After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Lin Zhixu didn't believe that this situation was a problem caused by God.

This isn't the first year that farmers have grown grain.

This year has been blessed with favorable weather and good harvests; without external factors, this situation would never have occurred.

He didn't explain further, thanked the old man, and headed towards the county town.

Since the request for help came from the government, the county government must have previous investigation files.

Instead of starting from scratch, it's better to see how far others have already gone.

Upon entering the county town, it was completely different from the Immortal Destiny City at the foot of Tianheng Sect Mountain, where cultivators gathered. Here, there was hardly a trace of cultivators.

The people coming and going on the street were all ordinary folks, dressed simply. Occasionally, someone would glance at him curiously, then quickly look away and lower their head to avoid him, for fear of offending this unknown dignitary.

Lin Zhixu arrived at the county government office without incident.

Two constables at the entrance were chatting idly by a pillar. When they saw him approaching, they both fell silent and their gazes lingered for a moment on his robes, which clearly indicated he was not a local.

One of the older men stepped forward, his tone respectful yet probing: "Young master, what brings you to the county office?"

Lin Zhixu waved the token in front of the two men: "Disciple of Tianheng Sect, here on orders. I wish to see your magistrate."

The two constables only felt something flash before their eyes, and they couldn't even see what was engraved on the token.

Even if they could see it clearly, they wouldn't recognize it as a celestial sect token.

But the three characters "Tianheng Sect" were heard clearly.

The two were stunned for a moment, then suddenly bowed deeply, almost hitting their heads on the door frame.

"I was unaware of your arrival, sir! I have failed to greet you properly!"

An immortal, a living immortal!

They knew that the county magistrate was extremely worried about the reduced crop yield these days.

It is said that they have run out of options and need to report to the immortal sects for help.

They even whispered among themselves about it.

Immortals are high above and busy with countless affairs of state; how could they possibly concern themselves with such trivial matters?

I never expected that a real immortal would stand right in front of me today.

A yamen runner led the way, looking extremely nervous and apprehensive.

The other one took off running towards the government office.

"My lord! My lord! The immortal has arrived—"

His voice was brimming with barely suppressed excitement, as if he would run away if he hesitated even a moment longer.

The magistrate was dozing off at his desk, his eyes dark and swollen, as if he'd been punched twice. It was clear he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days.

The constable called out twice before he jolted awake, lifting his head and springing up from his chair.

"Who? Who's here!?"

The constable exclaimed excitedly, "It's an immortal from the Tianheng Sect!"

The magistrate looked around excitedly, "Where is he?"

The constable said, "The person has been led to the front hall."

The magistrate's drowsiness vanished instantly, and he rushed outside.

He had just stepped out of the door when he abruptly stopped, looked down at his wrinkled official robe and the ink stains on his cuffs that he didn't know when he had gotten there, and quickly turned around and walked back.

He instructed, "Go and have someone treat you well, bring out the finest pastries and the most expensive tea; do not neglect your hospitality. I will wash my face, change my clothes, and be there immediately!"

The bailiffs readily agreed and dashed off to the main hall.

……

In the main hall, Lin Zhixu sat in the main seat, and the tea beside him had already been replaced four times.

The servants attending to him cautiously observed his expression, and their hearts trembled whenever they saw him furrow his brow slightly.

They were afraid of doing something wrong and offending this deity.

Lin Zhixu had long since abstained from grains and showed no interest whatsoever in the exquisite pastries spread across the table.

The tea was changed repeatedly as it cooled down, and then cooled down again. Half an hour passed, and the magistrate still hadn't shown up.

His voice held a hint of impatience: "How much longer does your magistrate have?"

The constable beside him lowered his head in fear and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Reporting back to the Immortal, our master has been working tirelessly on official business these past few days, and his appearance is quite disheveled. He is afraid of offending the Immortal, so he is currently washing and changing his clothes and will arrive in a moment."

The constable was also inwardly groaning, and was already itching to curse.

Lord Wang is not usually one to put on airs, so why is he being so long-winded today?

Does he, a rough and uncultured man, need to wear makeup?

The county magistrate didn't wear makeup, but he wasn't much different.

He hadn't slept for several days straight, and he hadn't even taken a bath. He was still wearing the same official robe from the day before yesterday, and it was almost stale. His own wife was so disgusted that she kicked him out.

Upon hearing that an immortal had arrived, fearing that his sour and smelly body might offend the immortal, he insisted on taking a bath, burning incense, and scrubbing himself from head to toe. He changed into a brand-new official robe and even shaved off his stubble before hurrying to the front hall.

The magistrate jogged into the main hall, and before he could catch his breath, he looked up and saw a handsome young man sitting in the main seat.

He looked at the boy and realized he wasn't much older than his son, and he was momentarily stunned.

However, he quickly came to his senses.

Those in the immortal sects have mastered the art of preserving their youth, so it's quite normal for them to look young. Perhaps this person looks young, but is actually older than his grandfather; one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"Your humble servant, Wang Minde, greets the Immortal Master!"

He lifted his robe to kneel down, but found that his knees were being held up by something, and he couldn't bend them down no matter what.

Looking up, he saw Lin Zhixu withdraw his hand and say in a calm tone, "No need to kneel anymore, let's get down to business."

The magistrate was both surprised and amazed. The slight doubt he had about the other person's age vanished instantly, and his attitude became even more respectful.

"I'm here about the harvest in Qingxi Village. Please bring your previous investigation files."

The magistrate was prepared and quickly sent someone to fetch the case file.

Lin Zhixu looked at each page, which was densely covered with writing, and could tell that he had indeed put in a lot of effort.

The government's investigation focused on two lines.

The two problems are water source and pests.

The water source was checked upstream and downstream, but no traces of poisoning were found. The pest infestation was also ruled out.

While eliminating pests is a good thing, the strange thing is that the field is too clean; not only are there no pests, but there aren't even any weeds. This is not normal.

As for the deeper reasons, the government's methods were clearly inadequate.

He flipped through a few more pages and noticed a detail.

Qingxi Village was the first to report the disaster and was also the hardest hit.

However, several neighboring villages subsequently developed the same symptoms, albeit with a noticeable delay.

"Which field first showed abnormalities?" He closed the file.

"Old Li's family at the east end of the village," the county magistrate recalled. "His fields are at the foot of the mountain, and they used to have the best harvests, but this year they were the first to wither."

Lin Zhixu stood up: "Come on, take me to see."

……

The county magistrate led Lin Zhixu to Old Li's field at the east end of the village.

This field is even more withered than the one at the entrance of the village.

Logically speaking, this field is located right at the foot of the mountain, on slightly higher ground, with a stream flowing down from a nearby mountain valley, just around the edge of the field. It is one of the best farmlands in the village.

"The people of Qingxi Village have relied on the mountains and rivers for generations, and the village's output is the highest compared to other villages. This land has always been the most productive in terms of grain."

The county magistrate stood on the edge of the field, his voice full of sighs, "This time it's like our luck suddenly ran out. The yield has dropped drastically, and the grains aren't plump. Other villages have already started harvesting, but Qingxi Village is still dragging its feet."

"With such a severe reduction in production, even if we harvest everything and pay a portion of the grain tax, there won't be much left. This year's work will have been for nothing."