247: Chapter 247 Water Diversion Through Canals

Ling Hao strolled along the spiritual ridges in front of Houde Peak. Wherever he passed, the busy Disciples would stop their techniques and bow respectfully, "Sect Master!"

Their beautiful faces were filled with reverence and joy, and the sweat-dampened temples and thin garments shimmered with a fine, crystalline luster under the warm spring sun.

Ling Hao nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping over this beautiful scene, feeling quite pleased.

He strolled to the back of Houde Peak, but the scene was vastly different from the front. A large expanse of spiritual rice looked noticeably wilted, with the edges of their leaves slightly yellowing, showing signs of withering.

The back of the mountain was far from the main artery of the Sheng Sheng Creation River, and daily irrigation relied on several dug deep wells that drew groundwater containing the spiritual essence of the Sheng Sheng Creation River.

The scale of the spiritual fields here was much smaller than those in the front, so there were not many Disciples responsible for irrigation here.

At this moment, only three Outer Sect Disciples were guarding this place.

The three Disciples looked almost identical, all of them pretty and charming—they were triplets!

They were huddled together with furrowed brows, their small faces full of worry.

"Big Sister, it still won't work! The Spirit-Drawing Formation at the bottom of the well isn't responding at all; not even a trace of water vapor can be drawn up!"

Ruan Xi (the second sister), who had a slightly impatient personality, stamped her foot hard. Crystalline beads of sweat hung on her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed from anxiety and exertion, her thin garment clinging to her exquisite curves.

Ruan Qing (the eldest sister) wiped the sweat from her forehead; the clothes on her back were already soaked with sweat:

"It must be that the Formation at the bottom of the well has a problem. But the well is over a hundred zhang deep, and we only have Qi Refining cultivation; our Divine Sense cannot reach the bottom at all, let alone repair it."

"Second Sister, how about... we use the Spring Breeze and Rain Technique to hold things over for now?"

The youngest sister, Ruan Mei, suggested timidly. She had the lowest cultivation and was breathing slightly heavily; sweat flowed down her neck, staining a small dark patch at her collar.

"That won't do, Little Sister," Ruan Qing immediately shook her head in refusal, "The Spring Breeze and Rain Technique only draws ordinary spiritual rain; the Spiritual Qi and essence of creation it contains are far inferior to the groundwater of the Sheng Sheng Creation River! The quality of the spiritual plants grown would be greatly compromised."

"Sect rules state that the spiritual plants on Houde Peak must be irrigated with Creation River water or a water source containing its spiritual essence; we must absolutely not cut corners!"

Ruan Mei bit her lower lip, her large eyes filled with worry:

"Then what should we do? It's our turn to be on duty these days, and it just so happens that the well has a problem today. If we can't get water, this patch of spiritual rice will likely wither and die... How about we report this to Elder Qianxue immediately?"

As she spoke, she looked at her two sisters with a pleading gaze.

Ruan Qing and Ruan Xi exchanged glances, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Sigh," Ruan Xi sighed, "It seems that's all we can do. If the harvest is delayed, the responsibility will be even greater..."

"What are you doing?" Just then, a calm voice sounded from behind them.

The three women turned around at the sound, and when they saw who it was, they were all startled, and then their eyes burst with joyful surprise!

"Sect... Sect Master!"

"Disciple Ruan Qing (Ruan Xi, Ruan Mei) greets the Sect Master!"

They hurriedly stood up straight, at a loss, their faces filled with trepidation:

"Sect Master, please forgive us! We... we were not slacking off, it's just that this well..."

Ling Hao stepped forward and smiled gently:

"No need to be nervous; I have seen it all. You need not be so fearful."

Looking at Ling Hao's calm and handsome face, the three women's anxious hearts instantly calmed down a lot.

As the distance closed, a refreshing scent wafted towards them, making the three women's hearts pound uncontrollably. Two blushes quickly flew across their fair cheeks, reddening all the way to their earlobes.

After all, this was their first time being in such close contact with the Sect Master!

The eldest sister, Ruan Qing, steadied herself, suppressing the palpitations in her heart, and quickly explained the predicament of the well drying up and being unable to irrigate.

Ling Hao nodded slightly to show he understood. With a slight movement of his mind, the System panel quietly unfolded before his eyes:

[Name]: Ruan Qing

[Age]: 18

[Spiritual Root]: Metal Spiritual Root (Earth Grade)

[Physique]: Sharp Metal Spiritual Body (Not fully Awakening)

[Cultivation]: Qi Refining, 8th Layer

[Loyalty]: 90

[Name]: Ruan Xi

[Age]: 18

[Spiritual Root]: Water Spiritual Root (Earth Grade)

[Physique]: Water Spiritual Body (Not fully Awakening)

[Cultivation]: Qi Refining, 7th Layer

[Loyalty]: 90

[Name]: Ruan Mei

[Age]: 18

[Spiritual Root]: Wood Spiritual Root (Earth Grade)

[Physique]: Wood Spiritual Body (Not fully Awakening)

[Cultivation]: Qi Refining, 5th Layer

[Loyalty]: 90

"Did you just promote up here?" Ling Hao asked casually, his gaze sweeping over the three similar pretty faces.

"Replying to the Sect Master, yes," Ruan Qing answered respectfully, "The three of us sisters just passed through the Nine-Turn Corridor from the Fengling Branch Sect a month ago and were promoted to the Outer Sect of the main Sect."

Ling Hao understood. No wonder their loyalty was as high as 90 yet they were still Outer Sect Disciples; it seemed they hadn't had time to participate in the end-of-month assessment. With 90 loyalty, promotion to Core Disciple was a certainty.

He said no more. His powerful Divine Sense instantly probed into the deep well, penetrating a hundred zhang of rock, and easily discovered the crux of the problem: the passage connecting the bottom of the well to the underground river was blocked by several huge collapsed rocks, completely obstructing the water flow and forcing the groundwater to change its course.

Ling Hao raised his hand and pressed it lightly toward the wellhead. A burst of spiritual power penetrated downwards. A moment later, a few dull "crack" sounds of shattering came from the bottom of the well.

"Whoosh—" The clear, sweet groundwater, containing the spiritual essence of the Sheng Sheng Creation River, suddenly gushed out from the wellhead!

"Water! It's really out!" The three sisters immediately cheered, their faces overflowing with pure joy.

Sweat had long since soaked their blue and white gauze dresses, clinging tightly to their exquisite curves. Ruan Qing, as the eldest, had a steady temperament; sweat slid down her fair neck and disappeared into the abyss. Ruan Xi had a more lively personality; she jumped up in excitement, and her thin garment could hardly contain the fullness of her chest. Ruan Mei covered her mouth and smiled shyly, her small face flushed red, and the sweat-dampened temples sticking to her cheeks added a touch of delicate charm.

Ling Hao's gaze fell on their sweat-drenched clothes and joyful faces; the sweat-soaked thin gauze outlined their youthful, graceful curves, shimmering in the sunlight. He curled his lips into a meaningful arc and walked over slowly.

The three women also noticed this scene; their heartbeats accelerated, and their breathing became slightly stifled. What is the Sect Master doing?

Ling Hao suddenly reached out his hand and brushed towards the shoulder of Ruan Mei, who was closest to him. Through that thin gauze, which was soaked by sweat to the point of being nearly translucent, he traced the contour of her shoulder and neck, gently brushing away a speck of unsightly dirt.

This made Ruan Mei freeze completely; a fine shiver spread from the place that had been "tidied," and her cheeks turned deep red instantly.

Raising his hand, Ling Hao used his fingertips to graze a small piece of damp fabric at the edge of Ruan Xi's slightly open collar. Ruan Xi only felt a surge of heat explode from the place he touched, rushing straight to the top of her head, even her earlobes burning up.

Finally, Ling Hao's gaze fell on the hem of Ruan Qing's garment, which clung to her waistline. That gaze made Ruan Qing subconsciously want to press her legs together, but she forced herself to endure it without moving a single inch.

The three women were as if under a immobilization spell; they didn't dodge, but just lowered their heads slightly with flushed faces, their eyelashes trembling, feeling that strange palpitation flowing through their bodies.

After finishing all this, Ling Hao withdrew his hand, swept his gaze over the slightly parched spiritual field soil at his feet, and then raised his head, looking at the three women with burning eyes:

"The canals are dry, the spiritual seedlings are waiting to be fed, and they are in urgent need of water for irrigation. I will help you clear the canals and divert the water, how about that?"