Chapter 219: No Longer in the Mood

In Banshan City, every household lit cooking fires, and even the wind at the mountain's waist carried the sweet scent of fish and meat.

The laughter of children echoed from the river valley to the mountain peak.

Xiao Qing hummed a tune, walked into the temple with a beaming smile, knelt on the cushion, and sincerely bowed three times before the deity statue before standing up to sweep the temple, chattering away as if gossiping with a neighbor:

"Lord Lei Shen, the folks haven't caught this many fish in a long time."

"We can't finish them! They're all preparing to smoke and dry them for storage."

"Banshan City hasn't been this happy in ages!"

"..."

It was clear she was quite happy, her mouth not stopping for a moment.

Xiao Qing first mentioned that no one had starved to death in the city for the past two months.

Then she said that just now on the street, a neighbor's child had stuffed two pieces of meat into her hands; they were sticky, but tasted delicious.

Her words were jumbled and lacked any clear point.

Zheng Fa was originally checking the Heavenly Merit Points on the Canon of Deification.

Over these three days, the Heavenly Merit Points had risen significantly again, already exceeding three thousand.

One reason was that, following the "weather forecast" in the Canon of Deification, he had granted the river valley three days of sunshine.

The other was that the first half of the month in Banshan City had been a time of real starvation, and many frail elderly people might have barely held on.

The fish and shrimp caught over these three days might have saved many more lives.

Combined, the Heavenly Merit Points rose even faster than when he used a heavenly tribulation to strike people with lightning.

While calculating, he listened to Xiao Qing's words, feeling a touch of gratification in his heart.

Just then, he heard Xiao Qing continue speaking:

"But they dare not eat too much. I heard Sister Hong say they plan to smoke and dry the fish to store them, eating sparingly, so they can last for over half a year without issue."

Zheng Fa paused, unable to help but recall his own cured meat.

Cured during the New Year, one piece of meat could last half a year...

Xiao Qing's mouth kept chattering:

"They said that once it's ready, they will bring it to you first, Lord."

Zheng Fa was somewhat at a loss for words: "Didn't I say I don't want offerings?"

"I did say that," Xiao Qing replied, feeling a bit depressed: "But if they don't bring this, what else can they bring?"

"..."

Outside the door, the sound of dense footsteps arose.

More than a dozen people carrying over a dozen bamboo baskets appeared outside the temple gate; the baskets were piled high with dried fish.

It was unclear whether they understood that Zheng Fa liked solitude or feared Xiao Qing would refuse.

The group set down the baskets, bowed twice outside the temple gate, and ran off.

They didn't even give Xiao Qing a chance to speak.

"Lord Lei Shen..." Xiao Qing stared blankly at the bamboo baskets on the ground, her mouth agape: "This..."

She walked over, looking at the dried fish in each basket one by one:

"They brought the biggest fish to you, Lord..."

"Of the fish caught these three days, they must have brought at least thirty percent..."

"This... Lord, should I still distribute them to those elders?"

Zheng Fa pondered for a moment, then said to Xiao Qing: "Take a portion to distribute to them; the other portion, I have a task for you to do."

"What are your orders, Lord?"

"Go find a few people most familiar with the mountain mushrooms; I need to ask them some things."

Xiao Qing left, somewhat confused.

Zheng Fa watched her retreating figure, thinking over his plan—to gain Heavenly Merit Points, besides mastering the remaining two lightning techniques, one must nurture the people.

If it were other cultivators, they would likely focus entirely on the direction of immortal techniques.

But Zheng Fa had long realized that besides immortal techniques, directly developing productivity could greatly change these people's lives.

Indeed, since he currently needed a large amount of Heavenly Merit Points, mastering lightning techniques was certainly necessary.

But he did not intend to abandon this line of thinking.

He had consulted Tian Laoshi in the modern era; for places like Banshan City, with abundant rain, high humidity, and little sunlight, farming is not very feasible.

And since Banshan City's foundation is too poor, any industry with high costs is difficult to implement.

As for the other lands he has enfeoffed, they are even worse than Banshan City.

There is one technique that can be developed according to local conditions—edible mushroom cultivation.

Edible mushroom cultivation is not actually a very new technology; some corresponding records exist in ancient texts from the present era, but yields are extremely low.

Soon, Xiao Qing brought several men from the city; they were all seasoned veterans of gathering mountain goods, extremely familiar with the types and habits of mushrooms in these mountains.

After asking them a couple of questions, Zheng Fa ordered them to fetch some rotting wood growing with mushrooms, and also to bring some wood shavings and straw.

Neither Xiao Qing nor the crowd quite understood what Lord Lei Shen intended to do, but they all obediently followed his instructions.

Zheng Fa reflected on Tian Laoshi's words.

The greatest differences between ancient and modern edible mushroom cultivation techniques actually lie in two points:

One is mushroom strain purification technology.

The other is a sterile environment.

If either of these is not controlled well, it will produce contaminating fungi, reducing the yield of edible mushrooms.

Zheng Fa had them pack the wood shavings and straw into over ten clay jars according to different types, placing them in front of the deity statue.

This was the most basic culture medium Tian Laoshi had taught him.

Zheng Fa let Xiao Qing and the others leave first, then circulated his spiritual power along the trajectory of Cloud-Rain-Thunder, emitting a beam of ultraviolet light toward the pile of clay jars.

Of course, Half-Mountain City possessed no sterilization techniques...

But the current Cloud-Rain-Thunder could emit laser beams!

Modern methods for purifying bacterial strains were far more numerous, but the core process essentially involved using microscopic means to select the most suitable strains:

Coincidentally, Zheng Fa also possessed a Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye!

Even if contaminating bacteria appeared, Zheng Fa could eliminate them immediately.

"You all divide these fish among yourselves; as for this place, Xiao Qing, do not approach it in the future."

What Zheng Fa needed to do now was to see which culture medium yielded the best results and select the most productive bacterial strain.

Xiao Qing and the others left the temple in a daze.

"Xiao Qing, what does this Lord Thunder God intend to do?"

Xiao Qing did not quite understand either; after pondering deeply for a long while, she suddenly clapped her hands and said:

"My grandfather said that Lord Thunder God knows how to perform consecration!"

"Consecrate mushrooms?" Someone else stared in bewilderment: "What good would that do?"

"How should I know?"

"Then what about that light?"

"That light is invisible to mortals!"

Xiao Qing declared with great conviction.

Not to mention that person.

Even Zheng Fa felt her words made considerable sense...

In recent days, the number of cultivators in the Hundred Treasures Hall had increased significantly.

They gazed at the spiritual materials listed on the jade stele while conversing among themselves.

"If I may say, were it not for this Hundred Treasures Hall allowing us to exchange for spiritual materials, I would have already left Heaven Stele."

"Who could deny it? With those two present, would Heaven Stele still have any share left for us?"

"Let alone us; haven't you noticed that Yan Wushuang didn't even come this time? He must have been discouraged by Immortal Ling Ye and Zheng Fa."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

This time, upon entering Heaven Stele, observant individuals discovered that Yan Wushuang had not come at all.

Rumors began circulating that Yan Wushuang had already given up on Heaven Stele.

"What do the affairs of those geniuses have to do with us? I barely saved up one hundred days of merit over several months," a man said, shaking his head: "Exchanging for a Ten-Year Purple Lightning Flower isn't a loss."

"I have slightly more days of merit; I saved up one hundred and twenty, enough to exchange for a piece of Lightning-Struck Wood."

"Lightning-Struck Wood costs relatively more days of merit; Junior Brother, if you wish to refine treasures, I recommend this one instead, which will save you ten points of days of merit."

Since the competitive relationship had vanished, the group's relations had surprisingly become harmonious; they discussed back and forth, brainstorming how to save days of merit points and exchange for more of the spiritual materials they needed.

A figure walked into the hall from outside.

The voices of the crowd ceased instantly as they all looked at the newcomer.

If the newcomer was not Xiao Yuying, then who could it be?

Xiao Yuying did not cut in line but waited behind them, seemingly preparing to exchange for spiritual materials only after they had finished.

However, since she possessed Nascent Soul cultivation and her reputation was well-known, how would those ahead dare to delay her? Quickly exchanging for the spiritual materials they wanted, they yielded their positions to Xiao Yuying.

Xiao Yuying nodded to them, stepped before the jade stele, and began browsing the types of spiritual materials, seemingly contemplating what to exchange her days of merit points for.

The other few cultivators looked at each other, halted their steps, and watched her curiously.

She paid no heed, merely moving her finger across the jade stele, pausing occasionally on one spiritual material, then on another, as if deliberating which to choose, appearing somewhat afflicted by indecision.

Yet her expression inexplicably carried a hint of enjoyment and immersion, as if she needed to examine every spiritual material for a long time and calculate meticulously over every single point of days of merit.

Since she possessed many days of merit points and selected so slowly, the time spent was quite long.

The cultivators nearby watched while feeling a sourness in their hearts—the total spiritual materials all of them combined could exchange for did not even amount to half of what Xiao Yuying could obtain...

By the time Zheng Fa entered the Hundred Treasures Hall, Xiao Yuying was still hesitating between two types of spiritual materials.

Zheng Fa glanced at her, then looked at the few cultivators beside him; bowing his hands to them, he also waited behind Xiao Yuying.

He was very familiar with the expression on Xiao Yuying's face; it was the look of a woman who browsed shopping apps for half a day, viewed eight hundred sets of clothes, yet ultimately bought not a single one.

Such women probably enjoyed the process itself...

After a long while, Xiao Yuying still seemed unable to decide which to exchange for; feeling somewhat embarrassed, she turned her head and said to Zheng Fa: "You go first."

"It's fine; I can wait."

"I need to think a bit more," Xiao Yuying insisted: "It won't delay you."

Zheng Fa nodded gratefully to Xiao Yuying and said aloud: "Then I will be quick."

Everyone watched as he approached the jade stele.

Zheng Fa first selected two types of spiritual materials required for cultivating the secret arts of the Divine Thunder Art of the Divine Firmament.

Then, Zheng Fa flipped the jade stele to the first page, where the spiritual materials were cheapest, and tapped his finger from top to bottom, skipping not a single one.

Nowadays, he needed to nurture his Fusang Tree; the Thunder Field required vast quantities of spiritual materials—he was not picky at all, buying whatever was abundant and cheap.

His movements carried a boldness akin to telling a waiter in a restaurant to stir-fry the entire menu for him.

Behind him, watching this scene, Xiao Yuying's lips gradually pressed together.

The few cultivators beside her stared dumbfounded at Zheng Fa's actions, and seeing the sour expression on Xiao Yuying's face, they exchanged glances and suddenly felt much better in their hearts:

If we feel sour, and Immortal Ling Ye also feels sour, doesn't that mean we are on the same level as Immortal Ling Ye?

Zheng Fa quickly finished selecting his spiritual materials, then turned back to Xiao Yuying with a smile and said, "I'm done exchanging; it's your turn, Xiao Xianzi."

Xiao Yuying silently glanced at him, then casually tapped a finger on the Heaven Stele.

She muttered under her breath, "I'm not in the mood anymore."