Chapter 26: Yun Zhen Returns Fully Loaded, the Entire Village Kneels to Worship the Goddess

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Yun Zhen Returns Fully Loaded, the Entire Village Kneels to Worship the Goddess

"THUD, THUD, THUD!"

The items Yun Zhen brought back smashed onto the ground with a loud crash as she materialized out of thin air inside her home.

She had no idea that her courtyard was currently packed with everyone from the village, not just her parents and daughter. Hearing the commotion inside, the crowd outside collectively gasped.

"The Goddess is here! Zhen Niang really is a Goddess!" Zhou Dashan, always a boisterous man, cried out in shock. Through the open door, he had seen a figure appear out of nowhere, bathed in a holy white light.

The village chief furrowed his brow and scolded him in a hushed, solemn voice. "What did I tell you all? From now on, you are not allowed to call the Goddess by her name! You must show her reverence!"

Zhou Dashan was quickly silenced as his wife, Li Cuilan, twisted his ear. The rest of the villagers didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly. Even the toddlers were as quiet as mice. They were terrified of offending the Goddess, fearing they would never get to eat hot white rice porridge again.

The moment Yun Zhen arrived, she felt the house was many times colder than usual. Her heart sank. She wondered if the blizzard had returned after she left. Only when she opened her eyes did she realize something was wrong.

"Huh?" The front doors of the house were wide open, and the courtyard was packed with people.

There was the village chief’s family, the elder from the Zhou family, Aunt Cui Lan, Uncle Er Gou, Aunt Guihua... They were all familiar faces. What was the whole village doing at her house?

Before she could even ask for an explanation, the large crowd of villagers suddenly fell to their knees in her direction.

"Greetings to the Goddess! May the Goddess save us from our suffering and deliver all living beings!" The villagers’ voices echoed throughout Taoyuan Village.

Yun Zhen hurried to help them up one by one, but no one budged. "Quick, get up! The ground is freezing. Catching a cold will cost you your lives!"

The village chief’s face was filled with reverence. The holy radiance from earlier had left him deeply moved. Trying his best to steady his trembling voice, he said, "Goddess, it is only because of your appearance that our village has seen a glimmer of hope for survival. The entire village kneels to thank you for your great kindness and virtue!

"If it weren’t for you, Goddess, we don’t know how many more days we could have held on."

"My family ran out of food the day before yesterday," another villager chimed in. "We had already agreed to pass away together as a family. Who knew the village chief would bring such monumental news? A Goddess has emerged from our village, and she is going to help us survive this snow disaster! We won’t have to starve anymore!"

Ashamed, the village chief said, "The villagers of Taoyuan Village do not have any decent offerings for you, Goddess. Once the snow disaster passes and we have proper offerings, the village will absolutely build a temple for you so you may receive incense and worship for all eternity!"

A villager shouted, "We will never forget the Goddess’s grace for all eternity! Our descendants will forever believe in the Goddess and worship her!"

The blizzard was fierce right now. The freezing snowflakes hit their bodies with faint rustling sounds, and the biting wind relentlessly battered the villagers’ already chapped faces. Yet, there was no despair on their faces. Their eyes were brighter than ever, their expressions vivid and full of life!

Even in peaceful years, Taoyuan Village was an isolated little settlement deep in the mountains. It took nearly an hour to walk to town, and two hours by ox cart to reach the county seat. The land was barren, and supplies were scarce. The villagers had lived in poverty for generations, relying on a few acres of poor farmland to feed their families.

The snow disaster had lasted less than a month, with a single day of severe blizzard, yet the entire village had completely run out of food. The few livestock in the village had all frozen to death. The villagers had no food to fill their stomachs and no warm clothes to wear. Some houses had even collapsed, forcing whole families to cram into drafty, ruined shacks. The old, the weak, the women, and the children were on the verge of death. The shadow of the disaster loomed heavily over everyone’s hearts!

The people of Taoyuan Village had almost no hope of survival. Although they wouldn’t admit it out loud, they all knew in their hearts that they wouldn’t survive this winter. But now, everything was different. Their village had produced a Goddess.

This Goddess was kind-hearted. Even after going to the Immortal Realm and becoming a disciple of an immortal, she hadn’t forgotten her village. She had returned to save the villagers from their desperate plight.

Rumor had it that in the Immortal Realm, premium white rice cost only one copper coin per pound! And premium pork fat was just five coins a pound! How was that any different from giving it away for free? However, they hadn’t forgotten that all of this was due to the Goddess’s grace.

Yun Zhen tried to help them up for a long time, but it was as if they had taken root in the snow. As soon as she pulled someone up, they would immediately drop back to their knees. She finally understood Granny Qin’s helplessness when she herself had knelt to thank the old woman. Too much enthusiasm could really put pressure on people.

She let out a breath and declared, "I am the Goddess, and the Goddess commands you to stand up!"

The villagers looked left and right at each other. The village chief was the first to stand, and the others gradually followed suit.

"Goddess, did your trip to the Immortal Realm go smoothly?" The village chief’s attitude was entirely different now.

In the past, he had viewed Yun Zhen as a junior. Although he was affectionate, he always wore a stern expression. As a child, Yun Zhen had been terrified of him. It was only when she grew older and understood his true character that her fear faded, though she had always maintained a deep respect for the village chief in her heart.

But now, the roles were reversed. The village chief no longer kept a straight face like before. His eyes were filled with reverence for the heavens, the gods, and for Yun Zhen, carrying the devout piety of a true believer.

Yun Zhen nodded. "It went smoothly. I even bought some piping hot white flour steamed buns for you all. In a moment, everyone can take a bun and head home. Aren’t you afraid of freezing your bodies in this cold weather?"

The crowd exchanged glances, each seeing the sheer ecstasy in the others’ eyes. Piping hot white flour steamed buns—that was a precious, refined food! They couldn’t even afford white flour buns during peaceful years. Yet the Goddess had actually bought some for them!

"Thank you, Goddess!"

The crowd repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

Yun Zhen said, "Village Chief, Uncle Dashan, bring a few people over to help me distribute the buns."

The village chief and Zhou Dashan both brought their wives over, and then found a few sharp-witted people to enter the house.

She said, "I didn’t buy enough buns for everyone to get a whole one. So, I was thinking that everyone over the age of eight gets a whole bun, and everyone under eight gets half a bun."

"There is no problem dividing them like that, Goddess," the village chief said. "Our village has one hundred and thirty people. If everyone got one, that would be one hundred and thirty buns. It isn’t easy for you to make money. The villagers will be deeply grateful for your immense kindness."

Yun Zhen couldn’t change the villagers’ thoughts or actions, so she could only force herself to adapt to them as quickly as possible. Being called a Goddess was fine. She had obtained a Divine Artifact that allowed her to travel to another world, so she was intrinsically linked to immortals anyway. Being worshipped by the villagers was fine too. She would do her best to solve their food and clothing problems, ensuring she didn’t let down their profound respect.

One hundred and thirty people... She was still not making money fast enough. She couldn’t just freely buy the disaster-relief supplies the villagers needed. When she went back tomorrow, she would have to make it a priority to look for opportunities to earn big money.

The village chief, Zhou Dashan, and the others distributed the buns very quickly. The village chief’s wife was in charge of handing out whole buns to anyone over eight. Li Cuilan carefully broke whole buns into halves, then had her husband, Zhou Dashan, give them to the children under eight.

There were still a few whole buns left, which were all kept at the Yun family’s home. After all, the Goddess belonged to the Yun family, so the Yun family naturally deserved more benefits.

The villagers all received their respective buns, beaming with joyful smiles.

Someone took a bite right on the spot. "It’s so soft and fluffy, yet so dense! It fills your mouth with flavor."

"I have to save this for when I get hungry in the middle of the night," another said.

"I can’t bear to eat it," said a third.

Having received their buns, the villagers departed. The only ones who remained were the village chief Li Zheng, Zhou Dashan, Li Cuilan, Hunters Wang, Carpenter Zhao, Grandpa Zhang, Granny Wu, and the barefoot doctor Mr. Kong. They wanted to stay a little longer to admire the Goddess’s grace.

"Goddess, what is this?" the village chief asked, spotting the sweet potatoes.

Yun Zhen replied, "These are sweet potatoes. I bought a hundred pounds of them. They can be eaten as a meal—boiled in a pot or roasted in a fire pit. They taste sweet."

Zhou Dashan marveled, "As expected of the Immortal Realm! To think these long, red-skinned lumps can actually be eaten as a meal!"