Chapter 45

Half a month after the grand ceremony to worship the heavens, it was early morning.

"The grand ceremony to worship the heavens has been over for half a month, yet not a single drop of rain has fallen in Biquo. If this continues, the decline of our nation is secondary; what about the innocent people? Should we let them continue to fetch water from the Biquo River outside the city for drinking and irrigation? Alas! If this continues, our Biquo nation will be in peril. I wonder what good strategies the ministers have?"

The King of Biquo looked at the ministers before him and asked in a solemn voice. The event of no rain for a year and a half had become the biggest crisis in Biquo. However, fortunately, the Biquo River was not far from the capital. Although it took several hours to go back and forth, at least there was still water to use.

But in the long run, this was not a solution.

"Your Majesty, this is a punishment from the gods, beyond our control. In my opinion, to avoid this disaster, we must seek out those who have attained enlightenment and ask them to perform rain-summoning rituals. Only then might Biquo survive this crisis," a senior minister thought for a moment and said, stepping forward.

The king thought for a moment and frowned, "But where can we find such enlightened beings?"

"Your Majesty need not worry. As the saying goes, great rewards will attract brave men. Why not issue an edict to post notices throughout Biquo, offering anyone who can summon rain the position of National Master?"

"Agreed!" After some thought, the King of Biquo agreed to this suggestion.

Not long after the notice was posted, Yang Zhen received the news. In the following month, countless monks and Taoists came to take the challenge, but none of them were truly enlightened. Most were just trying their luck, thinking that if they made a fuss, they might coincidentally bring rain and enjoy a life of luxury.

Another month passed, and the King of Biquo, seeing that all those who took the challenge were frauds, ordered them to be beaten out with sticks. As a result, fewer people came to take the challenge.

Yang Zhen, seeing that it had been so long, finally decided it was time to act. Without hesitation, he went to the city and took the challenge.

"What skills do you have?" The King of Biquo received Yang Zhen and asked curiously.

After all, although Yang Zhen no longer had his cute cat ears, he still looked like a young man in his twenties, far from the appearance of an enlightened being. If someone said Yang Zhen was a warrior, it might be believable, but to say he was an enlightened being...

"I have been studying the arts on Mount Fangcun since childhood, practicing for over two hundred years. I can summon wind and rain and subdue demons. I heard that Chiche has not had rain for over a year, which must be due to the mischief of evil dragons. Since Your Majesty is a wise ruler, my master has sent me to help resolve the crisis in Biquo," Yang Zhen said with a smile.

"Oh?" The King of Biquo was immediately interested and said, "If you have such powers, could you show me a demonstration?"

Hearing that Yang Zhen had practiced for over two hundred years, the King of Biquo became excited. If what Yang Zhen said was true, he could be immortal. If I could also obtain this immortal technique, I could rule Biquo forever. Thinking of this, the King of Biquo looked at Yang Zhen with even more enthusiasm.

However, among the ministers, a few were dismissive of Yang Zhen's claims. The monks and Taoists who had come before, although they had no real powers, at least looked like enlightened beings. They would not claim to have practiced for a hundred years; fifty or sixty years was already impressive.

But Yang Zhen was different. He claimed to have practiced for over two hundred years, which was truly audacious.

Yang Zhen smiled and said, "Of course, Your Majesty, please watch."

With that, Yang Zhen raised his right hand, and a ball of fire appeared in his palm. Although it was just a small flame, it was the Three Pure Fires. Even though Yang Zhen had controlled its power, it was still beyond the endurance of ordinary people.

As soon as the flame appeared, everyone in the hall was drenched in sweat, their faces flushed with heat.

The soldiers of Biquo, being loyal, stood guard in front of the king, ready to protect him in case Yang Zhen suddenly attacked.

Yang Zhen smiled and waved his right hand outside the hall. The Three Pure Fires immediately rushed out, creating a large pit outside the hall.

Seeing this, the King of Biquo knew that Yang Zhen was truly skilled. He quickly stood up from his throne and walked to Yang Zhen, his face beaming with joy. "You are indeed an enlightened being! If you are willing to stay in Biquo, I will appoint you as the National Master. I hope you can help me for the sake of the millions of people in Biquo."

"Your Majesty, rest assured!" Yang Zhen said, "I came here because I heard of Your Majesty's diligence and benevolence. Biquo has been prosperous for many years, and this crisis is due to the mischief of evil dragons. Now that I am here, I will certainly resolve this problem for Your Majesty."

The King of Biquo was immediately delighted and pulled Yang Zhen, asking, "When do you plan to summon the rain to resolve this crisis for Biquo?"

"The situation is urgent, so let's set the rain-summoning ritual for tomorrow. Your Majesty, rest assured, the art of summoning wind and rain is not difficult. Biquo will definitely have rain tomorrow," Yang Zhen said with a smile.

Yang Zhen did not want to summon the rain today because he needed to give the King of Biquo a day to notify the people of Biquo. Only if everyone knew that the rain was summoned by Yang Zhen would he receive the greatest benefit.

The King of Biquo, hearing Yang Zhen's words, immediately ordered a grand banquet to welcome Yang Zhen.

Because he had seen Yang Zhen's skills in the hall, the King of Biquo highly regarded Yang Zhen. Even if Yang Zhen could not summon rain, the King of Biquo planned to keep him in Biquo, as such a talented person was rare.

The banquet was a great success. At the banquet, to make everyone believe he had real powers, Yang Zhen performed several more magic tricks, leaving the people of Biquo in awe and deep respect.

Of course, Yang Zhen did not perform transformation magic, as it could easily cause misunderstandings. Especially for the King of Biquo, if he thought Yang Zhen could transform into him and take his place, it would be problematic.

Happiness and frustration are always relative. At the banquet, Yang Zhen ate, drank, and played happily. However, he also encountered a frustrating situation.

Because they heard that Yang Zhen had practiced for over two hundred years, the queen, princesses, and other women kept asking him about his beauty-preserving techniques, leaving Yang Zhen at a loss for words. In the end, he could only teach them some breathing exercises to slow down aging.

However, Yang Zhen did not know that during the entire banquet, including the king, ministers, and maids, almost everyone had memorized the breathing exercises he taught, hoping to learn some magic and achieve immortality in the future.

(Well, I was irresponsible yesterday, but I'm back on track today.)

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