Seeking Rain Ceremony

"Respectfully presented before the august presence of the Supreme Jade Emperor, the Most High, Most Venerable, Naturally Wonderful, and Truly Perfect Sovereign of the Jade Vault of Heaven."

Daoist Yellow Dragon finished reciting the final line and tossed the memorial into the cauldron.

Flames surged up, and paper ash scattered through the air.

The drums stopped abruptly. Silence fell all around.

The sky remained cloudless for ten thousand miles, the scorching sun blazing down.

The commoners exchanged glances. Some began murmuring under their breath.

On the altar, Daoist Yellow Dragon's expression did not change. He burned another talisman and began reciting loudly once more.

"Lord of Thunder, Mother of Lightning, Earl of Wind, Master of Rain."

"Answer the summons at once. You must not disobey."

The sun grew even more merciless.

Beside Feng Xiu, Lin Che looked troubled. "Wen Zheng, if this goes on..."

It wasn't that he thought there was anything wrong with the rain-praying ceremony. Its failure had been one part of the three men's plan from the start.

But no matter how ideal their private schemes had seemed, putting them into practice was another matter entirely.

The vast throng of commoners watched expectantly. Public opinion had whipped their resentment into a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

Faced with thousands of people whose hopes had been crushed...

One careless move, and the consequences would be unthinkable!

"Don't rush. Wait a little longer." Feng Xiu raised a hand to stop him.

His gaze swept over the crowd and settled on the well-dressed faces. The grain merchants' spies and the government office's runners were all whispering among themselves. Some even wore smiles.

The corner of Feng Xiu's mouth lifted slightly.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

With the rain-praying ceremony a failure and public resentment rising, the River Law Bureau would have to step forward and give an explanation.

As for Daoist Yellow Dragon, Feng Xiu glanced up at the old Daoist on the altar, still chanting.

He could only say the man had done his best.

"Earl of Wind, Master of Rain, answer the summons at once!"

Daoist Yellow Dragon finished reciting the final talisman. Raising both hands high, he tilted his head back and let out a long, mournful cry. His voice rang like a drawn-out howl, his breath deep and steady.

Still, nothing happened. The crowd grew restless.

Some began cursing. Others turned and walked away.

Fan Ling and Lin Che furrowed their brows and exchanged a glance. Each saw the grave concern in the other's eyes.

Now it all came down to whether Feng Xiu had made the necessary preparations.

Feng Xiu drew a deep breath, about to say, "Pack it up."

Rumble!

A muffled boom came from the horizon.

Everyone froze.

Feng Xiu looked up at the western sky.

A mass of dark cloud had gathered there at some point.

It wasn't large, but it gleamed black.

Another rumble.

This one was closer, louder!

As if awakened by the thunder, the cloud began to churn and swell wildly. In the blink of an eye, it had covered half the sky.

The wind rose.

At first it was only a breeze, but in an instant it became a gale. The five-colored flags on the altar snapped and fluttered.

The commoners' robes billowed. Some lost their footing and staggered backward.

Splash!

A raindrop landed on Feng Xiu's face.

"Is he really... an immortal?!"

He was stunned, eyes wide.

A second drop, then a third!

The rain came pouring down.

A torrential downpour swept over them.

A curtain of water veiled heaven and earth.

"It's raining!"

"It's really raining!"

"The immortal! The old immortal has answered our prayers!"

The commoners were overcome with excitement.

Some fell to their knees and pounded their foreheads against the ground before the altar. Others lifted their faces and let the rain pour into their mouths and noses. Some embraced, laughing and crying at once.

Feng Xiu stood in the rain, motionless.

Water ran down his cheeks and soaked his clothes, but he didn't notice. He could only stare fixedly at the figure on the altar.

Daoist Yellow Dragon stood in the rain, still wearing his black hat. He gazed up at the sky, his expression mournful, eyes gently closed, as though murmuring a prayer.

The rain washed over his Daoist robes and soaked his white beard. He seemed to have become one with heaven and earth.

Feng Xiu's throat went dry. He stood there, dumbfounded.

This old Daoist really did have something to him!

Just then, Fan Ling rushed over and grabbed his arm, his face alight with joy. "Wen Zheng, it's raining! It's really raining! Where did you find this immortal?"

Lin Che came over too, drenched from head to toe but grinning with delight. "Now let's see who dares to talk behind our backs!"

Feng Xiu said nothing.

His thoughts were a tangled mess.

It was raining.

What about the plan? The show of force to pressure the government? The probe into the forces behind this?

Had it all gone down the drain?

Feng Xiu forced himself to calm down and looked toward the well-dressed faces in the crowd.

The spies from the various families were standing in the rain, all of them dumbfounded as the downpour drenched them.

No, wait!

On the surface, the rain had thrown his plans into disarray, but it had done the same to them.

The downpour continued.

By the time Feng Xiu returned to the city, all of Green Rock City had become a watery marsh.

Water reached over the street's footpaths. The commoners ran about in the rain, cheering and beating drums and gongs.

The carriage rolled through the streets as the cheers outside its windows rose in wave after wave.

"Old immortal!"

"Daoist Yellow Dragon, a true dragon reborn!"

"The immortal summoned by Young Master Feng!"

Feng Xiu sat in the carriage, soaked through, but had no time to change. He couldn't help rubbing his temples.

"Damn it."

There were truly hidden dragons and crouching tigers among the extraordinary folk of the world. Daoist martial practitioners really could command heaven and earth.

It wasn't enough to shatter his worldview, but it was still a shock.

In his memories, when it came to praying for rain, aside from those three in Chechi Kingdom...

The only other one he could think of was General Cannon Zhang Zongchang, the man who'd angrily slapped the Dragon King.

The carriage stopped outside Feng Mansion. As soon as Feng Xiu stepped down, he saw Uncle Zheng hurrying over with an umbrella, joy barely contained on his face.

Feng Xiu waved a hand, cutting off the words of praise Uncle Zheng was about to offer, and headed straight into the main hall.

Inside, Feng Ao stood by the window, his back to the door as he listened to the raindrops pattering against it.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around. He looked at Feng Xiu, drenched from head to toe, his expression complicated.

There was delight, surprise, and a trace of gravity.

"Sit." Feng Ao pointed to a chair.

Feng Xiu took a seat. A maid promptly brought him a dry towel, and he accepted it, wiping his face.

Father and son sat in silence for a while.

Feng Ao spoke first. "Where exactly did you find that Daoist Yellow Dragon?"

"Master Black invited him from Yulin Prefecture," Feng Xiu answered honestly. "He's an old Daoist from a broken-down temple with hardly any incense offerings."

"You didn't know he had this kind of ability before?"

Feng Xiu shook his head. "I didn't."

If he'd known the old Daoist had this ability, would he have needed to scheme so hard?

Aside from his name, Daoist Yellow Dragon had nothing about him that suggested he was an accomplished immortal.

If he had this kind of ability, how could he have ended up in a temple with no incense offerings?

The rain still fell outside, pattering softly. A thought crossed Feng Xiu's mind, and he couldn't help asking, "Is this rain a good thing or a bad thing?"

"What do you think?"

"The good thing is that spring sowing can go ahead as usual. The tenant farmers won't cause trouble, and we don't have to worry about a failed harvest. The bad thing is that it's thrown our original plan into disarray."

Feng Ao nodded and looked toward the buildings obscured by the curtain of rain.

"We'd wanted to pray for rain to build momentum and pressure the government. If the rain didn't come, public resentment would rise, and the government office would have to give an explanation. But now, we've gotten the rain."

"So there's no reason to force them to open Tang Reservoir anymore," Feng Xiu replied calmly.

"Right." Feng Ao turned around. "And now you're Green Rock City's great benefactor. Young Master Feng cares for the people and summoned an immortal to bring rain, saving the crops of everyone in the city."

Feng Xiu gave a wry smile. "That reputation isn't a bad thing, is it?"

"Reputation is a good thing, but the bigger it gets, the more people will have their eyes on you. What will those who want to get their hands on the Golden Ear Wheat think of you now?"

Feng Xiu immediately understood.

In the eyes of the commoners, he was a good man. But to those who wanted to snatch a piece of meat from the grain merchants' mouths, he was a stumbling block in their way.

"But you don't need to worry too much." Feng Ao returned to his seat and sat down again.

He lifted his teacup and took a sip.

"With spring sowing back on track, we've at least bought ourselves some breathing room. From now on, carry on as planned. Proceed with the grain merchants' alliance as usual, and keep an eye on Tang Reservoir. As for Daoist Yellow Dragon..."

He glanced at Feng Xiu. "Treat him well. Whether or not he truly has divine powers, we owe him a favor."

Feng Xiu nodded. "I understand."

They discussed matters for a while longer and settled on the arrangements going forward.

The heavy rain still hadn't stopped.

Feng Xiu stood up, about to take his leave, when he remembered something.

"Father, I'd like to visit the family's estates and waive this year's rent."

"Waive the rent?"

"Yes. I was the one who prayed for this rain, and the people saw it with their own eyes. Waiving the rent now will improve my reputation even more."

The greater his reputation as a great benefactor, the better. He needed to establish that image.

That kind of intangible boost could definitely have an unexpected effect.

Feng Ao looked at him, a trace of approval in his eyes.

"Fine. Use your judgment."

Feng Xiu bowed and withdrew.

Feng Xiu didn't waste any time. Taking advantage of the downpour, he went to the Feng Clan's two farms.

White Willow Village and Hundred Dou Village.

At each village, he personally addressed the tenant farmers who had gathered around and announced that this year's rent would be entirely waived.

At first, the commoners didn't believe him. Some stood there dumbfounded, exchanging glances. Feng Xiu didn't explain; he simply had them post the notice he'd prepared in advance on the village headman's wall.

Black ink on white paper, bearing the Feng Clan's seal.

Even with the rain pouring down, people still crowded around to see it, their faces alight with joy.

They fell to their knees and pounded their foreheads against the ground. A vast throng knelt all around.

Some clutched their children, laughing and crying at once, heedless of the muddy rainwater. Others rushed forward as if to take his hand, then pulled back, afraid of getting the young master dirty.

"Young Master Feng is a living bodhisattva!"

Feng Xiu stood among the crowd, while the servants behind him held umbrellas. Rain streamed off their canopies.

He also stopped the guards from holding the people back.

"Young Master Feng, thank you..." an old voice called out.

He reached out and clasped the rough hand of an old farmer. The old man's clothes were worn, his face creased with countless wrinkles, and his arm trembled uncontrollably.

Feng Xiu patted the back of his hand again. He smiled but said nothing more.

It felt strange. Ten days ago, when he'd first come to White Willow Village, the tenant farmers' eyes had been full of resentment and indignation.

Now they were shouting, "The Feng Clan has accumulated virtue for generations!"

Whether a reputation was good or bad depended on how it was used in the future.

After making the rounds, it was nearly noon.

Feng Xiu returned to the mansion. He hadn't even had time to change when he entered the main hall and saw Feng Ao seated inside, with Uncle Zheng standing beside him.

From the looks of it, Uncle Zheng had only just arrived as well. His face was grave, as if he were about to report something.

"Eldest Young Master, Su Wantang has run away," Uncle Zheng said.

"Run away?"

Feng Xiu was surprised, but then he understood. It made sense; Zhou Gang had only just led people out that morning.

And Su Wantang had run away. What were the odds of that?

"Let her go, then. We'll leave it at that."

The urgent matter now was dealing with the hidden forces coveting the Lineage's foundations in secret. He had no time to pay much attention to a woman from the Thousand Sect.