Immortal Arts Summoned

"Could it be some sort of immortal magic that could conjure food...?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Shen Fang shook his head and dismissed it. Impossible. Absolutely impossible! Liu Shuyue wasn't the only disciple of the immortals. A handful appeared every hundred years, and with all the variations and different arts that had been passed down, he had never heard of a spell like this.

After all, immortal masters weren't gods. They were powerful when it came to slaying monsters and communing with the heavens and earth, but in other respects they were no different from ordinary people. Immortal masters had to eat, too. Before each expedition, the local authorities had to prepare food and drink for them, lest they put in no effort despite being sent out to work. If they could conjure food for themselves, why would they need to operate out of towns and cities?

Besides, Shen Fang trusted his instincts.

Last time, the immortal master had loudly berated them at Wei Wu Hall, indirectly proving that she was powerless to solve this problem. Otherwise, she would never have waited until the refugees gathered here. She could have conjured food in the west, where the monsters had been eliminated, and solved everything already.

"Husband, County Lieutenant, why are you both looking so serious?" A beautiful woman entered the room, carrying a pot of tea. "I was thinking, isn't it a wonderful thing that all the refugees can eat their fill?"

Shen Fang was momentarily at a loss for words. He couldn't very well tell his wife that she was wrong, so he feigned impatience and waved her away. "We're discussing state affairs. What business does a woman have butting in? Leave the tea here. Let him pour it himself."

Though his words were stern, his eyes were full of affection.

After his wife left, an awkward silence settled between the two men.

There was no denying that this was wonderful news anywhere else, but it couldn't have come at a worse time for Zhang Wei.

If the refugees went home with full stomachs and everyone was happy, His Majesty would probably be anything but.

"I'll go see for myself when the food is handed out at noon," Shen Fang said, breaking the silence. "The immortal master can't have done this alone. There may be some expert helping her behind the scenes."

Water bubbled vigorously in the huge pot, sending clouds of steam into the air.

"Immortal master, the water's boiling," someone called out.

Liu Shuyue looked at the dozen or so orderly lines stretching before her and nodded. "Hand out the bowls and noodles."

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers, as if they were celebrating a festival.

Everyone proceeded in an orderly fashion to the pots, where they received disposable bowls and chopsticks. The twenty or so people in charge of the boiling water used a large ladle to pour it into their bowls, one after another.

Only those whose bowls had been filled with boiling water could collect their portion of noodles.

The noodles were on a cart beside the relief platform, with people assigned to hand them out as well.

One packet per person, with no distinction between the elderly, children, men, and women.

Those who were still hungry could have some relief porridge, too.

After trying the noodles yesterday, the refugees had become quite adept at preparing this convenient food. Some impatient ones didn't even wait to put the noodle cakes in the water. They tore open the packets and stuffed them straight into their mouths, treating the boiling water as nothing more than decoration. Liu Shuyue didn't stop them. As long as they didn't waste or hoard the food, they were free to eat it however they liked.

Before long, the open space was filled with an appetizing aroma that made everyone's mouths water.

That wasn't an exaggeration. Liu Shuyue could see the soldiers at the city gate staring at the food, their eyes practically begging for a taste. The relief rations seemed far more tempting than the coarse buns in their hands.

"Immortal master, you've saved my whole family!" An old man with a child suddenly dropped to his knees. "I kowtow to you!"

Someone nearby immediately pulled him up. "Hey, sir, didn't we say no thanking her while the food's being handed out? You'll hold up the people behind you. We all know how kind the immortal master is. Thank her after you've eaten!"

"That's right. Just keep her kindness in your heart. You can repay her when you get the chance!"

"My life belongs to the immortal master now. A few kowtows could never repay her! Immortal master, my name's Fu Jiaolu. I'm a hunter. Just call on me if you ever need anything!"

"Come on, as if the immortal master would ever need you."

"Hahahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

Scenes like this played out constantly. One person would step forward and offer heartfelt thanks, and someone keeping order would intervene. As they held the grateful refugee back, their words would strike a chord with others, building the excitement to a new peak—until another person couldn't hold back and sprang out of line to offer their thanks.

Liu Shuyue neither avoided them nor responded. She simply stood quietly at the head of the lines, where everyone could see her.

This was the perfect moment to establish her authority.

If she hadn't lived through it herself, she would have struggled to imagine that only a few days ago these people had been wary and hostile toward one another. They had eyed each other's food while fearing they would become someone else's target. Blind despair and sorrow had filled every corner of the camp.

Chen Xuan had been absolutely right. If the refugees couldn't be brought together, even handing out food would end in disaster.

As the saying went, without rules, nothing could be kept in order. The refugee camp had fallen into chaos after losing all structure. Now she was giving these people a new order.

Food Distribution, Supplies, Organization, Security... Drawing on the lessons and knowledge she had learned from history, she had divided the refugees into groups and forced them to work together to weather the crisis.

To reinforce the rules she had established, she had to become the refugees' pillar.

Liu Shuyue stood at the front so that everyone would know she had brought them the food that would save their lives, and that she had spared the people of Qingzhou from the threat of famine.

Though she had only managed it with the shopkeeper's help, there was no need to reveal that to everyone. This influence meant little to Chen Xuan, but it could be of great use to her.

This wasn't an honor. It was a responsibility.

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the front of the line.

"Immortal master, might I have a portion of the relief noodles as well?"

A man walked through the lines and stopped before Liu Shuyue, cupping his hands as he asked.

Most of the refugees didn't recognize him, but the conspicuous official's robe he wore kept them from acting rashly.

"Prefect." Liu Shuyue returned his salute. "I'm afraid not."

"He's... the Prefect?" The people couldn't help whispering among themselves, their eyes growing wary.

"Not even me?"

"These noodles are for the refugees, and there's only a set amount. If I give you an extra packet, one refugee will go without." Liu Shuyue answered gently. "But if you're curious, you can buy some from them. As long as you're willing to pay, it won't be hard to get a packet."

"Pay... for them?" Shen Fang was taken aback.

"Exactly. Then the refugees will have money to buy food, too. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?" She smiled. "By the way... several shopkeepers have already bought some today, and they offered a good price. If you don't want to haggle with the refugees because of your position, you could go to them instead."

"Where exactly did these noodles come from?"

Shen Fang decided to stop beating around the bush and pressed her in a low voice.

When he saw the strange packets of food appearing outside the city, he could hardly believe his eyes. After serving as an official for so long, he knew at a glance that Qingzhou couldn't have produced anything like this.

Just add boiling water, and they became a delicious bowl of noodle soup. It was more miraculous than any Daoist magic!

The County Lieutenant's judgment had been right.

If Liu Shuyue could keep supplying this miraculous food, the famine in Qingzhou would vanish without a trace. And the immortal master who had saved the people from disaster would naturally become a savior whom everyone revered, gaining unprecedented renown!

That was the exact opposite of what His Majesty hoped for.

"It's an Immortal Art," Liu Shuyue said frankly. "I summoned them with my Immortal Arts."

"Impossible!" Shen Fang couldn't help raising his voice. "If you really had this ability, why didn't you use it after eliminating the monsters? If you'd summoned food from the start, the people of Qingzhou wouldn't have had to suffer through this calamity and flee all the way here!"

Everyone nearby turned to look.

Liu Shuyue's expression didn't change. "Naturally, I couldn't do it back then. You must have heard that Immortal Arts each have their appointed time. The more miraculous the art, the more it depends on the right moment. It can only succeed when both the time and circumstances are right."

"I see..."

"Shouldn't you be happy, Prefect? Why are you so fixated on whether the Immortal Arts could work? The refugees can eat their fill, and the people of Zhangwei City can sleep in peace. Surely that's a wonderful thing."

Shen Fang's heart lurched. "Of course I'm happy—"

"Are you?" She paused, looked the Prefect straight in the eye, and asked each word deliberately. "Then why can't you smile?"

He instinctively looked around at all the eyes fixed on him, as though everyone were waiting for his answer. After a moment, he slowly spread his lips, forcing himself to smile. "Ha... hahaha... Of course I can. I'm just so happy I don't know what to do! The immortal master truly has incredible powers. It's a great blessing for His Majesty to have you as an aide... Hahahaha!"