Ma Tianzheng really went all in on the performance this time.
Not just chanting a few lines and calling it a day. No. The man dragged out the full ritual package. Incense, talismans, pacing, muttering, kneeling, kowtowing. Step after step, slow and deliberate, like he was squeezing every last drop of suspense out of the crowd.
Even Li Dao Xuan, watching from above, started getting impatient.
How long are you going to drag this out?
When Ma Tianzheng finally dropped to his knees and held the pose like a statue, Li Dao Xuan decided that was enough theatrics.
Time to work.
Click. Click.
He plugged in four medical nebulizers, lined them up neatly, poured in water, and switched them on.
Meanwhile, down below at Yang Village's grain-drying field, the place was already packed.
Not just crowded. Packed to the point where people were stacked three, four layers deep around the ritual site. Farmers, old men, women with children on their backs, even the county officials had come.
County Magistrate Feng Jun stood at the center, arms behind his back, trying to maintain dignity.
Beside him, the County Deputy Magistrate was already losing patience.
"This charlatan really puts on a good show," he muttered under his breath. "But you expect me to believe this will actually bring rain? I don't buy it."
Feng Jun lowered his voice.
"I don't believe it either. But if he performs the act, at least the people will have hope."
He glanced at the restless crowd.
"After this, we can spread the word that rain is coming soon. Let them wait. Let them hope. As long as they don't riot, that's already a win."
The deputy magistrate nodded slowly.
That… actually made sense.
But just as the two were quietly agreeing on their pragmatic deception, the crowd suddenly erupted.
"Look!"
"Look up there!"
"The clouds are moving!"
"What is that coming out of the sky?!"
Feng Jun's brows jumped. He immediately tilted his head upward.
And then he froze.
Directly above them, about seventy meters in the air, a low-hanging cloud had formed out of nowhere.
It was strange. Too low. Too dense.
And right now, it was splitting apart.
Something was pushing its way out from within.
A massive green dragon head.
Its jaws opened wide, teeth bared, and from its mouth poured a thick, misty rain.
Feng Jun sucked in a sharp breath.
"Damn… it's real?"
"That's… the Dragon King?!"
The deputy magistrate suddenly screamed and pointed to the distance.
"Over there! Look over there too!"
Everyone turned.
Another cloud.
Another split.
Another dragon head emerged.
This one was red.
Then another. Blue.
Then another. Yellow.
Four clouds.
Four dragon heads.
Four gaping maws spraying mist into the air.
In an instant, rain fell.
Not drizzle. Not scattered drops.
A curtain of water.
Within moments, everything within a two-li radius around Yang Village was swallowed by rain.
Feng Jun stood there, mouth open, completely blank.
The deputy magistrate tugged at his sleeve.
"Magistrate… you're bleeding."
Feng Jun wiped his nose.
The blood smeared across his face in a curved line, then hooked upward, making him look like he was grinning like a madman.
"I… I really summoned the Dragon King…"
"No… not one…"
"Four…"
"The Four Sea Dragon Kings all came!"
The crowd exploded.
"Thank you, Heaven!"
"Bless us, Heaven!"
Ma Tianzheng instantly snapped, furious.
"Wrong! Not Heaven! It is Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
His voice cracked like thunder.
"You thank the wrong deity, and you want rain next time? Think carefully before you speak!"
That last sentence hit like a hammer.
The entire crowd panicked.
"Thank you, Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
"Bless us, Tianzun!"
"Dao Xuan Tianzun has such face that even the Four Sea Dragon Kings obey!"
Ma Tianzheng lowered his head slightly, hiding the strange expression on his face.
Face?
This wasn't about face.
They weren't invited.
They were basically dragged here by the neck.
You people have no idea what kind of being you're dealing with.
By now, Yang Village had completely lost its mind.
First, grain had been delivered.
Now, rain had fallen.
Hope, something that had been dead for years, suddenly came back to life.
People began calculating.
Work first. Earn wages. Feed the family.
When planting season comes, sow the fields again.
Work and farm at the same time.
In half a year, life might actually return to normal.
The thought alone was enough to make them laugh, shout, even cry.
Some started dancing in the rain, arms flailing wildly, like children who had forgotten what joy felt like.
At the edge of the field, a local militia instructor, Zhang Yuanwai, stared up at the sky, stunned.
He had only donated a chicken for the ritual.
Just one chicken.
He hadn't expected anything in return.
And now?
Rain.
Actual rain.
Best investment of his life.
He was still spinning in excitement when a figure in white robes drifted to his side.
Elegant. Calm. Fan in hand.
Zhang Yuanwai blinked.
"And you are…?"
The man smiled.
"I am Bai Yuan, instructor of the Cheng County militia."
Zhang Yuanwai's eyes widened instantly.
"So it's you!"
He stepped forward eagerly.
"I've long heard of your name. They say you defeated Wushang Mingwang, Baishui Wang Er, Wang Zuogua, and Buzhan Ni. And just days ago, you shot Fan Shanyue from hundreds of paces away."
He clasped his hands.
"If not for you, our Heyang County would never have rid itself of that scourge, and we certainly wouldn't have this rain today."
Bai Yuan felt quite pleased inside.
On the outside, he remained perfectly composed.
He flicked open his folding fan with a crisp snap. Two bold characters on the surface: "Gentleman."
He lifted it slightly, covering half his face, voice lowering.
"Zhang Yuanwai… have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"The bandit leader Wang Jiayin. He may arrive here at any time."
Zhang Yuanwai's expression darkened.
"I've heard. They say he commands nearly fifty thousand men. He's already taken multiple cities in the north."
He sighed.
"A disaster waiting to happen."
Bai Yuan casually gestured toward the cluster of officials in the distance.
"Tell me honestly. Do you think those court officials can stop him?"
Zhang Yuanwai didn't hesitate.
"They couldn't even stop salt smugglers."
Bai Yuan nodded slowly.
"Then we agree."
He leaned in slightly.
"To resist bandits, we must rely on ourselves. I've heard your militia performed well during the cleanup after Fan Shanyue."
Zhang Yuanwai waved his hands quickly.
"Nothing worth mentioning. Compared to you taking him down with a single shot from hundreds of paces, we're nothing."
Bai Yuan didn't waste time on modesty.
"I'll speak plainly. The militias of Cheng County and Heyang County must unite."
He tapped his fan lightly against his palm.
"Otherwise, when tens of thousands of bandits arrive, your few hundred men per village will be crushed one by one."
Zhang Yuanwai fell silent.
That was exactly his fear.
His militia had only four hundred men. Against Fan Shanyue, they had been helpless until the bandits collapsed from within.
Against a force like Wang Jiayin?
They wouldn't last a day.
Bai Yuan continued.
"Official troops are restricted. A Cheng County patrol cannot operate freely in Heyang. But militias?"
He smiled.
"We answer to no such limits."
"If Heyang is attacked, Cheng County militias can reinforce."
"If Cheng County is threatened, you come to us."
"Fight, then return home. Simple."
Zhang Yuanwai's eyes lit up.
"That… makes perfect sense!"
His excitement surged.
"Then let our militias become brother militias. From now on, we stand together and fight together!"
He clasped his fists toward Bai Yuan.
"If you don't mind, call me Brother Zhang. I'll call you Brother Bai. From today onward, I'll follow your lead."
Bai Yuan closed his fan with a soft snap.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
The net had been cast.
And the fish had just jumped in on its own.