PCJ – Chapter 664 A True Trial

“I won’t be staying in Daihua County long—at most a year or two. I’m afraid I won’t be suitable for the role of town mayor,” Zhang Jiaohua said after a moment’s thought, shaking his head. He had no attachment to any official position. As a cultivator, how could he be fond of worldly power and prestige? Still, since he had come here, he intended to fulfill his original goals. As Yingpan Village’s transformation was far from complete, he wasn’t in a rush to leave.

Zhu Qingdong quickly responded, “There’s no conflict in that. Whether you stay one year or two, as long as you hold the title of town mayor, the regular affairs can be managed by the town’s officials. You only need to steer the big picture—just like you did with Yingpan Village. You’re a highly educated person. Just focus on strategy. If you hadn’t pushed for saline-alkali soil treatment and the modern estate plan, would Yingpan look like it does today?”

His words were pleasant, but like the other officials of Daihua County, all they really wanted was for Zhang Jiaohua to stay—bringing investment and development. They could see he had no interest in personal power, so he wasn’t a threat to them. A man with ability, backing, and no political ambition? They couldn’t ask for more. If Zhang were domineering and trampled over local authorities, they’d probably be singing “Farewell, Plague God” every night.

“We’ll talk about it later. When will the road be passable? As a village official, I can’t always stay in town giving remote orders. Yingpan doesn’t even have working phones yet,” Zhang said.

“Unless you walk, there’s no way to get through. The road’s been completely dug up. Before construction started, we delivered a large amount of supplies to the village, enough to last them a while. And even now, if they need to, they can still walk out. We’re repairing one section at a time—not the entire road at once,” Zhu explained.

“Fine, I’ll just walk. I’ll also check if a motorcycle can still get through,” Zhang said, clearly eager to leave town.

Zhu couldn’t stop him and gave up with a sigh.

Zhang sped off toward Yingpan Village on his motorcycle. When he reached the section of the road leading toward Wanyaoshu Village and Yingpan, construction was indeed underway. The road was being widened with two new lanes, while the old one remained untouched for now—it was still needed to bring in construction materials.

“Huh, so the road is open? Why did Mayor Zhu say otherwise? It’s like he didn’t want me going to Yingpan… Could something have happened there?” Zhang frowned suspiciously.

As soon as Zhang reached the village entrance, Gu Chuangui came running up, shouting, “Uncle Zhang! Uncle Zhang!”

Zhang stopped the motorcycle next to him. “Hop on, Chuangui. Uncle Zhang will take you for a ride.”

“Uncle Zhang, something bad happened! Someone’s trying to steal your village official position!” Gu said, panting.

“What? Who wants to steal my position?” Zhang asked, laughing. This only confirmed his suspicions: giving him the town mayor role might have been a way to appease him—while someone else took credit for Yingpan. Zhang didn’t care much for political achievement, but as a cultivator, he absolutely couldn’t tolerate being looked down upon.

“Who’s trying to take Uncle Zhang’s job?” Zhang joked.

“Right after you went on your trip, they showed up—two people! I heard they’re also college-grad village officials, like you,” Gu said.

Zhang rode straight to his old quarters at the schoolhouse—it hadn’t been taken over yet.

“Come on, Chuangui, help me move the stuff in. There are some snacks. Let’s eat them together later.” Zhang began unloading the things he’d brought from Beijing—mostly treats for the kids.

“Alright!” Gu happily ran to help carry things inside.

Zhang didn’t ask more about the so-called job theft. He didn’t take it seriously. Unless he stepped down willingly, no one could take his place.

“Uncle Zhang, why aren’t you worried? If they really take your job, I won’t get to eat delicious snacks anymore!” Gu asked curiously.

“So you only want me here for my snacks? Then maybe I shouldn’t give you any more!” Zhang laughed.

“No, no! My grandpa said the whole village only recognizes Uncle Zhang as our official. No one else counts. You’re the one who fixed this place, gave everyone hope, and now the road’s getting built. We’re all working toward a better life!” Gu said urgently.

“I know. Don’t worry—of course I know you’re on my side,” Zhang said, stuffing the snacks back into Gu’s hands.

The next day, Zhang figured out the truth: a new village official really had come—but it was someone he knew: Zhao Ruiping, who used to be the village official for Wanyaoshu.

“Zhang Jiaohua! You’re incredible. You solved all of Yingpan’s problems as soon as you got here. I’m here to learn from you and hopefully fix Wanyaoshu too,” Zhao greeted him warmly.

“You’re really just here to learn?” Zhang asked, raising an eyebrow.

Zhao blushed a bit. “Actually… not entirely. But don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to steal your spotlight. But someone else was. A certain county leader’s relative was supposed to be sent here to claim credit for your work. I was still working at the town office when I found out. So I pulled some strings and informed Secretary Wang Zongxian. After all, our village official positions are appointed by the city, not the county. If they take our credit, they’re also taking Wang’s credit.”

“Wang called the county party secretary, Fu Jianping. I don’t know what was said, but the very next day, Fu came to Tianbaqiao and that person was sent packing. Your promotion, by the way, had been discussed long ago—this was just an unexpected hiccup.”

“And then you came,” Zhang said with a smirk.

“Actually, you’re still Yingpan’s official. But Wanyaoshu and Yingpan are going to be merged into one village. So now I’m also considered a Yingpan official,” Zhao grinned.

A few days after Zhang returned, Wei Chenguang also arrived.

“What are you doing here? This is a small village project—do you really need to come personally?” Zhang asked, puzzled.

“Of course not. Our Meishan Sect has plenty of competent managers in the secular world. But since the sect master is personally involved, we couldn’t just send any random person,” Wei smiled.

“Fair enough. A familiar face is better. I’d be uncomfortable with a stranger. But the Yingpan project might not be very profitable. Don’t blame me if I end up burning money here,” Zhang said.

“Money’s just a tool. If you want to burn it, burn it. Our sect may lack many things—but not worldly wealth,” Wei laughed. He knew Zhang well—though Zhang didn’t care about money, when he did make it, he was no worse than a financial genius. Just the “Jade Nectar Elixir” enterprise had become unimaginably massive.

Even this Yingpan project, if it were just about growing high-end crops, would never yield returns. But combine it with eco-tourism and traditional herbal trade, and it became a sustainable model.

Still, even then, the profits weren’t why Wei had come. He knew what was most important here—Zhang’s mental and spiritual cultivation. Choosing to be a village official was about training his state of mind. And nothing in the secular world tested one’s heart more than politics—full of scheming and deception, dealing with “acting emperors” every day.

Wei knew Zhang’s purpose and came to support him personally.

He pulled out a blueprint and laid it on the table. “Sect Master, this is the development plan for Yingpan. Do you want to make any changes?”

Zhang glanced at it. “Old Wei, first I have some news. Yingpan’s boundaries will expand—Wanyaoshu is being merged in. And if I take the post of Tianbaqiao’s mayor, the scope might expand beyond Yingpan.”

“No problem. I’ll have it updated. Even if you become the county magistrate, we’ll draw up plans for all of Daihua County. Then we’ll really have scale,” Wei said.

“One step at a time… Wait, you’re actually in favor of me entering politics?” Zhang was surprised.

“Of course. For cultivators, a few decades in the mortal world is like a closed-door retreat. If you just play village official for a bit then disappear, there’ll be no lasting growth. But if you dive in fully—live like a real politician, climb the ladder, experience worldly chaos and emotional entanglements—that’s how your heart will truly be tempered,” Wei explained.

Zhang fell silent. He suddenly realized—whether it was school or being a village official—he had always stayed on the outside, never fully involved. If not for Wei’s words, he might never have seen it. No wonder his cultivation had stalled: his heart hadn’t grown.

He slammed the table. “I’ve decided—I’ll take the mayor position!”

Wei smiled and nodded.

The next day, Zhang rode back to Tianbaqiao and found Zhu Qingdong.

“Changed your mind?” Zhu was thrilled. With Zhang on his team, his own future in the county would be much easier. Since Zhang didn’t deal with higher-ups directly, Zhu would be the bridge, gaining influence by association.

Zhang nodded. “The investors told me Yingpan alone is too small to generate scale or replicable results. They want to invest across all of Tianbaqiao, linking the villages and even incorporating Mount Yingpan. It’s better for long-term development.”

Zhu clapped in excitement. “Right! If we include all of Tianbaqiao, we could turn it into a scenic eco-agriculture zone. But the investment needed is huge… Can your backers really fund this?”

“Don’t worry—they wouldn’t propose it if they couldn’t handle it. They’re not going to sabotage themselves,” Zhang smiled.

“True, true. Well then, Comrade Zhang Jiaohua, let’s head to the county. I’ll report your status right away so they can arrange your appointment.”

In the county, Party Secretary Fu Jianping called a committee meeting to discuss Daihua’s development strategy.

“Daihua is a national-level poverty county. We can use that title to get money from the state and the province every year. But poverty isn’t something to be proud of. We shouldn’t be content just wearing that label. We should feel ashamed and fight harder to shake it off,” he declared passionately.