"Eat slowly. Don't choke on it." Li Huowang frowned and stared at the man wolfing down his meal.
The man in front of Li Huowang almost choked on the sweet potato in his hands. It was as if he was the embodiment of a hungry ghost.
Li Huowang barely recognized the man due to how disheveled he was.
He inspected closely and recognized the man in front of him was none other than Niu San, the Qi Kingdom refugee who had previously sneaked into the kitchen for food.
Niu San appeared to have been staying in Cowheart Village, which is why Li Huowang saw him when he entered the rift. Niu San shook his head with his cheeks stuffed with sweet potato. He then drank from the puddle beside him. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
He washed the food down his throat and smiled at Li Huowang before he started eating the other food that Li Huowang had brought for him.
This time, he spoke as he chewed on his food. He mumbled, "I dare not eat slowly. Food is life right now."
Niu San cried as he said, "Foster father, what just happened to us. I finally became the head of Cowheart Village's militia force and finally obtained four Mu of land to plant my crops. The good days were coming for me. I was enjoying myself when I was suddenly transported back! Look at this barren place. There's nothing but grass here! How can I survive?"
Niu San crunched on the sweet potato out of spite after he complained.
Li Huowang looked around and asked, "What happened to the others? Were the other people from the Qi Kingdom sent back here too?"
"Yes. We had nothing to eat even if we were together, so everyone scattered to find food. We began digging out the roots of the grass to satisfy our hunger. Some of the weaker ones already died from starvation as well."
"Died from starvation?" Li Huowang was shocked to learn that Death was still in the Qi Kingdom.
"Did you encounter any danger? Like the Dharma Sect or the strange water that causes people to grow extra limbs?"
The Qi Kingdom appeared to have been restored to normal, but Li Huowang wasn't sure. The Qi Kingdom was massive. It would be a headache if his enemies lurked in some obscure corner of this world.
"Danger? There's nothing here! The biggest danger is that there's nothing here!"
Niu San was startled when he saw Li Huowang frowning before he begged earnestly. "Foster father, could you send me back? Please take mercy on me and send me back. I will... I will kowtow to you."
Niu San kneeled and started kowtowing to Li Huowang.
"Stand up," Li Huowang said as Niu San shot upward like a zombie.
"The Qi Kingdom is your true home. Where else can you go? Stay here."
Niu San shouted, "But my wife is from the Liang Kingdom! She's also pregnant with our baby! If I have to stay here, doesn't that mean that I won't see them again?"
"You can't go back at all. You would be sent back here if I tried to send you to the Liang Kingdom, but I should be able to bring your wife here. However, the Qi Kingdom is now a desolate place. Do you really want your wife to suffer with you?"
Niu San stopped being emotional as he gave up. "Then... That's fine."
"Wait." Li Huowang looked at Niu San as an uneasy thought came to his mind.
"If everyone from the Qi Kingdom is here, what happened to Gao Zhijian?"
Gao Zhijian was the Qi Kingdom's Dragon Vein, but he was now attached to the Liang Kingdom. Which side would he be on?
Sensing that something might be wrong, Li Huowang created another rift and returned to the Liang Kingdom.
He didn't bother explaining to Puppy and everyone else. He gave them some simple instructions before running towards Shangjing.
With his cultivation, he arrived at Shangjing two days later. It was as bustling as ever. The city itself had not been affected by the things that had happened.
Because this might affect the Dragon Vein of the Liang Kingdom, Li Huowang took no chances and went straight toward the palace despite his disheveled face.
Gao Zhijian must've given them instructions beforehand because none of the guards stopped Li Huowang. In fact, there were very few gazes on Li Huowang himself.
Gao Zhijian was already sitting on his throne when Li Huowang saw him once more.
Gao Zhijian had changed a little compared to last time. He had a beard, and his face was plumper now. He looked much more commanding.
"Why are you here?" Xuan Pin's red robes floated up from the floor.
Li Huowang explained, and Xuan Pin shook her head. "Since Fu Shengtian has been repelled, its effect on the Qi Kingdom was naturally dispelled. This is good news—there's no reason to be worried."
Xuan Pin saw that Li Huowang was looking at Gao Zhijian with worry before explaining further, "There's no need to worry about the Emperor. Since he's attached to the Dragon Vein of the Liang Kingdom, he no longer has any connections to the Qi Kingdom."
Li Huowang sighed in relief. He was happy that his thoughts were wrong.
He refused to take any chances since this was related to the Dragon Vein.
"As long as everything's fine. I thought we might have some new troubles again. Since it's good news for us, you can just continue with your work." Li Huowang yawned and turned back.
"Senior Li, it's been a long journey for you to reach here. How about having a meal with us? I didn't have time to return even during the New Year." Gao Zhijian's words made Li Huowang turn around.
He looked at Gao Zhijian before stepping back. "I think we don't have to do that, your Majesty. You are busy too."
Gao Zhijian, however, insisted. He sat up from his throne and pulled Li Huowang towards the back palaces.
Soon, Li Huowang was seated in front of a table with a hundred and eight dishes.
Shark fin crab soup, braised chicken with mushroom, ham enveloped in fish bladder, shark skin chicken soup, false panther placenta, steamed camel hump, and civet steamed with pear slices.
Li Huowang had never even heard of some of the dishes. This was the first time he had witnessed the extravagance of the royal family.
Li Huowang had no intention of being reserved in front of Gao Zhijian. He eagerly devoured the food while listening to Gao Zhijian introduce his children.
"Senior Li, this is my eldest son. He is naturally also the prince,." Gao Zhijian said, handing the plump little prince to Li Huowang.
The plump little prince was handed to Li Huowang.
Chapter 821 - Emperor
Li Huowang looked at the little boy with innocent, wide eyes in Gao Zhijian's arms. Picking up his chopsticks, Li Huowang dipped them into the vegetable broth before guiding them toward the boy's mouth.
The old eunuch nearby was about to step forward and stop him, but a single glance from Gao Zhijian made him retreat.
The chubby little prince licked the vegetable broth, only to find it tasted spicy. He immediately scrunched up his face like a steamed bun and began crying loudly.
Both men exchanged smiles, and the atmosphere returned to what it once was.
"How are things in the village?" Gao Zhijian handed the crying child to the eunuch beside him and asked Li Huowang.
"Not bad. With the silver you sent, how bad could it get?" Li Huowang said as he picked up a piece of camel hump with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.
"I heard that Sun Baolu brought his family from Qing Qiu to our village?" Gao Zhijian asked before picking up a steamed bun, dipping it in the braised pork sauce, and chewing on it.
Li Huowang shook his head. "He didn't. The grass in Qing Qiu had turned yellow and he was worried he wouldn't survive there, so he thought about it.
"Later on, the grass turned green again, so he stayed in Qing Qiu with his people to continue herding sheep. I reckon they wouldn't come to Cowheart Village unless absolutely necessary. The people from Qing Qiu might not be used to a farming lifestyle."
Gao Zhijian nodded and raised his tiger-head wine cup. The eunuch quickly poured him some wine. "Senior Li, let's drink."
Li Huowang shook his head. "I don't drink—I get drunk easily. Besides, it doesn't taste good."
Gao Zhijian laughed and leisurely downed the wine. He closed his eyes as he set the cup on the table. "Wine isn't about the taste. Sometimes, when your heart is troubled and your mind is jumbled, a pot of wine can calm your heart and mind, allowing you to get a good night's sleep."
"You're troubled? Isn't the Dharma Sect gone? What's there to worry about?" Li Huowang asked as he drank the milky yellow croaker soup. After rushing all the way here, he was very hungry and decided to eat his fill before he slept. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"Ah, of course. A good emperor has troubles, but a bad one doesn't worry about them."
Gao Zhijian raised his cup again and drank, his face slightly flushed. "Senior Li, now that everything has settled down, what do you plan to do next?"
"What else can I do? I'm a Daoist, aren't I?" Li Huowang said, patting his red Daoist robes. "Of course, a Daoist cultivates immortality. Who knows, one day I might really ascend to heaven and become an Immortal."
Gao Zhijian laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Senior Li, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would've forgotten you were a Daoist priest."
"What? Do you think I'm a fake Daoist priest?" Li Huowang also laughed.
"Real, you're definitely real." Gao Zhijian turned to the old eunuch. "Bring a Daoist register for Senior Li. My Senior Li must be a true Daoist priest."
Li Huowang smiled faintly. Pouring himself some wine, he gently clinked his bowl with Gao Zhijian's cup before raising his head and drinking it.
Gao Zhijian's smile widened as he grabbed the wine jug from the eunuch and personally poured wine for Li Huowang.
With the delicious food and fine wine, their harmony deepened, reminiscent of their journey to the Great Liang back when they had left the Zephyr Temple.
After eating and drinking heartily, Li Huowang began to feel drowsy. He had ways to avoid getting drunk but chose not to use them.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Li Huowang said as he put his arm around Gao Zhijian's shoulder.
Li Huowang yawned. "Do you have a place to sleep? I'm exhausted."
"Of course." Gao Zhijian turned to the eunuchs. "Take Senior Li to the sleeping quarters."
Li Huowang staggered as he turned around. Two eunuchs supported him on his way to his room.
Just as they were about to reach the door, Li Huowang suddenly remembered something and turned back. "This drinking almost made me forget the important matter."
He tapped his head. "What was it again...? Oh, right! The people in the Great Qi have no food. Don't forget to allocate grain for disaster relief."
As Li Huowang reached the main hall door, Gao Zhijian called out from behind him, "Senior Li, while I can promise you many things, I'm afraid I can't promise you this."
"Hmm?" Li Huowang almost thought he had misheard. He turned around and saw Gao Zhijian with three heads overlapping each other. "What did you just say?"
"I said I can't do it. I can't provide disaster relief for the Great Qi."
"Oh, you mean you can't go to the Great Qi? No problem, just prepare the supplies, and I'll take them."
"Senior Li, I'm the Emperor of the Great Liang. Why should I waste the hard-earned grain of my people on disaster relief for the Great Qi?"
Li Huowang pushed away the eunuch supporting him, and the eunuch staggered. "What do you mean? The Great Qi has nothing now. They're starving and eating grass!"
He had thought this was a trivial matter, but it was quite the opposite.
"What does it matter to me if they eat grass? They don't pay taxes or provide labor for the Great Liang."
"Many people died in the Great Qi! It won't take much grain to feed those who are alive!"
"Great Qi is twice the size of Great Liang. There are still many people alive," Gao Zhijian replied resolutely.
Li Huowang now saw this completely different side of Gao Zhijian. He sighed softly and softened his tone.
"I know that. We don't need to help everyone. Just make sure they don't starve to death. We can send them some seeds to get them through this tough time."
"No! The Great Liang is still recovering. Every grain of food is valuable and cannot be wasted."
"Gao Zhijian!" Li Huowang jumped onto the table and towered over him. His hand instinctively gripped his sword hilt.
In an instant, Li Huowang was surrounded. "Stand down!"
Gao Zhijian looked up directly at Li Huowang without flinching. Li Huowang gradually released his grip on the sword.
"It's fine, it's fine," Li Huowang said, forcing a smile as he patted Gao Zhijian on the shoulder. "You're right. You're a good emperor for the Great Liang, not for the Great Qi."
"If you don't help, then I will. I'm now the emperor of Great Qi. I'll take care of them!"
Li Huowang took the crown from Gao Zhijian's head and placed it on his own head. Without another word, he sliced open a rift with his spine sword and jumped through it.
Chapter 822 - Grain
Li Huowang walked through the Great Qi with a heavy expression as he observed everything around him.
This wasn't as Niu San had described, where there was nothing but grass. At least in the capital of the Great Liang—You Capital—there were still countless ruins and broken walls.
Li Huowang had used the spine sword to travel from Shangjing, so he naturally arrived in Great Qi's capital city since Shangjing was built on top of the Great Qi's capital.
A person blocked Li Huowang's path, lying motionless on the ground like a corpse.
This person appeared to be overweight. Though several days of starvation hadn't turned her into a skeleton, drinking too much water had caused her body to swell considerably.
As Li Huowang stepped over her, she suddenly moved and shakily raised her blackened fingernails toward him.
Her cracked, pale lips trembled as she tried to say something. Before Li Huowang could do anything, her raised hand fell back down. She had starved to death.
Qiu Chibao was terrified by the scene. She wailed as she ran away while holding onto her rotten child.
Li Huowang clenched his fists tightly, but he gradually relaxed them and continued to stride forward.
This wasn't the first person he had seen starve to death, and it probably wouldn't be the last. The capital of the Great Qi was filled with people collapsing from hunger.
Li Huowang knew the most immediate thing he should do was transport grain from the Great Liang to save as many people as possible.
However, saving all of the Great Qi couldn't be done this way. If he couldn't turn the situation around, bringing grain would be useless, no matter how much he brought.
Disaster relief wasn't just about providing food. It also required the organizational capability to integrate all the refugees from the Great Qi.
When Li Huowang arrived at a temple and saw monks distributing porridge, he knew he had found the people he had been looking for—the monks of the Righteous Monastery.
He noticed something was off as he approached. If there's nothing left, where did the porridge come from?
He hurried to the porridge stall, only to discover that what was being distributed wasn't plain porridge or mixed grain porridge—it was meat soup!
At that moment, a monk emerged from the city, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with various dead bodies. It included the woman who had just starved to death before him.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Li, it's been a while," Chan Du, the abbot of the Righteous Monastery, said from behind Li Huowang.
Li Huowang turned around and looked at him with a shocked expression. "Are you all eating people?!"
"Benefactor Li, your words are mistaken. These are just dead bodies. In the eyes of Buddha, the flesh is merely a vessel. Moreover, the monks of Righteous Monastery chant sutras and strike wooden fish to offer prayers before cooking them.
"Besides, there's no food anywhere now. As monks, we must be compassionate. We can't let others starve to death just because of some taboo against the dead."
Li Huowang stood there in silence for a long time. He ignored the large pot beside him, then turned and walked toward the Righteous Monastery.
Under these circumstances, if he told them not to eat human flesh, it would be akin to asking them to eat cake when there was no bread. They were just trying to survive.
Thanks to the monks' maintenance, the Righteous Monastery was relatively intact compared to the rest of the capital. It was still habitable, at least on the surface.
The monks inside didn't appear emaciated from hunger and looked relatively healthy.
Li Huowang sat down on a stone bench above a newly sprouted sapling. He got straight to the point with Chan Du. "This can't go on. Without food, the remaining people will eventually starve to death.
"The Righteous Monastery's religion used to be the Great Qi's state religion, right? After all of your good deeds, shouldn't you should still have some influence?"
"Why does Benefactor Li ask this?"
"To save people! I can't stand seeing others starve to death any longer!"
Li Huowang laid out his plan to Chan Du. "Use the Righteous Monastery's influence to gather as many survivors as possible. I'll bring as much grain and seeds as I can. We'll plant them together and have a unified distribution.
"There must be some officials amongst the survivors, right? They're good at managing things, so set them to work. The sooner we restore Great Qi's government, the sooner we can turn this dire situation around!"
"Amitabha. Benefactor Li, you are truly compassionate. On behalf of the people of Great Qi, I thank you." Chan Du bowed to Li Huowang.
"Enough with the talk! Let's get to work. People are dying every moment."
Li Huowang stood up and pulled out the spine sword to return to the Great Liang, but Chan Du blocked his path.
"Senior Li, it's said that you've achieved great success in cultivating 'Truth.' Can you create grain out of nothing?"
Li Huowang sighed. "Do you think that's possible? Do you think I'm a Siming? I don't know if I'll be able to do that in the future, but right now, I can't."
"I do have the ability to create food," Li Huowang said. He looked at the stone table in front of him, and then the stone expanded and transformed into a pile of white buns.
The sight of the white buns immediately drew the monks' attention and caused them to salivate.
"These things are edible and taste good, but once I stop maintaining my 'Truth' cultivation, they'll turn back into stone."
As Li Huowang thought about it, the buns instantly became solid black rocks.
"I can't constantly keep thinking about these foods being real. It's slow and won't save many people. With the time required to spend on that, I could bring several bags of grain from Great Liang instead."
"I'm not just trying to save a few people or even a group of them. I'm trying to save all of the Great Qi!" Li Huowang said. He drew the spine sword and returned to Shangjing.
Upon his return, he wasted no time and dashed into a store to start buying grain.
The shopkeeper thought he had landed a big customer and was overjoyed. However, an old eunuch with his golden whisk also walked in.
"Master Li, if you use gold created through 'Truth' cultivation to buy grain, that would be considered fraud, wouldn't it?"
He continued, "This grain is the result of the hard work of our people, meant to fill their bellies. It wouldn't be quite fair if you were to take it and give it to the Great Qi for nothing, would it?"
Li Huowang sneered. "Who said I'm going to cheat? I have my own money! I even have a courtyard in Shangjing! If I sold it, don't you think I could afford enough grain?"
"Of course. Although grain is expensive now, real estate in Shangjing is worth a lot. But what if the money from selling your house runs out?"
Li Huowang stood before the eunuch and said, "I also have a Strayed One's corpse in Shangjing! Is that enough? Now get lost!"
The eunuch took two steps back, bowed respectfully to Li Huowang, and then turned to leave the store.
Li Huowang turned around while still enraged. He had scared the shopkeeper so much that he was trembling.
"What are you looking at? Get your workers to load the grain! I'm going to get the land deed!"
Chapter 823 - Mother
Six-year-old Miao Guihua lay in bed. Her head felt dizzy and foggy. She was simply too hungry.
At first, she cried loudly out of hunger, begging her mother to find food. After two days, she couldn't cry anymore. Her eyes were filled with hunger, and her mind was consumed by a single thought—finding something to eat.
There were people in the city, and her mother had carried her around while searching for food. Although she had money, she couldn't find any food.
They had heard there was Guanyin clay[1] to eat outside the city, so Miao Guihua had gone there with her mother. However, too many people were digging by the river, and the two of them couldn't squeeze in.
They managed to dig up some grassroots, which ran out eventually.
There were grassroots in other places, but by then, the lack of food had weakened them too much to walk that far.
After being hungry for more than ten days, she became numb. Her stomach no longer growled, and she needed a stick just to walk.
"Mother, I'm hungry..." Miao Guihua weakly called to the woman lying on the ground beside her, but she didn't respond.
She wanted to cry, but no tears came out. She looked around, then used her fingernails to scrape off some white wall plaster before chewing on it.
Her mother had forbidden her from eating that. However, she was simply too hungry.
The wall plaster tasted bitter and absorbed moisture. After just a few bites, her mouth felt dry.
Guihua picked up a stick from the ground and shakily approached the water jar. She leaned forward into the moss-covered jar and scooped with a gourd ladle, yet didn't get a single drop of water.
She turned back and weakly called out to the woman on the ground, "Mother, the water's gone too."
Guihua still got no response from her mother. She leaned on her stick to walk over and push her mother with all her strength.
Guihua started to panic when her mother still didn't respond. She had seen adults suddenly stop moving and then never speak again.
In her panic, she hurried to the door to call for help.
"Master." Guihua imitated her mother and called out to a monk who was pushing a wheelbarrow. "Master, my mother won't move. Can you help her?"
The monk walked into her house. After a while, he carried her mother out, placed her in the wheelbarrow, and left.
"Master, where are you taking my mother? Can you wake her up?" Guihua followed behind the wheelbarrow with her stick for support.
Guihua walked slowly, but the kind-hearted monk would wait for her whenever she was about to fall behind. More and more people were piled onto the wheelbarrow.
Finally, Guihua followed the monk into a temple. Her mother had told her about this place. It was the place where people prayed to the Buddha, and her mother had prayed there before she got pregnant with her.
The monks here were good people, giving out meat soup daily. Her mother had once been lucky enough to get a bowl, but she gave all of it to Guihua without taking a sip herself. The soup had been delicious, and she had licked the bowl clean.
"Master, where are you taking my mother?" Guihua was in a state of panic when she saw her mother disappear into the temple. She started crying helplessly, feeling something was wrong.
After a while, the monk who had pushed the wheelbarrow returned, picked her up, and carried her into the temple.
The monk placed her on a stone bench. "Be good. Wait here, and you'll soon have something to eat."
Guihua thought she was being good, so she waited as the monk instructed.
Before long, the monk came out of a red building with a bowl full of meat soup.
Guihua reached out her hands to take it just as another monk ran over and whispered something to him.
The monk looked at her with a complicated expression and repeated, "Be good. Wait here, and you'll soon have something to eat."
Shortly after, a group of bald monks came out with many wheelbarrows and carts. It seemed as if they were getting ready to transport something.
It wasn't just monks only. Soon, some young and strong men started coming in from the temple gate.
While they all looked hungry, at least they didn't need sticks to walk. Everyone gathered together, their faces filled with anticipation as though waiting for something.
Guihua was wondering what they were doing when the sky suddenly split open.
A bag flew out from the opening. She heard cries and shouts as everyone rushed over. Guihua tried to see what was happening, but her efforts proved futile.
Another bag flew out, though it wasn't full. She saw golden millet spilling from it and realized the bags must have been filled with food.
Bag after bag of food fell from the sky, piling up rapidly. Eventually, a man in red came out, holding two bags. Guihua joined the adults, kneeling on the ground and bowing to him.
Guihua heard the adults cry out and learned that this man was called Bodhisattva, the one her mother had said could do anything.
Soon, the deity came over, helped her up, and handed her a bun. Guihua forgot about everything else and started to devour the bun.
She had finished half of it when she looked up and asked, "Bodhisattva, can I have another one? My mother is still hungry."
After she received another bun, she ran to the monk with the wheelbarrow and said, "Master, where's my mother? I have food now."
Guihua followed the monk's trembling hand and ran into the kitchen.
She saw her mother on the table. She climbed onto it and tried to stuff the bun into her mother's mouth.
"Mother, there's food now. Eat it so that you won't be hungry anymore."
Guihua saw that her mother was still unresponsive. She turned helplessly to the red-robed Bodhisattva at the door. "Bodhisattva, can you help my mother? She's not eating."
The deity didn't move, and Guihua seemed to understand. Her lips trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Bodhisattva, is my mother dead?"
"Child, I'm not dead. I can still eat."
She looked up in surprise and saw her mother's eyes open.
Guihua's eyes welled up with tears of joy as she threw herself into her mother's embrace. "Mother!"
1. A type of clay people ate to survive during times of famine. It can curb hunger but cannot be digested by the body ☜
Chapter 824 - Bodhisattva
Feng Wanba stood in the long line. It was the sixth time he was licking his lips. The scent of food that wafted from the porridge stall in the distance made him swallow involuntarily.
He finally understood what it meant for time to crawl. The people ahead of him had hardly moved.
Feng Wanba didn't dare cut in line. He feared the monks would get angry and send him home without porridge.
After a long wait, it was finally his turn. He was given just a spoonful of porridge.
Once the porridge was poured into his bowl, he couldn't contain his excitement. Ignoring the heat, he eagerly scooped it up with his hands.
The millet porridge was quite bland, with added wood shavings and minced meat.
However, Fang Wanba felt it was a gourmet delicacy. Although it was plain, he thought it was fragrant and smooth. It tasted better than anything he'd ever eaten.
He licked each of his fingers clean with his eyes closed, then slowly opened his eyes and sighed deeply.
He was still famished, but the warmth in his stomach reassured him that he wouldn't starve to death.
After licking the porridge bowl clean, he still didn't leave. He inched closer to the porridge stall and deeply inhaled the aroma wafting out.
Feng Wanba had a secret he hadn't told anyone. One could absorb the porridge's essence by inhaling the porridge's aroma. It was a trick his grandfather had taught him.
Just then, he noticed one of the monks coming out of the temple, calling for people to help move things. He immediately stopped inhaling the aroma and rushed over.
There was no reward for helping the monks move things. Anyone who felt they still had strength could join them and also stop whenever they wanted.
Feng Wanba noticed that the monk calling for help was surrounded by a crowd.
Everyone selected was excited, and some even jumped with joy.
Feng Wanba knew what they really wanted—to see the living Bodhisattva.
The people who had moved things earlier returned and spread the news. This grain was brought over by the living Bodhisattva, who had come to the mortal realm to save them!
Everyone wanted to see a real living Bodhisattva and get some blessings from them. It was rumored that those who had previously seen the Bodhisattva had all their minor ailments cured.
He wanted to meet the Bodhisattva too, so he squeezed his way in and raised his hand as high as possible.
"You, you, and you." Feng Wanba was so excited at being selected that he could hardly contain himself.
When he arrived at Righteous Monastery, he was still buzzing with excitement and chatting with those around him.
"Did the Bodhisattva really send food? A lot of food? Does that mean we won't go hungry anymore?"
"What does the Bodhisattva look like?"
"I heard the Bodhisattva is a man this time. Why is it a male Bodhisattva?"
"I heard the Bodhisattva was once a man and then became a woman. Maybe the Bodhisattva is androgynous."
"Are you crazy? How dare you disrespect the Bodhisattva! What if he gets angry and stops sending food? Kneel and apologize!"
While they chatted, a hole suddenly appeared in the sky and a sack came out from it.
The rustling sound of the sack falling on the ground made Feng Wanba's ears perk up—that was the sound of rice!
Then, one sack after another of food was sent down. One sack even burst open, and corn spilled out of it. The merciful Bodhisattva had indeed come to save them!
Feng Wanba and everyone else immediately knelt and bowed deeply to the food.
At that moment, the hole in the sky seemed like a divine manifestation to them.
Feng Wanba was overwhelmed by the scene. He didn't even know what he was saying and was just shouting excitedly.
Everyone cried out loudly when the red-robed Bodhisattva descended from the sky.
An omnipotent, divine being was looking after them. They hadn't been abandoned. They were going to survive!
Li Huowang directed the approaching monks. "The sacks marked with a line are seeds! The unmarked ones are food. Quickly gather people and get those seeds planted."
The cries and shouts around him made him irritable, so he turned and yelled, "Enough noise! Stand up!"
In an instant, everyone who had been kneeling stood up. "Get the food to the granary! If it rains, everything will get soaked!"
Everyone started to move, but they still howled as they worked.
"Where's the Abbot?" Li Huowang asked the nearest monk.
"Amitabha, the Abbot is having a meal in the kitchen."
Li Huowang headed that way with a cold expression.
"Bodhisattva! What is your name? I'll set up a shrine for you and offer incense daily!" Feng Wanba shouted from behind.
"Zhuge Yuan!"
Li Huowang soon found the abbot in the kitchen. He was sitting by the stove and eating meat from a large bowl.
Nearby, some monks skillfully skinned, deboned, and cleaned the innards before adding them to a steaming pot.
"You're still eating that?"
Chan Du put down his bowl and chopsticks. "Wine and meat pass through the gut, while the Buddha remains in the heart. The Buddha won't blame me."
"I meant that we have grain now. Why are you still eating this?" Li Huowang frowned as he looked at the pot of simmering flesh.
"There will never be enough grain. If I don't go to hell, who will? Let the people eat the grain. This is fine for me. Besides, I like meat." Chan Du picked up another piece and chewed it contentedly.
"I brought seeds this time. Get people to plant them and ensure no one eats the seedlings out of hunger."
It was not enough for him to deliver food by himself this way. The Great Liang's food supply was limited, and the people of the Qi Kingdom needed to take action to solve their own problems.
"Amitabha. Thank you, benefactor. There's fertile land near You Capital that yields three harvests a year. I'll send people to plant there immediately."
After a pause, Chan Du added, "Benefactor, in addition to seeds, could you also bring us some piglets?"
"After all, meat is our specialty. We can fatten the pigs up quickly."
"How are you going to raise pigs when the people don't have enough to eat?"
"Pigs can eat excrement and even human corpses. We can certainly raise them." Chan Du replied as a matter of fact.
His words reminded Li Huowang of some things in the past.
Chapter 825 - Trouble
Li Huowang did not refute his words and replied, "There are so many people in the Great Qi. Is there no one who can make the crops grow faster?"
"Yes, we usually call such people farmers."
"Damn it, that's not what I meant! I'm talking about divine powers! Divine powers!"
Li Huowang paced back and forth in the kitchen, biting his fingernails. Suddenly, he stopped. "Whether it's the remnants of the Surveillance Bureau or people from other sects, notify them all to gather here and brainstorm a solution for the Great Qi!"
"We must use all available resources. No matter how much food I bring, I can only save the people around You Capital. Everyone else is still starving."
"Amitabha. You do not need to worry so much, benefactor. Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life. The people in other parts of the Great Qi won't all starve. Those who survive can eat the corpses of those who perished, which should sustain them for a while."
"As if that's a good thing! Nevermind. I'll go get some more pigs." Li Huowang drew his spine sword and slashed forcefully at the kitchen wall.
He returned to the Great Liang and immediately headed to the west market of Shangjing.
"Brother Li! Brother Li!" A somewhat familiar voice called out to him.
Li Huowang turned around, and his gaze fell upon the wooden mask on the man's face. It took him a moment to recall that this was Liu Zongyuan from Moongate.
When Li Huowang infiltrated the Surveillance Bureau, he had worked with him on a few tasks.
Liu Zongyuan was well-informed and clearly aware of Li Huowang's elevated status. As such, his attitude was far more respectful now.
He said a few words, but the shouts of the White Lotus followers nearby drowned him out, making it impossible for Li Huowang to understand him.
The two moved a bit farther away, and Liu Zongyuan immediately complained, "The White Lotus Sect was once considered evil but is now openly welcomed. How does that make sense?"
"What are they up to?" Li Huowang looked at the people in the distance.
"I've heard they're praying for the Heavenly Mater to bring down the lost Hometown of True Void to save everyone."
Li Huowang had heard from Miaomiao that they wanted to pray for the Heavenly Mater to let go of the vanished Heavenly Dao of Death. Still, the situation was more complicated than that.
Li Huowang turned his gaze back to Liu Zongyuan. "By the way, what were you trying to say?"
"Oh, I was just saying, Brother Li, it's been a while. How about I treat you to a meal to catch up?"
Li Huowang quickly lost interest when he realized it was just small talk. "Maybe next time. I'm busy right now."
"Oh? What troubles you, Brother Li? Perhaps I can lend a hand?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"How can you help the dead?"
"The dead? That's not a problem these days. In fact, it's considered a blessing. Many people are desperate to die but can't. Why be troubled?"
Li Huowang wanted to explain, but he was too exhausted. "Yeah, being dead isn't great, but neither is not being dead. People are just that contradictory."
He paid no further heed to Liu Zongyuan and went to the west market.
After quickly negotiating the prices with a pig farmer, he proceeded to prepare multiple piglets in pig cages for transportation to the Great Qi.
Upon delivering the piglets to the Righteous Monastery, Li Huowang saw the monks bringing out their wriggling Buddha statue.
The monks sat cross-legged around the Buddha statue on the lotus seat. Then, they struck their wooden fish and chanted.
"Peace and happiness to be bestowed upon the world, where the immovable heaven can see. Living beings blinded by ignorance are often lost in delusion, but the wondrous eye can understand this method. The pure and wondrous form of the Tathagata manifests in all directions and is incomparable. This body is formless and without attachment."
Amidst the chanting, the squirming Buddha began to consume the piglets one by one, just like someone eating steamed buns.
It didn't entirely swallow them, leaving a part of each pig's head exposed. The uneaten pig heads let out pitiful screams.
As the chanting grew louder, the pig heads swelled, and strange bumps appeared on their bodies.
The piglets grew rapidly to adult size, but they looked bizarrely deformed, with short limbs or tumors on their backs.
The pigs were expelled with a series of plopping sounds. They immediately began climbing on top of each other while writhing frantically.
The sight made Li Huowang frown. Though the Righteous Monastery was a famous and upright sect, their methods made him uncomfortable.
At that moment, the monks arrived with carts full of corpses and buckets of feces. They proceeded to dump them onto the pigs.
The pigs ravenously devoured the mixture and rolled in the filth and blood. Their bellies gradually swelled as they ate.
"Benefactor Li, the union of male and female is a great way of interaction between yin and yang. There's no need to feel this way. Soon, the common people won't have to eat just grain and human flesh. They'll also get to enjoy pork."
"Is there any difference?" Li Huowang felt nauseous, so he stepped outside to get some fresh air.
Once he started feeling better and was about to return, Chan Du offered him a bowl of pork.
"Benefactor Li, would you like to try some?"
Li Huowang did not accept it. "This pork smells foul! How can you expect others to eat this?"
In his opinion, the pork had an overwhelming stench resembling that of a cesspit.
Chan Du picked up a piece and chewed on it. "Is it? No, Benefactor Li, this meat is fragrant. You find it foul because you're not hungry enough yet."
Li Huowang had nothing left to say. He drew his spine sword to prepare to transport more grain.
Chan Du called after him, "Wait, Benefactor Li. Your compassion is known to us all, but the Qi Kingdom lacks more than just food. Haven't you noticed anything unusual about the sky on your travels?"
Li Huowang looked up at the sky, which seemed normal. He didn't understand Chan Du's point.
"The Dragon Vein of the Great Qi is gone, and with it, time itself. It's been stuck at one o'clock. The cycles of heaven and earth have come to a halt."
At that moment, Miao Guihua, who was sweeping the floor, walked by. Chan Du waved her over and handed her the bowl of pork. Guihua happily accepted it and began eating it ravenously.
Chan Du gently patted her head. "With no dawn or dusk, this little girl will never grow up and will stay like this forever."
"That's just the effect on people. The absence of time has broader consequences for the Heavenly Daos of the Great Qi."
Chapter 826 - Helpers
The Qi Kingdom requires a Dragon Vein and an emperor. Only then will the people be unified. With the Dragon Vein, the wheels of the world will turn on their own. The birds, flowers, and animals would return soon after that."
Chan Du explained as he gently patted Miao Guihua's head.
Li Huowang stared at the skies that were doomed to be forever bright as he listened to Chan Du. "What will happen if there's no flow of time? How long will it take to affect everyone?"
"Amitabha. I'm afraid I do not know." Chan Du shook his head. "Divination is not the specialty of the Righteous Monastery."
"Is there anyone skilled in divination here in the Qi Kingdom?"
"There is. I pray that the Gan family has not died off. They are the best when it comes to divination."
Li Huowang looked at the skies and frowned. "Then find a way to locate them! Find them!"
"Daoist Li, this low-ranked general has sent his men to go and find them." A boisterous voice suddenly came from Li Huowang's side.
Li Huowang turned and saw an eight-foot-tall burly man walking out from the gates of the Righteous Monastery. He was muscular and had a large beard.
Even though he wasn't holding a weapon and was wearing civilian attire, the faint murderous aura emanating from his body proved that he was a soldier.
His facial appearance also differed significantly from that of the civilians. The muscles on his cheeks hadn't shrunk even though he was starving.
The man clasped his fists together to greet Li Huowang. "Low-ranked General Chen Yurong greets Daoist Li!"
"A soldier of the Qi Kingdom? How many of you are left?"
"Vanguard, thirty-six. Cavalry, twenty-four. Spear-users, one hundred seventy-one. Foot soldiers, three hundred ninety-eight. Chariots, seventy-five. Elite soldiers, four. All of them are yours to command!"
Li Huowang frowned. "Is that all? Is no one else working as an official in the Palace of the Great Qi?"
"There are more people, but at this moment in time, none of them can compare to you. As the Qi Kingdom's soldiers, we would swear our loyalty to our kingdom's savior!"
Li Huowang realized that the soldiers were much more intelligent and adaptable than he had expected.
Li Huowang did need people to help him, even though they would only work for him for the sake of food.
"An order? Fine. Summon all of the officials to come find me. Tell them I won't let them starve if they work for me. Also, continue your search for the Gan family. Find them as soon as possible!"
"Low-ranked General Chen heeds your command!" Chen Yurong turned and left the Righteous Monastery.
Li Huowang stood there, pondering before saying, "Wait for them to come back and we will see what we can do. Right now, we need to address the food crisis. We don't want anyone to starve to death, even after this crisis is over. Also, the Qi Kingdom must be saved by someone from the Qi Kingdom. You cannot rely on an outsider like me."
Chan Du replied, "Amitabha. I must now ponder whether the Qi Kingdom's destiny will be shaped by an Emperor from within, or... if it will be shaped by Benefactor Li. The choice of what to do next is in your hands."
Li Huowang understood what Chan Du implied. "What do you mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything."
Chan Du was trying to use power to sway Li Huowang over. However, Li Huowang said, "I'm just a Daoist who wishes to become an Immortal. I have no use for the Qi Kingdom. Did you think I wanted something from you all by helping you?"
The Qi Kingdom was massive—as large as the Liang Kingdom, Qing Qiu, Si Qi, Hou Shu, and Nan Ping combined.
Li Huowang had told Gao Zhijian that he would become the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom, but he had said it out of spite. He just didn't want to see so many people starve to death.
He wasn't even from the Qi Kingdom and had to return one day. It would become a burden for him to rule over the Qi Kingdom.
However, Chan Du didn't want him to return. He decided to reveal something else to persuade Li Huowang to help them.
Chan Du looked up at the skies. "Benefactor Li, the decision is yours. Don't look down on the Qi Kingdom just because our current population is small. If the Qi Kingdom becomes prosperous again, it could easily overshadow the Liang Kingdom. And by then, you would have the power to determine the official religion of the Qi Kingdom with just a single sentence."
Li Huowang followed his gaze, and a question popped into his mind. Does Ji Zai need followers?
Li Huowang was confused about his future self. It was as if Ji Zai was the only Siming without followers.
There were even devotees who worshiped Death. Why weren't there any for Bewilderment?
It wasn't as if Ji Zai had zero followers. Li Huowang was technically one, and Sui Sui was the other.
Li Huowang decided to ask the crucial question. "Would a Siming's strength increase as its worshipers increase?"
Li Huowang was interested in possible methods to strengthen his future self.
If nothing else, a beefed-up Ji Zai would be more helpful if there was another threat like the Dharma Sect.
Also, compared to the other Simings, Ji Zai was still too weak.
Chan Du shook his head. "Amitabha. We monks cannot lie or make assumptions. I do not know."
"Old monk, you have become quite cunning." Li Huowang looked at Chan Du, who looked the same as the old monk. "Don't worry. I will still help the Qi Kingdom, regardless of whether it benefits me. I just don't want to see people starve for no reason."
Li Huowang unsheathed his spine sword and swung out another rift before diving into it.
Li Huowang continued to send food around You Capital for a period of time. At the very least, the monks weren't serving human flesh anymore. That meant that there were no longer people who starved to death around the You Capital.
Li Huowang was sending food and resources to help the people of the Qi Kingdom stand on their own feet again. He sent them some lambs from Qing Qiu since there was an abundance of grass in the Qi Kingdom. While the lambs would take some time to mature, the people should at least be able to drink their milk.
***
Li Huowang sat on a rock in a remote forest around Shangjing and looked at a buried corpse in front of him. He reached into it and pulled out the spine.
He couldn't sell it right now, but the spine of a Strayed One would still make a good weapon.
He swung it to his left, and the trees were all distorted and pulled apart.
Even so, they didn't break. It was clear that they would continue to grow like this.
Li Huowang placed the spine behind his back before he wrapped the remaining pieces of his body to exchange them for Lifespan Pills, which he would later exchange for money.
He was busy working on the corpse when he suddenly stopped. Someone was coming.
Chapter 827 - Luck
As Li Huowang was gazing at the road, a carriage emerged in the distance.
The sound of bells filled the air as the extravagant carriage moved towards him.
Eight well-groomed horses trod gracefully and slowly pulled the carriage along. It was clear that the owner of the carriage was not someone ordinary.
Li Huowang's face lit up with joy when he saw Xuan Pin open the carriage curtains. He put down his sword and leaped onto the carriage.
However, his face fell when he saw the people inside the carriage. Xuan Pin was not the only one there. There was also the current Emperor of the Liang Kingdom, Gao Zhijian.
"Sit." Xuan Pin pulled Li Huowang down and let him sit.
Xuan Pin stared at the two before disappearing into the back of the carriage.
"Senior Li, Shangjing's food prices have skyrocketed because of your purchases."
"Really? Are you sure it's not because of the Emperor's hundred and eight dishes that day?"
Gao Zhijian did not deny it. He just remained silent.
It was only when they heard the sound of people talking outside that Gao Zhijian slightly opened the curtains. They were back in Shangjing.
"To destroy the Dharma Sect, many people in Shangjing had to relinquish much of their fortune. Also, since we've lost a couple of divisions in a day, our calendar is obsolete now. Food is hard to grow, and since you keep sending food to the Qi Kingdom, it would be useless for us to open our granaries."
To the left was a grain shop. Several civilians exited the place as they sighed and cursed.
Li Huowang replied, "At least they are still alive and don't have to eat human flesh. Compared to the Qi Kingdom, the Liang Kingdom could be considered Heaven."
"That's true, but Senior Li, don't forget that people in the Liang Kingdom cannot die right now." Gao Zhijian closed the curtains, and the carriage continued trudging into Shangjing.
Soon, the carriage stopped. Gao Zhijian opened the curtains to reveal an alleyway filled with beggars. All of them were extremely skinny from starvation. Their limbs were like chopsticks, and their abdomens were engorged. They looked exactly like the hungry ghosts depicted in operas.
They were all lying on the ground without moving. Some of them were even rotting.
An old man was pulling over a cart, picking out the beggars in a more advanced state of decay and transporting them elsewhere to be incinerated.
"Senior Li, as you know, no one is born a beggar. The Liang Kingdom didn't have that many beggars before—they were all ordinary civilians. Food prices are the lifeline of the civilians. If they increase, everything else follows suit. The higher the prices are, the more beggars there will be."
Li Huowang looked outside and snapped, "Fine, I understand. I will go find food somewhere else."
"Senior Li, do you really think I'm talking about food to you? When it comes to the Qi Kingdom and the Liang Kingdom, which is more important to you?"
Gao Zhijian bent his body forward. His face was serious.
"Who cares which is more important? Why can't we make them equal and reduce the amount of deaths on both sides?" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"We cannot! Senior LI, have you ever wondered why the Surveillance Bureau imposes severe punishments on individuals who print out calendars or alter history books? The punishments even extend to three generations of their families. And also, why do you think the Surveillance Bureau was so guarded against Zhuge Yuan, the storyteller?
"It's because the Qi Kingdom and the Liang Kingdom are not mutually exclusive! A thousand years ago, the Qi Kingdom fell. Then, the Liang Kingdom was born. If the Qi Kingdom did not fall, the Liang Kingdom would not exist either! If the Qi Kingdom was real, then the Liang Kingdom was fake! This is the fate[1] of the world!"
The carriage fell back into silence, broken only by the soft breaths of Li Huowang and Gao Zhijian.
Gao Zhijian took a deep breath. "Senior Li, do not go help the Qi Kingdom again. Let everything flow naturally. Even the Storyteller is gone. Just think of it as if they never existed."
"I need some time to think about it." Li Huowang turned and left the carriage, his brain buzzing from the new information.
Gao Zhijian sat in the carriage for a moment before he opened his mouth again. "You were supposed to tell him these things. Why did you need me to tell him?"
Xuan Pin's massive frame floated down from the top of the carriage. "You're already playing the bad guy, so you might as well do it all the way. I don't want my father to hate me."
"Your father is a clumsy oaf!"
Gao Zhijian sighed after venting his frustration. "Do you think Senior Li will listen to us?"
"No, but it's time that we tell him about it. He will decide what to do."
"Sigh. Why can't Senior Li think about it from my position? I really don't want to become the bad guy."
"Again, since you are now the Liang Kingdom's Emperor, your path is destined to be different. You just need to play your part."
"I'm already regretting my decision. I shouldn't have become the Emperor." Gao Zhijian took out a bag from under his robes. Inside the bag was the flesh of a Spiritual Sin. Gao Zhijian took a heavy whiff of it.
He felt less conflicted about his decision when he opened his eyes. He was now once again the regal and authoritative Liang Kingdom's Emperor.
"Do you think we will successfully annex Si Qi and Nan Ping into the Liang Kingdom? They are separated by Qing Qiu and Hou Shu."
"I am the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau. I cannot interfere in the matters of the palace."
"Hm..." Gao Zhijian pondered before he waved his arms. "Return to the palace and call for the six ministers[2]."
Li Huowang walked on the road, feeling distraught as he recalled what Gao Zhijian had told him.
If the Qi Kingdom is real, then the Liang Kingdom is fake. If the Liang Kingdom is real, then the Qi Kingdom is fake. So which side is real?
The two sides aren't parallel worlds—they're part of a single timeline that existed a thousand years ago. It's impossible to split them now.
But then, why is it impossible for the two of them to exist simultaneously? It's contradictory.
"What's going on with this world?" Li Huowang had a headache.
"That's because it's crazy," someone interrupted. Li Huowang looked down and saw Ji Zai in the reflection of a pool of water.
He stared at his future self and asked, "And then?"
"Nothing else. I can't say anything else right now since I haven't said it yet."
"Do you think I don't know this world is crazy? Do you think can't see that? Go away."
"You are indeed missing an eye." Ji Zai disappeared, and Li Huowang saw that his reflection had returned.
He squatted down and splashed his face with the water to wake himself up.
As he shook his head to remove the excess water from his hair, he realized he had traveled back to Cowheart Village.
Even though he could cultivate the "Truth," it still took him two days to reach Shangjing from Cowheart Village. However, he had somehow instantly traveled back to Cowheart Village.
Li Huowang entered the village and saw Puppy. "Senior Li, you're back early this year!"
1. Previously translated 气运 as luck, but fate would be more appropriate. ☜
2. The six ministers representing Official Affairs, Revenue, Rites, Military, Justice, and Industry. ☜
Chapter 828 - Busy
"This year?" Li Huowang's heart beat rapidly when he heard Puppy saying that. He had an unsettling thought bubbling out from his mind.
"What do you mean?" Li Huowang approached Puppy and carried him up. "Did a long time pass?"
"Senior... Senior Li, please don't relapse into your illness again. Not... Not much time has passed. It's still not the Qingming festival yet."
Li Huowang took a deep sigh before placing Puppy down. "Please speak more clearly and be specific next time."
"Alright." Puppy dared not get angry at Li Huowang, who was mentally ill.
"Oh, right. Senior Li, you have nothing to do, right? Do you mind managing the village if you are free? There are more and more people in the village. Without you or Senior Bai, Zhao Wu and I can barely manage it."
"Can't you hire someone to dol it? Do you need me to say this?" However, as he observed the village, he had a realization.
"Puppy, do we have enough food in the village?"
"Of course we do. Senior Li, do you remember how the Heavenly Dog ate the sun last time? You instructed us to stockpile more food for emergencies. We did buy a lot more food. We should have enough food to feed the village for a few years."
Li Huowang was overjoyed. "Bring me to the granary then!"
Puppy led Li Huowang to the Bai family's ancestral hall. They twisted the bronze monkey statue and went underground.
Li Huowang saw the secret rooms of the White Lotus Sect stuffed with food. The spacious underground hall and the corridors were filled with mountains of food.
Li Huowang's eyes were wide with shock, but Puppy misunderstood and quickly explained, "Senior Bai took everything last time. Since this place was empty, we used it to stockpile our food instead. It's a very good place to keep food, with plenty of space and no water leaks. More importantly, it's also hidden. Even if the village comes under attack, it'd be hard for the enemies to find this place."
Li Huowang laughed when he saw the food in front of him. He never imagined the village would have such a large stockpile, all while he had been painstakingly searching for food.
"Puppy, call everyone in the village and bag up the food. I want to use it!"
"Use it? How?" Puppy was confused, but he still followed Li Huowang's orders.
Even though Li Huowang was rarely in the village, everyone knew that he made the decisions.
Everyone gathered around the Bai family's ancestral hall and slowly moved out the food from the secret room, bag by bag.
"You guys, keep sorting the food in the bags. Let me go check the other side." Li Huowang swung his spine sword.
He returned to the Qi Kingdom and saw a man with tattered clothes hunched over the ground.
"Niu San! What are you doing?" Li Huowang called for the man.
Niu San looked back and was surprised to see Li Huowang. "No... nothing. I'm planting some potatoes."
Li Huowang had left some food for him last time. Niu San didn't want to eat it all, so he decided to plant some.
"Stop whatever you are doing now and come help me fetch food!"
"Alright!" Niu San tearfully nodded and ran towards Li Huowang.
Those nearby the area were once the refugees who lived in Cowheart Village. They all heard Li Huowang shouting that there was food and came running towards him. They cried and called him their savior again and again.
At the very least, there were enough people to carry the food. They sent bags of food through the rift again and again.
There was so much food that it would take days to transport all of them to the Qi Kingdom, even with the help of the entire village, especially since the secret room's corridor was tiny.
While the food was being transported, Li Huowang ran towards the You capital to meet with Chen Yurong.
He had just reached there when he met someone he had not seen before.
"This lowly one is called Liang Yuxuan. I greet the Daoist!" A disheveled elderly man greeted Li Huowang. There were several people behind him.
Chen Yurong explained, "Daoist, they are the officials that I found. Thankfully, you ordered me to find them in time, or they would have starved to death."
Li Huowang looked at the man and asked, "What kind of official are you in the Qi Kingdom?"
"I work in the Imperial Clan Court."
"What kind of official is that?" Li Huowang did not understand what the job entails.
"We take records of the palace by etching the records onto jade discs at certain time intervals. We record the family tree of the royal family and the titles of the nobles and officials. We also write down details about deaths, births, and marriages within the royal family."
Li Huowang pondered before asking, "The Qi Kingdom is in chaos now. There's no law and order everywhere. Can you temporarily form a palace in the Qi Kingdom with the people behind you right now?"
"We can!" Liang Yuxuan answered without hesitation. The price of not being able to do so was naturally starvation. He had no choice but to put together some sort of organization with whatever he had left.
Li Huowang looked at the sunken faces of the people and nodded. "Alright. Let's get it started, then. I will talk about my ultimate goal right now. We need to revive the Qi Kingdom and make sure that the people of the Qi Kingdom can stand on their own feet. They must be able to survive even if I don't send food here."
Everyone felt nervous when they heard that.
"Daoist, does that mean you won't send food from today onwards?" asked a younger official out of fear.
"Are you deaf? I said I want us to be independent. Now go and work!"
Li Huowang wasn't sure they would be helpful, but it was better than nothing.
"Yes!" All of them bowed and retreated except for Liang Yuxuan.
He bowed towards Li Huowang once more.
"The disciple of the Minglun Hall, Liang Yuxuan, greets the Daoist." For some reason, his aura changed completely.
"Minglun Hall?" Li Huowang stared at the man before him but wasn't surprised.
He knew that there were people like him in the Qi Kingdom, so it was inevitable that he would run into them one day. After all, they had a higher chance of surviving after a Natural Disaster than regular people.
However, he hadn't expected to meet someone from the Minglun Hall, a sect he hadn't interacted with. It wasn't the White Lotus Sect, the Moongate, the Ao Jing Sect, or the Antrabhara Temple.
Still, Li Huowang had some memories of meeting them before during his fight with the Dharma Sect.
The people from Minglun Hall all had three arms and could turn drawings into real life. He must've hidden his third arm.
Chapter 829 - Reviving the Society
"Can you enter the palace and become an official with your identity?" Li Huowang asked the old man in front of him.
"Yes. The disciples of the Minglun Hall are all disciples of Confucianism too."
"Are you alone?"
"I apologize, but with our current situation, it won't be easy for me to contact the others. However, if we revive the palace of the Qi Kingdom, they might catch wind and come assist us."
Liang Yuxuan paused a moment before continuing, "Daoist, when I was on my way here, I coincidentally encountered the leader from the Mo family. He had caught wind of the news in the You Capital and wanted to help."
"Oh? Then that's good news." Li Huowang didn't care who it was as long as they could help. The more, the better.
He was here to help the Qi Kingdom, and there was a limit to how much Li Huowang could do on his own.
Liang Yuxuan hesitated when he heard Li Huowang's answer. He glanced at Chan Du, who had stopped rotating his prayer beads.
"Daoist, I'm not sure if I could say this..."
"What do you want to say? There's no need to ask for my permission. Speak."
"The people from the Mo family do things differently. You need to be careful."
Li Huowang heard him and remembered what he had heard when he worked for the Surveillance Bureau. Different branches had formed within the Mo Family. The Mo family from the Liang Kingdom was orthodox, but the Mo family from the Qi Kingdom was an evil sect.
"Are they an evil sect?" Liang Yuxuan remained silent in response to the question, yet Li Huowang could tell it was a tacit agreement.
Li Huowang looked at Chan Du. If the orthodox sects are like this, I wonder how bad the Mo family must be for everyone to label them as an evil sect.
"Is the Sitting Oblivion Dao an evil sect?"
"Yes."
"I see. Go ahead and focus on your work for now."
Li Huowang decided to stay put and wait for the leader of the Mo family from the Qi Kingdom to arrive.
Li Huowang didn't care if they were an evil sect or not. He was sure that the leader of the Mo family wouldn't be stupid enough to stir up trouble in the current situation.
Li Huowang temporarily lived in the You Capital. While it didn't matter to him, it significantly boosted the morale of the people since he was their Bodhisattva.
He didn't know when, but he had somehow turned into everyone's anchor.
What Li Huowang had not expected was that the famine in the Qi Kingdom had been greatly alleviated. Surprisingly, it was not because of the Mo family—it was thanks to a sack of moldy grain with mushrooms growing on it.
"Did you plant this?" Li Huowang saw Feng Wanba busily tending to rows of mushrooms in the underground room.
"Yes, I planted them!" exclaimed Feng Wanba with great excitement, eagerly nodding as he presented the mushrooms to Li Huowang. "We were feeling quite hungry, and then I unexpectedly came across these mushrooms, so I had the idea to try eating them.
"And guess what? It worked! These mushrooms can be harvested every few days, and they just keep on growing. They're even better than grain!"
"Are you sure these are edible?" Li Huowang saw black spots on the mushrooms.
"You can fill up your belly with them, although they cause diarrhea and make your lips turn purple."
Li Huowang was confident that the mushrooms were poisonous and couldn't be eaten.
Still, it did give him an idea. Grains were hard to grow and took a long time to harvest. Mushrooms, on the other hand, were easy to grow. More importantly, mushrooms grew faster and could be harvested within a few days. Purchasing mushrooms also wouldn't increase Shangjing's food prices. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Li Huowang returned to the Liang Kingdom and bought some edible mushrooms before sending them over.
Although a lot of people had died in the Qi Kingdom, there were still enough farmers. Under their care, the mushrooms soon grew and helped alleviate the famine.
Soon, almost everyone in the You Capital started growing mushrooms. While not everyone was successful, it greatly reduced the need to eat grain.
People gathered on the western ruins of the You Capital. They were there to sell items they carried in baskets.
Li Huowang walked among the crowd and checked his surroundings. There wasn't a large selection of items being sold. While some people were selling items like straw slippers, most of them were selling edible food such as Kaolinite, wild vegetables, mushrooms, goat milk, and pork.
Food was the currency here. Gold, silver, and bronze coins were useless now. No one picked them up, even if they were lying on the street.
An old man walked into the market with four catties of pearly-white rice. A crowd immediately formed around him, attracted by his merchandise.
White rice was an incredible food, and its rarity made it exorbitantly expensive. The current value of four catty of white rice in the Qi Kingdom was beyond measure.
The old man chewed on some white rice beads, making the people around him feel envious. Even so, the surrounding crowd only shouted out prices, with no one daring to steal.
There were three individuals from the military within the western ruins. They were holding swords dripping with blood to maintain order.
Li Huowang was satisfied with the scene in front of him. Even though it was still scrappy, order was slowly being introduced back to the You Capital.
"Not bad."
Li Huowang's praise made Liang Yuxuan bow down a little lower. "It's just part of my duty."
Even though it wasn't his expertise, he had people working under him who once worked in magistrates and local administrative offices. With the soldiers and food at their disposal, maintaining order among the refugees was a relatively simple task.
"Daoist, the Qi Kingdom is too big. We don't have enough people to extend aid to everyone, especially since we lack carriages and horses right now. Traveling would prove challenging, so I plan to first revive our society here.
"People will flock here once the You Capital is up and running again. Then, we can organize them and assign them to work in the fields to grow food.
"Our current issue is not lack of food, but rather lack of manpower. Distributing free porridge will only foster a group of lazy individuals who refuse to work. We need them to work in exchange for food. This way, we'll be able to mobilize everyone. With everyone working, the Qi Kingdom will slowly recover."
Liang Yuxuan dared not speak in jargon and explained things as simply as he could to Li Huowang.
"Then let's make it quick. The fewer people we lose, the better."
"Daoist, you are indeed right. I will do my best to chart out a path of survival for the people of the Qi Kingdom. My master taught me that those who wish to unify the land should first fix their country. To fix their country, the leader must first unify the people. To unify—"
"Shut up."
"Yes."
At that moment, a quarrel erupted in a corner of the western ruins. An elderly man was pulling on a young person, exclaiming, "You insolent child! You're not selling Kaolinite! It doesn't fill up my belly!"
"Stop slandering me! I'm eating the same things I'm selling!"
Soon, a crowd gathered around them. Two soldiers approached to break up the fight.
Li Huowang wanted to leave when he saw the little altercation when he stopped. He noticed someone was observing the fight.
Upon witnessing the little altercation, Li Huowang decided to leave. However, before he did so, he came to a sudden halt as he caught sight of someone observing the fight. Li Huowang and the man locked eyes simultaneously, and Li Huowang immediately knew that the man was none other than the leader of the Mo family.