Li Chengxuan made a few brief arrangements and left directly.
Inside Taixuan Villa, only Hua Chunning and Duanmu Ren remained, looking at each other.
Since this concerned her own Dao path, Hua Chunning was quite grateful for Duanmu Ren's effort. "Thank you, County Magistrate Duanmu. Once I enter the Dao, you will be amply rewarded."
Duanmu Ren managed a forced smile and couldn't help but shiver.
The past year had been absolute torture.
Back then, when Li Chengxuan pointed at him from afar, Duanmu Ren felt as if struck by lightning, like a sledgehammer had slammed into his head, shattering his entire being into thousands of pieces.
That pain was terrifyingly real, seeping deep into the depths of his soul.
The finest doctors were helpless.
The most expensive medicines yielded no effect.
Even after the most thorough examinations, nothing wrong could be found.
Duanmu Ren was truly terrified.
The old superior at the provincial hospital could at most say a good word for him at a critical moment to smooth out his official career.
But that Daoist Li could take his life at any moment!
Far from seeking revenge, Duanmu Ren didn't even dare to flee. To prove he was still of use, he had thrown himself into the construction of Taixuan Villa like a madman, nearly working himself to death.
Seeing Hua Chunning, who had also grown quite gaunt, he unexpectedly felt a sense of shared plight.
Knowing that Duanmu Ren possessed special imagery and was held in high regard by the Sect Master—and might even become a fellow disciple one day—Hua Chunning abandoned the icy coldness she usually displayed toward mortals of the grotto-heaven. She asked softly, "Regarding what the Sect Master said about increasing human activity to condense the living spring imagery, does County Magistrate Duanmu have any ideas?"
Duanmu Ren reined in his stray thoughts. He was, after all, a veteran bureaucrat with rich experience. After brief consideration, he said, "That is simple."
"Taixuan Villa is already quite famous locally and is a key provincial cultural tourism project."
"Everything is ready; all that's missing is an opening ceremony."
"Young people studying or working out of town are returning home for the holidays. Bored of being stuck at home, most would be eager to come check out the excitement."
"The roads leading outside are finished. I will arrange free shuttle buses to transport visitors."
"If we host some promotional events for the opening, attracting hundreds or even a thousand visitors a day should be no problem at all."
Hua Chunning heard this, put her mind at ease, and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, County Magistrate Duanmu."
"It's my duty; hard work doesn't enter into it."
Duanmu Ren let out a bitter smile, thought for a moment, and added, "These are all standard methods. In a worst-case scenario, I can even mobilize government staff and factory workers to pad the numbers."
"However, if we want even better results, we're still missing a publicity highlight."
"I do have an idea, though I fear Fairy Hua might be unwilling."
Hua Chunning couldn't help but smile slightly. Since it concerned her Dao path, what would she be unwilling to do? "Feel free to speak your mind, County Magistrate Duanmu."
Duanmu Ren shared his idea.
Previously, Hua Chunning had briefly gone viral online.
Unfortunately, she had returned to Mount Taixuan afterward, and the hype quickly faded.
If Hua Chunning was willing to cooperate and actively generate hype, it might not be impossible to recreate that former sensation.
Hua Chunning lowered her head in thought before saying earnestly, "It's nothing more than displaying my looks. For the sake of my Dao path, what does that matter?"
"Go ahead and proceed, County Magistrate Duanmu."
...
Having seen off Duanmu Ren, Hua Chunning began to ponder the matter of supplementing her imagery.
Beginning of Spring marks the end of winter and the emergence of Spring Qi.
The first pentad of Beginning of Spring is 【Gentle East Wind】.
Wood belongs to the east, carrying the intent of Shaoyang.
Thus, the east wind bears Shaoyang Qi, embodying the imagery of melting ice, thawing snow, and dispelling the cold.
Facing the east and greeting the rising sun, Hua Chunning felt the east wind blow against her face.
Though the wind still carried a chill, it lacked the bone-chilling, life-stifling harshness of winter's north wind, concealing instead a gentle, harmonious warmth.
This was the wind of Shaoyang.
Standing in the wind with her sleeves fluttering and long hair dancing in the breeze, the cold solitude and resentment of dwelling alone in the side hall for months blew away, giving rise to warmth and hope in her heart.
The second pentad of Beginning of Spring is 【Awakening from Slumber】.
Hua Chunning lowered her head and listened intently.
Beneath the soil that had yet to fully thaw, there were subtle rustling sounds.
Sensing the warming earth and the blowing east wind, the dormant insects buried in the soil began to stir and awaken slightly, though they had not yet crawled out of the ground.
Inside Hua Chunning's own body, she also felt a vague sensation like crawling ants and insects.
That was the vitality dormant within a person through the harsh cold of winter.
The third pentad of Beginning of Spring is 【Fish Rising to the Ice】.
Taixuan Villa was originally a mining subsidence area with abundant water sources. It had been designed into small lakes of various sizes connected by winding streams.
Right now, a layer of floating ice as thin as a cicada's wing still lay over the water's surface, fragile as a young girl's innermost secrets, breaking at a single touch.
A few small fish, no longer than a finger, couldn't wait for the ice to melt; they pushed past the icy surface and swam joyfully about.
Hua Chunning felt a surge of emotion.
Was she herself not just like these small fish, eager to break free from her restraints and enter the Dao to cultivate?
...
Shiling County's Taixuan Villa was officially open for business!
At first, this news only circulated among Shiling County's civil servants.
Soon, however, it became the talk of every street and alley.
It was simply because this project carried far too much controversy.
In a resource-depleted county, the county magistrate had willfully emptied the public coffers to force through the project, even going so far as to coerce his brother-in-law and frontmen into plugging the financial gap—effectively betting his entire official career on it.
In particular, Duanmu Ren had lost tens of pounds over the span of a single year; the stark physical contrast was striking to anyone who saw him.
Now, it was finally opening its doors to visitors.
Yet very few people were optimistic about it.
With the current economic downturn, cultural tourism projects were springing up everywhere across the country, but those actually turning a profit were few and far between.
County Magistrate Duanmu building a resort in a mining subsidence zone, spending lavishly to plant countless flowers, and giving it the bizarre name 【Taixuan Villa】—it had practically checked every box for a guaranteed flop.
Naturally, County Magistrate Duanmu was still in office and held great power.
Even if people privately expected failure, they didn't dare say it out loud, settling instead for waiting to watch the spectacle unfold.
When Taixuan Villa held its grand opening, it was quite lively nonetheless.
All the prominent figures of the county attended.
A vice mayor came from the city.
A division chief from the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism also arrived.
As the actual controller on paper, Li Jiabao welcomed the highlight of his life, bringing immense honor to his ancestors.
In particular, Li Jiabao's wife, Liu Lidan, was already wiping away tears.
Who could have imagined that a year ago she had been preparing to divorce him and run away, yet now she was high society in the county, chatting and laughing casually with the county magistrate's wife?
Duanmu Ren had truly poured his heart and soul into this project; he went so far as to act as a tour guide himself, accompanying the distinguished guests through the grounds and reciting every design detail effortlessly.
Division Chief Jia of the Department of Culture and Tourism nodded repeatedly, unable to resist praising, "County Magistrate Duanmu, you've worked hard! It's truly rare to see a leading cadre put so much heart into his work."
After all, Duanmu Ren had quite a reputation for being exceptionally greedy for money.
Over the past year, he had scrambled non-stop, sparing no effort to push through the subsidence area redevelopment project and applying for numerous subsidies—practically stamping "subsidy fraud" on his forehead.
The leaders of the Department of Culture and Tourism were terrified that if things blew up, they would be dragged down with him, so not a single one was willing to come support the event.
Only Division Chief Jia, having accepted plenty of money from Duanmu Ren in the past, found it hard to refuse and had to bite the bullet and attend.
Now, having seen the site with his own eyes, he felt relieved.
As an experienced old hand who had seen much of the world, he could tell whether effort had genuinely gone into a project or if it was merely a cash grab for subsidies.
Duanmu Ren gave a bitter smile, shaking his head without saying a word.
All he wanted right now was to stay alive; who cared about subsidies?
Vice Mayor Qian, who oversaw cultural tourism in the city, didn't care about any of that. He was much bolder, and he was quite pleased with the amount Duanmu Ren had gifted him. As they walked, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh? Could that person up ahead be the Flower Fairy who went viral online?!"
Rate on N.U.
