Chapter 287: Heavenly Fate Ranking and Creation Plate, Ambush

"Disciple-grandson, how did you manage to get both of them to follow your command?" True Monarch Tianyang asked, quite curious.

At this moment, Zhao Xing held two command tokens.One token had Sima Yunhai's name engraved on the front and Xuantian Academy on the back.The other had Pang Yuanzhen's name on the front and Shangluo Academy on the back.

"Sima Yunhai is a typical Divination Faction Administrator of Agriculture. He cares deeply for the world and takes the common people's welfare as his responsibility. As long as a plan benefits the populace, he doesn't mind whether he is the one in charge."

"I arrived before him and prepared preventive measures earlier. He thought my plan was superior, so he ceded authority to me."

"Pang Yuanzhen is studious. I wrote a lengthy treatise for him to read, and he found it reasonable, so he also decided to cooperate fully."

True Monarch Tianyang lit an incense stick, placed it in his mouth, and took a deep puff. "Don't just talk about their strengths; tell me about their weaknesses."

"It's not good for your disciple-grandson to speak ill of others behind their backs."

True Monarch Tianyang chuckled, "That's easy. I'll call them both over, and you can tell them to their faces?"Zhao Xing paused.*How could you say something like that?*

Zhao Xing had no choice but to reply, "Sima Yunhai possesses the strengths of a Divination Faction Administrator of Agriculture, and his weaknesses stem from the same place. Because he takes the common people's welfare as his responsibility, he tends to look down on the other two factions; his sectarian views are very strong."

True Monarch Tianyang nodded. "And what about Pang?"

"Pang Yuanzhen is overly eager to seek the Dao and admire powerful individuals. As soon as he arrived in Mingyue Prefecture, he immediately sought me out, placing rescue efforts second. Clearly, in his mind, the rescue mission was for political purposes, to allow Shangluo Academy to acquire more resources."

"His agreement to follow my command is largely due to my teacher, Liu Tianning."

True Monarch Tianyang finished the incense stick and lit another. "So, how do you view these two men's flaws?"

Zhao Xing said, "A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. If one judges by intentions, few perfect individuals exist in the world."

True Monarch Tianyang smiled and nodded. "Your ability to get both of them to follow your command makes your master-ancestor very pleased with you."

"I mentioned earlier that I would give you a gift. Once the matters in Pinghai Prefecture are settled, make time to visit Fengjing in Tianyong Prefecture."

Fengjing is one of the Great Zhou's capitals.*What kind of gift requires me to collect it in the capital?* Zhao Xing wondered.

"You'd better come early. If Li Boqian dies before you arrive in Fengjing, I, your master-ancestor, will have to cede my authority in the underworld to him."

"Thank you, Master-Ancestor." Zhao Xing bowed with cupped hands.

"Go on, do your work properly. Disaster prevention is a laborious task, so don't come here to chat with me these days."

"Understood. Your disciple-grandson takes his leave."

The people Sima Yunhai brought were elites drawn from various branch academies across Pinghai Prefecture, comprising 1,856 fourth-rank Administrators of Agriculture.

Pang brought 129 fourth-rank Administrators of Agriculture.

In terms of numbers, the Divination Faction Administrators of Agriculture were more than ten times as numerous as those from the Primal Self Faction.

This was true for both fourth-rank and fifth-rank officials.

Sima Yunhai brought over 16,000 fifth-rank Administrators of Agriculture in total.

Pang Yuanzhen brought only 1,020 fifth-rank Administrators of Agriculture.

As for sixth-rank Administrators of Agriculture, neither Sima Yunhai nor Pang Yuanzhen brought any.

Bringing too few sixth-rank Administrators of Agriculture would be useless. Like a warrior's battle formation, Administrators of Agriculture, when combined with agricultural mechanisms and magic formations, can create a layered amplification effect, boosting the spells of the powerful Administrators of Agriculture within the main formation.

Since Sima Yunhai was a third-rank official, bringing too few sixth-rank officials wouldn't provide much benefit, and bringing too many would slow down their movements.

For Pang Yuanzhen, bringing them was useless; sixth-rank Administrators of Agriculture haven't even given birth to pure elemental soil yet.

Furthermore, Shangluo Academy only had eight branch academies in Pinghai Prefecture, three of which were in enemy-occupied territory. This small number of personnel had all been transferred from Daoyuan Prefecture.

When the operation officially began, Zhao Xing first sought out Ye Yukong, the Prefect of Mingyue Prefecture.

"Prefect, please approve this request."

"What is this for?"

"Disaster prevention is a laborious task that consumes a lot of vital energy. Once it begins, even with shifts, the intensity of the work is extremely high."

"This document proposes overtime pay for officials of all ranks in Mingyue Prefecture."

"As long as there's a regulation to follow, the Prefect can reward according to the system," Zhao Xing explained.

"Oh, yes, yes, that's proper," Ye Yukong said, placing his large seal on it without even looking.

As soon as he finished stamping one document, Zhao Xing handed him another.

"What's this one for?" Ye Yukong asked.

"Prefect, please open the Taigu, Taiping, Changping, and Ganquan granaries."

"Mingyue Prefecture will surely have a poor harvest this year, and prices will inevitably soar. Opening these four granaries will stabilize the prices of grains, common medicinal herbs, and clothing materials. Otherwise, a large number of common people won't be able to afford food or winter clothes."

"I see." Ye Yukong slapped his large seal down again.

As soon as he finished, Zhao Xing handed him yet another document.

Ye Yukong looked at Zhao Xing.

"Prefect, please issue orders to all counties and districts to expand temporary shelters. Should a disaster occur, officials from the Longship Bureau must immediately mobilize to transfer residents from affected areas to these shelters, facilitating our disaster prevention efforts."

"Thump!"

"Prefect, please instruct the four academies within Mingyue Prefecture – Mingyue, Lihuo, Bishui, and Shenyou – to provide convenient access for sixth-rank and above officials, enabling them to quickly travel to various counties and districts."

"Thump!"

"Prefect, please approve this letter—"

"Thump!"

"Prefect—"

"Thump!"

Ye Yukong's hand, stamping the seal, was almost a blur.

He stamped for a full hour before realizing the table was empty.

Zhao Xing no longer submitted documents.

"That's all?" Ye Yukong looked at Zhao Xing.

"That's all for this morning," Zhao Xing nodded.

Ye Yukong felt a bit numb.*So, I worked for an hour and only finished a morning's worth of work?*

"Couldn't you have just gotten approval from your subordinates?"

Zhao Xing explained, "Over a thousand civil officials in Mingyue Prefecture have died. The officials who have been appointed to replace them are not yet proficient in their duties and dare not overstep their authority. They must seek the Prefect's approval."

Ye Yukong's face showed bitterness.

Zhao Xing didn't want to make things difficult for him; there truly was no other way.

To implement prefectural decrees, Ye Yukong's personal approval and the Prefect's official seal were essential. Without them, the decrees would be ineffective, and some official storerooms couldn't even be opened!

To be honest, part of Mingyue Prefecture's current chaos stemmed from placing Ye Yukong, a martial artist, in the Prefect's position.

His occupancy of the position led to a backlog of many official documents, hindering the progress of work.

Of course, Ye Yukong couldn't be blamed for this.

Even in peacetime, a Prefect's workload was incomparable to that of the Martial Arts Dean of Mingyue Academy.

What's more, this was wartime, with so many civil officials having died.

How could Ye Yukong possibly handle it all?

It wasn't that the imperial court forced him; it was simply that given the situation at the time, all military and political authority had to be handed over to Ye Yukong.

After finishing the morning's workload, Ye Yukong couldn't help but complain to Zhao Xing:

"Chen'an, I truly don't want to do this anymore. When I was Dean, I had quite a reputation for virtue."

"After less than two months as this wretched Prefect, I've been cursed left and right, and my ancestors are probably fuming in the afterlife!"

"My father even appeared in my dream last night, calling me a blockhead for not knowing how to conduct background checks before hiring people, only knowing how to invite more experts."

"Why do you think the imperial court insisted on me concurrently serving as Prefect?"

Zhao Xing honestly replied, "Because a Prefect must be a third-rank official to hold the concurrent position, and they must have worked in Mingyue Prefecture for over ten years. At that time, you were the only one in Mingyue Prefecture who met those requirements."

"But I have no idea how a Prefect is supposed to do their job." With someone listening, Ye Yukong began to pour out his grievances.

He picked up one of the archived documents and said, "Take, for example, seven days ago."

"Huang Shanggong, the chief official of the Heavenly Works Bureau which oversees the six counties under the Prefectural City's Mechanism Department, submitted a document requesting a batch of consumables for the four eastern counties of Mingyue Prefecture."

"I told him to act expediently and decide on his own. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Zhao Xing could only comfort him, "Nothing wrong with that."

"If it were ordinary materials, Huang Shanggong could decide on his own."

"However, these consumables involved over three thousand types of materials, which needed to be transferred from the Yuanfeng Repository under the Agricultural Administration."

"At the time, I wondered what this Yuanfeng Repository was and why they still had to ask me."

"Upon checking, I found out that the Yuanfeng Repository contained seventh-rank materials. This not only required the Prefect's personal seal but also my initial order to the Agricultural Administration's Yuanfeng Repository."

"Heh heh, and that wasn't all. I then had to dispatch the Patrol Bureau and City Guard for escort."

"Just transferring some materials involved several damn departments."

"I thought it would be over once I issued the order. But it turned out that even with Huang Shanggong having the order, the Yuanfeng Repository doors couldn't be opened. The chief officials from those few places still needed to re-verify with me, the Prefect."

"I said, 'Couldn't you chief officials just discuss it amongst yourselves?'"

"Guess what the chief administrator of the Yuanfeng Repository said?"

"What did he say?" Zhao Xing asked, playing along.

"He said, 'If the Prefect doesn't arrive, and a subordinate takes materials from the Yuanfeng Repository, how is that different from rebellion?'" Ye Yukong exclaimed, banging the table. "Can't he just speak normally? It's just about transferring materials; why does it get dragged into rebellion?"

Zhao Xing was speechless.

In fact, the chief administrator of the Yuanfeng Repository wasn't wrong.

It was impossible for Huang Shanggong and the Agricultural Administration staff to simply agree and open the Yuanfeng Repository to transfer seventh-rank materials.

Troublesome? If they could bypass the Prefect to do this, then those seventh-rank materials would be far too insecure.

The necessary procedures and processes must be in place. When moving such precious materials, security must take precedence over convenience.

Otherwise, how dangerous would it be if the rebels got their hands on seventh-rank materials?

"Even when communication goes smoothly, it feels troublesome," Ye Yukong said. "What's worse is when chief officials from different departments have disagreements."

"I originally thought that once the order was given, the matter would be resolved."

"But it turned out that the Yuanfeng Repository didn't have the consumables Huang Shanggong needed."

"Even if I issued an order, the Yuanfeng Repository couldn't approve that many consumables."

"Yet, the chief official of the Yuanfeng Repository and Huang Shanggong both asked me what to do."

"How was I supposed to know what to do? Didn't I have to ask someone?"

"So, I asked someone!"

"Thus, I had to invite the chief officials of both departments over for questioning again."

Ye Yukong recalled, "Then Liu Qing, the chief administrator of the Yuanfeng Repository, said that opening the Inner Treasury might provide the materials Huang Shanggong needed."

"I said, 'Then open it!'"

Zhao Xing was speechless after hearing this.

The Inner Treasury was even more important than the Yuanfeng Repository; how could it simply be opened just like that?

"Liu Qing said he checked the Inner Treasury's records, and there were indeed backup materials, but not many. If there were more important uses later, they wouldn't have any left. Huang Shanggong didn't seem that urgent, so he shouldn't transfer so much."

"I thought he made sense, but then Huang Shanggong suddenly got angry."

"'Not urgent? How can it not be urgent? How can I not be urgent when the fire is at my eyebrows?'" Ye Yukong mimicked Huang Shanggong, speaking at the top of his voice.

"These two couldn't agree, so they asked me what to do."

"And what did you do?" Zhao Xing asked.

"I thought Huang Shanggong made sense, so I opened the doors of both the Inner Treasury and the Yuanfeng Repository, and let Master Huang use the materials first."

Ye Yukong sighed, "As a result, five days later, the same problem, even more urgent, appeared in the six western counties of Mingyue Prefecture. Ultimately, due to insufficient materials, the magic formations couldn't withstand the natural disaster, leading to over a hundred thousand people being affected."

Zhao Xing consoled him, "You can't be blamed."

"You don't need to comfort me," Ye Yukong shook his head. "I truly am not suited to be a Prefect."

Zhao Xing didn't know what else to say to comfort him.

If one were to blame the imperial court, for a dynasty where an emperor reigns for a thousand years, promising to send a replacement for the Prefect's position in just three months during wartime was already highly efficient.

Ye Yukong rose from his seat, holding the large seal in both hands, and walked down.

"Chen'an, I'm not suited to be this temporary Prefect. I think you're very suited for it!"

"How could this be? I'm not worthy," Zhao Xing was stunned. "I'm merely a fifth-rank official."

The Inspecting Envoy was fourth-rank, but not counted among civil official ranks.

"You are worthy!" Ye Yukong said. "Since you took over administrative affairs these past two days, there have been few disagreements from subordinates. Your decisions are far superior to mine!"

"I cannot accept." Zhao Xing still shook his head. "My fifth-rank civil official position is simply too low to wield this large seal."

He truly couldn't wield it!

In a Destiny Dynasty like Great Zhou, a "stolen seal case" was impossible. It was inconceivable for some petty thief to steal an official's seal or tiger tally from a certain position and then use it to mobilize troops or issue orders.

Without the corresponding rank and appointment documents, Zhao Xing, no matter how strong, could not pick up the Prefect's seal.

Furthermore, how could the authority of a high-ranking regional official be privately transferred?

Even if he could pick it up, he wouldn't agree.

"I have myriad dharma clones and will fully assist the Prefect. Please, Prefect, do not speak of this again," Zhao Xing said, stepping back two paces and bowing with cupped hands.

"It was thoughtless of me," Ye Yukong realized. "In that case, Chen'an, I will heavily rely on your assistance."

"Yes, Prefect, please rest assured," Zhao Xing said. "This clone of mine will remain in the official chambers, waiting for your call at any time."

"Good, good, good," Ye Yukong smiled with relief.

The reason Ye Yukong made the gesture of "private transfer of authority" was truly because Zhao Xing had performed exceptionally well.

It seemed he understood the situation in Mingyue Prefecture even better than Ye Yukong, who had been there for over a hundred years.

In just two days, Zhao Xing corrected administrative affairs that had accumulated for over a month and erroneous decrees.

The first layer of the Soul Cultivation Art once again displayed terrifying power.

With numerous clones, his divine sense ran calculations, deducing various outcomes, allowing Zhao Xing to process administrative affairs hundreds of times faster than others.

Ye Yukong felt immensely relieved these past two days!

Because finally, no one came crying to ask him what to do.

He no longer had nightmares when he slept at night.

Every day, he just thumped his seal and was done.

Zhang Ping, Liu Bogong, and Physician Zheng also shared this comfortable feeling.

Working under Zhao Xing was very comfortable for them.

Zhao Xing had a good understanding of the Way of Mechanisms and the Way of Medicine. This understanding wasn't about specific spells but about quickly grasping their needs and coordinating resources for various departments.

During his training in Shiyang Grotto-Heaven, Zhao Xing had always been a teaching talent, achieving excellent results in all selection and training assessments.

Moreover, with his past life's experience as a foundation and years of preparation, if his subordinates encountered difficulties, those difficulties stemmed from the problems themselves, not from internal issues.

Under the mobilization of Zhao Xing's terrifying computing power, all levels of government agencies in Mingyue Prefecture quickly sprang into action and regained vitality.

As for resources, after receiving support from Tianhe Prefecture, there was no shortage.

In just ten days, Qin Ming, the chief official of Mingyue Prefecture's Supervisory Bureau of Heaven, cried out with joy.

"It's lowered! It's lowered! The disaster warning level has dropped from level seven to level six!"

"Hahaha, Heaven bless my Mingyue Prefecture!"

"Quick, quickly send the latest prediction to the Prefectural Yamen!"

"Yes!"

Zhuo County, outside the county seat.

"Marquis Yuan, the latest disaster warning sent by Qin Ming has been lowered. This is all your doing," Wei Zhao, a fourth-rank perfected Administrator of Agriculture from Shangluo Academy, couldn't help but exclaim.

"This is the result of everyone's collective efforts," Zhao Xing said.

"We haven't even begun to truly exert ourselves, and the disaster level has already dropped. How can this be our credit?"

Yang Song, standing nearby, shook his head.

The efficiency of the prevention and control couldn't be that fast.

The main reason was that Zhao Xing had first restored government functions and improved government efficiency.

As long as government efficiency improved, the disaster warning level would decrease in the Supervisory Bureau of Heaven's predictions.

Whether the government could function effectively made a huge difference.

If the government was chaotic and did nothing, even a level-three gale storm could cause the effects of a level-four or five disaster.

"From level seven to six, this is already the limit," Zhao Xing said. "Next, we'll still need everyone to work together."

"Yes! We respectfully obey Marquis Yuan's command!" Wei Zhao, Yang Song, and the other officials bowed with cupped hands in unison.

Pang Yuanzhen, who was planting trees in the distance, secretly nodded as he watched this scene.

"With the identity of Liu Tianning's disciple, having mastered the myriad dharma straw effigies, and having written 'New Treatise on Primal Self Heavenly Objects,' he has already achieved comprehensive understanding of both law and principle."

"He also knows how to govern, possesses a thorough understanding of various complex government agencies; he's practically a polymath."

"At this point, even if I took back my token, these people would listen to him, not me."

Pang Yuanzhen felt a little dazed. It was hard to imagine that Zhao Xing was still under forty years old! He was simply more dazzling than Liu Tianning!

"Doctor Pang, have the plantings been completed?" Zhao Xing walked over with his people.

"Reporting, Marquis Yuan," Pang Yuanzhen said, rising. "In the past three days, a total of 37.6 million Ice Heart Grass plants have been cultivated across Zhuo County's forty-five counties."

"In fifteen of these counties, due to overly cold earth veins, we erected warming shelters. The remaining thirty counties do not require warming shelter protection."

"The county Agricultural Administration in Zhuo County only needs to wait for the Ice Heart Grass to enter its growth phase before they can transplant them."

"The scale can expand ten thousandfold in a short period."

Zhao Xing's fingers tapped lightly on his pant leg, then he nodded. "In that case, we can proceed to the next county. Let's board the ships."

"Understood." Pang Yuanzhen nodded.

Seven longships soared into the sky, departing from Zhuo County.

No sooner had they left than another of Zhao Xing's clones arrived here with Sima Yunhai and the Divination Faction Administrators of Agriculture.

Looking at the warming shelters dotting the ground below, Sima Yunhai couldn't help but let out another cold snort.

*That damn bastard, wasn't his character supposed to be stubborn? How could that Zhao Xing kid easily persuade him?*

*Pang Xianyun, you're truly despicable!*

Sima Yunhai and Pang Xianyun had been fellow disciples for most of their lives; how could he not know his junior brother's temperament?

After Pang Xianyun changed his cultivation path, Sima Yunhai tried to persuade him, but it was like trying to pull back eight oxen – impossible.

Yet now, he had easily accepted Zhao Xing's arrangements.

Sima Yunhai felt nauseous again.

"Thank you for your trouble, Teacher," Zhao Xing bowed with cupped hands.

"Understood," Sima Yunhai nodded. His frustration was directed at Pang Xianyun, not Zhao Xing. Since he was already here, he had to consider the bigger picture.

A cold wind howled, and hail filled the sky.

Blue ice crystals formed on the ground.

The county, having suffered a natural disaster and Fang Tianguang's failed governance, had transformed from sweltering heat to severe cold. At this moment, the clouds in the county sky were solid and impenetrable, raining down hail.

Zhao Xing's cloud magic was naturally not as good as Sima Yunhai's; he primarily provided the plans, and Sima Yunhai acted at this time.

"Fire Cloud Transformation!"

Sima Yunhai pointed to the sky.

The ten thousand miles of ice clouds that had originally shrouded Zhuo County instantly stirred with a faint reddish glow.

"Ripple~"

As if a giant stone had been thrown into a calm lake, the red light rapidly spread outwards.

The entire sky's cloud layer was tinged with the color of dawn.

"At least a seventh-turn cloud magic."

Zhao Xing looked up; this was practical, on-site teaching, and nothing was more precious than such an opportunity.

"Enlightening."

Sima Yunhai's spell lasted for a full half-hour.

All the ice clouds over Zhuo County underwent a gentle transformation.

"Drip-drip~"

"Drip-drip-drip~"

The sky began to rain.

Zhao Xing reached his hand out of the ship cabin and caught a handful of rainwater.

He then rubbed it between his fingers.

"The ice particles have disappeared, but this is still a temporary solution, not a fundamental one. The cold energy remains," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Sima Yunhai's magic was powerful, but he couldn't change the fact that a large amount of cold energy still existed in this area.

At this point, the role of the Primal Self Faction became evident.

The large quantity of Ice Heart Grass that Pang Xianyun and his people had originally planted could absorb the cold energy from the earth veins, accumulating it within the plants.

The local county-level Agricultural Administrations would, to some extent, employ "wild growth" and cultivation-type spells.

Mass planting of Ice Heart Grass could absorb the cold energy.

At this point, the governance was still not complete; it merely involved absorbing the cold energy that blocked the earth's fire, allowing the earth's fire to rise.

Once the quantity of Ice Heart Grass was sufficient, and enough cold energy had been absorbed, the Yang energy would begin to ascend.

At that time, the Spring Equinox Seasonal Order could be enacted to completely separate the Yin and Yang energies.

That's why Sima Yunhai only cast cloud magic now, not the Seasonal Order.

It was not yet the optimal time.

If he were to fail again here, unable to separate these Yin and Yang energies, then Zhuo County, having gone through natural disaster, Fang Tianguang's defiance of the natural order, and Sima Yunhai's failed defiance, the environment would become even more severe, and Zhuo County's weather would be almost impossible to change without a first-rank Administrator of Agriculture.

"Administrators of Agriculture act against heaven, yet sometimes must adapt to heavenly changes. Between compliance and defiance, the principles of the Great Dao are revealed," Zhao Xing mused, as if gaining insight.

His clone here, following Sima Yunhai, was also slowly accumulating insights into the Dao.

"Alright," Sima Yunhai descended from the sky. "The Grand Yin already shows a tendency to transform into Lesser Yin. We can return in seven days."

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher," Zhao Xing bowed with cupped hands.

"Let's go."

"Understood."

The Administrators of Agriculture from Shangluo Academy went ahead, planting vegetation county by county according to Zhao Xing's "New Treatise on Primal Self Heavenly Objects," combined with the "Disaster Prevention Materia Medica" and "Compendium of Earth-Drawing Spirit Wood."

The Xuantian Academy Administrators of Agriculture led by Sima Yunhai followed behind, performing Divination Faction magic, moving from county to county.

They could only proceed one by one.

Because the prefecture's area was vast!

It was impossible to stand in the prefectural capital and get everything done.

Only a first-rank Administrator of Agriculture would possess such a spell range.

Furthermore, there were significant original environmental differences between various counties.

For example, the counties on the east and west sides of Mingyue Prefecture were completely different in terms of weather and geographical advantage.

As the person most familiar with Mingyue Prefecture's situation, Zhao Xing was leading the third wave of prevention and control.

His main body and clones, leading Gao Dongpo and others, followed behind Pang Yuanzhen and Sima Yunhai.

Because he understood the Divination Faction, Geomancy Faction, and Primal Self Faction methods!

He could inspect the work of the previous two teams for omissions and make corrections.

Additionally, he was the main force for regulating the earth veins.

The group he led were also Geomancy Faction Administrators of Agriculture selected from Mingyue Prefecture and Tianhe Prefecture.

"Gurgle~"

"Gurgle~"

The lake water swirled, continuously dropping and disappearing underground.

No matter how much water fell from the sky, it was swallowed by this vortex, as if this place were the legendary Guixu.

Gao Dongpo, standing beside Zhao Xing, was a fourth-rank perfected Geomancy Faction Administrator of Agriculture from Mingyue Prefecture.

After witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but be deeply moved.

"Earth Palace Art, a top-tier Earth Palace Art!"

"Vast Sea Earth Palace, directly pointing to the ultimate Vast Sea Earth Palace!"

Gao Dongpo and the Geomancy Faction Administrators of Agriculture behind them watched with immense excitement.

A large reservoir, in just a quarter of an hour, dropped from high water level to low, finally revealing its bed.

How astonishing was it for a large reservoir to simply disappear before their very eyes?

"This is merely Master Zhao's clone; it's truly unimaginable."

"If his main body were to cast it, what kind of scene would that be?"

"I heard that combined, his main body and clones number forty to fifty thousand. If forty to fifty thousand people were to line up and simultaneously cast Vast Sea Earth Palace, wouldn't they be able to drain the sea?"

"Hiss—"

Zhao Xing listened to the discussions among the people below and couldn't help but smile faintly.

This was pure speculation.

During his suppression of the rebellion in Tianhe Prefecture, he had indeed created an army of straw effigies.

That time, he had also fully employed the Soul Cultivation Art, dividing his vital soul into 49,999 strands. Besides the Myriad Dharma Clones, there were also various single-spell straw effigies: Divine Valor, Sacred Shield, Flight, Self-Detonation, Shapeshifting, Invisibility—

In total, various single-spell straw effigies numbered fifty thousand.

Others didn't know the difference between Myriad Dharma Straw Effigies and high-tier straw effigies, so they just assumed Zhao Xing's fifty thousand straw effigies were all his clones!

Fifty thousand people all capable of casting top-tier spells? Thinking that way, of course, seemed exaggerated.

"Everyone, please take out your Cloud Rain Orbs and collect the excess rainwater."

"According to the established plan, load the Cloud Rain Orbs onto ships and proceed to the other counties," Zhao Xing's voice carried on the wind.

"As you command." Gao Dongpo and the others immediately took out their Administrators of Agriculture exclusive equipment, the Cloud Rain Orbs, and began collecting the excess rainwater.

The various regions of Mingyue Prefecture were currently experiencing an imbalance of Yin and Yang. The most direct manifestation was that some counties suffered severe droughts, with the earth cracking open, while others experienced incessant torrential rain.

Some died from drought, others from floods.

The goal now was to bring this situation into balance.

Zhao Xing arrived in Mingyue Prefecture on the twenty-first day of the third month.

On the twenty-third day of the third month, he persuaded Sima Yunhai and Pang Yuanzhen.

In ten days, he restored government functions, integrated resources and personnel from all sides, and deployed them.

By the third day of the fourth month, the predicted level-seven disaster had dropped to level six.

After that, three lines of defense were established, like a sieve, to conduct a comprehensive sifting and governance across the entire Mingyue Prefecture.

By the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month, Qin Ming of Mingyue Prefecture discovered that the predicted disaster level had dropped again.

He excitedly rushed into the Prefectural Yamen, even losing his hat.

"Prefect! Prefect!"

"What?"

Ye Yukong was feigning sleep in his chair when he was startled by the loud shout.

"Qin Ming, what disaster has occurred?"

He truly feared hearing more bad news from this old man.

"It's not a disaster!" Qin Ming exclaimed excitedly.

"Across the entire Mingyue Prefecture, only one-tenth of the area still has a level six warning."

"All other areas have dropped to level five or below!"

"That fast?" Ye Yukong was astonished.

"Disasters below level five can be handled by the county Agricultural Administrations themselves."

"Yes! Thanks to the Prefect's scheduling from the center!" Qin Ming was overjoyed; he finally didn't have to constantly monitor the situation!

"Cough, cough."

Ye Yukong's old face flushed red upon hearing Qin Ming's praise.

What "scheduling from the center" did he do?

It was all listening to Zhao Xing.

It was just that this old man Qin didn't know; he had been constantly monitoring the situation at the Supervisory Bureau of Heaven, not daring to relax for a moment.

He had only come out today.

"Mingyue Prefecture's disaster situation improved so quickly, it's all Zhao Xing's credit. As Prefect, I've basically done nothing," Ye Yukong shook his head. "I wouldn't dare take credit."

He was already grateful just for not making mistakes!

Taking credit?

Even if he wanted to take credit, he would need the ability to do so.

Did the imperial court not know what kind of person Ye Yukong was?

Ye Yukong had no intention whatsoever of taking credit.

"Zhao Xing?" Qin Ming was puzzled. "Which Zhao Xing?"

"It's— never mind. I'll draft a memorial first. When the official document comes down, you'll know the details," Ye Yukong said.

Not only did he not take credit, but he also intended to heavily reward Zhao Xing.

Ye Yukong immediately sent this information to the group chat for Eastern Group Nine.

Prefect of Mingyue: Everyone, most of the disaster warnings in my Mingyue Prefecture have been lowered to level five or below. Only one-tenth of the problem areas still have a level six warning.Prince Yanyang: How are you so fast? Isn't Mingyue Prefecture's area larger than mine? Did Jiang Shaoqiu and Xia Yun arrive?Jiang Shaoqiu: I didn't go.Xia Yun: I didn't go either.Chu Muyun: Sima Yunhai and Pang