Chapter 261: Zhang Xue (4K)

Zombies are an extremely terrifying kind of monster in heaven and earth.

From the moment they are born, they cause heavenly and earthly anomalies, turning a thousand miles of land into scorched earth.

Such beings can be called legendary evil objects; each appearance brings great disaster.

Zhang Jian originally wanted to manifest his Yang Spirit to go see the excitement.

With his Yin Spirit's substance transformed into Yang Spirit, he can now appear in broad daylight, without worrying about enduring the vicious solar true fire in the void or various adverse winds.

But after glancing briefly at the somewhat fatigued Qi Yuhua beside him, his heart stirred, and he simply decided not to join the fun.

Sometimes less curiosity means less unnecessary trouble!

However, Zhang Jian's vast divine sense clearly sensed streaks of divine light swiftly passing through the high sky—these were cultivators coming to join the excitement.

……

In Haojing City, within the imperial city, the Yin-Erosion True Person Chaomu appeared as if his buttocks were on fire, his form manifesting above the firmament.

The soaring corpse-fiend, accompanied by boundless red light, violently stirred the hitherto tranquil spiritual field of heaven and earth like a 'shit-stirring stick'.

Fierce and intense corpse qi, like a massive stone dropped into calm water, stirred up countless ripples!

In Chaomu's primordial spirit and divine sense, there was nowhere to hide.

His eyes sank.

Like Zhang Jian, the thought of 'zombie' instantly flashed through his mind.

This is a monster surpassing flying corpses.

Among the zombie clan, it is an existence standing at the top of the food chain, an extraordinary being on par with flying yakshas, blood corpse kings, and corpse gods.

"It seems I have trouble again!"

A hint of gloom appeared in Chaomu's eyes.

The appearance of a drought zombie of this level naturally cannot be handled by ordinary Daoists of the Qintian Terrace; it is best left to these few state-protecting true persons.

The other few state-protecting true persons each have their own duties; only he can move about freely.

At this time, Chaomu suspected that some sect was giving him trouble, or perhaps it was simply a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain!

But even if it was a yang plot, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it.

……

Deep in the Dragon Vein

Yuan Geng sat cross-legged in the Qitian Bureau; seeing Chaomu come in from outside, he felt somewhat helpless, guessed Chaomu's purpose, and waved his hand.

"Daoist Chaomu, you see, I am very busy now!"

Chaomu sighed.

"Daoist Brother Yuan, I am also very busy, but the safety of Haojing City can only be entrusted to you!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Yuan Geng also knew this time he could not avoid it, and thus said:

"Daoist Brother Chaomu, I will never see you again next time!"

Chaomu was not bothered, and said calmly:

"As for that one deep in the Dragon Vein, if not necessary, do not disturb him; we must ensure he successfully cultivates his treasure!"

After a slight pause, he added: "Otherwise, I might just have offended someone for nothing!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Yuan Geng snorted: "You are fortunate; at least you can still run around, while I have not left this place for several hundred years!"

Upon hearing this, Chaomu shook his head.

"Who let you go steal treasures from the orthodox sects? This is your own doing!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Yuan Geng raised his eyebrows, about to retort, but the words on his lips could not be spoken.

He also felt somewhat helpless in his eyes.

Some things cannot be blamed on him.

Daoist Yuan Geng finally grew somewhat impatient, waved his hand, and said:

"Alright, you may go in; stop chattering here!"

Upon hearing this, Chaomu glanced at Yuan Geng, lifted his foot, and stepped into the Dragon Vein.

Half an hour later, the terrifying killing qi emanating from deep within the Dragon Vein gradually dissipated, and streaks of red light faded away.

……

In Haojing City, at the Zheng Prince's Manor, a graceful figure gazed eastward toward the Eastern Mausoleum, seeing in the deep, mysterious void an inexplicable malevolent force gradually gathering, her pupils rippling with a hint of waves.

"What exactly is the Great Qian Royal Family refining?"

The Holy Maiden Jindi pondered with her eyes sunk in thought.

Her eyes flickered, and in her mind flashed the information collected by the Jindi Sect over many years; many clues surfaced, yet she could never grasp that thread of spiritual insight.

After a moment, she suppressed the thoughts in her heart.

As a cultivator, she has ample time and patience to wait, and she is now approaching the truth!

She furrowed her brows, constantly checking for gaps and making up for deficiencies; since Zhao Cheng's exposure half a year ago, she has decisively stopped the idea of tampering with the many maiden candidates.

The three evil seeds in her hands, however, had fallen onto three other backup hosts.

Unable to infiltrate her methods into the imperial palace, she indeed felt some regret, but did not mind.

The three backup hosts were equally outstanding; if controlled, they could produce remarkable effects in the future.

At this very moment, she glanced toward the pavilion corridor and saw a girl in maid's attire hurrying over, who slightly bowed and said:

"Your Highness, His Majesty is calling for you!"

"I know!"

She lightly nodded, her palace attire splendid, and turned to return to the palace.

……

In Haojing City, with the arrival of the first snowfall of winter, the entire city was filled with a dampness that hit the face.

Yet around Haojing City, it was bustling with activity.

Before the Great Agricultural Temple, a long queue stretched like a dragon, with many people eagerly waiting.

Moreover, many commoners, fully equipped, were shoveling snow.

The fundamental reason they were queuing here was that the Great Agricultural Temple was today holding an event where shoveling snow would earn free vegetable and fruit seeds.

The random distribution of various vegetable seeds naturally made the citizens of Haojing City very enthusiastic.

"All available! Everyone, don't crowd, those causing trouble and repeatedly collecting will have their distributed seeds forcibly reclaimed!"

In the distance, at the gate of the Great Agricultural Temple, someone was shouting loudly.

These were the bailiffs of the Great Agricultural Temple's office.

More than ten bailiffs were maintaining order, but manpower was clearly insufficient; Zhang Fu beside Zhang Jian, along with several attendants, also joined in.

At this moment, Qian Pan, the Assistant Minister of the Great Agricultural Temple, stood beside Zhang Jian, with Zhou Song, a respectful clerk, on his right.

The clerk is the warehouse manager.

Although Zhou Song had been beaten with a rod by Zhang Jian, he was now respectful.

Qian Pan, the Assistant Minister of the Great Agricultural Temple, witnessed this scene, and in his heart, he was secretly alert.

Seeing more and more people stepping forward, Qian Pan could not help but ask.

"Great Agricultural Lord, since you wish to distribute these trial-use seeds, why not just give them out directly? Wouldn't that be faster?!"

Zhang Jian glanced at his expression and casually said.

"Free things are always taken lightly; if these seeds were simply given to these commoners, they might suspect them and even refuse to allocate part of their precious land for planting!"

After a slight pause, he calmly said.

"But now these seeds are obtained by them through their own morning's labor, so they are naturally cherished all the more, and they will have no doubts. Once they find these seeds useful, next year they will naturally phase out low-yield, non-cold-resistant, disease-prone seeds. This way, our Great Agricultural Temple can save much promotional effort, and if we continue developing new seeds in the future, it will be even more convenient!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Pan's face was filled with admiration.

"Indeed!"

"I, the junior official, had not thought thoroughly enough. The Great Agricultural Lord not only holds the common people in his heart, but also handles affairs with such skill—truly admirable!"

Zhang Jian glanced at this subordinate.

Qian Pan and the others are seasoned and shrewd; how could they not know the trick?

This old man is merely feigning inquiry to seize the opportunity to flatter, then create capital for 'showing off' for this superior.

However, speaking frankly, such tactics are rarely refused by ordinary people.

Zhang Jian couldn't be bothered to quarrel with Qian Pan; he focused entirely on the townspeople at the gate.

Following this snowfall in Haojing City, he distributed the many seeds he had researched.

By spring, there should be results.

As for the improved seeds, he did not act entirely out of private desire.

In Zhang Jian's view, while enjoying longevity and carefree ease, if a casual gesture could change the fate of part of the suffering commoners, he would not grudge his efforts.

These vegetable seeds are the first batch; most of them are optimized for cold resistance, drought resistance, or pest resistance.

The next step is to find ways to directly increase their yield.

Even extending to other melon and fruit varieties, and the five grains and miscellaneous cereals that serve as staple food for the common people.

Zhang Jian considers this his establishment of virtue and merit.

Perhaps such actions cannot gain recognition from mainstream scholars, but he himself feels that doing what is right is enough.

Of course, perhaps even a hundred years later, some commoners will still remember him, but even if they don't, what does it matter?

At this moment, beside the Great Agricultural Temple, many scholars heard the news and came to help, including not a few students who usually listened to Zhang Jian's lectures.

The students from these academies were full of energy and were not afraid of the cold.

Seeing this, Zhang Jian, after distributing the seeds, called the many students into the Great Agricultural Temple's office to first warm themselves by the fire and dispel the chill.

At this time, the office was stocked with various vegetables; although many students came from prominent families and did not eat ordinary food, some scholars could clearly see that the vegetables in the office had clearly larger leaf veins than those sold by villagers.

One scholar in cloth robes, upon seeing this, could not help but ask.

"Teacher, are these vegetables and fruits tributes from various regions?"

This is a scholar surnamed Kou, named Kou Huai Sheng, also a scholar from a humble background, though though his origins were humble, his talent was exceptionally outstanding, and his writings were as splendid as brocade; now studying at the Western Altar Academy in Haojing City, he stands out among his peers as exceptional.

Another scholar in blue robes, upon seeing this, glanced and also laughed.

"Perhaps these are from the official manors in the suburbs or the imperial estates sent over; they look fine, much better than the cabbage and radish purchased by our household's old servant; Teacher, as the Minister of the Great Agricultural Temple, these vegetables and fruits are truly abundant!"

The silk on his body is the most expensive northern patterned silk, finely crafted; one glance shows his extraordinary background.

In fact, he comes from a prominent family; his father is still one of the Nine Ministers of the current dynasty.

He is Wang Xiao, his father is the Acting Minister of Justice Wang Yan!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian did not speak, but Zhang Fu beside him hurriedly said.

"Kou Langjun, Wang Langjun, you two have guessed wrong; these vegetables and fruits are all planted by our lord this autumn, not only these seasonal vegetables, but also various crops from other small foreign countries; you gentlemen are fortunate today!"

Upon hearing this, dozens of scholars were somewhat surprised.

At this moment, Zhou Song also walked in, heard the words, and laughed.

"You gentlemen may not know, this is the crop seed personally improved by our Great Agricultural Lord; you gentlemen are also blessed; these vegetables, our Great Agricultural Lord, besides sending part into the palace, has placed the majority here!"

Wang Xiao, upon hearing this, his eyes lit up and said.

"Then we should try them today!"

Beside him, a tall and handsome youth frowned slightly, unable to help but ask.

"Teacher, could it be that the seeds we just distributed are these improved vegetable seeds!"

Zhang Jian stood aside, he merely smiled and said nothing.

After hearing the words of several scholars, he waved his hand slightly, and Zhou Song beside him also followed him into the rear hall.

Many students were somewhat moved.

Although Zhang Jian did not take the opportunity to claim merit, they could all imagine the impact this would have on the common people.

These improved crops were noticeably larger and plumper, a genuine benefit.

The tall youth could not help but sigh.

"Teacher's compassion, this act has saved many commoners!"

He is Song Yingzhen, a bastard son of the Dingyuan Marquis Manor, of low status, yet equally talented in literature.

Many young scholars' expressions visibly changed.

Soon, Zhou Song and a few Zhang family servants brought several large pots from the backyard; at this moment, the pots were already simmering with rich broth, filling the air with a strong fragrance.

"How fragrant!"

Upon smelling this strong aroma, everyone could not help but gather around; as the servants lifted the lids, a rich meaty scent wafted over, though the broth inside shimmered with red waves.

Just a slight sniff, and a spicy taste rushed into their nostrils, leaving them astonished while also stimulating saliva.

Song Yingzhen watched this scene, his eyes showing some astonishment.

During this period he had another encounter, and could be said to have stepped onto the path of cultivation; from within he sensed the aura of a fire-attributed spiritual object.

Zhang Jian smiled and said: "This is hot pot, a new kind of dish; in cold weather, it is especially suitable to eat hot pot to ward off the chill, particularly this sliced lamb!"

Zhang Jian then helped himself, taking a pair of bamboo chopsticks, picking some vegetables and placing them into the large pot, briefly scalding them before eating.

At this moment, Zhang Jian's eyes held a hint of recollection.

This already had seven or eight tenths of the flavor he remembered.

"Not bad at all!"

Zhang Jian had not found chili peppers, but in the cultivation world he found a similar substitute that could produce spiciness and also contained part of the spiritual essence of fire-attributed medicinal herbs, extremely warming and nourishing.

Seeing this, the other scholars were not polite either, quickly gathering around several large pots; Wang Xiao was the most generous, taking a small taste and instantly his eyes lit up.

This spicy and fragrant flavor was exactly to his liking.

Song Yingzhen, however, was discerning; upon realizing the few red herbs in the pot might be spiritual medicines, he directly scooped them into his bowl, disregarding their spiciness, and refined them into his body.

Kou Huaiheng beside him, seeing this, quickly grabbed a stalk, but soon his face turned red, shaking his head repeatedly: "Yingzhen, your taste is too strong!"

His flushed, red-eared appearance drew laughter from the other scholars.

Zhang Jian also smiled faintly.

His gaze fell upon these students, his expression also somewhat relieved; these dozen or so students could be called the backbone of his future 'Zhang Learning'.

Though not all were exceptionally gifted, with proper nurturing they would surely become seeds, taking root and sprouting thoroughly in the scholar-official class of Great Qian.

His gaze mainly fell on Kou Huaiheng, Wang Xiao, and Song Yingzhen.

Among these three, two possessed keen intellect and promise for establishing themselves in the imperial court.

Another, Zhang Jian valued more highly, for he bore stellar fate.

And it was an extremely special stellar fate.