Did you find it?
Ah Jiu gasped, her breath catching. Had she been reborn only to have everyone who cared for her taken away?
The carriage jolted violently. Just as they entered the village, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“Ah Jiu sister, you’re back! I’ve been waiting here for you all day.”
Ah Jiu lifted the curtain to peer out. Tuoba Yan and Zhao Kun stood at the village entrance, waving incessantly.
She lowered the carriage curtain.
Should she tell Tuoba Yan not to linger in Nanming City? He had no ties here and could easily take the mountain paths towards Lingnan.
Even the King of Nanming had water transported from Lingnan. That place must be a world of green mountains and clear waters.
Just as beautiful as the painting in her spatial realm.
The carriage rumbled into the village.
The two men had already jumped onto the carriage.
Tuoba Yan eagerly scrambled into the carriage compartment. “Ah Jiu sister…”
Ah Jiu was no longer as radiant as when she had left. Her eyes were clouded, as if covered in dust.
“What’s wrong? Is something amiss?” Tuoba Yan noticed. His Ah Jiu sister’s eyes lacked their usual sparkle.
Her face was etched with sorrow. He disliked seeing Ah Jiu like this; he preferred to see her smile.
“It wasn’t very smooth,” Ah Jiu said, forcing a smile.
“How was it not smooth? Tell me, maybe I can help.”
Ah Jiu shook her head faintly. Tuoba Yan absolutely could not enter the city.
Tuoba Yan sat beside Ah Jiu.
He looked around. “Where is Grandmother?”
“She was taken away,” Ah Jiu replied, taking a deep breath after speaking, drawing the prickling heat in her eyes back into her nose.
Tuoba Yan’s pupils contracted. “Taken away?”
“Mm.” Ah Jiu lowered her head in silence. The cinnabar mole on her left eyelid pulsed with a mournful red light.
“Rumble.”
A deep, cracking thunderclap exploded. Ah Jiu’s eyes lit up.
Grandpa Niu quickly pulled back the reins, dismounted, and tilted his head back to look carefully.
Ah Jiu’s eyes snapped open. “Is it thundering?”
“Ah Jiu girl, you are truly a lucky star! Look, it’s thundering…”
Grandpa Niu immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing, hoping for the heavens to be merciful and send down some rain.
Ah Jiu’s mind snapped back. She quickly got up, climbed out of the carriage, and looked up at the sky.
It was the height of the afternoon sun, yet clusters of dark clouds, as if receiving a command, were rapidly gathering.
“Ah Jiu sister, look at the sky. It’s truly going to rain,” Tuoba Yan said, his face splitting into a broad grin of happiness.
Ah Jiu’s eyes welled up with tears of excitement. She knelt with Grandpa Niu, praying. Oh heavens, you have finally opened your eyes! Do you know how many people are being driven to their deaths across the land, both by natural disasters and man-made calamities?
Tuoba Yan stared, mesmerized. Seeing Ah Jiu praying, he also knelt, mimicking her posture as he bowed his head.
The horses seemed to sense it too, whinnying towards the sky.
Nanming City.
“You claim you can summon clouds and conjure rain?”
Lord Wang sat outside the main hall, his wide sleeves lifted from his official robe.
“The sun is blazing. Where would rain come from?”
Wang Shi stood in the courtyard of the yamen. He had already set up a yellow table, offering sacrifices. He took up a brush and wrote: Rain is coming. He held a sword in his hand, chanting:
“Disciples respectfully invite the Ancestral Master to aid, Thunder Lord and Lightning Mother are at my command. Hurry, as per the decree.”
Wang Shi’s chest ached, and his steps felt light. Fortunately, he was familiar with the Seven Star Steps from his previous life and could quickly compensate for this deficiency.
His sword pointed directly at the sky. Bolts of lightning struck down, and dense dark clouds gathered over Nanming City. The sky instantly darkened.
All the commoners forgot what they were doing and looked up at the sky. How many years had it been since they had seen such thick, dark clouds?
“I heard Lord Wang invited a Daoist priest who is performing a ritual outside the yamen.”
Upon hearing this, the entire populace of Nanming City surged like water from all the alleys, rushing towards the yamen gate.
In moments, it was packed.
People formed layers upon layers, and many more, unable to squeeze in, climbed onto rooftops and trees, anywhere they could expand their view.
“Rain, rain…”
“Rain, rain…” The shouts were incessant.
Inside the hall, Lord Wang heard the clamor. “It’s only thundering, not raining. What is the meaning of this? I told you, if there is no rain to bless the people, you will submit to the law and be at my mercy.”
“Release the person I want, and I will immediately make it rain heavily upon Nanming.”
Wang Shi panted heavily. He knew he might not be able to control the weather, but if there was even a sliver of a chance, he had to try to rescue the girl’s parents.
He cultivated an immortal body that would not perish, an eternal spirit that would never extinguish. But the girl was different; she could not be left without care.