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

Chapter 160 Leveraging the Southwest (3k)

As darkness fell, the group of men who had gone down the mountain returned.

By this time, more than a thousand starving people had gathered there. And exactly one piece of the cake that Du Yuan had brought was distributed among them.

Watching the last person take the last piece of bread.

Du Yuan was inwardly amazed.

Fate, fate, it is truly wondrous beyond words.

He nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the more than a thousand disaster victims in front of him.

The group was gathered on the ruins of Hansong Temple, where a small clearing had been made, whispering among themselves.

The immortal said he was going to refine elixirs, but he never opened the furnace. This aroused great curiosity among many people, who wondered how the immortal would begin.

Immediately, various speculations and whispers arose.

This was exactly the scene that Du Yuan was happy to see.

"Everyone, everyone!"

As soon as Du Yuan spoke, everyone immediately fell silent and looked over.

Du Yuan, without any airs of superiority, sat down directly on the ground.

He said to them:

"Do you know why I insisted on coming to Hansong Temple to refine elixirs?"

Upon hearing this, although no one among the disaster victims below responded, their thoughts certainly began to wander.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and shouted:
"Could it be that you are a celestial being from Hansong Temple?"

Hansong Temple is famous throughout Southwest China, so they have heard many related legends since childhood.

It is said that Taoist priests from Hansong Temple have ascended to heaven in broad daylight, and there was more than one—one was the founding patriarch, another was a rising star, and the last one was even a former emperor who had attained enlightenment and became a monk there!

Du Yuan gently shook her head:
"No, no, I am not a disciple of Hansong Temple."

Seeing that this wasn't the reason, someone else mustered up their courage and shouted:

"Is it because the imperial court destroyed Hansong Temple, and you are resentful?"

Hansong Temple is a major Buddhist temple with far-reaching influence, and it is located in the southwest.

As the disaster victims migrated, they often overheard people, whether intentionally or unintentionally, discussing that the drought had persisted for years because the imperial court had destroyed Taoist temples, angering Heaven. This was a sign of the court's moral failings, and only a change of dynasty could end this drought.

But Du Yuan still shook her head and said:

"This temple is no longer a place for pure cultivation. It reeks of money and is filled with greed! I feel no resentment at its destruction; in fact, I am delighted!"

Now, the disaster victims were completely bewildered.

They looked at each other, bewildered, and finally could only look up at him in confusion, asking:

"Then why did you choose this place?"

Du Yuan then smiled and said:

"For although this place is a filthy place, the thousands of people who come and go here are not!"

Having said that, he rose and walked to the bronze furnace. He laughed loudly:
"Look, everyone, this bronze incense burner has stood here for more than a hundred years. Day and night, countless people have come and gone, offering incense here with devotion."

He raised his hand and gently stroked the cold furnace wall.

"Now, the mountain and the temple are destroyed, but the furnace remains intact. In fact, it not only survives but also undergoes a complete transformation through the blazing flames that burn away all filth!"

Du Yuan turned around abruptly, her gaze fixed intently on the crowd, and said, word by word:

"Therefore, I have come here for no other reason than for this precious furnace that has survived countless calamities and embodies the collective will of all people!"

Having said that, he pointed to the heavens and laughed:

"This is the will of Heaven!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Taking advantage of this momentum, Du Yuan suddenly slammed her hand on the bronze furnace and exclaimed:

"Now, I, this humble Taoist, will borrow this furnace to save the southwest!"

Before the words were finished and the commotion of the crowd had subsided, the bronze furnace that Du Yuan had struck trembled slightly with a "hum" and seemed to crack, oozing out strands of golden light.

It stood out exceptionally well against the deep night sky!

The disaster victims grew increasingly agitated, all scrambling to push their way to the front, eager to catch a glimpse of the wondrous furnace.

Looking at the excited and uproaring crowd and the cracked, gold-stained bronze incense burner.

Du Yuan knew that she had taken the first step.

So he struck while the iron was hot, his voice resounding throughout the land:
"I, Du Yuan, today, borrow the wishes of all people to pray to Heaven for fire, so as to demonstrate the compassion of the Great Way!"

Before the words had even finished, and before countless disaster victims could even hold their breath to avoid missing this once-in-a-lifetime miracle, Du Yuan gestured vaguely towards the crowd.

In an instant, the breaths exhaled by countless people condensed into a tangible mass, flowing and rolling onto Du Yuan's fingertips.

Like smoke and fire, it dances and leaps incessantly.

Du Yuan, holding the wondrous fire formed from the breath of all living beings, turned it towards the bronze furnace, flicked her wrist, and shouted:
"rise!"

Everyone craned their necks and stood on tiptoe even more. They saw the strange fire fly into the heart of the furnace, and then a burst of light suddenly erupted!
'It's done?!'

The moment of ecstasy captivated everyone's attention; it was almost unbelievable how smoothly it had gone.

However, the moment this thought arose, the light at the heart of the furnace suddenly dimmed, flickered, and looked about to go out.

Could it not work? The disaster victims' hearts leaped into their throats!

And at that moment, someone suddenly pointed to the ceiling above the furnace and said:

"Look! There are dark clouds in the sky that are covering the moon!"

"Wait, these clouds are so low and so dark!"

"Could it be an evil spirit?"

Just moments ago, the sky was cloudless and the moonlight was bright, but now it is swept away by an excessively low and gloomy black cloud.

The disaster victims were immediately thrown into panic. Du Yuan also frowned slightly – this sudden turn of events was also beyond his expectations. Moreover, upon closer inspection, he couldn't discern the true nature of this dark cloud.

I just vaguely felt that it might be related to the major disaster in Southwest China.

The strange, inexplicable feeling I had when I gazed southwest earlier is still vivid in my mind.

Seeing the dark cloud and the gradually dying alchemy furnace, someone immediately shouted:
"Immortal Master, have we not sent enough people?!"

As he spoke, he waited for Du Yuan to nod before he was about to follow his companions down the mountain to find more people.

But Du Yuan slowly shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the bewildered crowd, and then she chuckled softly:

"It's alright, it's alright, because I'm still here!"

The voice was soft, but the chuckle was deeply moving.

The immortal master actually possesses the power to reverse fate?!
The more than one thousand disaster victims were all deeply moved and their emotions were difficult to describe.

Du Yuan also raised her hand, bit her fingertip, and used her blood as ink to draw talismans on the bronze furnace.

"The sky and the earth are boundless, the universe borrows the law!"

If the blessings of the people can't ignite this fire, then surely my cultivation, which has been increasing day by day as I travel, can't it?
Du Yuan doesn't know any proper Taoist arts, let alone what talismans are.

So he simply learned exactly what happened when he encountered the red stone in the wilderness of Qing County.

However, back then it was Fahai, but now it is Yan Chixia!
When the last character of the word "law" fell.

The blood-stained seal turned into a golden talisman, and with its immense power, even the outer skin of the bronze furnace cracked and turned gold, trembling incessantly.

Du Yuan knew it had worked.

So after he laughed loudly, he pointed to the sky and said:
"Edict!"

The next moment, golden flames shot into the sky, coming from the furnace fire, and the gloomy black clouds that had almost covered the entire Cold Pine Mountain instantly dispersed.

The bright fire illuminated the entire summit of Cold Pine Mountain.

Under the starry night, such wonders are seen by almost everyone.

Looking at the rising golden flames, Du Yuan was extremely satisfied.

Although I didn't know what was being concealed, I still managed to resolve it myself!
"We are deeply grateful for the divine grace bestowed upon you, Immortal Master!!!"

At that moment, countless disaster victims behind him also hurriedly prostrated themselves in worship.

Turning around, he saw a dense crowd, all bowing to him repeatedly.

Du Yuan waved her hand and said:

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, although the furnace fire has been lit, it is still a long way from completing the pill."

"Therefore, I would like to ask you all to stop for now so that I may help this humble Taoist to complete the elixir."

At this point, how could these thousand-plus disaster victims still question Du Yuan's words?

Therefore, as soon as he opened his mouth, the crowd stopped and looked on expectantly.

Seeing this, Du Yuan felt a little embarrassed by the stares.

After lowering his head and smiling to calm himself down, he continued:
"For this elixir to be completed, we need herbs from nine mountains, mud from ten lands, and clothing from ten thousand people. This elixir is for the benefit of the millions of people in the southwest, so I cannot rely on others and can only ask you all to gather it!"

Upon hearing this, some disaster victims immediately shouted:
"Immortal Master, just tell me where to look. Don't worry, even if it costs me my worthless life, I will definitely get it for you!"

"Yes, the immortal is a celestial being. It is already an immense favor that he has come down to earth to help us. How can we expect the immortal to do everything for us?"

"Immortal Master, please just tell me what it is!"

"Yes, Immortal Master!"

The voices of the disaster victims rose and fell, and Du Yuan listened with a nod and a slight smile.

Then, pointing into the distance, he said:

"Actually, it's not difficult at all, because the 'Nine Mountains Herbs' refers to picking nine different kinds of herbs from the tops of nine famous mountains."

"And the mud from those ten places is mud collected from silt deposited in ten different lakes."

"As for the final garment for all people, it is the simplest yet the most difficult. It requires different people to cut a small piece of their own clothing and throw it into the fire. The more the better!"

Southwest China was once a land of plenty, with no shortage of high mountains and lakes, but it was not exactly a simple place.

After all, it's impossible to cram everything into one place. It will inevitably take considerable effort to accomplish this.

Upon hearing this, many disaster victims immediately said:

"It's that simple! Let's set off immediately!"

"Yes, let's set off right away!"

After saying this, a large number of disaster victims headed down the mountain.

Du Yuan hurriedly called out to them:
"This may sound easy, but without a united will, it will be difficult to succeed. Therefore, I urge everyone to spread the word along the way. Without the combined efforts of all, great things cannot be accomplished!"

Everyone was startled and lowered their heads in response:

"Please rest assured, Immortal Master!"

Watching the disaster victims gradually leave, Du Yuan felt very satisfied.

He could certainly do it himself, but that would be too easy and too difficult to accomplish.

Because that dark cloud just now proved Du Yuan's initial guess—success would not be easy.

Therefore, he did not want to make the disaster victims search the mountains and seas in a difficult way, but rather to use the reputation of achieving great things through collective effort to let more people know and believe.

After all, only things that are so complicated and complex, and that one has personally experienced and been deeply involved in, can truly inspire unwavering belief.

Only by getting as many people in the entire southwest region as possible mobilized can we achieve this.

Only then could he use this alchemy method to directly solve the food shortage problem in the southwest.

Yes, he wanted to use this small Cold Pine Mountain to break the deadlock in the entire southwest!

(End of this chapter)