"Get up, get up, all of you, scram up!"
Clanging gongs shattered the silent night.
"Every household's men must worship at the God Temple, depart immediately!"
Village officials beat gongs and drums, lighting torches as they entered the village.
A fiery serpent wound its way through, thick black smoke billowing.
Soon, roosters crowed and dogs barked, the entire village jolted awake from slumber.
"Why must we leave now? It's only the second watch!"
"This is the village's last plowing ox, you can't take it!"
Men's low roars, women's sharp cries, children's wailing, and elders' coughing fits erupted simultaneously in the cold, still night.
Before long, the curses of officials and the whistling of whips overwhelmed all other sounds.
The desperate screams were eventually suppressed, leaving only a few mournful groans.
The earthen house remained unlit, moonlight filtering through paper-covered windows in faint, twisting patterns.
Though bare-walled, it contained a table and cabinet, bean paste simmering in the pot, dried flatbread hanging on the wall.
Such a household was considered well-off in this village.
The woman's eyes filled with worry: "Xiao Hu's father, why must we journey to the God Temple in the dead of night?"
The man closed the door, tucking half a dried flatbread into his robe: "I heard from outside that a new Immortal Official has arrived from the celestial city. After I leave..."
"Woof woof woof!" Suddenly, dog barks erupted.
But there was no dog in the house.
It was the child on the kang who had woken up, clapping hands and imitating barks: "What Immortal Official? They're all dog officials, dog officials, dog officials!"
The man paled, glancing at the shadowy figures and blazing torches outside the window. Striding to the kang, he clamped his hand over the child's mouth.
His grip was firm, the child whimpering in pain, struggling fiercely.
The woman hastily pulled her husband away: "What are you doing!"
Releasing his hold, the man pressed both hands on the child's shoulders, hissing: "Xiao Hu, who taught you that?!"
Xiao Hu gasped between sobs: "Everyone sings it that way..."
"Don't say it! If overheard, we'll lose our heads!" the man snapped. "Remember that!"
The terrified child nodded, and only then did the man release him.
He sighed deeply, turned to open the worn wooden cabinet, and retrieved an object from the very bottom, removing its white cloth covering.
It was a wooden plow, but unlike the straight plows commonly used, this one had a curved beam.
Ordinary farmers couldn't produce their own farming tools, having to pay landlords to rent from them.
This was crafted by the finest carpenter in ten villages, who used to travel door-to-door mending items before his leg became lame.
Since its creation, this plow had never been tested in fields. Only with official approval could it be mass-produced and used.
The land grew harder each year, plowing more laborious. Without oxen, humans became the oxen.
If one day, everyone could plow with this...
The man's weary eyes flickered with light.
"What are you doing!" the woman exclaimed urgently.
Gritting his teeth, the man said: "With the new Immortal Official's appointment, anyone can present treasures."
"They want celestial Magical Artifacts, who'd want a plow!" The woman's face twisted in misery: "Husband, forget it. You went five years ago too, and still..."
Her gaze fell on the man's lame leg.
"But what if..." The man didn't finish, his expression turning ashen.
Placing hope in "what if" was hardly worth discussing.
"Quit dawdling!"A violent pounding on the door accompanied the minor official's furious shout, 'Son of a bitch, get the hell out here now!""
The man embraced his wife and child, dragged the wooden plow, and opened the door to vanish into the vast darkness.
Outside, the village officials burst into raucous laughter, shouting:"Look, Liu the Cripple is going to present his treasure again, hahaha!"
"Dad!" A child cried out and tried to rush out the door.
The woman scooped him onto the heated brick bed and held him in her arms: "Sleep now. When you wake up, your father will be back."
"I can't sleep." Xiao Hu's face was streaked with tears.
"How about mother tells you a story?"
The woman wiped away his tears gently: "Long, long ago, our village was a beautiful place. There was no black sandstorm, only lush green trees and grass.
"Rain fell every year from the sky, and the fields yielded abundant harvests every year, with grains piled up like small hills. The mountains were full of wildflowers and fruits, wild rabbits and pheasants. The river water was so clear you could see your reflection, and it was filled with countless fish!"
Xiao Hu closed his eyes: "Can I eat one of those fish?"
"The fish were plump and large, sizzling with oil when roasted. You could eat as many as you wanted, until your stomach burst!"
"Mother, I'm full now."
Before long, Xiao Hu fell sound asleep in his mother's embrace.
He smacked his lips, a smile at the corners of his mouth, lost in some sweet dream.
But his mother's tears flowed down:
"Heavens, please open your eyes and give people a way to survive!"
...
The central city of Thousand-Ditch Prefecture was called "Sky City."
Within the Immortal Official Manor, the tall building where the immortal official resided was called "Cloud Tower."
Protected by formations, Sky City gathered the last remnants of Spirit Qi in the entire prefecture. The streets had smooth bluestone pavements, shaded by green trees on both sides.
The city was modeled after the famous Huawel City of the Western Sky Continent, with buildings featuring elegant upturned eaves and bracket sets.
Viewed from above, it resembled a miniature Huawel City.
Except the air was dry, with slightly stronger wind and dust.
Zhou Xiaoyun said optimistically: "I think this place is quite nice, not as terrifying as Senior Brother Song made it out to be."
"He was definitely trying to scare us!" Xu Kanshan laughed.
Meng Heze frowned: "No, my intuition tells me something isn't right."
In front of the Immortal Official Manor, a clearing like a plaza lay open and flat. Ji Chen maneuvered the treasure ship to land slowly.
Zhao Ren had been waiting since morning until noon with a group of stewards from the Immortal Official Manor.
He couldn't wait to see Song Qianji, couldn't wait to leave this place.
As soon as the Seven Wonders Treasure Ship touched ground, before it fully stabilized, Zhao Ren rushed onto the deck ahead of others.
The figures on the ship were scattered, roughly a thousand people at a glance, most still wearing Huawel Sect outer disciple robes.
Zhao Ren thought to himself: I've heard Song Qianji is exceptionally handsome and romantically inclined. This young man made a name for himself early, his Calligraphy Way and chess skills shining brightly in the Cultivation World. At the peak of his youthful vigor, no matter how steady his temperament or how low-key he pretends to be, he must carry some air of arrogance.
The youth leading them had high ponytailed hair, wore fitted white clothes with an indigo waist tie. His aura was heroic and sharp, like an unsheathed sword.
To have Foundation Establishment cultivation at just over ten years old—truly enviable.
He must be Song Qianji!
"Long have I heard of Junior Brother Song's great name! Seeing you today truly proves heroes emerge from the young!" Zhao Ren laughed heartily, enthusiastically reaching to grasp the youth's hands. "Song—"
"Senior Brother Song is behind." Meng Heze deftly avoided his hands, revealing the person behind him.
Zhao Ren suddenly felt extremely awkward, then his eyes lit up:
That youth wore an eighty-eight layered water-cloud rune Magic Robe, his belt adorned with supreme Mermaid King Pearls that flowed with colorful halos under the morning sun, enveloping his entire person in a faint glow.
Not only was this person extravagantly dressed, but he also had a charming, lovely maiden with double buns accompanying him.
Traveling with a beauty—so this one was the real Song Qianji!It was said that the jade slips produced by the Star-Plucking Bureau had already brought him a hefty income of two hundred thousand spirit stones—no wonder he was dressed so dazzlingly, truly enviable!
"I am Zhao Ren, the former Immortal Official of Thousand-Ditch Prefecture. Today, seeing Junior Brother Song's elegance..." Zhao Ren extended his hand toward Ji Chen, only to miss once again.
Ji Chen smiled amiably, "You've mistaken me. Senior Brother Song is behind."
Still behind? Are you all deliberately messing with me?!
Zhao Ren couldn't help but feel irritated.
Just then, the two young men from earlier—one valiant, the other noble—flanked the person behind them, helping him up:
"Senior Brother Song, we've arrived."
"Brother Song, wake up."
The man was lifted from the reclining chair and soft cushions as if he had just been dozing. He blinked:
"Immortal Official Zhao, greetings." His voice was light and calm.
He was neither sharp nor opulent; instead, his demeanor was gentle.
A single conversation with him would give the illusion that he was very easy to deal with.
Zhao Ren's internal alarms blared!
Someone who could subdue the entire Outer Sect of the Huawel Sect without showing off was truly formidable.
He mustered all his focus: "Junior Brother Song! I've been waiting for you. Let us enter the God Temple now! There happens to be an offering ceremony today..."
"Why enter the God Temple?" Song Qianji asked.
The question left Zhao Ren stunned. If not the temple, where else would you go?
Could it be that you resent not having your golden statue enshrined in the temple ahead of time?
He decided to offer Song Qianji a little "sweetener" to stabilize the situation.
"Junior Brother Song, you may not know this, but it is a mandatory procedure for the handover between two Immortal Officials. The Ministers of Agriculture, Rites, and Military Affairs are already prepared to report to you in the God Temple. The influential gentry of Thousand Canals will also come to pay homage and present treasures. The rules cannot be changed."
Upon hearing "Minister of Agriculture," Song Qianji changed his tone: "Very well, let's follow the rules."
The art of farming was vast and profound, and he had questions to ask the prefecture's Minister of Agriculture.
The Thousand-Ditch Prefecture he had traveled to in his previous life was from a hundred years later.
It must be vastly different now. Only by understanding the current situation could he better plan the land use.
Song Qianji took a deep breath and smiled contentedly.
It was the scent of wasteland. Since his rebirth, he had finally achieved his wish.
The Pure Bottle in his Purple Palace, filled with the Fountain of Immortality, vibrated faintly, as if resonating with his state of mind.
Zhao Ren sneered inwardly. Only upon hearing about the treasure offerings did he agree to go—this Song Qianji truly wouldn't release the hawk without seeing the rabbit!
But he smiled outwardly as well.
The two Immortal Officials exchanged smiles and courteously deferred to each other as they disembarked from the ship.
...
In the God Temple square, the kneeling crowd felt profoundly heavy-hearted.
From afar, they saw dust and smoke rise as the treasure ship landed, and the new Immortal Official strode forward.
Behind him followed over a thousand cultivators, grand and imposing.
His entourage was even more spectacular than Immortal Official Zhao's arrival, more like a celestial descending from the heavens.
Who knew how difficult he would be to serve?
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