Mr. Xu gazed at Li Yu, who was commanding the authority over one commandery and eight counties, holding the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people, and couldn’t help but his eyes slightly widened.
He could observe fengshui and auspicious signs, although only half-competently, but was still accepted as a guest by the Li family and treated with great courtesy.
This time, seeing Li Yu’s aura had drastically changed, it was because he had secretly linked his own fortune with the Li family long ago, beginning to support the imperial house, thus able to perceive some signs.
Looking now, he saw that above Li Yu’s head, clouds gathered luxuriantly, glowing with brilliant golden-red hues, within which a snake seemed faintly visible, swallowing and exhaling crimson vapors and golden light—an omen of great nobility and a dominant ruler’s sign. Mr. Xu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
As a minister serving a ruler and governing a region, even with abundant fortune, at most one could expect the sign of an official seal.
However, when the aura takes the form of dragon, snake, python, carp, or even tiger or wolf, it indicates a ruler’s sign, a manifestation of ambition and self-reliance.
“With such an omen and coinciding with the right timing, it indeed signifies a transformation of fate, bringing immense wealth and honor!”
Mr. Xu felt a faint excitement in his heart: “If I hadn’t already become the Li family’s diviner and formally attached my fortune to theirs, I might have been tempted to spy on their foundation, only to suffer backlash…”
He then recalled Li Yu’s recent series of actions.
The Wang family’s rebellion, although suppressed, had left Li Zhen severely wounded and unable to govern. Immediately, Li Yu dismissed the original vice-commander who leaned towards the Wangs, appointed himself as acting vice-commander, took full control of the commandery, gained the support of Xing Ju, the commandery’s military commander, and decisively dealt with several county magistrates, demonstrating seasoned tactics leaving no opportunity for outsiders.
With the commandery’s capital stabilized, Li Yu promptly mobilized all local officials to petition, especially military commanders like Xing Ju, to jointly recommend him as the official vice-commander.
At this time, the imperial court had become merely nominal without real power, and the province was in chaos.
Moreover, with military authority secured, few would bother to intervene, so approval was inevitable, allowing everyone to save face.
Thus, as long as he patiently consolidates power for several years, and Li Zhen smoothly hands over the position of commandery governor, the Chufeng Commandery would effectively become a de facto regional warlord domain!
Of course, compared to the Wang family, the Li family lacked historical accumulation, so they still needed the nominal legitimacy of the imperial court, but that was about it.
Throughout the entire Dingzhou, everyone knew who the actual ruler of Chufeng Commandery was.
“This young man previously was nothing special, his fortune also mediocre. Why is he now so extraordinary? Could it be that the dragon’s energy was deeply hidden, only to emerge later? Was my previous cultivation shallow, unable to perceive the truth?”
Seeing Li Yu increasingly exuding majesty and authority, showing signs of a dragon’s stride and tiger’s gait, Mr. Xu’s astonishment was beyond words.
Since this young man assumed power, suppressing opposition, promoting loyalists, and dealing with rebels—all methodically and swiftly, leaving rival families no time to react, thereby establishing dominance. Truly grasping the essence of rapid action.
Recently, he was to marry the daughter of military commander Xing Ju, marking the first step toward merging military and administrative powers, an unstoppable trend.
“Mr. Xu!”
Suddenly, Li Yu spoke.
“At your service!”
Mr. Xu’s legs buckled, unable to meet Li Yu’s gaze, immediately kneeling down.
“Have you found anything regarding the matter I assigned you?”
Li Yu looked at the quiet Chenghuang Temple, his eyes darkening.
His recent transformation, and the inexplicable smoothness in every endeavor since meeting that Daoist priest, felt extremely mysterious, increasing his suspicions, thus ordering a secret investigation.
“Forgive me, my Lord!” Mr. Xu’s cold sweat immediately flowed: “I have thoroughly checked all Daoist records in Chufeng Commandery, and found no Daoist matching the description you provided. It is possible he is a visitor from another commandery or simply a wandering hermit…”
“Find him for me! Spare no effort to locate this person!”
Concerning the secret of the dragon’s energy, although Li Yu didn’t know the specifics, he always wore the coiled dragon jade pendant around his neck, never daring to remove it.
He had the feeling that as long as the pendant was with him, everything he did proceeded smoothly, further confirming that the Daoist priest he met was indeed a person of extraordinary talent. His eyes darkened:
“It is said that during times of great turmoil, Daoist sects often send out disciples to identify and secretly support the destined dragon emperor to accumulate merit… Which sect was that Daoist from? Can he be recruited as my ally?”
How could a dragon endure bondage? At this moment, Li Yu’s thoughts were of recruiting and utilizing such power.
If not, then he would have to be eliminated.
Otherwise, such a powerful technique falling into enemy hands would only strengthen them.
…
“As for this person’s involvement in the Daoist struggle with the local deity, I had better not interfere!”
Wu Ming observed from the periphery for a while, even noticing the Chenghuang Temple’s spiritual domain gradually decaying and crumbling, then immediately turned to leave.
The commandery officials were protected by the collective human law energy of hundreds of thousands of citizens, while the Chenghuang Temple also had centuries of accumulated power. Although Wang Zhong was asleep, his divine officials and ghost soldiers remained.
Although Wu Ming also possessed dragon energy, it was rootless and unsupported, depleting with every use, so it was unwise to forcefully intervene.
“Moreover… to slay the Chenghuang, one must enter the underworld with a yin spirit… Only true immortals with fully developed spiritual essences can do so fearlessly. Even if I use extraordinary techniques and magical treasures to forcibly enter the Chenghuang’s spiritual domain, I would likely be overwhelmed by his ghost soldiers. Enough, enough…”
Wu Ming was decisive. Once he determined the mission was unfeasible, he immediately turned back.
Although there had recently been chaos, Li Yu’s effective governance had restored the commandery city to its former prosperity.
Wu Ming found Wu Tiehu, and the two immediately boarded a carriage, leaving the city.
“Let’s go home!”
“Sure thing!”
Hearing that they could finally return, Wu Tiehu was visibly excited, cracking his whip loudly.
Wu Ming leaned back against the cushions, his eyes flickering with thoughts.
This time entering the commandery city, first delivering the dragon energy, then thwarting the Chenghuang’s schemes, chasing down the remnants—each task thunderous and perilous.
Yet afterward, he managed to withdraw successfully, with hardly anyone knowing of his involvement. Truly a stroke of luck.
“Taking risks once or twice is manageable, but doing it repeatedly will eventually bring trouble…”
Wu Ming sighed, then comfortably stretched out: “Luckily… this mission is done, and I can enjoy some peace for a while… Wait, did I forget something?”
“Got you at last, you Wu Ming!”
A fragrant breeze swept through, and a graceful figure floated into the carriage. Outside, Wu Tiehu kept his eyes lowered, focusing solely on driving, not daring to interfere, wishing he could instantly become blind and deaf.
“Sister… you’re still here?”
Seeing Wu Qing, Wu Ming forced a laugh.
Before he could say anything, Wu Qing’s sharp, elf-like eyes bore down on him like swords. Her delicate hand gestured threateningly toward his ear: “What else are you hiding from me? Confess immediately!”
…
Spring returned to the earth, with a chill in the warming air.
Unconsciously, March arrived joyfully.
Flowers budding, willows sprouting green shoots, a scene full of vitality.
Beyond the fortified manor, fields already showed farmers busily at work.
For these lowest-level tenant farmers, the political upheavals within the commandery city had little impact on their lives.
Instead, missing the spring sowing meant a year’s harvest lost, leaving the family to face hunger and cold the next year, perhaps even starvation. Thus, this season was crucial.
“Leisurely with nothing to do, casually reading a book…”
Inside the study, the warm stove still burned, and the window was open, letting in the bright spring light.
Wu Ming, dressed in coarse hemp clothing, lay on a reclining chair, even covering his face with an ancient book.
“Caught you slacking off again!”
Wu Qing indignantly entered, followed by a woman—Li Xiuyun, now wearing a Ru skirt, her face flushed red, somewhat endearing, carrying a tray.
“I made some pastries, little brother, taste them!”
Wu Qing, now in feminine attire, approached Wu Ming, casually removing the book from his face, discovering it was a novel or historical anecdote, which only increased her irritation: “Neglecting your duties!”
“Haha… this is called snatching half a day’s leisure from a busy life!”
Wu Ming casually took a pastry, finding it melting instantly in his mouth, fragrant with flower essence, and couldn’t help but praise: “Drinking the dew of magnolia in the morning, feasting on chrysanthemum petals at night… Sister’s cooking skills have truly improved. This life, not even immortality could compare!”
“Flattery!”
Wu Qing scolded with a smile, then added: “If you like it, I’ll make it for you every day…”
Upon hearing this, Wu Ming couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
When caught and questioned, he naturally couldn’t reveal the full truth, only disclosing what was safe, and for the rest, simply stating it would endanger lives. Wu Qing, loving her brother dearly, naturally dared not ask further.
But soon, she had moved into the fortified manor, clearly intending to observe him closely. As if trying to compensate for the years of neglected affection, she took meticulous care of his daily life, which somewhat overwhelmed Wu Ming.
“How are my hundred acres of farmland doing now?”
Wu Ming scratched his head, quickly changing the subject.
“Old Master Sun is personally overseeing them, using water wheels and that ammonia fertilizer you mentioned…” Wu Qing casually replied, a hint of doubt crossing her pretty face: “Will this method work?”
“I don’t know either. Anyway, it’s just a hundred acres’ worth of harvest. Trying won’t hurt…”
Wu Ming smiled.
In his past life, agriculture was advanced, and he had read some vague theories in novels, though his memory was incomplete. Now, he compiled a few methods and ordered a hundred-acre test field, treating it as a hobby.
In an ancient agrarian empire, the importance of crops was unimaginable to modern people.
Therefore, even Wu Ming dared not directly implement major changes, instead designating a test field to experiment cautiously.
Even these hundred acres were somewhat excessive for the Wu family, who only owned twenty qing (approximately 33 acres) of land. Under normal circumstances, even the eldest legitimate son would receive no more than eight or ten mu (about 1.3 acres).
But Wu Qing and Wu Ming were different; they were Daoists, even at the magician level.
Even the small magical artifacts they casually created annually could match the harvest of a thousand acres! If they were willing to sacrifice some cultivation time, that could be multiplied several times. Therefore, neither Wu Qing nor Wu Ming cared much about casually allocating a hundred acres.
Poor Old Sun, the estate manager, practically lived in the fields, watching over these ancestral plots.
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