By the time Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing left the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, a whole night had passed, and the sun of the next day had already risen.

On their way back, Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing made a stop at the Lu River God's Mansion, informing Zhu Yushan's family of the situation before returning together to Shaotong Mountain. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"So that's how it is. Indeed, it still comes down to the water disaster, a storm is brewing!"

In the backyard of the White Cloud Temple, Daoist Mingzhang lounged on a chair that Lu Zheng had respectfully gifted him, squinting his eyes, leisurely sipping tea with not a hint of worry.

Yuan Jing blinked, "Aren't you worried?"

"What's the use of worrying?" Daoist Mingzhang casually advised, "The Court is surely considering this more thoroughly than you are. Instead of worrying needlessly, it's better to cultivate calmly and await the hour."

"Yes!" Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing bowed and accepted the lesson.

...

After having lunch with Daoist Mingzhang and Yuan Jing, Lu Zheng returned to the county town, first going to Renxin Hall to relay the situation to Liu Qingyan, and then went back home to travel across to the modern world.

"Lu Lang!"

Upon arriving, Lu Zheng saw Shen Ying lying on the sofa watching a TV drama, while Si Lingxi sat beside her reading a book.

Seeing Lu Zheng arrive, Si Lingxi looked up, and Shen Ying picked up the remote control, paused the TV, and looked at Lu Zheng to ask, "Lu Lang, did something happen?"

By rights, Lu Zheng was supposed to bring Liu Qingyan back for dinner last night.

"I helped Chief Liu catch a toad, it was also related to the water disaster," Lu Zheng recounted the events of the previous night.

Shen Ying squinted her eyes, "They don't dare confront the Court directly, only dare to secretly fan the flames to aggravate the water calamity and make the people suffer, what kind of hero is that!"

Si Lingxi shook her head and said, "They aren't heroes to begin with, and... heroes who focus on the big picture may not necessarily care about the individual people."

Si Lingxi made a convincing argument, leaving Shen Ying momentarily unable to refute.

Speaking of which, Si Lingxi shook the book in her hand, "Speaking of, although Hua Country's civilization isn't very old, it has no shortage of outstanding individuals. Many writings make a lot of sense, for example, 'When the people prosper, they suffer; when the state falls, they suffer,' captures the bitterness of ordinary people's lives."

Lu Zheng's gaze followed Si Lingxi's raised hand to see the name of the book.

Classical Chinese Literature

Impressive!

Lu Zheng couldn't help but stand in awe!

Not to mention Classical Chinese Literature, he hadn't even fully read the Three Hundred Tang and Song Poems yet. He relied on the little knowledge from primary and secondary school to show off.

"But I find that the ordinary people's life in Hua Country is pretty good," Shen Ying said. "Say what you will, industrialization and modernization are indeed good things for ordinary people."

"That depends on the broader environment too," Lu Zheng shrugged. "Hua Country is peaceful, while places where wars happen are no better off."

"That's true," Shen Ying nodded, "For instance, the people of the Great Jing Dynasty fare better than those in Damascus and Baghdad on Blue Star. At least they can eat and wear warmly."

"Speaking of which..."

Si Lingxi looked up and asked Lu Zheng, "Did you prepare some grains for the people of the Great Jing who are about to suffer the flood?"

Lu Zheng nodded, "Yes, it's rice, which is considered fine grain in the Great Jing Dynasty."

"Oh right!"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but slap his forehead, "Even though the disaster in the Great Jing is partly due to sabotage, it's also a natural calamity. Phoenix Mountain is in the Southern Border with many people under its jurisdiction who will be affected. I'm sorry, I forgot about it before, I'll prepare another batch!"

Upon hearing this, Si Lingxi smiled gently, "Lu Lang doesn't need to worry. Phoenix Mountain sees little regional strife, so even some water disasters won't have much effect.

I'm not asking Lu Lang for grain, I wanted to ask, can we bring some of the high-yield crops cultivated on Blue Star back to the Great Jing?"

"Of course!" Lu Zheng immediately nodded.

"But most of these high-yield crops rely on modern fertilizers, and their seeds are only high-yield in the first generation. The second and third generations yield less and less," Lu Zheng reminded.

"I know," Si Lingxi nodded, "But even so, high-yield crops like corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes yield several times more per acre than the local crops in the Phoenix Mountain region."

"That's true!"

"So, can I bring some back?" Si Lingxi asked.

"Certainly!"

Lu Zheng nodded repeatedly, "Actually, I had thought of bringing these grains to the Great Jing before.

But firstly, my cultivation is too weak, and involving the people's food could draw judicial attention. Secondly, the vast lands of the Great Jing allow people to rely on the mountains and waters for sustenance and they don't usually go hungry, so I stopped thinking about it later."

"I see."

Si Lingxi nodded and said, "But the Southern Border is mountainous and watery with little flat land, making farming difficult, having more high-yield crops is a good thing."

"Take, take, take!" Lu Zheng said repeatedly, "Bring more seeds back, and also buy some rice and flour to bring back to Phoenix Mountain."

"Thank you so much then, Lu Lang," Si Lingxi smiled.

Lu Zheng smiled too, "I am very happy to help."

Shen Ying clapped her hands and laughed, "These crops are so high-yield that they will surely spread gradually. Even if someone investigates, they can only trace it to Phoenix Mountain. I guess they wouldn't dare cause trouble for Sister Lingxi."

Lu Zheng and Si Lingxi both laughed at that.

"If that's the case, I'll call and order a batch of seeds, and go to Phoenix Mountain once they arrive."

"Okay!"

Thereupon, Lu Zheng made a call to the head of the grain storage warehouse introduced by Liu Zhenming, and turned to contact the head responsible for selling grain seeds as well.

Twenty minutes later, Lu Zheng had spent millions and exchanged it for a warehouse full of grain and a large supply of crop seeds.

...

In the afternoon, after picking up Liu Qingyan, Lu Zheng finished introducing the situation just as Lin Wan got home from work. Her first words were, "There's news about the Sheep Head Bronze Statue."

"Oh? There's finally some news!" Lu Zheng's eyes lit up, "Where is it?"

Si Lingxi and the other two women all looked at Lin Wan, they also knew that piece of history and understood what the Sheep Head Bronze Statue represented.

Out of twelve Zodiac Bronze Heads, only one more needed to be repatriated.

"It's still in Europe," Lin Wan said, "The clues point to a secret cult in Europe."

"Why is it another secret cult?" Lu Zheng asked helplessly, remembering that the Snake Head Bronze Statue was held by an evil cult in the Lighthouse Country that revered the snake from the Garden of Eden.

How is it that the Sheep Head Bronze Statue is also in the hands of an evil cult?

The so-called secret cults are hidden underground sects, often evil cults.

Lin Wan shrugged, "Did you forget what form Satan takes in the West?"

Lu Zheng suddenly realized, "He has goat horns!"

"Correct!" Lin Wan nodded emphatically.

Lu Zheng shook his head helplessly, "How is it that our Twelve Zodiac Signs become auspicious symbols for these evil cults abroad...?"