Chapter 263: Chapter 152: Officially Taking Over the Nanlin Road Daoist Scripture Hall

Wang Ping followed Zi Luan, flying upward, while Yu Lian coiled around Wang Ping’s arm.

As they approached the zenith of the pavilion, the scene before Wang Ping underwent a seismic shift. The roof, which had appeared to be made of hundreds of giant logs, was now, in his eyes, a platform suspended by nine iron chains. Above this platform was the true roof, composed of hundreds of giant logs.

In the exact center of the platform, a massive log, so thick it would take four people to encircle it, shot straight up to the middle of the roof, connecting with the ridge on the pavilion’s exterior.

The surface of this giant log was etched with Talismans that Wang Ping couldn’t comprehend. If he looked at them with a soft focus, he could clearly perceive the lines of the Talismans, but if he tried to examine them closely, they became impossibly blurry.

"It’s not that they’re blurry; it’s that you can’t memorize them," Yu Lian’s consciousness surfaced in his Spirit Sea.

"When observing this place, don’t block out the Inspiration Realm," Zi Luan reminded him.

Wang Ping glanced at Zi Luan and fully released the perception of his Primordial Spirit. Instantly, the world of Inspiration appeared before his eyes. He sensed countless, dense lines of Spiritual Energy extending outward from the giant log, as well as a beam of Spiritual Energy as thick as a bucket, stretching past the clouds and into space.

These lines of Spiritual Energy were very faint, and they seemed to be connected to something.

Wang Ping extended his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to more distant regions. Soon, he discovered that similar facilities atop the Daoist Scripture Hall outposts in the surrounding counties were emitting fine threads of Spiritual Energy that connected back to this point.

Zi Luan spoke up. "This entire set of Magical Artifacts, including the fixed artifacts in each County Government, was personally forged by the Lord. It uses Spiritual Energy to connect with fixed Arrays, enabling communication over thousands of miles. The Lord can even use it to transmit his own consciousness and Primordial Spirit to any area it’s connected to."

As he spoke, he took out a Token from his storage bag engraved with the two characters ’Xiao Shan’. He explained to Wang Ping, "The Array inside this allows you to connect to the nearest Communication Array. However, we can only use it for fixed communication channels, such as reporting information to the Lord or transmitting messages to the Daoist Scripture Hall’s headquarters."

"Alternatively, if you want to contact the Third Seat of another Daoist Scripture Hall, you can use this to send a message to headquarters first, and they will relay it for you. But if you’re sending a secret message, you’d best not do it this way. Otherwise, the entire Daoist Scripture Hall might know about it by the next day."

’If this technology were developed further, it would be a cell phone.’ After hearing the explanation, Wang Ping couldn’t help but think of the pagers from his past life. Unfortunately, the Lord who controlled it seemed to have no intention of continuing its research. And since Wang Ping couldn’t observe its inner workings, the light screen panel couldn’t record it either.

Zi Luan was very pleased with Wang Ping’s reaction. After explaining the device’s function, he added a warning: "Remember, this is only for transmitting urgent official business. Absolutely do not use it to send secret messages. The Inspiration Realm is far more complex than you or I can imagine. Some of the True Spirits are terrifying."

"Understood."

Wang Ping accepted the Token, and Yu Lian immediately said, "Try it out!"

"You have to refine it first, so it can resonate with your Primordial Spirit. Then you just need to input a thread of Spiritual Power."

Seeing Wang Ping’s eager expression, Zi Luan reminded him, "The election for the Third Seat will be held on the third day of the ninth month at 7:00 AM. A dedicated line will be connected then. You’ll be able to sense it once you input your Spiritual Power."

...

After handing over the most important matters, all that remained were tedious miscellaneous tasks. First were some ongoing cases, which Zi Luan patiently explained to Wang Ping. Then came the financial situation of the Daoist Scripture Hall.

The Daoist Scripture Hall of Jinhuai Prefecture was relatively wealthy. It received annual donations from the rich households of the various prefectures and counties, and it could also collect a commission from the trade of Magical Artifacts, Elixirs, and treasures. However, its expenses were also quite large. First were the operating funds for the regional posts, then the budgets for the various departments, and finally, the compensation for missions that ended in accidents.

The biggest expense was the departmental budgets. The Daoist Scripture Hall had a total of seven departments: Major Crimes, Investigation, Operations, Supervision, Patrol, Guard, and Inspection.

"We can collect six million taels of silver annually. The expenses for the various departments and County Governments are nearly four million taels. Procurement of some materials costs around five hundred thousand taels, and facility maintenance is two hundred thousand taels."

In the main house of the Pacification Envoy’s small courtyard, Wang Ping sat on the left side of an Eight Immortals Table, flipping through an account book as thick as two fingers. The Grandmaster’s Chairs and tea tables that used to be on either side had all been replaced with wide wooden desks, which were surrounded by accountants currently auditing the previous accounts.

Some of these accountants had been brought over from the Wang Family, while others were from Qianmu Temple. The one in charge, however, was the Chief Shopkeeper from Zuo Xuan’s store—a spirited middle-aged man.

The one who had just spoken was this middle-aged man. After finishing his report, he stood with a bowed waist, awaiting orders.

After hearing the report, Wang Ping glanced at Zuo Xuan, who was on the right side of the Eight Immortals Table, also leafing through an account book. As for Zi Luan, he had already returned to the Six Heart Sect. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"We have to turn over one million taels to headquarters every year," Zuo Xuan added. "This year’s payment has already been made, so we don’t have to worry about that part. It’s customary each year to have the wealthy households in the various regions donate. We have to send people to chase them for it in the second half of the year, otherwise, they might pretend they don’t know."

’This is just a tax in disguise. At least it’s only a tax on the rich.’ But as the saying goes, the wool still comes from the sheep’s back.

Wang Ping hadn’t wanted to do much, since he was just a transient here. But on second thought, he realized this "transient" stay could last a hundred years. He said, "From now on, all fund allocations for the various regions and departments will be subject to my unified review. Set up a secretariat in the side room next door to be responsible for this matter."

He put down the account book and smiled. "As for the donations from the wealthy, we shouldn’t just take their money. We should also send people down to take a look. The Supervision and Inspection departments have an annual budget of several hundred thousand taels. They can’t just lie around drinking tea all day."

"I’ll arrange it."

Zuo Xuan nodded, then smiled. "If you do this, the common people won’t necessarily sing your praises."

At her words, Wang Ping waved for the Chief Shopkeeper to get back to his work, then turned to Zuo Xuan and replied, "Do you think I care?"

"My mistake for speaking out of turn."

"There’s still over a million taels left over each year. How should that be spent?" Yu Lian asked, draped over Wang Ping’s shoulder.

"Some sudden cases, or some targets that require long-term investigation and tracking, require that money for funding," Zuo Xuan explained, looking at Yu Lian.

"Then you should allocate some money for Little Qianqian! For the thing you had her investigate, you haven’t given her a single tael of silver in decades," Yu Lian griped at Wang Ping.

"Doesn’t she have the Baisui Lake property? The nearby towns also provide tax revenue, and the various counties send tribute silver."

"You should go look at the Baisui Lake Dojo’s account books. In recent years, Wudao Prefecture has been rebuilding the official roads, not to mention the casting of golden statues for some of your temples, the maintenance of the various Dao Fields, the training of the Militia... all of that costs money!"

"..."

"Fine, allocate some money then," Wang Ping said, looking at Zuo Xuan.

"Alright!" Just as Zuo Xuan agreed, Liu Shuang walked in with He Jiu, followed by Li Lin from the Pingdong Sect.

"Master, it’s done," Liu Shuang said first. The two people behind quickly paid their respects.

The matter Liu Shuang was referring to was He Jiu’s transfer to Nanlin Road. The people at Mozhou Road hadn’t given He Jiu any particular trouble, but He Jiu seemed to hold a grudge about it. Perhaps in his eyes, he was being targeted for being too capable, when in reality, no one had paid him any mind at all.

"You should return to the temple for now. Stabilize your condition. In the next two years, I’ll be able to get the Secret Technique for the second volume of the Wood Gathering Skill."

Wang Ping instructed Liu Shuang. According to the rules of the Daoist Scripture Hall, once he was successfully elected as the Third Seat, he would need to go to the headquarters in Shangjing City to register his information. He planned to take care of Li Yan’s matter at the same time.

"Yes, Master!" Liu Shuang was overjoyed to hear this.

Wang Ping’s gaze shifted to He Jiu. "From now on, you’ll work under Fellow Daoist Zuo. Report to her first if anything comes up. You can also contact me directly in an emergency."

As he spoke, he handed a Puppet Bird to He Jiu.

"Yes!" He Jiu respectfully accepted the Puppet Bird.

Wang Ping was actually quite uncomfortable with this kind of scene. The sound of the accountants’ abacus beads was making him antsy. He turned his gaze to Li Lin.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Changqing!"

"What is it?" Wang Ping asked patiently.

"Replying to Martial Uncle, Martial Brother Wenhai used his contribution points at the Daoist Scripture Hall to exchange for a Guardian and guidance for his promotion. We have already prepared the materials and silver taels..."

Li Lin’s voice was quiet, and his demeanor was cautious, completely lacking the carefree air he had when Wang Ping first met him.

"You can just submit a request slip through the normal channels!"

"Thank you, Martial Uncle!"

Li Lin was very happy.

Wang Ping stared at him for a moment and said, "For now, you’ll take over the matters Wenhai was handling. Do a good job, and you might also be rewarded."

"Yes!"

Li Lin didn’t refuse. He knew this was an opportunity Wang Ping was giving him. He had this chance because he was a member of the Sanhe Prefecture gathering, but that was a secret that couldn’t be openly discussed.

...

「Half a month later.」

After the secretariat Wang Ping established was running perfectly, he arranged for Zuo Xuan to oversee the Daoist Scripture Hall and quietly returned to his own Dao Field at Qianmu Temple.

Although he had a dedicated Dao Field on the top floor of the Daoist Scripture Hall’s main building, he was still more comfortable in his own.

After his promotion, he’d only had half a month to get a feel for his Primordial Spirit, and most of that time had been spent receiving friends and relatives from various regions.

Now, he finally had time to carefully experience the changes of the Third Realm.

First was his control over Wood Spirit Qi. He no longer needed a Spirit Gathering Array, because a single thought could now replicate its effect, instantly activating an area dozens of miles wide.

Next was his control over the ’Sword Talisman’ and ’Soldier Talisman’.

The number of ’Sword Talismans’ he could control simultaneously was approaching ninety-nine, but he still needed to continue deducing the ’Slaughter Array’ to maximize their effectiveness.

The ’Soldier Talisman’, however, was what Wang Ping would focus on researching next. He now possessed the ’Heaven-Reaching Talisman’, which could grant the Golden Armor Soldiers greater consciousness, even allowing them to cultivate on their own.

Unfortunately, there were no Secret Techniques to consult on this subject. In the words of Daoist Zi Luan: "Puppets are the most important secret of every Taiyan Cultivator. No one would write this secret down in a book."

Finally, there were the newly acquired ’All-Purpose Talisman’ and ’Transfer Talisman’.