The Show Begins

The next day, after his alarm woke him up,

Yin Yunze lay in bed staring at the ceiling for quite a while before deciding to call his boss.

"Supervisor Song, I'm not feeling well today. I think I've caught a cold. I'd like to take a day off."

"A day off?" A man's irritated voice came from the other end of the line. "Didn't I tell you all we have a big order coming up and nobody can take time off? The production schedule's already set, and you're asking for leave?!"

"I can't help it..." Yin Yunze was secretly annoyed, but he could only put on a weak voice. "If I weren't really feeling awful, I wouldn't want to take a day off either. One day off costs me hundreds of yuan! But I woke up dizzy this morning. I really can't work."

Losing his perfect attendance bonus pained Yin Yunze, but he figured that if he could really manage things well on the other side, perhaps he wouldn't have to put up with this lousy job anymore.

Compared with his job in the real world, the situation in that other world was clearly more urgent.

It was only the second day, but with that crowd of villagers already red-eyed with desperation, there was no telling what might happen if he dragged things out any longer.

If he dealt with it sooner, even if something went wrong, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation.

"All right, all right! I'll approve it this once, but no more time off after today!"

Hearing what Yin Yunze had to say, Supervisor Song finally relented.

But just as Yin Yunze was about to thank him, he heard Supervisor Song mutter, "Honestly, give you some time to rest and it just causes problems!"

After hanging up, Yin Yunze couldn't help cursing too. "Waving a chicken feather around like it's an imperial decree!"

Yin Yunze's current job didn't pay much, but there wasn't much to do either. If not for his nagging boss, it would have been a decent job to coast through. But because of this newly transferred supervisor, Yin Yunze was much less satisfied with his job.

Feeling a trace of resentment, Yin Yunze gritted his teeth and prepared to refine the plan he had already made.

After spending a little more time reworking his plan, Yin Yunze went downstairs and bought three breakfasts from the breakfast shop as usual.

He went to a deserted corner and let Sun Qin and Zhao Wan take the breakfasts through the prayer ritual. While quickly eating his own, he told them what he had in mind.

Of course, he had only known the two women for a little over a day, so he couldn't really trust in their abilities. His instructions to them were therefore very simple.

Sun Qin and Zhao Wan were to go summon the villagers in Yin Yunze's name in a little while, telling them that he had something to say.

Once everyone had gathered, Sun Qin and Zhao Wan were to stay to one side and keep quiet.

When the time was right, Yin Yunze would call on them.

When he called Zhao Wan, she was to ask Yin Yunze to grant them water.

When he called Sun Qin, she was to ask Yin Yunze to grant them food.

After emphasizing this repeatedly, Yin Yunze could only hope that Sun Qin and Zhao Wan would do as they were told.

If they could mess up something this simple, Yin Yunze could only blame his own bad luck.

For the most important part of the entire plan, Yin Yunze borrowed an electric tricycle and began buying, buying, buying.

First, he cleared the supermarket out of napa cabbage and apples and bought two large pots, then went to a pork stall and ordered half a pig.

Finally, he went to a grain and oil shop and bought ten fifty-jin bags of rice and several large jugs of oil.

After spending most of the day getting everything ready, Yin Yunze rode the electric tricycle, loaded with supplies, to a relatively secluded spot by the lake.

He parked the electric tricycle within reach, then once again closed his eyes in the real world.

Only this time, Yin Yunze also gave himself a pep talk.

"Here goes!"

When his view of the other side returned, Yin Yunze saw a scene much like the first one: Spirit Medium Wang and Village Chief Song stood at the front, with ranks of villagers behind them.

"Thou hast come." Yin Yunze couldn't be bothered putting on airs in front of Sun Qin and Zhao Wan anymore, but facing these villagers, who might take his life, he felt it was still necessary to carry himself with some dignity.

"Lord Fox Immortal, might I ask what instructions you have summoned us here to give?"

As soon as Yin Yunze spoke, Spirit Medium Wang followed up with a question.

"Lord Fox Immortal, have you made any progress on our request for rain?"

Village Chief Song hurriedly asked right after her.

"Yesterday, I visited the Dragon Lord and learned from him why no rain has fallen here for half a year..."

To be safe, Yin Yunze didn't play any games by raising their hopes before dashing them. Drawing on what he had learned from Sun Qin the day before, he directly used the Dragon Lord's name to lend himself authority. "The Dragon Lord said this place has incurred heaven's wrath and must receive no rain! Though I have a little standing with the Dragon Lord, I cannot easily ask him to break this heavenly law..."

"Heaven's wrath? Could it have been that day six months ago when it thundered all day?"

"That's what I thought! That day was so strange-all thunder and no rain!"

"And most importantly, it really hasn't rained since that day!"

"No wonder we've asked so many immortals, and still it won't rain..."

Hearing Yin Yunze's made-up story, the crowd immediately broke into discussion.

After a flurry of everyone talking at once, they cobbled together a plausible story for Yin Yunze themselves.

Yin Yunze neither confirmed nor denied it.

If he went into too much detail about some things, people might find holes in his story. Letting the villagers guess for themselves, on the other hand, gave him a chance at the most devastating result: they would fill in the gaps themselves.

Although Yin Yunze had fooled most of the villagers, Village Chief Song was not so easily deceived.

Village Chief Song looked at Yin Yunze with a somewhat hostile gaze. "So after all that, Fox Immortal, you can't bring us rain? Fox Immortal, we offered you a sacrifice! Are you going back on your word?"

Village Chief Song's words immediately drew the villagers' attention.

"That's right! Fox Immortal, you promised to bring us rain!"

"Fox Immortal, you're going back on your word!"

As the villagers clamored, Yin Yunze continued, "Rain is impossible, but..."

Somewhat to Yin Yunze's surprise, he had only gotten halfway through when a villager shouted, "Just as I thought, another useless fox demon!"

"Smash this lousy temple!"

"Yeah, yeah, smash this lousy temple!"

With the crowd so agitated, even a real fox immortal would have been at a loss, let alone a half-baked one like Yin Yunze.

"Look..." A little frightened, Yin Yunze no longer cared about putting on airs. "Let me finish!"

"Silence!" On hearing Yin Yunze, Spirit Medium Wang was once again the first to react.

She glared fiercely at the villagers and shrieked, "Lord Fox Immortal has more to say! Making such a racket, do you really think Lord Fox Immortal wouldn't dare punish you?"

I really can't punish them... Otherwise, I'd definitely show this bunch of unruly commoners what divine punishment is!

After grumbling to himself, Yin Yunze felt a slight bit of goodwill toward Spirit Medium Wang, even though he knew she had helped him to protect her own interests.

Looking at the villagers, who had quieted down again, Yin Yunze asked softly, "I wish to know, do you seek water or rain?"

Hearing this, a villager who didn't understand the deeper meaning immediately asked, "Isn't asking for water the same as asking for rain?"

"Is there a difference?"

"Fox demon, what the hell are you up to?! Are you giving us riddles?"

Ignoring the change in the villagers' tone, Yin Yunze said unhurriedly, "If you seek rain, I am bound by heavenly law and cannot do it. But if you seek water, I could ask the Dragon Lord to make an accommodation."

"Lord Fox Immortal! Is that true?!"

This time, Village Chief Song reacted the fastest, staring fixedly at Yin Yunze. "You really can ask the Dragon Lord to grant us water?"

"Wan'er."

This time, Yin Yunze decided to let the facts speak for themselves.

At Yin Yunze's call, Zhao Wan obediently hurried to her knees, closed her eyes, and said with great devotion, "I beg the Fox Immortal to grant us water!"