Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 428 - 425: The Wind Rises at the Tip of the Green Duckweed

Chapter 428: Chapter 425: The Wind Rises at the Tip of the Green Duckweed

"Thank heavens, our house is still standing, and the boat is fine,"

Returning from a brief refuge on the beach to the small fishing village, a distance of more than ten miles, took the villagers of the small fishing village the better part of the night.

Ye Hanmei’s rescue had been timely. Apart from two unlucky Parasitic Shell hosts, no other casualties had occurred.

The joys and sorrows of people do not communicate.

While others were still feeling fortunate for having survived the fierce battle among the Magicians,

the child who had just lost her father returned alone to her disheveled hut, packed her meager belongings, and took the few remaining dried fish from home.

She then resolutely stepped out of the village once again.

"Dad..."

In the thin morning fog by the sea, this lone, frail figure tightly pursed her lips, raised her head, and tried not to let her tears and sobs spill out.

"Xiao Yu!"

At that moment, a call suddenly came from behind.

Turning her head, she saw a fisherman, his face weathered, standing awkwardly behind her.

As if he had made a great decision, he clenched his teeth and said with difficulty,

"Xiao Yu, your dad is gone. From now on, you’ll be with your Uncle and his family.

Your Uncle still has some strength left. By making a few more trips to sea, I can keep you all fed.

Next year, when you are of age, I’ll prepare a dowry for you, so you can marry into a well-off family with land. Life will get better, and your dad will rest easier."

This was somewhat unexpected.

The child brave enough to snatch people from the Yellow Seal Strange Immortal, yet as meek as a little carrot, turned out to be a girl.

Life had possibly been so harsh that aside from her bright eyes, there was nothing typically feminine about her.

Before Shen Xiaoyu could respond,

A woman with a yellowed face, carrying two children, came up behind the man and called out to him with an unexplained tone:

"Head of the family!"

At these words, the man’s back visibly stooped a little more.

Shen Xiaoyu looked at her not-so-healthy-looking aunt and her two cousins, who were as pale and thin as she was, and sighed deeply.

She turned to the man and shook her head firmly:

"Uncle, I’m already fourteen years old. I’m an adult and can support myself.

I believe my dad is still not dead. I’m going to find him!

Auntie has it tough with two cousins, the house and that most valuable fishing net, Uncle can manage that to help support the family a bit,"

Having said that, she turned and walked briskly into the darkness before dawn without a second glance.

In the common imagination, fishermen rely on the sea for their livelihood, which seems a much better prospect than the hard life of farming.

But in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Primitive fishing tools, harsh marine environments, unpredictable weather, and anomalies such as sea demons...

All these made the profession of fishing highly dangerous, with a high risk of not returning once gone to sea.

Shen Xiaoyu’s grandfather had vanished mysteriously one night while at sea, simply after falling asleep, and no one on the same boat knew what had caused his disappearance.

Having one more person to feed was far more than just having one more pair of chopsticks.

Even with an uncertain future, Shen Xiaoyu did not want to burden her uncle’s family anymore.

Soon, only the anguished cry of a helpless man remained in the night.

It contained the grief of losing his relatives continuously and the deep self-reproach for his powerlessness.

Fishing was tough, but how could a little girl alone in a chaotic world filled with demons and strange creatures have it any easier?

It was likely that in a few days, there would be another sad pile of white bones by the roadside.

And the misfortune of this family was just a tiny reflection of countless common folk in troubled times.

During times of peace, they could still barely survive.

But those adrift in troubled times would never know whether disaster or an accident would strike them first.

Just like Shen Xiaoyu, who had just embarked on her journey.

Apart from the stories passed down by the elders, her knowledge about the cultivation world was almost non-existent, far less than Wang Yuan, who had come from a family of Tomb Guardians.

She did not know what had taken over her father’s body, nor did she know where to start looking for him.She just stubbornly followed a star in the sky and walked several miles through the wilderness.

Until suddenly, a thick fog rose right before her eyes.

Bang!

Then, a magnificent portal shaped like an archway burst forth from the mist, surprisingly landing right in front of her, giving her a huge fright.

The portal stood one and a half zhang high, with golden tiles and vermilion doors, and strings of mottled copper bells hanging at the corners.

The doors were embellished with iron characters, and a placard hung on the lintel. Yet, the girl, who had struggled even for survival since childhood, could not recognize a single character.

Just as she was at a loss,

Groups of monks, Taoists, laypeople from the Southern Ocean, and men of various other garbs started appearing from the mist in all directions.

Seeing the portal, a regular customer quickly explained to a friend:

"Let’s hurry. The ’Cloud Tower Ghost Market’ in Jiangzhou has opened.

Our location is just one of the three portals connecting the ghost market to the outside world. Don’t let those who use other portals get there before us.

I heard that for the market’s first anniversary, Manager Tao, who is kind-hearted, has brought a lot of good items from the main market, which usually requires a high-level membership, to this branch market."

"Allow us to also enjoy the treatment of a VIP."

"From the east to Moluo and Tanhuan, north to the five tribes of Naiman, west to the thirty-six states of the Western Regions, south to Qiongzhou in the southern part of Great Yan, and even farther south to the sixteen strong nations, there are good goods.

"This trade festival of the cultivation world, occurring once a year, is a chance you absolutely must not miss."

"Once inside, as long as you have money, to say that all your wishes could come true would not be an exaggeration!"

Another person, looking at the entrance where the "Ghost Market Taboo" was displayed, shouted excitedly:

"The biggest difference between this place and ’Netherworld Square’ and ’Wealth Qi Tower’ is ’No Deceiving’. There is absolutely no chance of being cheated."

"It is indeed a perfect match for low-level magicians like us.

"It is said that recently, the Ghost Market is also massively purchasing cotton and wool, and the discounts are truly tempting!"

As the door slowly opened, a group of magicians immediately swarmed in like they were attending a zero-cost shopping spree, unable to wait.

Shen Xiaoyu, who could not read but had very good ears, was suddenly enlightened.

"Are these elite cultivators? Could it be that I have stumbled upon a story-like fated encounter?

"This is great, my father can be saved!"

The bold girl immediately followed in their footsteps and stepped through that door.

In passing, she also crossed the boundary between the mortal and the immortal realms.

From then on, the world before this small piece of "drifting duckweed" was utterly different.

...

At this time,

The Demon Master Daoists of Red County Shenzhou’s coastal regions had been completely driven out, and the victorious Ghost Dao branches, without time to make use of the plundered "Yin God Shrine" for crimes,

were calling friends and rallying, preparing to gather an army of cultivators in three days to cross the ocean and root out the formidable enemy, the Demon Master Dao.

Nie Renxiong and a group of Black Law Judges, having subdued the entire Yu State City God system, faced no more obstacles in their steps.

As long as they incorporated them into the "Yin Official" system and became the wings of the "Earth Que Golden Book," they would no longer be wandering ghosts.

Are waiting for the victorious return from the battlefield, whoever tried to target the City God then would face a completely different situation.

And no matter which side would prevail, Old Master Wang, who had essentially solved his pathway’s primary issues, would definitely not be at a loss.

At the moment he left an "Avatar of Yama" in charge of the "Abyssal Ghost King Banner," continuing to feign cordiality with his four "fellow disciples," watching as they called for more friends.

His real body quietly returned to Dushuo Mountain, where he oversaw the installation and the startup ceremony of the first batch of spinning and weaving machines.

A group of young magicians from Mystical Weapon Temple and Qilin Sect encircled him, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Uncle, you really are miraculous.

We’ve dealt with all sorts of ingenious devices and military arms all our lives, how have we never thought of such a clever design?"

"Changing several or even dozens of spindles from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical one and using a single spinning wheel to drive it has expanded the efficiency by dozens of times.

This time we installed eighty spindles on a single spinning machine; those handwork shops attempting to follow us will probably not even catch our dust."

"Yes, the improved weaving machines have also increased weaving efficiency by forty times. With these dual enhancements, we are unbeatable!

Uncle, you must accept my utmost respect.

Without you, Wang Qianshan, the textile industry would forever be in a perpetual night! My admiration for you is like the endless flowing river..."

Wang Yuan gave him a look.

It was too much, far too much.

Stop talking nonsense, you are going to be punished by working as the head of R&D tomorrow!

With the designs provided by Wang Yuan, replicating another world’s spinning and weaving machines had not been very challenging.

The personnel allocated by Mystical Weapon Temple and Qilin Sect managed to produce hundreds of machines in just a month.

When they saw the power of water and fire turned into pristine white cloth at an astonishing speed, everyone was utterly in awe of Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan remained impassive:

"My nephews flatter me, this is truly nothing; I only stand on the shoulders of giants."

Others took his humility at face value.

But little did they know, the machine models were indeed quite primitive and held immense potential for further exploration.

Although he had a set road map for the industry in his mind, he did not want to destroy these research staff’s creativity.

Compared to immediate profits and efficiency, he was more interested in nurturing a group of masters who had the ability to innovate independently!

The group walked around the factory, where only a few machines were operational at the moment.

Wang Yuan also understood that at this time, production capacity was constrained by sufficient labor force, comprehensive operational procedures, and one or two dedicated factory managers.

"Well, it’s also time for the nineteenth layer of Hell, ’Sewing Machine Hell,’ to open.

I should make a trip to Hell when I’m free.

But finding someone who understands both machinery and textiles is not easy..."

Just then, he saw Xu Wenkang and Xiao Fu, a couple who had been brought here and stood out as a local blacksmith and weaver.

Already captivated by these machines, they were watching from afar, dazzled.

Wang Yuan’s heart rejoiced as he waved them over.

"Good people do get their reward, after all."

Although this textile industry was starting from scratch and had just set up a framework, there was still some distance from being truly influential.

But a breeze begins with a ripple, and waves start with a flutter.

The most pressing needs of the populace are "food and clothing."

Especially during the Little Ice Age when countless people freeze to death each year, this force could be hundreds of times more horrifying than the skills of a Corpse Dissection Immortal!

It wouldn’t take ten or twenty years before the power accumulated by these machines would surely rival that of a million Daoist Soldiers, sweeping across the world!

Even if he did not encounter another Calamity, just the favor from the Heavenly Dao that this would bring was enough to advance his Taoist Skills significantly, bringing the Immortality Dao Fruit within sight.