This is White Marrow Grass

?

Zhou Chang'an and his group had just arrived at the county town when they saw a vast crowd that had already been waiting for a long time, packing the streets so tightly that not a single drop of water could trickle through. The moment they spotted Zhou Chang'an approaching on horseback, cheers erupted instantly, the sound waves surging forward like a mighty tide.

"Lord Zhou! Lord Zhou!"

"Great Upright Official!"

"Our Qingshui County has welcomed another good official! We commoners will surely have better days ahead!"

From within the crowd, people kept shouting loudly, which in turn drew roaring cheers from the rest of the populace. Even the gazes directed at Zhou Chang'an became genuine and pure.

Hearing these words, even Zhou Chang'an, with his naturally indifferent temperament, couldn't help but be moved. His gaze grew much more resolute.

Zhou Changhe, watching his spirited younger brother from behind, felt deeply gratified. He pulled Zhou Xuanya along and said excitedly, "Look at your brother Chang'an. Isn't he impressive?"

Zhou Xuanya nodded repeatedly, filled with envy, and thought to himself in secret.

"If only I could possess such a distinguished bearing, Father would surely be proud of me."

At the distant Drunken Spring Pavilion, Zhu Zhen led a group of subordinate officials as they gazed far across the streets at Zhou Chang'an. He smiled and said, "Look at our Lord County Vice. Truly majestic and imposing, with an extraordinary bearing."

"Yes, indeed," the Chief of Records beside him nodded repeatedly. "What a handsome young man. If Lord Lin hadn't gotten there first, I would truly want to betroth my daughter to him."

Lin Ruohe, standing to one side, sported a radiant expression. Initially, when he married his daughter to Zhou Chang'an, he only wanted to establish a connection with the Zhou Clan. Who would have thought that Zhou Chang'an would possess such exceptional talent, successfully becoming a Provincial Graduate and even helping him vent his frustrations so thoroughly?

"Lord Cao, you must not scheme for my worthy son-in-law."

The Chief of Records, however, shook his head with a smile. "That's not something I can guarantee."

This drew a burst of roaring laughter from the assembled officials.

Zhu Zhen listened to the commotion behind him, but his face showed no change whatsoever.

This welcoming celebration, with the crowds lining the streets, was naturally organized by his own people, giving the Zhou Clan ample face. The shouts from the commoners were also specially arranged by him.

After learning that Zhou Chang'an had passed the provincial exam, he had carefully inquired about Zhou Chang'an's character and come to understand a thing or two.

Since Zhou Chang'an possessed a refined, indifferent temperament and the spirited pride of a youth, Zhu Zhen decided to shackle him with reputation.

If these words could trap Zhou Chang'an with the burden of his own fame, making him disdain forming factions, or even delay his descent into their corrupt ranks by a year or two, it would benefit Zhu Zhen's efforts to reorganize the officials and suppress the County Marshal's faction.

If it had no effect, they were merely congratulatory words anyway, costing him not a single piece of flesh.

Before long, Zhou Chang'an and his party were welcomed into the Drunken Spring Pavilion. All the officials offered their congratulations to Zhou Chang'an. Even Lu Ling, who had been demoted to Instructor, smiled brilliantly, with not a trace of resentment towards Zhou Chang'an in his eyes.

A grand banquet was held at the Drunken Spring Pavilion, with all the officials of the Qingshui County yamen seated to show their support for Zhou Chang'an. The prominent merchants and local clans also squeezed their way in, eager to leave a good impression on the new County Vice.

After the banquet dispersed, Zhou Changhe left twenty servants and maids for Chang'an and purchased a large mansion as his residence.

As he was about to leave, he grasped Zhou Chang'an's hand, his eyes slightly reddened, his voice carrying a faint sob. "Chang'an, from now on, you will be staying in the city for long periods. Even for your elder brother to see you, it will be difficult."

Even Zhou Chang'an, with his calm temperament, couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow.

"Baixi Mountain is my home. Even separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, I will not forget my roots. I will definitely return to visit every year."

"Alas," Zhou Changhe sighed. "The county town is treacherous, and people's hearts are complicated. Be careful. If anything happens, you must inform the family. The family will always be your backing."

The two brothers embraced, holding each other for a long time before finally letting go.

Zhou Xuanya also shed a few tears and stepped forward to hug Zhou Chang'an.

After all, they had grown up together as brothers. Even if their relationships varied in closeness, they still shared the same blood.

Baixi Mountain was several dozen li away from the Qingshui County town. As County Vice, Zhou Chang'an had a heavy, complicated workload, while Zhou Changhe and the others had to manage the clan's affairs. After today's parting, they would gather less and separate more.

"Chang'an, rest assured. I will send my younger sister-in-law and nephew over as soon as I return."

Zhou Chang'an nodded. Actually, he had wanted to keep his son at Baixi Mountain so the child could stay close to the clan and temper his health. But after thinking it over, he gave up the idea. After all, his son had no immortal destiny; it was better to keep him by his side so the family could be together.

But he also knew that going down this path, within a few years, his child would grow distant from the main clan.

Zhou Changhe and the others were reluctant to part, but in the end, they mounted their horses and, accompanied by some servants, disappeared into the distance.

Zhou Chang'an watched his elder brother's gradually receding figure, his heart heavy with gloom.

Although they hadn't divided the family, separated by mountains and rivers, their bond would gradually fade!

Soon after, he turned and walked toward the inner city. A servant stepped forward to drape a robe over his shoulders. He frowned slightly, took it off, and handed it back.

The servant said worriedly, "Young Master, the wind is quite strong..."

"It is fine."

The moment he had put it on, he suddenly thought of the commoners' cheers and the heavy official seal of the County Vice. He couldn't help but feel a distaste for the opulent airs of a wealthy young master.

He was indeed the Fourth Young Master of the Zhou Clan, but now he was also the deputy head of a county.

The servants were a bit bewildered, not understanding why the Fourth Young Master had changed. Back at the academy, he had been attended to in the exact same way.

They didn't dare dwell on it and quickly followed him.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and the population under the Zhou Clan's governance had expanded somewhat.

At the foot of Jingfeng Mountain, a workshop stood by the Baixi River. Inside, seven or eight men were working with roaring fervor.

Five rooms were arranged in a single row, neatly dividing the entire talisman paper-making craft into five specialized processes: soaking the materials, turning the pulp, washing the slurry, spiritual consolidation, and scooping the paper.

Zhou Minghu and Chen Fusheng were both inside the Spiritual Consolidation Room, each responsible for one stage of the spiritual consolidation process.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho!"

With the men's continuous shouts, one wide sheet of paper after another was scooped out, emitting a faint spiritual aura.

Before long, the entire workshop came to a stop. Old Man Qiu walked up to the Spiritual Consolidation Room with a smile.

"Second Young Master, all the paper is done."

Zhou Minghu wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and walked out alongside Chen Fusheng.

Looking at the numerous sheets of paper drying in the distance, he revealed a gratified smile.

"Once these are dry, you can all rest. Then, each of you may go to the storehouse and collect five taels of silver."

Old Man Qiu and the rest of the men immediately danced with joy.

"Thank you, Second Young Master! Thank you, Second Young Master!"

They had been recruited here to make paper. Although they were constantly monitored, the generous compensation was simply irresistible.

They already received a monthly wage of one tael of silver, which made countless people red-eyed with envy. Now that the work was finished, the Zhou Clan directly rewarded each of them with five taels, which was comparable to the harvest from several mu of farmland.

Zhou Minghu said calmly, "After the autumn harvest, you might be called back to work again."

"Understood, Second Young Master!" Old Man Qiu's face was a mass of smiling wrinkles. He led the men to stand guard among the drying paper, terrified that birds or beasts might come to peck at it.

Suddenly, Zhou Minghu felt a disturbance in the surrounding mist and knew it was his father operating the formation to summon him.

After leaving instructions for Chen Fusheng, he headed towards Ming Peak, calculating silently as he walked.

For the current talisman paper workshop, the limitation was not manpower, but raw materials.

Even though they had accumulated six years' worth of spiritual rice straw, it couldn't withstand the terrifying production speed of the small workshop. In less than half a year, it was all completely consumed, transforming into over thirteen thousand sheets of qualified talisman paper neatly stacked in the clan's warehouse.

Among spiritual items, talisman paper was one of the cheapest. About three hundred sheets were only worth one Spirit Stone. These thirteen thousand-plus sheets of talisman paper were worth around forty Spirit Stones.

It seemed like a massive profit, but that was solely due to the six years of accumulated stock.

Now that the raw materials were exhausted, if they wanted to produce more talisman paper, the clan would have to wait until after the autumn harvest to gather more straw. Based on the current output of eight mu and six fen of spiritual fields, Zhou Minghu estimated that the annual profit from talisman paper would not exceed eight Spirit Stones.

Although the earnings weren't immense, he was deeply satisfied.

After all, in the past, the straw was utterly useless and merely piled up. Now, it was turning waste into treasure. Accumulating little by little, they could eventually afford to exchange for other inheritances to enrich the clan's foundation.

Moreover, as the Purple Gold Vine grew day by day, the Spiritual Qi on Ming Peak had become much denser, and even the acreage of spiritual fields that could be reclaimed had expanded. With more spiritual fields, both the production of talisman paper and spiritual rice would naturally surge alongside it, leaving him profoundly delighted.

Before long, he arrived in front of the forest at the summit of Ming Peak. Sensing his arrival, the thick mist slowly parted to form a path.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Zhou Ping sitting on a stone beside the deep pool.

"Father, you called for me. Is there a matter you need to instruct?"

Zhou Ping shook his head, then pointed to a spot and said, "Take a look at that White Marrow Grass."

Zhou Minghu followed his direction and was abruptly stunned.

Staring at the two stalks of White Marrow Grass that had grown to half a man's height, a massive question mark surfaced in his mind.

This is White Marrow Grass?

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