From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 16 Calculation
Three days have passed in the blink of an eye, and all 156 fragrant orange trees have been transported to Nongling Temple.

In a short time, not only did the Taoist priests who were observing the fields flock out to plant, but even the Taoist priests in the temple who had some leisure time were also mobilized to serve as laborers.

After spending most of the day, the group finally planted all 156 mature trees into the two acres of spiritual land. During breaks from work, the Taoists planting the fruit trees couldn't help but chat with each other.

"I've heard it's a rare variety from outer space. If it can really bear fruit, one spirit orange is worth three to five days of arduous cultivation."

“I’ve heard about it too. The county temple plans to try planting it at Nongling Temple for a year first. If it bears fruit successfully, it can be promoted to various towns and villages after further research and development, so that the people can plant it widely and make it another economic crop in our county.”

"A single spiritual fruit can be equivalent to three to five days of cultivation... If this succeeds, our county's economy might truly escape the misery of being ranked last among blessed lands, and the lives of our fellow villagers will be better..."

Not far away, the Taoist priests listened to the discussion of the farm laborers, exchanging glances and thinking that these laborers were far too naive.

Is there any secret in this world that stays hidden forever? There are always friends in Nongling Temple who keep in touch with each other.

Sure enough, by evening, even the stoker and the Taoist priest gradually understood the truth.

Rumors quietly spread in the canteen:

"I heard that the temple has no intention of seriously promoting this planting plan?"

How did you know that?

"Isn't it obvious? If the temple truly valued this, wouldn't they have sent Vice Abbot Liu or Elder Huo to oversee it? Even if things weren't going well, they should have set up a special working group to carefully discuss it. Instead, they've only entrusted it to a newly arrived fire-working Taoist priest—this is clearly just a perfunctory job!"

"I've heard that this extraterrestrial species is inherently delicate and difficult to raise... Judging from this, the temple probably anticipated that it would not survive, which is why they resorted to this desperate measure."

"So, the new young pyreman is going to become the scapegoat..."

"Sigh, there's nothing new under the sun. It's always been like this; when something goes wrong, a temporary worker always takes the blame..."

"Shh—quiet! That unlucky fellow is here."

Suddenly, someone whispered a command to stop the conversation. Everyone saw Qin Chuan enter the hall carrying a lunchbox. All the Taoist priests tacitly fell silent and buried themselves in their food.

Qin Chuan walked to the window to get his food, his expression unchanged, as if he knew nothing.

In reality, with his extraordinary spiritual sense, he had already heard seven or eight parts of the discussion. He just pretended not to know, feeling helpless inside—even if he knew, what could he do?

Should he resign from this job? Absolutely not! He fought his way out of a narrow bridge where millions competed, and only with great difficulty did he get this chance to "get ashore." How could he possibly go back to struggling in the mud of the countryside?
The only option at present is to seek survival amidst danger and fight for a glimmer of hope in this seemingly hopeless situation.

Moreover, he wasn't idle during those three or four days.

After secretly refining the magical essence within numerous farm tools, deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, unseen by anyone,
On that illusory panel

The "Dharma Essence" column has clearly accumulated to 10 points.

After the meal, Qin Chuan returned to the fields.

He first carefully observed the fragrant orange trees. Each tree was lush and leafy, with glossy leaves, clearly old trees cultivated for many years. Being a newcomer, he couldn't immediately discern anything special.

But he still carefully inspected every single fruit tree.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened—he noticed that some aphids were attached to the tender buds of a tree, a common pest of spiritual plants, scientifically known as "blood aphid".

Qin Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly, without hesitation.

call out!
In an instant, a white light flashed beneath the tree, and silver threads poured down like a sudden rain, moving as fast as lightning, piercing through the branches and sweeping past.

next moment!
shhhhh--

Countless tiny, salt-like blood aphid corpses fell like snowflakes.

Finally, as if imbued with a spirit, the eighteen silver needles gracefully turned around and silently returned to the needle box at Qin Chuan's waist.

This scene was witnessed by Old Huo, who was strolling towards the wooden house.

"what?"

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes:
"This acupuncture technique..."

With his keen eye, he could naturally tell that the acupuncture technique Qin Chuan used was not of a high level, at most equivalent to a basic spell like the "Five Spirits Turning Soil Hand" from the Nongling Temple.

What truly terrified him was—

"Could this kid have a family tradition of learning this flying needle technique, starting from his mother's womb? He can wield such a rudimentary, beginner-level technique with such mastery... His speed and power are probably unmatched even by some mid-grade spells in the temple."

"Or perhaps, he truly possesses an extraordinary talent in cultivation that surpasses that of others."

Surprised, I couldn't help but feel even more regretful.

If Qin Chuan hadn't gotten involved in this trouble, Old Master Huo might have actually been moved by the young man's talent.

After all, at his age, there was no hope of promotion, but he wouldn't fall too far either. His only thought was to find a suitable successor for all the knowledge and insights he had gained in his life, especially the "Yi Mu Qing Tian Jue" he created.

It's a pity, a real pity.

Qin Chuan walked slowly through the orange grove, looked back, and saw that Elder Huo hadn't noticed them. He couldn't help but sigh.

He had intentionally or unintentionally displayed his "talent," hoping that this old master would have some appreciation for his talent. Even if he couldn't be pulled out of the vortex, he could at least get some help.

Now it seems that either his "talent" wasn't good enough for the right person to appreciate, or Old Master Huo simply didn't want to get involved in this mess. Ultimately, it was because his own value wasn't enough.

There was nothing we could do but continue to take it one step at a time.

Another day passed, and Qin Chuan finally stabilized his Qi Refining Level 1 cultivation.

Looking at the 10 points of magical essence, he decided to first add points to the basic spell "Five Elements Earth-Turning Hand".

Click!

The single point of Dharma essence shattered instantly.

In an instant, all sorts of experiences and insights about "Five Spirits Turning the Soil" flooded into my mind like a tidal wave.

What was originally just a rudimentary spell based on a diagram has suddenly transformed!

boom!
Five Elements Earth-Turning Hands Breakthrough! Second Level!
This technique can regulate the five elements' spiritual energy in the soil, bringing it to the ideal state required by crops.

For example, some spiritual plants prefer water, while others prefer metal.

Of course, the power of magic is limited; it won't really change the environment, it can only slightly harmonize it.

With this second level of cultivation, even the Fireworker Daoist, who didn't usually pay attention to Qin Chuan's few acres of land, noticed something amiss over the next seven days.

The medicinal herbs and plants in that area were growing better than ever before; not only were pests eradicated, but the soil had also been turned over to perfection.

"This newcomer is surprisingly skilled at farming?"

Zhong Ziheng, who was also a Taoist practitioner of fire-making, was greatly surprised. He had been farming for more than a year, yet he was still no match for a newcomer.

However, many discerning people know perfectly well that this may not be a good thing.

There's a common saying in the workplace: if your colleagues and superiors know you're exceptionally capable, you'll inevitably have endless work to do in the future.

as predicted.

That noon, Qin Chuan had just arrived at the field when he saw this fellow traveler, whom he had already met before, approaching him:

"Little Qin, are you busy today?"

Qin Chuan keenly sensed the deeper meaning in the words, but did not point it out. Instead, he smiled gently and said, "It's alright, not too busy."

"I'm not busy..."

Seeing Qin Chuan respond, Zhong Ziheng felt smug and quickly put on a smile, affectionately putting his arm around Qin Chuan's shoulder:

"Brother, I have an urgent matter to attend to! Director Liu just purchased a batch of black bamboo seedlings from the neighboring county and is urging us to plant them today. But unfortunately, Elder Huo has assigned me paperwork for the May planting report, and I'm really overwhelmed..."

"This..." Qin Chuan pretended to hesitate.

"Don't worry, your brother will never treat you unfairly!"

Zhong Ziheng hurriedly said, "If you help me plant these bamboo seedlings, when Director Liu asks, I'll say that we worked together and we'll split the credit! There aren't many opportunities to get credit from the leaders right after you start... If it weren't for Elder Huo's unavoidable task, I wouldn't have bothered you."

Now that things have come to this point, the true intentions are revealed. Whether Qin Chuan agrees or not, he has something to say next.

Unexpectedly, Qin Chuan suddenly looked up at the two acres of orange orchard and said calmly, "The task assigned by Abbot Liu is naturally important. However, my Liuxiang oranges are an important task personally assigned by County God Sun, and they cannot be delayed either. If I neglect one thing and ruin the county's plans, I really cannot bear the responsibility."

Zhong Ziheng's face stiffened. He never expected that this newcomer to the yamen would be like a seasoned veteran who had been around for decades. He easily defused Zhong Ziheng's rhetoric and even brought up Sun Qinghan, a powerful figure, to turn the tables on him.

He forced a smile: "You're right, I haven't considered things carefully."

Furious, he was about to turn and leave, secretly planning to find another opportunity to make things difficult for the kid, when Qin Chuan suddenly called him back:

"Actually, it's not impossible to help Fellow Daoist Zhong with this favor... but if Abbot Liu asks, the task of planting Black Spirit Bamboo must be attributed to me alone."

Zhong Ziheng turned around abruptly, gave Qin Chuan a deep look, and then suddenly smiled and said, "That's fine too."

He sneered inwardly: So that's what you were planning. I thought you were all that capable.

Since he would be the one to report to the abbot after planting the bamboo seedlings, he said, "Alright! But you have to be diligent, Xiao Qin. If you don't finish planting them today, and the abbot blames you, you'll have to bear the punishment alone."

"Understood." Qin Chuan held out his hand. "Just give me the toolbox from your field."

“Farm tools? Don’t you have some here…” Zhong Ziheng’s words were cut short when he saw the other’s expressionless face. He suddenly realized and chuckled dryly, “It was my oversight. Different spiritual soils and spiritual plants do require special farm tools. Here, you can go to the storeroom and take the No. 30 farm tool box.”

Qin Chuan nodded and turned to leave.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhong Ziheng's face revealed a smug expression. The fire-working Taoists who witnessed this scene from a distance also sighed inwardly:
Another newcomer being outmaneuvered by seasoned veterans.

Every place has its share of people who cleverly use various pretexts to pass the work to newcomers while they themselves shirk their responsibilities.

But no one knew.

Inside the warehouse, Qin Chuan gripped the farm tool box that belonged to Zhong Ziheng. The moment his fingertips touched a farm tool inside, a slight smile quietly appeared on his lips.

(End of this chapter)