Chapter 7: Rising Wind, Thunder, and Everyone on Edge

Zhao Xing sat on the meditation cushion in front of the idol, relaxed his body, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind.

Soon after, a gentle breeze brushed his face, accompanied by intermittent thunder.

He then felt as if he were in a primeval forest, surrounded by hidden dangers.

The temple steward sensed something, looked at the idol of True Lord Caoxi, and then at Zhao Xing's back. "He learns quite fast," the steward murmured.

Once all the unusual phenomena vanished, Zhao Xing opened his eyes, and three new spell-related knowledge sets appeared in his mind.

These were: Summon Wind, Thunderclap, and Plants into Soldiers.

The first two belonged to the Agriculturist School's Celestial Timing branch, serving as prerequisite minor skills for the Seasonal Edict. The latter could be categorized under the Id School's Myriad Growth Chart.

In his previous life, learning spells was as simple as tapping a skill book. Now, however, he needed to grasp the true knowledge, engaging in deep understanding and study. From this perspective, players were truly natural-born geniuses.

After sitting for a while, he realized that the mystical sensation had faded, knowing that this was all he could learn for now. He then rose and bowed, "Thank you, True Lord, for bestowing these spells."

***

**Summon Wind:*** Novice Spell* Progress: (0/9999)* Effect: Summons a strong gust of wind.

**Thunderclap:*** Novice Spell* Progress: (0/9999)* Effect: When preceded by "Cloud Walking," can generate thunder from the clouds.

**Plants into Soldiers:*** Novice Spell* Progress: (0/9999)* Effect: Uses plants as soldiers to launch attacks.

***

"Summon Wind" is an independent spell, but "Thunderclap" requires "Cloud Walking" to be cast first.

Before his professional advancement, this skill would only produce sound without any offensive power, at best startling someone.

The spell that truly possesses offensive power is "Lightning Strike," which can draw lightning from "Cloud Walking" for attack.

The novice version of "Plants into Soldiers" also has an intimidating name.

Currently, Zhao Xing can only create plant soldiers using specific plant materials. To achieve "casting without external objects"—to make every blade of grass and tree around him transform into a soldier with a mere wave of his hand—he needs to continually advance his spell.

Since he hadn't cast them yet, their proficiency was at 0.

Most areas within the city were restricted from magic use, to avoid disturbing residents.

Especially for minor officials like them, if they accidentally blew away someone's drying underwear or soaked their neighbors' grain seeds, they could expect a salary deduction! And what? You want to become a full-fledged official? Dream on!

To practice, one had to either leave the city or go to the Agricultural Directorate.

The Agricultural Directorate was equipped with the "Earth Store Returning to Origin Array," allowing minor officials like them to practice freely.

Beyond the Agricultural Directorate's gatehouse, one could see a five to six-meter-tall Wind and Rain Tower Ship. Its ram was a dragon's head, from which a flying dragon could spout water, irrigating thousands of miles. Its sails were embroidered with Yujiang, capable of conjuring gales. It was one of the classic treasures of the Agriculturist profession.

A small place like Gucheng certainly wouldn't possess such a high-tier treasure; this was merely a model. The actual item would only be found at an Agricultural Directorate at the prefecture level or higher.

However, even county-level Agricultural Directorates had many good items. In the treasure vault in the northeast corner, items like the Flowing Cloud Airboat, Returning Origin Waterwheel, Golden Raincoat, and Hundred Blossom Bamboo Hat were displayed.

Zhao Xing knew all this so clearly because the layout of official buildings in the Great Zhou Dynasty was largely standardized. Memorizing one essentially meant memorizing them all.

Furthermore, in his previous life, he had participated in numerous guild attacks on county towns. Every time they entered a city, the first place they headed was the Agricultural Directorate. Zhao Xing knew precisely where to activate mechanisms and which secret passages to take.

"Stop! This is the treasure vault, entry forbidden!" A voice suddenly called out, halting Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing realized he had unconsciously wandered near the treasure vault. The scrutinizing gaze of the guard told him his current expression must look suspicious.

"Ugh, occupational habits again," he thought.

"My apologies, I was distracted," Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands. He suppressed his inner impulse, turned, and left.

"Don't worry, I'll get my hands on everything eventually."

After a moment of self-consolation, Zhao Xing walked through the herb cultivation area and arrived at the courtyards where the official personnel resided.

***

The Agricultural Directorate had only one Ninth-Rank Chief Agriculturist.

There were several From-Ninth-Rank Agriculturists, who oversaw storage, iron markets, registered farmlands, price stabilization, and transport.

Border cities also established Military Agriculturists, whose sole purpose was to accompany armies and create favorable environmental conditions for them.

The Ninth-Rank Chief Agriculturist was the head official of the Directorate and generally did not instruct minor officials, unless those individuals had significant influence or background.

From-Ninth-Rank Agriculturists, however, had an internal obligation to provide guidance and instruction.

Gucheng's From-Ninth-Rank Agriculturists were supposed to number nine, but currently there were only seven.

Each of them had a certain number of minor officials under their command, serving as both subordinates and students.

"Brother, Brother, wait for me!" As he walked through the veranda, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

He turned and stopped, seeing Chen Ziyu and Qian Dong, both carrying baskets.

"Why are you two also here so early?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Aren't you here early too, Brother?" Chen Ziyu chuckled.

Qian Dong, feigning profundity, said, "Ziyu, see? I was right. Brother has indeed been secretly working hard without us lately, coming to visit Teacher Xue so early. Oh? Brother's complexion looks much better than a few days ago..."

Zhao Xing's mouth twitched. Could they please stop mentioning his complexion?

"Enough idle talk, let's go quickly."

Zhao Xing's superior and teacher, Xue Wenzhong, had the largest number of minor officials under him.

It wasn't because he was particularly powerful; rather, Xue Wenzhong was simply the kindest person in the Agricultural Directorate.

Other Agriculturists were reluctant to take on too many minor officials, valuing their time. For the sake of their official achievements, they would consider family background and aptitude when choosing, always picking the most promising candidates. If an official under their command achieved a full-time position, it counted towards their merit.

Xue Wenzhong, kind-hearted and straightforward, simply focused on his duties without worrying about his own prospects. When his colleagues refused to take on those with low status or mediocre aptitude, he willingly took on the responsibility. As a result, out of over five hundred minor officials in the Agricultural Directorate, two hundred and four were under Xue Wenzhong's tutelage!

Even though the old Agriculturist put in his best effort, he had too many disciples to teach them all effectively. The amount of attention he could dedicate to each person was inevitably reduced. In contrast, wealthy scions like Li Chengfeng, under attentive guidance, progressed rapidly.

Upon arriving at Xue Wenzhong's courtyard, forty to fifty people were already waiting in the main hall.

The old Agriculturist was lecturing on the "Hundred Solutions of Celestial Timing" from a raised platform. Everyone listened attentively, and those who occasionally moved in or out did so stealthily, bowing their heads.

From-Ninth-Rank Agriculturists already possessed wondrous abilities. Although it was already the beginning of summer, peach blossoms still bloomed in the courtyard, and the air was warm like spring.

However, the occasional coughs indicated that the old Agriculturist seemed quite aged.

"Agriculturist Xue is already ninety-eight years old, and his health isn't very good," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "During Emperor Jing's reign, officials didn't receive many benefits. For a From-Ninth-Rank official, being granted two 'Life-Extending Blessings' was already the absolute maximum. I wonder how much longer he has to live."

"Oh, old Agriculturist, please don't die this year," he inwardly pleaded. "If you pass away, I'll be lacking a recommending superior to help me with that final push. It would surely cause more trouble."

Whether his silent plea had an effect or not, Xue Wenzhong indeed stopped coughing. Zhao Xing looked up again.

Oh, it turned out the lecture had ended, and it was now time for open questions.