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Chapter 19 Summoning with Immortal Arts
"Could it be some kind of magical immortal technique that can conjure up food...?"

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Shen Fang immediately shook his head in denial. Impossible, absolutely impossible! There are many immortal disciples besides Liu Shuyue; a small group emerges every hundred years, and with the variations and strange methods that have been passed down, he had never heard of such a spell.

Ultimately, immortal masters are not gods. While they excel at slaying demons and communicating with the heavens and earth, in other aspects they are no different from ordinary people. For example, immortal masters also need to eat, and before each expedition, the local government must prepare provisions and drinks for them to ensure they don't shirk their duties. If they possessed the ability to conjure food themselves, why would they need to use towns as their base of operations?

Moreover, Shen Fang trusted his intuition.

The last time the Immortal Master loudly rebuked her in the Hall of Might, it indirectly proved that she was powerless to solve this problem. Otherwise, the Immortal Master would not have needed to wait until the refugees gathered here. She could have directly obtained a batch of food from the western region where the monsters were being eliminated, and everything would have been solved long ago.

"My lord, Your Excellency, why do you both look so serious?" A beautiful woman entered the room, carrying a pot of tea. "I was thinking, isn't it a great thing to ensure that the disaster victims have enough to eat?"

Shen Fang was momentarily speechless. He couldn't openly say that his wife's words were wrong, so he could only wave his hand impatiently, telling her to leave quickly. "We are discussing politics. What are you, a woman, doing interrupting? Put the tea here and let him pour it himself."

He spoke sternly, but his eyes were full of doting affection.

After driving his wife away, the atmosphere between the two became somewhat awkward.

That's right, it would be fantastic news anywhere else, but it just doesn't work in Zhang Wei.

If the disaster victims return home well-fed and everyone is happy, then the current emperor is probably not so happy.

“I will go and see for myself when the grain is distributed at noon,” Shen Fang said, breaking the silence. “This matter is certainly not the work of the Immortal Master alone; there may be a powerful figure helping him behind the scenes.”

……

……

The water in the large pot was boiling vigorously, and steaming white vapor was rising straight out.

"Master, the water is boiling," someone stepped forward and said.

Looking at the more than ten long lines in front of her, Liu Shuyue nodded and said, "Let's get bowls and noodles."

The crowd immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers, as if it were a festival.

Everyone came to the pot in an orderly manner, took their own disposable bowls and chopsticks, and the twenty or so people in charge of boiling water used a large ladle to scoop the boiling water into their bowls one by one.

Only those whose bowls are filled with boiling water can receive their portion of noodles.

The noodles were placed on a horse-drawn carriage next to the relief station, and there were also people specifically responsible for distributing them.

One bag per person, treating the elderly, children, young women, and everyone equally.

Those who haven't had enough to eat can fill up with relief porridge.

After the first day of trying it out, the disaster victims were quite adept at preparing this convenient food. Some impatient ones even tore open the bags and stuffed the flatbreads into their mouths before the water was even added, treating the bowl of boiled water as mere decoration. Liu Shuyue didn't stop them; as long as they didn't waste food or hoard it, how they ate it was their freedom.

The open space was filled with a fragrant aroma that made one's mouth water.

This was no exaggeration. Liu Shuyue saw the soldiers at the city gate staring longingly in their direction, as if the relief food was more tempting than the cornbread in their hands.

"Immortal Master, you are truly our family's savior!" An elderly woman with a child suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud. "I kowtow to you!"

Someone nearby immediately pulled him up, "Hey, sir, didn't we say you're not allowed to thank anyone when the food is served? It'll block the way for the people behind you. We're all remembering the good deeds of the Immortal Master and Bodhisattvas, please finish your meal before you thank them!"

"Yes, just keep this kindness in your heart, and you can repay it when you have the chance!"

"My life was given to me by the immortal master, how could I possibly thank him? Immortal master, my name is Fu Jiaolu, a hunter. If you need my help, just call me!"

"Come on, the immortal master wouldn't even look at you."

"Hahahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

Such scenes occur every moment—someone stands up to express their gratitude, and someone maintaining order steps in to stop them; while they are stopped, the person expressing gratitude evokes even more resonance, until the atmosphere reaches a new climax, and the next person can't hold back and jumps out of the line to say thank you.

Liu Shuyue neither dodged nor avoided the situation, nor did she respond. She simply stood quietly at the front of all the lines, ensuring that everyone could see her.

This is the best time to establish prestige.

If she hadn't experienced it firsthand, she would have found it hard to imagine that just a few days ago, this group of people were hostile and wary of each other, eyeing each other's food while fearing they would become targets themselves. Blind despair and sorrow filled every corner of the camp. Chen Xuan was absolutely right; if the disaster victims couldn't be united, even if food was distributed, it would still be a disaster.

As the saying goes, nothing can be accomplished without rules. The disaster camp was in chaos due to the loss of order, but now she has given this group of people a new order.

She divided the disaster victims into groups based on historical experience and knowledge, including the grain distribution department, the reserve department, the organization department, and the security department, and forced them to work together to cope with the hunger crisis.

In order to continue to reinforce the rules she established, she must become a pillar of support in the hearts of the disaster victims.

Liu Shuyue stood at the forefront so that everyone would know that she was the one who brought them life-saving food and that she was the one who saved the people of Qingzhou from the threat of famine.

Although she had to rely on the store manager to accomplish this, she didn't need to reveal the inside story to everyone—this prestige was dispensable to Chen Xuan, but it was of great use to her.

This is not an honor, but a responsibility.

Suddenly, there was some commotion at the front of the group.

"I wonder if the immortal master could also send me a portion of relief noodles?"

A man walked through the line and stood in front of Liu Shuyue, cupping his hands in greeting as he asked.

Although most of the refugees did not recognize him, his conspicuous official robes deterred them from acting rashly.

"Your Excellency," Liu Shuyue returned the greeting with clasped hands, "I'm afraid that won't work."

"Is he... the Prefect?" The people couldn't help but whisper among themselves, a hint of fear in their eyes.

"Not even me?"

“These noodles are for refugees, and the quantity is limited. If you get an extra pack, a refugee will get one less,” Liu Shuyue said gently. “However, if Your Highness is curious, you can buy them from them. As long as you are willing to spend money, these noodles are not hard to get.”

"Spend money... to buy it?" Shen Fang was taken aback.

“That’s right. This way, the refugees can buy food with the money. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?” She smiled. “By the way… several shopkeepers have already come to buy today, and the prices they offered weren’t low. If Your Majesty is too proud to talk to the refugees, you can go to these shopkeepers.”

"Where did these noodles come from?"

Shen Fang didn't want to dodge the question any longer, so he lowered his voice and pressed for an answer.

When he saw bags of strange grains appear outside the city, he could hardly believe his eyes—having served as an official for so long, he could tell at a glance that this was definitely not something that Qingzhou could produce.

Simply soak it in boiling water, and it becomes a bowl of flavorful noodle soup. It's even more magical than magic!

The prefect's judgment was correct.

If Liu Shuyue can continuously provide this magical food, the famine in Qingzhou will disappear without a trace, and the immortal master who saves the people from danger will naturally become a savior sought after by the people and gain unprecedented fame!
This is completely contrary to the current emperor's expectations.

“It’s magic,” Liu Shuyue said frankly. “I used magic to summon them.”

"Impossible!" Shen Fang couldn't help but raise his voice. "If you really had this ability, why didn't you use it after the demon was exorcised? If you had summoned food from the beginning, the people of Qingzhou wouldn't have had to suffer this calamity and flee all the way here!"

All eyes turned to them.

Liu Shuyue's expression remained unchanged. "Of course, it was impossible to do at the time. You should have heard that even immortal arts have their time. The more mysterious the magic, the more it depends on timing. Only when the time and opportunity are right can it be successfully cast."

"This……"

"Isn't the Prefect happy? Why are you still worrying about whether the magic can be successful? The refugees can all have enough to eat, and the people of Zhangwei City can sleep soundly. This is clearly a great thing."

Shen Fang was startled. "Of course I'm happy—"

"Is that so?" She paused, looked directly into the prefect's eyes, and asked, word by word, "But why can't the Prefect smile?"

He subconsciously glanced around at the countless pairs of eyes scrutinizing him, as if everyone was waiting for his answer. After a moment, he slowly grinned, forcing a smile, "Ha...haha...how could that be? I'm so happy I don't know what to do! Immortal Master, you are indeed incredibly powerful. It's a great fortune for His Majesty to have your assistance...hahahaha!"

(End of this chapter)