Jiang Wenliu listened to his subordinates’ reports about the villagers’ account of the flood retreating and glanced across at Qin Liuxi, his eyes instantly becoming sticky with emotion.

Needless to say, that Immortal is her; she was the one who pushed back this vast flood. It had been years since they last met, and her spellcasting had already become this powerful. Could she have reached the Demi Immortal state? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Qin Liuxi twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "You don’t have to look at me like that."

The look in his eyes was full of admiration and respect, clearly the gaze of a child looking up to an elder with pure admiration, making her feel as though she was his mother, or rather, his father?

She couldn’t handle it!

"This flash flood came with such speed and force, the rain poured down incessantly as if from the heavens, causing the flood. Yet in just two days, you pushed it back with your spell; it’s so miraculous, just like a mythic story. Haven’t you heard that the people of Nanshan Town are saying they want to build a temple for you? It’s not just them; even as the local magistrate, I want to set up an eternal tablet for you. To be honest, I just took over Ducheng County, and while inspecting various towns and villages, this inexplicable disaster happened in Nanshan. If mishandled, it would become a blot on my record."

Heaven knows, when he heard of the torrential rain in Nanshan, triggering a flash flood and causing landslides and mudslides, it all happened one after another, severely affecting the locals. He was utterly stunned.

This year, natural disasters have been frequent everywhere, he knew that, and in the capital, due to the previous county official’s poor disaster relief efforts during last year’s snowstorm, and his exploitation of the people, he was caught by an imperial envoy and immediately stripped of his post. After serving as the County Magistrate in Sichuan for many years, accumulating political achievements, he was due for a transfer, so he was assigned to the capital here.

Just as he took over, during his inspection of the autumn harvest, this incident occurred in Nanshan Town.

It’s already October harvest time; even if it rains, it should have been light showers. Who would have thought that without any warning, torrential rain from the sky would trigger a flash flood?

This was simply an unprecedented anomaly, an ominous sign!

He was so anxious, he ordered people to quickly return by horse to organize evacuation and disaster relief, and he himself abandoned the carriage, rode back on horseback to take charge. After all, such a sudden major event, handling it well would be an achievement; if not, he’d be facing impeachment and the loss of his official cap.

He came to Ducheng County aiming to accumulate political achievements and gain experience, not to lose his position, so he was understandably anxious.

Yet on arriving at Nanshan, he found the flood had retreated, as if playing.

Jiang Wenliu felt as if he was on a thrilling rollercoaster, experiencing ups and downs; it was truly exhilarating. And the flood retreating was all because of Qin Liuxi.

She was practically his savior, a great benefactor!

Qin Liuxi said, "The flash flood has retreated, but the post-disaster treatment and pacification of the locals still need to be arranged quickly, so stop praising me, you have a lot on your plate. Besides, I originally thought it would take some effort, but since you are the County Magistrate of Ducheng County, you should be familiar with the area. Even if you’re not, does the county government have records in the annals about where there’s a large tomb or whose burial site might have a Grave Guardian Stone Beast?"

Jiang Wenliu was somewhat surprised and said, "The temple master comes to seek the Grave Guardian Stone Beast?"

Qin Liuxi nodded, contemplating, but for now didn’t disclose to him the possibility that the sudden flash flood in Nanshan might be related to this Stone Beast.

Jiang Wenliu, being from a noble family, naturally understood that these Auspicious Beasts like Grave Guardian Stone Beasts placed in front of a grave for protection are not something everyone can afford. Sculpting an Auspicious Beast to make it more spiritually infused requires inviting a Mage and Daoist for enlightenment and spirit granting, all of which costs Silver. How could ordinary common people afford such things when having a simple coffin for a decent burial is considered fortunate?

So, this is something that can be investigated, but it wouldn’t be recorded in the county annals for just anyone, especially for matters concerning the afterlife.

Jiang Wenliu explained this to Qin Liuxi.

Qin Liuxi naturally understood that the more status a person had, the more they cared for their Yin Houses, ensuring everything was meticulously hidden and not openly disclosed, lest their grave be targeted by tomb robbers.

Seeing this, Jiang Wenliu then instructed Wu Zhubu of Ducheng County to take Qin Liuxi to search. Wu Zhubu was originally from Ducheng County, making him a suitable person to ask.

"I’ll go ask the demons around this area," Feng Xiu said to Qin Liuxi.

Qin Liuxi nodded; splitting up would be more effective than combining forces into one direction.

Watching Feng Xiu leave, Wu Zhubu couldn’t help but swallow hard. Did he just hear correctly, that the man even more beautiful than a woman, whom people dared not look straight at, said he was going to ask demons for inquiries?