Chapter 266
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Chapter 266: Distributing Porridge
What on earth had happened here?
Wang Chen, who had just returned to Dongwu Town, could scarcely believe his eyes.
This loose cultivator town was situated in a remote area, perched on a small spiritual vein that grand sects wouldn’t even glance at.
The town boasted over ten thousand permanent residents, both inside and outside its boundaries, with more than thirty percent being cultivators.
Among the many external towns, Dongwu Town was far from the largest, but it was by no means small.
What set Dongwu Town apart was its ruler—a Purple Palace master!
Of course, he wasn’t the only one of his kind.
Wang Chen had meticulously chosen Dongwu Town as his place for hidden cultivating, feeling it was a perfect fit for him.
Yet, he never could have anticipated that in just over half a month, Dongwu Town would undergo such a drastic transformation.
Outside the town, countless uneven stone houses and wooden cabins had sprung up haphazardly, creating a chaotic scene with only a single central road leading to the city gate.
Loose cultivators, martial artists, and ordinary folk seemed to have appeared out of thin air, becoming the town’s new residents.
Among them were swarms of refugees.
As Wang Chen made his way through, his ears were assaulted by a cacophony of shouts, cries, and desperate pleas.
This once-peaceful loose cultivator town had turned into a full-blown refugee camp!
"Esteemed Immortal Master, please, have mercy and spare us some food."
Bony hands stretched toward him, their eyes brimming with hope and desperation.
They begged for a shred of compassion and a morsel of food.
Most of the beggars were ordinary folk, with only a few in the Transcendence Realm; they were mostly elderly and frail, clutching one or several ragged children.
The children were pale and emaciated, some little more than skin and bones, others on the brink of starvation.
Yet, the passing cultivators remained stone-faced and indifferent, mercilessly kicking aside anyone who dared block their path.
Wang Chen paused in front of a mother and daughter.
They, too, were ordinary folk, shivering in threadbare clothing amidst the bitter winter cold, huddled beside a stone house.
Upon seeing Wang Chen, the pale-faced woman forced a servile smile, "Immortal Master…"
She clung tightly to a sleeping little girl in her arms.
Wang Chen sighed inwardly.
He retrieved a fur coat from his storage bag and draped it over the two of them.
Though Wang Chen himself was impervious to the cold and heat, he kept a variety of clothes in his storage bag for the sake of disguises.
The woman was overwhelmed with gratitude, "Thank you, esteemed Immortal Master!"
The surrounding refugees immediately turned their envious and jealous gazes toward her, some even casting covetous looks!
Wang Chen’s gaze swept over the refugees, and they immediately shrank back, their faces filled with fear, not daring to make a sound.
"You, you, and you!"
Wang Chen pointed at several men who appeared relatively strong. "Go and gather firewood for me; the more, the better! I will reward you handsomely!"
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the chosen refugees sprang into action, eagerly running off to collect firewood.
The mountains surrounding Dongwu Town stretched endlessly, with dense forests covering the landscape, so there was no shortage of trees.
As long as they were willing to put in the effort to chop, they could gather as much firewood as they desired.
Some who had not been chosen but were quick-witted also joined in, chopping and splitting wood.
In their minds, helping the Immortal Master was a sure way to gain favor!
Wang Chen paid them no mind and instructed the other refugees to gather stones for his use.
None of the refugees dared to refuse, especially with the promise of rewards from Wang Chen. They all exerted themselves to the fullest, scouring the area for the materials he needed.
Stones were the most common and least valuable items, and they were abundant in the surroundings. Soon, a small mountain of stones had piled up in front of Wang Chen.
Wang Chen began his spellcasting.
He softened all the stones, both large and small, turning them into mud.
Next, he molded the mud into tripod cauldrons.
Once the cauldrons took shape, Wang Chen solidified the mud into hard stone cauldrons.
Though his craftsmanship left much to be desired, and the tripod cauldrons looked rather crude, it had no impact on his next steps.
By the time the nine large cauldrons were completed, the refugees who had gone to gather firewood returned.
The lumbering team had now grown to over a hundred people, including some agile martial artists.
Wang Chen didn’t question their presence and simply instructed them to pile the firewood beneath the tripod cauldrons.
As time passed, more and more people gathered around.
Most of the onlookers were refugees and beggars, with a few curious cultivators among them.
Everyone was intrigued—what exactly was Wang Chen planning to do?
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wang Chen directed the refugees to fetch water from a nearby stream and pour it into the nine tripod cauldrons.
When each cauldron was filled to about seventy percent with stream water, he retrieved some white corn from his storage bag and poured it into the massive stone cauldrons.
At this point, it became clear to everyone what he was doing.
Wang Chen was going to cook porridge!
And he was using spiritual rice!!
Some of the loose cultivators among the onlookers exchanged puzzled glances.
Currently, the hard currency in Dongwu Town was not spirit stones.
But it was spiritual rice.
The price of spiritual rice, even tribute rice, had soared to the heavens.
Ten pounds of white corn could fetch a beautiful young maiden in the "human market"!
Wang Chen had actually brought out such a large amount of spiritual rice to make porridge, clearly intending to distribute it as charity. Many refugees’ eyes turned red with greed, and they quickly crowded around the tripod cauldrons.
They feared that if they didn’t secure a spot, they would miss out on the spiritual rice porridge.
This was spiritual rice porridge, after all!
"Halt!"
Just as the scene was on the verge of chaos, a thunderous voice suddenly rang out in everyone’s ears.
The refugees froze as if struck by lightning, not daring to move an inch.
Whoosh!
A golden energy shot past them, leaving a deep gash in the ground.
“Cross this line, and you will be shown no mercy!”
The refugees, now fully alert, were terrified and hastily retreated, afraid of becoming examples of Wang Chen’s wrath!
Once order was restored, Wang Chen flicked his fingers, sending out bursts of scorching flames.
He lit the firewood beneath the tripod cauldrons.
As the temperature rose, the water in the stone cauldrons began to boil, and the glistening grains of rice tumbled about.
Wang Chen ordered a few obedient refugees to keep adding firewood and water to the cauldrons.
With all nine cauldrons cooking at once, the aroma of spiritual rice porridge quickly spread, making countless mouths water.
But under Wang Chen’s stern gaze, no one dared to act out of turn.
Only when the rice and water had fully transformed into porridge did he remove the firewood.
Wang Chen then selected a few martial artists from among the commoners to scoop and distribute the porridge.
Truth be told, the freshly cooked porridge was still quite thin, and after thorough stirring, each bowl contained only a few grains of rice.
Yet, this thin spiritual rice porridge was precisely what the commoners could digest and absorb.
It served to fill their stomachs and strengthen their bodies!
The earlier unfortunate mother and daughter were among the first to receive the porridge.
After drinking a bowl, their complexions quickly regained their healthy hue.
Other refugees, holding ceramic bowls and clay jars, lined up in an orderly fashion to receive their share.
Many faces were lit with joy and contentment!