The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 158 Opening the Furnace to Refine Pills in order to save the Southwest
Seeing that he had regained some of his health, Du Yuan asked with a smile:
“How come you see?”

The man, looking bewildered, pointed to the dozen or so Yin Virtue Coins that had appeared behind Du Yuan and said:

“I… I didn’t see these before. And you took too many cookies.”

If you didn't notice those Yin Virtue Treasures, then how did Du Yuan hide so many cakes?

This answer made Du Yuan look at the starving people next to her who were still eating flatbread.

Of all those people, only one noticed this unusual detail.

I don't know if this means they were destined to meet but not to be together, or if this person has a unique talent for wisdom.
Du Yuan chuckled softly, a smile spreading across her eyes, and nodded slowly to the man.
"He cannot be considered a celestial being, but he certainly possesses one or two supernatural powers."

Upon receiving this affirmation, the man trembled, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant. His legs went weak, and he was about to kneel down and kowtow to Du Yuan, his eyes filled with fear.

Du Yuan raised her hand to stop him, saying:
"No need for that, we were just strangers who met by chance."

The man opened his mouth, then hurriedly pointed to his elderly mother and said:

"Immortal, Immortal, please take a look at my elderly mother!"

Du Yuan looked in the direction of the sound, then turned back and praised:
"Your mother is fine. She just needs to eat more and rest well, and she'll recover gradually. You're such a good person!"

Although the old man was also pale and thin, it was clear that he had been carefully cared for.

Moreover, at such an age and in such a place, without a filial son by her side to protect her at all times, she would definitely not have made it this far.

The man didn't say anything, he just kept wiping away his tears.

His biggest fear was that he hadn't taken good care of his elderly mother, causing her to develop a chronic illness from all the running around.

Unexpectedly, the immortal said there was nothing seriously wrong!

That’s great, really great!
After a soft sob, the man finally came to his senses and asked:

"Did you come here for disaster relief?"

When he asked this question, the man's eyes were filled with undisguised anticipation and trepidation.

The southwest has suffered for too long, and the people have longed for liberation for far too long.

However, what he feared even more than these things was that even the only immortal in his eyes who could save the southwest would shake his head.

Along the way, fleeing famine, he witnessed government troops transporting relief grain into private granaries, powerful local tyrants taking advantage of the chaos to plunder and seize land, bandits turning children and women into meat pies after breaching a city, and even the sneers of bandits stealing the last half-bag of bran.
He knew better than anyone that these wolves in sheep's clothing couldn't save the Southwest.

The only ones who could save them were the legendary immortals who could ride the clouds.

Fortunately, Du Yuan did not disappoint him and nodded earnestly:

"This is exactly why I came here."

At that moment, the man was almost drained of all his strength by those words, so excited that he was at a loss for words.

After a long while, with a "thump," the man knelt heavily on the overly dry and hard ground, his forehead hitting the ground repeatedly.

He desperately wanted to shout "Thank you, Immortal Master," but his throat felt blocked, and he could only let out a hoarse whimper.

So he kept kowtowing and thanking them.

The commotion drew the attention of those nearby, and after watching for a while, they followed suit and kowtowed to Du Yuan.

It's just that men thank immortals for descending to earth to save the world, while they thank Du Yuan for feeding them and saving their lives.

Du Yuan sat quietly, accepting the greeting.

After everything was over, Du Yuan said to them:

"I'm going up the mountain. If you'd like to come with me, you can!"

After saying that, Du Yuan got up and headed straight for Cold Pine Mountain.

Seeing this, the man did not hesitate to carry his elderly mother on his back and follow closely behind Du Yuan.

His expression was resolute, and his steps were firm. Seeing this, the other starving people hesitated for a moment, then followed.

Looking at the majestic Cold Pine Mountain, many starving people felt a little afraid.

On their journey to escape famine, what they feared most was encountering high mountains that could only be crossed.

The journey up and down was exhausting and dangerous. Countless people have died from exhaustion while trying to cross the mountains, and countless others have fallen off cliffs.

If it weren't for Du Yuan leading the way, they would definitely not have been willing to go up the mountain.

The man carrying his elderly mother carefully asked Du Yuan:

"Immortal, what brings you up the mountain?"

As he spoke, he looked towards the hilltop and hesitated, then said:
"I... I heard that this used to be Hansong Temple. But when the imperial court came, it was burned down."

They had also heard of Hansong Temple; it was a famous Taoist temple in the southwest.

Many people say that the incense here is the most efficacious!

He used to be so numb from fleeing famine that he didn't believe in these things, but when the immortals actually appeared, he started to believe again.

They were also wondering if the immortals were dissatisfied with the court's destruction of Hansong Temple.

Otherwise, why go to the mountaintop?

Thinking of this, he swallowed hard and said to Du Yuan:

"Immortal, the Great General is a very good person. Our group was able to survive and get here because he provided us with food. So, so, could you please not punish him?"

Du Yuan turned around in surprise at first, then looked at his cowering appearance and suddenly laughed:
Why do you think Hansong Temple, which worships many gods and receives countless offerings, was trampled to the ground?

The man shook his head, puzzled.

Du Yuan continued to laugh:

"Because they not only lost the hearts of the people, but even the deities enshrined in the temple couldn't stand it anymore!"

This answer made the man even more delighted. So, the general wouldn't be bothered by the immortal?

But then, what's the point of going up the mountain?
The man wanted to continue asking questions, but then felt that he was just an ordinary person asking too many.

He had no choice but to suppress his doubts and slowly follow Du Yuan up the mountain.

When Du Yuan stood still on the charred ruins.

Du Yuan spotted what she was looking for at a glance—a bronze furnace!
Du Yuan walked up to the bronze furnace and praised it repeatedly.

"Great, this is exactly what I wanted!"

The starving people had found a place to rest, panting heavily.

The man carrying his elderly mother was also out of breath, but after settling her in, he quickly came up to ask:
"Immortal, I... I've never been to school and I don't understand any principles, but... I'm quite diligent. If there's anything you need, just tell me!"

Du Yuan immediately said to him:
"Yes, there is something I need your help with! No, I need all of you to help me with!"

Upon hearing this, the starving people immediately looked at Du Yuan.

Du Yuan then pointed to the bronze furnace in front of her and said:
"I will set up a furnace here to refine elixirs and save the southwest!"

These words caused a choking sensation in the hearts of many starving people.

They sensed that something was starting to change, but they couldn't describe it and could only instinctively look at Du Yuan standing in front of the bronze furnace.

They stood there, stunned, as if they had seen a god.

And listen to him continue:
"I hope you all will spread this message as widely as possible and tell them to come and wait for me!"

He had been talking about the Heaven of Separation and the Tushita Palace for so long.

Now, it's time to seriously refine a batch of pills!
(End of this chapter)