Chapter 1: The Junior Agricultural Officer
Jingxin, Year Fifteen, late May, outskirts east of Gucheng.
The sun blazed fiercely, sweat poured like rain, and Zhao Xing bent over, planting rice seedlings in the watery field.
With each seedling he planted, a string of small numbers appeared beside him.
[Successfully planted a rice seedling. Basic Cultivation Skill proficiency +1]
[Successfully planted a rice seedling. Basic Cultivation Skill proficiency +1]
[Successfully planted a rice seedling. Basic Cultivation Skill proficiency +1]
...
[Basic Cultivation Skill has reached maximum level. You have comprehended the elementary spell ‘Flourishing Growth’]
[Flourishing Growth: Elementary Spell]
[Progress: (1/9999)]
[Effect: Accelerates nutrient absorption, shortens the maturation time of plant life.]
After another half an hour of planting, Zhao Xing was drenched in sweat and stepped onto the field ridge to replenish his water.
Yet the scorching sunlight and the restless heat in his heart would not abate.
So he pointed a finger at the sky.
A golden light shimmered from his fingertip, dissipating three or four meters overhead.
Immediately, a cluster of grayish-white cloud mist emerged, swirling above his head.
[You have cast the spell ‘Cloudwalking’. This time, the spell triggered the blessing of fortune, effectiveness doubled, Cloudwalking for ten meters.]
[Elementary Spell ‘Cloudwalking’ proficiency +2]
“Ah, this is much better,” he sighed.
The misty cloud shielded him from the sun, like a parasol casting a shadow over Zhao Xing.
As he walked, the cloud moved with him.
The eastern outskirts of Gu County housed the government’s public fields, overseen by the Department of Agriculture; part of the officials’ food, clothing, and supplies originated here.
With Grain in Ear approaching, minor agricultural officials like Zhao Xing were everywhere in the east outskirts.
For if you did not sow at Grain in Ear, it would be useless to plant later.
Moreover, the harvest from these fields not only determined their meals, but also whether they could be promoted to official status this year—whether they would rise from unranked minor officials to full-fledged agricultural officers, a difference as vast as night and day.
Ever since he crossed over a year ago, he realized he was in the early version of that mysterious game—one that had suddenly appeared on Earth in his former life, nameless, with only an entrance, a world within that was strikingly real and free, causing a massive sensation.
Now it was the reign of Emperor Jing of the Great Zhou, the dynasty at its peak, the environment stable; compared to later versions, the safety level was almost the highest.
The benefit was that spiritual energy had not fully revived, combat power was moderate, and there would be no terrifying figures capable of razing cities with a flick of the hand.
After all, he was no longer a player—his panel no longer said he could resurrect.
The downside was an excess of stability, and his starting identity was nothing special; as an NPC, it was difficult to find opportunities amid the early order of society.
“In my last life, it took just two or three days to change jobs. Now, after half a year, I haven’t seen hope yet.
“The initial identity given was ordinary too—an orphan from the Charity Institute, later adopted by a prominent family, but even then, life was mediocre.
“I heard some players last time were lucky enough to start as children of princes and ministers…”
“Enough daydreaming. Rest a bit, then work harder. Whether I can complete the job-change task this year mostly depends on the performance of this field.”
Zhao Xing found a haystack, gathered some rice straw, intending to rest and wait for his vitality to recover.
He was then called over by a young man in standard attire and a straw hat, waving from a nearby haystack, “Brother Zhao, come over here.”
Zhao Xing walked quickly toward him. “Ziyu, you’re resting too?”
Chen Ziyu, another minor official of the Department of Agriculture, was the person Zhao Xing was most familiar with during this year of crossing over.
Their relationship was both as colleagues and as fellow learners, for at this stage, work was secondary; more important was study, striving to land a secure position so they could leave behind this muddy labor.
Beside him lay another youth, Qian Dong, also a familiar face.
Chen Ziyu, chewing on a stalk of grass, greeted him warmly, “Just got here. Brother, let me borrow your cloud for shade; no need to waste extra vitality.”
“Very well,” Zhao Xing nodded, dissipated the cloud above him, and lay beside Chen Ziyu.
No sooner had he settled than he heard his companion complain, “It’s barely the start of summer, yet Gucheng is scorching. The Department of Agriculture officials even cut down all the big trees in the east outskirts; if you want shade, you have to cast spells yourself.”
Zhao Xing laughed, “It’s a kind of training, after all.”
“If you want coolness, it’s simple. Watch me.” Qian Dong tossed aside his straw hat, struck a pose and pointed skyward, “Wind, come!”
Chen Ziyu was surprised, “Brother Qian, you’ve already learned ‘Wind Rise’?”
Qian Dong grinned mischievously, picked up the straw hat, and fanned Chen Ziyu, “See? It’s here.”
Realizing he’d been fooled, Chen Ziyu grabbed a handful of dry grass and scratched at Qian Dong’s neck, “You rascal, daring to trick me! If you don’t fan me for a quarter of an hour, I won’t let you off!”
“Hey, stop scratching, Ziyu! Calm down, I’ll fan you,” Qian Dong pleaded.
As the two bantered, the cloud overhead swayed along, and Zhao Xing couldn’t help but feel speechless.
In this sweltering heat, couldn’t they be less flirtatious?
Just as he was about to speak, Qian Dong chimed in first, “Alright, if you keep this up, Brother Zhao will scold us for being idle and unserious.”
Zhao Xing replied lazily, “No, keep going. If you end up fighting, hurting each other, there’ll be fewer competitors for the agricultural post, and my chances of securing the position will be higher.”
“Brother, you’re at it again with your sarcasm…”
After a quarter of an hour’s rest, Zhao Xing felt his vitality gradually return, planning to doze a bit longer before resuming his quest for promotion.
But just then, the cloud above dispersed, and blinding sunlight struck his eyelids.
“What happened, Ziyu? You could’ve warned us before removing the cloud…” Qian Dong grumbled, but Zhao Xing propped himself up, eyes narrowed, gazing ahead.
A vast, nearly kilometer-long black cloud rolled in from the distance, beneath which stood a tall figure atop a heap of grain.
The spell [Cloudwalking] was exclusive; it was this person who disrupted and absorbed Chen Ziyu’s [Cloudwalking].
Suddenly interrupted, Chen Ziyu trembled slightly, suffering a minor loss of vitality from the backlash.
“It’s that hypocrite Li Chengfeng again! Damn him!” Chen Ziyu glared furiously at the figure atop the grain heap.
Why call him a hypocrite?
Because Li Chengfeng’s voice, amplified by the [Wind Rise] spell, echoed throughout, “Fellow colleagues, you may rest under my cloud. In a moment, there will be a light rain to cleanse you.”
Not only Chen Ziyu’s spell was disrupted—a number of others were affected as well.
Yet Li Chengfeng united most people, saving them vitality, earning applause and praise for his gentlemanly demeanor.
“This man’s posturing is truly sickening! Always showing off, ignoring others’ feelings. I once confronted him, but people said I was petty, jealous of his gentlemanly reputation… Jealous? Nonsense!” Chen Ziyu grumbled bitterly.
Qian Dong shook his head, “If he were truly a gentleman, it’d be fine. But he’s from a powerful clan and only associates with the wealthy. He acts one way in public, another in private. Not even a full agricultural officer yet, but already carries himself like a superior. Disgusting. If he becomes our supervisor next year, who knows how he’ll torment us…”
Zhao Xing agreed with their views, and could only pat their shoulders in comfort. “I don’t like him either, but complaints are pointless. Strength is what matters. Work hard, and one day we’ll put him in his place.”