From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 14 On Merits and Demerits

talent?

Huo Yuanjue followed her gaze, puzzled as to why the county magistrate was suddenly discussing the newcomer's talent.

Sun Qinghan, whose cultivation had reached the Golden Core stage, possessed extraordinary spiritual sense. She immediately recognized Qin Chuan's exceptional spiritual sense, a sign of innate talent. However, she said nothing more, turning to the Vice Abbot and saying:

"Since everyone agrees that this place is the most suitable, the county temple will send someone to deliver more than a hundred saplings of Ling orange trees in a few days. The rest of the matter will be entrusted to the fellow Daoists of Nongling Temple. This matter benefits the people of Tianmin, and we hope that you will deliver a satisfactory result to the people of Jiuchuan."

The deputy abbot and Huo Yuanjue were caught off guard by her words, feeling stifled, but they could only respectfully agree.

Sun Qinghan had a cold and aloof expression, but she also had her own reasons for not being able to do so.

Before she took office, the local government of Fu County placed high hopes on her, entrusting this impoverished county to her in the hope that she could achieve something significant. However, her individual efforts were ultimately limited; she could only set strategies and provide direction, while relying on her subordinates to complete the specific tasks.

After the county god left, the people of Nongling Temple respectfully saw him off to the temple gate and watched him and his entourage depart.

Qin Chuan, who had been standing not far away and had overheard about 70-80% of what was happening, frowned and looked at the two acres of vacant land under his control:
"To plant oranges here?"

It sounds like just planting fruit trees, which doesn't seem like a difficult task. But a task personally assigned and decided upon by the head of a county, even for the most dull-witted person, is no small matter.

He had barely entered Nongling Temple when he seemed to have stumbled upon an extremely troublesome task.

However, given his status, he had no way of knowing more details and could only return home on time to prepare for breaking through to the first level of Qi Refining.

Let's take another look inside the Nongling Temple government office.

……

In the evening, Abbot Guo Shanshan returned from the neighboring county, travel-worn and weary.

The two monks, the principal and the deputy, sat facing each other, their faces as still as water.

"What should we do?" Liu Shichang asked the real top leader. "Should we do everything we can to promote the county magistrate's Ling Orange project?"

Guo Shanshan remained silent for a long time, then suddenly asked about something completely unrelated: "Old Liu, how many more years do I have before I can retire?"

Liu Shichang was taken aback, and was about to speak—

Guo Shanshan raised his hand to stop him and said slowly, "A village-level immortal official, late stage of Foundation Establishment, with a lifespan of two hundred years. I am now one hundred and forty-six years old and will retire at one hundred and fifty. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, you will succeed me in this position four years from now."

Liu Shichang hurriedly said, "I..."

Guo Shanshan picked up his teacup and said slowly, "This new county magistrate is young and ambitious, and naturally hopes to make a name for himself so that he can be promoted soon."

She can try and fail. Even if she makes a mistake, she can be transferred to another county. She is only twenty-eight years old and has the cultivation of the Golden Core stage. She has a lifespan of five hundred years. There is no cost to trying and failing.

But we are different—if we invest too much and end up failing miserably, the consequences are something neither of us can afford.

Moreover, the temple already lacks sufficient spiritual energy; how could it possibly have the resources to invest in such a risky and unpredictable matter?

Liu Shichang lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said, "You mean... this matter must be prevented from succeeding?"

"It's not that it can't be done."

Guo Shanshan said:

"It is neither possible to succeed nor to fail; we must drag this matter into a stalemate."

Liu Shichang looked puzzled.

Guo Shanshan said, “I’ve already stepped down halfway, and you’re about to take over. At this critical juncture, we don’t seek merit, but rather to avoid mistakes. If things remain deadlocked, that’s considered avoiding mistakes. Avoiding mistakes is the safest course of action.”

Transplanting orange trees from elsewhere to this area already had a low survival rate; if the process was delayed, these trees would naturally decay.

Liu Shichang finally understood.

There is a long-standing rumor in Heaven:

Merit and virtue offset each other, making promotion difficult.
The path to immortality is wide, without cause or effect.

He pondered for a moment, then frowned even more: "But this is ultimately Sun Qinghan's first task upon taking office, his first major undertaking..."

"The new imperial edict has not been promulgated for long. Although the national policy set by the high court is well-intentioned, its success or failure depends on how the lower levels operate."

In the face of the current great changes, not to mention the small county of Jiuchuan, even the most blessed and idyllic places in the world are observing and exploring.

The vision of the new Heavenly Laws cannot be achieved overnight; it will take at least three to five years of trial implementation.

This period of time is enough for me to land smoothly, and for you to take over safely.

Guo Shanshan took a sip of tea, then slowly turned his gaze toward the observation field:
"You say those two acres are being managed by a young fire worker who just reported for duty today, hasn't been officially ordained, and only holds a temporary certificate?" He smiled slightly.
"In my opinion, there's no need to change the person. Letting this child take charge is just right."

Don’t seek merit, but seek no faults.

Some things, if dragged out and delayed, and some minor, harmless mistakes occur, will naturally be left unresolved.

As for who should assume this nominal responsibility—who could be more suitable than a temporary fire-making Taoist priest?

The path of cultivation is nothing more than cultivating a spiritual connection.

……

Qin Chuan returned from his duty at Nongling Temple.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw He Xingchen pushing his bicycle in as well.

"Brother Qin, how was your first day at Nongling Temple?" He Xingchen greeted him with a smile.

After a moment's thought, Qin Chuan decided to tell He Xingchen about what he had encountered in the fields that day and hear his opinion: "There is indeed something I would like to ask Brother He for his opinion."

"They want to introduce and cultivate Ling oranges in Jiuchuan County?" He Xingchen looked at Qin Chuan after hearing this. "In the end, they actually chose the field you were in charge of?"

What are your thoughts on this matter, Brother He?

Qin Chuan inquired. This neighbor, who also worked in the government, handled documents and information daily in the Langyin Pavilion, so his access to information was naturally more extensive than that of ordinary people.

He Xingchen pondered for a moment and said, "If this matter succeeds, it will certainly be a good thing for Jiuchuan County. But if Brother Qin is directly in charge of the planting in the fields... I'm afraid it won't be a good thing for you."

Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "I'd like to hear the details."

He Xingchen said solemnly, "It's hard to say for sure right now, but Brother Qin, you might as well wait and see who ultimately takes charge of planting these spirit oranges. If it's led by an important figure in the temple, then you have nothing to worry about and can just focus on assisting. But if..."

Having served in the Langyin Pavilion for a year, he was exposed to various documents and information daily, giving him a more acute sense of certain trends within the Heavenly Court system than most people.

With He Xingchen's subtle guidance, Qin Chuan, who had also had considerable workplace experience in his previous life, suddenly understood a little, and his brows furrowed even more tightly:

"Are you saying that if this matter doesn't go smoothly or goes wrong, I will be the first to be blamed and become the scapegoat?"

"This is merely a speculation. The key lies in the attitude of the higher-ups at Nongling Temple toward this matter. Are they genuinely following the orders of the County God and the County Temple and striving to implement them, or are they merely going through the motions and not wanting to get this done in the first place?"

He Xingchen sighed softly:
"Brother Qin, you need to clarify this point first."

"Thank you for your analysis, Brother He."

Qin Chuan's expression was solemn:

These words were like a good medicine for me.

"Brother Qin, you might as well think about this carefully these next two days."

He Xingchen said:

"If I see any county temple documents or other reports related to this at Langyin Pavilion, I will inform you."

"Thank you very much, Brother He."

After exchanging a few more words, Qin Chuan turned and went inside, his mood slightly heavy.

He never expected that on his first day at work, he would be caught up in such a huge storm, becoming a tiny pawn in the vortex.

Watching Qin Chuan's retreating figure as he entered the house, He Xingchen sighed inwardly.

He shared Qin Chuan's sentiment that this young colleague, who had just moved into the house, was indeed having some bad luck.

But Qin Chuan's selection coincided with a major upheaval in the Eastern Sheng Kingdom.

In this extraordinary time, let alone a newly promoted minor cultivator, even those in high positions could lose their official positions, have their celestial registers confiscated, have their cultivation completely destroyed, or even be imprisoned if they are not careful.

"A new era is probably really coming."

He Xingchen pondered to himself.

In the coming years, there will likely be little peace in Langyin Pavilion, so I must be cautious at all times and careful in every step.

For places like Langyin Pavilion, which are in charge of documents and communication, it is essential to be keenly aware of the prevailing winds and choose the right side in order to remain invincible.

(End of this chapter)