As her embroidered shoe stepped down, the Divine Lady inside the carriage finally revealed herself.
Her silver hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, gathered up by an exquisite small crown that held her thousands of silver strands. Atop the crown, a bright pearl shone with a brilliant luster.
Her ink-wash gown billowed softly with every step she took.
The misty rain of green mountains seemed to drift across the hem of her dress, and the silhouettes of cranes embroidered upon it appeared to glide through the clouds as she walked.
The moment she raised her eyes, the very air seemed to freeze.
【Zhao Qiusheng Shock Value +100】
【Shen Yu Shock Value +100】
【Shen Jue Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 1,815,000】
“Where is Zhao Qiusheng?”
The Divine Lady's voice rang out suddenly, jolting everyone back to their senses.
The brothers Shen Yu and Shen Jue exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
Neither of them knew who this Zhao Qiusheng the Divine Lady spoke of was.
But soon, they saw a white-haired old man, supported by a young man who looked quite youthful, emerge from the dim room and bow three times to the Divine Lady.
“This old man, Zhao Qiusheng, pays his respects to the Divine Lady...”
The Divine Lady raised her hand slightly.
“Rise.”
Before the words even fully faded, Zhao Qiusheng felt an invisible force gently lift him from the ground.
Having assisted the seventy-year-old grandfather, the invisible system returned to Yun Shu's side, hiding its contributions and fame.
Since Zhao Qiusheng could not see the system, he naturally assumed it was the Divine Lady displaying her divine power. His eyes filled with deep gratitude. “Thank you, Divine Lady, for showing consideration for this old man's advanced age.”
“As I patrolled the heavens, I happened to see you restoring books and asked you a question on a whim.”
A gentle breeze swept by, causing the pearl tassels hanging from both sides of the Divine Lady's crown to sway gently, reflecting a shimmering light in her eyes.
“Your answer pleased me greatly.” Her gaze fell upon the elderly Zhao Qiusheng. “I can grant you one wish now. What is it that you desire?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted into an uproar.
This was a monumental stroke of fortune!
Even Shen Yu and the other believers who had followed the Divine Lady for a long time were so shocked that they could not regain their composure for a while.
It was not that they had never seen the Divine Lady bestow blessings, but this was the very first time they had witnessed her asking a mortal what they wanted.
Everyone present envied Zhao Qiusheng. Seeing that he remained silent, they could not help but speak up to urge him.
“Mister Zhao, quickly ask the Divine Lady for immortality!”
“Ask for a celestial path! If you can study under the Divine Lady, you might even have a chance to go to heaven and become an immortal!”
“How could cultivating to become an immortal be that easy?”
“In my opinion, it would be better to ask the Divine Lady for a mountain of gold. How wonderful would it be to spend the rest of your days living in luxury on a mountain of gold...”
The discussions rose and fell in waves.
Yet, Zhao Qiusheng acted as if he had heard nothing at all.
Slowly straightening his hunched back, his withered fingers pulled at his patched cuffs as he made a deep bow to the Divine Lady.
“This old man has no other desires. I only hope to restore the dozens of damaged scrolls in my room.” He paused, his voice raspy. “If those damaged books can be restored, I can die with no regrets!”
The surrounding area instantly fell dead silent.
No one had expected that when presented with such an incredible opportunity, Zhao Qiusheng would only ask to restore damaged books.
“Sigh, how foolish!” someone muttered in frustration.
“How can those damaged books compare to immortality and wealth?”
Another shook his head and sighed. “Indeed. Isn't this just wasting a perfectly good chance to make a wish to the Divine Lady?”
Zhao Qiusheng's wife and children looked at him with hesitant expressions, but none of them spoke up to persuade him. They knew his stubbornness all too well; once he set his mind on something, not even ten oxen could pull him back.
For a moment,
everyone felt a deep sense of regret on Zhao Qiusheng's behalf.
A faint smile played on Yun Shu's lips, however.
He was indeed the person she and the system had evaluated repeatedly. The wish he made was exactly as they had predicted.
There were all kinds of people in the world. Some yearned for immortality, others lusted after power and wealth, but there would always be those who remained unmoved by external temptations, holding steadfast to their original aspirations.
Zhao Qiusheng was precisely that kind of person.
Born into a scholarly family, he had loved books as much as his own life since childhood. Even when his family's fortunes declined in his youth, and he suffered through endless gossip and was treated as a fool, he still persisted in restoring books for his entire life.
“I grant your wish.”
As she spoke, a brush that clearly did not belong to the mortal realm appeared out of thin air in her hand, looking incredibly divine.
They saw that
the shaft of the brush was completely translucent white, yet it held extremely faint blue-green patterns inside, like a flowing spring hidden beneath ice.
The bristles were not made from the fur of any beast they knew, and a faint, dark light that resembled ink yet was not ink gathered at its tip.
Holding the brush, the Divine Lady walked toward the dim room.
The moment she stepped inside, the entire room lit up.
For the first time, everyone truly felt
what it meant for a humble home to be graced by a glorious presence.
Just by standing there, she made the originally dilapidated room look like a heavenly palace, dreamlike and ethereal.
She raised her wrist and lowered the brush, its tip tracing through the empty air.
“Wildfire cannot consume it all; the spring breeze brings it back to life.” Zhao Qiusheng blankly read out the small golden characters that floated in the air.
In the next second,
a sudden breeze swept from out of nowhere, brushing over the damaged books and causing all the ruined scrolls in the room to flutter open at once.
Then,
a miraculous scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
The wormholes on the damaged pages slowly closed, and the ink marks spread and settled anew. Even the fragments that had been burned down to mere corners began to sprout new paper, the handwriting reviving like spring grass...
With the tall and formidable golden-armored heavenly soldiers guarding the courtyard, the crowd did not dare step foot inside, only stretching their necks to peer into the room.
Had they not seen it with their own eyes,
who would have dared to believe that simply writing a line of poetry could restore those ruined, broken books volume by volume?
With trembling hands, Zhao Qiusheng picked up a newly restored scroll. His fingertips carefully brushed over the pristine pages. His throat bobbed several times before he finally fell to his knees with a thud, clutching the book to his chest and weeping uncontrollably.
【Zhao Qiusheng Shock Value +100】
【Shen Yu Shock Value +100】
【Shen Jue Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 2,318,000】
Looking at the harvested Shock Value, Yun Shu satisfiedly put away the Poet Immortal's Brush, the handheld accessory of the Cranes by the Inkstone Set.
This new outfit was practically on a conceptual level.
However, to manifest a massive miracle with just a single poem, she would still need to upgrade and strengthen it. For now, restoring this room full of damaged books was already the limit of this outfit.
“Zhao Qiusheng, are you willing to take these books and your family to Yecheng Academy to spread them throughout the world?”
Zhao Qiusheng's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, but they quickly dimmed again. “Divine Lady, this old man is of advanced age and fears I cannot withstand the bumps and hardships of the journey.”
This was not him being difficult, but the simple truth.
“I shall send you on your way.” The Divine Lady waved her sleeve.
A wisteria flower gate appeared in the courtyard.
“Step through this gate, and you shall arrive in Yecheng.”
Everyone gasped, gaining an even deeper understanding of the Divine Lady's immense and vast divine powers.
After sending away Zhao Qiusheng's family, Yun Shu looked toward the Chaoyang merchants who were blocked outside the courtyard by the golden-armored heavenly soldiers.
“Your recent benevolent deeds have also been seen by my eyes.”
Hearing this, the merchants were overjoyed.
Having witnessed Zhao Qiusheng's family receive a blessing, and now receiving praise from the Divine Lady themselves, how could they not be excited?
Would the Divine Lady also bestow a blessing upon them?
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