The Promotion

At that moment, Zhang Qing announced in a loud voice, "The auspicious hour has arrived. Bring forth the statue!" Zhang Jingyun's face glowed as he lifted the red silk. It fell away, revealing the Land God's statue. Everyone saw a young official dressed in a ninth-rank uniform, his bearing dignified. It looked exactly like the statues of the Land Gods in the other four villages.

Zhang Jingyun offered the first stick of incense, then bowed respectfully.

Zhang Qing followed with the second stick and bowed as well. The others offered incense in order of seniority. Before long, the entire ancestral hall was wreathed in smoke, and the villagers grew solemn. Once everyone had offered incense, Zhang Jingyun led them in another collective bow.

Fang Ming was right above the statue. As the people of Qingxi Township bowed together, the Golden Seal above his head trembled violently and grew a little larger. White Fortune poured into it, turning into threads of red. The Red Fortune above Fang Ming's head quickly increased, soon making up half of his total Fortune.

The Divine Power within him continued to transform, half of it turning into Red Divine Power that wrapped around his divine office talisman. A moment later, the talisman was promoted, its runes becoming more profound. Yet Fang Ming understood them at a glance: "Principal Eighth Rank Land God of Qingxi Township." The talisman shimmered, and a beam of red-and-white light burst from within it and shot into Fang Ming's sea of consciousness.

Fang Ming's head spun, but he quickly came to his senses. This time, he had gained a new divine ability: "Divine Possession." It allowed him to expend a large amount of Divine Power to create a divine avatar and possess a mortal. The longer he maintained it, the greater the cost. Fang Ming was delighted. Red-and-white light shimmered around him, and his Principal Ninth Rank uniform transformed into a Principal Eighth Rank uniform, making him look even more dignified. He could have changed his uniform when he advanced to Subordinate Eighth Rank, but by then every village had already made a statue in the Principal Ninth Rank uniform. Changing them all would have been possible, but pointless; better to conserve Divine Power and save it for a spectacle like today. With a thought, Red Divine Power surged forth, and the Land God statue was suddenly enveloped in red light, startling everyone below. Zhang Jingyun stared, mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

The villagers around them were even more at a loss. In an instant, the red light faded. The statue still looked like a dignified, solemn young man, though somehow different. Then Zhang Qing cried out, "The uniform... His uniform changed! It's a Principal Eighth Rank uniform now..."

The villagers looked closely. The statue's Principal Ninth Rank uniform was indeed gone, replaced by one for a Principal Eighth Rank official: a black gauze cap with horizontal ridges, a red silk robe, white socks and black shoes, and a belt with a sash. Most striking of all, an oriole was embroidered on the front of the robe—the emblem of a Principal Eighth Rank civil official in the Great Qian Empire.

They dropped to their knees, crying, "The Land God has shown his power!" "May the Land God protect us!" "The Land God is mighty!" Fang Ming smiled faintly. He had not only changed this statue; he had also changed the statues in the Land God Temples of the other four villages. But there were too many statues that people had taken home, and changing them would waste too much Divine Power, so he left those alone.

Even so, this was an astonishing divine miracle, especially in the Great Qian Empire, where no gods had ever existed before.

Fang Ming had borrowed this approach from the Western gods: display miracles to gather believers and deepen their faith.

He had only tried it on a whim, but the results were excellent. Through the Faith Line, Fang Ming could clearly tell that the number of ordinary believers in the other four villages had risen by more than a hundred and fifty, while the number of devout believers had grown by over twenty. His income had soared.

Meanwhile, more than five hundred people in Qingxi Township had become his ordinary believers, and over a dozen were already devout believers. This was only the beginning, yet he had already reaped such rewards. Fang Ming was very pleased.

He also understood why Western gods so often displayed miracles soon after their ascension. Of course, any miracle worked best the first time; the more often it happened, the less impressive it became. But Fang Ming had only just begun to establish his domain and couldn't afford to worry about that.

Night fell. Since the people of the township were wealthier than those of the villages, a few lights still shone here and there across Qingxi Township, flickering like fireflies.

Within the Divine Domain of the Land God Shrine, Fang Ming was holding a grand banquet for his officials in the main hall.

Qingxi Township had two hundred households and more than a thousand residents, and the Land God Shrine had been built on a far grander scale than the tiny, one-zhang-wide temples in the surrounding four villages. On top of that, Fang Ming had displayed a divine miracle in person to deepen people's faith. As a result, the Divine Domain that had sprung from the shrine was enormous—fully a hundred mu in size. Fang Ming was overjoyed.

He decided on the spot to put it to use at once, moving his entire base from Qingyu Village here.

The main hall was broad and imposing, large enough for a hundred people to feast. Fang Ming was in high spirits, so he ordered a grand banquet and invited even the old and weak from Qingshan Village.

Fang Ming sat in the seat of honor. Below him, Yin Spirits filled the hall, each with a seat and a low table piled high with chicken, duck, fish, meat, fine wine, and fruit. It was an extravagant spread.

Inwardly, however, he sighed. He could only use Divine Power to conjure offerings and things he had eaten himself. Some things from his previous life were too unusual to manifest; all that remained were these dishes. They seemed lavish to villagers and townsfolk, but might not be enough by county or prefectural standards. He wondered whether he should find the ghost of a great chef someday.

For now, though, the dishes made a respectable feast. The Yin Spirits ate with gusto. Even He Yuqing, who found the food a little crude, remembered that he was now a ghost and could not even have plain water or steamed buns from the mortal world in his usual state. He gave a wry smile, then set about his meal with gusto.

Guo Sheng came forward with a toast. "Congratulations, my lord, on vanquishing the enemy and expanding your domain into Qingxi Township. This is truly cause for celebration. I have a poem to offer, to liven the feast!"

Fang Ming toyed with his wine cup and smiled with interest. This was the first time he had heard a toast poem from another world. He Dong and Zheng Kuan knew a little about literature, but were no masters of such refined flourishes. "What poem have you got? Let's hear it!"

Guo Sheng recited in a clear voice: "I'd spend a thousand gold to buy a precious blade; I'd trade my sable coat for wine and call it valor. Cherish this heart of burning blood; even spilled, it can become a tide of emerald waves."

The lingering echoes curled through the hall, refusing to fade. Everyone was momentarily spellbound. He Yuqing was the first to react. "Wonderful! What a splendid poem!"

Fang Ming drained his cup, slapped his hands together, and laughed heartily, looking utterly delighted.

Nearby, He Dong and Xie Jin gritted their teeth a little, wondering whether they should find some books to read as well.

But they couldn't let it show. They had to smile and offer their praise, too.

After Guo Sheng, no one else came forward with a poem, but the mood had already been set. Everyone drank and ate, gradually letting loose. Soon, the banquet rang with laughter, and cups and plates were scattered everywhere.

After the banquet, He Dong, Wang Liulang, and the others received a summons from Fang Ming and went to the study to discuss business. They had drunk a little, but the wine was weak, and as Yin Spirits, they only needed to circulate their spiritual power to dispel the alcohol and its effects.

The main hall in the Land God Shrine's Divine Domain was simply too vast. Fang Ming had only a handful of trusted subordinates, so the space felt terribly empty.

Fortunately, the Divine Domain had plenty of room. Fang Ming had a study built, about the size of the main hall in the Qingyu Village Divine Domain, which was just right for discussing affairs.

The study was arranged with refined simplicity. Fang Ming had asked He Yuqing to furnish it. The shelves were full of this world's classics, and the whole room exuded a scholarly air.

He Yuqing had led Guo Sheng in creating the books, with Fang Ming's help. As long as he pictured a text in his mind, Fang Ming could turn it into a book and preserve it. This divine ability had left He Yuqing dumbfounded.

Fang Ming had also skimmed through the books and found that the classics of this world were very similar to those from his previous life. Those from before the Qin Dynasty were almost exactly the same, which had left him marveling. He had also begun to wonder about the relationship between the two worlds.

Fang Ming glanced around. Wang Liulang, Xie Jin, He Dong, Guo Sheng, Zheng Kuan, and the others were all present. He nodded. "Now that we've moved our base here, we need to change some of our arrangements."

Wang Liulang and He Dong exchanged a glance, then led the others in kneeling. "Please give your orders, my lord!"

Fang Ming nodded. "First, the Yin Soldiers. Leave one squad in each of the four villages: Qingyu, Qingshan, Dachang, and Yuanhe. They'll be stationed in the Land God's Divine Domain, while the old and weak will remain in the Qingshan Village Divine Domain. The remaining two platoons will be stationed here. I'll set aside fifty mu for a military camp!"

He thought it over, then continued, "Wang Liulang, Xie Jin, each of you will take one platoon. Wang Liulang's unit will be stationed in Qingyu and Qingshan, while Xie Jin's will be stationed in Dachang and Yuanhe. Drill regularly, patrol the villages, and drive off Ferocious Ghosts. You'll remain in command. Though the villagers have our protection, the Yin Soldiers must still be there to catch what slips through the cracks. This is important, so do it well!"

Wang Liulang and Xie Jin saluted. "We take your orders!"

"He Dong, take a team and register the believers of Qingxi Township, recording the incense offerings. You're familiar with this work, but a single township has as many people as all four villages combined, so it'll be a lot to handle. Take Guo Sheng and the others and do it carefully. If you do well, I'll reward you." Fang Ming nodded, then turned to He Dong.

"I'll serve my lord with my life! How could I covet a reward? Rest assured, my lord. I'll stake my life on getting this done properly!" He Dong spoke with utter loyalty, secretly delighted, and led his subordinates to accept the order.

"Good. If you can do that, I'll be at ease." Fang Ming understood He Dong's thoughts well enough, but who didn't have a little selfishness? As long as it didn't interfere with his important plans, there was no need to worry about it.

Fang Ming nodded. "That's all for now. If you have nothing else to report, you may leave."

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

Fang Ming closed his eyes, thinking over his plans for the future.

Qingxi Township had already reported the destruction of its Ancestral Spirit, but Daoist Lingzhu of the Ghost-Banishing Office had been ordered to provide support. The county could do nothing but file the matter away and wait for him to return and deal with it. So Fang Ming still had some time.

The Zhang family, on the other hand, had not said a word since the Land God Shrine was built. No one from the family had come today, either, so his plan to call Li Dazhuang in to make an impression had come to nothing. They seemed to be plotting something; he would have to stay alert.

Now that he had Qingxi Township in hand, where should he expand next?

That brought to mind the policy of encircling the cities from the countryside in his previous life. But on closer thought, the countryside in the Great Qian Empire was sparsely populated. The villagers and townsfolk of the entire Anchang County did not even outnumber the people in the county seat. Besides, the townships were too far apart; developing them would take too much effort and make them difficult to control.

And if chaos broke out, a single bout of warfare could wipe out huge numbers of people. In troubled times, only a city could be held to protect large numbers of believers.

Even if the villagers were armed, they still couldn't defeat a regular army. Why? They didn't have enough to eat, their equipment was poor, and their organization was chaotic. In his previous life, the Yellow Turbans had often been routed by imperial forces with less than a tenth of their numbers, and were ultimately wiped out.

It seemed that if he wanted to expand, his next step had to be the county seat. Now that he had gained the divine ability of Divine Possession, should he go take a look?

Thanks to My Highness Is Beyond Your Understanding, ???の??愁g, for the rewards;