"Your name?"
Hua Chunning was somewhat puzzled, but she answered nonetheless, "It was chosen by the elders of my clan."
Li Chengxuan looked at the flower bed before them and knitted his brows. "The Hua family has cultivated 【Yimu Wood】 for generations. Shouldn't your names be based on grass, branches, leaves, or vines to align with the imagery of your Dao lineage?"
Hua Chunning was exceptionally intelligent; thinking for a moment, she nodded. "I have examined our genealogy records, and indeed it was so in the past.
"It's just that I don't know when that rule was abandoned."
At this, she gave a bitter smile. "Perhaps once our Dao lineage was severed and we fell into the mortal world, no one cared about such things anymore."
Li Chengxuan was somewhat skeptical.
The more fallen a clan became, the more they tended to insist on ostentatious rules and propriety.
Especially the Hua family, where several generations had persisted in the hope of raising a 【Yimu Wood】 cultivator to return to the cultivation world.
Ever since Li Chengxuan decided to accumulate Merit and cultivate 【Inherit Extinct Teachings】, he had read through numerous ancient texts and Daoist treatises from various schools.
He faintly recalled coming across half a surviving bamboo slip—he knew not which Dao lineage it belonged to—that unexpectedly spoke of the method of 【Determining Nature by Name】.
Li Chengxuan could not be certain either, so he suppressed the thought for now and said, "First handle general affairs here and condense your phenomena.
"When you return to the Hua family in the future, remember to inquire thoroughly about the whole story."
Although Hua Chunning did not quite understand, she still nodded in agreement. "This disciple will keep that in mind."
Right then, several cars drove over from a distance.
It was Duanmu Ren who had arrived.
...
When Duanmu Ren saw Li Chengxuan again, his feelings were somewhat complex.
The rolling torrent of time and the murky world wore down heroism.
Duanmu Ren judged others by himself; all he saw and heard were the petty, scheming, and muddle-headed vulgar masses.
In particular, after learning that Li Chengxuan was just a mud-legged peasant born in Lijiawa, a hint of contempt had inexplicably arisen in his heart.
As the saying goes, sages must be born in distant lands, and legends always arise elsewhere.
Even though he had witnessed Li Chengxuan's wondrous methods with his own eyes, he subconsciously denied and belittled them.
After all, history books were filled with far too many stories of charlatans playing the ghost to cling to the powerful.
The education Duanmu Ren had received since childhood, his lifelong experience, and even his status and authority made it impossible for him to accept everything Li Chengxuan said.
Yet Hua Chunning's appearance had shattered many of Duanmu Ren's doubts.
This person had truly appeared out of thin air.
No matter how Duanmu Ren ordered people to investigate in secret, he still came up empty-handed.
The events that followed shocked and bewildered Duanmu Ren even more.
"Daoist Li,"
Duanmu Ren suppressed the many random thoughts in his mind and smiled in greeting. "Long time no see."
"Mm."
Li Chengxuan nodded slightly and asked bluntly, "County Magistrate Duanmu, what brings you to see me?"
Duanmu Ren's expression turned solemn, and he said earnestly, "This matter is rather complex and cannot be explained in just a few words.
"First of all, per Fairy Hua's suggestion, this project has been officially named.
"The Taixuan Villa."
Li Chengxuan nodded slightly.
The name Lijiawa was indeed lacking in sophistication and grandeur.
Duanmu Ren continued, "In pushing the project forward, Fairy Hua has truly taken painstaking trouble.
"She personally inspected every brick, tile, plant, and tree.
"From myself down to the workers, everyone admires and marvels at her."
Li Chengxuan glanced at Hua Chunning and remained silent, merely nodding.
Next, there ought to be a turn of events.
"However..."
Sure enough, Duanmu Ren shifted the conversation, knitting his brows. "Regarding the design of the project's core area, Fairy Hua has been somewhat overly ambitious, wanting to pile up a hundred-meter-tall peak!"
Hua Chunning did not care about a mortal county magistrate; her expression turned slightly cold.
Since this was the Taixuan Villa, it naturally had to mirror Mount Taixuan as much as possible.
A height of thirty-three zhang was already Hua Chunning's bottom line.
Seeing their expressions, Duanmu Ren sighed and smiled bitterly. "I fear you two have been cultivating in seclusion for so long that you don't know the difficulty and cost of creating a mountain on flat ground."
With that, he handed over a few pages of documents.
Citing a mountain-building project in a major southern city as an example, it had taken five years and cost nearly two billion yuan.
This was far beyond the capabilities of a small county like Shiling.
Li Chengxuan understood upon hearing this and nodded. "The mountain-building matter will be put on hold for now.
"I will handle it later."
Duanmu Ren was confused by his words,
but seeing that Li Chengxuan was quite reasonable and did not force the impossible, he still breathed a sigh of relief.
Hua Chunning's heart stirred, however.
Creating mountains and filling seas was naturally immensely difficult in the mortal realm.
Yet for cultivators, that might not be the case.
In Nanya Province, the Xue family of Qixia Mountain cultivated 【Wutu Earth】 and were said to excel in this exact art.
Li Chengxuan asked, "Is there anything else?"
With the biggest problem resolved, Duanmu Ren smiled with a relaxed expression. "Everything else is good news.
"Fairy Hua's expertise in landscape design and plant care has drawn non-stop praise even from experts at the provincial design institute.
"Shiling County produces coal and suffers year-round smog, making breathing difficult over time.
"Only this place has crisp, fresh air, almost as if an air purifier has been installed."
This place lacked spiritual qi.
The effect of the 【Yimu Wood】 spiritual atmosphere arranged by Hua Chunning was likely miniscule.
Li Chengxuan chuckled lightly and asked, "So?"
Duanmu Ren hesitated for a moment before carefully suggesting, "So, I was thinking whether we could add some sanatorium projects and build some villas and high-end hotels.
"Daoist Li, don't be fooled by Shiling being a poor backwater; there are actually quite a few wealthy people here.
"In recent days, many people have proactively come to inquire about it."
Li Chengxuan became thoughtful upon hearing this.
This so-called resort project was originally proposed by Li Chengxuan simply for peace and quiet, while Duanmu Ren had only gone along with it to appease Li Chengxuan and scam some government subsidies on the side.
Now, Duanmu Ren had clearly changed his mind, intending to double down and shift from pretend to real.
Li Chengxuan knew Duanmu Ren's character as someone who wouldn't cast his net without seeing fish, so he asked curiously, "This place... doesn't seem particularly special. County Magistrate Duanmu, feel free to speak plainly."
Duanmu Ren smiled awkwardly, cast a glance at Hua Chunning, and said, "The key to this matter lies with Fairy Hua."
"Oh?"
Li Chengxuan's mind turned, and he immediately understood, laughing. "You have your eyes set on Chunning's medical skills?"
"Daoist Li's divine foresight is truly admirable,"
Duanmu Ren flattered out of habit, then continued earnestly. "Fairy Hua spared no effort to visit nearby villages and offer free medical treatment, creating quite a sensation.
"A few old coal miners had pneumoconiosis, which was practically incurable and left them living in agony.
"To everyone's surprise, Fairy Hua brought them back from the brink.
"Though it wasn't a complete cure, it greatly alleviated their condition, shocking the doctors when they went to the provincial capital for a re-examination."
Hua Chunning's expression remained serene.
She was, after all, of the direct lineage of Spring Return Valley; using a few pills to treat a few mortals and purging the wood qi in their lungs was truly unworthy of mention.
Sure enough.
Li Chengxuan chuckled softly and asked, "Chunning, what do you think?"
Hua Chunning pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "The pills this disciple brought along are already exhausted; I lack the means despite my goodwill.
"Furthermore, this disciple remains devoted to cultivation and dare not squander my phenomena."
If it were before, it would not have been out of the question.
But now, having been guided by the Sect Master, Hua Chunning would not act recklessly or disperse her already paper-thin phenomena for a few mortal commoners.
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Ren grew anxious. "If you're out, you can go back and get more!
"Besides, I heard Fairy Hua had people buy a lot of medicinal herbs to attempt alchemy!"
How much subsidy to scam or how much money to make from the resort project was no longer important.
Not to mention that innovative drugs were currently a hot topic, and a little manipulation could net considerable political achievements;
merely treating sick coal miners could greatly offset his bad reputation for greed.
Moreover, some retired leaders were plagued by ailments in their golden years.
This presented an even greater potential for building powerful connections!
How could the birth, aging, sickness, and death of mortals compare to the importance of her own immortal path?
Hua Chunning still shook her head, saying calmly, "Once the villa is built and I have accumulated enough phenomena, I must return to the sect to cultivate. I will not remain here permanently."
Duanmu Ren was taken aback, his heart growing even more anxious. Still, he could distinguish primary from secondary matters, so he turned to Li Chengxuan—the one who could truly make decisions—and said earnestly, "Daoist Li, please reconsider! As things stand, this project can do without anyone except Fairy Hua!
"She is the banner and core of our publicity for this project!"
Li Chengxuan frowned upon hearing this. "Did you use her for promotion?!"
"It wasn't me!"
Duanmu Ren shook his head repeatedly, taking out his mobile phone. "It's the netizens!
"Right now, Fairy Hua is a top viral internet celebrity!"
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