Promotion

At this moment, Zhang Qing sang out, "The auspicious hour has arrived, please present the deity statue!" Zhang Jingyun's face was flushed. With a flick of his hand, he pulled off the red silk, revealing the Earth God statue. Everyone looked and saw it was a young official, clad in a ninth-rank official uniform, with an imposing presence, exactly like the Earth God statues from the other four villages.

Zhang Jingyun then lit the first stick of incense and bowed respectfully.

Zhang Qing followed, lighting the second stick and also bowing. The rest of the villagers, according to their seniority, lit incense one after another. Before long, the entire Ancestral Hall was shrouded in incense smoke, and the villagers felt an even greater sense of solemnity. By then, everyone had finished lighting their incense. Zhang Jingyun led them, and the villagers bowed collectively once more.

Fang Ming was currently above the deity statue. He saw that as the Qingxi Township villagers bowed collectively, the Golden Seal above his head suddenly trembled and grew a bit larger. White qi surged in, transforming into wisps of red qi. The red fortune above his head rapidly increased, soon occupying half of his total fortune.

The divine power within him also transformed ceaselessly, with half of it becoming red divine power, continuously enveloping the Divine Position Talisman. After a moment, the Divine Position Talisman was promoted. The runes became more profound, but Fang Ming understood their meaning immediately: "True Eighth-Rank Qingxi Township Earth God position." The talisman's light flickered, and a red and white beam of light shot into Fang Ming's sea of consciousness.

Fang Ming felt a dizzy spell, then immediately regained his senses. This time, he had obtained a new divine ability, "Split Spirit Possession," which allowed him to expend a large amount of divine power to split off a subordinate spirit and possess a mortal. The longer the possession lasted, the greater the consumption. Fang Ming was overjoyed. Afterward, red and white light flickered around him, and his original true ninth-rank official uniform transformed into a true eighth-rank official uniform, making him appear more dignified. Originally, when Fang Ming was promoted to subordinate eighth-rank, he could have changed his official uniform. Unfortunately, by then, the deity statues in all the villages had already been sculpted in true ninth-rank official uniforms. While he could have changed it, it would have been meaningless. It was better to save his divine power for today and put on a divine miracle.

With a thought, red divine power surged out, and the Earth God statue was suddenly enveloped in red light, startling the people below. Zhang Jingyun's mouth fell open as he watched this extraordinary sight, unable to utter a single word.

The surrounding villagers were even more bewildered. In an instant, the red light dissipated, and the Earth God statue appeared solemn and majestic, still resembling a young man, yet somehow different. At this moment, Zhang Qing exclaimed, "The official uniform... the official uniform has changed! It's become a true eighth-rank official uniform..."

The villagers steadied themselves and looked. Indeed, the true ninth-rank official uniform on the deity statue was gone, replaced by a true eighth-rank official uniform: a Liang Crown on its head, a red silk top worn over it, white socks and black shoes on its feet, a leather belt and sash around its waist. Most notably, a yellow oriole was embroidered on its chest, a symbol of a true eighth-rank civil official of the Great Gan.

They all knelt down, exclaiming, "The Earth God has manifested!" "Earth God's Blessing!" "The Earth God is mighty!" and so on. Fang Ming smiled slightly. He had not only modified this village's deity statue but also those in the other four villages. However, since too many statues had been taken back by their respective villagers, the modification consumed too much divine power, so he left them as they were.

Even so, it was an extraordinary divine miracle, especially in the Great Gan, where there had been no deities before.

Fang Ming's action was inspired by the methods of Western Deities – displaying divine miracles to gather followers and deepen faith.

He had initially tried it casually, but now, seeing the excellent results, he knew it was effective. Through the Lines of Faith, Fang Ming could clearly see that over 150 ordinary believers had been added in the other four villages, along with more than twenty devout believers, greatly increasing his income.

As for Qingxi Township, over 500 people had become his ordinary believers, and there were even more than a dozen devout believers. This was just the beginning, and he was very satisfied with the harvest.

He also understood why most Western Deities displayed divine miracles immediately after their enthronement. Of course, the first divine miracle always had the best effect; subsequent ones would become less valuable. However, Fang Ming was just starting out and couldn't afford to worry about that.

Night fell. Because the villagers were wealthier than those in the other hamlets, pockets of light could still be seen in Qingxi Township, twinkling like fireflies.

Within the Earth God Shrine Domain, in the main hall, Fang Ming was hosting a grand banquet for his officials.

Qingxi Township had over two hundred households and more than a thousand villagers. The Earth God Shrine was built to be extremely large, unlike the small, meter-tall temples in the surrounding four villages. Furthermore, with Fang Ming displaying a divine miracle on the spot to deepen faith, the domain derived from this Earth God Shrine was vast, spanning a hundred mu, which greatly surprised Fang Ming.

Fang Ming immediately decided to put it to use and relocate the entire base camp of Qingyu Village here.

The main hall was also built to be grand and spacious, capable of accommodating a hundred people for a banquet. Fang Ming was in high spirits today and ordered a feast, even inviting the elderly and weak from Qingshan Village.

Fang Ming sat at the head of the table. Below him sat a crowd of Yin Spirits, each with their own seat. In front of them were flat tables laden with chicken, duck, fish, meat, fine wine, and fruit – an extremely lavish spread.

Secretly, he sighed. He could only use his divine power to manifest offerings and items he had eaten. Some things from his past life were peculiar and could not be manifested. The rest were what remained. Although it appeared magnificent to the villagers, it would likely be insufficient when compared to the standards of the county or prefecture. He pondered whether he should find a chef ghost in the future.

However, at this moment, the dishes were fitting for the occasion. The Yin Spirits ate heartily. Even He Yuqing, though he found the food somewhat coarse, chuckled bitterly, remembering that as a ghost, he couldn't even eat ordinary clear water and steamed buns in the mortal world. He then began to eat with gusto.

At this point, Guo Sheng stepped forward, raised his cup, and said, "Congratulations, my Lord, on eliminating the enemy and establishing the foundation of Qingxi Township. It is truly a cause for celebration. Your subordinate has a poem to offer to liven the mood!"

Fang Ming toyed with his wine cup and smiled playfully. This was the first time he had heard a congratulatory poem from this world. Although He Dong and Zheng Kuan had some literary knowledge, they were not skilled in such scholarly arts. He said, "What poem do you have? Hurry and recite it!"

Guo Sheng then sang clearly: "No hesitation to spend a thousand gold for a precious saber, trading mink fur for wine, a true hero. With a heart full of passion, cherish your fervor, for even spilled blood can transform into azure waves."

The lingering melody echoed, captivating everyone. He Yuqing was the first to react, exclaiming, "Excellent! This poem is magnificent!"

Fang Ming drained his cup and clapped his hands, laughing heartily.

He Dong and Xie Jin on the side gritted their teeth slightly, wondering if they should also find some books to read.

However, they couldn't show it on their faces at this moment and had to wear smiles and offer their praise.

After Guo Sheng, no one else stepped forward to recite poetry, but the atmosphere had been ignited. The group drank wine and ate food, gradually loosening up. Laughter and merriment filled the banquet, with plates and cups scattered everywhere.

After the banquet, He Dong, Wang Liulang, and others received a telepathic message from Fang Ming and came to the study room for a discussion. Although they had drunk some wine, its alcohol content was low, and being spirits, they could expel all traces of intoxication by channeling their spiritual energy.

The main hall of the Earth God Shrine Domain was too vast. Fang Ming's core subordinates were few, making it feel too empty.

Fortunately, the domain was spacious, so Fang Ming carved out another study room, the size of the Qingyu Village domain's main hall, which was perfect for discussions.

The study room was elegantly furnished, arranged by He Yuqing. The bookshelves were filled with the classic writings of this world, exuding a scholarly aura, quite refined.

This was created by He Yuqing leading Guo Sheng, with Fang Ming's assistance. As long as one mentally recalled an article, Fang Ming could manifest it into a book. This divine ability left He Yuqing dumbfounded.

Fang Ming also browsed through them casually and found that the classic writings of this world were very similar to those of his previous life, especially those from before the Qin Dynasty, which were basically identical, making him marvel! At the same time, he secretly pondered the relationship between the two worlds.

Fang Ming swept his gaze around and saw Wang Liulang, Xie Jin, He Dong, Guo Sheng, Zheng Kuan, and others present. He nodded and said, "Now that we have moved our base here, some arrangements need to be changed!"

Wang Liulang and He Dong exchanged glances and knelt down first, saying, "Please instruct us, my Lord!"

Fang Ming nodded and said, "First, the Yin Soldiers. From Qingyu, Qingshan, Dachang, and Yuanhe villages, leave one squad in each to garrison the Earth God Law Domain. The elderly and weak will remain in the Qingyu Village Law Domain for care. The remaining two 'huo' will be stationed here. I will allocate fifty mu of land as barracks!"

He thought for a moment and then said, "Wang Liulang, Xie Jin, each of you will take one 'huo.' Wang Liulang's unit will be stationed in Qingyu and Qingshan villages, and Xie Jin's unit will be stationed in Dachang and Yuanhe villages. During normal times, you will train, patrol the villages, and drive away fierce ghosts. You will still be under my command. Although the villagers have protection, Yin Soldiers are still needed to identify and address any shortcomings. This matter is of great importance, so you must handle it properly!"

Wang Liulang and Xie Jin saluted and said, "Your subordinate accepts the order!"

"He Dong, you will lead your men to register the believers of Qingxi Township and record their incense offerings. You should be familiar with this task, but Qingxi Township alone has the combined population of the four villages. The work will be complex. You and Guo Sheng will handle this diligently. If you do well, I will reward you!" Fang Ming nodded, then turned to He Dong.

"To serve my Lord is my utmost duty! How can I covet rewards? My Lord, please rest assured, this old servant will use this old life to ensure this matter is handled perfectly!" He Dong said with a look of loyalty, secretly pleased, and accepted the order with his subordinates.

"Mm, I can rest assured if you can do this." Fang Ming understood He Dong's thoughts clearly, but everyone has their own selfish desires. As long as it doesn't interfere with his major plans, he doesn't need to worry about it.

Therefore, Fang Ming nodded and said, "These are the main matters. If you have nothing else to report, you may withdraw!"

He Dong, Wang Liulang, and the others exchanged glances and withdrew.

Fang Ming closed his eyes, contemplating his future grand plans.

Qingxi Township had already reported the demise of the Ancestral Spirit. However, Daoist Lingzhu of the Ghost Suppression Cao Division was dispatched to provide support. The county government could only file the matter for now and would deal with it after Lingzhu's return, so there was still time.

As for the Zhang Family, they had been silent since the construction of the Earth God Shrine and no one had attended today. His intention to have Li Dazhuang come to provide support was thwarted. They seemed to be plotting something, and he should be vigilant.

With Qingxi Township already secured, where should I develop next?

The thought brought to mind the strategy of encircling the cities from the countryside from my previous life. But upon closer consideration, the rural population of Great Gan is sparse. The combined total of villagers and townsfolk in all of Anchang County doesn't even match the population of the county town. Furthermore, the villages are too far apart, making them difficult to manage and control.

Moreover, if this were a chaotic era, any encounter with warring factions would lead to widespread death. Only by holding a city could a large number of followers be protected.

Even if the villagers were armed, they wouldn't be able to defeat a regular army. Why? They are underfed, poorly equipped, and disorganized. In my previous life, the Yellow Turban rebels were often routed by the Imperial Army, which had less than a tenth of their numbers, and were eventually annihilated.

It seems that if I want to develop, my next step must be the county town. I've just acquired the Split Spirit Possession divine ability, should I go and assess the situation?

Thanks to My Arrogant Er and ???'s worries for their tips.