Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Aman looked up.
Shadows that blotted out the sky shielded them from the sun’s scorching, venomous heat.
One drop, two drops…
Raindrops as large as washbasins cascaded down from the heavens.
There were no human sacrifices, no night-long rituals of singing and dancing.
He really did summon it!
The Supreme Deity of the Central Plains is so casual… no, he is merciful to the people.
This is a true god!
The falling rain converged into streams of water, trickling down the crevices of the black rocks and dripping onto Aman’s head.
After a sudden jolt, he took two quick steps and knelt in the rain.
Within Black Stone Mountain, many Sand People with parched, peeling lips stepped out hesitantly.
They were ultimately fearful of the shadow in the sky, but as they wavered, they heard a raspy shout.
“Go, all of you! That is the rain brought by the god.”
The yellow sand of the Gobi Desert rarely saw rain.
After the changes at Golden Saddle Mountain, the spring in the tribe that had provided water year-round had gradually dried up.
Aman could no longer remember how long it had been since they had been able to drink their fill.
He stood in the rain falling from the heavens, tilting his head back to catch the water.
Truly, the Supreme Deity was different; even his rain was sweet.
No, it wasn’t just sweet-it was salty and fruity too!
This was the legendary sweet dew!
The rain, fortified with Rehydration Salts and vitamins, caused Aman and the rest of the Tribe to raise their arms and cheer in the downpour.
Joy practically overflowed from the box.
The Supreme Deity stood by the box holding a watering can, though he wasn’t quite satisfied.
The water coming out of the watering can was far too heavy.
Thinking to himself that he should buy a facial mister later to make the water droplets finer, the Supreme Deity instructed Han Lie, “Keep an eye on them. Don’t let them get crushed to death by the rain!”
Hearing this, Han Lie called out to Wu Er and the others who had come over at the news.
The five of them used a mix of pulling and persuasion. Wang Chang lunged forward and grabbed Aman around the waist, forcibly dragging him back to the shelter of Black Stone Mountain.
Aman had been burned by lightning, and the only reason he hadn’t died from such extensive burns was the Immortal Grass in the village.
Now that he was soaked, his bandages gave off a damp, putrid stench.
Wang Chang nearly stumbled from the smell. Shaking his wet hands in disgust, he said, “Brother, if you don’t want to die, stay put!”
“Ugh, the smell!”
Aman didn’t care about him. After briefly snapping out of his excitement, he said urgently, “Quick, quick, collect the water!”
Not many people were left in their village. Through natural selection, most who survived were the obedient and clever ones.
Hearing Aman’s words, they hurriedly scrambled to find anything to store water.
The Able-bodied Adults dug pits in the sand, while the women pushed forward various clay jars.
The older children spun around happily with wooden bowls balanced on their heads.
This heartfelt joy was so infectious that even the boisterous Wang Chang grinned, taking off his own grease-stained helmet to catch the rain.
Deep within the two peaks of Black Stone Mountain, the Shaman lay flat on the ground.
Rainwater dripped through the gaps in the tent. Her face, charred like charcoal, curled into a smile, causing the scabs from her burns to tear and reveal the dark red flesh beneath.
“Thank you, Supreme Deity.”
The heavy rain lasted for a long time, and the high temperature that had persisted for so long finally dropped.
Having drunk his fill, Aman finally organized his tribesmen to kneel in an orderly fashion before the simple Altar Table.
Before, they had only watched from a distance, but now they were truly sincere.
Humans are such creatures.
At that moment, Han Lie listened intently for a second before shouting to them, “Watch out! The Supreme Deity is about to bestow food!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a giant cylindrical object descended from the clouds.
Grains of rice the size of a half-grown man fell, thudding into the sand and creating small craters.
Before long, a Rice Mountain had piled up in front of Black Stone Mountain.
Beside the Rice Mountain was a smaller pile of pink, fragrant items.
They looked like chunks of meat, but they were shaped into perfect cubes, stacked neatly next to the rice.
“It’s meat!”
Wang Chang was overjoyed at the sight; he truly loved eating meat.
Once the commotion subsided, he led the charge toward the pile of meat chunks.
Considering that any meat dropped into the box became tough and fibrous once enlarged, Qin Ying had chosen to drop in diced bits of Ham Sausage this time.
These meat chunks, each about half the size of a soybean to her, were large enough for Wang Chang to hug like a bolster pillow.
Salivating at the savory aroma, he was just about to take a bite when he spotted a child with a distended belly and swollen limbs. He paused, broke off a piece, and knelt down to press it into the child’s hand.
“Here, eat. This stuff gifted by the Supreme Deity is the most delicious thing in the world.”
Man and child crouched there together, eating the Ham Sausage with tears welling in their eyes.
Aman was naturally the happiest of all. This rain, along with the dry rations and meat, would be enough for their village to hold on for a while longer.
He mobilized all the Able-bodied Adults he could find to begin transporting the supplies.
Han Lie did not interfere, only stepping forward to stop someone when he saw them trying to gnaw on raw rice.
He called Aman over and said, “We need to talk business.”
Aman thought he wanted to discuss the wager, but to his surprise, once they re-entered the Shaman’s tent, Han Lie said, “We need a guide to enter Golden Saddle Mountain.”
The rain and the rice could only resolve a temporary crisis in one location.
The most important matter was the Hanba within Golden Saddle Mountain.
As long as the Hanba was not eliminated, the world would never know peace.
They could not simply rely on asking and begging the Supreme Deity forever-even if the Supreme Deity didn’t mind.
Inside the tent, Aman supported the Shaman, feeding her a bowl of water.
He then took out an ointment made from Immortal Grass and applied it to her skin.
Hearing Han Lie’s words, his expression turned resolute. “I will take you there!”
Before yesterday, Aman would have been terrified even by the sound of thunder.
But things were different now.
He stole a deep glance at Han Lie. This man had to be the Divine Favored of the Supreme Deity.
Their chances of success would be much higher.
“I have been entering Golden Saddle Mountain to gather Immortal Grass with my father since I was a child,” Aman said.
“I was also one of those who carried out the plan to poison the Giant Bird.”
Back then, sixty-six of them had gone. All were burned to death.
Only he and the Shaman had survived, though they were left looking like neither humans nor ghosts.
Aman was telling the truth.
At that time, they had indeed put in a great deal of effort to poison the Giant Bird in the sky.
Qin Ying was slightly surprised when she saw them roll out a wooden cart equipped with high iron wires and a grounding chain.
Isn’t this… a primitive lightning rod?
No wonder Aman and the village Shaman had managed to escape with their lives.
Aman, who had re-wrapped himself in cloth strips, put on high-toothed wooden clogs and gripped the handles of the cart.
“With this cart, it is relatively safe from the lightning when the Giant Bird attacks from the sky.”
Looking at the rudimentary frame and then recalling the Giant Bird in the sky, Wang Chang, being the blunt one, said, “How is this any different from seeking death?”
A sharp glint flashed briefly in Aman’s eyes through the gaps in his bandages. “Fighting these Disaster Beasts is an act of defying heaven’s will to begin with. It is a gamble with our lives.”
“You can’t gamble! Gamblers have never met a good end since ancient times,” Wang Chang advised earnestly.
He wanted Aman to think of another, safer way.
“That’s enough,” Han Lie cut him off.
If Aman’s village and Tribe had any other way, they wouldn’t have ended up in this state.
Han Lie stripped off all the metal buckles and straps from his person and said loudly, “There is no need to worry too much about that Giant Bird in the sky.”
Because… the Supreme Deity said she found a Fly Swatter, and she also said she was incredibly good at Badminton!
Han Lie didn’t know what a Fly Swatter or Badminton was.
But since the Supreme Deity said she was good at it, she definitely was!
Han Lie believed this without a shadow of a doubt.