Chapter 43

The next morning, Yang Zhen left Fangcun Mountain and headed towards the human city. Flying above the white clouds, he looked at the rapidly receding clouds around him and silently pondered his future life. Since learning skills required yuanbao, Yang Zhen planned to go to the human city and, before the Journey to the West began, upgrade all his skills to level 5.

"How many people in this world can fly above the white clouds and soar beyond the nine heavens?" While flying, Yang Zhen suddenly thought of this question, but then he laughed at himself. Since Pangu opened the heavens, countless eons have passed, and such people are not few. But more often, they are the ordinary people below, dreaming of soaring through the sky.

Yang Zhen landed gracefully on a small hill outside the city of Biqu, gazing at the bustling capital and softly said, "From now on, I will hide all the characteristics of the demon race and become a transcendent immortal. Biqu, I am here to solve your troubles and receive all the merit."

Biqu was one of Yang Zhen's destinations this time.

According to the plot of Journey to the West, the demons that plagued Biqu were the white deer spirit of the Southern Pole Immortal and a fox spirit. Due to the secret spells cast by these two demons, the king of Biqu fell ill. The foolish king, believing the demons' words, ordered the hearts and livers of over a thousand boys to be used as medicine. He issued an edict, commanding the people to select and deliver children, who were then placed in goose cages, awaiting use.

To save the children, Sun Wukong infiltrated the palace, recognizing the "Grand Tutor" and the king's beloved "Beautiful Empress" as the Southern Pole Immortal's white deer and a white-faced fox spirit. He then displayed his divine power, subduing the white deer and killing the fox spirit.

However, it was clear that Biqu had not yet been occupied by these two demons at this time. Therefore, Yang Zhen planned to serve as a national advisor in Biqu for a while, using the people's faith to gain merit.

To say that Yang Zhen's arrival was poorly timed would be an understatement. If he had arrived at the beginning of the world or during the early days of Nuwa's creation, he wouldn't have struggled so much. In those times, earning merit was as easy as printing money. But after countless eons of development, the current world of Honghuang clearly lacked large-scale "tasks" to earn significant merit.

Transforming himself, Yang Zhen concealed his demon characteristics—cat ears—and walked towards the capital of Biqu.

Walking quietly through the capital of Biqu, Yang Zhen's mood brightened as he looked at the bustling streets and crowded people. However, upon closer observation, he noticed that although the people of Biqu lived relatively well, there was a hint of worry on everyone's face. Having not interacted with humans for centuries, Yang Zhen did not pay much attention, assuming it might be due to some new policy.

Humans are social creatures, and Yang Zhen was not a native-born cultivator. Therefore, he was quite eager to experience life in a human city. After living as a wild man on Fangcun Mountain for over two hundred years, Yang Zhen was now eager to indulge in the city's prosperity.

After walking around for a while, Yang Zhen entered a tavern, ordered a large table of meat, and began to eat heartily.

To be honest, since arriving in this world, Yang Zhen had never had a proper meal.

This was truly a failure.

After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Yang Zhen called the waiter and inquired about the situation in Biqu.

Perhaps because it was close to Ling Mountain, most of the people in Biqu followed Buddhism. Moreover, the king of Biqu was indeed a wise ruler, governing the country well and not suppressing the spread of various sects. In short, Biqu had enjoyed peace and prosperity for the past few years.

After listening to the waiter's account, Yang Zhen smiled and said, "It seems the king of Biqu is a wise ruler. Living in a country governed by such a wise king must be very happy."

Hearing Yang Zhen's words, the waiter shook his head and sighed, "Although the king is wise, last year, Biqu seemed to have offended the gods. It has not rained for a year and a half. Sigh! It looks like it won't rain this year either. If this continues, Biqu will be doomed."

"Offended the gods?" Yang Zhen asked, puzzled.

The waiter explained, "Last summer, the king led the army on a hunt. When they passed a river, they discovered a golden carp. Out of curiosity, the king ordered his men to catch it. However, after three days, the golden carp never reappeared.

But since that day, it has not rained in Biqu. According to the wise men, the golden carp was the river's dragon king. Because the king offended the dragon king, the dragon king has stopped bringing rain to Biqu. Sigh! The king's offense against the dragon king has caused the entire country to suffer."

After saying this, the waiter shook his head and left.

"Golden carp?" Yang Zhen speculated, "It seems it must be the dragon king. Normally, the dragon kings of the lower realms dare not defy the Jade Emperor's decree to bring rain. If they miss even a little, they will face execution on the chopping block. Since the river dragon king dared to withhold rain from Biqu, it must mean that the king of Biqu truly offended the gods, thus receiving punishment."

After pondering for a moment, Yang Zhen called the waiter again, paid the bill, and asked, "This place still seems quite prosperous. It seems that the lack of rain for over a year has not had a significant impact."

"Ah!" The waiter looked at Yang Zhen and sighed, "That's because the king will perform a ritual to pray to the heavens in three days, admitting his mistake and begging for rain, so that the heavens will not punish Biqu further."

"Oh? I saw a temple in the city. Can't the high monks there solve the problem?" Yang Zhen was puzzled. Logically, the monks in the temples near Ling Mountain should have some magical powers, so why couldn't they handle a river dragon king?

"Those monks? They only know how to meditate and chant scriptures. Can chanting bring rain?" the waiter said disdainfully.

After thanking the waiter, Yang Zhen left the tavern. This situation presented an opportunity for Yang Zhen. The Heavenly Dao is无情, and the gods in heaven would never heed the king of Biqu's grand ritual. Therefore, Biqu's disaster would not end in the short term.

When the king was at a loss, Yang Zhen could descend from the heavens and bring rain. Through this, Yang Zhen could easily become the national advisor of Biqu. At that time, with the people's faith and some clever means, he could have a continuous flow of merit.

Although these good deeds may seem insignificant, if an ordinary person spends their entire life doing good, they can be reborn as a divine being, directly becoming a heavenly soldier or a heavenly deity. Therefore, the accumulated merit from these good deeds is still considerable.

To say that this store is called the 'Good Deeds' store is apt. One must do good deeds that benefit humans to earn yuanbao, essentially forcing Yang Zhen to become a great benefactor!