Chapter Twenty-Three: Promotion

  At this time, Zhang Qing loudly sang: "The auspicious hour has arrived, please welcome the god!"

  Zhang Jingyun's face was flushed with excitement, and with a wave of his hand, the red cloth fell away, revealing the image of the land god. The crowd looked on in awe as they saw that it was an image of a young official, dressed in a ninth-grade official uniform, with a majestic demeanor, identical to the images of the land gods in the other four villages.

  Zhang Jingyun lit the first incense stick and bowed respectfully.

  Zhang Qing followed and lit the second incense stick, also bowing down. The rest of the people, according to their seniority, lit incense sticks one after another. Before long, the entire temple was enveloped in smoke, making the villagers feel even more solemn. At this time, everyone had finished lighting their incense sticks, and Zhang Jingyun led them to bow down collectively once again.

  At this moment, Fang Ming was just above the statue, and as the Qingxi villagers collectively bowed down, the golden seal on his head shook violently and grew a bit larger. White air surged in, transforming into thin strands of red air, and the red energy on his own head rapidly increased, soon occupying half of the total energy.

  The internal divine power also transformed continuously, with half of it turning into red divine power, constantly wrapping around the divine seal. After a moment, the divine seal was upgraded, and the characters became even more mysterious, but Fang Ming understood the meaning at a glance: "Rank 8 Qingxiang Village Land God Position". The divine seal radiated light, and a red and white alternating glow burst out from inside, rushing into Fang Ming's sea of consciousness.

  Fang Ming's head spun and he immediately came to, this time obtaining a new divine ability "Divided Spirit Possession", which could consume a large amount of spiritual energy, divide his spirit, attach it to an ordinary person's body, and the longer the duration, the greater the consumption.

  Fang Ming was overjoyed, and soon his body flashed with red and white light. His original ninth-grade official uniform also changed to an eighth-grade official uniform, making him look even more dignified. Originally, when Fang Ming was promoted to the eighth grade, he could have changed his uniform, but unfortunately, all the villages had already made statues of the ninth-grade officials at that time. It was possible to change it, but there was no point in doing so, and it would be better to save divine power for now and come back to it later with a divine sign.

  As soon as the thought moved, a red divine power surged out, and the land god statue was suddenly wrapped in red light, startling the crowd below. Zhang Jingyun's mouth opened wide, staring at this strange scene, but he couldn't say a word.

  The villagers around were even more at a loss, and in an instant, the red light dissipated. The land god statue was still majestic and solemn, with a youthful appearance, but seemed somewhat different. At this time, Zhang Qing suddenly said: "Official uniform... official uniform has changed, changed to eighth-grade official uniform..."

  The villager looked carefully and indeed the official uniform of the ninth rank on the statue had disappeared, replaced by that of the eighth rank: wearing a Liang crown on his head, wearing a red Luo upper garment outside, wearing white socks and black shoes on his feet, with a leather belt around his waist and a pendant, especially on his chest, embroidered with a yellow oriole, which is the symbol of a civil official of the eighth rank in the Great Qing dynasty.

  They all knelt down, saying "The land god has manifested his spirit!", "The land god blesses us!", "The land god is mighty!" and so on.

  Fang Ming smiled slightly, earlier he not only modified the statue of this village's land god, but also the statues of the land gods of the other four villages, it's just that too many statues were asked to be returned, and modifying them would waste too much divine energy, so they weren't touched.

  Even so, it is still an extraordinary miracle, especially in the former great drought without divine intervention.

  This move by Fang Ming is actually borrowing from the methods of Western gods, displaying divine signs, gathering followers and deepening faith.

  It was originally just a casual try, but now it looks like the effect is great. Through the faith line, Fang Ming can clearly see that the number of ordinary believers in the other four villages has increased by more than 150 people, and the number of devout believers has also increased by twenty or so, greatly increasing his income.

  In Qingxi Township, more than 500 people have become his ordinary followers, and there are also a dozen or so devout believers. This is the harvest from the very beginning, which makes Fang Ming very satisfied.

  At the same time, I also understand that Western gods often show miracles after being deified, and there is a reason for this. Of course, what kind of miracle has the best effect for the first time, and if it happens many times, it's not worth anything. But Fang Ming is now in the early stages of his career, and he can't afford to think about that much.

  Night had fallen, and because the villagers were richer than the townspeople, inside Qingxi Village, one could still see a few flickering lights, like fireflies twinkling.

  In the temple of the land god, in the great hall, Fang Ming was holding a grand feast for all his officials.

  Because Qingxi Village has more than 200 households and over a thousand villagers, the Land Temple was built extremely large. The small temples of about one to two mu in the surrounding four villages are naturally incomparable. Moreover, Fang Ming's on-the-spot display of divine signs deepened people's faith, and the temple's sphere of influence is also extremely large, covering an area of nearly 100 mu, which greatly surprised and delighted Fang Ming.

  Fang Ming made an on-the-spot decision and immediately set about relocating the entire headquarters of Qingyu Village to this location.

  This main hall was also built grandly and spaciously, big enough to hold a hundred people for a feast. Today being a great joyous occasion, he ordered a grand banquet, even inviting the elderly and weak from Qing Shan village to come together.

  Fang Ming sat in the main seat, and below him were rows of ghosts, each with their own seat. In front of them was a flat table filled with chicken, duck, fish, meat, fine wine, and fruit, making for a sumptuous feast.

  In secret, he let out a sigh, and could only use his divine power to transform the offerings and food he had eaten into something else. Some things from his past life were quite strange and couldn't be displayed, so all that was left were these. Although they seemed abundant to the villagers, if taken to the county or prefecture, they might seem a bit lacking. He thought to himself that maybe later he should go find a powerful chef ghost.

  However, at this time, these dishes were just decent enough. The ghosts ate with great relish, and even He Yaqing, although feeling that the food was a bit coarse, thought to himself that as a ghost, he couldn't even eat the plain rice balls of the mortal world, so he could only smile wryly and start eating quickly.

  At this time, Guo Sheng stepped forward, made a toast and said: "Congratulations to the master, for annihilating the enemy and expanding the foundation of Qingxi Village. It is indeed a joyous occasion worthy of celebration! I have a poem to present to you, to add to the festive atmosphere!"

  Fang Ming played with his wine cup, smiled and savored the taste. This was still his first time hearing a toast poem from another world. He Dong and Zheng Kuan, although they had some knowledge of literature, didn't know these literary tricks, so they said: "Do you have a poem? Recite it quickly!"

  Only heard Guo Shengqing sing: "Not sparing a thousand gold to buy a precious sword, sable fur exchanged for wine is also worthy of a hero. A bellyful of hot blood cherished and valued, spilled out can still turn into blue waves."

  The sound lingered on, circling around the beams without stopping. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and He Yuqing was the first to react, saying: "Good! This poem is wonderful!"

  Fang Ming drained the wine in his cup and clapped his hands, laughing loudly with extreme delight.

  He Dong, on the other hand, was grinding his teeth and wondering if he should also go find some books to read.

  But at this time, it can't be shown on the face, and a smiling face must be put on, with words of praise.

  After Guo Sheng, although no one came out to recite poetry, the atmosphere had already been stirred up. A group of people drank wine and ate dishes, gradually letting loose, and the banquet was filled with laughter and conversation, with cups and plates scattered all over.

  After the banquet, He Dong and Wang Liulang received a message from Fang Ming and came to the study to discuss matters. Although they had drunk some wine, the degree was low, and they were also yin souls, so with a burst of spiritual energy, all the intoxication disappeared.

  The main hall of the land temple is too large, and with just a few people, including Fang Ming's subordinates, who are considered core members, it looks too empty.

  The Fa domain is vast and wide, and Fang Ming has set aside a study room, about the size of the Qingyu Village Fa Domain Grand Hall, just right for discussing matters.

  The study is tastefully laid out, thanks to He Yuqing's arrangement. The bookshelves are filled with classic works from around the world, exuding a strong literary atmosphere and a sense of refinement.

  He Yuqing led Guo Sheng, with Fang Ming's help, transformed into a book as long as he thought of the article in his heart, Fang Ming could turn the article into a book for keepsake, this magical skill made He Yuqing stunned.

  Fang Ming also roughly flipped through it and found that the classic articles in this world were very similar to those in his previous life, and those before the Qin Dynasty were basically the same, which made him click his tongue in wonder! At the same time, he was secretly thinking about the relationship between the two worlds.

  Fang Ming took a glance and saw Wang Liu Lang, Xie Jin, He Dong, Guo Sheng, Zheng Kuan and others were all there. He nodded slightly and said: "Since the foundation has been moved to this place, some arrangements should be changed!"

  Wang Liu Lang and He Dong exchanged a glance, then knelt down together, saying: "Please instruct us, Your Excellency!"

  Fang Ming nodded and said, "First, the four villages of Yīn Bīng, Qīng Yù, Qīng Shān, Dà Chāng, and Yuán Hé will each leave one squad to garrison in their respective territories. The elderly and weak will continue to be supported in Qīng Shān village. As for the remaining two fires, they will be stationed here. I have allocated 50 mu of land as a military camp!"

  "King Liu Lang, Xie Jin, each of you will take charge of one area. King Liu Lang's troops will be stationed in Qingyu and Qingshan villages, while Xie Jin's troops will be stationed in Dachang and Yuanhe villages. In peacetime, they will conduct drills and patrol the villages to drive away evil spirits. Although the villagers have protection, it is still necessary for the secret soldiers to check for any deficiencies and fill in the gaps. This matter is of great importance, so you must do a good job!"

  Wang Liu Lang, Xie Jin led the army in a military salute, saying: "The banner is under orders!"

  "He Dong, you lead the team to register and record the believers in Qingxi Village, including their incense money. You should be familiar with this matter, but there are four villages in Qingxi Village, and the work is complicated. You and Guo Sheng must do a good job, and if you succeed, I will reward you!" Fang Ming nodded his head and turned to He Dong.

  "I'll do it for my master! I'd die a thousand deaths if necessary! How could I be tempted by rewards? My master can rest assured, this old slave will stake his life to get the job done perfectly!" He Dong's face showed loyalty, but in his heart he was secretly delighted, and led his subordinates to take orders.

  "Hmm, you can do it this way, and I'll be at ease." Fang Ming understood He Dong's thoughts more clearly, but who doesn't have a little selfishness? As long as it doesn't affect his major affairs, then there's no need to bother with it.

  So Fang Ming nodded and said: "Generally speaking, it's just these things. If you have nothing else to report, then you can withdraw!"

  He Dong and Wang Liulang exchanged a glance with several others before retreating.

  Fang Ming closed his eyes and thought about the grand plan for the future.

  Qingxi Township has already reported the matter of the ancestral spirit's extinction to the higher authorities, but Cao Si-Ling, a Taoist priest from the Ghost-Forbidden Department, was ordered to provide support. The county government had no choice but to put the matter on file and wait for Lingzhu's return to handle it, so there is still time.

  It's the Zhang family, they've been quiet since the land temple was built, and no one came to participate today, making Li Da Zhuang's intention to shake the scene fall through, seemingly with ulterior motives, should be vigilant.

  Qingxi Township is already in hand, where should we go next?

  Thinking of this, I thought of the policy of rural areas surrounding cities in the past. However, thinking carefully, Daqian Village has a sparse population, and even if all the villagers from each township in Anchang County are added up, they still can't match the number of people in the county seat. Moreover, the distance between each township is too far, it's exhausting and hard to control.

  Moreover, in a chaotic world, as long as there is war, it's another massive death toll. In a chaotic world, only by defending the city can we preserve a large number of followers.

  And even if the villagers were armed, they couldn't beat the regular army. Why? They can't even eat enough, their equipment is not good, and their organization is chaotic. In the past, the Yellow Turbans were often chased by the imperial army with less than ten times their own strength, and finally eliminated.

  It seems that I have to develop myself, and the next step is only in the county town. It just so happens that I have obtained the divine ability of dividing my spirit and possessing a body. Shouldn't I go take a look at the situation?

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