I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 98 First Battle (Bonus Chapter from Little Pig's Fire Alliance)

Xue Xiang pulled an envelope from his sleeve, which fell into his palm and he casually placed on his desk. “Governor Cai, if I may presume, I will address you as Brother Cai.”

My friend, you're being too polite. Once a promise is made, there's no reason to go back on it.

Just have your nephew go to the ferry administration office to find Wang Anshi and handle the remaining procedures.

The Ferry Administration Office was established a month ago by the Seventh and Tenth Offices, and is a public office with full authority to handle all matters related to the Suiyang Ferry.

Wang Anshi is in overall charge.

The development momentum of Suiyangdu is obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

A while ago, Cai Gaoyi's nephew came over wanting to rent two shops long-term.

Wang Anshi came to ask Xue Xiang, and Xue Xiang agreed.

Now that Cai Gaoyi's career in the Suiyang government office has officially come to an end, he took the initiative to have his nephew return the lease documents.

Xue Xiang wasn't the type to forget someone after they left, so he personally delivered the documents.

Cai Gaoyi held the document, staring blankly for a long time before saying, "They say that once a person leaves, the tea cools, but I, Cai, rarely admire anyone. You are one of them."

As he spoke, he rubbed his hair. "Actually, there's nothing I can't let go of."

At this age, it's impossible to move up the ranks, and transferring to another place to start over wouldn't be very meaningful.

I had planned to stand guard in Suiyang until the very end, but this is how it ended up.

That's fine too; everyone who works in government has to go through this.

Thank you so much, Brother Xue, for remembering me.

Cai Gaoyi was not dismissed, but was simply transferred to a neighboring town.

But for these local bullies who have long operated in one place, this is undoubtedly a huge setback in their careers in government.

His overwhelming sense of dejection was almost palpable.

Xue Xiang cupped his hands and said, "Then I wish you a smooth journey, brother. Farewell."

This time, Xue Xiang didn't intend to cultivate a "good person" image; he simply felt that while it's acceptable to be realistic, one shouldn't be overly realistic.

Watching Xue Xiang's figure about to turn out of the bamboo grove in front of the house, Cai Gaoyi spoke again, "Brother Xue, please wait a moment."

Xue Xiang turned his head, and Cai Gaoyi waved to him.

Xue Xiang returned, "Brother, is there anything else you need?"

Cai Gaoyi said, "Brother Xue came to my house but didn't even get a sip of tea. If word gets out, people will say that I, Cai, am impolite."

As he spoke, he went back into the inner room, and came out with an envelope in his hand instead of tea.

"There's no time to brew tea, so I'll give you this little trinket. It's not very presentable, but you might find it useful in the future."

As he spoke, Cai Gaoyi handed the envelope to Xue Xiang.

Xue Xiang took it and was about to open it when Cai Gaoyi stopped him.

Xue bowed and took his leave. As soon as he reached a secluded spot, he couldn't help but open the door. After just one glance, his eyes widened in surprise.

…………

After an autumn rain, the banana trees in Xue Xiang's courtyard turned as green as newly unearthed icy jade.

After Su Suiran took office, Xue Xiang keenly sensed the danger and sent his mother and entourage back to Yunmeng.

Only Liu Mei remained as her companion.

Today is a day off. After breakfast, Xue Xiang and Liu Mei went to the alchemy room early.

Xue Xiang continued to use the Nebula Overlord Body Technique to draw spiritual energy into his body.

After breaking through the barrier between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining, his cultivation speed became extremely fast.

In just twenty days, he broke through the fifth level of Qi Refining and was almost at the edge of the sixth level.

As for Liu Mei, her cultivation speed is even faster, surpassing Xue Xiang and reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining first.

During this period, she stopped further improving her cultivation.

Even if Xue Xiang offered her spirit stones, she wouldn't refine them anymore.

The main reason was that the flowing water and the spirit stones transformed into spiritual power, which was then refined into her body, giving Liu Mei a sense of guilt.

No matter how Xue Xiang tried to persuade her, she refused to continue trying to break through to a higher realm. Helpless, Xue Xiang had no choice but to teach her the Breath of Wind Sword Technique.

After spending three days figuring out the numerological principles behind it, Liu Mei got into the zone.

Xue Xiang originally thought that even Qian Ming couldn't do it, but Liu Mei accomplished it with ease.

During this time, Liu Mei focused on honing her Wind Breathing Sword Technique and Wind Breathing Step.

Besides diligently cultivating his skills, Xue Xiang spent his time busy at Suiyang Ferry.

After Su Suiran took office, he did not seem to make any big moves, but as a veteran bureaucrat, he was used to the trick of subtly and silently eliminating his opponents.

Through a series of seemingly insignificant personnel adjustments, he quickly established his authority.

His figure was frequently seen at Suiyang Ferry, and Xue Xiang knew that the day of the decisive battle was not far away.

After finishing his cultivation for the day, Xue Xiang was about to head to Suiyang Ferry to attend the industry association meeting of the river merchants.

The association was established at his insistence, and its members are the core force of the ferry crossing.

This is also his greatest asset in his current confrontation with Su Suiran.

Just as he was about to leave, Ge Hui, the deputy director of the Thirteenth Office, came over and informed him that Su Suiran was holding a meeting and invited him to attend.

The courtyard where the seal was kept was only two hundred steps away from the main office. When Xue Xiang arrived at the meeting, all the attendees were already there.

Su Suiran sat in the main seat, with Chu Zhao, Chen Tong, and Jin Guang arranged to his left.

The right side is empty; Deputy Town Magistrate Yan Guangming is not here.

Yan Guangming, who manages the spirit fields and medicinal mountains, generally doesn't get involved in the affairs of Suiyang Town, so his absence was expected.

The next one is Xue Xiang.

Besides the five heads of the bureau, some other leaders from other departments also attended the meeting.

None of them were entitled to sit at the oval table, so they all found chairs on the outer edge to sit down.

Near the door, there were two clerks responsible for taking notes at the meeting.

Su Suiran first talked about the achievements, and then discussed a lot of data, from the Suiyang Ferry incident to agricultural matters and the destruction of illicit cults.

His clear mind and accurate data made even Xue Xiang secretly admire him.

"...In short, the current prosperity of Suiyang Town is unprecedented, if not unparalleled."

Su Suiran said loudly, "But behind every opportunity, we must also see the dangers and have a long-term vision."

There's only so much land at Suiyang Ferry.

The congestion is getting worse every day.

Expanding Suiyang Ferry is imperative.

But whether to go east or west, that is the question.

Let's all share our thoughts.

“I propose to go east. Although the west is a wasteland and easier to build on, the wasteland has been occupied by a company called United Trading Company. Buying it back would be extremely costly.”

Jin Guang was the first to attack, glaring at Xue Xiang defiantly as he spoke.

Before Su Suiran arrived, Jin Guang often treated Xue Xiang to drinks, and he also asked Xue Xiang to take care of the business between the two companies.

Now that Su Suiran has arrived, he immediately sidled up to her, becoming Su Suiran's number one henchman, working much harder than Chu Zhao and Chen Tong.

“I suggest moving west, as the east side is all slopes, which is simply not realistic. We can talk to the actual controller of the United Commercial Group; he didn’t buy the land to leave it uncultivated.”

Chen Tong's statement surprised Xue Xiang.

Su Suiran looked at Chu Zhao, who said, "It doesn't matter whether it goes east or west, the key is that the town must have the initiative."

We can talk to the actual controller of United Commercial Group first. If he is easy to talk to, we can build it to the west.

If he's difficult to talk to, there are plenty of gullies over there on the barren beach; I think that would be perfect as a landfill.

"High!"

Jin Guang lightly slapped the table. "That's right. In our own territory, do you think we can be manipulated by a mere merchant?"

Su Suiran looked at Xue Xiang noncommittally, "Director Xue, what's your opinion?"

(End of this chapter)