Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 33 Presidential Headquarters

On the other side, Green Pearl had already discussed with the elders that all the able-bodied young men in the village should go to the market to work with Fan Zhou.

They were on the verge of starvation and had to seize every opportunity to save the village.

Fan Zhou wasn't in a hurry to leave. He first had the villagers slaughter and cook the deer. Only after everyone had eaten their fill did he lead the long-starved villagers to the market.

Of course, he also brought along the deer-horn village youths who had nowhere else to go, bringing the total to over fifty people.

Fan Zhou was pleasantly surprised to be able to gather so many people.

"I'll recruit some more people from Sangma Village to make a team of a hundred. That way, I can earn ten more spirit sand grains every month!"

"Adding my own monthly allowance, that makes twelve spirit sand grains a month!"

If he used all of this spiritual sand for cultivation, his cultivation speed would increase significantly.

Fan Zhou led his men back to the market and handed them over to Tian Youliang.

Tian Youliang was a little stunned to see so many people, and then notified Qin Zhiyuan.

Qin Zhiyuan was quite pleased. He dispersed and reorganized these people, assigning them to various stewards and appointing Fan Zhou as their chief leader to manage these villagers.

Fan Zhou was suddenly promoted to a high-ranking official, and a surge of pride and ambition rose in his chest:

"Uncle Qin, I'll try my best to recruit more people to work in the market!"

"No way!" Qin Zhiyuan rejected it outright.

"what!"

Fan Zhou's face immediately fell. "Why?"

He wanted to go even further and be appointed Grand Commander.

Qin Zhiyuan looked at him speechlessly and explained:

"There are too many villagers in the market now, and trouble could easily break out. Besides, the sect will be sending menial disciples after spring, so I have to reserve some places for them."

Fan Zhou was somewhat disappointed, but there was nothing he could do. He could only weakly say:

"Could I recruit some more people from Sangma Village to make a team of a hundred?"

Qin Zhiyuan said helplessly, "Fine, but if they cause trouble, I'll come looking for you."

Fan Zhou nodded in agreement and then recounted the troubles at Lujiao Village.

Qin Zhiyuan frowned after hearing this:

"There are no mountain gods around here, so this is most likely the work of demons. I'll send someone to investigate later. If you notice anything unusual recently, come and tell me."

"Yes." Fan Zhou nodded.

Having finished explaining the situation, Qin Zhiyuan turned and left.

Fan Zhou returned to the house and took out his money bag.

There were six spirit sands in the money bag, plus the five that Tian Youliang had just given him, making a total of eleven.

Looking at the sparkling spirit sand, Fan Zhou couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

"Now I won't have to worry about money for cultivation for a while."

He is now the chief of all the miscellaneous laborers in Langdang Mountain Market, and he receives twelve grains of spirit sand every month.

A solid mid-level, high-salary management position.

Fan Zhou looked excited. "In this way, the probability of breaking through to the third level of fetal breathing within four months will be much greater."

He picked up a grain of spiritual sand, held it in his hand, and began to absorb spiritual energy. At the same time, he went outside to cultivate the dual sword techniques of strength and gentleness.

…………

Time flies when you're in the mountains.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and it has snowed several times.

However, perhaps because it's in the south, the snow wasn't very heavy; it was just that the cold, damp air kept seeping into your bones.

Before we knew it, it was already the first day of the second lunar month.

Everyone gathered in the square, a huge, bustling crowd, which doubled in size due to the addition of about a hundred villagers.

Qin Zhiyuan, as usual, spoke the same set of platitudes:

"The first month of the lunar calendar has passed in the blink of an eye. The market is back on track, and various forces from outside have come here to open shops, which has greatly increased our output..."

Fan Zhou listened from below, feeling drowsy, only hoping to receive his monthly allowance later.

But then, Qin Zhiyuan's voice suddenly grew louder:

"The reason we have achieved such tremendous growth is because a large number of villagers have come to the market. They are all very hardworking and work very hard, which I have seen."

Qin Zhiyuan's tiger-like eyes swept over the more than two hundred people below, and he said solemnly:

"And speaking of this, I have to thank one person."

The servants below were all in an uproar, unable to understand who could possibly deserve Qin Laoda's personal gratitude.

"Who is Boss Qin talking about?"

"Is it Steward Wang? Their charcoal yard made a fortune last month."

"No way, I heard you can make a lot more money at the mines."

The group started discussing it amongst themselves, but no one could come up with a definitive answer.

Just as everyone was wondering, Qin Zhiyuan revealed the answer. He pointed to the crowd and shouted:

"This person is Fan Zhou!"

More than two hundred people in the square looked in the direction Qin Zhiyuan pointed, and their gazes finally settled on a young man with sallow skin and a black wooden sword at his waist.

Fan Zhou was completely bewildered. Why was he being talked about like this all of a sudden?

"Fan Zhou, come up here," Qin Zhiyuan called out.

Fan Zhou took a step forward, puzzled, and walked towards the sacrificial altar.

The crowd in front of him parted to make way for him, and everyone stared at him.

"Who is this?"

"I've never seen it either."

"I remember he was one of the earliest batch of handyman disciples."

Someone in the crowd turned to their companion and asked:

"Guan Qingyun, I think he was in the same batch as you, right?"

Guan Qingyun stared blankly at the figure that was rising higher and higher, and stammered:

"Yes...that's right."

"Do you know why Boss Qin thanked him?" someone asked, voicing everyone's question.

Guan Qingyun was completely at a loss, even more confused than the others.

Isn't this guy the least talented, doing the most unambitious job as a spiritual farmer?

How come you're doing so well now?

On the other side, Zhang Yu and Wu Xiu watched in shock as Fan Zhou walked onto the altar and stood next to Qin Zhiyuan, completely bewildered by what was going on.

Fan Zhou walked up to Qin Zhiyuan, wondering why he had called him up.

Qin Zhiyuan patted Fan Zhou on the shoulder and addressed the group of servant disciples below:

"His name is Fan Zhou. He was among the first batch of menial disciples in our market town. When he arrived, he was just a clueless farm boy. But in less than half a year, he's broken through to the second level of the Nascent Soul stage, far ahead of his peers!"

"His aptitude is average, just like most of you, with lower-to-medium spiritual roots. So why does he cultivate so quickly? It's all because he's incredibly hardworking! He cultivates diligently from dawn till dusk every day, never slacking off in the slightest!"

Fan Zhou nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's a true reflection of me."

"You've broken through to the second level of fetal breathing in just six months?"

"It took me two years of cultivation to break through!"

"Did he take some kind of elixir or magic pill to force his breakthrough?"

The servants below were all greatly surprised. It was simply unbelievable that someone with a lower-middle level spiritual root could break through to the second level of the embryonic breathing stage in just half a year.

"How is this possible?"

Guan Qingyun was shocked. He had only just reached the Lesser Completion of Qi Gathering in his cultivation so far. Even Zhang Yu and Wu Xiu, who had better aptitude than him, were only at this level. How could Fan Zhou have broken through to the Second Level of Fetal Breathing?

Sang Muya was also below. When she heard Qin Zhiyuan say that Fan Zhou had broken through to the second level of the Fetal Breathing Realm in just half a year, she was even more amazed.

She rarely heard of such a genius in the village; such figures were usually only found in large, ten-thousand-strong villages.

"My benefactor is truly remarkable, even more remarkable than I imagined."

Qin Zhiyuan was very satisfied with the crowd's reaction and continued speaking:

"Not only that, Fan Zhou not only diligently cultivates, but he also considers the difficulties of the market town. The more than one hundred villagers in the market town are all recruited by him!"

"His actions not only helped the village but also greatly increased the market's output. He is undoubtedly a hero and a role model for us! Everyone should learn from him!"

Fan Zhou felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. He recruited so many people purely to earn more spirit sand.

But the servant disciples didn't think that much about it. They simply thought it was amazing to gather a hundred people, and they applauded him enthusiastically.

After all, the arrival of the villagers also relieved their work pressure.

"Presidential Commander!"

"A meritorious contributor!"

The people of Sangma Village and Luluo Village shouted even louder, feeling proud of Fan Zhou.

Fan Zhou was also a little excited and waved to everyone.

Qin Zhiyuan was pleased to see everyone's enthusiasm. He then outlined the work plan for February and mentioned that the sect would send some more menial disciples in a few days, and the market would begin full operation.

"I hope our villagers can spread the word to other villages in the area: anyone willing to do business at Langdang Mountain Market, I guarantee there will be absolutely no stall fees or transaction taxes!"

This news shocked many villagers, and they were clearly very interested.

The morning meeting ended there, and everyone began to collect their wages.

Fan Zhou received twelve spirit sands and five essence-nourishing pills, and his hands trembled with excitement.

More than praise, this is what he needs most.

Meanwhile, a large group of handymen disciples gathered around him, all of them greeting him warmly. Even Old Sun and Cao Biao from before were among them, and they said they wanted to treat him to a meal.

Meanwhile, Guan Qingyun, Zhang Yu, and Wu Xiu stood in a corner. Seeing Fan Zhou surrounded by a large group of people, the three of them looked at each other, too embarrassed to go forward and catch up.

After a while, as the opening bell rang, the people surrounding Fan Zhou dispersed.

Sang Muya came over with Lü Zhu and a boy named Lu Ming from Lujiao Village.

These three men are now his subordinates, responsible for assisting him in managing the villagers of the three villages.

"My benefactor, you are truly amazing! Master Qin is praising you to the skies!"

Sang Muya said excitedly, her eyes shining as she looked at Fan Zhou.

Fan Zhou smiled and said, "This is all thanks to you guys. I couldn't be this good on my own."

Sang Muya shook her head and said, "Even without us, our benefactor is just as formidable!"

Fan Zhou chuckled and turned to Lü Zhu, asking, "How are things? Are the people from your village getting used to working here?"

Green Pearl looked much better than when he first met her; she was no longer weak. She said respectfully:

"The market is great. Everyone can eat their fill every day now, and they can even sit by the fire and drink at night. This was unthinkable before. Everyone is very grateful to our benefactor."

"That's good."

Fan Zhou then looked at Lu Ming. He was most worried about the people from Deer Horn Village. Those teenagers were too young, and he was always concerned that they would get into conflicts with others.

"Lu Ming, are the people from your village still willing to work in the market?"

"Yes, yes!"

Lu Ming nodded hurriedly, afraid that Fan Zhou would fire them from working there.

Their village used to be doing alright, but it was nowhere near as good as the market town. What's more, now that they've even lost their village, if they leave the market town, they'll soon perish in these desolate mountains.

Fan Zhou nodded slightly and instructed, "Work hard and save money, don't cause trouble, but if anyone bullies you, come find me, understand?"

"I understand." Lu Ming nodded in agreement, not daring to look at him.

"There's one more thing. You all heard what Master Qin said earlier. If you know any villages, you can introduce them to do business in the market. Our prices are fair and honest."

Fan Zhou repeated Qin Zhiyuan's instructions again, after all, this matter was related to the development of the market, and as the chief commander, he could not be indifferent.

"Rest assured, Commander!"

The three of them agreed in unison.

Fan Zhou nodded in satisfaction and went back.

Tian Youliang allowed him to not work and told him to seize the time to cultivate and master the four types of Qi as soon as possible, so as not to embarrass him later.

Fan Zhou went to the place where he used to practice swordsmanship and sat on a rock to read the wooden slips that Huang Yi had left for him.

He had been studying the simplified Chinese text for a long time, and recently he had been trying to understand and verify it in conjunction with his own practice. He felt that he had gained some insights, but he couldn't quite put his finger on them. This sense of confusion made him very uncomfortable.

"The swordsman values ​​seizing opportunities to advance, retreating when there is no opening, feigning weakness, and opening with advantage. Sometimes it uses softness to temper strength, yang to transform yin, suddenness containing softness, and slowness containing strength. Sometimes it is emptiness within fullness, and fullness within emptiness, and fullness within fullness..."

After reading the wooden slip, Fan Zhou picked up the wooden sword and began practicing the dual-wielding sword technique, combining strength and flexibility.

This sword technique is divided into hard sword and soft sword, each with thirty-two moves, which can be combined in many ways.

He has only been practicing for two months, and although he has become proficient, he still does not understand the essence of the technique. His sword moves are always stiff and awkward, so his current improvement in cultivation is not as good as the Ten Forms Sword.

But Fan Zhou believes that persistent hard work will definitely pay off.