Chapter 441: 440. Chapter 435: The Scapegoat Has Arrived

"Who are you?" Someone approached as Ding Huan stepped inside.

Ding Huan smiled: "I'm Lu Renjia, newly hired as an Immortal Agronomist. Here's my credential plaque."

As he spoke, Ding Huan handed his credential plaque to the man.

The man was tall, with short hair, dressed in the official attire of the Immortal Agriculture Department.

He glanced at Ding Huan, then at the plaque, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Someone actually came to apply for the position of Immortal Agronomist? The Immortal Agriculture Department had posted this recruitment only to show the Immortal Court that they were making efforts to fix things.

According to the Immortal Agriculture Department's expectations, no one would come to apply. Whether anyone applied didn't matter—they were just putting on a show for their superiors.

If someone did come to apply, that was even better—because that person would be the scapegoat.

Who would have thought someone actually showed up to be the scapegoat? Could this Lu Renjia be mentally deficient?

But now that he'd been hired by the Immortal Agriculture Department, they had to assign him a place.

"Do I need to meet the Standard-Bearer Immortal?" Ding Huan asked proactively.

The man shook his head and returned Ding Huan's credential plaque:

"No need to meet the Standard-Bearer Immortal. I'm Chen Guan, on duty today. Follow me."

He found it amusing—even if Ding Huan were a legitimately hired Immortal Agronomist, he still wouldn't have the status to meet the Standard-Bearer Immortal.

Clearly, this newcomer knew nothing at all—no wonder he came to apply for the position of Immortal Agronomist.

Chen Guan took Ding Huan to collect all necessary items: clothing, an array token granting access to the Immortal Agriculture Department's paddy fields, a jade slip detailing department rules, and a brief summary of the department's glorious history.

Upon arriving somewhere new, one must first understand the rules.

Ding Huan naturally wouldn't make a basic mistake—he had a powerful spiritual sense and quickly scanned the jade slip; its contents were clearly written.

New Immortal Agronomists entering the department must cultivate at least five mu of Immortal Spirit Rice.

Each mu must yield at least one hundred jin of low-grade Immortal Spirit Rice, or fifty jin of mid-grade Immortal Spirit Rice, annually.

If high-grade Immortal Spirit Rice is grown, only ten jin per mu must be submitted; for supreme-grade Immortal Spirit Rice, only one jin per mu.

Ding Huan read the summary of the Immortal Agriculture Department's glorious history.

Throughout the entire history of the Immortal Agriculture Department, only one person had ever grown supreme-grade Immortal Spirit Rice.

After gaining a clear understanding, Ding Huan put everything away.

Chen Guan led Ding Huan through the buildings to the edge of a lake.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense swept across—the opposite shore was divided into neatly arranged paddy fields.

Each field's edge had a cultivation cave; both the fields and caves were protected by arrays.

"Chen Duty Officer, can I choose my own field?" Ding Huan asked, gazing at the rows of fields.

Chen Guan looked at this somewhat naive fellow and sighed inwardly, speaking as gently as he could:

"Lu Renjia, I'll be honest with you—this recruitment exists because our Immortal Spirit Rice has encountered problems.

The Immortal Agriculture Department must submit a portion of Immortal Spirit Rice to the Immortal Court in one month. Since you've applied, you must complete this task.

Normally, Immortal Spirit Rice takes three months to mature. Growing it in one month isn't impossible—but it requires… experience."

Even Chen Guan himself couldn't comfort Ding Huan—experience?

That was laughable. Growing Immortal Spirit Rice in one month required more than experience—it demanded complete mastery of every trait of the rice, plus an abundance of rare heavenly treasures.

Ding Huan couldn't miss the subtext—this scapegoat role was his for sure.

Even if he grew Immortal Spirit Rice within a month, could one man's harvest possibly meet the Immortal Agriculture Department's quota?

Chen Guan was merely warning him: enjoy this month, then become the sacrificial lamb.

Ding Huan pretended not to understand.

Chen Guan pointed to several fields enclosed by protective arrays: "As a newcomer, you may choose five mu—or more.

But the amount of Immortal Spirit Rice required per mu is fixed—no exceptions."

Ding Huan walked to a secluded corner of the lake and pointed to a field enclosed by an array: "I'll take this one."

"Field Xin-31. Fine. Just imprint your mark on the array marker." Chen Guan gestured to the identification plaque outside the field.

Ding Huan had read the rules—imprinting his mark on the field's identification plaque meant he was now responsible for it.

Without hesitation, Ding Huan not only left his mark but also carved his name: Lu Renjia.

Seeing Ding Huan finish, Chen Guan hesitated before saying: "Then I'll leave you now. If you have any questions, just ask someone in the Immortal Agriculture Department."

Ding Huan had thought Chen Guan was an honest man—turns out he was no different.

"Chen Duty Officer, where do I get the rice seeds for these five mu?"

Chen Guan smiled awkwardly: "I'll take you to collect them."

He didn't refuse to take Ding Huan because he didn't want to—rather, he hoped Ding Huan would forget and go himself, sparing him the awkwardness.

He truly didn't want to watch Ding Huan get tricked again and again.

Not just Ding Huan, the scapegoat—even normal newcomers always got tricked.

As they returned with Chen Guan, Ding Huan asked: "Can the rice seeds be purchased?"

"They can be bought, but many outside sources store them improperly—the germination rate is extremely low…"

Perhaps feeling pity for Ding Huan's situation, he added: "Outside, this Immortal Spirit Rice is usually only low-grade. But its origin isn't simple…"

"Where does it come from?" Ding Huan asked instinctively.

Chen Guan chuckled: "Rumored to originate from a higher realm—it wasn't originally Immortal Spirit Rice at all, and had a much nicer name.

I've also heard the highest-grade variety grows faint golden stripes; if such rice is harvested, a single grain can significantly boost cultivation.

Our Immortal Agriculture Department once grew supreme-grade Immortal Spirit Rice—pale purple."

"That powerful?" Ding Huan was also startled.

Rice alone—cultivators don't even need to eat it, and it can still raise someone's cultivation?

"Maybe even more powerful than I said. My master told me about it." Shen Guan said.

As the two talked, they arrived at the rice-seed distribution counter.

The one handing out the rice seeds was a young woman. She glanced at Shen Guan, then let her gaze fall on Ding Huan.

Before she could speak, Ding Huan held out his identity token: "I'm the immortal-plant official Lu Renjia on Xin-numbered Field Thirty-One. I need to collect rice seeds and the related supplies."

The woman didn't waste words with Ding Huan. She checked his identity token, then grabbed a storage bag and tossed it out.

Ding Huan didn't reach for the storage bag; it landed on the counter.

"What? You want me to deliver it into your hand?" Contempt flickered in the woman's eyes.

Ding Huan said flatly: "I farm five mu of fields. If the rice comes out in one month, by regulation I'm entitled to double the rice seeds—one catty. You only gave me half a catty.

And you didn't give me any immortal crystals or fertilizer. I have no way at all to make the seeds sprout."

This time not only the young woman, but even Shen Guan, shot Ding Huan a surprised look.

These rules are recorded, but the jade slip of regulations for the Immortal Farming Department is extremely long, and this particular note is at the very end in an extremely tiny font.

Many newcomers get taken advantage of precisely because they overlook these, and once you've been cheated, coming back to claim the difference isn't allowed.

He hadn't expected Ding Huan to notice any of this.

The young woman swept a glance at Shen Guan. Shen Guan's face turned bitter—he really hadn't told Ding Huan any of this.

Ding Huan vaguely understood why Shen Guan hadn't mentioned the rice-seed business.

The woman could only take the storage bag back, change the lower-grade rice seeds to one catty, then add in ten thousand high-grade immortal crystals and a packet of fertilizer.

Ding Huan still didn't take it. He only said flatly: "The immortal crystals aren't enough. Ten thousand high-grade immortal crystals is barely the minimum spiritual source for a three-month rice harvest."

Actually the fertilizer wasn't enough either, but Ding Huan's divine sense had swept over that fertilizer and he didn't want it at all.

The young woman was riled up by Ding Huan:

"Take it or leave it. Every single ridge in the Immortal Farming Department has an immortal spiritual vein planted in it. I'm giving you ten thousand high-grade immortal crystals and you still aren't satisfied.

What? Are you not here to farm immortal spiritual rice, but to get rich?"

Ding Huan held up a crystal orb and said: "I just recorded everything you said. If you're sure you won't add more immortal crystals, I'll take these rice seeds and immortal crystals and walk away.

Since what you're giving me is the spiritual source for a three-month harvest, I'll deliver the immortal spiritual rice in three months. If you don't object, I'll take that as your agreement."

Saying that, Ding Huan reached out and grabbed for the storage bag.

The young woman's face changed. Who didn't know the Immortal Farming Department was in a panic right now? They'd brought Ding Huan in to be the scapegoat.

If Ding Huan had a crystal orb like that, wouldn't she herself be the scapegoat?

She hurriedly snatched the storage bag back, then tossed ninety thousand more high-grade immortal crystals into it:

"Now there are a hundred thousand high-grade immortal crystals inside, one catty of immortal spiritual rice seed. All of this is the condition for a one-month harvest. Take it or leave it."

Ding Huan didn't waste a single word. He grabbed the storage bag with crisp decisiveness.

"Shen Dangzhi, thank you." After thanking Shen Guan, Ding Huan turned and left.

He needed time to cultivate, and he had no backing—he couldn't press the issue indefinitely.

Otherwise what he'd have demanded wouldn't be a hundred thousand immortal crystals, but several times that.

Shen Guan lowered his head and left. He really hadn't told Ding Huan any of this in advance.

Who could have known Ding Huan would, in such a short time, first study all the various regulations?

If you say Ding Huan is shrewd, he actually came to apply for this scapegoat job; if you say he's foolish, his performance today shows no trace of foolishness at all.

As Ding Huan walked out of the rice-seed distribution counter, his heart was still reeling.

Growing immortal spiritual rice in the Immortal Farming Department was just too profitable—the minimum spiritual source handed out started at ten thousand high-grade immortal crystals.

He could say that, if he weren't the scapegoat, he absolutely could never have landed such a good job as immortal-plant official.