Spring's Pentads

After making a few brief arrangements, Li Chengxuan left at once.

Only Hua Chunning and Duanmu Ren remained in the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard, staring at each other.

Since it concerned her Dao Path, Hua Chunning was deeply grateful for Duanmu Ren's efforts. "Thank you, County Magistrate Duanmu. Once I enter the Dao, I will certainly repay you generously."

Duanmu Ren forced a smile and could not help shivering.

The past year had been sheer torment.

Back then, Li Chengxuan had pointed a finger at him from a distance, and Duanmu Ren had felt as though he had been struck by lightning, his head smashed by a great hammer, his whole being shattered into thousands of pieces.

That pain had been utterly real, reaching into the depths of his soul.

The best doctors had been helpless.

The most expensive medicines had done nothing.

Even the most thorough examinations had found nothing wrong.

Duanmu Ren was truly afraid.

The old leader at the provincial hospital could, at most, put in a good word for him at a critical moment and help smooth his official career.

But that Daoist Li could take his life at any moment!

Never mind revenge, Duanmu Ren had not even dared to run. To prove he was still useful, he had thrown himself into building the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard like a madman, nearly working himself half to death.

Now, seeing that Hua Chunning had also grown much thinner, he felt an unexpected kinship with her, as fellow sufferers of the same affliction.

Hua Chunning knew that Duanmu Ren possessed a Manifestation and was highly valued by the sect master. He might even become her fellow disciple one day, so she did not treat him with the aloofness she showed the Grotto-Heaven's mortals. She asked softly, "The sect master said we need to bring more people here and gather a living spring Manifestation. Do you have any ideas, County Magistrate Duanmu?"

Duanmu Ren put his many thoughts aside. He was, after all, a veteran bureaucrat with years of experience. After a moment's thought, he said, "That's easy."

"The Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard is already quite well known locally. It's a key provincial cultural tourism project."

"Everything is ready. All that's missing is an opening ceremony."

"The young people who study and work elsewhere are returning home one after another. They're cooped up at home and bored, so most of them should be willing to come out and join the fun."

"The road outside has already been repaired. I'll arrange free shuttle buses for visitors."

"We can also hold some activities for the opening. Getting an average of several hundred to a thousand visitors a day shouldn't be a problem."

Hua Chunning was immediately reassured. She nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, County Magistrate Duanmu."

"It's my duty. There's no need to thank me."

Duanmu Ren gave a wry smile. After some thought, he added, "Those are all standard measures. If all else fails, I can also find some staff from public institutions and company workers to make up the numbers."

"But if we want better results, we still need a focal point for publicity."

"I do have an idea, but I'm afraid Fairy Hua might not be willing."

Hua Chunning could not help smiling. Since it concerned her Dao Path, what could she possibly be unwilling to do? "Please, speak freely, County Magistrate Duanmu."

Duanmu Ren explained his idea.

Hua Chunning had gone viral online for a while before.

Unfortunately, she had later returned to Supreme Mystery Mountain, and the buzz had quickly died down.

If Hua Chunning was willing to cooperate and actively drum up some publicity, they might be able to recreate the sensation she had caused before.

Hua Chunning lowered her head in thought, then said seriously, "It's only selling my looks, one way or another. What does that amount to for the sake of my Dao Path?"

"Go ahead and do it, County Magistrate Duanmu."

After seeing Duanmu Ren off, Hua Chunning began considering how to replenish the Manifestation.

The Beginning of Spring marked the end of the cold winter and the first stirrings of spring Qi.

The first pentad of the Beginning of Spring was [The East Wind Gradually Rises].

Wood lay in the east, signifying lesser yang.

Thus, the east wind carried lesser yang Qi and evoked the melting of ice and snow, the thawing of frost, and the dispelling of cold.

Hua Chunning faced east, toward the rising morning sun, just as the east wind brushed her face.

The wind still carried a chill, but it lacked the harshness of the winter north wind that pierced flesh and bone and broke the life out of living things. Instead, a gentle, harmonious warmth lay hidden within it.

This was the wind of lesser yang.

Hua Chunning stood in the wind, her robes fluttering and her long hair dancing. The desolation and resentment of living alone in a side hall for months were blown away, and warmth and hope arose in her heart.

The second pentad of the Beginning of Spring was [Hibernating Creatures Stir from Sleep].

Hua Chunning lowered her head and listened intently.

From within the soil, which had yet to thaw completely, came a faint rustling.

The hibernating insects hidden in the earth sensed the earth Qi warming and the east wind blowing. They began to wake and move a little, though they had not yet truly crawled out of the ground.

Hua Chunning also felt a faint sensation inside her body, as though ants and insects were crawling over her.

That was the vitality people concealed away beneath the bitter cold of deep winter.

The third pentad of the Beginning of Spring was [Fish Rise to the Ice].

The Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard had originally been a subsidence area, with abundant water sources. These had been laid out as small lakes of varying sizes, connected by winding streams.

A layer of floating ice still covered the water, thin as cicada wings and as fragile as a young maiden's secret thoughts, shattering at a touch.

Several finger-length fish could no longer wait for the ice to melt. They pushed their way through its surface and swam about freely.

Hua Chunning was moved.

Was she not just like those little fish, unable to wait to break free of her restraints and enter the Dao to cultivate?

The Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard in Stone Ridge County had officially opened!

At first, the news spread only among Stone Ridge County's public officials.

Soon, it became a topic of discussion in the streets and alleys.

The project had simply been too controversial.

In a county whose resources had been exhausted, the county magistrate had stubbornly emptied the treasury to force the project through. He had even gone so far as to compel his brother-in-law and his front man to step forward and fill the funding gap, practically staking his official career on it.

Duanmu Ren in particular had lost dozens of jin in a single year. The contrast was so striking that people were quite moved by the sight of him.

Now, at last, it was opening its doors to visitors.

But very few people were optimistic about it.

With the economy in decline and cultural tourism projects springing up everywhere, those that could turn a profit could be counted on one hand.

County Magistrate Duanmu had built a resort in a subsidence area, spared no expense planting a great many flowers, and given it the inexplicable name of [Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard]. It had all the ingredients for a flop.

Naturally, County Magistrate Duanmu was still in office and held great power.

Some people expected it to fail, but did not dare say so aloud. They could only wait to see him make a fool of himself.

The opening of the Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard was nonetheless a lively affair.

All the county's prominent figures came.

The city sent a vice mayor.

The provincial department of culture and tourism also sent a director.

As the ostensible actual controller, Li Jiabao welcomed the crowning moment of his life, bringing glory to his ancestors.

Li Jiabao's wife, Liu Lidan, in particular, was already wiping away tears.

Who could have imagined that a year ago, she had been ready to get divorced and run away, but was now a member of the county's upper crust, chatting and laughing with the county magistrate's wife?

Duanmu Ren had truly poured his heart and blood into this project. He went so far as to act as a tour guide, accompanying the honored guests around the grounds and readily describing the various design details.

Director Jia of the department of culture and tourism nodded repeatedly and could not help exclaiming, "Thank you for all your hard work, County Magistrate Duanmu! It's rare to see a leading official put so much care into his work."

Duanmu Ren was, after all, notorious for his greed.

For the past year, he had been running around, sparing no effort to promote the subsidence area redevelopment project and applying for numerous subsidies. He might as well have had the words "subsidy fraud" pasted across his forehead.

The department's leaders feared that if the matter blew up, they would be implicated, so not one of them had been willing to come and lend their support.

Only Director Jia had accepted a great deal of money from Duanmu Ren in the past and found it hard to refuse, so he had no choice but to brace himself and come.

Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, however, he was reassured.

As a seasoned veteran who had seen plenty, he could still tell whether care had gone into the project and whether it was a case of subsidy fraud.

Duanmu Ren gave a wry smile and shook his head without speaking.

All he wanted now was to stay alive. Why would he care about subsidies?

Vice Mayor Qian, who was in charge of culture and tourism for the city, paid no attention to any of that. He was also much bolder and satisfied with the amount Duanmu Ren had given him. As they walked, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Huh? That person up ahead-could she be the Flower Fairy who's so popular online?!"