96: God's grace is like the sea

Prefecture City.

The first ray of morning sun pierced through the broken window frame, and Granny Chen was already standing by the broken pillar in the center of the side hall.

Her back was ramrod straight, and her eyes under the gray headscarf were much brighter than usual.

"Wake up!"

"Everyone, wake up!"

Granny Chen took a deep breath, and a rare excitement appeared on her wrinkled face.

"This old woman has a great piece of news to announce!"

Fifty-six pairs of cloudy eyes opened one after another, looking doubtfully at this usually taciturn old woman.

Pei Yunchuan also awoke from his meditation, his brows slightly furrowed, saying nothing, and quietly observed the situation.

Granny Chen looked around at everyone, and seeing that everyone was listening, she cleared her throat twice, her voice trembling slightly.

This was her first time doing something for the Lord Immortal, and she had to do it well.

"Does everyone still remember the benefactor who saved us from distress yesterday?"

"This benefactor's origin is extraordinary; he is neither human nor demon, and certainly not a soul-demon. Instead, he is an Immortal soaring above the Nine Heavens."

The hall was silent, then burst into noisy discussion.

"The Lord Immortal could not bear to see us suffer further, so he sent down a mighty Thunder Punishment, saving us from distress."

Granny Chen raised her voice to overcome the clamor, "Last night, the Immortal appeared to me in a dream, saying that Qingzhou will henceforth be protected by him, and there will be no more evil spirits causing trouble!"

"No more evil spirits causing trouble?"

How could that be?

Zhao the Blacksmith was the first to sit up straight, his dark face filled with disbelief, "Granny, in this world, we are like ants struggling to survive in the cracks of rocks. Your words... are only good for deceiving children."

"That's right, Granny,"

A young woman timidly interjected, "How can there be no evil spirits in this world? Are you just dreaming too much?"

Even if it was a dream, one wouldn't dare to be so ambitious!

Laughter echoed in the side hall.

Granny Chen faced the crowd's doubts, neither angry nor retreating, just standing quietly, waiting for the laughter to gradually subside.

Her eyes under the gray headscarf were exceptionally bright, completely different from the stooped old woman she usually was.

"Iron Hammer,"

Granny Chen suddenly called out Zhao the Blacksmith's name, "When that white-robed Immortal killed the Blood Fiend yesterday, did you see it clearly?"

Zhao the Blacksmith was stunned, the smile on his dark face froze, and his tone became a bit hesitant.

"Of, of course I saw it clearly..."

In truth, at that moment, the whole world was filled with dazzling white light, and Zhao the Blacksmith hadn't seen anything clearly. But he wouldn't say that; opportunities to witness a miracle in one's life were few and far between.

If he hadn't seen it, wouldn't that be a huge loss!

"Then tell me, how did the benefactor do it?"

Zhao the Blacksmith scratched his head: "He just... waved his hand, and a bolt of thunder struck down from the sky..."

"A bolt of thunder?"

Granny Chen interrupted him, her voice suddenly rising, "Think again, was it one bolt or ten thousand?"

The hall instantly fell silent.

Everyone simultaneously recalled the shocking scene from yesterday—the white-robed Immortal standing in mid-air, countless golden bolts of Thunder Punishment descending from the sky, not only shaking the entire Prefecture City but also sweeping away dozens of demons in its aftershock.

"It... it was many bolts."

Zhao the Blacksmith's Aura weakened.

Granny Chen pressed on: "Then have you ever seen any Cultivator who can casually summon divine thunder?"

"This..."

Zhao the Blacksmith was speechless.

"Peddler Zhou,"

Granny Chen turned to the thin middle-aged man, "You travel widely and are well-informed. Have you ever heard of any sect or school possessing such a thunder Dao?"

Peddler Zhou rubbed his hands, hesitating: "Indeed... I have never heard of it..."

"So, what appeared yesterday was truly a Lord Immortal?"

Granny Chen nodded, and suddenly pulled something from her bosom—it was precisely the jade Amulet bestowed by Lin Chuping.

The jade Amulet glowed with a soft golden light in the morning sun, and the characters "Peace" were clearly visible on its surface.

"This is..."

"An Amulet bestowed by the Lord Immortal,"

Granny Chen held up the jade Amulet, "Holding this can ward off ordinary demons. Those who don't believe, come closer and see!"

The crowd gathered around, half-believing, half-doubting.

The jade Amulet looked ordinary, yet it exuded a calming Aura, and just being near it made a warm current surge through one's body.

"Let me touch it!"

A bold young man reached out and touched the jade Amulet, immediately exclaiming, "It's warm! Like a living thing!"

"Nonsense, Granny Chen must have kept it close to her body, so of course it's warm!"

Others also tried one after another, and each time someone touched it, the jade Amulet glowed slightly, as if responding.

Most miraculously, several people with injuries found that their pain significantly lessened after touching the jade Amulet.

"This... this is truly a divine artifact!"

Peddler Zhou's voice trembled with excitement.

In the crowd, Pei Yunchuan stared at the jade Amulet in Granny Chen's hand, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He was all too familiar with that jade Amulet—three months ago, when he was expelled from the capital and near death, it was Lord Chuping who had bestowed upon him the same Amulet, allowing him to live to this day.

"This young man recognizes this item?"

Zhao the Blacksmith noticed his unusual expression.

Pei Yunchuan took a deep breath, unbuttoned his collar, and revealed a hideous scar on his chest.

"Three months ago, I was severely wounded and dying. It was Lord Chuping who bestowed upon me an Amulet..."

His voice trembled slightly as he took out a fragmented piece of jade from his inner clothing, "Unfortunately, it was damaged during a fight with demons."

Everyone crowded closer to look. The broken jade was identical to the one in Granny Chen's hand, only lacking some luster.

"Cough, cough!"

Granny Chen cleared her throat.

"Do you all know why the Lord Immortal sent down Thunder Punishment in this Prefecture City?"

"No."

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Speaking of which, everyone present, except Pei Yunchuan, found it strange. Since the Lord Immortal wanted to eliminate demons, why did he strike the bricks, tiles, and plants of the Prefecture City with lightning?

Only Pei Yunchuan silently lowered his head, full of guilt.

"That's because this Prefecture City is a huge Spirit-奪取 Array, which would steal our vitality. The Lord Immortal could not tolerate evil things running rampant, so he sent down divine punishment."

Granny Chen saw the change in everyone's attitude and pressed on: "The Lord Immortal said he is willing to protect the people of Qingzhou, so they will no longer suffer from evil spirits. But there is one condition..."

"What condition?"

Everyone spoke in unison.

"Build temples and erect statues, offering incense."

Granny Chen looked around at everyone, "An Immortal needs Power Of Faith to long protect a region."

The hall immediately erupted in discussion.

Building temples and offering sacrifices was originally a luxury for these poor people, but if it could bring peace, it seemed not to be a loss.

"I'm willing to help!"

Zhao the Blacksmith was the first to respond, "As long as it can truly keep my wife and children safe, I'll offer incense every day!"

"I'm willing too!"

"Count me in!"

"Everyone,"

Her voice, though old, was exceptionally clear, "This old woman has another piece of incredibly good news to tell everyone."

The hall immediately fell silent, and everyone held their breath, looking at her.

Even the usually indifferent Pei Yunchuan unconsciously leaned forward.

Granny Chen's lips curved slightly upward, and a benevolent light twinkled in her eyes: "The Lord Immortal is merciful and allows us to return home to bring our relatives to Qingzhou for reunion!"

These words exploded like a thunderclap in the hall.

Everyone was first stunned, then burst into exclamations of disbelief.

"Gr... Granny, is that true?"

Zhao the Blacksmith's voice trembled, and the muscles on his dark face twitched, "Can we really go back and get our families?"

"Absolutely true."

"The Lord Immortal bestowed the Amulet precisely to ensure our safe journey back and forth."