pjbooks Chapter 421
Chapter 421
Yue Fuguang’s hand seemed to open a valve in the clouds of the sky, and the rain fell in wisps and threads, growing heavier, pattering and splashing as it drenched this long-parched earth.“Father, Mother! It’s really raining!”
“Hahaha, it’s raining!”
“Heavens, finally it rains!”
Amid the wind and rain, Yue Fuguang’s divine manifestation flickered in and out of view, truly like a compassionate goddess overlooking the mortal world from above.
“Father, Mother, it’s not the heavens—it’s the Divine Lady!” Everyone, even three-year-old children in the capital, knew why the Divine Lady had left the city. Now that the heavens had sent down rain to moisten the land, surely the Divine Lady had revealed her power!
“Father, Mother, look! Isn’t that the Divine Lady standing in the sky?” The sharp-eyed child saw the solemn and majestic divine manifestation through the curtain of rain.
“Little one, don’t point at the Divine Lady—that’s great disrespect!” His parents quickly pulled him down to kneel.
“Wah wah wah, this old man bows in gratitude for the Divine Lady’s great grace!”
As soon as Yue Fuguang’s divine manifestation appeared, the common people streamed out of their homes, tilting their heads in awe to gaze at the heavenly form.
“So this is what the Divine Lady looks like? She’s six or seven parts like the statue enshrined in my home!”
“To see the Divine Lady’s heavenly countenance in these few days, this old man can die without regret!”
“Divine Lady…”
Lying in the carriage with her eyes closed, Yue Fuguang faintly heard a jumble of murmured wishes, laughter, and weeping.
Within the capital and the surrounding areas covered by rain, the people, after kowtowing in thanks to the divine likeness, laughed or cried aloud under the downpour soaking their heads.
The emperor, still standing at the city gate in the rain, waved away Qian Gui, who wanted to hold an umbrella over him. He stood silently in place, watching Yue Fuguang’s departing carriage until it became a blurry black speck at the end of the official road, feeling a hollow ache in his heart.
The rain pattered down, and the wind, heavy with moisture, stirred the jade tassels on his crown, producing an extremely soft, clear sound like jade pieces tapping together. This soft note, mingled with the laughter, weeping, and prayers directed at the divine manifestation from the distant city, composed a melody named Hope.
Behind Emperor Mingxi, the assembled officials also looked up at the heavenly form above. The rain struck their faces in this long-awaited, life-giving downpour, and no one spoke.
Only the Yu family—father and sons—gazed into the distance at the vanishing carriage. After a moment, they let out, almost inaudibly, a long sigh that only they themselves could hear. That breath blended into the joyful rain, leaving no trace. Their daughter Yue Fuguang might claim she had given up on Dayan, yet over the past few years, in countless small ways, she had done much for Dayan and its people.
Yue Fuguang: For points, for the mission, I don’t hesitate to say one thing and do another!
Among the clamor of shock and joy, none were more stunned than the envoys from the other kingdoms who had come to see her off. They knew Yue Fuguang was no ordinary person—they had seen her summon thunder, rain, and ice before—but those had been small in scale. This time, the volume and range of the rain far surpassed anything before.
If she truly traveled all the way across Dayan like this, then… then wouldn’t Dayan’s drought be resolved?
And that bright figure in the sky—that was called a manifestation, wasn’t it?
This was power only a deity possessed. Though they had already believed in their hearts that Yue Fuguang was a divine lady descended to earth, even if she had a divine origin, she still had a mortal body. Yet what she had done now far exceeded what any mortal could do.
They thought they had already held her in very high regard, but now their understanding was shattered once more.
The delegates from North Yue exchanged glances, seeing deep fear and endless worry in each other’s eyes.
If the people of the other kingdoms learned that the Divine Lady of Dayan truly possessed supernatural power, then… would they still be willing to remain subjects of North Li, West Qiang, South Zhao, or South Yue?
If it were them, what choice would they make?
Thinking of the fervor among their own people toward Yue Fuguang, a chill of ice settled in their hearts.
At this moment, they truly feared that if Yue Fuguang raised her arm to rally their subjects, the consequences…
Just as the answer was about to surface in their minds, Emperor Mingxi’s voice reached their ears: “Minister Huo, send a few teams in different directions to find out how far this rain has spread.”
“Your humble subject obeys!” Huo Ying accepted solemnly, watching the emperor and the line of officials’ carriages fade into the distance.
He turned back and scanned the city gate, which had resumed its usual order. Apart from the deep and shallow wheel ruts in the mud, it was as if nothing had happened—and yet, as if a turning point in an era had just passed through here.
The rain, and especially heavy rain—something as vital as life itself to Dayan’s people—spread to surrounding prefectures and counties within two days.
Along with the news of the rain came word that the Junior Preceptor Yue Fuguang was touring the realm on behalf of the emperor.
The rumor that wherever her carriage passed, heavy rain would fall grew wider and wider.
Before her convoy had even left Quanzhou, where the capital was located, the news had already flown ahead of her like wings.
Yue Fuguang spread clouds and summoned rain as she traveled. Though she had energy-storing beads to rely on, she still had to occasionally chant and direct wind and clouds—without clouds, even a fake deity like her couldn’t conjure something from nothing.
So the most tired parts of her body, aside from her rear end from sitting in the carriage, were her pale, delicate hands from making hand seals.
Fortunately, she had promoted cement soon after arriving and strongly supported paving the important sections of Dayan’s official roads. Over the past two years, the results were significant; otherwise, this journey would have been far more miserable!
“Chunying, why has the carriage stopped?” Yue Fuguang had drifted off to sleep amid the rocking and swaying, but the halt woke her.
In less than five days out, she had quickly mastered the art of conserving her strength while effectively summoning rain. At present, she could ensure abundant rainfall within fifty li of her position, so she would only bring the rain down after the convoy had traveled some distance. They shouldn’t have gone twenty li yet in this short time.
“Milady, we’ve entered Qiyang County. The roadsides are lined with commoners, and a few are blocking the way ahead.”
Shen Chunying rested her right hand on the sword at her waist, scanning the dense crowd of people kneeling silently on either side of the road.
For now, she sensed no ill intent from them, but her heart remained on guard, without the slightest relaxation.
Though her lady was bringing rain to do good deeds and save the people, there was no guarantee that troublemakers might not sneak among the crowd to cause chaos.
“Do you know why the people are blocking the road?” Yue Fuguang wondered silently if this was a classic case of petitioning the emperor while blocking her path—a trope she had seen plenty of in films and TV shows. Should she take up their case or not?
“Milady, Minister Yu has already gone to inquire and should be back soon,” Shen Chunying replied.
Her words had barely fallen when they saw Yu Mochun and Yu Huaixian hurrying back.
Over the past two years, Yu Mochun had been training with the guards, recovering the martial skills he had let lapse in earlier years, becoming much stronger than when Yue Fuguang first met him.
Seeing sweat on his brow and his less-than-pleased expression, Yue Fuguang wondered if the situation ahead was tricky.
No matter how tricky—she had the convening authority as her mandate, and even high-ranking officials would be executed if they committed crimes!
For an instant, Yue Fuguang imagined countless scenes of corrupt officials oppressing the people, and a flash of murderous intent flickered through her mind.