Chapter 169

Qin He's words went unnoticed; everyone only looked up expectantly at the dense, dark clouds.

Didn't they see the situation in this cultivation world? The land was parched, crops in fields everywhere were nearly dying of thirst. Including Great Yan, Great Chu and Rong Di were all desperately awaiting a heavy rain.

"Qin He," Qin Yan roared in anger, "Shut up."

The ink-black clouds grew heavy and oppressive. Qin Bi seemed to recall something, took out a summoning artifact, held it, and activated the summon. Qin Lang had been watching Qin Bi since the clouds began to shift; seeing this, his eyes lit up.

His gaze fell on the summoning artifact. Qin Lang blinked. That was a summoned beast.

Only a summoned beast; there wasn't a single pattern of rain or streams. With just this, could it summon rain? Qin Lang looked at the rolling black sky, no longer certain. Was this summoned by his sister?!

Sure enough, Qin He jumped out to assert her presence: "This rain was summoned by me."

Everyone instantly turned their gaze to Qin He. Qin He insisted, "I summoned it first. My summoning artifact is also of superior grade. Besides, I am a disciple of the Immortal Sect, skilled in summoning."

The heir apparent, Qin Yan, wavered, looking toward Qin Bi.

Before Qin Bi could say anything, Qin Xun exploded: "Here we go again. Qin He, have some shame. Whatever good thing others have, you claim is yours. You keep saying Qin Bi only bullies people within the Marquis Manor, yet you're no different. Dare you go out and tell others that the rain summoned by someone else was summoned by you? Stealing credit, aren't you afraid people will beat you to death?"

Qin He paid no heed to Qin Xun's words. She had just realized how much glory she would gain if the heavy rain fell. She didn't care about losing face in words.

"It was the rain summoned by me," Qin He declared with certainty, confident the coming rain was her doing. She said proudly, "Later I will report to He He Shizi and petition the Emperor for my merit. Some things Qin Bi cannot snatch away."

Qin He's legitimate younger sister added, "It must be the rain summoned by Sister Qin He. She is a disciple of the Immortal Sect."

As the clouds rolled on, wind blew from the sky, and the darkness grew even heavier.

More and more rain-laden clouds gathered, rushing in clusters toward one direction. On the streets, the people of Great Yan watched excitedly, trying to gauge how heavy the rain would be.

In the courtyard of the First House of the Marquis of Great Yan, Qin Bi was shocked by Qin He's shamelessness: "Rain summoned by you? Aren't you afraid it won't rain?"

"How could it not rain? Didn't you see the clouds I summoned?" Qin He stood proudly in the wind, saying, "This rain will definitely fall, and it will be a torrential downpour."

Qin He looked utterly certain. Qin Bi decided to crush her face into the ground.

"Eldest Cousin, Eldest Aunt," Qin Bi turned her gaze to Cui Shi, then to He Shi, Zhu Shi, and the others: "Second Aunt, Mother, you heard what Qin He said. She claims she summoned this heavy rain. Let us wait and see."

The heir apparent Qin Yan and others were puzzled by Qin Bi's words. Qin He, her legitimate sister, and the others were overjoyed, waiting for the downpour. But the clouds came and went, vanishing in an instant.

Qin He was stunned: "??????"

Qin He's legitimate sister was also stunned: "......Where is the heavy rain???!!!"

The Marquis of Great Yan's wife and others couldn't react immediately. Just moments ago, it looked as though a heavy rain was about to fall, and everyone was thrilled. But the dark clouds circled and dispersed. A few small dark clouds remained, but anyone with eyes could see it wouldn't rain.

In the Imperial Palace, outside the main hall, the Emperor of Great Yan asked the Prime Minister: "Where is the rain?"

The Prime Minister: "......"

He couldn't conjure rain either. The Prime Minister felt helpless and anxious, yet still had to face the Emperor's questioning. He exchanged a glance with the Minister of Revenue; the Minister of Works was sweating profusely from anxiety.

"Go quickly to where the rain clouds remain," the Prime Minister ordered.

The rain-laden clouds had clearly gathered, yet not a single drop fell as they drifted away. Was this a trick? The Prime Minister had observed earlier that the clouds rushed in one direction; perhaps it would rain in segments, and it might already be raining over there.

"Yes, yes..." The Emperor of Great Yan suddenly understood: "Go find out quickly."

The guards swiftly left the palace.

On the streets of Jingcheng, Great Yan, the crowd stood bewildered, heads tilted back in reluctant disappointment. Children ran out of their homes, looking up, searching for those oppressive dark clouds. But the black clouds had scattered, and the threatening appearance of a downpour seemed gone forever.

In the front garden of the Marquis of Great Yan's manor, everyone felt somewhat disappointed; they had all been hoping for a heavy rain.

Xue He Shizi held his legitimate son, smiling as he said, "Summoned rain doesn't always work like this. Sometimes it looks like rain is coming, but it doesn't necessarily fall. What a pity. It would have been nice to have a rain."

He He Shizi glanced at the sky in confusion; small dark clouds still hadn't fully dispersed.

Rong He Shizi was in the living room. His youngest son was small, and the weather earlier wasn't suitable for keeping children outdoors. Rong Juan lay beside him on his lap, her black, round eyes fixed on the little bundle as she spoke to him.

In the First House courtyard, seeing Qin He's bewildered expression, the heir apparent Qin Yan knew the rain wasn't summoned by her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lost control. His eyes weren't blind; Qin He's small cloud cluster had been intercepted by Qin Bi, who casually handed it over to Qin Tang's wife, Jiang Shi.

A cultivator whose summoned cloud cluster could be intercepted simply wasn't strong enough.

"Qin Bi," the heir apparent Qin Yan said, "Continue summoning."

Qin Bi remained still: "Qin He said she summoned it."

But the rain Qin He summoned didn't fall. Not even a drizzle. Qin Yan looked serious and earnest: "I don't believe her. You continue summoning the rain."

Qin He fell silent. She had been publicly shamed; the heavy rain she had clamored about never fell.

Seeing that the rain definitely wouldn't fall, Qin He's legitimate sister jumped out: "Qin Bi, summon it. You can't summon it either, can you?"

Qin Bi smiled. As her mood improved, the gradually dispersing cloud clusters gathered once more.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Qin He's legitimate sister was dumbfounded. Qin He, however, cried out excitedly, "The heavy rain I summoned is coming again."

Let her talk; the heir apparent Qin Yan no longer believed her. Qin Jue looked deeply disappointed. He Shi, however, pressed her lips together, smiling with satisfaction. Whatever rain fell next had nothing to do with Qin He; claiming she summoned it wouldn't work.

Once is an accident, twice is a pattern, but not a third time. Lie too often, and no one believes you.

Cui Shi's face turned ugly. Why couldn't this concubine-born daughter have some shame? At a time like this, she should have been sensible enough to slink away quietly, or at least shut her mouth, rather than constantly seeking attention.

Next, everyone watched as the dark clouds ran in one direction, gathering above the courtyards of the Fourth House and the Second House. After a long buildup, a fine, dense rain began to fall. The rain went nowhere else; it fell only over the courtyards of the Fourth House and the Second House.

The fine, rustling rain was so dense that one couldn't stay outside.

The problem was, this rain refused to fall anywhere else.

The expressions of the heir apparent Qin Yan and the others were simply priceless.