Leveling Up

Soon, Liu Yunan met with Village Chief Du in the reception room of the Lingxian Academy.

"Grandpa Village Chief, please sit down. Why didn't you use Sound Transmission Talisman to call me directly?" Liu Yunan asked, pointing to the chair next to him, somewhat surprised.

To ensure that they could be found in case of trouble in the village, the General Affairs Hall always guaranteed to supply Village Chief Du with at least five Sound Transmission Talisman that could be used to contact Liu Yunan himself.

Village Chief Du sat down, looked at him, and smiled:

"Those talisman treasures aren't easy for you to make, so I was just trying to save some money so you wouldn't have to replace them when I run out."

Hearing this, knowing that the old man was thinking of them, Liu Yunan just smiled and didn't say anything more, instead getting to the point:

"Grandpa Village Chief, is there something you need to tell me this time?"

Village Chief Du then explained:

"Here's the thing: in recent years, we've seen more and more tourists coming to our village, and quite a few people building houses and settling down here. Now, our village's population and number of households far exceed those of other villages in the Ten-Li. So I was thinking, could our village be expanded?"

In fact, the government also had this intention.

In the past two years, the number of people reported by Xiushui Village has been growing rapidly, and the number of registered permanent residents is even more than the total population of many towns.

Under normal circumstances, it is far from enough for a village head to manage this scale; the administrative unit must be upgraded.

It is precisely because Xiushui Village is backed by the Lingxian Sect that few people dare to cause trouble here. Village Chief Du himself is also very dedicated, and the people of Xiushui Village are quite united, which is why no major problems have occurred over the years.

But this is clearly not a long-term solution.

The government has recently contacted Village Chief Du to discuss upgrading Xiushui Village to the level of a town.

However, both the government officials and Village Chief Du were well aware that Xiushui Village's upgrade would require the consent of the Lingxian Sect, so the task of contacting the Lingxian Sect fell to Village Chief Du.

After Du Liushui explained the government's intentions, Liu Yunan was stunned for a moment before a look of joy appeared on his face, and he said:

"So, does that mean our Xiushui Village will soon become Xiushui Town?"

Du Liushui nodded with a smile:

"If your Lingxian Sect agrees, then this matter should be settled."

"That's great! This is fantastic news! Brother Xiao and the others will definitely agree!" Liu Yunan was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. He immediately used the Lock Ring to contact Lin Xiao and the others and tell them about it.

Just as he expected, everyone from Xiushui Village was overjoyed to hear about it.

Although they mostly cultivate in the mountains and rarely return to the village, Xiushui Village is where they grew up. Now that they hear their village is being upgraded to a town, how could they not be happy?

Du Liushui watched as Liu Yunan communicated smoothly with others using only a small white jade ring on his finger, even more conveniently than Sound Transmission Talisman, and felt a deep sense of admiration and envy.

For a moment, he regretted not participating in the Lingxian Sect's disciple recruitment.

However, this was just a temporary emotion.

Rather than pursuing immortality, he preferred living in the village, spending his days enjoying the company of his grandchildren and savoring his golden years.

If it's later... we'll talk about it then.

Remembering the important reason for her visit, Du Liushui continued:

"If the village is upgraded to a town, the government has agreed to allocate a construction fund. However, the government has also said that this fund is limited. If we want to build it even better, our village will have to find a way ourselves."

"I was thinking that with everyone in our village working together and the Lingxian Sect backing us, things will definitely get better and better. We're a town now, but who knows, we might even rise higher in the future? Since we're taking this step of development, if we can lay a solid foundation, things will be much easier later on."

"So I discussed it with the clan chiefs of several families in the village and asked if the Lingxian Sect could lend us some money for village construction. We've drafted the terms, and we'll be repaying the Lingxian Sect a portion of the village's annual income."

"This..." Liu Yunan was about to agree immediately, but having been in charge for several years, he wisely stopped himself and instead said:

"Grandpa Village Chief, wait a minute. Jianghe is in charge of the clan's finances. I need to ask him."

As he spoke, he Lock Ring and chose to contact Qin Jianghe.

To make it easier to discuss things, he simply kept the Lock Ring open so that Qin Jianghe could speak directly with Village Chief Du.

When Qin Jianghe heard that Village Chief Du wanted to borrow money to build the village, he immediately said that there was no need to borrow, and that their Lingxian Sect would directly provide a sum of money to support the village's construction.

Their sect doesn't actually need much gold and silver these days. In addition, there's the gold and silver that the imperial court often includes in gifts. Therefore, the sect's income far exceeds its expenditure.

The village needs it right now, so there's no need to lend it.

Brother Xiao had said before that they would do their best to help if there was anything in the village that needed assistance.

However, Village Chief Du refused.

Why is that?

Faced with Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe's questions on the Lock Ring, Du Liushui smiled and shook his head, explaining:

"I know you mean well, but child, as the saying goes, a small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. Now that our Xiushui Village has been transformed into a town, you've given us money directly. What if the village wants to become a county, or even a city in the future? Are we going to have to ask you for money every time?"

On the Lock Ring, Qin Jianghe flipped through the ledger in front of him and thought that it wasn't a bad idea.

After all, their sect really didn't have many places to spend their money, and if they hoarded even more in the future, he felt it would take up too much space.

This kind of thing is not a big deal for the Lingxian Sect now. They don't even need to hold a small meeting inside the sect. Qin Jianghe can make the decision directly on his own.

However, he understood what the village chief meant.

"How about this? Our sect will borrow part of the funds and provide additional financial assistance. Furthermore, if any villages encounter manpower shortages during construction, they can always contact us for help. How does that sound?"

Knowing the children's good intentions, Du Liushui didn't refuse again and agreed with a smile.

And so, the three of them discussed some more details. First, Village Chief Du explained to them in detail what needed to be built, such as which buildings would be the main part of the construction, the materials needed, which administrative agencies would be set up, and the initial operating funds. These were all mentioned when the government came to discuss the matter before, and then Village Chief Du and several clan elders had planned it out.

The reason why the government didn't immediately contact Lingxian Sect after their discussions was that Du Liushui had gone to find out all the details.