Chapter 1093: Eternal Life: My Steady Farming-Style Cultivation Is Too Prudent Chapter 1093: Ulterior Motives All Around!

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Protagonist:

Xu Zhangqing

The mountain carriage passed through the passage reserved in the Spiritual Light Shield and slowly descended.

On the square before the Spirit Plant Division's main gate, several dozen figures were already lined up standing in formation.

At the front was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark green robe, his face lean, his temples slightly white, a jade plaque engraved with spirit patterns hanging at his waist.

This person was precisely the Spirit Plant Division's Director, named Lu Yan.

Behind him stood six Elders and over a dozen Stewards, and further back were some of the Spirit Plant Division's Formal Disciples, male and female, old and young all present.

These people had just been discussing what background this newly arrived Direct Disciple might have, but at this moment they all shut their mouths.

The moment the mountain carriage touched ground, the Fire Phoenix folded its wings and let out a low cry, the flames around its body gradually receding.

Kong Ling, meanwhile, circled halfway in the air before landing behind Xu Zhangqing, its seven-colored tail feathers fanning out behind it, casting the blue stone ground of the square in a riot of flowing iridescent light.

Lu Yan's gaze swept over the two spirit birds, his pupils contracting slightly.

Spirit Transformation stage spirit birds.

One was a Fire Phoenix, the other a Peacock.

Just the cultivation of these two spirit birds alone already surpassed the vast majority of those present.

He quickly withdrew his gaze, his face showing a perfectly measured respect, and led everyone forward in unison three steps.

"Director Lu Yan, leading the Spirit Plant Division's Stewards, Elders, Disciples..."

"Pay respects to Direct Disciple Xu!"

Several dozen people bowed simultaneously, their voices neat and uniform, echoing across the square.

Xu Zhangqing rose from the mountain carriage, his figure light and floating as he landed before the crowd.

He first waved a hand, and the Fire Phoenix and Peacock were both taken into his sleeves, then he scanned the surroundings in a circle.

Lu Yan's expression was calm, a formulaic smile hanging at the corner of his mouth, yet in the depths of his eyes there was a thread of scrutiny not easily perceived.

The several Elders' bowing postures were standard beyond reproach, but their gazes dodged, clearly secretly sizing him up.

Those Stewards and Disciples concealed their emotions even less.

Some were curious, some nervous.

Some pursed their lips slightly, some knitted their brows into a very shallow arc.

There were even some standing in the rear ranks, heads lowered, shoulders slightly tensed.

Xu Zhangqing took all these reactions in with a glance, his mind like a clear mirror.

A parachuted-in administrator.

And a Dao Venerable's Direct Disciple at that, with a strange title and unknown origins.

These people who had served in the Spirit Plant Division for who knows how many years — it would be strange if they felt comfortable in their hearts.

Nothing more than being constrained by the Dao Venerable's face, forced to come out and welcome him.

As for what they think behind the scenes, that's another matter entirely.

However, Xu Zhangqing did not mind.

He was the Dao Venerable's Direct Disciple; in terms of seniority and status, within the entire Beidou Immortal Mansion only the Dao Venerable, the Nine Extremes Heavenly Kings, and a few others could suppress him.

But since he was going to stay in the Spirit Plant Division long-term, surface relations still had to be maintained.

Therefore, Xu Zhangqing nodded slightly: "Various positions need not be overly courteous."

Tone flat, neither warm nor cold.

Lu Yan turned sideways and made a welcoming gesture: "Direct Disciple Xu, please, inside."

……

……

The Spirit Plant Division's main hall occupied an extremely vast area, yet the interior did not appear empty.

The hall's four walls were inlaid with who knows how many mirrors, each flowing with a different scene.

Some were real-time images of Spirit Fields, some were monitoring data of spiritual power concentration, and some were statistical charts of task completion in various districts.

And in the center of the grand hall was a long rectangular white jade stone table, its tabletop engraved with a miniature map of the entire Yu Heng Star.

The boundary lines of the Spirit Plant District, Pill Cauldron District, and Wind Thunder District were clearly visible, every Spirit Field marked with a number and current status.

After Lu Yan led everyone into the hall, he first invited Xu Zhangqing to sit in the first chair to the right of the main seat, while he himself sat opposite.

The several Elders sat down in order on both sides, while the Stewards and Disciples stood on both sides inside the hall — they did not have the qualification to sit.

Lu Yan raised a hand to signal, and an Elder standing at the foremost position on the left stepped forward: "This one is Elder Zhou, who manages the Spirit Fields."

Elder Zhou was a short, plump old man, currently wearing a piled-up smile, immediately cupping his fists toward Xu Zhangqing: "Direct Disciple Xu, whatever you need in the future, just give the order."

Xu Zhangqing nodded.

Lu Yan then pointed to the second: "This one is Elder Wu, in charge of seed reserves."

Elder Wu was a withered middle-aged man, expression serious, merely nodding slightly at Xu Zhangqing, not saying a word.

Lu Yan continued introducing.

Elder Zheng, who managed the Spirit Plants, was a kindly-faced old woman.

Steward Sun, who managed the warehouses, was a young cultivator who looked only twenty-something, but his eyes were seasoned, clearly his actual age far exceeded this.

There was also Steward Zhao in charge of irrigation scheduling, and Steward Wang in charge of harvest statistics.

After a round of introductions, Xu Zhangqing memorized each person's face and responsibilities one by one.

After the last person finished their introduction, Xu Zhangqing spoke up and asked, "Director Lu, after I come to the Star Spirit Grass, what exactly should I do?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan picked up the tea cup on the table and took a sip, saying unhurriedly, "Direct Disciple Xu is the Direct Disciple of the Great Dao Venerable; logically speaking, you can do whatever you want."

He put down the tea cup, then added, "If you don't want to do anything, you can also not do anything."

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the several Stewards in the hall changed slightly.

Someone's mouth corner twitched downward, then quickly returned to normal.

Put nicely, it's respect; put badly, it's enshrining you as a display piece.

Xu Zhangqing smiled: "Since I've come to report for duty, I should do something.

Slacking off and such, it's not too late for later."

As soon as these words came out, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Several young Disciples couldn't hold back, their mouth corners curling up slightly, then they hurriedly suppressed it.

Lu Yan was also stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "Since Direct Disciple Xu has this intention, then I'll briefly explain."

He took off his Cun Chi Mirror from his waist and placed it on the table.

"The Star Spirit Grass's task allocation is all completed through the Cun Chi Mirror."

"Anyone holding a Cun Chi Mirror, as long as they are within the Star Spirit Grass's jurisdiction, the mirror surface will display in real-time the currently available tasks."

Then he reached out and pointed at the mirror surface.

"For example, Jia 37th Grade 4 Spirit Field needs Earth Qi infusion, Yi 56th Grade 3 Spirit Field needs an additional round of Heavenly Dew pouring."

"The content, location, and completion standards of these tasks are all clearly marked on the Prayer Talismans displayed on the Cun Chi Mirror."

"After accepting a task, just go do it."

Lu Yan looked up at Xu Zhangqing and said seriously: "For a Spirit Transformation cultivator, these tasks aren't considered difficult, just trivial."

Xu Zhangqing took the Cun Chi Mirror and looked through it.

Indeed as Lu Yan said, what with rain-seeking, earth loosening, additional fertilizing, replanting and other Prayer Talisman tasks, they looked dense and numerous, no less than a hundred.

Inside each Prayer Talisman, the corresponding Faith Quota remuneration was marked, few as several points, many as several dozen points.

After reading, Xu Zhangqing nodded: "Understood."

Seeing this, Lu Yan stood up, patted the non-existent dust on his clothes: "Since that's the case, I still have some matters to handle, so I'll take my leave first."

Then, he turned his head to look at an old man standing in the corner: "Zhang Zaizhi, you help Direct Disciple Xu familiarize himself with the Star Spirit Grass's various affairs.

Any questions, you are responsible for answering."

Finished speaking, Lu Yan cupped his hands toward Xu Zhangqing, then turned and left.

The Elder, Stewards, and Formal Disciples also bid farewell one after another, and the hall soon only had Xu Zhangqing and that old man called Zhang Zaizhi left!