Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 457 The Suffering of All Beings

The deity lay prostrate on the ground and spoke in a low voice, "This place is quite close to Ghost Prefecture. The three nearby villages are all protected by minor deities. Without these minor deities, these people would have been devoured by demons long ago..."

Qingwan said unhappily, "There's a severe drought right now, and I see some villagers are barely surviving. You're here comfortably enjoying their offerings and incense. What are you going to protect in the end?"

The deity couldn't help but say, "You can't say that... In years of great disaster, how can people not die? In ordinary years, some people may not even survive. That's their fate, and I can't be blamed."

"I see that you two are also highly accomplished cultivators. Why bother with the lives of these mortals? Mortals are nothing but weeds..."

The gods don't care about the lives of these villagers at all. In such a year of great disaster, even if all the villagers die, he will not bear much responsibility. He might even have the opportunity to be transferred to another place.

Upon hearing the deity's words, Qingwan almost couldn't resist drawing her sword and killing him.

Upon seeing Qing Wan's unfriendly gaze, the deity quickly said, "I am a righteous god of the Chu Kingdom, don't act recklessly, even if you are cultivators from immortal sects..."

The gods heard that some immortal sects acted without restraint, and that in such places, if someone were to kill them, no one in the government would know.

Seeing the deity before her so timid and fearful, Qingwan thought to herself that the gods that the common people usually prayed to really had no divine presence at all.

I wonder what the villagers would think if they saw the deity they worshipped behaving like this.

Lu Zheng said, "You just said that you are a god appointed by the city god of the state, so why are you in such a remote place?"

Upon hearing this, the deity said, "Alas, it's a long story. I accidentally offended someone I shouldn't have, which is why I was demoted to this place..."

Even the gods can't help but sigh when such things are mentioned.

"Don't disbelieve me, I am truly a legitimate god who has been officially appointed, not some charlatan. Underneath my statue, there is a document appointing me as a minor god, bearing the seal of the city god of the prefecture. You can tell the truth at a glance."

Lu Zheng scanned the area with his divine sense, and a scroll of documents flew out from under the statue.

Upon unfolding it, it was indeed an appointment document. This deity was posthumously granted godhood; in his previous life, he was a human named Yang Wan.

Seeing Lu Zheng examining the documents, Yang Wan said, "Isn't that right? This little god isn't some other wild mountain deity. Back in the day, I was even chatting and laughing with the City God of the State..."

Yang Wan rambled on and on, reminiscing about the good old days, but he didn't mention who he had offended that led him to his current predicament.

Yang Wan then said, "These two experts seem to possess considerable skill. Why don't you lend a hand to help this humble deity alleviate the drought? It would be an act of kindness and merit..."

Yang Wan felt that since the other party thought he was not doing anything, then let the two of them show their skills to help the people, otherwise neither of them should criticize the other.

Lu Zheng looked at Yang Wan and asked, "What's your solution?"

"Huh? This..."

Yang Wan racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good solution. Who knew how long the drought would last? He really didn't want to suffer any losses because of it.

Yang Wan then said, "The two immortal masters are highly accomplished and must have thought things through more thoroughly than I have. Please give your orders, and I will do my best in anything within my power!"

Lu Zheng could tell that this person's words were not sincere; he didn't really want to do his best, he just wanted to protect himself.

Lu Zheng pondered for a moment and then withdrew his oppressive aura.

Yang Wan then felt a sense of relief and scrambled to his feet. He wanted to run but dared not.

Lu Zhengdao said, "Take us to see the other two villages."

“Okay…” Yang Wan paused, then added, “However, I have difficulty moving around like this, so please wait a moment.”

After saying this, Yang Wan disappeared underground, but he did not escape.

After all, you can run from the gods, but you can't run from the temple. He didn't think he could escape the clutches of these two.

A short while later, Yang Wan emerged from underground, transforming from a soul form into a clay human body.

When traveling, Yang Wan would usually possess other objects to reduce the consumption of his divine power.

Yang Wan said quietly, "The other two villages are about twenty li away from here, so it will take some time to walk..."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Point me in a direction."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wan raised his hand and pointed in a direction.

Lu Zheng raised his hand and grabbed Yang Wan, then took Qing Wan and rode the wind to another village.

Yang Wanfei was terrified in the air, not because he was afraid of heights, but because he hadn't expected to encounter a master who could fly.

Feeling the scorching wind and waves, Yang Wan couldn't help but ask, "May I ask how you two are addressed?"

Lu Zheng did not respond, but instead observed the ground below as he flew.

"How long has this drought lasted?" Lu Zheng asked.

"Well, let me think..." Yang Wan pondered for a moment, "I remember the last time it rained was last month, and there was a drought for about twenty days, right?"

Yang Wan didn't remember exactly when the drought started, since he didn't work in the fields and wouldn't care whether it rained or not.

It was only when his colleagues in the county town informed him that a drought unlike any other had occurred.

Yang Wan looked at the bright, blazing sun in the sky, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Previously, I had always stayed inside the temple and had never had such vivid sensory experiences.

Yang Wan couldn't help but mutter, "The drought is getting worse. Judging from this awful weather, it's probably going to continue."

Lu Zheng then asked, "What measures have the local city god and county government taken?"

Yang Wan shook his head and said, "No, what measures can be taken? With such a natural disaster, the county god can't do anything. He doesn't have the ability to bring rain to the whole county to alleviate the drought. He just told us to be careful not to let demons and evil people cause trouble."

"As the saying goes, natural disasters and man-made calamities are inevitable. When natural disasters strike, it's unavoidable that ghosts and demons will cause trouble. Some people can't survive, so they will rebel..."

"Several decades ago, the neighboring county suffered a flood, and then some sorcerers rebelled, killing many officials and almost storming the county seat..."

Lu Zheng's eyes flashed with a sinister light. "Natural disasters and man-made calamities? Man-made calamities? If the people could survive, why would they be in this situation? The so-called man-made calamities are probably caused by people like you."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wan felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't help but say, "This has nothing to do with me. I wasn't involved in those things..."

Before long, Lu Zheng and his group arrived at a mountain.

Below the mountain was a village, and judging from its condition, it was not much better than the previous village.

The crops in those fields had already lost their vitality due to drought and lack of water.

Next, they went to another village.

The village is near a stream, and the water is so shallow that it barely reaches ankle height.

In the fields, some villagers braved the scorching heat to carry muddy stream water to irrigate their fields.

For farmland that is already parched and cracked, these measures are merely a drop in the ocean and do nothing to help.

If the drought continues like this, the streams will probably dry up completely in a few days, and these people won't even have water for daily life.

In a field, an old man suddenly felt dizzy and fainted.

After a while, some villagers nearby noticed something was wrong and quickly called for help to carry the person to a shady place.

"This is heatstroke! Quick, quick, get a bowl of water..."

"This awful weather, when will it ever end? The crops in the fields are almost gone!"

"Now we can't even cry out to heaven and earth, no one will listen to our cries for help, they really don't give us a way to live..."

……

A group of villagers gathered there, watching an elderly man from their village faint from the heat. They couldn't help but empathize with him and felt that this year had been difficult.

Just then, Lu Zheng and his two companions walked over quickly.

"I know medicine, let me see the patient," Lu Zheng said leisurely, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

The villagers were still somewhat taken aback when they saw the three people who had suddenly appeared.

"Where do you come from?"

Some villagers couldn't help but ask questions, looking the three people over.

Suddenly, a gaunt child stared at Yang Wan, his eyes gleaming with curiosity, and asked, "Are you the local earth god of the temple?"

Children often accompany adults to temples to worship, and they find that the people in front of them look similar to the statues of gods enshrined in the temple.

Upon hearing this, everyone else looked at Yang Wan, their faces filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Yang Wan was being stared at by these villagers and didn't know how to respond.

He couldn't help but glance at Lu Zheng beside him.

Lu Zheng slowly said, "He is the deity you worship."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wan's eyes flashed, and he cooperated by puffing out his chest and waving his sleeve, releasing a wisp of divine aura.

Yang Wan said arrogantly, "That's right, I am the Earth God you worship. I have come out to inspect your situation in this severe drought."

Everyone's expression changed upon sensing that familiar aura.

"thump……"

One by one, the villagers knelt on the ground and kowtowed in respect.

"Please, God, save our village!"

"May the Great God have mercy and protect us..."

……

The villagers all spoke up, praying for divine protection.

Seeing the crowd kneeling and pleading, Yang Wan couldn't help but raise his head slightly to accept the people's awe.

However, two slightly cold gazes came from the side.

Yang Wan was startled and shrank back. He quickly put one hand on his head to help him up and said, "Get up quickly, I know what happened to you."

"This year, the heavens have changed, which is why there is such a severe drought. Now, it's not just your area that is suffering from this disaster; other prefectures and counties are not much better off."

Upon hearing this, the villagers' expressions turned grim.

Someone asked cautiously, "May I ask, Your Majesty, when will the drought end?"

Yang Wan said quietly, "Such natural disasters are beyond the comprehension of us gods."

“However…” Yang Wan paused, then turned to look at Lu Zheng and Qing Wan, “I have invited two highly skilled cultivators to help you temporarily alleviate the drought. As for what happens after that, we’ll leave it to fate.”

Yang Wan pushed the matter to Lu Zheng and the other person, but he didn't make any absolute statements, only saying that the disaster situation would be temporarily alleviated.

Even if Lu Zheng and his companion can't help much, he won't lose too much face in front of these villagers.

Upon hearing Yang Wan's words, the villagers all turned to look at Lu Zheng and his companion.

A master invited by the gods? That must be a very powerful person.

Someone hurriedly said, "Please, immortal, save us!"

"Shangxian..."

……

Lu Zheng sighed inwardly, raised one hand slightly, and used his spiritual power to help everyone up from the ground.

The group found themselves standing up involuntarily, and they were all astonished, realizing that they had truly met a master.

Lu Zheng said amiably, "We are not immortals, but just people with some cultivation."

Lu Zheng slowly walked up to the old man who had fainted.

The other villagers quickly made way for them, their expressions filled with awe.

Lu Zheng took out a jade bottle and fed a little bit of the medicine into the old man's mouth.

The elderly man who had fainted was stimulated by the medicine and soon woke up, and was fine.

The other villagers looked on in amazement, saying that Lu Zheng was an extraordinary immortal who cured the person instantly with miraculous medicine.

The elderly man, upon regaining consciousness and learning the situation, was extremely grateful.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "Old man, you should rest well. I didn't give you any magic pills, just ordinary herbal juice..."

Lu Zheng took out several medicinal herbs and showed them to everyone.

"These herbs are common medicinal materials found in the mountains and can be used to treat heatstroke..."

Lu Zheng explained in detail some medical knowledge to the villagers.

Such abnormal weather, working under the blazing sun, can really kill people from the heat; these people need some preventative measures.

The villagers listened to Lu Zheng's story, only half understanding it, but they all tried their best to remember it, and no one dared to interrupt.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng said, "Fellow villagers, please rest assured, I have understood the situation here. You can go back now, and I will find a way to handle it."

Upon hearing this, no one moved; they all stared expectantly at Lu Zheng.

Everyone was hoping that Lu Zheng could now command the wind and rain, and bring the crops in the fields back to life.

Noticing the gazes of these people, Lu Zheng could easily understand the villagers' urgent feelings.

Lu Zheng then said, "The sun is at its zenith now, it's not the right time yet. Tonight, I will summon clouds and rain to bring down sweet dew."

Upon hearing this, Yang Wan raised an eyebrow, wondering to himself if this person truly possessed the ability to summon clouds and rain.

Yang Wan then said, "Go back, everyone. It's not the auspicious time yet. Don't disturb the immortal master's spellcasting here."

Although Lu Zheng repeatedly explained that he was not an immortal or a master, the villagers and Yang Wan did not change their tune.

Seeing that the gods had spoken, everyone left, turning back every few steps.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng sat down in a conspicuous spot under the tree to reassure the villagers.

Seeing that Lu Zheng remained outside the village, Yang Wan could only stand aside, obediently not daring to move.

At the village entrance, some people were still there, glancing over cautiously from time to time, as if afraid that Lu Zheng and the others would disappear.

After a while, led by an elder of the village, some villagers carried over a lot of offerings, saying they were for worshipping heaven and gods, and also for Lu Zheng and his companion.

Seeing the incredibly devout appearance of these Chu people, Lu Zheng felt a mix of emotions.

No matter how devout these people are, no deity cares about their life or death.

He couldn't help but whisper, "Take them all back. We are no longer of this world, and even Heaven cannot receive these things. Your kindness is enough..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed, but none of them dared to take away the offerings they had brought.

At Yang Wan's insistence, the villagers took the items back.

(End of this chapter)