Chapter 183: Early Arrangements

She ordered Yuehong and the other person to look after Ling'er, then returned to the house and slipped the door into the space.

She was too late to brew them herself, and she didn't know how, so she had to learn on the spot; even though she used to be a top student it wouldn't help, so she searched the Platform for water‑avoidance talismans and, while at it, earthquake‑avoidance talismans.

Fortunately, fortunately, both kinds of talismans are not high‑level; they are second‑grade talismans, and she could still afford them.

Thus she sold all of the recently brewed Second‑Grade and Third‑Grade Pills, keeping only a portion for herself, to the Platform and earned a good amount of spiritual stones.

She used the spiritual stones on the Platform to buy twenty water‑avoidance talismans and twenty earthquake‑avoidance talismans.

She hurried out of the space, first sticking one on each of several doorway lintels in her courtyard, then also placing one above the courtyard gate.

In this way, she went from courtyard to courtyard, affixing them to every house door and courtyard gate without missing any, and finally she placed them on Jixiang Fan's Dameng.

She didn't even overlook the thatched latrine, because if that thing flooded, everything would spill out, and just thinking of it made her feel sick.

Don't say anything yet; when first applied they're invisible, but after she finished affixing them to Jixiang Yuan's Dameng and turned around to look at her own courtyard…

The water was slowly receding, unbelievably miraculous; a single talisman, she hadn't expected such power—no wonder it's a celestial‑crafted item, and she couldn't help but grin.

Everyone seemed to notice this and curiously watched the rain from the doorway.

Qiao Mai finally let out a sigh of relief; having used her mental power for too long, her eyes turned black, her head felt dizzy, and she really wanted to tumble headfirst off the wall.

The old gentleman gave a wry smile, returned to the house, and the elderly lady asked anxiously.

"Is it really fine now?"

Xiao Qing tore a crack in the space, gestured, and the massive water outside surged into the space like a water dragon, all of it falling into the Pit.

"Could it be because Master put that on?"

"Yes, Master!"

He didn't tell her about the disaster, and lay down on the kang.

He looked behind, then ahead, then raised his head to glance at the two talismans on the door; Wang Meng Lao Xiansheng swallowed hard.

"Don't speak nonsense; be careful not to bring disaster upon Master."

The longer he spent with her, the more he realized she was extraordinary.

"Yes, Madam."

Lu Sanniang and Ruxin were also on the boat; they were all land‑lubbers who couldn't row, and they dared not move a muscle while seated.

"Immediately, at once, carve out a Pit a thousand mu in size for me."

"And also, rest assured, everything's under my control."

The house was as dry as if it had never rained; he hurried to the Dameng and saw that the water outside had also receded.

"May I collect them?"

If she weren't meticulous, she would appear merely as a money‑making woman, but the more one interacts with her, the more one notices her uniqueness.

He inhaled a breath of cold air, suppressing the astonishment in his heart.

Since Qiao Mai arrived, after watching her stick two strips of paper on the doorway and leave, he noticed the water receding; he came out and examined those two long yellow sheets.

Wang Lao Xiansheng was also almost asleep; hearing the rain outside had lessened greatly, he hurried out to check.

And the space's Qianmu Shuitang continued to purify and expand.

"Talisman?"

"What? Why would I lie to you? I was about to sleep, weren't I?"

Now that she has these two, what else could she worry about? No need to fear flooding or earthquakes; she can rest easy.

Before this, he thought he had overestimated her; now he realized he had actually underestimated her.

Some foresighted people had made early arrangements; the household's money and food were not soaked, and they responded to the torrential rain in time, causing no casualties.

Qiao Mai thought it was slow: "I'll open, you move the outside water in."

An hour later, the rain lightened again, the clouds above thinned, and a faint glimmer began to appear.

The water below had risen to calf height; Qiao Mai and Xiao Qing together kept shuttling the outside water into the space.

The whole Tianshui Town was submerged in a vast sea of water.

Fortunately the water wasn't very deep; adults could still walk in it.

Some who could climb trees found a sturdy one and placed the household members atop it.

"Madam, what's wrong with you?"

"Yes, Master!"

Could it be? Was it because Qiao Mai had just come and stuck something on the doorway?

Only now does he recall Qiao Niang's words: staying at her place is the safest; if even here isn't safe, then nowhere is safe.

At first he thought she was just comforting herself, but he didn't expect she truly possessed such ability.

"Oh!"

"Compared to distributing grain, this is probably the best solution, right?"

"Maybe so; ever since Master stuck this on our house, the water has gradually receded. Could Master be a deity?"

"Could it be that she used the legendary water‑avoidance talisman? And might that one be the earthquake‑avoidance talisman?"

The old gentleman inhaled a breath of cold air; his extensive knowledge made his guess correct—if so, this Wang Jiaru's Servant Girl is truly remarkable.

Many people came out to stare at the ghost‑like symbols on the door lintels.

Xiao Qing, obeying the Master's command, flew to the space's sky, pointed downward a bit, and a Pit ten mu in size materialized.

After all, it's Beifang; the heavens could not flood the entire north.

She hurriedly jumped down, walked back to the courtyard, and Yuexia, seeing Master was unwell, rushed forward to support her.

So he put on a raincoat and walked around the Qiao Family; indeed, the rainwater on the ground disappeared as quickly as it fell, leaving everything clean.

As the town mayor, he felt especially powerless seeing such a disaster and could only hope the flood would recede soon.

With a single thought, Qiao Mai could dig a Pit a hundred mu wide, and after a quarter of an hour the large Pit was completed.

He again came to the gate of Jixiang Yuan, opened it and looked outside, "Ha, buddy, the water is about to spill onto the stone platform; by eye the standing water outside is about half a meter deep."

Some families guarding the great mountain have all taken shelter in caves.

Those who have thick logs at home bound the wood into a raft that can carry three or four people; in short, everyone who could think of a way did so.

Old Mr. Wang has been sitting at the doorway, sipping tea while watching the rain outside.

As soon as she entered the house, she collapsed onto the kang and fell asleep; Yuexia hurriedly closed the door for her.

After another hour, the water completely receded, so much that no puddles were visible on the ground, and only a fine drizzle drifted in the sky.

"How's it outside?"

"Don't worry, with that Wang Jiaru's Servant Girl, nothing bad will happen."

She never shows off; such a master, yet she is content to stay here, to gladly cook for the children and everyone, to gladly serve him and his old wife—truly a rarity.

The old lady finally relaxed, lay down beside the old man, and fell asleep after a short while.

"Sleep a bit; the water outside has receded, put your heart into your belly, you've been staying up all night, you can't keep going like this."

"All of them, the common folk have already had a hard time; this year we can only plant one season of grain. If the crops in the fields all drown, with so many people, how could I possibly save them all?"

"Help me back to the room quickly; I want to sleep. Until I wake up, don't call me."

"Certainly, but find an opportunity; you still have to come back."

Qiao Mai stood alone atop the wall at the back of her own courtyard, watching the vast flood, communicating with Xiao Qing by thought.

"Master, should we take everything away?"

At this moment, the Qian Family had already been flooded; water filled every corner of the house. He was sitting in a small boat with his guards, hurrying toward the Lu Family.

The torrential rain lasted for an hour, then turned into moderate rain, and the thunder and lightning shifted elsewhere.

"Yes."

Their Wang Family Third Branch is blessed, having met Qiao Niang; it's a great fortune in this life.

Until the Qian Town Mayor arrived, the guards leapt onto their boat, and then they rowed the boat out of the house.

At this scale, the water actually receded—truly unbelievable.

Someone was promptly sent to Qiao Mai's courtyard to inquire; upon hearing that she had fallen asleep from exhaustion, they knew the water's retreat must be linked to her.

Since she collapsed from fatigue, he should take over, so he had someone summon Yuan Jiaqi.

"Your daughter‑in‑law collapsed from exhaustion because of this flood; now it's our turn to lend a hand."

"Jiaqi, I hear the gentleman's instructions."

(End of chapter)