Chapter 244 Legends of the Heavenly Lord
They weren't entirely sure they would actually see anything; after all, they had lived so long and never once truly witnessed a divine miracle.
The devout men and women were overjoyed. When they had first received word from Mrs. San that they would witness a divine miracle, they had secretly doubted. They never imagined that today they would not only truly see the Heavenly Lord's manifestation but also receive such a generous reward—it was a truly unexpected delight.
"This... such a large mound of flour, are we really allowed to take it?"
"Take it!" Gao Yiye smiled. "The Heavenly Lord said, take as much as you can carry, but do not be greedy. Insatiable greed is a great sin."
The devout men and women quickly expressed their gratitude, bowing deeply, then began to climb up the edge of the Heavenly Lord's giant finger.
Standing on the golden giant palm filled them with trepidation and immense fear. Several of them took a step, bowed deeply, took another step, and bowed deeply again, moving no faster than a snail.
Li Daoxuan kept one hand inside the box, his palm turned upward and held steady. This was not a comfortable position. Seeing the little figures' sluggish movements, he couldn't help but say, "Hey! It's getting dark, stop dawdling! Speed it up."
The little figures heard him. "Oh dear, we're delaying the Heavenly Lord's important business!"
They immediately quickened their pace, dashing forward to the mound of flour.
Hoisting the large sack of flour onto their backs, they jumped down from the Heavenly Lord's "divine hand." No sooner had they steadied themselves than the giant hand ascended back into the sky, retracting into the clouds and disappearing from sight.
The devout men and women felt as if they had awakened from a grand dream. Everything they had just witnessed seemed unreal, but when they checked their makeshift sacks, full of flour, that, at least, was undeniably real.
"Alright, let's go back now," Mrs. San said, her face solemn and sacred. "Today, the Heavenly Lord has shown exceptional benevolence, not only manifesting before you but also bestowing upon you grain. You all know what you must do from now on, do you not?"
Of course, the devout men and women understood. From now on, they would wholeheartedly follow the Heavenly Lord. If the Heavenly Lord bid them go east, they would never go west; if He then bid them go west, they would turn around instantly.
After all, this was a true deity!
Meanwhile, at Waxi Pailou in Fengxin County, Jiangxi.
Song Yingxing, forty-one years old this year, was seated on a large rock outside his home, gazing at a cluster of distant houses, while scribbling furiously on a piece of paper.
He was currently writing a book titled "Tiangong Kaiwu," which meticulously documented all the agricultural and handicraft production techniques he knew.
The chapter he was currently working on was about "Sanhetu": One part river sand, two parts loess, mixed evenly with glutinous rice and kiwi vine juice, then tamped firmly to create an indestructible material, known as Sanhetu...
Just as he wrote this, he felt someone standing before him.
He looked up and saw a dusty, middle-aged Daoist priest.
The middle-aged Daoist was Ma Tianzheng. He grinned. "Infinite blessings, benefactor. Are you Master Song Yingxing?"
Song Yingxing replied, "Indeed, I am Song Yingxing. What guidance can this Daoist master offer?"
Without a word, Ma Tianzheng produced a spring.
Song Yingxing's attention immediately fixated on the spring. "What strange object is this? Iron wire? Why would anyone coil iron wire like this, in circles?"
No sooner had he thought this than Ma Tianzheng clapped his hands together, flattening the coiled wire.
Song Yingxing stared.
Before his bewilderment could fully register, Ma Tianzheng released his hands, and the iron coil sprang back with a 'boing!'
Song Yingxing exclaimed, "Ah? Oh? Interesting! Extremely interesting! What is this thing? Why does it possess such elasticity?"
He then also produced a small bag of cement, and a piece of paper on which the instructions for using cement were written.
Ma Tianzheng offered no explanation. In truth, he wasn't capable of explaining any of it. He simply and silently placed the spring, the cement, and the paper, along with a small pouch of water, into Song Yingxing's hands. Then he turned and walked away, tossing a remark over his shoulder as he went: "This humble Daoist resides in a dilapidated temple about a li to the west. If Master Song wishes to speak with me, you need only come to that temple."
Song Yingxing was utterly perplexed. This Daoist was truly an odd fellow, but his interest in the oddity of the Daoist paled in comparison to the objects in his hand. Dismissing the strange Daoist from his mind, he looked down at the items. The spring, in particular, utterly captivated him. In a blink, he had already envisioned dozens of uses for it, scratching his head in delight.
He then turned his attention to the strange grey powder. He glanced at the instructions written on the paper. "Oh!" He looked at the cement's usage instructions, then at the "Sanhetu production method" he had just finished writing. He sensed some subtle similarities between them.
He immediately told his servant, "Quickly, go find me some river sand, hurry, hurry!"
In Chengcheng County, rumors about Dao Xuan Tian Zun were growing more numerous by the day.
In the streets and alleys, tea houses and taverns, people were constantly discussing the Heavenly Lord's deeds.
"Hey, have you heard? Li Goudan, from next door, he personally witnessed the Heavenly Lord's manifestation!"
"Old Wang Qi from next door is saying the same thing. He personally saw the Heavenly Lord."
"Nonsense, isn't it? I've heard countless tales of deities since I was a child, but I've never actually seen one manifest."
"I also think they're just bragging. Completely untrustworthy."
"Erwa even claims he personally saw the Heavenly Lord's giant hand! It was even bigger than the hand depicted in 'The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's Demon-Slaying Saga'."
"Braggarts, all of them. Those devout men and women have all been fooled by Daoist priests. They exaggerate tales of deities who have never appeared, each story more convincing than the last. Hmph, if deities truly exist in this world, why is there so much suffering?"
"The Daoist priests have an answer for that: your suffering is because of the sins you committed in a previous life, hahahaha, not because there are no deities, hahahaha."
"You can't say that! I truly saw the Heavenly Lord! He even gave me a large sack of flour."
"Yes, yes, we believe you, hahahaha."
"You don't believe me, do you? Hmph! Suit yourself. Those who don't believe won't get any flour to eat."
Their discussions reached Li Daoxuan's ears as he "patrolled" the skies. He couldn't help but smile faintly.
Good. Although there were still some voices of disbelief, the number of believers was steadily growing. This was what he called 'grassroots support'.
Once this grassroots support was firmly established, his next move would surely have an excellent effect.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed a swift horse galloping into the county town. The rider, dressed in the livery of Liang Shixian's household staff, raced wildly through the town's streets. The rider shouted loudly, "Urgent military intelligence... all bystanders clear the road quickly... urgent military intelligence..."
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