Chapter 51 Working Together As One

With the appearance of the members of the Peace Sect, all the patients outside the city became as restless as a boiling cauldron.

A massive crowd surged forward, falling to their knees in unison and pleading earnestly.

The government soldiers finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Now that the followers of the Peace Sect had arrived, everyone's attention was naturally drawn away.

"Qiannan..."

Lu Tianxing gazed blankly at the young woman in red on horseback.

It was none other than his daughter, Lu Qiannan.

Lu Qiannan sat astride her horse, looking down at the dense crowd of patients kneeling before her.

With a single wave of her hand, the entire multitude quickly quieted down.

Lu Qiannan spoke in a ringing voice:

"Over these past days, the Grand Preceptor has prayed day and night for the talisman water, and has finally brought the plague in Taiyang County under control."

"Now, jars of talisman water will soon be brought out of the city and distributed on the spot to all the believers who have come from other counties!"

Upon hearing this welcome news, a cheer immediately erupted from the crowd.

At the same time, numerous Peace Sect members wearing yellow turbans were seen carrying large earthenware jars out from the city.

This nearly provoked a desperate scramble among the people.

Fortunately, there were plenty of Peace Sect members to firmly guard the jars.

Many government soldiers had also received orders to come out and maintain order, thereby averting a chaotic free-for-all.

Consequently, a vast crowd began to shout aloud:

"I wish to enter the Tao! I want to enter the Tao!"

Such cries were like the roaring of waves and the rumbling of thunder, deafening to the ears.

Only when Lu Qiannan raised her hand once more did these earth-shattering shouts quickly subside.

Lu Qiannan spoke in a clear, resonant voice:

"Those of you who managed to rush here for treatment still have a chance at life. But in every county, there are countless others who are too weak to travel, reduced to skin and bones, hopelessly waiting for death."

"The Grand Preceptor cannot bear the suffering of this world, and will dispatch a batch of talisman water to the counties hardest hit by the plague."

"Yet our Peace Sect is weak and thinly manned in the outer counties, and transporting the talisman water is fraught with difficulties."

"Therefore, the Grand Preceptor has commanded me to seek help from you all!"

"If anyone is capable of assisting in the delivery of the talisman water to the various counties, I beseech you to lend a hand! The Peace Sect shall reward you handsomely!"

Sending talisman water to the counties of Qingzhou served a dual purpose: first, to save lives; second, to spread the influence of the Peace Sect.

If they simply gave away talisman water for free, others might not necessarily appreciate the gesture.

Even the yamen of Taiyang County had once thrown the Grand Preceptor into prison; it went without saying that yamen in other counties would inevitably shun the Peace Sect.

Thus, this transportation of talisman water was also a tentative probing of the waters.

Furthermore, amidst the current pestilence, the healing talisman water was immensely precious, and villains would undoubtedly attempt to seize it along the way.

Since the Peace Sect was unfamiliar with the outer counties, they naturally needed the assistance of others.

As soon as Lu Qiannan finished speaking, the sword-wielding men and women from earlier stepped forward one after another:

"We, the Crimson Fire Sword Sect of Qingzhou Prefecture, are willing to offer our full assistance in escorting the convoy throughout the journey, asking for nothing in return!"

Immediately following them, a group of burly men driving horse-drawn carriages called out:

"We, the Weiguang Escort Agency of Li County, are willing to escort this shipment for the Peace Sect free of charge, not taking a single coin!"

Hardly had their voices faded when another group of ragged individuals carrying carrying-poles stepped forward:

"We, the porters of Chang County, know nothing of fighting and killing, but we have strength in abundance. All our coolies are willing to help transport the talisman water for the Peace Sect!"

"As for money? This is to save lives and combat the plague; if we were still to take money, would we have any conscience left?"

Right on their heels, several men dressed in black-trimmed uniforms with official sabers at their waists also cried out in loud voices:

"We are constables from Qi County. Once you enter the borders of Qi County, you can leave all petty scoundrels to us to handle!"

"We require no reward either, only that a little more talisman water might be distributed to the folks back in our county."

Following them, more and more talented individuals from various counties stepped forward, all expressing their willingness to lend the Peace Sect a hand.

They had endured the ravages of the plague for too long and had witnessed far too many unprecedented tragedies in the human realm.

Now that they had the ability to contribute a share of effort, they stood up to answer the call.

Lu Qiannan sat on horseback, raised her hands, and bowed solemnly to everyone:

"I, Lu Qiannan, thank you all!"

With a wave of her hand, she immediately arranged the relevant matters.

Large quantities of talisman water were distributed, and some began to be loaded onto carriages.

The personnel involved were also arranged accordingly.

Lu Tianxing stared in a daze, his gaze never leaving his daughter.

"Qiannan has grown up..."

In the past, Lu Qiannan had always stayed by Lu Tianxing's side, letting him make all the decisions, much like a little girl who would never grow up.

Yet today, he saw that Lu Qiannan was not only immensely prestigious and adept at command and coordination, but also resolute and efficient in handling affairs.

It was as if she were a completely different person.

Lu Tianxing felt a deep sense of gratification at this.

Originally, he had never asked for any great achievements from his daughter; he had only hoped that she would one day marry into a good family and live out the rest of her days in peace.

Only now did he realize that his daughter had achieved success such as he could never attain in a lifetime, accomplishing a deed of great merit that he would never be capable of.

While he was lost in thought, Lu Qiannan rode her horse directly toward him.

His daughter's sudden approach instantly made Lu Tianxing feel a sense of awkwardness and unease.

"Qiannan, your father..."

In the past, he had never felt such trepidation in the presence of his daughter.

Ever since he chose to betray the Peace Sect, his daughter had never looked him straight in the eye, nor had she spoken a single word to him.

At times, she even looked at him as if he were an enemy.

At this thought, Lu Tianxing felt he no longer had the face to face his daughter.

On horseback, Lu Qiannan remained silent. She snatched the infant from Lu Tianxing's hands.

Then, she drew a porcelain vial from her bosom and dropped the talisman water from it into the baby's mouth.

Only a moment passed.

"Waa!!!"

The baby suddenly opened its mouth and wailed loudly.

The baby's previously ashen complexion gradually grew rosy.

Hearing the infant cry, Lu Tianxing knew at once that the baby's illness had been cured.

At that moment, Lu Tianxing could finally no longer hold back; he covered his face and wept bitterly:

"Qiannan... Your father was wrong."

"Your father was muddle-headed before. Today I finally realize what a great and benevolent deed you and the Grand Preceptor have been doing..."

Lu Tianxing's loud weeping finally allowed the repressed emotions of these past days to be completely released.

He also felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

Regardless of whether his daughter forgave him or not, he could finally find peace of mind.

Lu Qiannan sighed.

She returned the swaddled infant to Lu Tianxing's hands, then pulled on the reins to leave.

Yet after taking two steps, Lu Qiannan reined in her horse once more.

Without looking back, she said:

"I will intercede with the Grand Preceptor on your behalf."

"Only this once."

At this, Lu Qiannan parted her lips.

After hesitating several times, she finally blurted out that long-suppressed title:

"Father..."

Having said this, Lu Qiannan dug her heels into the horse's flanks and rode away.

Hearing her finally willing to call him "father" once again, Lu Tianxing felt his heart brim with joy, and his tears flowed incessantly.

He stood rooted to the spot, for a long while unable to compose himself.

After a moment, Xu Gui supported the old woman as they walked over.

The old woman took her cured grandson, and in her agitation, knelt and kowtowed to Lu Tianxing in gratitude:

"You must be a truly benevolent person! Thank you so much!"

"If it weren't for your help, my little grandson and I wouldn't even know how we could go on living..."

Lu Tianxing helped the old woman to her feet.

A benevolent person?

He was unworthy of such a title.

Back then, he too had wanted to be a good person, but those who had followed him in breaking away from the Peace Sect had all been led to a miserable end by him.

Not to mention those who had suffered indirectly because the Grand Preceptor was thrown into prison.

Xu Gui said excitedly:

"Master Lu, you are, after all, the biological father of the Divine Envoy. If the Divine Envoy truly grants you talisman water..."

"Then I beg Master Lu not to forget me; after all, I still have patients waiting at home to be cured."

Lu Tianxing turned his head to look at Xu Gui.

He himself had begun to repent, but Xu Gui had not.

Lu Tianxing answered indifferently:

"If you want talisman water, there is no need to trouble others to intercede for us. We can simply go and ask for it ourselves."

Xu Gui was displeased:

"You are the biological father of the Divine Envoy, while I am a nobody. How could I possibly obtain any?"

He only felt that Lu Tianxing was speaking from a position of ease without caring about the hardships of others.