Chapter 40: The Spiritual Vein Listens

Chi Yixuan felt that the situation was getting a little hard to clean up.

The story had to start from the moment he returned to the Easternmost Continent. In a very short time, he learned how to modify spiritual veins, then extracted most of the wood spirit from Fengcheng’s spiritual vein and merged it into the spiritual vein of Half Moon Gorge.

The process was like grafting a flowering branch onto a plant that originally did not bloom. The former made up for its ornamental value, while the latter made up for disease resistance and increased the number of flowers.

Half Moon Gorge’s spiritual vein had originally only possessed metal spirit and water spirit. After a portion of wood spirit was merged into it, the quality of this spiritual vein naturally rose, going from high-grade yellow grade to yellow-grade perfection. If this portion of wood spirit had not come from a low-grade yellow-grade spiritual vein, it could even have broken through to mystic grade.

After all, metal generated water, and water in turn generated wood. This spiritual vein’s attributes were highly compatible with wood spirit. And merging in wood spirit was not only for the sake of giving this spiritual vein a complete makeover; it also came from Zhaoge’s own needs.

The metal spirit within the spiritual vein would most likely allow Zhaoge to produce one or two mineral deposits, enriching Zhaoge’s resources. The water spirit could summon clouds and mist to change the climate in this area, increasing rainfall and lowering the temperature.

But Zhaoge was located in the Nameless Desert. Vegetation here was sparse, most of the soil had turned to desert, and there were no underground plants. This meant that once the spiritual vein was planted and heavy rain fell, a large area of sandy soil in and around Zhaoge would be washed away by the current. Zhaoge was in a valley in particular. If the houses in the valley were destroyed by mud and sand, it would bring plenty of trouble.

But after merging in wood spirit, there was no longer any need to worry about this. While that spiritual vein in Fengcheng had brought great winds to Fengcheng, it had also brought flourishing vegetation.

It was just that the spiritual vein there was a low-grade yellow-grade spiritual vein. The wood spirit filling the spiritual vein had no restraint, which was what created the great winds that harmed mortals. In the new spiritual vein, the metal spirit just so happened to restrain the wood spirit, so there was no need to worry that it would turn into a second Fengcheng.

“Metal spirit restrains wood spirit, and wood spirit just so happens to hold back metal spirit, so they can barely be balanced. It’s just that water spirit doesn’t have a matching restraining attribute. The rainfall each time might be rather heavy… But Zhaoge is badly short on water right now, so that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

And so, as soon as Chi Yixuan returned to Zhaoge, he planted the new spiritual vein underground. At the same time, in order to prevent large amounts of sandy soil from being lost under the rainfall, he scattered handfuls of seeds he had plucked from the Beisheng Continent around the valley to assist the wood spirit.

Sure enough, just after the spiritual vein was planted, before the spiritual qi in this tiny world even had time to become active, a dark cloud silently enveloped all of Zhaoge. It was already night at the time, so no one noticed. Only when the torrential rain came pouring down did all of Zhaoge fall into a frenzy of celebration, as if meat pies had suddenly fallen from the sky.

After Chi Yixuan planted the spiritual vein, he quietly watched from the window of the small residence. When he saw the valley’s residents shouting and rushing out to catch the rain, he instinctively wanted to stop them and let them know that they would never lack water again and did not need to do that. But before his foot even stepped out, laziness made him collapse, and he smoothly lay down on the rocking chair by the window to enjoy the rain.

Forget it. Letting them vent a little was fine too.

Then Chi Yixuan woke up and found the sky pitch-black and the rain still falling. He was full of energy. Surprised, he said, “Huh? I feel like I slept for a whole day. Why does it seem like only a little while has passed?”

Life-bound artifact: “Your feeling is not wrong. You slept for one night and one day.”

Chi Yixuan was shocked. “This rain has been falling for that long?”

He hurriedly got up to check the situation. Seeing that Zhaoge’s drainage system was operating well, there was no flooding in the valley, and the seeds he had scattered had also swiftly sprouted and grown under the wood spirit’s stimulation, their roots clumping around the loose sandy soil and preventing soil loss, he finally let out a breath of relief.

“Phew. Good thing I set up the sewer system before building the houses.”

“Your Majesty, Zhaoge does not need this much rainfall. One day and two nights of uninterrupted heavy rain has already disrupted Zhaoge’s rhythm.”

Indeed, although the drainage was good, the weather here had been too extreme before, so not a single household had prepared anything for rain or waterproofing. Right now, many people were trapped at home by the heavy rain and unable to go out. And because the rainfall had brought a large amount of dampness, the firewood in some homes could not be lit, moss had grown in the corners of walls, and if this continued, even the grain stored in their homes would grow moldy.

“The rain has to stop.”

Chi Yixuan tried to control the spiritual vein beneath Zhaoge. Then he discovered that this spiritual vein… it did not listen!

Chi Yixuan was dumbfounded. “What the hell? Has it developed intelligence?”

He tried to communicate with the spiritual vein. Communication was impossible, but he could sense a somewhat agitated emotion coming from it.

Having emotions meant that this spiritual vein already had a chaotic consciousness.

“What kind of luck is this? Wasn’t it said that only the highest-level spiritual veins could develop intelligence?” Chi Yixuan tried to reason with the spiritual vein. “You’re only a mere yellow-grade spiritual vein. There’s really no need to be so ambitious!”

However, the emotion coming from the spiritual vein grew even more irritable, like an ignorant baby wanting to throw a tantrum.

The life-bound artifact’s database also had no method for dealing with this kind of situation, so it could only stay silent.

“Strange. This spiritual vein was clearly fine when it was in Half Moon Gorge, and it was also fine right after the merge!” Then the only thing that could be causing the problem was…

Chi Yixuan looked in the direction of the Sea of Suffering Path. “Right. The land beneath my feet is connected to the Sea of Suffering Path after all. Only that can explain it.”

Chi Yixuan sank his divine sense underground and made contact with the spiritual vein again. This time, he observed it carefully and discovered that the two black dots on the spiritual vein’s head that seemed like eyes had actually opened into the slightest slits. Within those slits, it was as if pupils were forming, and an evil light was shining out through those tiny openings.

After the spiritual vein only lightly touched Chi Yixuan’s divine sense, it continued churning underground. A spiritual vein was not a physical object in the usual sense. No matter how violently it churned underground, it would not cause an earthquake. But the rain within Zhaoge did fall harder and harder. Not only Zhaoge—the rain even stretched to an area twenty li nearby.

“Your Majesty, what should we do? Should we take back this spiritual vein?”

Chi Yixuan shook his head. If what he had obtained were only a low-grade yellow-grade spiritual vein, then treating it as a rainfall tool would not be a big deal. But this spiritual vein was already extremely close to mystic grade. It would be too much of a pity to take it back just like that.

“If a baby cries, you pick it up and see what it needs. I think it should be the same for a spiritual vein.” As he spoke, Chi Yixuan opened and closed his hand, remotely shutting down the array disk beneath Zhaoge.

Once the array disk shut off, the barrier covering Zhaoge vanished. The spiritual vein, which had been churning nonstop, suddenly stretched out and began to split off rootlike feelers, extending outward…

On the first floor of Zhaoge’s warehouse, Guo Qianshan and the other companions were holding a meeting in the main hall. From time to time, he glanced at the endless heavy rain outside, his expression somewhat worried.

Ma Hongxuan saw his concern. “This rain can’t keep going forever. This isn’t a solution.”

Wan Tianyou was very optimistic. “Boss went out before, wasn’t it to solve the drought? The heavy rain now must have been brought by Boss. Maybe Boss thinks it was too dry before, so he’s letting it rain a bit longer. Didn’t we already discuss this earlier?”

Fan Huilan raised another concern. “But what if Boss hasn’t come back yet?”

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed slightly. Unlike the others, the people here had all guessed Boss’s true identity. They were certain that Zhaoge was Boss’s first step in restoring his nation. Besides, Boss had always cared about the situation in the valley. If this rain had been brought by Boss, why had it still not stopped by now?

They had to know, today’s original plan had been to pave the roads. Now everything had been delayed.

“Should we go to the small residence to take a look?” Lu Wuxing asked quietly.

Just then, Qiu Ping’an braved the rain and came in from outside, saying to them, “Come out and take a look. The rain outside has changed.”

Everyone put on the oilcloth in the warehouse that was used for moisture protection and walked outside under the dense, bean-sized raindrops.

There was not enough oilcloth, and Wan Tianyou did not want to be left behind by his companions, so he pinched a corner of a companion’s oilcloth and squeezed in by force. But as soon as he stepped out, he noticed that something was wrong underfoot.

Because during this period, whenever they had free time, they had been rubbing the soles of their shoes and practicing digging into the ground. They had worn out many pairs of shoes, but because of that, they had also developed an additional keen sensitivity in the soles of their feet. Their feet were very sensitive, and they were even more sensitive to the ground beneath their feet. The moment they stepped on the ground, they immediately sensed that it was different from before.

Wan Tianyou could not help lowering his head for a glance. Then he cried out, “Look! What is this?”

The others also sensed that something was a little off under their feet. At Wan Tianyou’s reminder, they lowered their heads to look.

It was hard to hold a lamp in the heavy rain, and the moon had been blocked by dark clouds. Fortunately, practitioners all had decent eyesight. They discovered that on the ground, which had previously been pressed unusually flat for road paving, a layer of grass had actually emerged!

By the firelight from the warehouse not far away, they saw that the newly sprouted grass was tender green. Under the pouring rain, it was beaten askew, lying flat on the ground, looking so pitiful.

Wild grass was common, but this was the first time wild grass had grown inside Zhaoge. Inevitably, a feeling of cherishing it arose in their hearts. Besides, such a large patch had been beaten down by the rain until it could not lift its head, leaving them both loving and pitying it.

Qiu Ping’an said in shock, “When did this grow? It wasn’t here during the day!”

When he turned his head and saw Wan Tianyou, he was startled again. “Why are you like wild grass too? You shot up all at once!”

Only then did he realize that Wan Tianyou was standing on tiptoe, looking terrified, as if he were afraid of stepping on the grass on the ground. It left Qiu Ping’an unsure what to say.

Guo Qianshan said from the front, “I feel like things are different. The spiritual qi around us seems to be growing more and more active. Hurry, let’s go take a look ahead!”

With Guo Qianshan’s reminder, everyone finally noticed this as well. After carefully feeling it, they realized that the spiritual qi here had indeed become much more active. Holding an indescribable excitement and joy, they quickened their pace toward the valley entrance, while Wan Tianyou followed behind on tiptoe, taking tiny steps.

A moment later, they arrived at the valley entrance. Ma Hongxuan reached out and brushed aside some rainwater. “The rain seems to be lighter.”

They clustered at the valley entrance and looked into the distance. They discovered that the dark clouds, which at first had only lingered near Zhaoge, had begun spreading farther away. The pouring rain was like a giant, running ceaselessly into the distance. Everywhere it ran, fine pale grass sprouted from the ground.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they watched this scene, which was extremely rare in the Easternmost Continent and could be called a divine miracle.

Inside Zhaoge.

Tie Di had just finished coaxing her youngest younger sister to sleep when she noticed that the rain outside had become lighter. She could not help getting up to look outside. Gang Qin stepped around the children sleeping all over the floor and walked to Tie Di’s side, saying softly, “Have you noticed? The spiritual vein seems a little off.”

Tie Di nodded. As the former owner of the spiritual vein, of course she had sensed it too. But this spiritual vein had been inherited from her elder sister who had left Half Moon Gorge; she had not tamed it herself, so her feeling was not strong. It was only when she saw moss growing in the corner and grass sprouting from the ground that she realized the spiritual vein had changed.

Tie Di said, “That senior has vast divine abilities. Perhaps he was not very satisfied with the spiritual vein, so he made some changes.”

Gang Qin frowned, but soon her brow smoothed again. “I can feel that it’s a change for the better.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Tie Di’s face. “This place is far from the immortal continent, and we also have Senior’s protection. From now on, we won’t have to live in constant fear anymore.” She looked back at the younger sisters and brothers sleeping soundly on the floor. “They can also go out and play to their hearts’ content. They won’t have to be confined in the gorge like we were when we were young.”

Gang Qin nodded. The two of them stood side by side in front of the window, looking at the rainy night. The sound of rain was noisy, but their hearts were peaceful.

…

Wutong did not sleep well all night. When dawn came, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the rain had become lighter. So he put a wooden basin over his head and, with pattering steps, ran through the rainwater toward the home he shared with Lanlan.

Lanlan was very surprised to see him. Only then did she smile. “I thought you were with your family and wouldn’t come back to my place anymore.”

Wutong snorted. “So in your heart, that’s the kind of person I am!”

Lanlan ignored his awkwardness and called him in to eat. “When I got up this morning, I found a whole bunch of wood ear mushrooms growing in the corner. I picked them and stir-fried a plate.”

Wutong shook his clothes dry under the eaves until they no longer dripped before going inside. Once inside, he inspected the house, only feeling reassured after seeing that there were no leaks and the stored grain had not grown moldy. Then he ate a chopstickful of wood ear mushrooms, and his eyes instantly lit up. “So good!”

…

Granny Hao’s family had only just settled in Zhaoge with their hearts hanging in fear when they encountered rare heavy rain. The steamed buns and dry food the stewards had previously distributed were already finished. She had been so worried that she tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well, and the other slaves placed in the same house were the same.

On a rainy day like this, they were not being made to go out to work, and they were even allowed to live in such a good house. They felt very uneasy.

That lasted until a few people knocked on the door. They wore rain capes and carried shoulder poles. The wooden buckets were wrapped in oilcloth. When the covers on top were lifted, they revealed a pile of plump white steamed buns.

After each slave in the house received one, those people said under the slaves’ anxious gazes, “It’s been raining nonstop these two days, and the roads are hard to walk. We figured you probably had nothing to eat, so we made some steamed buns. Fill your stomachs for now. Don’t worry. I think this rain will stop soon too. Once the weather clears, the stewards will make arrangements for you. Don’t be afraid!”

Holding the steamed buns in their hands and feeling this warm kindness, Granny Hao’s family could not help their eyes growing wet. “Do your own families have enough grain? We’re not afraid of going hungry for a while.”

“Oh, don’t say that! We used to be slaves too. Whatever hardships you have, we all know. Just stay here at ease! Once you’ve lived here a while, you’ll know. This place of ours is good. The Immortal Master is good. The stewards are good. Everything is good…”

They used to be slaves too!?

The slaves in the house watched in great surprise as those rosy-cheeked people left. Then they looked at the steamed buns in their hands, and their heavy hearts suddenly became light.

…

“Elder Sister, we steamed all our grain into buns and sent them out. What are we supposed to eat at home?” Among the people carrying shoulder poles and leaving, a young man spoke in a simple, honest voice.

Elder Sister carried the shoulder pole through the rain, her steps light and brisk, without the slightest worry. “What’s there to worry about? If we’re out of grain, we’ll tell the stewards. The stewards will make up for it for our family. There’s nothing much to do on a rainy day like this anyway. By putting in a little effort, we can keep the newcomers from going hungry, so they don’t cause trouble and add problems for the stewards.”

Only then did the young man come to his senses and hurriedly quickened his steps. On the road, they encountered other neighbors opening their doors to ask, “Zhang siblings, where did you get those rain capes?”

The Zhang siblings said Granny Cai’s family had woven them and told them to hurry over early. If they went late, they would not be able to buy any.

Granny Cai?

That old, weak grandmother and grandchild pair? Who would have thought they really had such ability? Good. That grandmother and grandchild pair could finally have a way to earn money now. The neighbor muttered to himself, took some copper coins, and went to Granny Cai’s home as well.

…

After the first day of heavy rain, Granny Cai and her grandchild discovered that the rushes they had planted in their courtyard, which had refused to grow no matter what, were now shooting upward nonstop as if they had eaten immortal medicine. Grandmother and grandchild were both extremely hardworking. Braving the rain, they pulled the rushes out, one drying them by fire and the other weaving them. When they sold the first rain cape, they nearly wept with joy.

Early in the morning, Old Uncle Fan, who ran a small medical clinic next door to Granny Cai, discovered a patch of lush green in the corner. He picked up his spectacles and looked carefully, only to discover that the medicinal herb seeds he had scattered before had all grown!

Judging from their quality, they looked ten years old.

“Good heavens! This isn’t rain. This is immortal water being sprinkled!”

…

Silver City had still been bright and sunny two days ago, but today, for some unknown reason, heavy rain began falling just as the sky was turning faintly bright. This had never been seen before. After all, the north side of Silver City was close to the Nameless Desert, and it had never liked to rain there.

Very soon, someone said that this rain had come from the desert side. This stirred up quite a bit of discussion. When someone held an umbrella and ran to the edge of the desert to look, they discovered that a lush green road had grown out across the desert. The road was not small either; several carriages could travel along it side by side.

Unlike the others, who were still discussing it in amazement, Luo Yanxing clearly knew how this road had come to be. This was because she had gotten up before dawn with a group of shop assistants, preparing to head to Zhaoge, and had just happened to witness the scene of rainwater coming from Zhaoge’s direction.

She naturally knew that Zhaoge lacked water. When she traded with Tao Dacheng, the other party had also mentioned in passing that their Boss had gone out to search for a method. Looking at it now, perhaps that person had gone out to advance in cultivation.

“Boss, summoning wind and calling rain is an ability only Nascent Soul mighty figures have!”

The assistant’s voice called Luo Yanxing back to herself. Luo Yanxing said aloud that they should not make wild guesses, but her heart was somewhat unsettled.

Even if that person was not a Nascent Soul mighty figure, his abilities should be almost the same. Why would he stay in the remote Easternmost Continent? What exactly was he seeking by establishing Zhaoge?

Looking at the shop and reputation she had finally fought to obtain from Strange Treasure Hall, Luo Yanxing vaguely formed a thought in her heart. Silver City might not be able to hold out for much longer. She should make other plans as soon as possible.

…

Chi Yixuan was numb. When he realized that this place called Zhaoge was like a tiny cage to the spiritual vein, he decisively shut down the barrier and let the spiritual vein stretch its limbs.

After the spiritual vein stretched out, it was indeed happy. He could feel a vague surge of joy. Then the spiritual vein became like a husky let outside for fresh air, completely losing its mind. It took the heavy rain and wandered around the surrounding area, then headed precisely toward Silver City. Because the feelers were stretching out from Zhaoge, as spiritual qi scattered along the way, a rather romantic grassy road grew in its wake.

Then after that, like a greedy little child, it swallowed the spiritual vein beneath Silver City!

Swallowed it!

Swallowed it!

Swallowed it!

Chi Yixuan’s jaw almost dropped from shock. Strictly speaking, the spiritual vein beneath Silver City did not count as a spiritual vein. It was only a small, shapeless spiritual qi vortex with no grade, barely maintaining Silver City’s dignity as a city. But even so, you couldn’t just swallow someone else’s for no reason!

Seeing that after the spiritual vein swallowed Silver City’s little spiritual qi vortex, happy light shone out of that pair of narrowed eyes, and it even swayed back and forth as if somewhat drunk, Chi Yixuan quickly cast spells and added several more layers of seals to it so it would not run out again and cause trouble. Then he activated Zhaoge’s barrier again. Only this time, the barrier’s range was expanded by a large circle, ensuring that the spiritual vein had enough space to stretch out. Only then did he sit down and wipe away his sweat.

The rain inside Zhaoge gradually grew lighter, and the spiritual vein finally listened.

But at this moment, Chi Yixuan felt both mentally exhausted and guilty, as if he were a terrible parent who could not manage his terrible child.

“Then what do you plan to do?”

“What else can I do? Make it spit it back out?” Chi Yixuan decided to just take things one step at a time.

…

Not long afterward, the rain stopped, and Chi Yixuan received several notification prompts in succession.

“Congratulations. A rain cape shop has been added to your territory. You have obtained one thousand points.”

“Congratulations. Some land rich in spiritual qi has been added to your territory, and high-quality medicinal herbs have been born. You have obtained three thousand points.”

“Congratulations. A large number of green plants have been added to your territory. Your Zhaoge has become the first oasis in this desert. Your Zhaoge has become the most beautiful place in everyone’s hearts. You have obtained three thousand points.”

“Congratulations…”

Next came more reward notifications for newly added shops. After the population increased, although Zhaoge’s burden grew heavier, the new population also brought new business opportunities. Especially after this heavy rain filled with spiritual qi fell, quite a few medicinal herbs and edible crops were born in the territory, adding new advantageous products to Zhaoge.

“Now that we have a spiritual vein, we won’t need to buy water-generation talismans anymore, and we can save another sum of money on the accounts.”

No matter what, solving the major matter of the spiritual vein finally made his mood relax by quite a bit. After running around for so long, he was also hungry. After taking stock of his belongings, he opened his backpack grid and said in pleasant surprise, “Huh? When I went to the magic artifact shop, I accidentally took some spiritual food pastries. Sigh, nothing I can do. The money’s already been spent, so I can only eat them.”

The taste of spiritual food was truly too wonderful. He ate them one bite at a time, a blissful expression appearing on his face.

But the life-bound artifact suddenly said, “The magic artifact shop and the spiritual food pastry shop are twenty steps apart. It seems that when you were buying magic artifacts, your foot must have accidentally slipped, causing you to slide into the pastry shop, and then you accidentally stuffed your backpack full of spiritual food!”

Chi Yixuan: “…”

He was a little embarrassed and annoyed. “Shut up. No more telling the harsh truth!”

He felt that the life-bound artifact must be mocking him for the matter of the God of Wealth, and he had evidence.

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