Shulong Daojun

When the two brothers returned, it was already dark.

The bright moon hangs high, casting its pale silver light upon the myriad lights of homes, creating a unique and enchanting scene.

Outside Qingwu City, a grand fish feast was in full swing, the aroma of fish filling the air and rising in wisps of white mist.

The yamen runners dressed in black and a group of local deities dressed in blue were distributing the cooked fish soup to the refugees who had come to receive it.

After that, the people formed a long line, with several rows on the left and right sides as well, all in the same manner.

The depressions were teeming with fish, shrimp, and crabs, which were easy to distribute to the city's inhabitants, but became a problem for the refugees.

After all, caves and treehouses are not convenient places for storage.

The problem is not scarcity, but inequality.

If the aid is given only to the city's inhabitants and not to those seeking refuge, it could easily incite discontent and cause trouble.

Therefore, the blue-robed local deity holding the jade talisman and the officials of Qingwu City discussed it and decided to hold a fish feast to share with them.

It is not only a good deed, but it can also unite the people's hearts, making it a wonderful thing.

Of course, before this, the Qingyi local deity had already informed Lin Shu of this matter.

After a moment's thought, Lin Shu nodded in agreement and ordered a county magistrate and a group of local deities to go and assist him.

However, he did not go there himself, but instead caught a few big, fat fish and ate with his two brothers inside the temple.

At the same time, they also inquired about Zhuyin's solo battle against the great demon and the situation of the evil spirits within Fuyuan.

Upon hearing this, Zhuyin scoffed, swallowed a fat fish whole, and then recounted the matter he had been asked.

He had originally used the pretext of seclusion to recuperate from his injuries to secretly escape to Qingwu City.

One reason is that he misses Lin Shu and Qing Min, and wants to take a look.

One reason was that they wanted to receive offerings to help them recover from their injuries more quickly.

The reason for fighting those four great demons was to buy time, so that the Demonic Sect and the Snake Demon could kill as many great demons as possible from another region, and then recruit them for their own use in the future.

Taking advantage of their unpreparedness, they successfully killed most of them, but a few still escaped.

Despite the great achievements, both the Demonic Sect and the Snake Demon suffered injuries and are currently recuperating.

That's why it found the opportunity to come.

Lin Shu nodded and asked about Zhu Yin's injuries. After learning that he was not seriously injured, he had a thought and began to separate and condense the incense offerings accumulated by the people in the divine position.

After the ceremony, the incense offerings were taken out and fed to Zhuyin.

The pure incense is rewarded for helping the people, and the rightful share is given to Qingmin for refining.

Afterwards, he told Zhuyin to take good care of his injury and not to worry.

Compared to Fuyuan, Qingwu City is safe enough.

Since it was within the territory of the Daoist sect and also under his jurisdiction, no one would have thought that a powerful demon at the Earth Immortal level was recuperating here.

In the following days, everything proceeded as usual.

The Candle Shadow arrived quietly, and no righteous god in Qingwu City knew of it, so it wouldn't cause any trouble.

With the combined efforts of the seven elders and a group of righteous gods, the winter preparations for the new city gradually came to fruition.

All around the new city, high walls rose from the ground, covered by a huge canopy shaped like a tortoise shell, protecting it completely from wind and rain.

Above the high wall, about three meters up, are a series of skylights, arranged in an alternating pattern, made of translucent material to allow sunlight to penetrate.

Between the skylights are embedded lamps that burn continuously, with stone steps or wooden stairs nearby for people to climb up, open the windows for ventilation, or light the lamps.

The enormous canopy is made of semi-transparent material, with skylights of various sizes built on it, and a high platform suspended above it, making it convenient for guards to patrol the city.

Lin Shu walked through the new city and, seeing the situation on all sides, couldn't help but nod slightly.

When a group of righteous gods work together, they get things done very quickly.

Especially after having Zhuyin secretly oversee the ley lines in each jurisdiction, they had even more time available.

Not only has the sky above been completed, but the ground beneath our feet has also changed completely.

Several depressions have been equipped with magic arrays to gather fire elemental energy, which are combined with a magic array to drive water flow, continuously sending hot water from underground tunnels into the new city's underground, circulating repeatedly, and finally flowing back to the depressions.

In this way, with a county magistrate controlling the water temperature, the new town was brought a suitable warmth, so that even walking barefoot on the ground, one would not feel cold.

The hard work of the Qingyi locals is to watch over the tunnels beneath the new city day and night for a hundred days, and work with the magic array that protects the foundation to support the new city.

Lin Shu strolled along, carefully examining every detail, accompanied by several elderly men.

He should be in charge of the final inspection of the new city.

Suddenly, he noticed that structures resembling ponds and houses were under construction throughout the city, and he curiously asked the old man beside him, "Fellow Daoist, what is this?"

The old man smiled and said, "Toilet, and hot spring."

The former was for refugees to use in emergencies at night, while the latter was for them to bathe and relax, so as to avoid boredom and trouble caused by prolonged stay.

As the saying goes, food and sex are human nature.

If these two conditions can be met, the people will feel at ease.

Upon hearing that Fellow Daoist Lin had prepared fish for the winter, I thought of this method of bathing in a hot spring.

"Does Fellow Daoist Lin think this is feasible?"

Lin Shu looked puzzled, pondered for a moment, and said, "It is not a bad method."

However, the refugees include both men and women, which could easily lead to trouble, so caution is advised.

After listening, the old man flicked his sleeve and said confidently, "That's how it is."

Most of these hot spring pools are separated by gender, with a few being mixed-gender pools, but that's just for show.

In my opinion, the vast majority of ordinary people, out of consideration for their reputation and fear of offending others, would not dare to step into it.

"Oh? What if someone actually steps in?" Lin Shu asked, a thought flashing through his mind.

The old man waved his hand and smiled confidently: "It's alright, the bath we use is right next to the mixed-gender bath."

At that time, the three county gods and all the local deities can also relax and unwind here.

"I'd like to see who dares to do such a despicable thing right under our noses."

The old man spoke with great confidence, and Lin Shu thought about it briefly and, finding no major problems, did not ask any further questions.

However, before turning around, he remembered something else and said slowly, "Remember to make something to cover things; being in the open is never good."

The old man looked slightly taken aback, then seemed to understand something and hurriedly said, "I understand, I understand, Fellow Daoist Lin, please rest assured."

Lin Shu nodded, seeing that seven or eight things were prepared, he no longer hesitated, lit incense to summon Qi Yannian, and said calmly:

"Qi Zhengshen, tomorrow we will gradually bring the refugees into the new city and begin preparing their food, clothing and other necessities."

The weather is about to change drastically; in four or five days it will be the Great Cold. Please make sure everything is done properly and do not be negligent.

Qi Yannian straightened his expression, cupped his hands, and said, "I will respectfully obey the decree of the Manifested and Benevolent God."

Lin Shu waved his hand, intending for him to leave his busy work, but then suddenly remembered something and instructed, "Junior Brother Fang Zhi should have already given you a golden jade talisman. Remember to hang it in the Zheng Shen Temple when the cold season comes."

"Yes, sir." Qi Yannian bowed.

In the blink of an eye, four or five days have passed.

On this day, Lin Shu stood quietly with his hands behind his back under the paulownia tree in the side courtyard of the rear hall.

Just as a chill crept into the world, a deep, resonant voice suddenly echoed through heaven and earth:

"Today, our Taiyi lineage, by the grace of Heaven, in order to protect the lives of countless people, has captured the four seasons of Heaven and Earth, and transformed into a python to control them."

"Imperial Edict!"