Chapter 122 Encounter

"You've been talking for ages, but you still haven't said who exactly is on it!"

The people below were dissatisfied and began to grumble one after another.

Seeing that he was about to provoke public anger, the storyteller hurriedly said:

"It is written here: Maoshan Sect Daoist Jiang Chen passed through Guo Prefecture, Ru Prefecture, Xu Prefecture, and Yu Prefecture, treating thousands of commoners, punishing the sin of land annexation by Qianming Temple, and performing four rain prayers. His actions have nourished four prefectures with favorable weather; he is temporarily ranked first on the xuanmen merit ranking!"

"Mount Longhu Daoist Zhang Gaoxian, with the people in his heart, traveled through wind and rain across Shan Prefecture, Gu Prefecture, Luo Prefecture, Zhengzhou, and Chen Prefecture, performing three rain prayers. He is temporarily ranked second on the xuanmen merit ranking!"

"Three Sovereigns Sect Daoist Wang Li passed through Huai Prefecture, Bian Prefecture, and Song Prefecture. He set up an altar for three days to regulate the earth veins and performed two rain prayers. He is temporarily ranked third on the xuanmen merit ranking!"

"Louguan Sect's Daoist Miaosu passed through Ze Prefecture, Wei Prefecture, and Hua Prefecture, performing two rain prayers. He is temporarily ranked fourth on the xuanmen merit ranking!"

"Vinaya School's Jianzhen, traveling with Maoshan Sect Daoist Jiang Chen, has been delivering the common people from suffering. He is temporarily ranked fifth on the xuanmen merit ranking!"

"..."

"Jingming Sect's Taoist Gu Ming set up an altar in Cao Prefecture for two days; though rain has yet to be seen, his heart is commendable. He is temporarily ranked ninth on the xuanmen merit ranking."

"Additionally, there are high-ranking Daoists and virtuous Buddhists heading to the two circuits to capture demons and monsters; their merits and faults will not be evaluated for the time being."

"If any practitioners of the Xuanmen spontaneously pray for rain or suppress demons, they shall also be included in the xuanmen merit ranking."

"This ranking is proclaimed to the world, witnessed by the sun and moon, and shall have its names inscribed in the annals of history!"

As soon as this ranking was released, the world was instantly in an uproar.

Some reclusive Daoists scoffed at it, believing it was merely a tactic by the Emperor to manipulate people's hearts.

However, others flocked to it, believing that if they could leave their names on the ranking, not only would they be remembered in history, but their School's Legacy would also flourish and expand.

Clearly, more people favored the latter. Consequently, whether they were hidden cultivators or reclusive Schools, they all began to enter the secular world one after another.

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen and the others had already entered the region of Qiao Prefecture.

The drought here seemed slightly milder than in Ying Prefecture, but it was still quite severe.

Fortunately, the Guo River system ran through the entire territory of Qiao Prefecture, and the local chief official possessed a demeanor similar to Kong Yu, showing great foresight.

When the drought was just beginning to manifest, he had already anticipated the future situation and pre-emptively drafted soldiers and laborers to dig canals along the Guo River system.

By the time the drought arrived, they had already dug canals totaling nearly a hundred li in length, diverting water to irrigate tens of thousands of mu of fertile land.

Furthermore, every household had stored a significant amount of water when the drought first hit.

Even though the drought was now present and the crops in the fields looked a bit weak, they were still growing steadily.

Upon hearing that Xuanmen experts from Chang'an had come to pray for rain, the Regional Inspector of Qiao Prefecture personally came out to welcome them.

On the official road, before they even entered the city, Jiang Chen and his companion saw a ceremonial procession approaching them from a distance.

As they drew closer, the man in official robes leading the procession on horseback asked loudly:

"Are those the virtuous Xuanmen masters from Chang'an ahead? I am Shi Mingcheng, the humble Regional Inspector of Qiao Prefecture. I have been waiting here for you two for a long time!"

"Amitabha. This monk is Jianzhen, and this is Daoist Priest Jiang of the Maoshan Sect."

"So it is the two masters from the Maoshan Sect and the Buddhist faith. Please, enter the city."

Along the way, Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"I have traveled this far and noticed that although Qiao Prefecture shows signs of drought, every household remains peaceful and serene, and the moisture in the fields is quite sufficient. I wonder what the reason is?"

Shi Mingcheng had been waiting for exactly this question.

He cleared his throat and projected his voice, saying, "To be honest, Daoist, I previously served as the Jiedushi of Hebei and was a Disciple of Mr. Jiang; I have quite some research into water conservancy."

"Before this drought, I noticed abnormal weather patterns, so I ordered the excavation of the Huai-Guo Canals to irrigate a hundred li of fertile land!"

Jiang Chen couldn't help but praise, "In previous years, this season would surely bring frequent rain. Digging canals like this would normally risk flood disasters; you truly have foresight, Lord Shi."

This conversation between the two fell into the ears of the Imperial Agents following behind.

The few of them looked at each other.

"Should we record it, or not?"

"Record it. He made this trip specifically to say it for us to hear. A gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his intentions. At the very least, this Inspector Shi is much better than the inspectors of the previous few prefectures."

...

The situation in Qiao Prefecture did not require heavy rain, so Jiang Chen simply summoned a great wind there to slightly blow away some of the parched heat before continuing east.

Before long, they had arrived in Xu Prefecture!

At this moment, it wasn't just Jiang Chen, Jianzhen, and their group who had arrived in Xu Prefecture.

There were also Zhang Huaiyi and Zhang Gaoxian from Mount Longhu, as well as the Three Sovereigns Sect Daoist Wang Li.

In addition, there was an unfamiliar young Daoist who seemed to have descended from his mountain because of the imperial proclamation from Chang'an.

Through everyone's combined efforts and the general trend of the surrounding regions, the drought in Henan was almost suppressed.

Currently, Xu Prefecture could be said to be the last drought-stricken land in the Henan Circuit.

Because of this, those walking at the very front with the strongest abilities were the first to arrive here.

And it wasn't as if the Buddhist faith lacked a younger generation that could be compared to these people.

For instance, if Jianzhen were to compete in dharma techniques against Zhang Gaoxian or Wang Li, it was uncertain who would win or lose.

However, when it came to praying for rain, he was far inferior.

Therefore, they took a different approach, not competing with these Daoists but instead patiently preaching and saving people in various places.

But saving people one by one like this was certainly not as fast as the Daoists, who could benefit all living beings in an entire prefecture by performing a single rain ceremony.

Thus, in terms of ranking, they were left far behind.

"Daoist Priest Jiang, why did these people bypass Xu Prefecture and prefer to go further away to pray for rain, leaving Xu Prefecture for last?" Jianzhen asked in confusion.

Along the way, he had already encountered several groups of Daoists who had originally been traveling in different directions.

"Xu Prefecture is the heart of the Henan Circuit and the place where the Dragon Vein resides. When they pray for rain, they are also smoothing out the earth veins."

"If they came directly to Xu Prefecture, it would be equivalent to contending with the earth veins of the entire Henan region. But if they smooth out the earth veins of other places first, it's like using points to leverage a plane; dealing with the drought in Xu Prefecture then becomes much simpler."

"I see."

Jiang Chen did not idle but followed the guidance of the earth veins toward the convergence point of the Dragon Vein.

It wasn't that he couldn't pray for rain here, but rather to save his strength.

However, as they walked onto a wide open plain, another person arrived at the scene.

Unlike Jiang Chen and his companion who measured the earth with their footsteps, this person was riding a tall brown horse.

He wore a white Daoist robe, carried a Magical Artifact longsword on his back, had handsome features, and his hair was tied up with a Daoist hairpin.

When he saw Jiang Chen, there was no ripple of emotion in his eyes; he simply continued to ride forward.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. This monk is Vinaya School's Jianzhen, and this is Maoshan Sect's Daoist Priest Jiang."

However, the man did not turn his head, only coldly tossing out two words.

"Yang Shu."

"This person is quite cold,"

"Pay him no mind. I didn't see him at the Mid-Autumn Banquet before; he must be another Daoist Disciple who came down the mountain to pray for rain."