Three days later.
On the highest mountain surrounding the capital, a woodcutter, drenched in sweat, tripped over a stone halfway up the mountain and scraped his skin.
He spat on the affected area and then found an open space to rest for a while. He had just sat down, wiped his sweat, and looked at the sky:
"Damn this scorching sun, it's killing all the rice seedlings." The woodcutter was just saying it offhand; he sold firewood, and in hot, dry weather, firewood dries out easily.
After taking a sip of water, the woodcutter lifted his foot to take off his shoes to empty the sand. He glanced down at his feet and nearly fainted—
A long, patterned snake just slipped away; if he hadn't lifted his foot, it would have crawled over it.
The snake slithered away quickly and disappeared in an instant. The woodcutter had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the snake slithering across a branch to the side.
Moreover, snakes were almost everywhere, from the bushes on the left to the path in front.
The woodcutter screamed in fright and dared not move. Fortunately, all the snakes on the mountain were on their way and ignored him.
…………
On this day, snakes across the land became inexplicably restless. The closer one got to the capital, the more snakes appeared in people's sight. Venomous snakes, non-venomous snakes, small snakes, and large snakes appeared frequently, even everywhere.
Surprisingly, these snakes, whether venomous or not, did not attack people on their own initiative.
"Where did these snakes come from? Why are there so many of them all suddenly appearing? Could it be that the poisonous gas during the Dragon Boat Festival was too strong for them to handle?"
"I don't think so. We celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival every year, but this year is different."
The speaker looked mysterious, gesturing with his chin in a certain direction:
"I heard—I only heard—that the Willow Immortal Temple is closed and not allowing believers to enter because the Willow Immortal is about to be deified!"
"What?"
The others gathered together were all surprised. Wasn't Liu Xian already a god? Otherwise, how could he protect them? Many of these people had even brought a statue of Liu Xian home for protection.
The speaker was extremely proud; he wouldn't have known these "secrets" if the girl next door hadn't become a priestess in the temple.
He had built up the suspense for a while before slowly saying:
"What do you know? Liu Xian was originally a white snake who cultivated into a great demon, just like how we take the imperial examinations to become scholars and officials, first we have the qualifications to become officials."
"Liu Xian possesses immense magical power, but becoming a god is not so easy; one must accumulate merit. That's why he works so hard to protect us ordinary people and help us accumulate merit."
At this moment, someone below whispered:
"Ming Ming protects women the most. My wife can't be laid a finger on now, or she'll go to the Liuxian Temple to complain."
"You don't know anything!"
The speaker was very unhappy that someone had interrupted him, even though he had thought the same way before.
But what's the situation now? When he's in the limelight, he can't tolerate anyone contradicting him.
"Liu Xian is a benevolent and compassionate deity. If it can't bear to see a woman suffer, can't it protect her?"
"And who among you can say you haven't benefited from Liu Xian? Every year when the voyage opens, countless amounts of silver flow in like water, ensuring that every household has enough to eat and drink."
The speaker spoke with righteous indignation, becoming increasingly convinced of his own righteousness, and finally stood up, looking down condescendingly at the speaker.
"To eat from the bowl and then curse the cook—that's the life of a dog!"
After saying that, he gave a stern look around, ready to launch a tirade against anyone who dared to oppose him, assuming a moral high ground.
The others looked away guiltily and chimed in, "That's right, that's how it should be."
"Liu Xian is a goddess, so it's no big deal for her to like women."
The speaker nodded in satisfaction, feeling as if he had done a good deed, and his chest could be held even higher.
He imitated the county magistrate, coughing twice before speaking:
"Now, the merits have been accumulated to a certain extent. Just like a scholar who has thoroughly studied the classics will have to take the imperial examination to become an official, it is the same for becoming an immortal. Immortal Liu still has one more hurdle to overcome."
"What does that have to do with these snakes?"
"You guys didn't even think of that?"
The speaker shook his head, seemingly disappointed, and finally offered a merciful explanation:
"Liu Xian's true form is a snake, and it is the ancestor of all snakes. Now the ancestor is taking a test. If it succeeds, it will be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate and soaring to the sky. Do you think they wouldn't come out to cheer for their ancestor?"
Everyone suddenly realized.
Similar scenes occurred in many places, with the sources often being priestesses of the temple or followers of Liu Xian.
It seemed that overnight, everyone knew that Liu Xian was going to be deified.
The fact that snakes do not avoid people and are not aggressive supports this claim. Some people bow down when they encounter a snake and say, "May the willow fairy succeed."
Inside the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back: "Liu Xian has moved too quickly in this matter."
He thought it would be at least a few more months, and although he knew that this day would come sooner or later, when it actually arrived, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know how he felt.
"Cultivators value the secrets of heaven most, and when the time comes, there is no room for hesitation."
Beside her, Nongyu, with her long, black hair cascading down her back and dressed in a pre-Qin style blouse, held a golden toad in her arms and looked in one direction with a complicated expression.
"Does Princess Nongyu think Liu Xian will succeed?" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly asked.
"Nonsense, of course the master will succeed," the ghost thought to itself.
Nongyu lowered her head and stroked the golden toad, her expression tinged with melancholy.
"What ability do I have to judge a demon immortal who is far ahead of me? Whether I succeed or not, at least Immortal Liu had a chance."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed inwardly. Princess Nongyu had been falling into a deep sleep in recent years and was getting weaker and weaker. Even though he searched far and wide for medicinal herbs and rare pearls and jade in the deep mountains and forests, he could only provide slight relief.
Compared to Liu Xian's flourishing career, Princess Nongyu's demeanor is not surprising.
However, Emperor Zhu had a better mindset as he was an emperor. He never expected to live forever, so he felt almost no sense of loss.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang was concerned about one thing: if Princess Nongyu were to disappear completely, in order to leave a guarantee for the royal family, he would have to find someone like her.
However—Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the golden toad in Princess Nongyu's arms and smiled smugly, thinking that the Buddhist sect had some sense.
With a good mindset, Zhu Yuanzhang was more composed when it came to the matter of Liu Xian's deification. Well, he kept his promise and sent more soldiers to block the Taoist priests' doors.
...
The water level in the pool had dropped to only three fingers deep. Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes, only to be met by a ball of light rushing towards him, panting heavily.
"Host, Su Su has taken care of everything. Almost all the people of the Ming Dynasty know that you are going to be deified."
The system finally caught its breath after speaking. It had exhausted him. He not only had to think about the draft, but also had to adapt to the situation and ask Susu to make adjustments.
However, the goal was still successfully achieved.
Ling Xiao's choice of the code name "Liu Xian" may seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it was actually paving the way for his future.
The human heart is mysterious. When beasts ask for permission, it means they have received permission from human words and thus become spirits or demons.
This time, Ling Xiao is using the voices of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty to claim a title for himself—not to become a monster, but to become a god!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
