Chapter 609 Emergency Relief
Li Daoxuan reached out and picked up the Saint Great Sage action figure, gripping the Great Sage's staff with two fingers and pulling it from his hand.
The poor Great Sage had no idea his staff was about to be used to dig drainage ditches, his expression utterly unwavering.
Li Daoxuan drew the staff out, flexing it slightly in his hand. Excellent, the hardness was superb. This staff was actually made of alloy, shimmering brightly, sturdy and reliable.
He extended the staff, lowering it into the diorama box.
At that moment, the cotton farmers were watching the sky with trepidation.
After the Saintess spoke, they had begun to "piously" await the Heavenly Lord's magical aid. They waited for dozens of seconds, but seeing no movement, their hearts grew anxious.
The heavy rain continued to pour, and fear gripped them!
Just then, the clouds in the sky parted.
The cotton farmers saw a thick, massive staff descend from the heavens. Its middle section was silver, with golden ends, and etched upon it were the words, "Ruyi Golden Cudgel."
"Isn't that the weapon of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong?"
"Why would it appear now?"
"Did the Heavenly Lord borrow the Great Sage's staff?"
One end of the Golden Cudgel reached into the main drainage ditch. With a gentle sweep, a thunderous roar erupted as all the clogged mud, sand, and stones were pushed aside.
The drainage ditch instantly cleared.
Yellow wastewater surged into the nearby small river, then flowed along it, finally emptying into the Yellow River.
The standing water in the cotton fields quickly drained away.
The cotton farmers were overjoyed. "Long live the Heavenly Lord!"
"The Golden Cudgel is truly incredible."
"Heavenly Lord! Heavenly Lord!"
As they cheered excitedly, Gao Yiye announced, "The Heavenly Lord has departed."
Everyone responded, "Huh?"
Gao Yiye stated with a serious expression, "The Heavenly Lord is going to help farmers in other regions."
Only then did realization dawn on them. Ah, yes, the heavy rain wasn't falling only here; it must be pouring elsewhere too.
Everyone bowed deeply to the sky. "The Heavenly Lord is truly benevolent!"
---
The torrential rain poured down, and farmers everywhere were extremely busy.
Gao Family Village's farmlands were also undergoing a thorough drenching.
However, the people of Gao Family Village remained completely unfazed!
The infrastructure of Gao Family Village was exceptionally well-built, with no clogged irrigation channels whatsoever. The moment the heavy rain started, it was dispersed by the extensive network of channels and flowed down the mountain.
Nevertheless, a significant problem with standing water arose in the Valley of Exiles, adjacent to Gao Family Village, where the people of Qingjian County resided. This was because the Valley of Exiles was nestled within a mountain valley. For the past few years, the Heavenly Lord had only sent gentle drizzles, making the valley as secure as an old dog.
But now that the heavens were unleashing torrential rain, a concave area like a valley was far from ideal.
Water streamed from all surrounding slopes into the valley, and countless small creeks inexplicably appeared on the mountainsides.
Just as many residents found water reaching their doorsteps, salvation arrived.
A large group of Gao Family Village technicians rushed over, lugging enormous steam pumps. They connected long hoses and began drawing water from the valley floor, discharging it into the adjacent mountain stream.
The residents at the bottom of the valley finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In Jishan County...
Mo Xiaopin, clad in a straw cape, was frantically dashing through the heavy rain.
As the local militia leader and instructor, Mo Xiaopin was a crucial figure, bearing the hopes of the common folk. With such heavy rain, it was unthinkable for him not to be anxious.
He sprinted along the edge of a field, shouting to his subordinates beside him, "What's the situation? Can the drainage ditches handle it?"
A subordinate, looking panicked, replied, "No, they can't! Several fields are already waterlogged."
"How can they not handle it?" Mo Xiaopin raged. "Were you slacking off? Didn't dig the channels properly?"
The subordinate retorted, "It's been dry for over three years! Who would have expected the heavens to pull such a trick?"
"Damn it!" Mo Xiaopin roared. "Call out everyone who can move, grab hoes, shovels, whatever tools you can find!"
A large crowd of people responded to the call, all rushing towards the irrigation channels.
Just then...
The clouds in the sky parted, and a giant golden hand, clutching the Ruyi Golden Cudgel, reached down from above.
The people of Jishan County recognized that hand instantly. "It's the Jiwang Temple's immortal friend, the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan!"
"The Jiwang Temple has invited the Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan to help us again!"
"Wow, the Ruyi Golden Cudgel!"
The cudgel extended into the drainage ditch and, with a sweep, *whoosh*... the water flowed, and a massive volume of wastewater poured into the Fen River.
"It's open! It's open!"
The common folk rejoiced.
Mo Xiaopin was ecstatic, yet he jokingly cursed, "Don't just rely on the Heavenly Lord; you need to work hard yourselves... This is Jishan County! Don't you dare tarnish the Jiwang Temple's name. After this rain passes, all of you had better thoroughly clear out the irrigation channels and ditches!"
On the Yellow River...
A civilian merchant ship was struggling to navigate.
This small merchant vessel wasn't from Gao Family Village; it didn't use an "electric motor," relying entirely on sails and human oars.
It had departed from Mengjin County in Luoyang, heading to the Gudu Ferry to purchase salt.
Since Xing Honglang had taken over as the Hedong Military Preparations Commissioner and Salt Tax Envoy, salt production had soared. However, the amount of salt submitted to the imperial court had decreased, and the "private salt" flowing into the civilian market had naturally increased.
Merchants from Henan certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity, so they frequently dispatched merchant ships from Mengjin County in Luoyang to the Gudu Ferry. They would load up with salt, then procure some twisted fried dough, textiles, cultural and artistic goods, and transport them back to Luoyang for sale.
The merchant on this particular ship was named Jiang Cheng.
He had already transported five shipments from the Gudu Ferry and was considered a seasoned regular. Having visited Yongji five times, he also understood some of the rules of the Gudu Ferry.
Anyone with an embroidered Heavenly Lord on their chest was regarded as one of their own.
Jiang Cheng had experienced the meticulous care shown by the followers of the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect towards their own people at the Yongji ferry. Therefore, he too had joined the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect, embroidering a cotton thread Heavenly Lord on his chest.
With the Heavenly Lord's blessing, doing business was indeed incredibly smooth.
Five shipments had filled his coffers to the brim.
However...
This sixth trip might cost him his life on the Yellow River.
The torrential rain poured, and the river wind howled.
The Yellow River was lashed by fierce winds and waves. While it wasn't unusual for water levels to rise in summer, the rapid surge during a violent storm was simply unbearable.
Jiang Cheng's small cargo ship tossed and turned in the waves, swaying wildly.
He could only cling to a mast, roaring loudly, "To shore! Find a way to get to shore!"
A subordinate beside him yelled back, "Master, we can't control it! We can't control this ship!"
"Is this the end?" Jiang Cheng could only pray piously, "Heavenly Lord, protect me! Though I only recently joined the Heavenly Lord Daoist Sect, I am pious and good-hearted. Please, Heavenly Lord, save my life..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the cotton thread Heavenly Lord on his chest suddenly grinned. "Everyone, hold onto the ship's masts tightly. We're about to take flight!"
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