreman again. "This county is watching closely. I hope you... will not fail my expectations."

"This humble servant will certainly live up to the county magistrate's high expectations!" Qin Chuan suppressed his excitement, his face calm as still water, his tone resounding, and bowed deeply.

Sun Qinghan turned to Guo Shanshan, Liu Shichang, and the others, his voice steady yet unquestionable: "Now, in the name of the Deputy County God of Jiuchuan, we are convening the Longevity Conference of Nongling Temple. Please prepare yourselves and proceed to the meeting place immediately to discuss the various matters that have occurred in the temple over the past few months, as well as the proposal to establish a special service team."

Upon hearing this, all the high-ranking officials of Nongling Temple in the observation field felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

Although Guo Shanshan and Liu Shichang still harbored a sliver of hope, their steps were already extremely heavy.

Huo Yuanjue was also shaken, glancing back at Qin Chuan, and thinking to himself:

Is Nongling Temple really about to undergo a major upheaval today?
And all of this stemmed from this young man who had only been a student for two months?
The more than one hundred Taoist priests in the temple saw that the county god and all the high-ranking officials had left the sacred field and headed straight for the Hall of Longevity.

Those with keen senses have already vaguely sensed that a storm is brewing.

Inside the Hall of Longevity, the main gate was tightly closed.

Sun Qinghan sat upright in the main seat, his face frosty and undisguised, his gaze sweeping over everyone present like lightning.

"Now that the door is closed, we can speak frankly. Abbot Guo, Vice Abbot Liu, what do you two have to say about the spirit orange?"

She went straight to the heart of the matter, demanding an explanation from the top two leaders of the temple.

Liu Shichang's hands and feet were already ice-cold. He subconsciously looked at Guo Shanshan, hoping that his old superior could stabilize the situation as usual.

“Lord Sun…” Guo Shanshan took a deep breath, “Today’s mishap in the temple is indeed due to my poor management. This fault is mine, and I am willing to take full responsibility. I only ask that the Lord Sun consider my many years of service to the farmers of Jiuchuan. Even if I have not made great contributions, I have still worked hard and deserve permission to atone for my sins.”

Liu Shichang hurriedly echoed, "We will strictly abide by the county god's orders in the future and regard the cultivation of Ling oranges as the top priority of the temple. We earnestly request the county god to give us an opportunity!"

Several high-ranking officials who had previously echoed and criticized Huo Yuanjue were now trembling with fear, awaiting their fate.

“This is not merely a failure of governance.” Sun Qinghan’s voice suddenly turned cold. “What we have witnessed today is not only a serious dereliction of duty, but also a blatant neglect of the Heavenly Court’s guiding principles, hindering the livelihood of the people of the Nine Rivers! As long as such parasites who hold their positions without doing their jobs remain in power, the cause of agriculture and spiritual development will hardly make any progress! Your actions are simply deceiving Heaven and oppressing the people, and you have severed yourselves from the Heavenly Court!”

Guo and Liu's expressions changed drastically.

“County God…” Guo Shanshan did not expect her words to be so harsh, actually calling them “worms”!
They're capable of deceiving the heavens and oppressing the people!
Sun Qinghan surveyed the entire room and slowly said, "Therefore, in my capacity as the Deputy County God of Jiuchuan, I propose at the Longevity Conference of Nongling Temple that Fellow Daoist Guo Shanshan is no longer suitable to serve as the temple's abbot and should be relieved of his immortal duties. The Bureau of Immortal Examination should then investigate his dereliction of duty. Gentlemen, please vote."

After saying that, she raised her hand directly.

As the City God of Jiuchuan, she had decision-making power when presiding over the meetings of lower-level immortals.

Whether others follow or not, it makes no difference.

The whole hall was dead silent.

Everyone was like a clay sculpture or a wooden carving.

As the Second County Magistrate, Sun Qinghan already possessed the final decision-making power among the lower-level immortals.

Since she had already made her decision, the others' votes were merely a routine procedure, and the outcome was already predetermined.

Therefore, her decision alone can represent the internal decision of this celestial class.

"Lord Sun!" Guo Shanshan pleaded in a mournful voice, seeing that his dismissal was a foregone conclusion. "I... have only four years left before I can retire. I wish to retire early. Please... leave me some dignity at the end."

Sun Qinghan said indifferently, "The preliminary decision on Guo Shanshan's proposal has been made. This resolution will be submitted to the county temple for a final decision. Next item: the handling of Liu Shichang. I propose that he be removed from his position as deputy temple head and demoted three ranks. Those who agree, please raise your hands."

She raised her hand again.

Demotion by three ranks means being reduced to a commoner!

This time, more than half of the senior executives present followed suit and hurriedly stated their positions.

If they don't sever ties with Guo and Liu now and take sides, the whip will soon be lashing them.

"According to the rules of Jiuchuan Nonglingxian Class, Liu Shichang's decision is effective."

Sun Qinghan nodded.

boom!
Realizing that their outcome was truly the worst one.

Guo Shanshan suddenly stood up, his aura as a Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection cultivator erupting forth. His white beard billowed as he roared:
“Sun Qinghan! Are you really going to be so heartless? I am also a centenarian Taoist, ranked among the immortals, and the abbot of the temple. Aren’t you afraid of chilling the hearts of your fellow practitioners and gaining a reputation for being mean-spirited? Will no one be willing to serve you in the future? Who will risk their lives for you?” He had already gone all out—dismissal was only the beginning. If a follow-up investigation were to occur, would he, at his age, also be imprisoned?
Hula——!
The overwhelming aura caused documents to fly everywhere in the hall.

"presumptuous!"

Sun Qinghan coldly rebuked:
"Guo Shanshan, you dare to act arrogantly in front of me? You've completely lost your mind!"

Snapped!
She gently patted the table with her delicate hand.

Boom!

The boundless power of the laws of heaven and earth crashed down on Guo Shanshan as if the sky were collapsing.

puff!
Guo Shanshan's powerful aura, which was at the peak of his Foundation Establishment stage, was as fragile as paper before this overwhelming Dao power, and crumbled instantly.

The immense force pressed down on him caused him to groan and be forced to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood before he fainted on the spot.

"Somebody come!"

The local officials from the county temple outside the hall responded and entered.

"Take Guo and Liu out and hand them over to the Bureau of Immortal Investigation and the Bureau of the Xie Zhi for questioning and judgment."

"As ordered!"

The two officials immediately dragged the unconscious Guo Shanshan and the ashen-faced Liu Shichang out of the hall.

in the process.

Liu Shichang could only manage a bitter laugh:
"This is the way of cultivation."

One careless move and you lose everything.

How could he have imagined that a young fireworker's mistake would lead to Sun Qinghan's unexpected arrival at Nongling Temple one day, stripping him of his celestial position?

A century of arduous cultivation, reduced to ashes in a single day.

"If... I had taken this matter more seriously back then..."

Liu Shichang was heartbroken:
"Would the outcome be different?"

He felt he was just unlucky and not careful enough; if he could do it again, it wouldn't be like this...

But no one paid attention to his true feelings anymore.

Inside the venue, there was absolute silence; you could hear a pin drop.

The remaining high-ranking officials were all trembling with fear.

On the path of cultivation, even a slight difference in the level of one's path can make a world of difference.

Despite being the heads of a temple, Guo and Liu could easily ruin their careers with just a single word from a county god like Sun Qinghan.

This is the difference between high and low levels of cultivation and strong and weak Taoist practice.

With the abbot and deputy abbot overthrown in an instant, what will become of the other abbots?
"The meeting continues," Sun Qinghan said calmly, seemingly unconcerned by the icy atmosphere.
"Next motion: To be established immediately within the Nongling Temple in Jiuchuan County, the 'Jiuchuan Nongling Economic Research Specialist Class' will be set up with a rank parallel to that of the temple, specializing in the research and training of agricultural crop innovation and economic development in the county."

The head of the small class will be concurrently held by the county magistrate, with Huo Yuanjue serving as the deputy head, and both will be granted the title of "Eighth-Rank Official of the Ministry of Agriculture and State Administration" at the level of abbot.

The provisional class member is Qin Chuan, the former Fireworker Daoist, who will be promoted to a Celestial Register Daoist immediately and granted the 'Ninth Rank Spiritual Scripture Child Register'.

In addition, nine other capable individuals were selected to join the team.

Four of them were selected from among the county's agricultural and spiritual talents..."

Say it.

Sun Qinghan then said:
"The other five will be composed of several full-time young Taoist priests from brother counties. This involves another decision, which will be announced to you at the county temple fair in a few days."

(End of this chapter)