Creek Valley, Divine Lady Temple.
The crowd lay prostrate on the ground, none daring to lift their heads.
Only the stream continued to flow unhurriedly, as if long accustomed to the pious bows of mortals toward the divine.
“Divine Lady above,” Shen Yu’s voice echoed in the clearing before the temple. “We, your believers, have received the blessings of sweet potatoes and cotton from you, saving us from the miseries of hunger and cold. This grace is etched into our souls. You are a natural deity of lofty virtue, while we are but common mortals, truly unable to repay even a fraction of your kindness. We have prepared these meager gifts with all our hearts to present before your seat, as a small token of our gratitude for your divine favor.”
Silence fell over the surroundings as his voice trailed off.
An indeterminate amount of time passed.
The air above the temple suddenly distorted.
Then, a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox emerged from a mist of light and landed on the roof of the Divine Lady Temple, its four paws together in a poised, dignified stance.
When Shen Yu saw the spirit fox that served the Divine Lady, he felt a sudden sense of unease.
This spirit fox had already expressed its displeasure with mortals trying to keep the Divine Lady in the human realm. If it had come this time to block them from presenting their gifts, it would be a disaster.
“Lord Spirit Fox, the Divine Lady once promised us three days to persuade her. Could you please show some leniency and allow us to present these sweet potatoes and cotton clothes to her?”
He chose his words with extreme caution, fearing he might offend this temperamental divine beast and ruin everything.
The spirit fox glanced at Shen Yu and the others.
“Fine,” it said in an impatient tone. “Leave the things and go.”
The moment it spoke, the offering tray in Shen Yu’s hands vanished before everyone's eyes.
Immediately after, the spirit fox vanished as well.
The crowd looked at the tightly closed doors of the Divine Lady Temple with dejected expressions. Yet, not a single person stood up to leave. They remained kneeling before the temple, hoping that the Divine Lady might be moved after seeing those crops and fabrics.
A vast chasm lay between man and god, and they had no other choice but to pray with all their hearts.
Inside the temple, Yun Shu sat cross-legged beneath her statue, looking thoughtfully at the sweet potatoes and cotton clothes the system had brought back.
She then opened the system panel.
Currently, she had 365,700 Shock Value left. She wasn't considering the prize pool for now.
After some thought, she spent 100,000 Shock Value to upgrade the Floating Dream Set from Level 2 to Level 3. The Medical Encyclopedia and healing skills of the Floating Dream Set were perfect for dealing with the large-scale plague that was about to hit Yecheng.
Everything was ready; it was now just a matter of time.
Returning from Creek Valley to Xindu City would be fast if she flew on a sword, but it would take Shen Yu and the others at least half a day by horse. By the time she finished the process of 'entering the world' and reached Yecheng, the plague might have already begun to spread.
She had to find a way to shorten the travel time.
Rummaging through her wardrobe, her gaze locked onto the set called the Mirror of Retrospection Set. It had a formation component called the Return Formation, which could teleport people to a marked point.
Recently, after manifesting before the people, she had been using the Return Formation to teleport away, saving her the cost of returning to the System Space.
At Level 3, the Return Formation could only teleport her alone. If upgraded to Level 4, it could teleport multiple people.
Looking at the amount of Shock Value required, she suddenly felt like smashing the system panel in a rage. “200,000 Shock Value to go from Level 3 to Level 4? Even a robbery isn't this blatant!”
“You dog!” she cursed as she hit the upgrade button anyway.
【Current Shock Value: 65,700】
“Host, stop cursing. It’s time for your entrance,” the little fox whispered from the side. “They’ve been kneeling out there for two hours. That’s enough; we can’t delay any longer.”
Outside the temple, the crowd remained kneeling.
The morning mist gradually dispersed as sunlight spilled over the eastern ridge, dyeing the valley in a pale gold hue.
However, no one was in the mood to admire the scenery.
Their robes were soaked with dew and their knees throbbed from the hard stones, yet no one dared to move an inch.
Two incense sticks’ worth of time had passed since the spirit fox departed.
The temple doors remained tightly shut, and the Divine Lady had not appeared.
An air of anxiety began to ripple through the crowd.
Someone peeked at the temple doors before quickly lowering their gaze, a hint of despair flashing in their eyes.
Time trickled by.
The sun rose higher.
Just as everyone thought the Divine Lady would not appear, the doors that had remained motionless finally opened.
Everyone looked up.
In the next second, they all held their breath in unison.
The Divine Lady had appeared!
A long, lavender gossamer dress cascaded from her shoulders, its hem spreading across the stone steps.
That shade of lavender was extremely light and delicate, as if dyed from the morning mist, with layers upon layers of gossamer stacked together.
With every step she took, the fabric rippled like water, with light and shadow shifting through it in a shimmering, ethereal display.
The pattern of the Big Dipper was embroidered onto the skirt with silver thread; as the hem swayed, the stars seemed to twinkle with a dazzling brilliance.
The Divine Lady stood silently on the steps of the temple entrance, the breeze gently ruffling her skirts and her silver-white hair.
“I have felt your sincerity.” Her indifferent gaze slowly swept over the people prostrate below the steps.
“The Divine Lady is merciful, granting us sweet potatoes and cotton. We mortals have received great grace and are eternally grateful.”
“However, the human heart is dull and words are hollow. Even with ten thousand words, it would be difficult to express even a fraction of our gratitude.”
Pei Wanning paused and took a breath, her tone maintaining a perfect level of humility. “This lowly girl emboldens herself to pray that the Divine Lady move her carriage and grace Xindu with her presence. Please see for yourself where every seed you have scattered upon the mortal world has landed, what kind of flowers they have bloomed, and what kind of fruit they have borne.”
She finished speaking.
Her forehead touched the ground once more, her hands spread out before her as she lay quietly at the Divine Lady’s feet.
The Divine Lady looked at her with a calm gaze, like a bright moon looking at its own reflection on the water.
Neither joy nor sorrow, neither distant nor near.
After a long silence, she finally gave a slight nod.
“Very well.”
It was just two words, yet they caused everyone’s hearts to return to their places. Tears nearly burst from their eyes.
The Divine Lady stepped forward, her long skirts trailing over the stone steps, the mirror-shaped pendant at her waist swaying gently.
The crowd hurriedly rose and followed behind her, maintaining a respectful distance.
Neither too close, nor too far.
On the west side of Creek Valley.
There was a large expanse of cultivated sweet potato fields.
The Divine Lady stopped walking.
Her gaze fell upon the lush green vines.
Seeing this, Shen Yu took a step forward. His voice was respectful and restrained, every word carefully weighed.
“I report to the Divine Lady. After you granted us the Divine Seeds, the people have all worked diligently, toiling from dawn till dusk without daring to be lazy. We have now cultivated over three hundred mu of sweet potato fields.”
The Divine Lady spoke: “Good.”
Passing the sweet potato fields and following the stream upward, they reached a well-arranged cluster of villages.
Earlier on, there had only been a few grass shacks here.
As time passed, the shacks had become earthen houses, and the earthen houses had gained tiled roofs, filling the area with the warmth of human life.
The sounds of children playing could occasionally be heard.
Shen Yu continued, “Divine Lady, the refugees you saved have taken root in this Divine Lady Village. Though their lives are simple, they have never lacked food or clothing...”
Yun Shu listened to Shen Yu’s long discourse.
Worried that Pei Wanning and the others would also start making speeches, she said, “Xindu City is indeed worth a visit.”
Upon hearing this, the crowd was overjoyed.
Shen Jue quickly brought over the prepared carriage. Although they knew the Divine Lady had her own transport, they could not neglect their etiquette.
“Please move your carriage, Divine Lady.”
“There is no need for such trouble.” The Divine Lady waved her sleeve, the movement as casual as brushing a speck of dust from a table.
In an instant.
A door appeared out of thin air before everyone.
The door was about thirty feet high, with wisteria vines coiling around the frame. Clusters of purple and white flowers hung down, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
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