From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 99 Dripping Water from the Eaves
Inside Tingyu Pavilion.

Upon hearing Chu Yunce mention that the weather at the county temple had been rather bad recently and that it might rain, all the young Taoists present looked slightly solemn, and some even turned pale.

Those who were able to be gathered together by Chu Yunce could be considered a considerable force in Jiuchuan County. Each of the young people was a person in charge of an important temple, such as Ji Yuqi, who is currently in charge of the agricultural economics class in Jiuchuan County and is a temple-level official... Lin Xiaoheng is in charge of spiritual mineral resources... and Qin Chuan, who has been rising rapidly recently... is in charge of the Taoist's Heavenly Rules and has the most real power... and there is also the head of the book.

After everyone's expression changed, no one spoke immediately, but waited for Chu Yunce to continue.

Chu Yunze's gaze swept over the nine people present, and he said:
"Recently, the Heavenly Court's campaign to eliminate demons and traitors has been launched, and various blessed lands and counties are actively responding. Now a wave has been created, and the county also needs to react, which is why we recently took action against the sect leader of the Thunder Control Sect."

As she spoke, she glanced at Qin Chuan.

Chu Yunce withdrew his gaze and continued:
"In this kind of weather, capturing Zhao Famo is just the first raindrop; the storm that follows will be much stronger. The reason I called everyone here today is to remind you that no matter what you have to hide, if you do, and it's serious, you should proactively confess to your superior, the Immortal. If it's not serious, you should stop immediately. Otherwise, if Fellow Daoist Qin Chuan's Immortal Inspection Division and Jing'an Bureau discover anything about you, and if they find out about you, Fellow Daoist Qin Chuan won't be able to show personal feelings to you at this time."

Everyone fell silent, though one or two people subtly changed their expressions.

However, most people indicated that they understood. Clearly, most of the people in this gathering of young people had not lost their ideals and beliefs. In addition, they were all working and had only been promoted to deputy director or director level for a few years, so most of them had clean hands.

Chu Yunze glanced at the reactions of the others and understood the situation.

After reminding everyone, he didn't dwell on the matter any longer, but instead took out a book of Taoist teachings and said:

"This is a new scroll of the Dao Ancestor's Scripture that I had someone bring back from the Forbidden City. Everyone should take a look, especially Fellow Daoist Qin Chuan. With your talent and comprehension, if you can understand anything, as always, we won't treat you unfairly."

He had high expectations for Qin Chuan.

This young man's talent has already been demonstrated. For a deputy director at such a young age, being good at handling affairs and quick-witted is not enough; it must be combined with talent to be truly effective.

"Oh, a new Daoist scripture?"

Qin Chuan also felt a little curious, so he picked up the scripture that was placed in front of him.

The Heavenly Essence Furnace reacted immediately upon contact.

[Item: Daoist Scripture]

[The latest treatise on the equality of all things, a work of enlightenment by the Daoist Ancestor of Nanhua in the Heavenly Court, has been published by the Langyin Palace of the Heavenly Court. It contains the "Dream Transformation into a Butterfly Heart Method," which can be refined or recycled into 100 Dharma Essences.]

The Butterfly Transformation Technique in Dreams?

Qin Chuan's heart stirred. The Nan Hua Heart Method in the Dao Ancestor's Scripture could calm the mind, prevent external disturbances, and keep one from being disturbed by inner demons, which was of great benefit when breaking through realms.

Today, although this mental cultivation method is only worth 100 Dharma Essences, the Dao Ancestor comprehended the Great Dao, and the methods derived from it all ultimately point directly to the Great Dao. This means that by continuously adding points, it can be elevated to the level that the Dao Ancestor comprehended.

After reading it without changing his expression, he didn't extract any insights on the spot, but instead addressed the people at the table:

"The Dao Ancestor's Scripture this time describes a realm as lofty as the heavens and as illusory as a dream. Although I was touched, I cannot grasp its true meaning for the time being. I will take it back and recite it often, and try to understand it more. Perhaps then I can gain something. Then I will share it with my fellow Daoists."

The others, upon hearing this, were not surprised.

They all read the scripture, and after reading it, they had the same feeling as Qin Chuan: that the realms described were illusory and unreal, just some abstract concepts, without any introductory steps or practical tips.

After the chanting and discussion concluded, everyone dispersed.

unexpectedly.

"Fellow Daoist Qin Chuan, please stay a moment. I have something to say to you privately," Chu Yunce called out to him. The others had already left by then.

Seeing this, they all wisely left early, leaving only Qin Chuan and Chu Yunce in the room.

"Brother Dao, what can I do for you?" Qin Chuan asked.

Chu Yuance smiled slightly, first scanning the room with his divine sense to confirm that it was quiet and no one was around, before slowly pouring Qin Chuan a cup of tea and saying, "Qin Chuan, what do you think of the Zhao Famo case that you are currently handling?"

Unable to grasp the other party's thoughts for a moment, Qin Chuan naturally said, "My local official has instructed that this case is not yet ready for trial. We must wait for him to consult with the temple and come up with a consensus from the temple before we can proceed with the trial."

Chu Yuance chuckled, "Qin Chuan, you just arrived today, and I already told everyone that the atmosphere among the temple's immortals is quite tense. Since it's just the two of us left, I'll be clear: Zhao Famo is implicated with Deputy County God Dugu Jue, as everyone in the temple knows. County God Sun's opinion is to thoroughly investigate and punish Zhao Famo. It's obvious she feels that County God Dugu Jue is no longer suitable for that position. The only ones who have chosen to side with County God Sun are the people from the Jing'an Bureau and our Han Changsheng. The other side is County God Gu Yuankang. Since June of last year, he has rarely voiced any opposition to County God Sun, but this time it's different."

"Why is it different?" Qin Chuan had some guesses about why County God Gu Yuankang had stopped opposing Sun Qinghan's opinions since June. After all, he had vaguely learned about Sun Qinghan's background from Liu Sangsang in Tianwai. He guessed that it might be because County God Gu Yuankang had been reminded or guided by his friend in Fudi.

But now, are you actually willing to confront Sun Qinghan again for the sake of Dugu Jue, the deputy county magistrate?
"This is a secret history. When County God Gu Yuankang was teaching at the Taoist school in Pingjiang Township, he was promoted by County God Dugu Jue, who was then serving as the head of the township temple in Pingjiang Township, and that's how he entered officialdom. Later, because County God Gu Yuankang was outstanding, he was praised when a celestial being from a blessed land came down to inspect the area, and thus he officially began working with Dugu Jue. This partnership lasted from the township to the county level, and the two had both a teacher-student relationship and a pure friendship among Taoists. However, later, because County God Dugu Jue was getting old, he had to give way to County God Gu Yuankang and offered to do some auxiliary work for County God Gu Yuankang during his inspection of blessed lands. That's how he was put in charge of the work in the Taoist field, but only as the deputy county god."

Chu Yunze explained, his tone filled with admiration:

"Given both the favor of his promotion and the kindness of his yielding, how could County God Gu Yuankang sit idly by and watch his old friend get into trouble in his last ten years or so? So after several arguments in the temple, he took the initiative to propose holding a meeting of the Taoist priests in the temple. This was a veiled suggestion of another solution, hoping that everyone could only criticize County God Dugu Jue for his involvement in some of the things at the meeting, make him blush and sweat, and that would be the end of it."

Qin Chuan listened carefully and attentively, and after listening, asked, "So, is that really how it ended up?"

"of course not."

Chu Yunce said:
“The county magistrate’s attitude was very firm. He said that investigating Zhao Famo and the life meeting were two different things. This attitude also affected Han Changsheng. After I understood the feelings of our Changsheng, I specially kept you behind because I wanted to have some heart-to-heart talk with you.”

Qin Chuan indicated that he was all ears.

"Qin Chuan, that earth official in your Immortal Inspection Bureau has always been a smart man. Now he is caught in the middle between the two groups and wavering. If he doesn't express his opinion, it will be difficult to launch a new round of interrogation and in-depth investigation of Zhao Famo."

Chu Yunce said:
“But you are a wandering spirit official, and you people below can actually be more flexible.”

Qin Chuan lowered his eyelids slightly, his gaze becoming more intense, and said, "Does Brother Dao mean for me to conduct an investigation privately?"

Chu Yunce said, "How can this be called private? You are a wandering spirit official, and it is your duty to patrol and inspect the Taoist priests of a county, regardless of their rank."

Qin Chuan pondered for two or three seconds, looked at the other party, and asked, "This is just your speculation about Han Changsheng's position, right?"

"It's not speculation, but an inevitable trend in the ecological development of certain temples."

Chu Yunce said:
"That's how the Daoist temple works. The elders occupy their positions for a long time, so not only can newcomers not rise to the top, but some senior immortals also have nowhere to move if they want to. Only when a position becomes vacant can the Longevity Position be filled. As the Longevity Position advances further, young people like us who are favored by those above also benefit from it."

He had served as the head of Han Changsheng's office for ten years, and of course he had long wanted to go down and train himself. However, a head of Changsheng's office could only become a deputy head of a township temple at most. If the head of the county god went down to train, he would start as a head of a township temple, and could even stay in some important township temples in the county temple.

"Qin Chuan, the dripping water from the eaves represents the passing down of generations, and you and I also need to find opportunities to improve."

Chu Yunze said meaningfully:

"On another note, you are someone that County God Sun Qinghan highly regards. Now that you are in such an important position, shouldn't you do your best for County God Sun?"

(End of this chapter)