The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 60: Chapter 58: Qingshui Town

Qian Shuangshuang shook her head and said, ”Elder Ge, there’s no need. Cultivators are the stuff of legends in all of Liuzhou. Only a few scattered tales of their deeds emerge every few years.

From what I’ve heard, it’s mostly when they’re recruiting disciples.

The rest of the time, there are almost no stories about Immortals in Liuzhou, so it’s perfectly normal not to know.”

”My lady, do you know why that is?” the old beggar asked.

Qian Shuangshuang sighed. ”It’s said to be because Liuzhou is too barren.”

The old beggar said in surprise, ”Barren? No matter how barren it is, it’s still better than Yuanzhou, which is mostly just the Hengduan Mountain Range, right?”

Qian Shuangshuang shook her head. ”Not necessarily. Who knows what ’barren’ means to a Cultivator?

Elder Ge, let’s turn back. We’re not going back to Liuzhou City. It looks like the way back is blocked. It’s a path to certain death.

We’ll go to Yong City, to the branch family. When the time comes, I’ll have my own way of resolving all this.”

”You can decide, my lady. Since I promised to save you and your daughter, I will certainly not go back on my word,” the old beggar said.

With that, the three of them turned around and headed in another direction.

The old beggar stared for a long time in the direction Zhang Deming had disappeared. Before leaving with the mother and daughter, a small bamboo Fire-Folding slipped from his pocket, seemingly by accident.

...

Boosted by the Agility Technique, Zhang Deming sprinted madly. Since he was only running, the consumption wasn’t too great.

As a result, by noon, Zhang Deming still had three-fifths of his Spiritual Power left.

And his destination was now in sight.

According to Sect records, eighty years ago, an Outer Disciple named Pei Qingfeng, with an Advanced Apprentice Cultivation, failed to advance to the Inner Sect after reaching the age limit.

He had only learned a Dual Technique and had no particular specialty. He was dispatched to establish a Cultivation Family, spreading the Sect’s influence. He left the Sect at the age of fifty-three.

The Apprentice stage doesn’t increase lifespan, but this only refers to the maximum lifespan.

The theoretical initial human lifespan is one hundred and twenty years. Given the medical conditions of this world, most ordinary people only live to be forty or fifty.

But once one steps onto the path of cultivation, forget Advanced Apprentices—even reaching the Intermediate Apprentice stage usually means one can live out their full lifespan.

Therefore, at over fifty years old, one could say he was in the prime of his life.

Forget just spreading his branches; if he was truly determined, give him a group of women, and he could genuinely produce an entire family in twenty years.

This is how most of the peripheral families around the Celestial Spirit Sect were founded.

But when Zhang Deming arrived in Qingshui Town and looked at the town before him, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

It was a dilapidated little town, more like a village.

Logically speaking, Pei Qingfeng left the Sect in his fifties. Only eighty years have passed since then, so at most, he has only been dead for ten or twenty years.

Even if the family’s development was extremely poor, there should at least be some trace of cultivation in the town.

But after a brief stroll around, Zhang Deming discovered that Qingshui Town was not only dilapidated but also a complete mortal village—no, a mortal town.

There was absolutely no sign of cultivation’s existence.

’So, who issued the Rain Prayer distress mission?’

’Missions can’t just be issued from the Outer Sect of the Celestial Spirit Sect casually.’

’For a peripheral region, it would have to at least belong to a peripheral family, or a large-scale massacre would have to occur and be noticed by a stationed disciple, for an Outer Sect mission to be generated.’

Filled with doubt, Zhang Deming wandered through most of the town, feeling that something was off.

But he couldn’t put his finger on what. Desolate... that’s it, desolate!

The town was too desolate. It was noon, a time when you should at least see a few souls out and about. It’s not like it was a ghost town.

Light Wings appeared at Zhang Deming’s heels, and he began to rapidly search Qingshui Town.

After a long while, Zhang Deming arrived at the banks of the Qingshui River outside of town.

At this moment, the entire riverbank was packed with a sea of people, and the sound of gongs and drums was incessant.

Looking from afar, he saw a tall altar erected at the very edge of the riverbank. A witch was currently on it, performing a ritual dance.

Beside the altar, a bride with a red veil over her head was suspended in the air, about to be lowered into the river.

’Is this...?’

’A sacrifice to the river god?’

’Damn it, my mission evaluation.’

Zhang Deming’s expression changed as he looked at the sea of people around him.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided that for the sake of the mission and its evaluation, he couldn’t worry about the details. Zhang Deming leaped directly into a nearby tree.

He took a deep breath and roared, ”Stop!”

Following a roar that echoed across the riverbank, the Light Wings at Zhang Deming’s heels vibrated intensely, and he floated down onto the altar like an Exiled Immortal descending to the mortal world.

”An Immortal has descended!”

”It’s an Upper Immortal!”

”Could it be the Dragon Monarch coming to get his bride?”

”Looks like it!”

”This Dragon Monarch is so young and handsome! Suddenly, being sacrificed doesn’t seem so bad!”

”What are you thinking, you little wench? Is the Dragon Monarch someone you can just gawk at?”

”...”

As Zhang Deming floated down, the crowd on the riverbank was stunned for a moment, then burst into a clamor of discussion.

”This old man, Xie Dongli, Mayor of Qingshui Town, respectfully welcomes the arrival of the great Dragon Monarch.”

”We respectfully welcome the arrival of the great Dragon Monarch!”

”We respectfully welcome the arrival of the great Dragon Monarch!”

”We respectfully welcome the arrival of the great Dragon Monarch!”

”...”

In an instant, everyone on the riverbank dropped to their knees in unison.

Zhang Deming’s face darkened. ’The hell I’m a Dragon Monarch. Is this town really the site of a Sect-affiliated force, a Cultivation Family?’

’Are you f*cking kidding me?’

’Still, my entrance was effective enough. I’ve awed and deceived these people.’

’Dragon Monarch?’

’This seems like a chance to complete the mission perfectly without causing a civil disturbance!’

”I... COUGH... COUGH... This Monarch has recently heard that not a drop of rain has fallen in your town for two years. This is most peculiar. You have all been sincerely offering Rain Prayers for quite some time.

Finding myself free today, I came to take a look.”

’Oh my god, this is so f*cking awkward I could die.’

After going through with the act, Zhang Deming nearly cringed out of his skin, almost starting a ritual dance on the spot himself.

”Dragon Monarch, allow me to report—”

”Speak normally!” Zhang Deming said with a stern face, kicking the witch beside him and sending her tumbling off the altar.

’Look at you, so capable. First the ritual dance, now the ”Dragon Monarch, allow me to report.” Why don’t you just fly to the moon while you’re at it? Such a f*cking drama queen!’

’Well, she was a drama queen before. Now, she’s probably started believing her own act.’

’After all, she actually managed to summon me, the ”real” Dragon Monarch.’

As Zhang Deming kicked the witch over, the surrounding people fell silent.

Zhang Deming turned to several guards, randomly pointed at two of them, and said, ”You, and you. Get that girl down from the rack first.”

Then, Zhang Deming turned to the kneeling mayor and said, ”You. You talk. Speak plainly, or you’ll end up like her, rolling off to the side.”

Hearing this, Mayor Xie Dongli cautiously glanced at the kicked witch, who still hadn’t gotten up, and wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead. He said:

”Reporting to the Dragon Monarch... Ah, in response to the Master Dragon King’s question, it has indeed been nearly three years since it has rained in the Qingshui Town area.

Even when neighboring regions are hit with torrential downpours, it’s as if the heavens have a hole over our Qingshui Town, and not a single drop of rain has fallen.

While it hasn’t led to death from drought, farming has become more and more difficult.

We commoners are truly on the verge of being unable to survive.

We do not know how we commoners have offended you, Master Dragon King, so we have specially prepared this sacrifice in the hopes that you will show mercy.

Please, stop punishing our Qingshui Town.”

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