In ancient times, they secretly became gods in the deep mountains.

Chapter 35 Using the Stone King to Cast a Statue for the Goddess

Down the mountain, the villagers began their enthusiastic farming, children used sickles to cut pig feed, and ran up the mountain in groups to catch insects for the chickens. The countryside was filled with laughter and joy.

At noon, wisps of smoke rose from the villagers' rooftops, and the sounds of chickens and dogs filled the air. Against the backdrop of the water and mountains, the dilapidated village resembled a hidden paradise in a fairyland.

Birds sing, flowers bloom, and petals fall in profusion!
It's only been a few days, and Peach Blossom Village has changed dramatically again.

Luo Yousong, who had just arrived in Peach Blossom Village, sighed with emotion.

He suddenly smiled with relief, realizing that they had such a good life thanks to the Golden Saintess.

The busy farming season in Peach Blossom Village had just begun. Originally, Luo Yousong did not want to disturb the villagers' farming, but he had an important matter to attend to, a matter that was closely related to everyone.

"Master Luo has arrived."

When Luo Yousong arrived at Zhang Youhe's house, he was immediately given a warm welcome by Zhang Youhe.

"Village Chief Youhe, I have something important I'd like to discuss with you."

Zhang Youhe smiled and said, "Master Luo, please speak frankly."

Luo Yousong nodded and explained the purpose of his trip.

"The Golden Saintess is the benefactor of our people. She relieves suffering and solves the drought problem by bringing rain. We have no way to repay her, so we should build a statue for her so that she can enjoy incense offerings for thousands of generations."

"Look, how about we team up to cast a statue of the goddess and place it in Peach Blossom Village?" Luo Yousong asked Zhang Youhe for his opinion.

Zhang Youhe sighed: "To be honest, Master Luo, we villagers have just as much reverence and faith in the goddess. We even thought about casting a statue for her, but unfortunately, we have suffered from a three-year drought and simply don't have the money to do such things."

"We originally planned to cast a statue for the goddess after we harvested the harvest next year."

There's nothing we can do about it; they don't have enough capacity right now.

Luo Yousong smiled and said, "Here's what I'm thinking: the villagers only need to contribute some labor, and I'll take care of the stone for the statue. Our Xiping County has always been rich in marble. The county magistrate has a stone king that is as smooth as jade and weighs tens of thousands of kilograms. It would be perfect to use the stone king to make the statue of the goddess."

"Master Luo, you know the county magistrate?" Zhang Youhe asked timidly, taken aback.

The most important person he had ever met was Master Luo. The Luo family was a wealthy family, and if it weren't for Master Luo's usual philanthropy, he would never have had the opportunity to come into contact with him.

Upon first hearing the magistrate's name, he felt as if he were listening to a story.

“I have a very good personal relationship with the magistrate, and I have decided to use all my wealth to exchange for that stone king.” Although Lady Jin Sheng did not need his wealth, he had long ago said that he would contribute all his assets to Lady Jin Sheng, who had saved his entire family’s lives.

Yunwu Town belongs to Xiping County. The magistrate of Xiping County and he had some acquaintance. Although they had not seen each other for several years, they still addressed each other as brothers in their correspondence.

Zhang Youhe was filled with excitement and said, "If you, Master Luo, can really get that Stone King, we're willing to put in some effort, I believe the villagers would be happy to do so."

He beamed with joy: "I'll inform the village chiefs of the other villages later and tell them the good news."

The two discussed the location of the statue for a long time.

After discussing it with Zhang Youhe, Luo Yousong hurried to Xiping County.

However, he didn't see anyone when he went there.

The servants of the He family stammered and could not explain why Magistrate He was not seeing them.

Luo Yousong guessed that Magistrate He might be too busy with official duties.

Over the next few days, he persisted and tried to contact Magistrate He several more times. Magistrate He repeatedly claimed that he had urgent business to attend to.

The two had been friends for many years, so how could they have become estranged? Luo Yousong couldn't understand it at all.

“My son, I see you’ve been looking so worried lately. Is it because the farming isn’t going well? Oh, don’t worry. We’ve already endured three years of hardship. Let’s wait a little longer.”

Seeing her son's worried face, Old Mrs. Luo asked him a question.

“Mother, I’m not worried about farming. On the contrary, thanks to the rains brought by the Golden Goddess, our fields have become very suitable for cultivation. I’m worried about something else.”

“Our family has received such great kindness from the Golden Saint Goddess. If it weren’t for her, we would have been persecuted by that rat demon. So I thought of casting a statue of the goddess so that she could enjoy the worship for thousands of generations.”

“My son thought that Magistrate He had the Stone King of Xiping County, so he wanted to use money to buy the Stone King to use as raw material for the statue. However, my son went to see him several times but he refused to see him.”

“Back then, my son and he used to correspond frequently. We haven’t been in touch for a while, so it’s impossible that he’s suddenly become estranged from me, right?”

Luo Yousong sighed in distress.

“Son, Magistrate He may really have something urgent to attend to, that’s why he’s not seeing anyone. I know him well. You two grew up together, and I can tell he’s a kind and righteous boy. It must be that something really has happened to the family,” Old Mrs. Luo comforted Luo Yousong.

"What could possibly happen to him?" Luo Yousong shook his head and sighed.

Madam Luo smiled and said, "The drought has just ended, and he's the county magistrate, so he's probably very busy. Why don't you send him a letter?"

Unfortunately, Luo Yousong waited for more than a month but still did not receive a reply.

Just as he was about to discuss with Zhang Youhe about postponing the matter for a while, he finally received a reply from his friend, Magistrate He.

Magistrate He invited him to a famous restaurant in the county town for a chat.

"Brother He, has something urgent come up? I've been looking for you several times these past few days but haven't been able to find you." Upon seeing Magistrate He, Luo Yousong couldn't help but voice his doubts.

"Alas!" Magistrate He sighed, his face full of distress.

I've really run into a tough situation!
Luo Yousong frowned and asked with concern, "Brother He, have you encountered any difficulties? We have been brothers for many years. Brother He, why don't you tell me? Although I am not very talented, I may be able to offer you some ideas."

Magistrate He sighed, "I really had an urgent matter a few days ago, please don't be offended, my brother."

Looking at Luo Yousong, who was eager to learn, he said bitterly, "My daughter Wanwan has been suffering from a strange illness. She suddenly fell into a coma a year ago and has not woken up. I have tried many methods, but none of them worked. Recently, I was so desperate that I tried to find some monks and Taoist priests outside to perform rituals, but it was still no use at all."

He Wanwan is the youngest daughter of Magistrate He. She was pampered by her parents from a young age and was known as the most talented woman in Xiping County. Luo Yousong had met this niece a few times. She was quite well-behaved and sensible. She was not only outstanding in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also a master at business and accounting.

Luo Yousong asked with concern, "How did Wanwan contract this strange illness?"

When Magistrate He spoke of his daughter's strange illness, he became distressed: "It happened so suddenly, I don't know what kind of demons or monsters my well-behaved daughter has offended."

Demons and monsters!
Luo Yousong had a sudden inspiration.

"Brother He, I have an idea, why don't you give it a try?"

"Are you going to introduce me to some miracle doctor?" Magistrate He felt there was little hope in the suggestion his good friend hadn't voiced.

Luo Yousong smiled and asked, "Brother He, have you ever heard of the Golden Saint Mountain Range?"

(End of this chapter)