In a chaotic age of strife, people lived in fear, seeking safety and protection. Ever since the Peaceful Heaven Sect had risen in rebellion, common folk had flocked to Floating Cloud County in an endless stream.
By now, the county town had grown several times larger. Commerce flourished, and its people lived in peace, presenting a different spectacle of prosperity in an age when the masses could barely survive. Merchants gathered in droves, trade thrived, and carriages and horses streamed through the streets like dragons.
More than a dozen towns and over a hundred villages had sprung up in the surrounding area.
Floating Cloud County had become an Upper County, and even its City God had benefited, receiving abundant incense offerings and growing in strength.
Even though the fighting in the surrounding counties had ended, most people had not left. First, they had bought property and settled here, and did not want to uproot themselves again. Second, the protection of Truth-Seeking Abbey gave them a greater sense of security. Third, the soil here was fertile, crops grew more vigorously than elsewhere, and the administration was honest and efficient, offering them better prospects. Even many wealthy households had not returned to their ancestral homes.
Xuanming led the Daoists down the mountain to seek alms from the people: one copper coin per household, one measure of lamp oil per family, and one portion of stove ash per person.
Some Daoists were familiar with the task, while others found it new, but all of them carried it out with particular care. Not only had their martial uncle Xuanming instructed them to do so, they also understood its importance and knew these materials were needed to refine a treasure.
Xuanming intended to refine a Dharma Treasure, and this time he needed more materials. Truth-Seeking