Chapter Thirty-Three: Winning Wei Zheng Over, in Huoyun Cave!

Wei Zheng's eyes flickered. Though he was a renowned official of the Great Tang, he had not been born into a noble family.

As a result, he had a deep understanding of farming.

With only a little observation, he had grasped its pros and cons, as well as some of the Qu Yuan Plow's features.

However, since he was unfamiliar with the Qu Yuan Plow, he still had a few questions he hadn't figured out.

"Brother Wei, didn't you say you weren't coming here?"

A calm, somewhat familiar voice rang out with a laugh.

Wei Zheng looked up and saw Bai Qianli, still as elegant as ever, waving his folding fan.

"Haha, I wondered who it was. So it's Brother Bai.

"I heard you mention the place and grew curious, so I came to have a look!

"After all, a sight like this is rare even in Chang'an City, isn't it?"

Wei Zheng quickly came up with an excuse, while taking the opportunity to probe Bai Qianli again.

In all his decades in the mortal world, and even during his time moving about the Heavenly Court,

Wei Zheng had met few people as elegant as Bai Qianli.

That was why he was genuinely curious about Bai Qianli's identity.

"Heh, in that case, I should have waited for a while in town."

Bai Qianli didn't respond to Wei Zheng's probing. Instead, he looked at the laughing demons and asked,

"Then, Brother Wei, what do you think of this place?"

Wei Zheng straightened up and looked over the humans and demons.

His thoughts churned. What did Bai Qianli mean by that?

Was he probing to see if Wei Zheng was prejudiced against the Demon Race, or asking what he thought of this place?

"Heh, Brother Bai, you jest. I've only just arrived, and haven't investigated anything.

"An opinion without evidence is nothing but prejudice!"

"Prejudice? Brother Wei, well said!"

Bai Qianli's eyes dimmed. He folded his fan and tapped it against his palm a few times.

He nodded to himself. The answer had been fairly measured.

It seemed his decision to bring Wei Zheng here had been worthwhile.

"Since Brother Wei wants to take a closer look, I can introduce you to a few people."

"Oh? Brother Bai, you certainly have a way with things. Then I'll gladly accept."

Bai Qianli then led Wei Zheng over to Chen Fan.

"Brother Chen, this is Brother Wei, a high-ranking official from the capital. He's heard about your achievements

"and came all this way to find you. Show him what you can do, Brother Chen!"

When Bai Qianli revealed his identity, Wei Zheng's expression changed abruptly.

He had come here in secret, and the news shouldn't have left Chang'an yet.

But Bai Qianli had identified him at a glance. He was definitely no ordinary man.

As expected, their encounter at the inn hadn't been a coincidence.

No wonder the guards downstairs had said they hadn't seen him come or go.

Bai Qianli met Wei Zheng's gaze with a completely untroubled smile.

He kept his identity hidden only because he didn't want to attract the attention of certain people.

That didn't mean he would act timidly here.

For the Great Human Sage to attain enlightenment, the human dynasties were a hurdle that could never be bypassed.

"Greetings, Lord Wei!"

Chen Fan hadn't expected Wei Zheng to come straight over after arriving in Qingshi Town only a couple of days earlier.

After hearing Bai Qianli's introduction, he hurried forward and bowed, then pulled the village chief over.

"This is our village chief, Zhao Dama!"

"This commoner, Zhao Dama, pays his respects to Your Excellency!"

As he spoke, the village chief was about to kneel before Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng hurried forward to help him up and said,

"Chief Zhao, there's no need for such formalities. I'm not wearing official robes, so I'm not acting as an official.

"You're making far too much of a fuss with such a grand gesture."

Wei Zheng held the village chief by the arm and looked at the plow, which had just turned around in the distance.

His heart leaped. It could turn around on the spot?

"Chief, could you tell me a little about this device?

"If possible, I'd like to try using it myself. Would that be all right?"

"Of course. Only, this device wasn't made by this old man. It was..."

The village chief pulled Chen Fan forward and introduced him.

"This device is called the Qu Yuan Plow. Chen Fan made it. I ask Your Excellency to see for yourself!"

Wei Zheng nodded. The village chief hadn't tried to take credit for it. He had a good character.

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony. He called out to Dazhuang and told him to get down.

Now that Wei Zheng was taking this seriously, he immediately made a request.

"Wait. Change the ox. Bring over an ordinary castrated bull.

"Forgive me, Mr. Chen, but ordinary villages can't afford to use an Ox Demon!"

Wei Zheng gave Chen Fan a long look, then turned to the village chief.

"Sorry to trouble you, Chief. Could you help me try out this Qu Yuan Plow?"

"Not at all, not at all. Please, Your Excellency!"

The village chief smiled so stiffly that his face seemed frozen, and hurriedly agreed.

Watching Wei Zheng roll up his sleeves, Bai Qianli grinned and nudged Chen Fan.

"Looks like he suspects you're up to no good!"

Chen Fan took Bai Qianli's teasing in stride, looking completely confident.

"Winning over demons, gaining the people's support—if he didn't suspect me, he wouldn't be Wei Zheng!"

"You've never left Zhao Family Village. How do you know what Wei Zheng is like?"

Bai Qianli was surprised. Chen Fan seemed remarkably confident in his assessment of Wei Zheng.

That wasn't how ordinary villagers usually viewed officials.

In Bai Qianli's eyes, Chief Zhao's reaction was the normal one.

A faint smile touched Chen Fan's lips as he muttered to himself,

You want to put on an act for me? I can do that too!

Chapter Thirty-Three: Winning Wei Zheng Over, in Huoyun Cave!

After plowing a round with Chief Zhao, Wei Zheng clapped his hands and gazed at the Qu Yuan Plow, his eyes shining.

"This Qu Yuan Plow is excellent! It cuts deeper into the soil, takes less effort, and doesn't tire out the ox!"

Wei Zheng observed the ox's condition again and finally reached a conclusion.

The Great Tang had only recently been established, and there was still plenty of land but few people.

A tool that could save labor and produce more grain—

if His Majesty learned of it, he would surely be overjoyed.

If the treasury weren't so depleted, and there were enough funds and grain to support it,

would His Majesty really have to keep yielding again and again to the increasingly brazen Shuo Li?

Wei Zheng's brow furrowed slightly as he thought of another drawback.

A plow was one of the most important household possessions a farming family owned, on a par with a bed or cabinet.

The importance of a good plow to a farming family went without saying.

But a plow was also expensive to make.

Ordinary households had to account for every single coin, wishing they could split each one in half.