In Yecheng, at the Governor’s estate.
Cheng Ji, Shen Yu, and the others were currently discussing how to hide the fact that Yecheng Academy possessed chemistry, a subject capable of turning stone into gold, from the outside world.
Yesterday, everyone in Yecheng had seen with their own eyes how the old man on the Sky Curtain turned a cup of water into a block of ice.
Some clever folks had immediately gone home and copied the process step-by-step, and they actually managed to produce ice.
In the winter, without cotton clothes to wear, people would freeze to death.
In the scorching heat of summer, people could also die.
When Fang Yingqiu said that ice was worth a thousand gold pieces, she was not exaggerating in the slightest.
This was merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to the way of chemistry, yet it was enough to show how alluring the chemistry book in Fang Yingqiu's hands was. Since the people of Yecheng and Xindu were all believers of the Divine Lady, and were suppressed by Her divine majesty, none of them dared to harbor any wicked thoughts.
However, if this news spread beyond Xindu and Yecheng, there was no guaranteeing that people with malicious intentions wouldn't come to Yecheng to steal it.
“An innocent man is blameless, but carrying a treasure makes him guilty.”
Shen Yu said, setting his teacup aside. He looked out the window and continued, “Governor Cheng, the name of the Divine Lady will eventually spread throughout the world. When that time comes, everything She has bestowed upon Xindu and Yecheng will also become known to everyone. No matter how you and I try to hide it, we won't be able to keep it a secret.”
“Young Master Shen, the Divine Lady has already recognized the people of Yecheng as Her believers. As fellow believers of the Divine Lady, Yecheng and Xindu are naturally closely linked, sharing both honor and disgrace.”
Cheng Ji made his stance very clear. “If there is any way you need my assistance, please speak plainly.”
Although he was older than Shen Yu, his seniority among the Divine Lady's believers was far shallower than that of Shen Yu and the others. They were, after all, the very first batch of believers to follow the Divine Lady.
As for their official ranks, that was not even worth mentioning. Since they had chosen to follow the Divine Lady, they would definitely have to draw a clear line between themselves and the Yong Dynasty. Only a fool would put on airs using an official rank from the Yong Dynasty.
Shen Yu turned to look at him. “Governor Cheng, my brother once said that the Xi Clan has occupied the Divine Lady's mortal realm for five hundred years. I find this statement highly reasonable. What do you think?”
“General Shen's words are indeed reasonable.” A trace of anger suddenly appeared on Cheng Ji's face. “I have also heard about the Divine Lady slaying the evil dragon back then. If not for Emperor Ling of Yong being fatuous and incompetent, causing widespread public outrage that polluted the Dragon Vein, the Divine Lady would not have stepped in to sever the Dragon Vein to save all living beings. She wouldn't have been entangled in karma and burdened with karmic obstacles. Clearly, all of these evil consequences were caused by the Xi Clan, yet the Divine Lady has to bear the burden of this karma. How unjust the Heavenly Dao is!”
Hearing this, Shen Yu couldn't help but pinch his temples.
It seemed he had worried for nothing.
Cheng Ji scolded until his mouth was dry before realizing he had lost his composure in front of Shen Yu and the others.
“Young Master Shen, where were we just now?” He composed himself, taking a strategic sip of his tea. “Have you thought of a countermeasure?”
“Since we cannot hide it, then we won't hide it.” Shen Yu turned and extended his hand to Feng Chunya behind him.
“Commandant Feng, lend me your blade.”
Feng Chunya was slightly startled at first, but she quickly understood. Unbuckling the saber at her waist, she handed it to Shen Yu.
Shen Yu gripped the scabbard, and with a sharp clank, the long blade unsheathed, its cold light flashing across the hall.
“Governor Cheng, please look.”
He turned his wrist, pointing the flat of the blade toward Cheng Ji.
“This saber was forged using the steelmaking method taught by the Divine Lady, tempered through countless strikes. Ordinary blades are as flimsy as paper before it, utterly fragile.”
Cheng Ji's eyes widened instantly. “How many steel sabers of this quality can Xindu City forge?”
“Right now, all three thousand soldiers in Xindu have one each.” Shen Yu's eyes were dark and serious as he said, “Governor Cheng, the peace of Xindu and Yecheng was hard-won. Only by taking up arms can we protect the citizens of our cities from harm.”
In truth, with Xindu's current military strength and provisions, they could completely expand their territory outward.
However, since the Divine Lady had not handed down any divine oracle, none of them dared to act rashly. That was why they had remained in Xindu, obediently opening workshops to make money, farming, and training their soldiers...
Cheng Ji shook his head in shame. “Young Master Shen, there is something you don't know. Yecheng has no capable generals, and our city guards number barely a few hundred. Even normal bandit suppression results in countless casualties. If we were to face elite troops, we would probably have no power to fight back at all.”
“Perhaps we could beg the Divine Lady...”
Before he could finish his sentence, Shen Yu interrupted him, “The Divine Lady is willing to remain in the mortal realm to enlighten mortals because mortals possess wisdom that is not inferior to that of immortals. If mortals make no effort to progress and stop using their own wisdom to solve problems, relying instead on the Divine Lady to descend from heaven whenever they face difficulties, would She still be willing to remain in the human world?”
Realizing that Shen Yu's words made perfect sense, Cheng Ji was instantly drenched in a cold sweat. “I have been enlightened.”
“Governor Cheng, it is good that you understand.”
Shen Yu paused for a moment. “As believers of the Divine Lady who have received various blessings from Her, it is those petty scoundrels who should be afraid, not us.”
“Commandant Feng once assisted the Divine Lady in slaying the evil dragon and was bestowed a blessing by Her, allowing her to comprehend a method of training soldiers. She can forge an elite force in a short amount of time.”
“Governor Cheng, if you trust her, why not let Commandant Feng train Yecheng's city guards?”
Cheng Ji was overjoyed. “Young Master Shen, how could I not trust you? To be trained by a peerless general like Commandant Feng is a blessing the Yecheng city guards must have accumulated over several lifetimes!”
He had previously witnessed Feng Chunya killing bandits, and her martial prowess had filled him with envy. If it weren't for the fact that poaching people from Xindu was unethical, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist trying to recruit her long ago.
Now, this was perfect. Since Shen Yu had proactively suggested it, could he perhaps keep her in Yecheng when the time came?
Yecheng had suffered from a lack of capable generals for a long time!
When the strange occurrences in the city reached the Governor's estate, Cheng Ji was just about to lead Shen Yu and Feng Chunya to the training grounds.
The minor official in charge of horse breeding in the city scrambled into the discussion hall, stumbling over his words: “My... My Lord... Please go and take a look... Something huge has happened...”
Cheng Ji frowned. “Speak slowly.”
“Today, the citizens in the city who raise chickens and ducks found that their poultry laid dozens of eggs more than usual! And some citizens discovered that their cows and pigs are pregnant!”
The official grew more and more excited as he spoke. “Even the horses we've been struggling to breed for so long have actually conceived this time!”
“What?!”
Cheng Ji and the others were shocked to the core. Forgetting all about the training grounds, they hurriedly followed the official to the stables.
...
Yun Shu was a light sleeper to begin with. The moment the notification sound for the soaring Shock Value rang out, she woke up.
The little fox was sprawled out next to her, still sleeping like a dead pig.
Sitting up in bed with messy hair, Yun Shu immediately spotted the system panel.
【Current Shock Value: 4,308,000】
“I earned over a million Shock Value in just one night.” She smiled as she looked at the Shock Value displayed on the system panel.
“Last night's hard work was definitely not in vain.”
With that said,
she opened the outfit enhancement and upgrade interface and spent 800,000 to upgrade the Rainbow and Feather Garment Set from Level 5 to Level 6.
However, the rainfall range was still insufficient.
She would probably need to upgrade it to at least Level 10.
After Level 6, each upgrade would cost 1,000,000 Shock Value. Although she could easily earn back this investment with a single rainfall, she gave it some thought and decided not to dump all her Shock Value into the Rainbow and Feather Garment Set, only upgrading it to Level 8.
As for the remaining 1,508,000 Shock Value,
she would use it on the prize pool to fill her wardrobe, and then lead the common people to escape poverty, build wealth, and achieve prosperity!
Rate on N.U.
