Two months later, Gu Hai’s study, Gu Residence:
Gu Hai sat at his desk while Gu Qin, Shangguan Hen, Chen Tianshan, and some of the Gu Residence’s managers stood before him.
“Adoptive Father, we have already taken full control of the Jin Nation and the Lu Nation. Some minor rebellions break out occasionally, but they do not pose much of a problem. This is normal for the transition period,” Gu Qin reported with a smile.
“Indeed. Master, some of the general managers sent good news. The Lu Nation, the Cai Nation, the Jin Nation, and the Chen Nation have all surrendered to my Gu Residence, becoming part of the Gu Residence’s territory. Now, only the Zhao Nation remains. However, with Manager Zhao’s arrangements there, that place is in chaos. When Commander Gao marched on the Zhao Nation, many of their cities took the initiative to surrender. I believe we will subdue the Zhao Nation soon!” one of the old managers added.
“The Peony Sect backs the Zhao Nation. Did any of the Peony Sect disciples go to help?” Gu Hai asked as he sipped on his tea.
“There is no news of that yet!” Gu Qin shook his head.
“The Peony Sect? Right now, countless cultivators have rushed to the Peony Sect. The Peony Sect disciples should have their hands full. How can they find time for the Zhao Nation?” Gu Qin smiled.
Gu Hai nodded. “Since that is the case, send Gao Xianzhi and Manager Zhao a message to take the Zhao Nation quickly. They only have a mundane army, but Gao Xianzhi has a group of Innate Realm cultivators. Don’t drag it out for too long!”
“Yes!” Gu Qin answered.
“Chen Tianshan, I heard that another large batch of cultivators expressed interest in joining my Gu Residence?” Gu Hai looked at Chen Tianshan.
“Yes, Milord. When Milord fought the five Nascent Soul Realm animal spirit kings two months ago, it shocked countless cultivators in the surroundings. This immediately convinced one thousand of the cultivators, who were normally difficult to recruit, to join my Gu Residence!” Chan Tianshan said in satisfaction.
“If we recruit too many people, it will be easy for things to go wrong. We need to make proper arrangements; just select a batch first!” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Yes!” Chen Tianshan answered.
“Shangguan Hen, how goes the search?” Gu Hai looked at Shangguan Hen.
Shangguan Hen frowned slightly as he shook his head. “Milord, my subordinates combed the place and did find some traces of the Divine Strategy Battalion disciples. However, they are very crafty.”
“You have not found them yet?” Gu Hai asked.
“Yes!”
“Continue searching. Do not stop!” Gu Hai ordered.
“Yes!” Shangguan Hen answered.
Suddenly, Gu Hai frowned. His face flushed red, apparently in some discomfort.
“Adoptive Father, what’s wrong?” Gu Qin exclaimed.
“I’m fine!” Gu Hai shook his head.
When the Life Ender Saber consumed the five Nascent Soul Realm cultivators previously, more energy accumulated in Gu Hai’s body. However, he could not break through, resulting in unbearable discomfort.
“Is the drought in the five nations serious this time?” Gu Hai looked at an old manager.
“Yes, Master, according to the information from the various places, it is extremely serious. When the drought happened, there was no harvest from tens of kilometers of fields. Then, a locust plague broke out as well. The locusts even ate stored grains in many places. Everywhere the locusts went, corpses filled the place. With no food to eat, the ordinary citizens resorted to eating bark. Some were even more tragic and brutal, resorting to eating their children. This has been going on for a few months already. Many people have died,” that old manager said with a frown.
Gu Hai frowned. As he gently rapped the table, he pondered this.
“Performing virtuous deeds is gaining beneficence, accumulating providence?” Gu Hai narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Master, should my Gu Residence help? Food is tight everywhere. Although my Gu Residence has stored up some food, we cannot save the entire world,” that old manager said.
“Help them, then. Provide relief with everything we have!” Gu Hai said seriously.
“However, Master, this subordinate has done some calculations. This calamity is too overwhelming. Even if we open up the treasury and storehouses of the five nations, we can last for only two months after including our Gu Residence’s stores if we want to save the world. After two months, there would be nothing to eat!” the old manager said worriedly.
“I said it earlier, provide relief with everything we have. Send a command from my Gu Residence to the various shops. They are not to raise the price of grain!” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Huh? Yes!” the old manager said bitterly.
“I need beneficence, boundless beneficence. As for two months later, I will think of something!” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” the old manager answered.
——
Jin Nation:
The ordinary citizens in many places did not care about the Jin Nation’s collapse, as many people already found survival difficult. Everyone was about to die of hunger. How could they care about the affairs of the state?
These people even ate all the bark of the trees outside the city. They had eaten everything that they could, but many people still died of hunger. Those who did not get to eat ended up as dry and skinny corpses in dark corners outside the city.
At a certain family in a village:
A woman hugged a little boy as she cried. An old couple sat beside her. Everyone had tears running down their cheeks. A middle-aged man also showed a pained expression.
“I already discussed it with Old Wang from the neighboring village. We will give him Xiao Bao, and they will give their child to us,” the middle-aged man said in pain.
“No! No! I don’t want that. We cannot give Xiao Bao to them. Never! Sob! Sob! Sob! Over my dead body!” that woman cried in pain as she hugged the little boy.
“Mum! I’m hungry!” the little boy in the woman’s embrace cried.
The middle-aged man suddenly knelt down and said, “Xiao Bao, Father let you down. However, if I do not give Xiao Bao to Old Wang, our entire family will die of hunger. Father, Mother, this child cannot be unfilial. Everything will be alright after this year of calamity passes. Sob! Sob! Sob!”
“No! No! I don’t want to eat Old Wang’s child. I don’t want to give Xiao Bao to Old Wang. I don’t! I don’t! I don’t!” the woman cried incredibly miserably.
Just at this moment, the old man used his walking stick to hit the kneeling middle-aged man. “You devil, unfilial son! How could you do such a thing?! It’s fine for your mother and me to die. After all, we are already old. How could you bear to give Xiao Bao to Old Wang to eat? I’ll beat you to death!”
The old man beat the middle-aged man, his heart aching. The old woman tried to stop the old man, saying, “Stop beating him. Our son just went mad with anxiety. Old Li’s family, our neighbor, also exchanged sons with someone else. We are the ones who are dragging them down. It’s our fault!”
After beating up the middle-aged man, the old man showed a pained expression as he looked at the old woman. He smiled bitterly and said, “My dear, we cannot let Old Wang eat Xiao Bao. Son, Grandson is hungry. Just eat us!”
The old woman looked at the old man and revealed a bleak smile as she nodded.
“No, don’t! Father, Mother, don’t! This child realizes his mistake. Don’t take it too hard!” The middle-aged man suddenly hugged the old man’s leg while crying.
“The neighboring Old Li’s family swapped their son to eat another person’s son. After eating, they got hungry again. Their entire family ended up hanging themselves while crying. My son, eat us. Don’t give Xiao Bao to others. He is the foundation of our family!” the old man said while crying.
“Don’t! Don’t!” the middle-aged man cried miserably.
At this moment, the woman hugging the little boy also showed an expression of despair. “Father, Mother, your daughter-in-law has been unfilial. Give Xiao Bao to Old Wang. Sob! Sob! Sob!”
“Mum! I’m hungry!” the little boy cried.
The entire family fell silent as despair engulfed them. It felt like they had nothing left to live for.
Clang! Clang! Clang! A gong suddenly rang out outside.
“Old Mister Gu is opening the granary and providing porridge for free! Those short of food, bring out bowls and queue up at the farm!
“Old Mister Gu is opening the granary and providing porridge for free! Those short of food, bring out bowls and queue up at the farm!”
The person banging the gong repeated the announcement loudly.
The despairing family in the house suddenly raised their heads.
“Unfilial son, what was said outside? Old Mister Gu is opening the granary and providing porridge for free?”
“Old Mister Gu? The wealthiest person of the six nations? Old Man, Son, Daughter-in-Law, Grandson, we are saved!”
“He’s opening the granary and providing porridge for free?”
“Sob! Sob! Sob! Sob! Xiao Bao! My Xiao Bao! Sob! Sob! Sob! Sob!” The woman held her head in pain while hugging the little boy.
Then, the family carried out bowls and pots as they quickly left the house.
It was not just this family that suffered a disaster. Most of the families here did as well.
Many of the villagers started gathering at the farm.
At this moment, countless starving people already filled the large farm. All of them dragged their families over with bowls and pots, looking thin and haggard.
Ten gigantic pots were set up on the farm, continuously cooking porridge. After the porridge was done, someone immediately poured it in a large bucket; then, another person carried it aside to hand out to the starving people. Once the pot was empty, they immediately started cooking more.
The countless suffering citizens formed lines to ten porridge buckets.
The earlier family of five joined one of the long queues. After some time, they finally arrived before a porridge bucket. They quivered as they held their bowls.
“Thank you! Thank you!” the old man cried, feeling touched.
“Don’t thank me. Thank my master. My master is Gu Hai, Mister Gu!” The person serving the porridge smiled.
“Yes! Yes! Many thanks to Master Gu! Many thanks to Master Gu!” The old man’s eyes brimmed with tears of excitement.
After the family received the porridge, they showed sincere gratitude on their faces. The little boy grabbed a bowl and drank with all his might, unwilling to let go as he gulped the porridge down.
“Xiao Bao is saved! Sob! Sob! Sob!” the woman cried at the side.
“Alright. Bring the bowl over. I’ll give the little fellow another bowlful!” the person holding the ladle said.
“Many thanks! Many thanks!” the woman cried out gratefully.
“I already said, this is my master’s instruction. My master is Gu Hai, Old Mister Gu Hai. Thank him if you want. We are just mere errand boys!” that person said with a smile.
“Many thanks to Master Gu!”
After obtaining the porridge, the family was reluctant to eat. They slowly moved aside and let the people behind receive porridge.
Then, they went to a quiet place where the entire family drank the porridge, treasuring every drop of it. Their pale complexions improved slightly.
“Many thanks to Old Mister Gu. My son, my daughter-in-law, my old partner, Xiao Bao, let’s kowtow to Old Mister Gu and thank him for our lives. Let’s kowtow to Old Mister Gu!” the old man said seriously.
“Yes!”
The family pulled Xiao Bao into a kneeling position facing the northeast. Then, they gratefully kowtowed towards the faraway Gu Residence.
When the many suffering citizens who survived, for now, saw this family kneeling, they followed suit and thanked Old Mister Gu from afar.
Such scenes happened in various places in the Lu Nation, the Cai Nation, the Chen Nation, and the Jin Nation.
Opening the granary to save the famine victims was a tremendous grace, an act of great kindness, great beneficence.
The sincere gratitude turned into portions of beneficence. It seemed like the heavenly will drew these, pulling them to the Gu Residence.
The portions of beneficence gathered into providence and rushed towards Gu Hai.
In the Soaring Pagoda in the Gu Residence, Gu Hai sat at his desk, looking through various reports. Suddenly, what felt like a strong wind blew into his body.
This was a familiar feeling—beneficence. Portions of beneficence came from all directions, gathering into providence and entering Gu Hai’s body.
Gu Hai felt like all his pores instantly opened up as a feeling of comfort filled his body.
“Providence? Indeed, by doing good deeds, I can accumulate beneficence. Good deeds come around! Ha! This feeling! I’m going to break through!” Gu Hai let out a long breath.
