CHAPTER 139: CHAPTER 139: YOU HAVE A NEW ORDER (CHAPTER 4)

A mist of rain covered the farmland, the water droplets falling with a pattering sound, effectively mimicking actual rain. The crops in the field with a short maturity period soon sprouted yellow-green shoots.

Jiang Yuan felt even happier, thinking nothing could be simpler and more effortless than this automatic sprinkler, "If you could kindly bring a light rain every morning, Dragon King, once we have a bountiful harvest here in our little yard, I will surely prepare a delicious feast to reward you!"

"Stop with the idle talk, give me one more stick of incense."

"Deal!"

Readily, he offered a stick of incense. Bai Yunqi, breathing deeply with an enchanted look on his face as he stood by his own incense burner, made Yun Mo extremely envious. To actually receive the offerings, Senior Bai is truly formidable!

Pulling in his wings, he started to meditate and cultivate, seriously pondering how to earn the qualification to become Mr. Jiang’s steed. After all, Senior Bai quite disdains him, while Mr. Jiang travels on an Immortal Crane and Golden Eagle, he certainly doesn’t lack for mounts.

Yet besides serving as a steed, it seems he lacks any other skills.

In any case, now being a leader without followers, with the Lushan Spirit Stone Mine emptied; with nowhere to go, alone as an eagle, his earnest effort to integrate into the small yard and live with the elites day and night seeking the grand path, if someday he could rise in stature, wouldn’t it be wonderful to rejuvenate the Ice-winged Eagle clan?

As he was mulling this over, Yun Mo suddenly felt a surge of hot energy and immediately fluttered his wings, retreating backward.

Wan Mingchuan, just now having viewed the newly cultivated and delightful fields, and Bai Yunqi assisting his master in watering, sprinkling rainbows, felt infinite warmth and beauty permeating through him, rendering his thoughts clear and free, thus cultivating the Heaven-Burning Scripture became unusually smooth.

A hot current surged through his meridians, hardly facing any resistance as he effortlessly broke through the acupoints, with momentum suddenly becoming imposing!

"Oh, this youngster sure cultivates with remarkable speed." Bai Yunqi also squinted lazily over and exclaimed, "Although his talent is a bit inferior to mine, breaking through the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Stage without any guidance, at this speed, it won’t be long before he attempts Foundation Establishment."

Hearing this, Yun Mo immediately snapped out of his scattered thoughts, took a deep breath, and prepared to cultivate earnestly.

If even Mr. Jiang’s disciple can quickly succeed in Foundation Establishment, wouldn’t it be ridiculous for him to still be at the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm after all these years of cultivation?

After clearing one meridian, Wan Mingchuan didn’t stop; he felt fantastic, guiding the abundant energy provided by the Spirit Stone to attack the next meridian. Holding a Spirit Stone in each hand to absorb spiritual energy, made Yun Mo, stealthily watching unable to settle his heart, feel both envious and sour. The disciple, having a good master, could use Spirit Stones even during the Qi Refining Stage for cultivation.

Pitiably, he now in the Foundation Establishment Realm, has to rely on absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Those brothers never lived the affluent days of casually using Spirit Stones for cultivation, even until their deaths!

The contrast strikingly stark, a rather large eagle yet feeling a bit emo.

[You have a new order, please check!]

While busy clicking to review what materials were needed to repair each building, ensuring arrangements were made promptly without wasting time using limited materials to repair all constructions quickly, Jiang Yuan saw the system notification and felt a bit dizzy.

Receiving orders in the Floating Market during broad daylight?

Lacking remote control measures for now, filled with curiosity, he hastily opened the door to enter the Floating Market to check.

Three of the four flowing signs were suddenly occupied.

[Charitable Order: 300 portions of Long Rice. Order is valid for eight hours, Charitable Orders do not deal in Gold Coins, guarantee dropping rare materials at random]

[Charitable Order: 15 Iron Ingots; 30 portions of Beginner Poultry Feed. Order is valid for three days, Charitable Orders do not deal in Gold Coins, guarantee dropping rare materials at random]

...

"Strange, why are they all charitable orders?" Jiang Yuan was a bit puzzled and didn’t think much of it. He noted the necessary supplies and turned to leave the Floating Market to rummage through the storage box in the thatched hut.

Meanwhile, on an unknown distant cracked land, a gust of wind howled past, lifting up layers of dust as if celebrating taking more lives.

"King of Heaven and Queen of Earth, all celestial and terrestrial deities, no matter which Immortal, please have some compassion to save us!" An elderly priestess lay prostrate upon the sacrificial altar, powerlessly praying, only to be answered by the howling wind.

Since the earth-shaking tumult over two years ago, rumbling for three days and nights causing numerous deaths and injuries, Heaven seemed unsatisfied with the punishment.

Enduring the flood and great plague barely, yet now facing a severe drought.

The century-old well in the village still draws some water daily, keeping villagers from dying of thirst, but the crops are all gone, even tree roots and bark have all been consumed. If no food is found soon, they might resort to cannibalism.

"Grandma, why have you come to the altar again?" The youth, too hungry to straighten his back, spoke feebly, "Let’s go home. In the past, worshipping the Dragon King could bring rain, worshipping Mother Earth could grant bountiful harvests, but now what? We’ve tried all methods in the past two years, silence might allow us to last a few more days, maybe..."

His vacant eyes swept over the cracked land, unable to even contemplate a "maybe" of any substance.

Unless food fell from the sky to feed the entire village, alongside rain enough to grow wild grasses and crops in the fields, what other option exists but to return home and await death?

The white sun gleamed intermittently in the swirling dust, the elderly priestess turned her gaze serenely towards him, "Child, go tell the villagers, silently waiting is just another form of death, better to pray within. Even if demons or ghosts hear and respond, as long as there’s a path, we can’t vanish quietly. Even if it means death, we must strive our utmost vocally, to have no regrets after any efforts made!"

Confronted with the elder’s obstinacy, the youth lacked the strength or inclination to say more, too consumed by hunger, hydrated enough each day to wet his throat but not avoid starvation, perpetual hunger gnawed at him with despair.

"Heaven doesn’t care whether we live or die." He licked his chapped lips with his tongue, gruffly muttering between gasps, "Villagers say, the earthquake killed the Mountain God, floods chased away Mother Earth, even the Dragon King perished due to drought..."

"Those who fled now return saying the other side of the mountain has become a hollow cliff, the neighboring village disappeared entirely, leaving only our surviving villagers..." He squinted at the glaring sun, his mind hazy, anticipating soon the villagers would starve too, eradicating even this remaining village.

The elderly priestess began praying to the Sun Star Monarch, the only potentially miraculous presence visible to her. She thought, given the earthquake, flood, and drought could drive away the previously worshiped deities, the sun high in the sky should be fearless, right?

Inside the Floating Market, having finally adjusted all necessary quantities of materials for the orders, Jiang Yuan stood by the counter.

One portion of Long Rice was one pound, and one slot in the item grid could hold 999 portions, allowing free quantity division. Thankfully, delivery involved dragging from the storage bag grid to the order item grid, otherwise, 300 pounds of rice would never fit on such a small tray.

After setting everything, he pulled down on the wooden handle.

"Ding! Whoosh!"

The goods on the platform vanished instantly, the pleasant familiar sound of Gold Coins echoed beside his ear.

[Order complete, reward received: Random Treasure Chest +1; Faith Value +1500]

A crisp and melodious sound abruptly rang, the priestess, despite her age, still keen of hearing, first caught a "clink" sound, then seemingly raindrops fell upon her. She turned to see, her clothes were not wetted.

A single long, white grain of rice lay quietly in the folds of her garb.

"Huh? What is this..." She cautiously picked it up, closely examining it in the sunlight, "Rice?"

The old priestess familiar with the soil all her life, never had she seen rice so elongated and smooth. Placing it in her mouth, a burst of rice fragrance flooded her parched mouth, assuring her this wasn’t a dream.

"Plink!"

"Patter!"

More grains of rice began to fall from the sky, bouncing across the altar, she grabbed a handful joyfully proclaiming, "A deity heard our prayers, food is falling from the sky!"