Chapter 162: Chapter 161: Praying for Rain to Extinguish the Fire

"A fire?" Taoist Jing Feng looked toward the back mountain. "Then why aren’t we putting it out?"

"The fire department is already on their way up, but the access here is difficult and they’re short on manpower. They’re worried the fire is too big and have ordered us to evacuate first," the middle-aged Daoist said.

"Evacuate?" Taoist Jing Feng frowned. "Can the Scripture Pavilion be moved?"

"Yes!" The middle-aged Daoist nodded. "I’ve already arranged for Huayue, Huasheng, and the others to pack up the books in the Scripture Pavilion."

Taoist Jing Feng was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Alright, let’s evacuate first. But leave some people behind to help transport supplies up the mountain. The last mountain fire in the Mountain City District was extinguished through a united effort, and we can’t fail to do our part this time."

The young Daoists all nodded in unison.

Taoist Jing Feng turned to Gu Zhao. "My apologies, it looks like I won’t be able to treat you to lunch. I’ll have a car take you back to the county town first."

Gu Zhao asked, "Aren’t you evacuating, Daoist?"

Taoist Jing Feng pointed to the Fengdu Temple beside them. "I still have things to take care of here. Once this is all over, you’re welcome to visit again anytime."

The middle-aged Daoist looked at Gu Zhao, confused, while the gazes of the young Daoists were filled with scrutiny.

Gu Zhao glanced at the fire on the mountain behind them. Billowing black smoke rose into the air. The fire wasn’t just on the mountain behind Fengdu Temple; it had spread to the adjacent mountain ranges. Coupled with the biting, dry wind from the north, it would surely cause considerable damage if not extinguished quickly.

Thinking this, Gu Zhao looked up at the sky. It was clear and vast, without a single wisp of a cloud.

’A bit troublesome, but not too much trouble.’

Gu Zhao thought for a moment, then sent a message with his Divine Sense to the old Daoists. "Is everyone alright at the moment?"

"We’re fine. Just give the order if you need anything," Taoist Yan Song replied.

"Is something the matter, Sect Leader?" Taoist Yi Hong inquired.

"I’m free. Do you need me to return?" Taoist Ming Yu asked.

"Another mountain fire has started here in Mountain City, near Fengdu Mountain. The terrain is difficult, so it’s hard for the firefighters to get up here. I’m planning to bring you all over to perform a ritual and summon rain to extinguish the fire," Gu Zhao said with a smile.

Taoist Yan Song laughed heartily. "We haven’t had any mountain fires here in Daluo Palace. I didn’t expect to run into one in the modern world first."

Taoist Yi Hong sounded a bit diffident. "I’ve read a few books on the subject recently, but I’ve never actually performed the spell. I might be a bit rusty."

Taoist Ming Yu seemed to be right next to Taoist Yi Hong, and his voice came through with a laugh. "That’s my specialty! The Thunder Concealment Book contains Magic Spells for summoning clouds and rain. Sect Leader, hurry and bring me over."

Gu Zhao replied, "There are no clouds in the sky here and not much water vapor, so it will likely require a great deal of Magical Power. I’ll bring everyone over. There’s strength in numbers."

After settling things with the three old Daoists, Gu Zhao looked at the people around him and finally nodded at Taoist Jing Feng. "Alright, I’ll come visit again after this is over. But there’s no need for a car."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left. In just a few steps, he was out of the Fengdu Temple and had vanished down the path.

Watching Gu Zhao leave, the young Daoists exchanged glances, unable to hide the disdain in their eyes. One of the female Daoists couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, "And here I thought he was going to stay and help."

A male Daoist shook his head, trying to smooth things over. "Forget it. He’s not a local, and he might have something urgent to attend to."

Another male Daoist chuckled. "At least he didn’t ask us for a ride."

"That’s enough. If you have time to gossip, you have time to go help in the temple." Taoist Jing Feng’s expression turned cold. His face, like that of an Underworld Ghost King, sent the young Daoists scurrying back inside like frightened quails.

Glancing again in the direction Gu Zhao had left, a thoughtful look appeared in Taoist Jing Feng’s eyes.

Just before Gu Zhao left, he had clearly given him a meaningful look, but Jing Feng hadn’t understood what he was trying to convey.

’It’s our first meeting; it’s not like we have some kind of special understanding. If you have something to say, just say it!’ Taoist Jing Feng shook his head. Still, he couldn’t believe Gu Zhao would just leave like that—unless he truly had an emergency.

Taoist Jing Feng believed that anyone who could cultivate Taoist True Qi in modern society would never be a selfish, petty person.

After some thought, he still couldn’t figure it out, so Taoist Jing Feng returned to the temple to oversee the evacuation.

Noon arrived quickly. Everyone was too busy to eat a proper meal, so they just grabbed a couple of steamed buns to tide them over and continued their work.

Taoist Jing Feng was getting on in years, after all. He had exhausted his Magical Power that morning, and he had also refused Gu Zhao’s offer to help him recover. Now, feeling fatigued, he couldn’t help but straighten up and pound his lower back.

"Master, you should rest over here. Just tell us what to do." The middle-aged Daoist from before, who was Taoist Jing Feng’s disciple, Taoist Gu Ning, came to his side.

Taoist Jing Feng nodded. "You all..."

Before he could finish, Taoist Jing Feng’s expression changed dramatically. He spun around and looked outside through the window.

An ordinary person would have felt nothing, but he sensed an extremely powerful fluctuation of Magical Power suddenly erupt from somewhere on the back mountain. The Magical Power was so immense and profound that he could feel it even from several miles away.

’Has an Immortal descended to the mortal world?’

Taoist Jing Feng found it unbelievable. It was simply impossible for a Cultivator in the modern world to possess such terrifying Magical Power. Other than an Immortal descending to the mortal realm, he could think of no other possibility.

Subconsciously, the image of Gu Zhao giving him that meaningful look flashed through his mind.

Then he felt that immense Magical Power shoot toward the heavens, where it seemed to disperse across the sky.

"Master, what’s wrong?" Taoist Gu Ning asked, coming to his side.

Taoist Jing Feng didn’t answer, merely lifting his head to look at the sky.

Taoist Gu Ning followed his master’s gaze. He only saw the blue sky, which had grown slightly dimmer. Wisps of cloud were gradually appearing, seeming to gather into clumps at a low altitude.

This didn’t arouse his suspicion, however, as it was quite normal for the sun to be hidden in winter.

"The wind is picking up," Taoist Jing Feng said faintly.

"Hasn’t it been windy this whole time?" Taoist Gu Ning asked, curious.

Taoist Jing Feng shook his head. "This isn’t an ordinary wind."

Taoist Gu Ning blinked in confusion. He reached his hand out the window to feel it but didn’t notice any difference.

Taoist Jing Feng continued to observe. He noticed that the immense Magical Power was still surging into the sky in waves, slowly spreading out until its range covered the entire burning area.

’Wind rising... clouds forming... thunder rumbling... rain falling...’

The sky grew darker still. Taoist Gu Ning finally noticed a thin layer of dark clouds had appeared, obscuring the sun. He couldn’t help but exclaim in pleasant surprise, "Is it going to rain?"

Then he heard his master’s calm and certain voice. "Stop packing. Put all the scriptures back."

"Huh?" Taoist Gu Ning was stunned. He looked outside again. "But that’s not guaranteed, is it? And even if it does rain, we don’t know for how long. It might not be enough to put out the mountain fire, right?"

"Put the scriptures back," Taoist Jing Feng repeated, then turned to leave. "I’m going to the meditation room to rest for a bit. If that Mr. Gu from earlier returns to the temple, remember to call me immediately."

"Yes!" Taoist Gu Ning was baffled, but he agreed nonetheless.