Chapter Nineteen: Summoned by Immortal Arts

"Could it be some kind of immortal art capable of conjuring food...?"

As soon as this thought surfaced, Shen Fang immediately shook his head to dismiss it. Impossible, absolutely impossible! Liu Shuyue was not the only disciple of the immortals; a handful of them appeared every century, and with all the variations and arcane arts passed down, he had never once heard of such a spell.

When all was said and done, these immortal masters were not gods. While they were formidable in slaying demons and communicating with the heavens, they were no different from ordinary people in other respects. For instance, they had to eat; before every campaign, the local government had to provide them with rations and wine to ensure they didn't slack off. If they truly possessed a method to conjure food, why would they bother using towns as their bases of operation?

Moreover, Shen Fang trusted his intuition.

Last time, when the immortal master had scolded them loudly at the Wuwu Hall, it had implicitly proven that she was powerless to resolve the food shortage. Otherwise, she would never have let the refugees gather here; she could have simply conjured a batch of food in the western regions after exterminating the demons, and everything would have been solved long ago.

"My husband, Honorable Prefect, why are your expressions so grave?" A beautiful woman walked into the room, carrying a pot of tea. "I was thinking, isn't it a wonderful thing that the disaster victims can finally eat their fill?"

Shen Fang was momentarily choked for words. It wouldn't do to tell his wife she was wrong, so he could only wave his hand with feigned impatience, urging her to leave quickly. "We are discussing state affairs; what business is it of a woman to interrupt? Leave the tea here and let him pour it himself."

Though his tone was stern, his eyes were full of doting affection.

After his wife left, the atmosphere between the two men became somewhat awkward.

True, it was good news anywhere else, but in Zhangwei, it simply wouldn't do.

If the refugees were fed and returned home, everyone would be happy, but the Emperor might not be so pleased.

"I will go see for myself when they distribute the food at noon," Shen Fang said, breaking the silence. "This matter cannot be the work of the immortal master alone; perhaps there is a powerful figure assisting her from behind the scenes."

...

The water in the large pots bubbled and hissed, sending plumes of hot white steam rising into the air.

"Immortal Master, the water is boiling," someone reported.

Liu Shuyue looked at the dozen long lines forming before her and nodded. "Distribute the bowls and the noodles."

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd, as if it were a holiday.

The people approached the pots in an orderly fashion to collect their disposable bowls and chopsticks. About twenty people were tasked with using large ladles to scoop the boiling water into each bowl. Only those with a bowl of boiling water could receive their portion of noodles.

The noodles were kept on a wagon beside the relief station, also distributed by designated personnel. One packet per person—the elderly, children, young men, and women were all treated equally. Those who were still hungry could fill up with the relief porridge.

After the first day of trial, the refugees had become quite skilled at preparing this convenient food. Some impatient ones didn't even wait for the noodle cake to be submerged, tearing open the bag and stuffing it straight into their mouths, treating the bowl of boiling water as mere decoration. Liu Shuyue did not stop them; as long as they didn't waste or hoard, how they chose to eat was their own business.

For a time, the open ground was filled with a mouth-watering aroma. This was no exaggeration; Liu Shuyue noticed the soldiers at the city gates staring longingly at the scene, as if the relief food were more tempting than the coarse cakes in their own hands.

"Immortal Master, you are truly the savior of my family!" An old man holding a child suddenly fell to his knees with a thud. "I kowtow to you!"

Someone nearby immediately pulled him up. "Sigh, old man, didn't we say no bowing or thanking during the food distribution? It blocks the people behind. We are all grateful for the Immortal Master's kindness; thank her after you've eaten!"

"That's right, just keep this gratitude in your heart and repay it when you have the chance!"

"My life was saved by the Immortal Master; a kowtow is not enough. Immortal Master, my name is Fu Jiaolu, a hunter. If there is anything you need, just call on me!"

"Forget it, why would the Immortal Master have any use for you?"

"Hahahaha..." The crowd roared with laughter.

Scenes like this occurred every moment—someone would step forward to express their gratitude excitedly, only to be stopped by those maintaining order. Yet, as they were stopped, the expression of gratitude would trigger more resonance, until the atmosphere reached a new peak, and the next person, unable to contain themselves, would jump out of line to offer their thanks.

Liu Shuyue neither dodged nor responded; she simply stood quietly at the front of all the lines, letting everyone see her.

This was the best moment to establish her prestige.

If she hadn't experienced it herself, she could hardly imagine that just a few days ago, these people were hostile and wary of one another, eyeing others' food while fearing they themselves might become targets. Blind despair and sorrow had filled every corner of the camp.

Chen Xuan was absolutely right: if the refugees could not be integrated, even if food were distributed, it would only lead to disaster.

As the saying goes, "no square or circle can be formed without a compass and square." The refugee camp had been chaotic due to a loss of order, but now she had endowed them with a new order.

Food Distribution Department, Reserve Department, Organization Department, Security Department... Drawing on historical knowledge, she divided the refugees into units and forced them to cooperate in order to face this hunger crisis.

To continue strengthening the rules she had set, she had to become the pillar in the hearts of the refugees.

Liu Shuyue stood at the very front so that everyone would know it was she who had brought them life-saving food, and it was she who had spared the people of Qingzhou from the threat of the famine.

Although she had accomplished this with the help of the Shopkeeper, there was no need to reveal the inside story to everyone—this prestige was optional for Chen Xuan, but it could be of great use to her.

This was not a mere honor; it was a responsibility.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the front of the line.

"Might the Immortal Master also grant me a portion of the relief noodles?"

A man walked through the line and stood before Liu Shuyue, cupping his hands in a salute. Although most refugees did not recognize him, the prominent official robes he wore made everyone hesitate to act out of turn.

"Prefect," Liu Shuyue returned the salute. "I am afraid that is not possible."

"He is... the Prefect?" The commoners couldn't help but whisper, their eyes filled with a hint of fear.

"Not even for me?"

"This food is prepared for the refugees, and the quantity is fixed. If I give you one extra packet, one refugee will receive one less," Liu Shuyue said softly. "However, if you are curious, Prefect, you may purchase them from them. As long as you are willing to spend the money, these noodles are not hard to come by."

"Spend money... to buy?" Shen Fang was stunned.

"Exactly. That way, the refugees can use the money to buy food as well; isn't that killing two birds with one stone?" She smiled. "By the way... several merchants have already come to buy some today, and they offered quite high prices. If you feel embarrassed to trade with the refugees, Prefect, you can always go to those merchants."

"Where exactly do these noodles come from?"

Shen Fang decided to stop beating around the bush. He lowered his voice and pressed her.

When he saw the strange packets of food appearing outside the city, he could hardly believe his eyes. Having been an official for so long, he knew at a glance that this was definitely not something that could be produced in Qingzhou.

To be able to transform into a bowl of flavorful noodle soup just by soaking it in boiling water—this was even more miraculous than any arcane art!

The District Assistant’s judgment was correct.

If Liu Shuyue could provide this magical ration in a steady stream, the famine in Qingzhou would vanish into thin air, and the Immortal Master who saved the people from peril would naturally become the savior everyone worshipped, gaining unprecedented renown!

This was the exact opposite of what the Emperor expected.

"It is an immortal art," Liu Shuyue replied calmly. "I summoned them using an immortal art."

"Impossible!" Shen Fang couldn't help but raise his voice. "If you truly had this ability, why didn't you use it after slaying the demons? If you had summoned the food from the start, the people of Qingzhou would not have had to suffer this disaster and flee all the way here!"

The eyes of everyone around them snapped toward them.

Liu Shuyue’s expression remained unchanged. "That is naturally because I could not do so at the time. You must have heard, Prefect, that immortal arts all have their seasons. The more profound the spell, the more it depends on timing; only when the hour and the opportunity arrive can it be successfully cast."

"This..."

"Are you not happy, Prefect? Why do you keep fixating on whether the immortal art can be cast or not? The refugees can eat their fill, and the people of Zhangwei City can rest easy; this is clearly a wonderful thing."

Shen Fang was startled. "I am, of course, happy—"

"Are you?" She paused, looking the Prefect straight in the eyes, and asked word by word, "Then why is it that you cannot smile?"

He subconsciously glanced at the countless pairs of eyes around him, all seemingly waiting for his answer. After a moment, he slowly pulled his lips back, forcing a smile. "Ha... haha... how could that be? I am just so happy I don't know what to do! The Immortal Master is truly possessed of vast supernatural powers; it is a great blessing for the Emperor to have your assistance... Hahahaha!"