Chương 59: The Prefect's Reminder

Breaking through to the Fifth Level allowed Fang Cheng to harness the power of the statue in his Dao Field. The Violet Star Emperor's Heavenly Eye could see through all things in the world and perceive the illusions of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Though Fang Cheng could not yet foresee the future or see into reincarnation, he could clearly see a cultivator's true cultivation level and the techniques they practiced. He could even deduce the flaws in those techniques, allowing him to counter them effectively.

Most importantly, he no longer needed to rely on the demon sword's nose to sniff out demons. He just had to open his Heavenly Eye, and he could see through anyone's true nature. If someone had ill intentions, he could sense it faintly. This was great. Especially for a good person, one glance could reveal the bad guys. Hahaha. His sword was already hungry. Action followed quickly. Fang Cheng stood up, took a single step, and appeared above White Flower City. He opened his Heavenly Eye and looked down. Good heavens!

Every person had a wisp of black energy in their head. Clearly, each harbored resentment, anger, or other negative emotions. Li Shuyan had the thickest black energy. It was like he was wrapped in a black mist. It seemed this guy spent all day thinking about bloody slaughter. Uh... He... Well... After a moment of silence, Fang Cheng withdrew his Heavenly Eye and returned to the City God Temple. He reassured himself:"Li Shuyan is my little brother. He cannot be a bad person.

The people of White Flower City are my subjects. They are not bad people either. Having stray thoughts is normal. No one is a perfect saint. As long as people do not act on those thoughts and do not harm others, they are not committing crimes and are not bad people." Comforted, he felt much better. What made him even happier was seeing that Qin Hao and Xiaofeng had not a single wisp of black energy in them. Xiaofeng was a child, so it was normal for him to have no bad thoughts.

As for Qin Hao, he must have been influenced by Fang Cheng's constant example over time, becoming sunny, kind, upright, and optimistic.

"I still need to work harder. I need to make Li Shuyan and all the people of White Flower City become like Qin Hao." Fang Cheng clenched his fist, determined. Just then, someone walked into the main hall. It was Qin Hao.

"Ah Hao, my Ah Hao. You are awesome." Fang Cheng laughed and walked over, giving Qin Hao's shoulder a firm pat. Qin Hao scratched his head, surprised.

"Huh? Brother Fang, did you already hear that I made the deal? No way. I came straight here first. Li Sanshui and He Chunhua could not have beaten me. Did someone else tell you?" Fang Cheng did not explain. He asked instead, "So, when can we start the silk textile business?" Qin Hao replied, "If we push things, we can start tomorrow. Prefect Tang Wenqing had a storage ring with him. He had enough textile machines for all of White Flower City's people.

I also negotiated with him to treat those machines as a down payment. Once we produce the silk goods and ship them to Lianshan Prefecture, we will pay the remaining balance." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Good. You handle the business. You decide when to start." Fang Cheng nodded, then noticed something odd.

"Wait. Tang Wenqing had a storage ring? He is just an ordinary person, not a cultivator. How did he have a storage ring?" Qin Hao said, "Tang Wenqing's identity is not simple. His attendants are all mid-level cultivators. I suspect he is from the Great Sheng royal family. The Tang surname was probably granted by the royal house." Fang Cheng nodded.

"Right. In Great Sheng, most ordinary people with the surname Tang have some connection to the royal family. But we are cultivators. We do not need to be afraid of them."

"Of course I am not afraid." Qin Hao puffed out his chest. His Brother Fang was a great cultivator who had slain a Heavenly Demon. Even if the King of Great Sheng showed up and gave him a dirty look, Qin Hao would slap him. Qin Hao continued, "Tang Wenqing also had a Third Brother Printing Machine. It can print any pattern onto fabric by activating the formation inside. I asked him to leave one behind."

"Oh, a mountain printer? The magistrate of Xiangshi City mentioned that. It sounds impressive." Fang Cheng stroked his chin. Qin Hao waved his hand.

"Brother Fang, it is Third Brother, not mountain. Third, as in the number three. Brother, as in younger brother."

"Why is it called Third Brother? That sounds stupid." Fang Cheng complained.

"Maybe the person who invented this amazing machine was named Third Brother." Qin Hao guessed, then continued, "Brother Fang, the Third Brother Printing Machine is expensive. Tang Wenqing would only agree to sell it on credit if we paid at least one top-grade Immortal Crystal in advance. So I gave him the one you gave me."

"Fine. As long as you think it is a good deal." Fang Cheng patted Qin Hao's shoulder in encouragement. Then he took out five more top-grade Immortal Crystals and dozens of high-grade ones from his storage ring and handed them to Qin Hao. He had realized he did not need Immortal Crystals for his own cultivation. He could just eat a few more crayfish. It was a bit gross, but hey, it was free. He could not be too picky. With Fang Cheng's encouragement, Qin Hao left to carry out his orders.

He did not plan to start work immediately. First, he needed to find a good location for the textile workshop. For that, he needed to get the city's blueprints from the Yamen, confirm the terrain, and then begin. After all, White Flower City was going to grow into a major city. They needed to plan the urban layout properly and not just throw things together randomly. Tang Wenqing did not leave after finishing his business.

Instead, he came to the City God Temple, burned three sticks of incense, and prayed to the Everlasting Emperor. Then he walked over to Fang Cheng, who was sitting on a stool, and started chatting.

"City God, not many people are coming to burn incense in the main hall." Fang Cheng shrugged.

"White Flower City is recovering from the demon attack. Everyone is busy. They do not have time to burn incense. Besides, burning incense is just a ritual. As long as people are sincere, they will sense the Everlasting Emperor's presence, and he will bless them." Fang Cheng had been a Land God for over a decade. He knew all the tricks. Basically, if nothing bad happened to you, it was because you were sincere and the Emperor was blessing you.

If you got sick or met with disaster, it was clearly because you were not sincere and could only blame yourself. Tang Wenqing laughed.

"City God, though Lord Pei Tang recommended you, your style is quite different from his." Fang Cheng frowned slightly.

"Prefect Tang, you are just a mortal, yet you know about my relationship with Pei Tang. You seem to know a bit too much." Tang Wenqing smiled.

"City God, I will not hide it from you. I was sent by the Great Sheng royal family. The textile industry is of utmost importance to Great Sheng. Whether it is Lianshan Prefecture's silk, Xijiang Prefecture's cotton and linen, or Shangyuan Prefecture's wool in the north, the royal family is watching closely. So I hope you will cooperate sincerely with us and not use your status as a cultivator to bully us mortals."

"Prefect Tang, as a good person, I never bully the weak. And in my White Flower City, if anyone dares to use their power to oppress others, I will not let them get away with it!" Fang Cheng spoke with righteous conviction, looking grand and imposing. Tang Wenqing shook his head with a smile.

"City God, you are quite different from those cultivators at the Hall of Eternal Life. I hope you can keep your word. As a token of thanks, allow me to give you a piece of advice. When the demon attacked White Flower City, you were here. When a demon appeared in Xiangshi City, you were there too. That is too much of a coincidence. The Hall of Eternal Life has already taken notice of you. The forces of other dynasties have likely taken notice of you as well."

With that, Tang Wenqing took his leave, walking out of the main hall and leaving the City God Temple behind. Fang Cheng rolled his eyes. He did not take the man's words to heart. So what if they had taken notice of him? That was exactly what he wanted. Let them come. His demon sword was ready and waiting.