Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 384 - 374: Arrival and Conflict

What is the Tianyuan Festival? It refers to the time of the year devoted to ancestral worship.

Whenever the Tianyuan Festival arrives, whether in Xunyang Prefecture or throughout the Daqian Kingdom, there is a rise in ancestral worship fervor.

Qin An had encountered similar festivals before, but they were limited to small areas.

The Tianyuan Festival, however, covers the entire Daqian.

Pseudo-Gods are born from various thoughts, and when the Tianyuan Festival comes, they revive, named Tianyuan Pseudo-Gods.

This is a terrifying Pseudo-God covering the entire Xunyang Prefecture, and there’s more than one, scattered throughout Xunyang.

The Tianyuan Festival mission in Xizhou can only be undertaken by the Mountain Patrol Silver General, whereas higher-ranked tasks are handled by the Mountain Patrol Golden General, which Qin An cannot take.

As for Xizhou’s location, it’s only a hundred miles from Xunyang Prefecture.

"Not far, and related to the Pseudo-Gods..." Qin An rubbed his chin, thinking to himself, "I can save on travel and earn merits, achieving two goals with one action."

After taking on the mission, Qin An didn’t plan to stay. He took a fast horse and had breakfast on the street outside the Evil Extermination Bureau before riding towards Xizhou.

...

Xizhou is named for the streams that surround it.

The land here is fertile, the people prosperous, and compared to Lingzhou, they can be said to live without worries of food and clothing.

At this moment, with the Tianyuan Festival approaching, stalls fill the streets, selling yellow paper and incense candles.

People carry bamboo baskets, occasionally squatting at stalls, haggling with vendors.

A young man in dark clothing leads a swift horse, walking slowly on the streets.

The townspeople are intimidated by the dark-clad youth’s aura, and when their gaze catches the silver-patterned token at his waist, they instinctively lower their heads, not daring to make eye contact.

Qin An felt the gazes of the surrounding people and shook his head slightly.

The higher one’s status, the more distant from ordinary people they become.

Having arrived at his destination, he intends to head to the Xizhou Evil Extermination Bureau to first understand the Tianyuan Festival situation.

The Xizhou Evil Extermination Bureau is easy to find; Qin An walked just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to arrive at a towering gate.

At the gate, two state officials stand guard, weapons in hand, on alert.

When Qin An’s figure comes into view, the two state officials simultaneously pause in surprise.

The official on the left steps forward two paces, trembling as he cups his hands in salute, "Your humble servant greets the Lord!"

The arrival of a Mountain Patrol General is already a forceful descent, let alone a Mountain Patrol Silver General, whom the state officials dare not offend.

Qin An handed over the reins, speaking lightly, "Feed the best fodder. I am going to see the chief of the state."

The official on the right quickly approached, respectfully saying, "Your humble servant will lead the way for the Lord."

Qin An gave a slight nod, his left hand behind his back, right hand on the hilt of the Cold Star Saber, and stepped into the Xizhou Evil Extermination Bureau.

First, he passed through a courtyard, then down a bluestone path, entering a somewhat narrow little courtyard.

During this process, many state officers saw the token at Qin An’s waist, none daring to meet his gaze for fear of displeasing this gentleman.

In the small courtyard, the central room was the most grand, its doors wide open, revealing several figures seated inside.

The state official stopped, pointing to the most grand room, whispering, "My Lord, this is where the chief of the state is. It is inappropriate for a humble person like me to proceed further. Please forgive me."

Qin An waved his sleeve, "Withdraw."

The state official dared not say more, bowed, and departed.

Only then did Qin An stroke his long saber and approach the room.

The situation in the room gradually became clear.

Mr. Yang, the chief of the state, sat in the main seat, sipping tea from a cup.

The rest were three individuals dressed in dark clothing, two men and one woman.

The woman was beautiful, with a white silk ribbon at her waist, evidently of extraordinary quality at a glance.

The man on the left was slightly taller, with a broken axe on his back.

The man on the right was slightly shorter, holding an inverted spear in his right hand.

As Qin An arrived, he attracted their attention.

The man on the left sneered first, "Everyone is here; I guess no one else will be taking this mission."

The woman brushed the ribbon at her waist with her fingertips, "Quite a handsome young man, though I wonder about his strength."

Only the man on the right gripped his spear tightly, striding forward quickly, "Are you Mr. Qin?"

At these words, the man and woman who had just spoken frowned, realizing that these two might know each other.

As Qin An had just stepped into the room, he raised an eyebrow at the man’s words, "We don’t seem to know each other; how do you know my name?"

The man cupped his fists, "I am Lv Qi, a subordinate under Mr. Jin. Naturally, I know of Mr. Qin’s esteemed name."

Qin An understood, "I see, how are things going?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

If he was under Jin Fengyu, it was not surprising he knew his name.

Lv Qi led Qin An inside, "We have just arrived recently and are waiting for Mr. Yang to explain the situation in Xizhou and how to deal with the Tianyuan Pseudo-Gods."

Qin An sat down calmly, "I came at just the right time."

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman with the white silk ribbon at her waist suddenly spoke, "You haven’t introduced yourself yet."

Qin An tapped the hilt of his Cold Star Saber with his fingertips, "Who are you?"

The woman was slightly taken aback, a faint flash of anger across her brow, "Not answering and asking instead, how impolite."

Qin An spoke mildly, "When asking for others’ names, it’s polite to first introduce oneself. Who is lacking in manners?"

"You!" The woman stood up in anger, her words stuck in her throat.

At this point, the man with the axe spoke, "We are all men; we should have the courage of men. Why quibble with a woman?"

Qin An glanced over at Lv Qi, "Do they know each other?"

This woman’s words carried a sense of arrogance as if she looked down on others.

Just exchanging a couple of words with the woman leads to the axe-wielding man stepping in to support her, indicating they are definitely connected.

Lv Qi chuckled, "This woman is named Cui Qi; her father is a Mountain Patrol Golden General, so she naturally looks down on others. As for the man, his name is Chen Xian, a follower of Cui Qi."

He didn’t shy away from speaking, even doing so right in front of the two, as if publicly humiliating them.

Qin An rubbed his chin, "An officer’s child and a bootlicker, I see."

It was Lv Qi’s first time hearing these two terms. He understood the part about an officer’s child but had no idea what a bootlicker meant, so he asked directly.

Qin An chuckled lightly, "Like a dog licking, happy for a long time even if a bone is thrown to them. Don’t you think it fits?"

Lv Qi reacted, clapping his palms, "Mr. Qin, brilliant!"

As they conversed, they entirely disregarded Cui Qi and Chen Xian.

Cui Qi’s face suddenly turned pale, "What do you mean!"

Qin An lightly stroked the scabbard, "It means nothing, just a bit of commentary on the two of you."

Walking from Ding County all the way to Xunyang Prefecture, Qin An discovered some clues in the Evil Extermination Bureau of Xunyang Prefecture.

Many Mountain Patrol Generals have backing, thus there are numerous Mountain Patrol Generals who act arrogantly.

This Cui Qi is one of them.

As the daughter of a Mountain Patrol Golden General, her backing is indeed substantial.

But in Qin An’s view, only strength is the true backing.

Everything else is illusionary.

"It seems you all need a bit of a lesson." Chen Xian stood up, gripping his axe, his face as dark as water.

These two dared to compare him to a dog, simply deserving death.

Qin An put down his teacup, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Lv Qi was near Qin An, ready to strike at any moment.

Disputes among Mountain Patrol Generals are not uncommon in Xunyang Prefecture.

He is under Jin Fengyu’s command, naturally standing on Qin An’s side.

Governor Yang sensed the tense atmosphere, sweat forming on his forehead.

He was only External Elixir Realm Perfection, neither status nor strength could compare to these four.

If a conflict truly broke out here, he would also be implicated.

He must stop the conflict.

"Please calm down, gentlemen." Governor Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead, "The task is the priority."

These words provided a way out.

Cui Qi’s expression was uncertain, as she returned to her seat.

Though she is the daughter of a Mountain Patrol Golden General, she still understands the power dynamics in Xunyang Prefecture.

Lv Qi is rather famous among Mountain Patrol Silver Generals, his strength reaches Inner God Realm Perfection, making him one among the top Mountain Patrol Silver Generals.

Given such status, yet treating a man named Qin An with respect, his identity must be extraordinary.

Since there is a way out, she took it and planned to find out his identity.

If his background is profound, she would reconsider later.

If he is born from grassroots, she would take her time later.

Chen Xian, being Cui Qi’s suitor, seeing her stepping down, had no choice but to press down his anger temporarily.

Governor Yang saw everyone finally calming down, heaved a sigh of relief, and changed the topic: "The Tianyuan Festival is approaching, the Pseudo-God is about to cause chaos, let us first discuss the deployment in Creek State."

Qin An tapped his fingers on the teacup, "Go ahead."

The others remained silent, waiting for Governor Yang to continue.

Governor Yang paused for a moment and waved to the door.

Soon, two footsteps were heard from outside the door.

Two state officials entered the room.

The left official carried a half-meter-high scroll of map, held open at one end by another official, and slowly unfurled the map.

The map depicted the terrain of Creek State, each place drawn extremely meticulously.

Qin An pointed to one side of the map, "What is marked here?"

A red dot was marked on the left side of the map, appearing very conspicuous.

Governor Yang explained, "That is the most famous location in Creek State, called Tianxi River. As for why it is marked, it is because this place is the site of collective ancestry rituals."

"Collective ancestry rituals?" Lv Qi frowned, "Why are they conducting collective ancestry rituals?"

Governor Yang smiled bitterly, "This is a Creek State tradition, people believe Tianxi River nurtured them, even for ancestry rituals, they would gather there."

Chen Xian shouted, "As the governor, how can you not know the gathering would make the Pseudo-God stronger?"

Cui Qi followed, "Now issue the order to let the people separate for ancestry rituals, otherwise, the losses would be severe."

Their words carried a sense of superiority.

Governor Yang said helplessly, "But how might the two of you know why even with the Tianyuan Pseudo-God, the Daqian Kingdom still holds ancestry rituals?"

Cui Qi and Chen Xian exchanged a glance, remaining silent.

Qin An suddenly said, "For stability."

He often perused miscellaneous books in the Confidential Library, knowing the reason for this matter.

Governor Yang was surprised, "Mr. Qin is truly knowledgeable. As Mr. Qin said, now with Daqian Kingdom in turmoil, this Tianyuan Festival is an annual event, if it is prohibited, it might cause public panic. I am helpless and can only conduct it as per Creek State customs."

Lv Qi rubbed the gun barrel, nodding, "Public sentiment is above all, if the people’s hearts scatter, Daqian would scatter, that’s how it should be. How is Mr. Yang deploying it?"

Cui Qi furrowed her Liu Mei brows, eyes showing dissatisfaction, "We certainly know this matter, just wanted to test you."

She was very unhappy, feeling that the man named Qin An had stolen the spotlight.

Chen Xian followed, "Indeed, we as Mountain Patrol Silver Generals naturally knew this."

Governor Yang’s eyes flashed a hint of disdain but he quickly concealed it.

Only through comparison is there harm.

These two compared to Qin An, are as ephemerals to the sky.

He was just a small governor, even if dissatisfied, he could not show it, could only bring back the topic.

"Once the day of the ancestry ritual begins, Mountain Patrol Officers will guard around Tianxi River." Governor Yang explained, "Even state officers will be dispatched. In the past years, there were no problems. If any unmanageable situations arise, it will require the gentlemen’s intervention."

"Backup?" Lv Qi asked.

Governor Yang nodded, "Indeed, but the achievement will be credited to you all."

"This achievement is easy to take." Qin An drank a cup of tea, "Where is the resting place?"

The conversation had reached a point where everything that needed understanding was clear.

They were more like sitting here, as a backup for the Evil Extermination Bureau of Creek State.

If they didn’t need to make a move, the achievement would be effortlessly theirs.

Now the ancestry ritual was still a day away; better to rest early and conserve energy.

Governor Yang quickly got up, "You gentlemen have come a long way, of course, I should host a banquet to entertain you. How about attending the banquet first?"

Qin An shook his head, "No need, the task is priority; just eat something casual."

Lv Qi also shook his head, "Mountain Patrol Generals are used to dining in the wind and dew, can’t enjoy fine delicacies."

Both were clear in heart, no need to waste time, better to gather strength.

Cui Qi’s eyes lit up, "I hear Creek State has many delicious foods. Mr. Yang, serve some local delicacies; it’s a perfect chance to try."

Chen Xian glanced at Qin An, suddenly said, "Rustics don’t enjoy fine bran, I quite understand."