The whistleblower couldn’t hold back: “A question off-topic—among the legendary immortals in our country’s history, which one do you admire the most?”

　　The young master was instantly stunned, and only after a long pause did he answer, “I… rather like Supreme Treasure. His feelings for Zixia Fairy show his clear sense of love and hate!”

　　That reason… was pretty standard, but once again, the whole room fell silent. Is this really one of “the legendary immortals in our country’s history”?

　　And so, Andrew Brooks won!

　　However, “good things never come easy.” Just as the list was about to be announced, Director Gao of the Personnel Bureau heard that William Clark Mr. Clark had been eliminated, and his face immediately changed. Word spread: “If it’s not Little William, then our Personnel Bureau won’t be recruiting anyone this year!”

　　The exam committee was instantly in a bind and had no choice but to negotiate with Andrew Brooks, “There’s a special situation—the quota for the Personnel Bureau can’t go to you. You see, your oral exam score was really too poor.”

　　“However, the exam committee thinks highly of you, so we’d like to offer you a different position. Would that be acceptable?”

　　Sure, why not? Andrew Brooks was easygoing. He had originally thought he’d be eliminated anyway. Even Emily Young, who could sing and dance so well, barely made it onto the list at the last minute—what more could he ask for?

　　If he wasn’t content and wanted to become an official, he’d have to wait at least another five years!

　　“That’s fine. What kind of position is it?”

　　“Well, you put down rather high preferences on your application,” the person in charge of the conversation said skillfully, “so all the mid-level positions have already been taken by others.”

　　“Donglinshui Village still needs a deputy village chief. Go there for some training for a while. You’re young—surely you’re not afraid of a little hardship?”

　　Donglinshui Village is actually just on the northern outskirts of Phoenix City, but the natural conditions there are a bit harsh. Compared to Phoenix City, it’s like heaven and earth.

　　“Deputy village chief?” Andrew Brooks’s mouth fell open. In his mind, the title of village chief was really far removed from his life. “Does this count as being part of the official state cadre system?”

　　“It does,” the person nodded. “You’ll be going down for a temporary assignment. Who knows… you might be back soon.”

　　There was one thing he didn’t say—maybe you won’t be back for eight or ten years, unless you give up your official cadre status!

Chapter 7: The Immortal’s Abode

　　“This really is a place for immortals to live!” Looking at Donglinshui Village under his jurisdiction, the newly arrived Andrew Brooks was filled with grand enthusiasm.

　　Actually, his choice of words wasn’t very accurate.

　　He should have said, this is a place “only” immortals could live in. As for humans, it’s absolutely unsuitable for habitation—the conditions are just a bit too harsh.

　　Thirty years ago, Donglinshui Village was still a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters. The whole village sat in a hilly area, with Baifeng Creek flowing gently to the east, where people could row fishing boats and cast nets.

　　The hills were covered with dense forests and shrubs, and the woods teemed with pheasants and wild rabbits—a scene full of vitality.

　　Donglinshui Village didn’t have much arable land, and what little there was was poor and shallow, so the annual grain output wasn’t high. Except in bumper years, in an average year, it was just enough to keep the villagers about eighty percent full.

　　In short, with fruit and other sideline businesses, plus villagers selling some handmade products outside, except in very bad years, life here could basically be self-sufficient.

　　But in recent years, with economic development, Donglinshui has also been affected. Its meager resources have been ruthlessly exploited.

　　As a result, the current scene is like a “living hell”—Donglinshui Village has already begun to desertify.

　　Desertification isn’t quite the right word. More accurately, it’s “rocky desertification,” an ecological disaster even harder to manage than desertification.

　　To put it simply, the trees on the hills are gone, so the little bit of soil was washed away by water. Now, except for the arable land, everywhere else in Donglinshui Village is just stone against stone, stones piled on stones.

　　When it rains, there are spectacular waterfalls; when the rain stops, it’s just bare piles of cobblestones, unable to retain water—extremely unsuitable for human habitation.

　　Even Baifeng Creek, which used to be good for fishing and shrimping, now, in the dry season, has barely more water than a child’s pee.

　　This is a very difficult disaster to manage. Someone once suggested building a reservoir. It was a good idea, but not realistic.

　　What would you use to build a reservoir? There’s no soil anywhere. Other than blasting out a pit in the rocks to store water, you’d have to use reinforced concrete, which would cost a fortune.

　　To make matters worse, Phoenix City has high temperatures year-round, so water evaporates easily. Living here is truly a test of endurance.

　　By rights, faced with this situation, Andrew Brooks should have a lot to complain about. Being a village chief here is pretty pointless.

　　Anyone who thinks that would be wrong. He became an official to communicate with people; as for how miserable the village under his jurisdiction was, he didn’t care at all, nor did he want to.

　　For those who cultivate immortality, severing emotions and desires is not hard at all.