Manifesting Divinity Before the Crowd (Part Two)

Hearing Yin Yunze call, Sun Qin did not let him down. She came before him, knelt beside Zhao Wan, and said respectfully, "Lord Fox Immortal, show your compassion and grant me grain to survive this year of famine!"

Yin Yunze could not help pausing when he heard Sun Qin. Those were not the words he had taught her.

Still, Yin Yunze greatly appreciated Sun Qin taking the initiative like this.

The meaning was the same, but different words gave people a different impression.

As Sun Qin called out, Yin Yunze sent over the supplies he had spent the whole morning preparing.

For a more dramatic effect, Yin Yunze chose not to send everything over in one go, though that would have been simpler, more convenient, and less costly. Instead, he sent it over bit by bit, as though he were transferring lake water.

Thanks to the dozen or so experiments he had conducted the night before, Yin Yunze handled it with ease, even though he was not sending water this time.

First came five hundred jin of rice. Yin Yunze left the woven sacks behind and transported the rice itself.

To the onlookers, it seemed that after Sun Qin spoke her prayer, the white rice appeared out of thin air, just like the flowing water before it.

Then, like flowing water, it came pouring down in front of Sun Qin.

Unlike water, which spread across the ground, rice could gather into a pile.

Before long, it covered the ground in front of Sun Qin. Then it built up layer upon layer, forming a little mountain of rice.

"Rice! It's rice!"

"So much rice! I've never even seen rice this fine!"

"The rice has piled up into a mountain!"

Of course, the reality was not quite as exaggerated as the villagers felt it was.

After all, five hundred jin of rice sounded like a lot, but it could not actually make a very tall pile.

But to these ancient people, who had long since eaten or used up almost all their spare grain and had never seen finely milled modern rice, the sight was quite a shock.

Once the rice had piled up into a small slope, half a pig came falling from the sky.

"A pig! More than half a pig!"

Then dozens of napa cabbages appeared on the ground one by one, also forming a small mountain.

"So many... what were these vegetables called again? Never mind, they look so fresh..."

After that came dozens of jin of apples, more than a hundred of them, which rolled everywhere as they appeared.

"What kind of fruit is this..."

Almost every kind of food Yin Yunze brought out drew another chorus of gasps from the villagers.

By the time the food, which had cost Yin Yunze several thousand yuan, had formed several small mountains, the eyes of these villagers, who had long been unable to eat their fill, were already green with hunger.

Even Sun Qin and Zhao Wan, the mother and daughter whom Yin Yunze had already assured would never lack food or clothing, were dazzled by the mountains of food that had formed around them.

This time, however, no one rushed over to test whether it was real, as they had before.

All those green eyes turned as one and stared fixedly at the old man who had once been the most respected person in the village.

Clearly, the effect of Yin Yunze's display had exceeded even his expectations.

As before, Yin Yunze, who lived in the abundance of modern times, could not truly put himself in the shoes of farmers living through a year of disaster.

Still, although Yin Yunze did not understand people's hearts, that did not stop him from knowing he had this in the bag.

As the victor who had won a complete victory, Yin Yunze instead found himself with plenty to spare and no desire to mock anyone.

"If I can bring all manner of food as well as water, how will you conduct yourself then?"

The lightly spoken words, devoid of any threat, seemed to draw every bone out of Song Zhao's body.

"We are mere mortals, unable to recognize a true god appearing before us!" Far from having the unyielding backbone he had claimed to possess earlier, Song Zhao crumpled to his knees and lowered his head, pleading, "Lady Fox Immortal, please have mercy on us!"

Faced with this miracle, Song Zhao not only immediately yielded, but also went a step further in the way he addressed Yin Yunze, the fox immortal.

It was no wonder Song Zhao had gone from arrogance to deference like this. A modern celebrity had long ago stated the principle behind it.

If you controlled oil, you controlled all modern nations. But if you controlled food, you controlled all of humanity.

A method like Yin Yunze's, which could conjure over a thousand jin of food out of thin air, was an unparalleled Divine Ability capable of changing the villagers' minds even in a bountiful year with favorable weather, let alone in a time of drought and food shortages.

Conjuring grain was far more immediate and valuable than summoning wind and rain.

Wind and rain still needed time to turn into grain, whereas Yin Yunze had skipped every step and delivered the result directly.

"I do indeed wish to show you mercy. Otherwise, I would not have appeared here." After shamelessly singing his own praises, Yin Yunze revealed his real purpose. "But what makes you worthy of my mercy?"

"...Lady Fox Immortal, please enlighten us!"

A shrewd old hand, Song Zhao could guess what Yin Yunze was thinking. He had already laid out his goods, so he obviously intended to sell them for a good price.

Song Zhao did not believe that Yin Yunze was a true immortal with great Divine Abilities who sought nothing in return.

If he were a true immortal, would he be holed up in this dilapidated temple as a wild fox immortal?

So Song Zhao knew he could only play dumb at this point. If he spoke up and spelled it out, wouldn't that make him the villain while Yin Yunze reaped the benefits?

Why should he?

Yielding was one thing, but Song Zhao had no desire to become Yin Yunze's lackey.

Song Zhao was also secretly wondering whether Yin Yunze, as a fox immortal, would be too embarrassed to ask outright and would swallow the loss in silence.

Or would he name his price outright and tarnish the image he had just established?

"Why are you all so stupid?!" Fortunately, Yin Yunze had a lackey here whom Song Zhao utterly looked down on.

Though she had not understood the subtle contest between Song Zhao and Yin Yunze just now, this situation was right in the spirit medium's area of expertise:

"Lady Fox Immortal means that if you want her mercy, you must show your sincerity! As for how to show it... hehe... my lady, isn't that right?"

Though she had not said it outright, the villagers had clearly understood a thing or two from Spirit Medium Wang's shameless chuckle.

Yin Yunze did not confirm what Spirit Medium Wang said, though of course he did not deny it either.

If all he wanted was to preserve his identity as a fox immortal, Yin Yunze naturally had no need to spend several thousand yuan on so many supplies.

Yin Yunze was making a preliminary attempt to see what this world could offer him in return.

More specifically, as Yin Yunze saw it, he was merely doing business.

The villagers gave him money, and Yin Yunze gave them the supplies they wanted.

Aside from collecting some Incense of Faith along the way, the only difference was that the transaction was called a sacrifice and a blessing.

Skipping past the subject without a word, Yin Yunze continued, "Second, those who do not believe in me shall not eat. Only to those who worship me will I grant water and food. If they do not believe in me, I will give them nothing, even if they possess a fortune!"

As important as money was, Yin Yunze would not forget that Incense of Faith, rather than such worldly possessions, was the foundation on which he stood in this world.

Although Yin Yunze had yet to discover further uses for the power of incense offerings, as an incense deity, he naturally wanted as much Incense of Faith as he could get.

"You! Did you all hear Lady Fox Immortal clearly?!"

And as a lackey, the spirit medium responded very well at this moment, in a manner befitting her position.

Hearing her, the villagers exchanged glances, their expressions complicated, and answered in unison that they had heard.

"I know you are still wary." Yin Yunze also knew that this alone would make it difficult to truly win the villagers' hearts, so he played his final card. "Wan'er, pray."

As Zhao Wan prayed, two large pots appeared before everyone this time.

Meeting their puzzled gazes, Yin Yunze said softly,

"For today, I will set that aside. Whether or not you believe in me, you may all eat your fill."

Hearing Yin Yunze say this, every villager's eyes lit up at once.

Then they heard Yin Yunze utter a few words that sounded light, yet seemed as heavy as Mount Tai:

"Set the pots! Begin the feast!"

Though there was no feast at all, only uncooked ingredients covering the ground,

The moment Yin Yunze finished speaking, cheers erupted like a roaring mountain and a surging sea.

"Long live Lady Fox Immortal!"

"May Lady Fox Immortal enjoy immortal blessings forever and live as long as the heavens!"

"Lady Fox Immortal..."

Along with these clumsy praises, which nearly made Yin Yunze cringe himself sick, came countless tiny wisps of purple incense offerings that gathered into something resembling a small stream.

The incense offerings rushed toward Yin Yunze, and he felt a boom as his whole being grew somewhat dazed.

The next moment, Yin Yunze involuntarily returned to reality.