Spirit Water Saves the World

Tian Feng's gaze was resolute: "Enter the city! Once I am inside, you may leave as you please."

The driver had no choice but to urge the ox cart toward the gates of Guangzong City.

Sitting on the cart, Tian Feng carefully observed the crowd. He found that most were ragged commoners, their bodies so thin they were mere skin and bone, their spirits utterly depleted, yet their eyes burned with hope and longing.

At the city gate, the Yellow Turban captain in charge of the guard noticed Tian Feng's imposing bearing and dignified manner. He stepped forward to offer a salute: "May I ask your name, sir?"

Tian Feng stepped off the ox cart and replied cordially: "A recluse from the mountains, Tian Yuan, courtesy name Zhiyuan."

Having entered the tiger's den, Tian Feng naturally would not provide his real name.

The Yellow Turban captain knew this man might not be using his real name, but he did not mind, smiling instead: "Are you also here because of the Recruitment Edict?"

"Also?" Tian Feng's heart skipped a beat.

The captain laughed: "These past few days, many scions of powerful families from Julu and Wei Commandery have entered our Guangzong to join the Political Academy or the Science Institute to serve our army."

Tian Feng felt a slight tingling on his scalp.

Good heavens, he was clearly not the only clever one.

Fortunately, he had lived in seclusion, especially during his mourning period for his parents, and had rarely seen outsiders. Few people knew him; otherwise, if he had run into an old acquaintance in the city, his identity might have been exposed.

Tian Feng maintained a natural expression and nodded: "Indeed, I am here for the Recruitment Edict."

Upon hearing this, the captain briefly inspected the ox cart. Seeing no weapons, he said: "Please enter, sir. Xiao Wu, guide this gentleman to the Recruitment Bureau."

The one named Xiao Wu was a lean Yellow Turban youth, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with fine fuzz growing on his upper lip.

He stepped forward and bowed to Tian Feng: "Sir, please follow me."

"Many thanks."

Tian Feng thanked him and sat back on the ox cart. The driver flicked the whip, the wheels creaked into motion, and they slowly followed behind Xiao Wu.

Once inside the city, he saw streets crisscrossing like a chessboard. There were many pedestrians: refugees dazed by hunger, merchants leading oxen and horses. Looking up, one could see the county office standing in the very center of the city, majestic and solemn.

Xiao Wu led Tian Feng through various turns. Along the way, Tian Feng saw the bustling West Market, where peddlers and porters shouted loudly to sell cloth, pottery, wine, and food, which left him marveling.

He could not help but ask Xiao Wu: "Do the people in the city not worry about the war? How are they living as if it were a time of peace?"

Xiao Wu smiled brightly: "The Holy Venerable is in the city. His magic is boundless, his divine might like a prison; what does the mere Han Army amount to? Naturally, the people have no worries."

Tian Feng's eyes darted as he probed: "I heard that when the Holy Venerable descended to the mortal world, he appeared as an infant, then walked five steps in the sky and became a five-year-old boy. I wonder if that is true?"

"It is certainly true!"

Xiao Wu was clearly filled with immense reverence for the Holy Venerable Huang Tian; once he started talking about the divine miracles, he became unstoppable.

"On the first day of his descent, the Holy Venerable was a five-year-old immortal child. Each day that passed, he grew one year older until he became a young man, at which point he ceased to grow."

"Have you seen the Holy Venerable?"

"I saw him once on the battlefield, and later once when he was dispensing the Spirit Water. I haven't seen him since."

"Dispensing Spirit Water?" Tian Feng paused. "What is this Spirit Water? Is it talisman water?"

He knew that Zhang Jiao had distributed talisman water during the great plague and drought to save the lives of the common people, but he did not know the difference between talisman water and Spirit Water.

Xiao Wu explained: "Talisman water is talisman water; it is made by the Great Virtuous Teacher using rice gruel and talisman paper. But Spirit Water is made by the Holy Venerable infusing his magic into clear water. It has the power to dissolve illness and prolong life. During the great battle with the Han Army some time ago, many who were severely wounded survived only because they drank the Spirit Water."

In truth, this Spirit Water was merely a crude "spiritual object" created by Huang Tian by channeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into water.

Mortals who drank it could slightly replenish their vitality and boost their spirits, but it had no other effects.

However, for the wounded Yellow Turban soldiers, the Spirit Water was a lifeline. They firmly believed that drinking it would save them.

The intense will to survive, combined with the minor effects of the water itself, truly saved many people.

Tian Feng asked in surprise: "Have you drunk the Spirit Water?"

Xiao Wu shook his head: "I wasn't injured, so why would I drink it? Besides, the Holy Venerable said that Spirit Water is not easily obtained and can only be kept for three hours. After three hours, the spiritual power dissipates and it becomes ordinary water.

Healthy people like us are not allowed to drink it; it is all reserved for the refugees and the sick entering the city. They have gone hungry for so long and suffer from accumulated illnesses and pain; after drinking the Spirit Water, they can often find relief and survive."

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped and pointed to a spacious building not far away with a sign that read "Spirit Water Bureau": "That is where the Spirit Water is dispensed."

Tian Feng looked in the direction he pointed and saw dozens of Yellow Turban soldiers guarding the outside of the Spirit Water Bureau. Hundreds of disheveled refugees, dragging their children along, stood in two lines, looking with longing at the bowls of Spirit Water that emitted a faint, clean fragrance.

Tian Feng spoke up: "May I rest here for a moment and take a look?"

Xiao Wu did not refuse: "Of course."

Tian Feng stepped off the ox cart and walked to the outside of the Spirit Water Bureau. Two Yellow Turban soldiers eyed him but did not drive him away. Tian Feng stood on the periphery of the crowd and watched.

At the front of the line, a seven or eight-year-old girl with pale lips, unconscious and feverish, was held in the arms of a man. A tall, thin Yellow Turban soldier pried open her lips and slowly fed her the Spirit Water.

The girl's lips turned rosy in an instant, and her withered, mud-stained face gradually regained some color. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she actually opened her eyes. She tucked her head into the man's arms and whispered: "Father, I feel so uncomfortable."

The middle-aged man holding her was overjoyed at the sight and pleaded with the tall soldier: "Divine Envoy, Divine Envoy, please give another bowl of Spirit Water to save my daughter!"

As he spoke, he could not help but kneel.

The tall soldier pulled him up and glared: "What are you in such a rush to kneel for? Who said we wouldn't give more? Get up!"

The middle-aged man hurriedly stood up, bowing and nodding: "Many thanks, Divine Envoy! Many thanks, Divine Envoy!"

As he spoke, the tall, thin soldier picked up another bowl of Spirit Water and held it out. The little girl caught the faint, refreshing scent, leaned in, and gulped it down.

After drinking, her spirits visibly lifted, and a spark of vitality returned to her eyes.

The tall, thin soldier pointed to the side and said, "Go over there. There is a physician; let him take a look at her."

"Yes, yes!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the middle-aged man carried the little girl to an old man with a white beard and hair. The old man reached out to touch the girl's forehead, then checked her pulse, a gentle smile appearing on his face: "The fever has broken; there is nothing to worry about."

The middle-aged man was overjoyed. He immediately knelt to kowtow to the physician, then turned to kowtow to the tall, thin soldier, "Many thanks, old sir! Many thanks, Divine Envoy!"

The tall, thin soldier waved his hand dismissively, "If you want to thank someone, thank the Holy Venerable. The Holy Venerable possesses boundless power and saves the world with his benevolence."

"Yes, yes!" The middle-aged man realized his mistake and turned toward the direction of the county office, kowtowing several times with a look of devout piety.

Judging by his expression, he would not hesitate for even a second to die for the Holy Venerable.

Witnessing this scene, Tian Feng was deeply shaken, his heart filled with unspeakable shock.