Yun Shu looked at the various gorgeous outfits in her system wardrobe, the industrial products she had obtained from the Casket of a Hundred Crafts, and some of the rare Gu insects she had acquired from the Jar of Ten Thousand Poisons.
Previously, she had envisioned building a library, but she estimated she would have to wait until she secured the south before she would have a suitable opportunity to bring it out.
Therefore, during this period, while she was restoring the dry wells, she would also look for craftsmen in various cities. She would turn some blueprints into “fortuitous opportunities” that they happened to discover, sending them out for them to study on their own.
As for those industrial samples, she had to keep them as exhibits for the future library.
“A Substitute Gu?” Yun Shu pulled a multicolored insect out of the Jar of Ten Thousand Poisons. “Since it can transfer damage, it should definitely be able to transfer the physical fatigue of the host as well. Although this Gu insect only has a lifespan of six months, it should be enough.”
“Not bad, not bad. I'll go with you.”
As she spoke, she put on the Wealth-Receiving Cloud Brocade Robe, an outfit piece she had recently drawn from the Attracting Wealth and Treasure Set.
Its skill was to bring fortune to the beholder.
“Second Young Master!” Shen Er panted as he found Shen Yu, who was currently examining a map. He spoke in a rushed tone, “Someone just said they saw the Divine Lady!”
Before Shen Er could even finish his sentence, Shen Yu had already put away the map in his hand and strode outside.
He was wearing a moon-white narrow-sleeved robe today, as he had originally come to personally oversee the progress of this section of the official road. At this moment, his footsteps were so fast that his robe fluttered, almost stirring up a breeze.
“Where is the Divine Lady right now?”
“Right on that section of the cement road that was just paved! Many laborers saw her!” Shen Er followed closely behind, running so fast he was out of breath. “They said... they said she descended from the sky, surrounded by golden light, looking just like the God of Wealth in a temple!”
Shen Yu quickened his pace even more.
Upon ascending a dirt slope, his field of vision suddenly opened up.
Beside the cement road under the scorching sun, several hundred laborers were all looking up at the sky. The trowels, shoulder poles, and shovels in their hands had slipped out at some point, clattering onto the grayish-white ground, yet not a single person looked down to pick them up.
Seeing this, Shen Yu followed their gaze.
Then, he saw a golden-red light slowly flying over from the edge of the sky.
As the distance closed, he gradually saw the figure within the golden light clearly.
The robe the Divine Lady wore was a dazzling golden-red. The cloud patterns embroidered with gold thread covered her wide sleeves in layers, glittering under the sunlight as if they were tailored from the sunset clouds.
Bound around her waist was a crimson brocade belt, hanging with a tiny jade abacus and interconnected small gold beads. They clinked together along the way, a crisp sound like countless gold ingots falling into a copper basin, extremely pleasing to the ear.
She did not stop, flying past right before everyone's eyes. She merely cast a faint glance at the crowd below, neither sad nor joyful, looking down upon all living beings with mercy yet aloofness.
As her wide sleeves fluttered, countless fine specks of gold powder drifted down from beneath them, scattering across the sky.
The gold powder fell upon the laborers' sun-baked, dark faces, as well as their calloused palms.
The moment it touched their skin, they only felt a slight warmth. Immediately afterward, they felt a stream of warm energy travel through their blood vessels, spreading to their limbs and bones.
A thin, middle-aged man lowered his head, staring at his hands in disbelief, turning them over and over.
His palms had clearly been covered in blood blisters, which hurt so much that he had to switch hands to hold the shovel every once in a while.
At this moment, those blisters no longer burned with pain, and the redness and swelling had even begun to gradually subside.
“My legs don't hurt anymore...”
Old Man Zhao muttered. He squatted down to rub his knees, and when he stood up again, his steps were much steadier.
After a brief moment of daze, the hundreds of laborers suddenly let out a succession of gasps and low exclamations.
“I... I feel like my body is bursting with strength!”
“Yesterday, my hand was hit by a rock. Just now, when the gold powder fell on my hand, the pain actually vanished!”
“It must be the Divine Lady manifesting her power...”
[Shen Yu's Shock Value +100]
[Shen Er's Shock Value +100]
[Old Man Zhao's Shock Value +100]
[...]
[Current Shock Value: 21,788,000]
“The Divine Lady is infinitely merciful!”
The crowd knelt down in unison.
However, the golden-red figure in the sky did not stay. With another gentle wave of her wide sleeves, her figure swept past the airspace above the construction site, drifting toward the continuous mountain range to the west.
She drifted further and further away.
The golden light gradually narrowed into a thin line, finally flickering once on the horizon before completely vanishing.
Someone spoke up in panic.
“The Divine Lady did not stop. Could it be because our bows just now were not sincere enough, displeasing her?”
Everyone present was frightened out of their wits by these words.
“Then what should we do?”
“Will the Divine Lady dislike us because of this and no longer want us to be her believers?”
“It's all my fault for kowtowing too slowly just now...”
Seeing the commotion starting below, Shen Yu withdrew his gaze and spoke to soothe the crowd. “How could the Divine Lady not know whether we sincerely love and respect her?”
“The Divine Lady was likely just passing through. Perhaps she has important matters to attend to, which is why she did not stop...” His tone was unhurried, yet it carried an inexplicable power of persuasion. “We should just continue to build this road well. Do not let your minds wander.”
Hearing Shen Yu's highly patient explanation, everyone's hearts instantly settled, and they began to bury their heads in their work once more.
Supported by the invisible system, Yun Shu had flown in a circle in the sky while wearing the Wealth-Receiving Cloud Brocade Robe, harvesting Shock Value. Along the way, she had also used the cover of the outfit's built-in gold powder to place the Substitute Gu on everyone. The human and the system had coordinated with perfect chemistry.
After finishing their performance, they appeared on the cliff opposite the construction site, watching from a distance.
“Host, you are truly too clever! To think you could come up with the idea of giving them the Substitute Gu!”
The little fox looked at Yun Shu, its eyes sparkling.
“It's also thanks to Shen Yu being so useful,” Yun Shu said as she watched the laborers below building the road in an orderly fashion.
“Oh, right, Host. About Shen Yu...” The little fox wanted to say something to Yun Shu, but its words suddenly ground to a halt.
A deep blue light flashed in its amber eyes.
That was the sign of monitoring information rushing in.
“What's wrong?”
Yun Shu was still looking at the busy figures of the laborers in the distance, her fingers gently stroking the soft fur on the fox's back.
The little fox had an anxious look on its face.
“This is bad, Host! From what I can see, the envoys from the Yong Dynasty will arrive in Zhenbei Prefecture in ten days at most!”
It truly admired this group of envoys.
During this period, she and Yun Shu had frequently slipped laxatives into their food, damaged their ferry boats, and so on.
Even so, they still persisted in rushing to Zhenbei Prefecture.
Yun Shu's hand stroking the fur paused. “Right now, the various industries and infrastructure in the north have just gotten on the right track. We cannot let this group of people reach Zhenbei Prefecture yet. We must think of some other ways to delay them.”
Given how much the northern believers adored her, the moment this group of envoys arrived in Zhenbei Prefecture, the two sides would likely go to war.
Although this war of unification between the north and south was bound to happen sooner or later in their plans, now was not the right time.
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