Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 728 - 707: It’s Done!
The porters in East Lake Port all wished they could bury their heads in their pants, hoping the Little Immortal wouldn't see or recognize them, as that would be too embarrassing.
In spring, the Little Immortal came to East Lake Port with a great eagle. In an attempt to claim credit and rewards, they reported to the authorities and even brought in Village Soldier Old Li to arrest them. Later, Zheng Lang, who was almost driven crazy, disappeared; after some time, Village Soldier Old Li was also nowhere to be found.
It was likely all related to the Little Immortal!
The only consolation was that they found the old beggar dirty and didn't really rob the roast chicken given to him by the Little Immortal. Otherwise, they might have met their end then.
And now, just like that, the beggar transformed into Priest, where would they seek justice?
Many who bullied the old beggar didn't dare to breathe heavily, fearing retribution at any moment.
An old, dirty beggar with no backing—it was common to occasionally curse or kick him when in a bad mood. Who could have thought he would suddenly be associated with the Little Immortal and become prosperous?
"Thank you, Lord County Magistrate, for the proper arrangement." The old beggar steadied himself again, formally bowing to Jiang Yuan, "My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Wang. I originally hail from Yun Ze Prefecture.
Many years ago, due to health issues, I accidentally broke a lamp during a sacrificial ceremony and was beaten half to death and exiled to the wilderness.
I drifted here to East Lake Port, surviving thanks to the kind-hearted locals who occasionally provided food and let me sleep in the streets, sparing me from being snatched away by demon beasts. Many years have passed since I reached my old age, and I never thought I could shoulder this responsibility. Zhou Wang will not let down the Little Immortal's trust and will fulfill the role of High Priest, clearly conveying your will and the needs of the people of East Lake Port."
Upon hearing this, many secretly sighed in relief.
Fortunately, the old man did not seek revenge; otherwise, it could have been disastrous!
"Very good." Jiang Yuan nodded, "From now on, those appointed as the High Priest of East Lake Port will be personally appointed by me. I hope all of you, having gone through this calamity, will turn towards kindness and refrain from doing heartless deeds. Those who believe in me, I know. Regardless of gender or age, each High Priest will be the most devout believer."
He looked at the newly "renovated" and tidy East Lake Port, took out a Memory Stone, and gestured to Hu Zhile and Yun Mo to take a group photo with East Lake Port as the background.
The mortals naturally didn't know what the Memory Stone was for, but they all obediently waved and smiled at the "stone" floating in the sky.
"Click click click!" Jiang Yuan took photos and videos, casually sending them to the courtyard's communication group.
Then, he had them land and let the responsible civilians unload onto the ground.
"Wow, take a look at this stone slab, so finely polished and neatly laid, seamlessly tight!"
"Well said, have you seen who arranged it? The Little Immortal used Immortal Techniques!"
"The Immortal Techniques are truly practical; we encountered disaster but unexpectedly found a blessing!"
"The Little Immortal's divine statue looks amazing! Wang Zi, hurry and prepare incense sticks; everyone is eager to offer incense to the Little Immortal..."
...
A group of people, stepping and examining the new surface of the dock, looked around full of curiosity.
"Pretty sister, the Little Immortal is truly amazing! Is it because he's so powerful that you're following him?" A child watched Hu Zhile transform and asked timidly.
She smiled brightly, "What you've seen are mere tricks; the Little Immortal has far more powerful abilities. Otherwise, how could he protect so many of you from demon beast disturbances at night?"
A seven or eight-year-old girl was startled, "Then... pretty sister, do you know how to become as powerful as the Little Immortal?"
"Do you want to cultivate?" Jiang Yuan strolled over, watching the big checkmark spinning above her head, smiling as he said, "Then I'll teach you a Cultivation Technique, and introduce you to cultivate in the Celestial Sword Sect, okay? Are you willing to leave home?"
The little girl stared at him in shock, her mind blown like thunder—The Little Immortal is speaking to me! He said he would teach some technique and let me cultivate!
Although East Lake Port is a small place, being a port, they had many opportunities to see outsiders, and both adults and children had at least heard some fresh terms.
To cultivate is to truly become Immortal!
"I am willing! My, my parents will be too, I beg the Little Immortal to teach me!" The little girl was filled with a longing for cultivation, kneeling with her hands clasped and sincerely said, "No matter how hard or tiring, I'm not afraid; I want to master great skills to destroy those monsters that harm the villages, chase them into the deep mountains so they never dare to harm the people again!"
Hearing their conversation, a young man beside them also knelt down with joy, "Little Immortal, I am also willing, I beg you to take me as your apprentice!"
This caused a ripple effect, and many more knelt down. Having witnessed extraordinary power, who wouldn't want to gain their own chance, to summon winds and rain and follow in the footsteps of the Little Immortal?
Jiang Yuan chuckled helplessly and gestured for them to rise, "A chance is rare and not everyone has it, and I do not take apprentices. Those with Spirit Roots, follow me; I'll teach you a Cultivation Technique to keep in your heart, train well enough to defend yourselves. If you wish to join a sect to apprentice, I can make the introductions; if you want to stay home and train independently, at least you can lay a foundation."
He casually pointed out the group of people the system had already marked.
For those without Spirit Roots, he patted their shoulders to plant spirit roots, then taught "Demon Suppression Scripture" one by one.
[Side Quest: Human Empowerment Plan]
[Task 6: From the Human World, identify 100 suitable mortals for cultivation, teach them the Demon Suppression Scripture (21/100). Reward: Acceleration Card +10]
[Task 7: Implant Spirit Roots into ten individuals of excellent character (10/10) Completed. Reward: Life Origin +100 has been issued]
[Current Life Origin balance: 660 points]
[Task 10: Implant Spirit Roots into 100 individuals of excellent character (2/100). Reward: Magical Seed +1; One-acre Spirit Field Upgrade Card +1]
Wow, the rewards for Task 10 are really great!
Unfortunately, there aren't enough Acceleration Cards to squander, and it's hard to find that many people to implant Spirit Roots in a short time. The last few Spirit Roots had to be forcibly matured, leaving only three Acceleration Cards.
Jiang Yuan could only look at the rewards with silent desire, contemplating that due to the arrival of the Wilderness, the Human World needed protection. Hence, the residences are scattered without the population density of modern cities.
How can we quickly and in large numbers come into contact with mortals to find suitable candidates to complete the task?
"During the day after the Wilderness Ascension, there's no Spiritual Energy to absorb, so even if you learn the Demon Suppression Scripture, you can't try cultivation. Come nighttime, you'll know how it feels." He patiently explained to the group looking at each other in confusion after receiving the Cultivation Technique.
But in reality, Jiang Yuan himself didn't know what cultivation and absorbing Spiritual Energy felt like.
In his inquiries, besides one young man in his twenties wanting to stay home and marry, the other eighteen were willing to head to the Celestial Sword Sect to apprentice and learn.
After coordinating work with Ouyang Qing, he opened the granary and distributed enough grain to the people of East Lake Port, enough for two months' consumption per person.
These two months serve as a buffer. Whether it's restructuring farmland for planting or seeking livelihood at the port, with such a good official like Yue Yongkang leading, they'll be able to restart without enduring famine.
As they opened the Teleportation Scroll and returned to the courtyard in just a moment, they heard the usually silent and gentle Leng Yutang shout, "It worked! It finally worked! Hahaha! It wasn't in vain that I devoted myself to this during this time. Granny Huang, we've succeeded!"
Huang Hanying's translucent soul floated beside the Puppet, her elderly face almost overflowing with excitement.
She gently caressed the youthful and beautiful face of the Puppet, and her heart felt inexplicably nervous, her breath quickening considerably, "Mr. Jiang, you're just in time. My... my Puppet has been completely transformed, I..."
"Is Granny Huang going to use the Puppet for resurrection?" Hu Zhile was very pleased and asked patiently as he looked at the Puppet and then at her, "Do you know of any precautions for fusion and resurrection that Granny could tell us about in advance, so we're not caught off guard and unsure of how to help?"
Woken by the shout, Qing Niao yawned, stretched, got up, and directly climbed out of the window of the Starry Mushroom House, "What are you talking about?"
Jiang Yuan: ???
"How much Flood Dragon Meat did you eat? You've been drunk until now?"
"Huh? Was I drunk? Impossible!" Qing Niao looked confused while replying, then took out a buzzing Communication Stone, glanced at it, and immediately widened his eyes, "Bro! Where did you guys go to have fun? Why didn't you call me?"
Yun Mo scratched his head with his wing and laughed, "You're the smallest one, and you ate the most. We couldn't wake you when you were drunk and out of it.
Mr. Jiang took Hu Senior and me to help mortals with a flood disaster;
Bai Senior and Xie Senior went to the Flood Dragon Tomb to continue their work; Leng Senior has completed the modification of Granny Huang's Puppet, and Granny is going to become a Puppet like Yun Shu!"
Upon hearing this, Qing Niao was full of regret, "I actually missed so much excitement? Then... Granny Huang, when your soul fuses with the Puppet, will you be resurrecting like possession?"
"That's exactly why I'm nervous, and even a bit scared." Huang Hanying shook her head in conflict, explaining, "After seeing Miss Yun Shu, it further confirmed my previous suspicion.
When a cultivator's soul fuses with a Puppet, there's a high chance of forgetting past affairs and starting anew with a brand new body and no memories at all. In other words, upon successful fusion, Huang Hanying would be completely gone.
The Puppet body of me will be a blank slate. But as long as I relearn the Puppet Master's cultivation technique and skills, I can quickly grow into a Puppet Master. Yet, if the fusion fails..."
She took a deep breath, smiled bitterly, and said, "Then it would truly all be in vain, undermining Mr. Jiang's life-saving grace and the care everyone has shown me during this time."
"You'll definitely succeed, don't overthink it!" Qing Niao, after all, a reincarnated being, was empathizing with her upon hearing her words due to unpleasant reincarnation memories, cheering her up, "Besides, my brother is here; he's the best and will surely ensure everything goes smoothly for you!"
Jiang Yuan twitched his mouth and thought to himself, 'If it weren't for the system issuing tasks with rewards, I'd be nothing!'
However, since the system specifically issued a task to save Granny Huang initially, she probably wouldn't fail. Even if she didn't succeed, the system should issue another task to rescue her.
"Qing Niao is right. Relax and proceed with the fusion; there won't be a problem." He also acted very confidently, then asked, "Does Granny have any other concerns or instructions? I'll do my best to help."
Huang Hanying thought about it, knowing she couldn't survive too long in her current form and couldn't keep procrastinating. It would be better to trust herself and take a gamble!
But once fusion begins, there's no turning back. Before that, it is crucial to prepare for the worst—organizing final affairs.
"I want to return to the Market tonight. Firstly, I wish to bring any useful items from the shop, as Mr. Jiang mentioned needing to refine the House of Puppets, and my shop has ready-made parts and materials. Secondly, I want to say goodbye to Jin Lang, giving him the shop to thank him for his regular help and life-saving grace during critical moments."
