If a family had a cart, they could carry a bit more water, and if they also had an ox, they could carry even more.
However, it was rare to see someone with both a cart and an ox.
“Young Master, I need to go back and check on my father. He fell ill earlier, and I’ve brought some medicine to brew for him. If Young Master wishes to go to Huo Yun County, just follow this road straight ahead.”
Gong Yuanyun remembered her bedridden father and quickly spoke to He Xiuyuan.
After seeing He Xiuyuan nod slightly, Gong Yuanyun quickly turned and hurried away.
He Xiuyuan did not rush to Huo Yun County. Instead, he followed the common people to the fields.
Although He Xiuyuan had somewhat anticipated this earlier, upon arriving, he still couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the fields before him.
The fields were already cracked into pieces, and the crops within them looked sickly, their leaves a withered yellow.
Judging by their appearance, the crops in these fields were probably beyond saving.
Seeing this scene, He Xiuyuan's brows immediately furrowed.
He Xiuyuan thought this to himself, but the common people who were still tirelessly carrying water continued to bring it back from afar, pouring bucket after bucket, hoping to revive the crops in the ground.
However, no matter how many buckets of water were poured, it was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. One bucket poured seemed to moisten a spot, but moments later, that spot absorbed all the water like a sponge, drying up again in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.
“Folks, I’m afraid the crops in these fields won’t survive…”
He Xiuyuan frowned as he looked at the crops in the fields, then at the farmer who continued to water them, and couldn't help but say.
The farmer's face stiffened upon hearing this. After looking at the plot of land before him, he couldn't help but sigh.
“All our hopes for this year are in here. No matter what, we can only keep trying. If we don’t try, we won’t make it through this year.”
The farmer said, pouring out all the water from his bucket, then sighed and turned to continue fetching water from afar.
He Xiuyuan's brows furrowed slightly at these words. Farmers relied on this land for their livelihoods; if there was truly no harvest, then the future would be difficult.
Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan sighed in his heart, watched the other person leave, and then walked around to look.
Everywhere he went, all the fields were parched.
And the surrounding farmers, even seeing this situation, still had no intention of giving up. After watering, they hurried off to continue fetching water.
He Xiuyuan looked around and saw the same scene everywhere.
Upon seeing this, He Xiuyuan pondered for a moment, then walked towards Huo Yun County.
After He Xiuyuan entered Huo Yun County, he asked the local people for directions and quickly found his way to the Dragon King Temple.
Inside the Dragon King Temple, various incense, candles, and offerings were all present. Even at this time, people were still continuously worshipping the Dragon King, begging him to perform Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation.
He Xiuyuan stood outside the Dragon King Temple, looked around, and then walked in. However, when He Xiuyuan saw the name of the Dragon King statue, his face was filled with surprise.
“Empress Qingxuan?”
He Xiuyuan looked at the name before him, his face surprised.
Why was it Empress Qingxuan? Wasn't it Ao Qing?
He remembered the Dragon Lord's name was Ao Qing, and this Dragon King Temple before him was not for Ao Qing... So, this area was not Old Mr. Ao's responsibility.
He Xiuyuan suddenly realized this. But even so, why didn't the Dragon Lord of this place come out to perform Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation?
Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan decided to stay here and get to the bottom of it.
However, there were too many people worshipping in the Dragon King Temple at the moment, so He Xiuyuan planned to wait until some people had dispersed before asking.
With this thought, He Xiuyuan sat down in a nearby shadow to wait.
Around dusk, the surrounding area was no longer as scorching hot. The common people in the Dragon King Temple then departed, taking advantage of the less intense sun to go fetch water.
Seeing the common people in the Dragon King Temple disperse, He Xiuyuan immediately emerged from the shadows. After casually dusting off non-existent dirt from his body, He Xiuyuan rose and walked into the temple.
This Dragon King Temple had a few unique aspects, especially the Dragon King stone statue. Overall, it looked like a woman, but with a pearl curtain obscuring it, the exact appearance of the statue couldn't be clearly seen.
Speaking like this, the Dragon King should be able to hear, right?
He Xiuyuan looked at the Dragon King stone statue before him, a slight murmur in his heart.
After a moment of thought, He Xiuyuan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “May I ask, is Empress Qingxuan present?”
He Xiuyuan cupped his hands towards the statue, his voice slightly ethereal, awaiting a response.
However, after He Xiuyuan waited for a moment, he still received no response from Empress Qingxuan.
He Xiuyuan paused for a moment, and seeing no response from the statue, he couldn't help but frown. After some thought, He Xiuyuan continued to ask.
“May I ask, is Empress Qingxuan present? Huo Yun County has suffered a great drought for several months. The common people here worship you, Empress, so why do you not perform Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation to save these people from their suffering?”
Seeing no response, He Xiuyuan's brows furrowed, and his tone carried a hint of displeasure as he directly questioned her.
However, as He Xiuyuan questioned, the statue before him remained like a dead object, without the slightest response.
After waiting for a moment, seeing that the statue remained unresponsive, He Xiuyuan shook his head and sighed, “Very well, it seems I was just making a fool of myself.”
With that, He Xiuyuan shook his head and turned to leave the Dragon King Temple.
He had originally intended to ask her to reveal herself and then inquire why she hadn't performed Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation. If there were any difficulties, perhaps they could discuss a solution together.
Unfortunately, she had no intention of seeing him.
Since that was the case, there was no need for He Xiuyuan to stay here. As for the drought in this place, with his current Dao cultivation of forty to fifty years, he should be able to perform Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation… “Who is this person! Speaking with such Aura!”
At this moment, in a Pond, a beautiful woman with a pair of small Dragon horns on her head suddenly opened her lovely eyes, a hint of annoyance flashing across her face.
She had vaguely heard a voice asking her to reveal herself, and then a series of questions, asking why she hadn't performed Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation to alleviate the difficulties of Huo Yun County.
Hearing such questions immediately filled her heart with annoyance.
Was it that she didn't want to perform Cloud Manipulation and Rain Invocation? She simply didn't have the ability to!
