Chapter 209 Approaching the Divine (31)
"Supreme God!"
"It's the Supreme God!"
Upon seeing this, the believers were all excited, some even with tears in their eyes, and knelt down, their right hands on their left chests, offering their most devout prayers to the god's face.
Wen Xuanning stood high up, looking up at the god's face, and bowed devoutly, a faint smile curving at the corner of his lips as he lowered his head.
The god's face then descended divine radiance, sprinkling it like spring rain upon the believers.
Wherever the divine radiance touched, the crowd surged, and the believers immediately felt a warm power surging within them, filling them with even more gratitude.
Before long, the god's face receded, leaving residual glow in the clouds.
It was time.
Wen Xuanning walked to the statue with the character "Earth" written on it and lightly dropped a slip of paper onto the circular plate.
It read "Earth Eighteen."
The paper fell and spontaneously combusted.
Then, the circular plate lit up, and the statue also emitted a faint glow; at the foot of the statue, divine radiance, like a thread, shot along the patterns on the altar towards the cylindrical pillar, lighting up the entire pillar from bottom to top.
At the same time, the magic array lit up.
A beam of divine radiance shot straight from the top of the cylindrical pillar into the clouds, with eight faint ethereal figures vaguely visible in the middle.
As the divine radiance dispersed, the eight people above the magic array also disappeared without a trace.
...
Xuan Thirty-Nine City, New Divine Temple.
Liu Sheng returned with a group of Divine Officials and saw Dawn Priest directing the artisans to paint the walls.
Compared to the disheartened expression she had when first seen, Dawn Priest now looked radiant and glowing, like a completely different person.
Upon seeing Liu Sheng, she immediately stepped forward with a joyful expression and bowed, saying, "Grand Divine Official!"
Liu Sheng nodded slightly, then turned to the Divine Officials and said, "You've worked hard, go back and rest first."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
Yanran Divine Official, however, stayed behind and asked Dawn Priest, "Dawn Priest, where is Xiaoya? Why haven't I seen her with you today?"
"Yes, isn't that little girl always sticking to you? Saying your pancakes are delicious, and your soups and drinks are sweet and she loves them," Liu Sheng also found it strange.
Dawn Priest smiled helplessly: "That girl said she wants to study with Mr. Zhuang, like Gou Wa, and she's in the school now!"
Mr. Zhuang was Zhuang Cheng, Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend, and now he was the only master in the newly established school of the Divine Temple, specifically teaching the children who remained in the city to read, so they wouldn't run around wildly every day and accidentally cause trouble.
This was also Liu Sheng's suggestion.
Zhuang Cheng's body was somewhat weak after being possessed by the strange, so he couldn't be a Divine Official, nor did he have the strength to repair the Divine Temple, but he also wanted to serve Earth Mother and hoped to follow the will of the god to do something for the people in the city. Upon hearing Liu Sheng's suggestion, he immediately agreed without hesitation.
"This child, a girl, always causing trouble, why go to school!" Yanran Divine Official was a little angry and a little ashamed. After being busy for several days, she hadn't paid attention to her child, and she didn't expect Xiaoya to be so mischievous. What if she disturbed Mr. Zhuang's class?
"Girls can also go to school; this is also something I discussed and agreed upon with Mr. Zhuang," Liu Sheng suddenly interjected, "Xiaoya should also learn some knowledge. In the future, she will also be as capable as you, able to actively choose what she wants."
Yanran Divine Official said shyly, "What I did is nothing..."
"Think about it, if you weren't literate, you wouldn't have become a Divine Official so quickly, and even become the Grand Divine Official's right-hand woman!" Dawn Priest even praised her, her dark face full of envy.
"I learned that when I was little, reading 'Lessons for Women'..."
"Whether you were forced to learn it when you were young or learned it actively, in short, you still need knowledge. Isn't this what the Grand Divine Official often says, pursuing true... understanding will bring us closer to the god..." Dawn Priest scratched her head, not quite sure if she remembered correctly, and turned to Liu Sheng for help.
"Hmm, that's right, only by seeking truth and knowledge can one approach the divine," Liu Sheng said with a profound expression.
"See, the Grand Divine Official said it, in short, listening to the Grand Divine Official is never wrong!" Dawn Priest said with the air of an experienced person, "I also became a homeowner because I listened to the Grand Divine Official. I originally thought I would never be able to own my own house, and such a big house too..."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but be filled with tears.
As she cried, a few drops of water actually dripped from the roof.
Liu Sheng promptly moved a few steps away from Dawn Priest, while Yanran Divine Official reacted too slowly and was dripped upon directly. She thought it was raining somewhere and was stunned for a moment before realizing what had happened.
"Sister Dawn, don't cry, the Divine Temple just got a fresh coat of paint..." Yanran Divine Official said somewhat helplessly.
This spacious and imposing New Divine Temple was originally the large residence of a local gentry. After it became Weird, it was purified and subdued by the Grand Divine Official. After asking around who wanted to be bound to it, it was finally given to Dawn Priest.
Dawn Priest didn't like going out anyway; besides serving the statue in the Divine Hall every day, she would tinker with food in the back kitchen, so it was most suitable for her.
Unexpectedly, Dawn Priest was ecstatic after being bound to it, constantly exclaiming, "I have a house, I have a house!"
It was unknown where this obsession came from for her, who had no past memories.
However, a side effect of this binding was that her emotions would affect this residence. So, in order to have a better time living under the eaves in the future, everyone would constantly joke with the poker-faced Dawn Priest.
Unbeknownst to them, the rigid expression on Dawn Priest's face also relaxed, truly showing the color of Dawn.
These days, everyone's favorite phrase was: Dawn Priest smiled, she finally smiled!
Now Liu Sheng couldn't let her cry anymore either.
"Alright, Yanran, you hurry and find Xiaoya," Liu Sheng urged.
Watching Yanran Divine Official bow and bid farewell, turning to leave, Liu Sheng then said to Dawn Priest, "I came to see you."
Upon hearing this, Dawn Priest quickly wiped away her tears and asked, "What are the Grand Divine Official's orders?"
"I want to see him," Liu Sheng said directly.
This sentence was without beginning or end, but Dawn Priest understood.
"Please follow me, Grand Divine Official."
...
Outside the mirage, everyone saw Liu Sheng returning to the Divine Temple, which was undergoing repairs. She asked Dawn Priest a few questions, and then followed Dawn Priest to the room where the previous Grand Divine Official currently resided.
They still remembered that when they moved into this New Divine Temple, Liu Sheng, out of appreciation for the contributions made by the Grand Divine Official, specifically reserved a room for him to live out his retirement, a room that received sunlight perfectly in the morning and had camellia trees outside the window, which garnered widespread praise.
It wasn't until Wen Xuanning did the same that they gradually came to view this matter with less importance.
Now, seeing Liu Sheng walk to the former Grand Divine Official's courtyard again, they couldn't help but lament how truly beautiful the scenery was, with the camellia trees appearing exceptionally vibrant and blood-red under the afterglow of the setting sun.
"This room looks warm and comfortable at a glance; it's most beneficial for an elderly person's joints. Liu Sheng is quite thoughtful," Hanshan Jun said.
"This residence itself is larger than Wen Xuanning's, so naturally, it can afford to set aside such a well-appointed room for the Old Divine Official," Li Shangshu said indifferently.
Then they watched Liu Sheng enter the room to visit the Old Divine Official, who was calmly reading, and then inquired about his diet and daily life.
Afterward, Dawn Priest, who had been waiting outside, also entered and joined in caring for the old leader, chatting for a while before leaving.
"It's good that she still thinks to visit the Old Divine Official," Yan Xueshi nodded.
"Unfortunately, it seems the Old Divine Official still didn't tell her about the altar..." Hanshan Jun's face showed a hint of regret.
But for Liu Sheng, it was normal for the Old Divine Official not to say anything.
Because the real scene was not like this.
...
The dark, damp basement.
Liu Sheng looked at the Old Divine Official, who was slumped on the ground, with a mocking expression.