A stack of official documents sat on the desk, rising half a foot high. Shen Yu leaned over the table, his brush hovering over a sheet of paper filled with writing. He paused for a long time before finally putting down another character.
Before the ink could even dry, he suddenly set his brush aside, turned his head, and covered his mouth to stifle a series of coughs. He pressed a handkerchief to his lips, and when he pulled it away, a small, dark red stain had bloomed on the snow-white silk.
He merely glanced down at it, folded the handkerchief without a change in expression, tucked it into his sleeve, and picked up his brush once more.
Lu Sui pushed the door open and walked in, carrying a bowl of medicine to the desk. The bottom of the bowl hit the tabletop with a soft thud.
“It's time for your medicine.” He stood there, looking at Shen Yu's exceptionally pale face, and finally could not help but speak. “Fuyan, the physician said your illness was caused by sheer exhaustion. Do you really need me to nag you like a chanting monk every single day just to get you to rest?”
The medicine bestowed by Lord Spirit Fox that day had indeed significantly improved Shen Yu's condition, but it was no match for his stubborn refusal to listen to advice.
“Buyan, I want to do as much as I can.” Shen Yu did not even look up, his brush adding another line of small characters to the paper. “You don't have to hide it from me. I know I have a lung disease, and that the physician said I have five years left at most, right?”
Lu Sui's eyes darted away. “Who told you such nonsense?”
Shen Yu raised his eyes to look at him. “No one had to tell me. I know my own body.”
Lu Sui sighed softly and did not deny it further.
After a brief silence, he could not help but say, “Fuyan, if you really cannot hold on, why not make a trip to the Divine Lady Temple? Perhaps the Divine Lady can rid you of your illness...”
“I will not,”
Shen Yu replied without a second thought.
Lu Sui was somewhat puzzled. “Why?”
Shen Yu pursed his lips, his voice raspy. “The Divine Lady possesses vast divine powers. Saving me would indeed be an easy feat for her.”
He suddenly changed the subject. “But am I the only one in this world who is gravely ill and has little time left?”
“If I beg the Divine Lady to save my life, what happens when other believers come to beg her? Should she save them or not?”
“Buyan, we must not cause any more trouble for the Divine Lady. A person's life can be long or short. As long as we spend our time realizing the ideals in our hearts, why should we care about the length of our lives?”
With that, he picked up the medicine bowl and drained it in one gulp. The bitter taste spread across the back of his tongue, but he did not even knit his brows.
Setting the bowl aside, he unrolled a map on the desk. “By the way, you came at the perfect time. I studied the terrain yesterday. Wuyuan Prefecture consists mostly of plains. My elder brother is skilled at leading cavalry, so he is the most suitable person to go...”
Lu Sui opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, ultimately choosing not to advise him further.
“During the days you were bedridden, I sent a letter back to Xindu to inform Miss Pei of the Divine Lady's wishes.”
“We received a reply from Xindu today. General Shen, Commandant Feng, and Zirang have each led a detachment of troops. Miss Pei is coordinating the provisions from the rear. We only need to hold Longyou.”
An excited light gleamed in his eyes.
“That is excellent.” The same light shone in Shen Yu's eyes. The corners of his pale lips curled up slightly. “Once the north is unified, we should dispatch the students from Yecheng Academy to work in the various prefectures. The academy has taught them everything it needs to. Their future prospects will depend on their own efforts.”
As Xindu City and Yecheng grew increasingly prosperous, many people came, drawn by their reputation, including no small number of famous scholars and great Confucian masters.
Anyone who came to Xindu City or Yecheng, as long as they were of sound mind, would find a way to settle down in the cities.
Now,
Xindu City and Yecheng were brimming with talent.
However, there were only so many official posts in the two cities, which resulted in fierce competition, with multiple candidates vying for a single position during every examination.
Most absurdly, some who had previously served as Chief Administrators elsewhere even came to Xindu City to take the examinations for minor clerk positions.
From this, one could imagine just how intense the competition for official posts had become.
This unification of the north was truly what everyone hoped for. Only by expanding their territory would those ambitious individuals who failed to secure posts in Xindu City and Yecheng have a chance to prove themselves.
While everyone was busy reclaiming the north, with iron hooves and armored horses riding through the smoke of war, reports of victory from captured cities arrived one after another.
Meanwhile, Yun Shu, who had essentially benched herself, was not idling either. She followed the army invisibly, leaving no trace of her presence.
Whenever a city was captured and the dust settled, she would carry a sack in the dead of night alongside her system and get to work.
“Host, the soil in this city is suitable for growing watermelons.” The little fox looked at the data displayed on the system panel. “Grapes and cantaloupes seem viable too. Let me check a bit more...”
Yun Shu first used her Illusionary Sound Gu Flute to summon an army of insects. Then, she pulled seeds from her sack and had the insect army carry them to suitable spots, dig into the soil, and plant them.
Now that the Goddess of Harvest Set was fully upgraded, the cooldown for the Nine-Ear Grain had been reduced to refreshing a new crop every seven days. She now had an uncountable number of vegetable, fruit, and grain seeds. Thus, she had to find a way to bury them in the soil first. That way, when she used the Peerless National Beauty Set to farm Shock Value, she could rely on her hand speed to quickly switch back to the Goddess of Harvest Set to mature all these crops simultaneously.
Having endured both a severe drought and the ravages of war, the north desperately needed a miracle of bountiful harvests and blooming flowers. Otherwise, it would take them at least three to four years just to recover.
In the process, nine out of ten commoners at the bottom of society, who were already struggling to survive, would likely perish.
Yet, the unification of the north was imperative. War inevitably brought bloodshed and sacrifice, and she could not change that.
But once unification was complete, she would have a perfect excuse to make her appearance, bestow her blessings, and pave a broad, prosperous path for the survivors.
It took Yun Shu nearly a month to sow all the seeds she possessed into the earth.
This was largely thanks to her insect army.
In her eyes, not a single outfit produced by the system was useless; each had its own unique purpose.
Once they headed south, the Miao Holy Maiden Set would be of even greater use. She would have to prioritize upgrading it to the maximum level when the time came.
After making a mental note of this, she pulled out the Ley Line Map and began searching for the two newly generated minerals: iron and gold.
After three whole months of relentless work, the little fox watched Yun Shu, whose hands were shaking from exhaustion even as she ate. “Host, there's something I've never been able to understand. What exactly are you after? Logically speaking, now that you've farmed so much Shock Value, your life should be much easier. Yet, you are busier and more exhausted than ever.”
It hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Our task is merely to romance the male lead. Whether other people live or die has absolutely nothing to do with you. You have no reason to help them at all. At first, I thought you saved them just for Shock Value, but then I realized that the Shock Value you earn is quickly spent right back on those very people. You gain nothing for yourself.”
“Even your name remains unknown to them.”
Yun Shu set down her bowl and chopsticks. “As long as every step I take makes the path a little easier for those who follow, it doesn't matter if my name is remembered.”
She smiled at the little fox. “Besides, how do you know I gained nothing?”
“Everyone has different pursuits. For me, being able to turn my thoughts and ideas into reality is far more exhilarating than possessing all the treasures in the world.”
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