The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

"My name is Li Yi. Please have a seat."

Li Yi returned the greeting with clasped hands, called over Zhang Junyi, introduced them to each other, and then invited everyone to sit down at the dining table. He instructed Lao Wang to bring a pot of tea and breakfast.

As soon as Zhong Ziqi entered the main hall, he looked around at the furnishings and felt that this junior officer was indeed frugal, without even a screen, and he ate his meals at a table set up in the central hall.

Of course, this is how a junior officer's residence should be, but reality often differs from imagination.

He took off his hood, revealing an oval bun, which did indeed give him an ethereal air.

"To be honest, my family has some connections in the capital area. Fearing that it would damage the family's reputation outside, we couldn't make a big fuss about it, so we used my cousin's name. My joining the army this time is also at the behest of my elders, and there's nothing ulterior motive involved."

Li Yi raised an eyebrow. "Then I shall address you as Ziqi from now on?"

The handsome man curled the corners of his lips. "No need. Brother Li, you can call me 'Wen Ding' in private."

Chung Wending.

"A good name!" Li Yi praised. "I wonder how long Wen Ding plans to stay?"

A complex expression flashed across Chung Wending's brows. "I can't say for sure. Maybe it's not very long, maybe it's very long."

In short, it can't be short?

Li Yi's lips twitched. Fortunately, he had a decent impression of the person and didn't feel any resistance to him.

"It seems that Wen Ding has some unspeakable difficulties. I am not that curious, but I would like to give my brother some advice."

"Please feel free to speak."

"I have a sworn brotherhood with Zhong Ming, and I will naturally address Wending as a brother in the future. However, on the surface, I will call you 'Ziqi,' so you should save face for me."

"That's natural."

Li Yi nodded slightly and continued:

"Secondly, as a Qi cultivator, you were ordered by your elders to join the army, but you are unable to advance or exchange for military merits. Over time, you will inevitably feel resentful. If you trust me, you can attribute your military merits to me in the future. Whatever you want to exchange for, I can do it for you."

"That's not bad." Zhong Wending chuckled. "However, the sudden appearance of a Qi cultivator in the ranks is bound to attract attention. Unless it's a critical moment, I'll try to avoid taking action."

It seems they have a large and powerful family, and indeed look down on such military achievements.

Li Yi nodded again, "One last thing, brother, you are staying under my command, and you must not disobey my orders in official matters. If I believe that your presence is harmful to my position, you must immediately eliminate the threat."

"That's only to be expected."

Chung Wending smiled and agreed, "Then it's settled?"

"It's settled," Li Yi said. "However, the centurion is busy preparing troops these days, so we'll have to go to the government office to see her later."

Zhong Ming seemed to have accomplished something, and said in a light tone:

"Then I thank you in advance, Brother Li. My cousin is a bit unconventional, so please be understanding."

He shifted his gaze to Zhang Junyi, who had been sitting silently and gracefully, and smiled:

"I never knew that Brother Li had such a dignified and virtuous wife; she is truly the envy of everyone."

Zhang Junyi's neck was slightly flushed, but she did not refute it. With the demeanor of a mistress, she self-deprecatingly said:

"Please don't think too highly of Yi-ge'er. He can be quite stubborn at times. With you two brothers helping out, my daughter feels much more at ease."

Zhong Wending laughed heartily, "A gentleman's friendship is as light as water. Who doesn't have a few flaws after spending a long time together? Brothers should be tolerant of each other."

Li Yi immediately raised his glass, "Well said!"

The four of them downed their tea in one gulp, as boldly as if they were drinking alcohol.

That evening, Li Yi took Zhong Wending to the government office, where the general's household registration was officially established, and the latter was thus officially employed.

Upon hearing that it was related to Zhong Ming, Gongsun Ling did not say much and had no doubts.

Although Zhong Ming had some reputation in the garrison, it was earned through his own abilities. No one cared about his family background, let alone his clan.

Seeing that everything had settled down, Zhong Wending felt neither joy nor sorrow, and simply settled down in the manor.

He learned that Li Yi and the others went to the Commander's Mansion every day to practice the four arts of cavalry and sentry, so he joined in the fun and was glanced at by the instructor.

Mr. Xu was there every day, seemingly taking on all the reading and writing duties. Apart from a few people who knew the situation, everyone else treated him as an ordinary lecturer.

Apart from the first lesson which contained some inexplicable content, he never strayed from the topic and continued to teach and lecture in a methodical manner.

He would sometimes get angry because of the students' stupidity, but most of the time he would wear a cold face, not much different from the mentors in the academy.

Zhong Wending was arranged to stay in Yang Lin's small courtyard. Although the living conditions were vastly different from his previous ones and he felt somewhat uncomfortable, he did not complain.

A few days later, Li Erhu and the others gradually became familiar with Zhong Wending, and there was no barrier between them.

Although Erhu, Guantian, and Liuzhi were unaware of their actual cultivation levels, Zhong Wending knew them all perfectly well.

Being able to spend his days joking and bantering with a few people of low cultivation level, he certainly doesn't seem arrogant, and his anomaly wouldn't disrupt the atmosphere of the manor.

After observing for a few days, Li Yi gradually felt at ease, and the five of them started going out and coming in together, and their relationship warmed up quickly.

……

One day, Li Yi took Li Erhu to the local temple in the county town. Before they could offer incense, Qin Kaixian's spirit appeared and pulled the two of them into the temple.

The land temple is not large, with a courtyard similar to that of a small official's residence. People come and go to offer incense at various times of the day.

Now that Li Erhu's spiritual cave has been opened, he can also see Qin Kaixian. From the moment he entered the earth god temple, he began to look around and flatter him:

"What an impressive temple!"

Qin Kaixian chuckled, "Back in the Immortal Dynasty, someone like the River God or the Earth God would at most have a shrine. Now that the divine path has declined, that's why I'm able to take advantage of it."

He sized up Li Erhu, "Young brother, you seem to be on the same path as me, both cultivating the earth element."

Li Yi quickly put on a smile and seized the opportunity to interject, "That's right! Erhu has only recently entered the Daoist path, and it just so happens that he has a connection with Brother Qin. Why don't we have him stay here for some time each day?"

Li Erhu was delighted to hear this. He had sensed the rich earth energy in this place as soon as he entered!

Even disciples of immortal sects would need to be at least inner disciples, or even personal disciples, to occupy such a place rich in spiritual energy, right?

The blessed land of immortals was openly established within the county town, yet not a single earth-element cultivator dared to use it for cultivation, demonstrating the reverence people held for the gods.

That being said, as long as Qin Kaixian remains the local official, the earth energy of the entire city will gradually become richer, and even without entering a temple, it will be of great benefit over time.

Qin Kai snorted twice, "Taking advantage of me without even giving me a benefit, wouldn't it be better to have a vision?"

Damn it, I, the supreme deity, have spoken, so why don't you obey my orders!

Unable to say it outright, Li Yi could only indulge in the fantasy of being a celestial official in his mind, and chuckled:

Why bring this up between brothers...?

He changed the subject, saying with concern, "In a few days, we will be setting off on a campaign. At that time, my sister-in-law and her child will remain in the village. I am worried about them. Brother, please persuade them to move to the city."

Qin Kaixian frowned. He had spent most of his time cultivating in temples since becoming a god, and he was unsure if there was anything wrong with it. He asked:

"Is there trouble?"