"Yes!!!!"
Wang Zhongmin answered loudly, immediately taking a stick of prepared incense from his robes.
The instant the incense tip was lit, he hurried to the kneeling cushion before the altar and dropped to both knees without hesitation.
Facing the gods of Heaven and Earth, his expression was solemn and devout.
With a sweep of his longsword, Lu Chen traced a graceful arc, flicking several drops of clear water from the golden basin atop the table onto Wang Zhongmin's sleeves.
The moment the droplets soaked into the fabric, it was as if a breeze had brushed past, cleansing the aura around Wang Zhongmin's entire body.
Then, Lu Chen lifted a talisman on his sword tip and proclaimed in a ringing voice, "Wang Zhongmin, as the parent-official of a county, you bear this county's fortune and blessings. What petition do you have here today? Speak swiftly, that the Lord of Spring Source Water Palace may judge it clearly!"
Lu Chen had trained Wang Zhongmin beforehand, so he knew the coming procedure perfectly well.
First, he respectfully kowtowed three times toward Heaven and Earth, each bow steady and solemn.
Only after the rites were complete did he raise his head and pray, his voice utterly sincere and earnest. "I bow before the gods of the heavens! I respectfully invite the Lord of Spring Source Water Palace! I am the parent-official of this county. This year, a great drought has cracked the fields and withered the seedlings; the countless people cry out in hunger. I am willing to exchange my own salary for sweet rain to fall everywhere, to save the common folk from fire and water. I beg the gods for mercy—manifest yourselves swiftly!"
The moment his words fell, the talisman on Lu Chen's sword ignited on its own.
Bearing Wang Zhongmin's