Anxin

Upon returning to Guangyang City, Li Qi immediately went to the Sikong Manor.

Without even a proper visit, he simply pushed open the door and went inside.

Pushing open the door, I saw that Guangyang Prefect was already waiting in the courtyard.

With his seventh-grade perception, he estimated that Li Qi had already sensed someone's approach while he was still flying in mid-air.

Upon meeting Li Qi, although a trace of disgust and fear still lingered in his eyes, he outwardly maintained a respectful and grateful demeanor, bowing and saying, "Young master has honored my humble abode with your presence, bestowing blessings upon this place. I apologize for any disrespect I may have shown!"

"Although my official rank is low, I am older and dare not perform the proper etiquette, lest you be criticized. I will simply stand and bow!"

He was courteous, spoke humbly, and his attitude was impeccable; overall, he demonstrated a strong will to survive.

After all, he was standing in front of someone whose word could decide his life or death.

A young master from Wushen Mountain wields considerable authority.

They are the candidates for the Great Shaman, the next generation of rulers of Wushen Mountain. Their purpose is to succeed or even surpass their masters. To achieve this, Wushen Mountain will clear all obstacles for them.

Although they usually use these permissions very carefully and are unlikely to abuse them, who knows if they might anger the other party?

Guangyang Prefect was well aware of his own limitations in this regard.

He was unwilling to serve when they first met, and he was still prepared to run away the second time, until Wang Baiyan showed him the two young masters appearing at the same time, at which point he returned and fought desperately.

This behavior has thoroughly offended people. Although he will likely be rewarded for his contributions upon his return, the two young masters will probably be very annoyed with him.

For example, right now, without even being notified, he just pushed the door open and came in, which shows that he still has some resentment in his heart.

Therefore, upon meeting them, Guangyang Prefect adopted a very humble attitude, fearing that he might offend these spoiled brats.

However, even with a thousand opinions in his heart, he had to admit one thing...

That is, these spoiled brats do indeed have the ability to be worthy of the title of 'young master'.

Without relying on the power of the sect, two ninth-rank officials managed to maneuver in the local area for a month and a half, and then they managed to kill a seventh-rank official. Such achievements... such mental fortitude, not to mention their talents.

If these two are targeting me... even if they don't go home to get reinforcements, just digging a pit for me behind my back, I'll probably fall into it.

However, Li Qi didn't think that much about it.

He was just simply anxious.

There's no need to keep someone like Guangyang Prefect in mind. He's just a coward who's cut off from the Dao Path and can't cause any trouble. If he doesn't have any extraordinary encounters in this life, he probably won't be able to advance to the sixth rank.

"No need for such formalities, Minister. By the way, does Minister know about the recent situation of the earth veins in Guangyang?" Li Qi asked directly from the start.

These words made Guangyang Prefect's teeth ache.

Because... before Li Qi arrived, he had already been packing his valuables and preparing to flee.

This land in Guangyang is already rotten; there's no point in staying here. We should make a quick getaway; that's the right thing to do.

He is a dignified seventh-rank official, and he cultivates the Reason Way of Daoism and is familiar with the methods of craftsmanship. Where can he not find a way to make a living?

I'd rather not have this position of Minister of Works!

So, what does it mean that this young master suddenly said those words at this time?

"I know, but... why did you bring this up, young master?" His teeth ached, his face scrunched up, and he managed a faint smile as he asked Li Qi.

"Nothing special, I just hope Sikong can do me two favors," Li Qi said.

"Young master, just give the order. As long as it is within my power, I will not hesitate to do it, even if it costs me my life!" He immediately expressed his loyalty.

"You don't have to die. My first favor is to have you forge an altar for me, one that can connect to the heavens above, the earth below, and the spirits in between." Li Qi said, "I will pay you as usual. Just bring me whatever materials you need, and make sure they are as perfect as possible. Ideally, you could even make it smaller and take it with you."

Guangyang Prefect immediately agreed, "It's a small matter, there's no need for you to pay, young master. I can prepare the materials myself. Consider it a gift for you, young master. Please don't refuse. Now, what's the second favor?"

"The second task is also very simple. At present, the highest-ranking official in Guangyang is the Minister of Works. The Minister of Works, Sima, is dead, and the Prefect has long since fled. Only the Minister of Works can take charge of the overall situation."

"Sikong, you probably already know what I'm planning to do since you've heard I'm going to build an altar. I would appreciate it if you could help me coordinate things and gather the resources of the Guangyang Aristocratic Clan and officials. It would be best if each family could send a representative so I can speak to them individually and hold a small meeting," Li Qi said gently.

"Of course! Leave this to me, young master, please rest assured!" Guangyang Prefect replied immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

He already knew what Li Qi was going to do.

Really...

As expected of the young master of Wushen Mountain.

Is a grand ceremony for an entire prefecture really something that a mere ninth-rank official can handle?

Will something go wrong and I die?

Never mind, that has nothing to do with me.

Since the other party has something for me to do, it means that even if they hold a grudge, they won't settle it now. I still have a night's rest and don't need to be too worried.

Having received Guangyang Prefect's assurance, Li Qi nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then turned and left.

Time to find the next one.

Next up is Wang Baiyan.

Riding his Old Ma at breakneck speed, he quickly arrived at Wang Baiyan's location.

They simply pushed the door open and entered.

Wang Baiyan sat in the courtyard, with a pile of scrolls and documents in front of him, seemingly busy.

No one else dared to stop Li Qi, as they all knew that he was a person even the master had to treat with respect, so they could only watch helplessly as Li Qi strode towards the courtyard.

However, this time, before Li Qi could speak, Wang Baiyan raised her head first and started the conversation. "Ah, Brother Li has arrived? Come, I have just prepared something for you here."

As he spoke, he handed over a scroll.

Li Qi frowned, took the document, opened it, and found that it contained the specific arrangements and plans for resettling scattered refugees.

It's incredibly detailed, down to the individual level.

The details of how many people went to a certain village, how many went to a certain township, how many were in which county, their respective travel plans, and their resettlement arrangements were all written very clearly.

Li Qi watched as he listened to Wang Baiyan's explanation.

Wang Baiyan stood up, opened his folding fan, and said while fanning himself, "I don't plan to send those 100,000 disaster victims to the Small World. In the current situation, sending them to the Small World would be inappropriate."

"Guangyang is now in a state of desolation. I think you, Brother Li, will not leave this situation unresolved. So I guess you will definitely find your own way to solve this problem."

"Brother Li is Shaman, and the best way to solve this problem is to hold a sacrificial ceremony."

"Therefore, I think that this level of sacrifice would probably require a huge amount of manpower and the cooperation of the lower levels."

"As a former official, the Minister of the Guangyang Prefect can coordinate the power of the government for you, but in the final analysis, you still need to mobilize the people at the bottom of society."

"The Baiyue are not like the Tang Kingdom. The Tang Kingdom has extensive education and a flourishing Human Path. Both education and laws can effectively mobilize the masses. However, the people of Baiyue are ignorant, and the government usually has little authority. They rely more on family and neighborhood relationships. Clan and gang power are what the people of Baiyue trust more."

Li Qi nodded after listening to Wang Baiyan's explanation.

What he said was absolutely correct. He came from a humble background and naturally knew that the people of Baiyue didn't actually trust the government at all; to them, the government was just a bunch of thugs who levied taxes and exploited them.

Although without the government, it would be difficult for the people to maintain a stable living environment, since the government is responsible for things like eliminating demons and regulating the earth's energy, it's hard to say that the Guangyang government is particularly responsible...

But what did Wang Baiyan mean by saying all this?

Li Qi's expression gradually turned to confusion as he waited for Wang Baiyan's explanation.

Wang Baiyan didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "I broke up those 100,000 people and scattered them to various places in Guangyang. Before leaving, I kept telling them about the young master's kindness. I even organized them to visit the battlefield before and rewarded a few people who took the initiative to build a shrine for you and pay their respects. This made them famous."

"In this way, those 100,000 people will have the concept of the young master's kindness in their hearts. Once they spread it around, it will take at most a month to spread the young master's benevolence. One person tells ten, ten tell a hundred, and by then, every person in Baiyue will know the young master's name. This is much faster than the government sending messages."

"If the young master wishes to hold a grand ceremony, the support of the people is indispensable. In this way, the young master can save at least half a year and the support of the people can be increased by more than 50%, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone."

After listening to Wang Baiyan's explanation, Li Qi sighed.

It's more comfortable dealing with smart people.

As expected of a scion of a prominent family in the Tang Kingdom, he is indeed very intelligent, even more so than the Minister of Works of Guangyang. He acts with propriety and always prepares in advance.

"Brother Wang, you've gone to great lengths. Indeed, that's why I came to see you. It seems you've already finished ahead of schedule. You truly are a talent of the Tang Kingdom," Li Qi exclaimed.

Wang Baiyan replied, "Brother Li, you flatter me. My Grain Alliance and the Lower Nine Gates under your control have countless gangs and their roots extend to the common people. We are like an intermediary between the government and the people. I will also contact the government to pave the way for your grand ceremony. After all, this is for our own good."

"If Guangyang is truly empty, nine out of ten houses will be deserted, and it won't just be the common people who suffer, but us too."

At this point, he bowed to Li Qi and said, "If the skin is gone, where will the hair attach? When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? I naturally understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' If Guangyang really becomes a dead land, those of us who depend on Guangyang will also suffer. I urge Brother Li to do his best to save Guangyang."

Li Qi nodded solemnly. "There's no need to say more about this. Leave it to me."

Both were intelligent people, so they said no more and went their separate ways to do their own things.

Then, Guangyang's military, civilians, government, and Jianghu forces all have someone to coordinate.

All that was left was to perform the sacrificial rites that I was responsible for.

On his way back, Li Qi asked himself these questions.

Could I really... with my rank of ninth grade, hold a grand ceremony for an entire province?

Disaster.

It's incredibly difficult.

This is different from the sacrificial rites of the past.

It's probably the difference between... elements and compounds.

Elements are very pure, but compounds are very complex and can cause big problems if you touch them even slightly.

If you don't quite understand what I mean, you can think of it as doing practice problems.

Previously, Li Qi simply followed the specific form and situation, then applied the patterns recorded in the book, as if he already had the formulas, and all he had to do was calculate the answers to word problems based on the formulas.

Although there are some difficulties, generally speaking, you can just follow the steps. They are all application problems at the end, and at most they are a little beyond the scope of the syllabus.

But now, the problem to be solved is not an application problem.

Instead, they actually asked you to build a bridge.

On-site surveying, data calculation, Sacrificial Ritual arrangements, route planning, and even the placement of the altar and the use of sacrificial texts—every aspect is intertwined and influences each other. A single mistake can lead to a chain reaction.

What methods should we use to treat heaven, earth, ghosts, gods, and people in order to avoid favoritism?

How can we handle so many different types of gas without causing chaos?

It's important to understand that adding even one more element will exponentially increase the difficulty.

For example, there is only one kind of energy, and only one interpretation of 'spirit'.

The two kinds of energy, gods and ghosts, can be interpreted as either "gods and ghosts" or "ghosts and gods".

The five types of qi will then result in one hundred and twenty solutions.

Add more, for example, twenty-six types of qi, which is only twenty-one more, but the combinations are 1,413,720.

A full 1.4 million, more than 10,000 times more.

How much Qi (vital energy) is involved in a grand sacrificial ceremony?

However, there are about ten kinds of mountain gods.

How many kinds of qi are there in the entire Guangyang?

Even if you break it down to the basic components, it's no less than a thousand.

The total number of permutations of thousands of types of Qi is simply impossible to enumerate using exhaustive methods.

Even using 100 million as the unit of measurement wouldn't be enough.

He must choose a viable option from this endless array of choices; if he chooses the wrong one, the backlash from the high priest might force him to reincarnate.

It's difficult, really difficult.

But... it's difficult, but we still have to do it.

Since this is the way to practice one's own Dao Path, there is no need to hesitate; just do it.

Unlike the humble boatman who once only cared about his own safety, he is now a different person.

I am now capable of, and can shoulder the responsibility for, the safety of others.

Li Qi is now able to vaguely understand Shen Shuibi's feelings.

The so-called 'Tao' is one's own principles.

Only by following one's own path can this long journey of life have meaning; otherwise, one is merely a walking corpse.

That's why Shen Shuibi was so angry when she saw the Jing family girl in Snake Tail County claiming to practice Sword Way.

To call a mere skill the "Tao" is indeed far too superficial.

The next step is to prepare for the grand ceremony.

The first step was to traverse Guangyang, exploring its mountains and rivers, and investigating its natural landscape and cultural heritage.

To preside over a grand ceremony, understanding the local context is the most basic and crucial element.

How can you preside over and coordinate something if you don't even understand it?

Once he had decided what to do, Li Qi didn't hesitate. He immediately packed his bags, said goodbye to Shen Shuibi, and then rode his Old Ma to patrol the mountain.

The old group is overloaded again; the new group is 317175348.