Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World
Chapter 230 - 123: The Arrival of Light

Chapter 230: Chapter 123: The Arrival of Light

Heavenly Stele Realm, Half Mountain City.

Zheng Fa was flipping through the Heavenly Merit points in his Sealing God Book.

Since the Sealing God Book turned golden and his domain expanded fourfold, the Heavenly Tribulation Thunder had harvested over a thousand Heavenly Merit points.

Adding the previously accumulated Heavenly Merit points, the points in his Sealing God Book were now close to two thousand.

Zheng Fa was confident that besides Xiao Yuying, it was unlikely for others in the Heavenly Stele Realm to catch up with him.

However, he was now facing a problem—as evildoers turned to ash one by one, the Heavenly Merit points from Heavenly Tribulation Thunder were decreasing.

If he wanted to obtain a large number of Heavenly Merit points to exchange for spiritual materials, he would likely need to rely on Cloud Rain Thunder and Spirit Tree Thunder, or develop the population of his domain.

He had no clue about the Spirit Tree Thunder, but he had already researched the Cloud Rain Thunder in the modern world.

The Cloud Moving, Rain Making, and Rain Stopping Thunders each had their own difficulties.

Both Cloud Moving and Rain Making required extremely high control ability over the Thunder Skill, and probably only by progressing further with the Divine Sky Thunder Control True Method could he truly control the rain to the minutest detail.

But Rain Stopping Thunder was different—it relied on high-energy lasers, with the main emphasis on its powerful force.

As long as he had enough Spiritual Power, he could clear the skies for the world!

Zheng Fa opened the Sealing God Book to check the missions—just to find that after the book upgraded to gold, this page had changed, too.

The mission page on the Sealing God Book had turned into a map, exactly the shape of his domain.

He pointed his finger on it, and the cloud, rain, and thunder conditions for the next month in that area appeared—like a weather forecast.

Only this weather forecast depended on his own hands to come true...

The Sealing God Book could still evolve—Zheng Fa now deeply suspected that this thing was mocking those under the golden book who couldn’t possibly master Cloud Rain Thunder.

While he was studying the Sealing God Book, Xiaoqing suddenly walked in.

She had been eating well these past two months, growing taller by two inches, and her little face looked even more radiant.

She now looked like a graceful girl of about fifteen or sixteen.

Much prettier than when Zheng Fa had first seen her.

But at this moment, she frowned and slowly walked to the statue of Zheng Fa, first devoutly kneeling on the cushion to pray, then softly asked, "Lord of Thunder God?"

"Is there something you need?"

Zheng Fa’s voice sounded, and Xiaoqing’s face brightened as she spoke, "Lord of Thunder God, I wanted to ask, when will the thunder stop in the river channel below the mountain?"

"Hmm?"

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Zheng Fa understood what Xiaoqing was asking.

Below Half Mountain City lay a river valley, the river rich with fish and shrimp, sustaining the tens of thousands of people in Half Mountain City.

But for the past half month, the valley had experienced torrential rain and dancing lightning snakes.

"Several people have been struck dead, and town folks are afraid to go fishing," said Xiaoqing with a worried expression. "We can only gather more mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the mountains, but it really isn’t enough..."

After hearing Xiaoqing’s words, Zheng Fa pointed his finger on the river valley on the map, and found that according to the arrangement in the Sealing God Book, this area should be mostly clear in the next half month.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then said to Xiaoqing:

"Tell everyone in the town to go fishing in the river valley in three days."

"In three days?" Xiaoqing wondered, but Zheng Fa did not explain further.

...

"Hong, this is yours for today, take it!"

Xiaoqing handed a small sack of mountain goods to a woman, who, after receiving the sack, looked inside and nodded gratefully to Xiaoqing before hurrying back home.

As she opened the door, a coughing fit came through.

"Mother of Bao’er, you’re back?"

An older, slightly hoarse female voice followed the coughing.

The speaker was an elderly woman.

Though only in her thirties, she was indeed considered old in Half Mountain City.

This elderly woman sat in front of a simple loom, coughing as she wove.

"Mother, you’re ill, why don’t you rest properly?"

"I’m making clothes for Bao’er."

The elderly woman looked affectionately toward the inside of the house, where a one or two-year-old boy was staggering along the wall.

"I can do that."

Granny Hong put down the sack, took out a clay pot, added water, and poured the mountain goods from the sack into it.

"There’s no fish again today?"

The elderly woman helped to start the fire, noticing the mushrooms and couldn’t help asking.

"No, the thunder in the river is severe, nobody dares to go. Mother, you should take down that dried fish hanging under the eaves, it will spoil in this weather." After a thought, Hong added, "It’s just right to nourish you."

"I’m old, what’s there to nourish? Give it to Bao’er to eat!" The elderly woman, trembling, brought the fish over, still muttering, "I’ve long said I’d head into the mountains, why do you even need me?"

"Mother."

"You keep watch over my son, raise Bao’er, and I’ll bow to you even in death," the elderly woman kept on, "What do you need me for."

"Mother, now the Lord of Thunder God says we should give more food to the elderly, you stay at home, and Bao’er and I can enjoy your blessings."

"The Lord of Thunder God sure likes to meddle..."

Granny Hong watched the clay pot and softly said, "The day after you left, mother, the house felt so empty."

"..."

"Bao’er has also been looking everywhere for his grandma."

The elderly woman glanced at the boy and finally closed her mouth.

Granny Hong put the dried fish into the clay pot to cook together.

"Bao’er needs to eat more as he is growing, Granny needs to eat more as she is recovering, and she herself only has a few bites."

Suddenly, Bao’er’s light and heavy footsteps came to her ears, she hadn’t turned around when a piece of fish was stuffed into her mouth.

"Mom... Mom, eat the fish!"

Bao’er’s tender voice sounded beside her ear.

Hong stood still momentarily, turned her head, and saw Bao’er smiling foolishly at her as if he had learned something, still saying:

"Mom gives to Granny, Granny gives to Bao’er, Bao’er gives to Mom."

Hong slowly chewed the fish in her mouth.

It felt like the loom in front of her was squeaking and creaking, all seeming to be laughing at her.

"We still have some fabric at home, after making some for Bao’er, make a set for Lord of Thunder God too," Granny suddenly said.

"Mom?"

"I wonder how big Lord of Thunder God’s clothes are," Granny said softly.

...

Three days later.

Hong was just about to go out.

Her Granny stood at the doorway, blocking her.

"Mom?"

"Today, I’ll go," Granny insisted: "It’s okay if something happens to me, Bao’er can’t lose his mom."

"Mom, your health..."

"It’s fine!"

Granny pushed her back into the house.

...

Xiaoqing walked out of the temple.

In Half Mountain City, with tens of thousands of households, at least one person from each household stood in front of the temple.

Their gaze towards Xiaoqing varied.

Some were doubtful, some were skeptical, also some were nervous.

"Xiaoqing, can you really go fishing?"

"What did Lord of Thunder God say?"

"Are we not going to be struck by lightning?"

Granny Hong stood among the crowd, also feeling uncertain.

She understood what everyone was thinking; previously, the Thunderbolt Sect had taken over even the fishing spots.

Now this Lord of Thunder God was much better than the Sect Hierarch of Thunderbolt Sect.

Not only does he not require their food as tribute, but he also gives more to these old people.

But...

Recently, many people have been struck dead by lightning in that river valley.

Moreover, this little girl Xiaoqing said Lord of Thunder God allowed them to fish in the valley—this was unheard of.

In their perception, the previous god even ate people!

She glanced around; there were old people like her everywhere.

It seemed like everyone was a bit afraid.

"Do you say Lord of Thunder God is letting us go there to be sacrifices?" She also heard two people murmuring nearby: "Maybe Lord of Thunder God doesn’t like offerings but likes eating people?"

"Why fear when, if not for Lord of Thunder God, we should have died long ago," someone next to them chuckled.

"I am just afraid this lord likes them a bit fattier?"

...

Granny Hong was startled for a moment, feeling there might be some sense in those words.

"I am not afraid either," another person said. "Just based on the Lord striking down the people of Thunderbolt Sect and avenging my daughter, being a sacrifice is nothing."

...

Granny Hong also smiled, suddenly feeling unafraid.

Xiaoqing nodded to the crowd, not saying much, just leading with the fishing net at the front.

She had gained some prestige now, and everyone naturally followed her down the mountain.

After walking a distance, they were not even close to the river valley yet.

The rumbling sound of thunder reached their ears.

After walking another half a li, they saw lightning striking chaotically at the river bank.

Many fish floated on the river surface, appearing to be electrocuted.

Above the river valley, there were dense clouds that even dipped down to the mid-mountain.

Everyone involuntarily stopped, all eyes on Xiaoqing.

Xiaoqing put down her fishing net, turned around, bowed three times towards the temple, then stood up and declared:

"By the command of Lord of Thunder God, within three days, the clouds will dissipate, the rain will cease, and the wind and thunder will calm."

As her voice fell.

A thick beam of light rose from the temple, illuminating the entire river valley.

Granny Hong felt a burst of brightness before her eyes, and when she could see again, the sky above the river valley was clear.

The sunlight sprinkled on the river surface, casting golden light.

Like everyone else, she stared at Xiaoqing in awe, unknowing when, she had knelt on the ground.

"You can fish peacefully in three days, this is the grace of Lord of Thunder God."

"Thanks to the grace of Lord of Thunder God!"

Sparse voices merged into a surge, spreading into Half Mountain City.

After a while, everyone stood up, looking at each other and rushed towards the river valley.

Granny Hong stood there dazed, but sneakily turned and ran up the mountain.

She had to call Bao’er’s mother too!

She ran up the mountain panting, occasionally looking back at the golden river path, her eyes seemingly reflecting the same shimmer.