From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 31 Breakthrough (please vote for me)

Abbot Chen sat on the flying boat, his knuckles rubbing the communication jade talisman for a moment, and finally released a little spiritual power to connect with the private jade talisman of Liu Shichang, the deputy abbot of Nongling Temple.

Liu Shichang, who had already finished work, noticed the jade talisman at his waist trembling slightly and emitting a faint light. He took it out and examined it:
It turned out to be the seal of Deputy Director Chen of the Office of Government Affairs.

His heart skipped a beat, and he dared not delay. He quickly answered the call and cautiously inquired:

"Master Chen? It's me, Shichang. It's so late, what brings you here...? What brings you here?"

"Shichang, I apologize for bothering you. I have a small matter I'd like to inquire about with you..." Abbot Chen's voice was unhurried, "Is your old Daoist friend Huo Yuanjue busy with something special lately? About the observation fields, and that new fireman named Qin Chuan?"

Liu Shichang was initially smiling, but when he heard the names "Huo Yuanjue" and "Qin Chuan" together, his heart sank.

"Master Chen, where did you hear this rumor from?" His tone became serious.

"Hehe, it's nothing," Abbot Chen said casually. "Brother Huo came to see me today, wanting me to put in a good word for him with the County God, asking him to take another look at the orange orchard. It seems he values ​​that Qin Chuan fire worker quite a bit and wants to help him get a permanent position. I was wondering, can't your temple handle a fire worker's permanent position on its own? So I sent a message to inquire about your temple's regulations, to see if there's anything I can't interfere with. If so, I'll just let Brother Huo off the hook, so as not to affect your temple's work."

These words, though spoken politely, struck Liu Shichang's heart like a hammer blow.

He quickly replied, "We really don't know anything about Elder Huo's matter. Don't worry, I'll go and ask Abbot Guo right away and give you a definite answer as soon as possible."

Abbot Chen seemed to be deep in thought on the other end, and replied with a smile, "In that case, I will wait for Abbot Shanshan's instructions."

After all, Nongling Temple was the most powerful government office in charge of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in the county. Guo Shanshan, the de facto head of Nongling Temple, had to be careful about his reputation and opinions.

After the summons ended, Liu Shichang's forehead was covered in a fine sweat. He dared not delay and immediately got up to rush to the residence of Guo Shanshan, the chief priest.

"Abbot Shanshan Temple, something's happened!" He disregarded formalities and hurriedly repeated Abbot Chen's words verbatim, "Old Huo... to help that new fire worker get a permanent position, he bypassed the temple and went directly to the county temple to beg! He even wants to invite County God Sun! What is he trying to do? What if the County God really comes and sees that Lingchengtian half-dead, and starts questioning him..."

Guo Shanshan's relaxed expression as he sipped his tea faded upon hearing "Huo Yuanjue" and "Abbot Chen of the County Temple," and by the end, his face had completely darkened.

He put down his teacup and tapped the table with his fingers, making a dull sound.

"Go, now, immediately, ask Senior Brother Huo to come to me." Guo Shanshan's voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable coldness.

Liu Shichang quickly agreed.

Before long, Huo Yuanjue stepped into Guo Shanshan's official residence. Before he even spoke, he could feel the heavy atmosphere inside.

"Senior Brother Huo, you've arrived. Please have a seat." Guo Shanshan addressed him as "Senior Brother" as a sign of respect for the old man.

Huo Yuanjue was cautious and sat down on the prayer mat as instructed, asking, "Abbot, is there something urgent that you summoned me here so late?"

"I heard that you went to Huicui Tower today and met Abbot Chen of the County Temple's Office?" Guo Shanshan's face was expressionless, and his voice was flat.

Huo Yuanjue's heart skipped a beat—how could news of the person he met that evening have reached Guo Shanshan's ears so quickly? Could it be from Chen Jianghe's side...?
He instantly realized that his plan for Qin Chuan had probably been exposed. His hope dwindled, and he let out a long sigh, admitting helplessly, "Yes."

"Oh? What is it about?" Guo Shanshan drawled.

"It's to observe Tian's Lingcheng project," Huo Yuanjue said, his spirits dampened, and his words became much more tactful. "I would like to ask Prefect Chen to suggest to the County God when he has the time to come and inspect it again, so that the higher-ups can know about our progress."

"Progress?" Guo Shanshan suddenly chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Senior Brother Huo, the temple has entrusted the matter of the spirit orange to that fire-working Taoist, and the Longevity Society has already made a decision. You and I have both been in the temple for many years, so we should know what the word 'rules' means. Why can't we discuss things within the temple first, instead of going to the county temple to find someone? Where do you place the temple rules with this behavior? Where do you place me, the abbot, and all the fellow practitioners of the Longevity Society? Are you still a principled Taoist of the Heavenly Court, Senior Brother?"

His words, seemingly peaceful, were actually sharp and critical, accusing Huo Yuanjue of disregarding the overall situation, breaking the rules, and disrespecting his colleagues. In the end, he even brought up the issue of the "Heavenly Court Taoist" as a matter of principle.

Huo Yuanjue looked at his former mentor, now a condescending "junior brother," and felt a chill in his heart. He wanted to explain Qin Chuan's genius, to show that such a talent deserved support... but in the end, he could only let out a silent sigh and say dejectedly:

"It was my oversight that led me to fail to consider this matter. Please forgive me, Abbot."

A higher-ranking official can have absolute power, especially the head of a temple who holds the reins of authority.

Seeing that he had softened, Guo Shanshan's tone became gentler: "Senior brother, you are also an elder in the temple, you should know that stability is the most important thing. Let this matter end here, I will handle it. You can go back and take care of your experimental fields. As for Qin Chuan... I advise you not to take him too seriously. He is just a slightly talented fire worker, it is not worth ruining the harmony among the fellow practitioners in the temple for his sake."

He's just a... pyrotechnician.

Huo Yuanjue pondered these words in his heart, not knowing how he walked out of Guo Shanshan's official residence.

After seeing off the distraught Huo Yuanjue, Guo Shanshan's face immediately darkened. He said to Liu Shichang, "Prepare the carriage. I need to personally visit Abbot Chen tonight."

Not long after.

A quiet room near the county temple.

Guo Shanshan and the host Chen sat facing each other.

“Abbot Chen, what Brother Huo said today is purely his own confusion. Our temple has its own arrangements for the Lingcheng Project, and we dare not trouble the County God to come again. We hope that you will pretend that you never heard of this matter and not mention it to your superiors again.”

As Guo Shanshan spoke, he silently handed over a brocade pouch.

Host Chen weighed the matter in his mind, then noticed the humble look in Guo Shanshan's eyes. He understood immediately and chuckled.
"Master Guo, you are too kind. Since this is an internal matter of your temple, it is naturally inconvenient for me to say more. Today's matter is between you and me."

Having said that, he put away the brocade pouch, turned around, and left.

This matter is a win-win situation; you get two gifts without doing anything.

Although he had offended Huo Yuanjue, what did it matter that he was just an old man at the deputy director level who was about to retire?

In comparison, it's more necessary to befriend a powerful temple abbot like Guo Shanshan.

Guo Shanshan sat alone in the same spot, his eyes shifting between light and shadow.

That old Huo... he's really causing trouble for him.

It seems I need to reconsider the matter of assessing Old Huo's retirement benefits before I retire.

……

Meanwhile, Qin Chuan was completely unaware of all of this.

He was immersed in cultivation. The Wood Qi within his body was abundant, constantly nourishing the newly generated Fire Qi. Wood fueled the fire, and the two energies circulated and generated each other, resulting in an astonishingly fast cultivation speed.

On this day, while pretending to cultivate the soil, he secretly activated the Wood and Fire Technique to absorb the spiritual energy from the fields.

Suddenly, the vortex of Qi in the dantian vibrated violently, and spiritual energy surged like a flood, converging towards the dantian and condensing into a wisp of "power".

It was no longer a gas, but something that gave people a strong sense of 'power'.

That's right, it's the spiritual power of the fourth level of Qi Refining!
　I participated in a writing contest about Mount Lu in Jiujiang, but now they're telling me I can't use real place names. So, the book will be changed from Jiujiang County to Jiuchuan County. This is really frustrating!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)