By the end of August in the seventh year of the Tianqi era (1627), Chengcheng County had finally regained a fragile peace.
The prolonged peasant uprising, which had thrown the region into turmoil for so long, was gradually subsiding under the relentless suppression led by Ninth-Rank Military Inspector Cheng Xu. Order had not been fully restored, but the worst of the chaos had already passed.
Wang Er of Baishui had fled northward, disappearing into the mountains and forests beyond Chengcheng County. No one knew where he had gone, and no one could say whether he was still alive.
Soon afterward, the newly appointed magistrate, Liang Shixian, officially assumed office.
The first decree he announced upon taking his post brought unexpected news.
"The Emperor has passed away. The empire shall observe mourning."
The announcement referred to Zhu Youxiao, the carpenter emperor, who had died of illness on August 22. Just two days later, Zhu Youjian ascended the throne and became the Chongzhen Emperor. The political landscape in the capital had already shifted, but Chengcheng County lay far from the center of power, and the news had not reached it until now.
When the common people heard the announcement, their reactions were muted.
A new emperor had taken the throne. So what?
Would the new emperor bring rain?
If not, then nothing in their lives would change. Hunger would remain hunger, and hardship would remain hardship. With that thought, most people simply returned to their daily routines, washed themselves, and went to sleep.
Meanwhile, the side hall of the City God Temple in Chengcheng County had become unusually lively.
Mrs. San sat upright at the front, dressed in a Daoist robe. Her expression was calm and solemn, and her bearing carried an air of quiet authority. Before her, more than ten men and women knelt on the ground, their faces filled with reverence.
They bowed repeatedly, offering sincere thanks to Dao Xuan Tianzun for saving their lives. Afterward, under Mrs. San's guidance, they recited scriptures together in low, devout voices.
Only after completing the ritual did they slowly withdraw from the side hall.
These people were all impoverished townsfolk who could not afford medical treatment. When illness struck, they had nowhere to turn. It was only through the divine medicine bestowed by Dao Xuan Tianzun and distributed by Mrs. San that they had survived.
Not long after they left, a middle-aged man quietly slipped inside.
His clothes were made of coarse hemp, worn thin from years of use. His face was gaunt, and his expression was filled with anxiety and exhaustion. The moment he entered, he fell to his knees before Mrs. San.
"Venerable Lady, please save me."
Mrs. San studied him calmly.
"What illness afflicts your household?"
The man shook his head.
"No one is sick."
Mrs. San raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh?"
The man lowered his voice, as though ashamed.
"I am a government-registered artisan."
Mrs. San did not fully understand what that meant, but she did not interrupt him. She simply maintained her composed posture and allowed him to continue.
"I must work twenty days each month in the government workshop," he said bitterly. "In return, I receive only a pitiful allowance that is not even enough to feed myself. During the remaining ten days, I must desperately search for other work just to survive."
He paused, then continued.
"A few days ago, two sculptors came to the workshop. They suddenly became wealthy. They paid off thirty years of artisan tax in one payment and were freed from government labor."
Mrs. San listened quietly, though she did not yet understand why he was telling her this.
"The two sculptors refused to explain how they made their fortune," the man said. "They only said they had received the blessing of Dao Xuan Tianzun."
His voice trembled slightly.
"So I asked everywhere. I searched and inquired, trying to learn who Dao Xuan Tianzun was. Eventually, I heard about you, Venerable Lady."
At last, Mrs. San understood.
So that was the reason he had come.
The man bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the ground.
"Please guide me. Tell me how I can obtain the favor of Dao Xuan Tianzun and escape this suffering."
Mrs. San's mind began to turn rapidly.
She possessed divine medicine granted by Dao Xuan Tianzun, and with it, she could heal the sick. However, she had no power to grant wealth or free someone from government obligations.
She could not help him.
But Dao Xuan Tianzun could.
A thought slowly formed in her mind.
She adopted a grave expression and shook her head gently.
"Your heart is not sincere," she said.
The man froze.
"If your heart is not sincere, Dao Xuan Tianzun will not help you."
Panic immediately filled his face.
"My heart is sincere," he insisted desperately. "It truly is sincere."
Mrs. San spoke calmly.
"If your heart is sincere, then leave Chengcheng County. Travel northeast for more than thirty li. There, you will find a village called Gao Family Village."
The man's expression changed instantly.
"Leave the county? But outside… outside is chaos and danger…"
Mrs. San's gaze remained steady.
"Indeed," she said quietly. "Your heart is not sincere."
"If you are afraid, then Dao Xuan Tianzun will not help you."
The man's last hesitation collapsed.
"My heart is sincere," he said hurriedly. "I will go. I will go immediately."
He raised his head anxiously.
"When I reach Gao Family Village, what should I do?"
Mrs. San gave a faint, mysterious smile.
"When you arrive, you will understand."
The man bowed repeatedly in gratitude before rushing out of the temple.
He returned home as quickly as possible. Having already completed his required twenty days of government labor, he still had ten days remaining that he could use freely.
He gathered everything he owned.
A few copper coins.
Two dried biscuits.
Two sets of clothes.
One iron pot.
His entire life fit inside a single bundle.
With nervous steps, he approached the city gate.
The old soldier guarding the gate watched silently, showing no interest in questioning him. Blending into the flow of people entering and leaving the city, the man quietly passed through and stepped beyond the walls.
He asked for directions along the way, making his way toward Gao Family Village.
Although fear never left his heart, the outside world was not as chaotic as he had imagined. Cheng Xu had already suppressed most of the bandits in the surrounding region, and the roads were safer than before.
As evening fell and the sky burned red with sunset clouds, he finally saw it.
A tall, fortified village stood in the distance.
He stopped walking and stared at it.
"That must be Gao Family Village," he murmured.
"I've finally arrived."
Evening descended beneath a sky painted with crimson clouds.
Li Daoxuan was opening a package.
September was approaching, and the time for planting winter wheat was drawing near. The villagers of Gao Family Village had already begun preparing their fields. Irrigation channels had been dug to guide water from the Great Pond, ensuring that the crops would have sufficient moisture.
However, irrigation alone was not enough.
The land needed rain.
Li Daoxuan had not caused rainfall for over a month, largely because the summer heat had made planting impossible. The Great Pond he had provided was sufficient at the time, but now the temperature inside the box had begun to fall.
The season had changed.
Rain was necessary.
Ordinary humidifiers and sprayers were unsuitable. The water droplets they produced were far too large. Even the smallest droplets measured about 0.3 millimeters in diameter, and once scaled by two hundred times inside the box, they would become enormous spheres equivalent to water balloons six centimeters wide falling from the sky.
That would not be rain.
It would be destruction.
After extensive searching, Li Daoxuan finally found a suitable device.
A medical nebulizer.
This device was designed to treat respiratory illnesses by converting liquid medicine into extremely fine mist, with droplet sizes as small as 2.2 micrometers.
Even when magnified two hundred times, such droplets would measure only 0.44 millimeters across.
That was perfect.
Rain of that size would nourish the land without causing harm.
The device he had ordered that morning had already arrived.
Li Daoxuan looked at the package in his hands and smiled faintly.
It was time to bring rain once more.