Hunger is one of the worst plagues upon mankind. For food, man could do the worst of things, for a loaf of bread, man can steal, rob, and even murder. And I wasn't about to let a mass of thousands of hungry people be directed by their primal instinct. Might as well solve their problem now and have them manage the rest later.
So I moved down the forest, scanning it with my Divine Sense, and began hunting. Deer, wolves, wild cats, tigers, and anything that had meat on it.
Though I say deer, these very animals can easily eat one of those mortals in two bites. After all demonic animals aren't regular animals, in a cultivation world, most would use cattle and rear them to be self-sufficient. Regular deer is so rare that it is only used in royal banquets.
As for demonic creatures' meat, cultivators don't eat it, because it can slightly affect the purity of their meridians. As for regular mortals who don't have any active meridians, the demonic creature meat is a delicacy they rarely ever have.
Because trying to hunt a creature that can shrug off a full ax blow by a twenty-year-old blacksmith's mighty arms, is nothing but suicide.
Demonic creatures aren't prey for mortals, they are predators, and since cultivators don't even bother hunting lower-ranked ones, demonic creatures thrive.
But for now, that's something I can use. As prey was bountiful and plenty.
I went down to the nearby forest and began hunting creatures, immediately killing and putting them in my spatial bag. Not wasting a moment as I hunted, prey after prey.
And several hours later. I returned to Lucid Spring. Where I found many people had already started clearing the rubble.
I then went to the middle of the town square and hovered above everyone in town who watched.
People looked up and saw a man pulling a full-sized demonic deer from a small bag, and then throwing it down on the street.
From hunger, a few stopped what they were doing and came running as if the deer I just dropped was going to disappear.
"STOP!" I called, thought reflexively I used a bit of divine sense that caused the people under me some pain.
"There is plenty of food for everyone, no need to rush like mad starved and rabid men. Continue your work. For anyone who can't do the heavy lifting and can cook a decent meal, you can come here and start cooking and making food. I'll be bringing you all food until the city is functional again. Then, you all will start working for your own keep." I said and began dropping the rest of the carcasses.
Soon, several women and a few men gathered around the pile of corpses, then they began sorting out the meat, cutting parts that they decided should be cooked now, and begun the process of making dried meat lest the food spoils.
The work went perfectly as the people found something to do other than clean up wrecked buildings.
Once that was done, I left and went to find Wu Fan busy organizing another load of work and documents that he needed to manage.
"How is work?"
"I don't know, we literally just started a few hours ago, I'm just making sure to take the names and family members of everyone new. If they are going to stay here, they'll need identifications, this was your idea back in the day." Wu Fan said.
'Oh right, I did something like that, citizen of Lucid Springs get reduction over purchasable items that are produced in lucid springs, so they can use them and trade with outsiders, this would increase our export-import. And also give them a home to belong to. It was a small idea but it worked perfectly. Now Wu Fan is working on it again. Apparently, since everyone just started working, Wu Fan has nothing to oversee and manage not until the major buildings, he might as well just do something small like this for now.
"Shen Bao, what are we going to do with…that hanging matter," Wu Fan spoke.
"Oh, them, keep them there for a few days. And once they are starved and begging for help, only offer it once they start working the sewers," I said.
"Right…I'm on it then. But what will you be doing from now on? I've seen the food you gave the people, that should be enough for a few weeks."
"I'll leave for a moment, I need to pay someone a visit," I said.
"Right then, have a safe trip," Wu Fan said.
"Right, give me your hand," I said.
Wu Fan without hesitation did so. And handed me his open hand.
I pulled a small needle and drew a drop of blood from his thumb then placed a small wooden box under the falling drop.
The wooden box shone brightly as many inscriptions on it activated, and then it calmed down.
"Also keep this," I said as I handed Wu Fan the small box.
He opened the box and found many of the small pills I had him eat, in it.
"Give one to the ones who do the best work, who work the hardest, and who have proved their value. Also, to the severely sick or mortally wounded," I said.
"Wouldn't this cause trouble, if people knew I have such a medical treasure, many will be blinded by greed?" Wu Fan said as he looked at me in wonder.
I shook my head, "They can try, but the moment anyone besides you try and open that box, they'll have their hands blown off. So don't worry about it, you can even put it in the square and if someone tries anything they will receive proper punishment for it."
"Well, that's a good deterrent for regular mortals, but what if a cultivator covets this?" Wu Fan said as he placed the box on the table.
I shook my head again, anyone strong enough to open that box will not even care about its content. So don't worry about it." I said then left the room.
Soon, I was out of the city riding away towards the very mountain I almost lost my life at. My goal was to get to a certain Nascent Soul cultivator who had a solution to my 'predicament at the time, of not being able to cultivate due to broken meridians. And imagine, even with the Poison God's knowledge, the only ways to actually repair broken meridians would not be possible for any nascent Soul Cultivator, and the material's needed only exist in higher planes, where Saint Qi is abundant.
So, what was that man's purpose in asking me to come over?
Perhaps nothing good, but it's more reasons to see him and ask him about that, of course after he gives me a clear explanation of why he did what he just did.
I increased the Qi released on my sword and blasted through the skies as I moved as fast as I could.
Remembering that it should have taken me at least a couple of months ride on the carriage to get to where the Nascent Soul cultivator lived, it should take me about a day or two to get there if I were flying, and since I had nothing better to do I might as well meditate while I'm moving.
But before doing that.
"X, come out," I said and X shot out from the Poison God's book." He stood in front of me.
"Give this to the Lord of Lord's automata, tell it to plant it, and take care of it," I said as I handed him the Nascent Origin Root.
Once it's planted and cultivated it should give a good harvest of Nascent Fruits. And just to make up for the time it needs to grow, I added the small Saint Qi crystal I had on me to the root and told him to have both at the same place.
The Saint Qi crystal will nurture the plant and make it grow faster and more potent. Though it will cause the Saint Qi crystal to lose some of its energy, it is worth it to increase my cultivation base for now.
X nodded and disappeared into the token.
'Shit, I forgot to inscribe a vocal circuit for X, he's been envying Y's ability to speak… well I'll make a note of that for the next time I do the inscription. I'm already running low on talismans anyway.'
I closed my eyes and began meditation. Slowly, I faded back into my Spiritual Sea, and saw the rotating core and the many buildings in it, fully functional and on alert to any mental assault that could come at it.
Looking up, the Golden Green Core rotated slowly above the sea fortress and the closest thing next to it was a massive tower that had a single room where hundreds of monitors were displaying every corner of my spiritual sea.
Though I didn't need the monitors I would feel more at home being able to have something like this instead of divine sense.
I sat on the only chair, or throne in this room and began meditation, waiting until I arrived at that Nascent Soul cultivator's place.