Yun Shu had lived like a wild person in the mountains for three months. When she opened her surveillance screen, she looked down at Yecheng.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
On the screen, Yecheng had undergone a massive transformation. The city gates no longer bore the bleak, miserable appearance from when the plague had been running rampant.
People carried shoulder poles, drove carts, and led donkeys.
Crowds bustled back and forth.
It could not yet be considered truly bustling.
However, it was far livelier than it had been three months ago.
What surprised her the most was the road leading into the city.
A straight, grayish-white road stretched all the way from outside the city into its center, flat, solid, and incredibly clean.
It was clearly a cement road.
Shen Yu and the others did not have the complete recipe for cement. She had estimated it would take them quite some time to figure it out, and had originally been prepared to give them five months.
Yet, they were smarter and more hardworking than she had imagined. In just three short months, they had successfully developed cement and even used it to reinforce the city walls and pave the roads.
But this was for the best.
It would only accelerate the implementation of her next plan.
She switched the surveillance camera angle.
And continued to look down.
Along both sides of the streets, tea stalls, noodle stands, and grocery shops had their banners fluttering in the wind, with vendors' cries rising and falling in succession.
Children chased each other and played along the streets, their laughter crisp and clear.
All kinds of idle chatter drifted out from the tea stalls.
“Have you heard? The academy the Governor ordered to be built is almost finished!”
“Isn't that common knowledge? Right now, everyone is looking forward day and night to the academy's completion, hoping Yecheng can pass the Divine Lady's trial and become her believers.”
Hearing this, Yun Shu was momentarily stunned.
A trial? What trial? How come I didn't know about this?
“I really envy the people of Xindu. You have no idea what kind of heavenly life they are living over there.”
“Yesterday, my younger sister, who married into Xindu, came back to visit. She gave us so many cotton-padded jackets, sweet potatoes, and even meat.”
“My sister said she works at the embroidery workshop, and she can make a whopping two taels of silver a month!”
The crowd fell into an uproar.
“Is that true? Two taels of silver?”
Everyone was incredulous.
After all, when they did hard labor and hauled heavy goods for an entire month, they barely made two hundred copper coins. Two taels of silver was almost a whole year's worth of earnings for them.
“You've all felt the cotton-padded jacket my family has, right? My sister made that herself. Why would I lie to you?”
“My sister also said that once she learns to read, she might even be able to work at the printing workshop or the glass workshop.”
“Apparently, those two workshops pay even more!”
Everyone listened in a daze.
Two taels of silver.
In their eyes, that was already an astronomical sum, yet this man was saying that those printing and glass workshops paid even more.
“In any case, I've made up my mind. Once the academy is built, even if I have to go without food and drink, I will send both my boys and girls there to learn to read and write so they can have a bright future!”
“That makes sense!”
“I'm going home right now to pool some money with my wife.”
Although the common people were uneducated, most of them knew how to look out for their own interests.
If they let their children learn to read, their children could earn in a single month what they themselves couldn't earn in a year.
Who could resist such a temptation?
Listening to the discussion among Yecheng's citizens on the screen, Yun Shu couldn't help but give Shen Yu and his companions another silent thumbs-up.
It was difficult for the common people to understand grand theories, so Shen Yu and the others used practical benefits to show them the importance of literacy. This method couldn't have been more correct.
They had handled this matter beautifully.
She really wanted to reward them handsomely.
But no, she had to stay calm. The things in her possession could not be handed out on a whim.
She still had to take things one step at a time.
Seeing that even Yecheng had undergone such a massive change over the past three months, Yun Shu grew even more curious about Xindu City.
She put on the Mirror of Retrospection Set.
And used the portal to teleport directly to Xindu City.
The teleportation point was still that same barren cliff.
Afterward, she transformed into Li Qinghe, went down the mountain with familiar ease, and entered the city.
The city was bustling and prosperous, presenting a scene that looked entirely out of place in these troubled times.
Along both sides of the streets, newly built cement houses stood in neat rows. Their walls were smooth and grayish-white, and they were fitted with clear glass windows.
When the sunlight hit them, the entire street lit up.
As Yun Shu walked through the streets and alleys, she was surrounded by the peaceful atmosphere of the common people living and working in contentment. Her mood grew incredibly light and pleasant.
Entering the courtyard she had rented previously, she closed the door, pulled a quilt from the cabinet, and spread it on the bed.
Snuggling into her long-awaited bed, she slept from morning until afternoon.
After waking up, she grabbed a bite to eat to satisfy her hunger.
Immediately after, Yun Shu opened her system panel.
The Love Gu, the pomegranate seeds, and the pig-rearing methods she had gathered through practice could be set aside for now.
For now, finding an opportunity to use the Goddess of Harvest's skill to ripen the rice buried in the ground was the fastest way to farm Shock Value.
The great drought mentioned in the original book hung over her head like a sword of Damocles, leaving her highly uneasy.
She had to earn more Shock Value before the great drought arrived to upgrade the Rainbow and Feather Garment.
The higher the level of the Rainbow and Feather Garment, the wider its rainmaking range, and the more people she could give a chance at survival.
“Host, today is the Lantern Festival. The male lead and the others have come to the Divine Lady Temple to ask if you want to go see the lantern festival tonight,” the system's voice rang in Yun Shu's ear. “They even organized a deity-inviting ritual. They're casting divination blocks and dancing the Nuo Dance on the temple's open grounds. It looks quite amusing.”
“The Lantern Festival?” A slight smile played on Yun Shu's lips. “This is indeed a good opportunity to make an appearance.”
She opened the system wardrobe.
Originally, she had planned to wear the Goddess of Harvest Set, but when she saw the Peerless National Beauty Set next to it, she changed her mind.
The skills of the Peerless National Beauty Set might not be the most practical, but its visual effects were absolutely the most magnificent and showstopping.
...
The open ground in front of the Divine Lady Temple was currently boiling with noise.
The believers, led by Shen Yu, had all changed into various Nuo opera costumes. Their masks were fierce yet magnificent, and their colorful robes were as vibrant as butterflies.
The bronze drums were struck, and the Nuo Dance began.
Shen Jue wore a crimson mask on his face, complete with glaring eyes and bared fangs, as he brandished a pair of golden melon hammers in his hands.
His dance steps were powerful and vigorous. Every stomp kicked up a cloud of dust as low, guttural shouts escaped his lips.
It was easy to see that he was putting his all into it, his eyes darting toward the sky from time to time, clearly hoping to win the Divine Lady's favor.
Shen Yu followed closely behind. He wore a green-faced, fanged ghost mask, and his movements were a bit more elegant compared to Shen Jue's.
Slender and graceful, his colorful ribbons fluttered as he leaped, resembling a mountain spirit bounding through the hills, carrying a unique charm.
Pei Wanning wore a five-colored feather robe, her mask adorned with phoenix patterns as she danced with the lightness of a swallow.
As she spun, her intricate skirt bloomed like a flower in full blossom, drawing continuous cheers from the watching crowd.
Feng Chunya did not wear any of those fancy feather robes. Dressed in clean, practical martial attire, her mask depicted the fierce countenance of the Thunder God.
Her Nuo Dance carried a wild, untamed energy.
Lu Sui was not to be outdone either. Wearing a yellow-faced ghost-deity mask and holding a peach wood sword, his movements were fierce and powerful.
His Nuo steps were extremely precise, with every turn landing perfectly on the beat of the drums. He had clearly practiced extensively in private.
Everyone was desperately showing off their finest form.
All to please the Divine Lady in the heavens.
Rate on N.U.
