Chapter 73: Notice to the Earth Deity

Xu Jia's father was still there savoring the essay, while Xu Jia was already holding Gui Linggao, heading toward Qingtian Dam.

A "Notice to the Earth Deity" had already been written. Ever since he retrieved the Jade Scepter, Xu Jia had begun to ponder its usage, thinking that the first contact to add must be the local Earth Deity, to register the Fox Immortal Hall, this wild spirit-summoning hall, under the name of the Qingtian Dam Earth Deity.

Although the Incense Fire would be split fifty-fifty, it was still better than being timid and shrinking away as he was now; it felt too much like being a thief, with a heavy sense of guilt.

Aside from the "Notice to the Earth Deity," Xu Jia also wrote a "Notice to the Prefecture Assistant of Jinsha Creek." This one was purely for a chat, telling him that his grandson was cultivating under his Fox Immortal Hall, had entered the Lineage, and had become a "Turtle Immortal" among the Four Beams and Eight Pillars.

The water vein blocked by Qingtian Dam was precisely Jinsha Creek, gathering water to irrigate thousands of acres of fertile fields.

The temple was about as tall as a person and as large as a kitchen. An elderly man made of painted clay sat upright in the center. Beneath his feet, he stepped on a basket, and inside the basket were golden grains, as well as melons, fruits, and vegetables.

In his hand, he held a stalk of grain, looking on with a chuckle, as if saying, "This year is another harvest year!"

Although Xu Jia's family was also a small landlord with a hundred acres of fertile fields and ten acres of mulberry groves, Xu Jia still hoped that the gods would not be so "disdainful of the poor and fond of the rich." Beyond radiating divine power onto the land of the wealthy, they should also give some care to the tenant farmers who toil in planting from the beginning of the year to the end.

Of course, as the most grassroots deity, the Earth Deity certainly hoped for more people to believe in him. After all, while the sacrifices of the rich were grand and the rites were observed, they only happened twice a year—once for the spring sacrifice and once for the autumn sacrifice. The spring sacrifice was for plowing, and the autumn sacrifice was for the harvest. Occasionally, there would be summer sacrifices to pray for rain, or winter sacrifices to pray for auspicious snow.

It was not like the ordinary villagers, who would come to pray for peace of mind whenever anything happened.

This Qingtian Dam, with its thousands of acres of fertile fields, had people specifically in charge of it; how could they let outsiders come and burn incense or offer sacrifices, coming and going as they pleased...

Xu Jia was also wearing the clothes of a scholar, walking on the dam and claiming to be out for a spring stroll to enjoy the scenery, which was the only reason he wasn't turned away by the dam patrol.

Xu Jia first recited the Earth Deity's Precious Repentance, then offered a stick of incense, and only then burned the "Notice to the Earth Deity."

In the Earth Temple of the Dharma Realm, this small temple manifested into a large manor. A team of paper-effigy farmers under his command whipped ox-demons to till the Blessed Field. Within the Blessed Field, one could grow "Chonghe Rice"—the harmony of yin and yang Qi is called the Chonghe Qi.

This rice could be traded to Daoists to eat, which could strengthen their cultivation and nourish their spirits.

This Earth Deity was currently puffing on a large tobacco pipe, exhaling a smoke ring, when a small Earth Essence who handled documents in the temple came to report: "Earth God, a benefit has come, a massive benefit!"

The Qingtian Dam Earth Deity was so startled he choked on his smoke and cursed: "What kind of benefit could there be in this quiet place of mine? If there is one, it's just a pie falling from the sky with a hook hidden behind it. What are you making such a fuss for? If you do this again, I'll send you back to your old home in the countryside!"

This small Earth Essence was tiny, with a hairstyle like Nezha, bare hands and feet, and an earthy-yellow bellyband. He was picked up by the Qingtian Dam Earth Deity; he was an essence formed from a clod of earth, a monster born from a speck of mud. Because he was obedient and clever, he was kept by his side to do chores, kneading and massaging, serving tea and pouring water, holding the brush and grinding ink. He was treated as an apprentice, paid one Dharma Money as a salary every month, with three months held in escrow, and he was used with extreme satisfaction.

The small Earth Essence presented Xu Jia's "Notice to the Earth Deity."

The Earth Deity looked at the cyan-colored notice and recognized that this was a "Notice to the Gods" written by a cultivator according to the proper format.

He then opened it to read, and upon seeing the content, his expression immediately shifted. "Help me build a small temple at the entrance of every village, but the Incense Fire must be split fifty-fifty."

"What is this Daoist trying to do? I will not do things that violate the Heavenly Law!"

The Earth Deity then looked at the signature, Xu Jia, courtesy name Jidi, and recalled that two days ago, the City God had sent the Yeyou to inquire about this matter.

Whether he had returned to life or not, he didn't know, but if he had to admit that the Earth Deity's work had an error, he was determined not to take the blame. At the time, he had retorted that this matter had nothing to do with him and that they shouldn't come asking him.

How could this Earth Deity not know about the big and small things happening on this land? As long as it wasn't done in front of him, he pretended not to know. Otherwise, if he had to record everything and solve it in real-time, he would be worked to death.

"It's him?" The Qingtian Dam Earth Deity pondered for a moment: "That day, I clearly saw that he was under a spell, harmed by someone from an Evil Sect. Afterward, his Return to Soul... what kind of trickery is involved in that?"

Immediately, the Earth Deity connected his thoughts to the paper spirit tablet of the "Virtuous Deity Earth God" at the bottom of the main halls of thousands of households, recording the private affairs of thousands of families from within it and checking what he had heard.

Very quickly, he saw the matter of Xu Jia ascending the Nine-Layer Ring...

The Qingtian Dam Earth Deity then recalled the matter of the Fox Immortal Hall and investigated, realizing it was that branch of Wild Fox Zen from under the Old Crooked-Neck Tree that had defected to Xu Jia...

He knew this group of foxes. As the saying goes, "No foxes, no village." As the Earth Deity, as long as the spirits under his jurisdiction didn't go too far, he would turn a blind eye. Moreover, this group of foxes was still considered honest, walking a semi-righteous path.

"Their abilities can't stir up any big trouble, but this Xu Jia..." The Qingtian Dam Earth Deity decided to personally enter his dreams that night to take a look.

And right next to Qingtian Dam was Jinsha Creek. Xu Jia threw the notice into it and then placed Gui Linggao into the water: "Go quickly and find your grandfather!"

Gui Linggao sank into the water, unwillingly.

Jinsha Creek was a shallow river, no more than six or seven feet deep at its deepest, and no more than thirteen or fourteen feet at its widest. It stretched for a total of less than fifty or sixty miles, originating from Yushan and flowing into the Xin River. There was no Jinsha Creek Temple; the Water Mansion was at the bottom of the water, between the intertwined tree roots and weeds, where there was a water cave—this was Wu Gui Dong.

Gui Linggao crawled into it, and going further inside, there was an Old Cave. Coiled in the cave was a loach; this loach was the Creek God of Jinsha Creek, and the old grass turtle beside him was the Prefecture Assistant of the Water Mansion.

In reality, it looked unremarkable, but viewed from the Dharma Realm, this was a Water Mansion built of bluestone where Water Essence gathered. The loach had transformed into an official with an Eight Characters-shaped long beard, a dragon's head and human body, wearing a mysterious black official robe, while the old turtle was a middle-aged man with a hunched back.

The two deities didn't have much prestige either. Seeing Gui Linggao come in, the old turtle said happily: "Weren't you undergoing the Fish Fu Tribulation and captured by someone? It seems you have successfully passed the tribulation. Very good, very good. My old Gui family has one more seed for cultivation."

Gui Linggao said: "I was saved by the son of a scholar's family. I observed that his family actually has some aura and is about to rise; I imagine it won't be difficult for him to pass the provincial examination. Because I remembered that our Jinsha Creek has yet to have a temple established for worship, only serving as a secondary sacrifice for the Xin River, I sent a dream requesting this scholar's son to worship me. Today, I asked him to bring me home, thinking that my grandfather and the Water Mansion Lord might be able to help him, so as to make plans for the future!"

(End of chapter)