The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 132 Master Lu, your two wives are living bodhisattvas descended from heaven!

The biting cold wind was like countless invisible knives, desperately trying to pierce Lu Yuan's neck.

He was completely unaware.

The driver was already wrapped tightly in a quilt in the back of the carriage, snoring loudly.

Lu Yuan, however, kept his eyes wide open, showing no signs of sleepiness, staring intently at the snow-covered road ahead, which was slightly whitened by the starlight.

All that remained in his mind were the driver's few angry words.

Lu Yuan knew the rules of the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony better than anyone else.

In previous years, the voting for the Guanwai Tianzun Grand Ceremony has been conducted by setting up polling stations in several major cities in various provinces.

For the people in the city, it's just a short walk from their homes; casting a vote and joining in the fun is a natural thing to do.

But what about the people in the countryside?

To go to the city, you have to get up before dawn, walk dozens of miles of mountain roads in the dark, and spend a whole day traveling back and forth.

This is still nearby.

Some round trips take three days and two nights.

What's the point?

Just for that tiny jade bean?

If it weren't for an immense favor, who would go to such lengths!

The Taoist temples that participated in the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony were mostly major Taoist temples.

The villagers in the countryside were too lazy to vote and didn't care about the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony at all.

Why?

Because the Taoist temples that participated in the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony were all large Taoist temples located around big cities.

There are no grand temples in remote mountains and forests.

The daily work of these grand temples is all geared towards the people in the city.

The villagers in this rural town also couldn't benefit from it.

Therefore, in previous Heavenly Venerable Ceremonies, villagers in rural towns and villages wouldn't vote, or even pay attention to this so-called Heavenly Venerable Ceremony. But this time it's different.

In the mountains and fields, Zhenlong Temple in Qixia Mountain also participated in the selection.

The roots of Zhenlong Temple are in these villages and in the hearts of these simple farmers.

So they all went.

With the purest gratitude, hundreds and thousands went.

The results of it?

However, because they hadn't paid attention to the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony before, and didn't understand the so-called "public opinion period" or anything like that.

I was turned away at the door by a cold rule, and my trip was in vain!

This is a huge problem.

The human heart is the most precious thing, yet it is also the most vulnerable to being tormented.

If this passion is extinguished by cold rules, who will be willing to come again next time?

The driver said that several thousand people had already gone.

This is just the beginning!

There are countless others who have arrived after hearing the news, and many more are on their way!

This trip was a waste of their time. How many people will actually come when the voting actually takes place on the sixth day of next month?

Moreover, this isn't just about Yudouzi.

As the driver just said, it's not easy for the villagers to go to the city.

In this freezing weather, with so many people going to the city together, it's impossible to hire a carriage; most people will walk.

Putting everything else aside, Qingniu Village is only 200 li away from Fengtian City!

At this point, some people might think disdainfully, "It's just two hundred miles, not two hundred kilometers!"

The problem is, this is outside the Great Wall.

It was still the dead of winter in the area outside the Great Wall!

The road here is a mountain road, not a modern, well-maintained road!

It would take these people at least two days and two nights to walk from Qingniu Village to Fengtian City!

They must have heard the news as soon as the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony had just begun, or even before it had officially started, and immediately set off from Qingniu Village!

Braving wind and snow, they traveled from Qingniu Village to Fengtian City, relying entirely on their passion for Zhenlong Temple and their gratitude.

After going there, you can't vote, and you have to come back dejectedly. Wouldn't that be incredibly disheartening?

Lu Yuan's urgent need to go to Fengtian City doesn't mean that he can get these people to vote for him just by going there.

To be honest, Lu Yuan didn't know how this matter would end.

Finally, could we get the villagers to vote ahead of schedule?

But at the very least, Lu Yuan had to be there, and at the very least, he had to treat the villagers to a bowl of hot soup noodles.

In particular, the driver said that everyone was making a scene in Fengtian City.

If this matter escalates further, and the authorities classify these people as troublemakers...

Forget about voting, they're just kicking people out...

Lu Yuan felt incredibly guilty!

So, we need to go right away!!

To be honest, Lu Yuan didn't expect so many people to come suddenly.

Let's not even talk about how many more people will come in the future.

Lu Yuan hadn't expected there to be several thousand people here.

To be honest, Lu Yuan has really helped so many people in the past year and a half.

That's definitely not the case.

Even if Lu Yuan didn't eat or drink, he could still help a family solve their problems every day.

This family invited all their relatives to go to Fengtian City to vote for Lu Yuan.

It would take 365 days multiplied by 10 people to make it possible.

But Lu Yuan definitely didn't do that much work.

but……

Lu Yuan wasn't the only one working at Zhenlong Temple; there were many other people there as well.

Moreover, villagers are much more united than people in the city.

In the city, people usually just get together in one alley or one courtyard to do something.

But for villages in the countryside, at the village chief's command, they all come in a flash!

Putting aside everything else, let's talk about Qingniu Village.

Qingniu Village can be considered a "long-term strategic partner" of Zhenlongguan.

Because of its location at the exit of Taiyin Mountain, the village has frequently experienced accidents over the past year.

Even though accidents happened frequently, Zhenlong Temple only helped a dozen or so households at most in a year.

But Qingniu Village has more than a hundred households.

Are those families who didn't receive direct help from Zhenlong Temple not grateful to it?

How could that be?

That's why so many people came...

To be honest, although it seems normal now, Lu Yuan was really surprised to hear that so many people braved the wind and snow just to throw a jade bean into Zhenlong Temple...

I was truly moved.

These are all the most simple and heartfelt support from the villagers.

We must never betray the sincere hearts of the people!

As the sky faded from inky black to deep blue, and then gradually turned into a crab-shell green, Lu Yuan had already been driving the carriage, bumping and jostling through the wind and snow all night. The driver was fast asleep in the back of the carriage, his snores like a broken bellows, one louder than the next.

Lu Yuan didn't call him that night.

As the old man said before, he first traveled back and forth from Fengtian City, and then came to Zhenlong Temple.

Having traveled for several days, once she fell asleep, she was naturally difficult to wake. Lu Yuan didn't have the heart to wake her, so he rushed over by train.

The man couldn't hold on any longer, and the horse could no longer run.

The old, gray horse's breath grew shorter and shorter, and its hooves began to wobble on the frozen snow.

Lu Yuan couldn't bear to urge it any further, so he put away the whip and let it take small, slow steps forward.

The wind before dawn is the most biting.

Lu Yuan pulled his cotton-padded coat collar up even higher, but the wind still felt like countless ice needles, seeping into every crevice.

I wonder how those villagers managed to get through that night…

After the snow, the plains outside the pass are as vast and empty as an endless white desert.

The elm trees on both sides of the official road were bare, their branches bent over by the weight of icicles.

Occasionally, one or two early-rising crows would perch on top, their necks tucked in, emitting short, hoarse cries.

On the horizon, the outline of Fengtian City was still just a blurry bluish-gray silhouette, like a giant beast lurking deep in the snowfield.

Coming.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath of the knife-like cold air and forced himself to cheer up.

Then, he rubbed his eyes.

He rubbed it again.

He thought he was hallucinating because he hadn't slept all night.

But that patch of white did not disappear.

Beneath the shadow of that bluish-gray city wall, on the once vast and desolate snowfield outside the city...

A large patch of mushrooms sprouted up.

wrong.

It's not a mushroom.

It's a tent.

Lu Yuan suddenly pulled on the reins.

Old Ma, in pain, snorted and stopped.

The driver in the back of the carriage was pulled along by inertia, his snoring stopped, he mumbled something in a daze, turned over, and fell asleep again.

Lu Yuan ignored him.

He stared intently into the distance, his pupils dilating little by little in the morning light.

That's a tent.

Hundreds and thousands of tents.

They were arranged neatly in the snow, as if measured by an invisible hand with a ruler, in rows and columns.

The tent's canvas was a thick, grayish-white, which almost blended in against the backdrop of the snow-covered plain.

Smoke from cooking fires.

Countless thin, bluish-white plumes of smoke were rising from the gaps in the tent.

It solidifies into a straight line in the windless dawn, stretching all the way to the gray horizon.

Someone is starting a fire.

Someone is cooking.

Someone...spent the night here.

Lu Yuan drove the carriage slowly closer.

Only when he got closer could he see what the tents looked like.

It wasn't the kind of crooked shack that ordinary travelers would hastily build.

It wasn't the bulky, heavy canvas tents found in military camps either.

These tents are brand new, with thick, densely woven fabric and fine stitches; they are clearly high-quality products made in a reputable workshop.

Each tent was secured with wooden stakes driven firmly into the frozen ground at all four corners, and the wind ropes were taut and straight.

Even the howling north wind last night couldn't shake it in the slightest.

The tent was covered with reed mats for snow protection, and a thick cotton curtain hung at the entrance, with half a blue brick pressed down at the corner to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

The passageways between the tents were swept clean, with no snow visible, only damp watermarks.

At the edge of the tent area, a row of large vats were neatly stacked, covered with thick straw mats.

These are water tanks, things you only need for daily life.

This……

what's going on?

Lu Yuan got out of the car, his feet crunching softly on the snow.

He walked along the passage between the tents, slowing down and moving more quietly, as if afraid of disturbing the sudden dream unfolding on this snow-covered plain. Just then, the cotton curtain of one of the tents was suddenly lifted.

An old man wrapped in an old cotton-padded coat poked his head out, holding an enamel mug in his hand, and was splashing water out to wash his face.

The old man came out and bumped into Lu Yuan. He paused for a moment, then grinned with delight, revealing a mouthful of teeth yellowed from smoking. "Oh, Master Lu!"

"When did you get here?!"

Lu Yuan recognized him.

This is Chen Fushun, the village chief of Qingniu Village!

Lu Yuan looked at Chen Fushun with a bewildered expression, then looked up at the endless sea of ​​tents, still confused. He asked, "Village Chief, who... arranged for you to be here?"

Chen Fushun was taken aback, then waved his hand, his smile deepening.

"You don't know?"

"Of course, it's all thanks to Madam!"

lady?

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

Then Chen Fushun grinned and said:

"Chairman Zhao, it's your wife!"

He gestured towards the depths of the tent area, his tone full of emotion and pride.

"The day before yesterday, a large group of us were blocking the entrance to the city hall, arguing with those public servants, when Chairman Zhao arrived."

"President Zhao said that the rules for voting are fixed, but people are flexible. We can't let everyone make a wasted trip."

"She said that since we can't vote now, we should stay here, eat and drink well to recharge, and when we can vote again, she'll personally take us to vote!" Chen Fushun patted the thick tarpaulin beside him, his eyes shining.

"It was all set up by people sent by Chairman Zhao!"

"We came without bringing anything, but this tent has everything: blankets, hot water, and a charcoal brazier!"

"Yesterday evening, they even distributed two new quilts to each tent!"

He then pointed to the row of tents in the distance, from which smoke was rising:

"That's the kitchen. Last night we had pork stew with vermicelli, a big bowl for everyone, all you can eat!"

"This morning, Chairman Zhao sent someone to ask if anyone had any dietary restrictions, saying he'd be making hot pot for us at noon!"

Chen Fushun spoke with great enthusiasm, completely unaware that Lu Yuan had been silent for a long time.

He rubbed his hands together and sighed:

"Master Lu, you are truly blessed!"

"President Zhao is not only rich and beautiful, but also kind-hearted and considerate. We feel so warm inside her!"

Lu Yuan didn't speak.

He stood in the middle of the passageway in the tent area, looking at the hundreds and thousands of tents neatly arranged in front of him.

Watching the smoke rise from the chimneys, and seeing the early risers bustling about among the tents, some scrubbing the water jars, others starting fires.

Several sharp-eyed villagers recognized him and poked their heads out of their tents to greet him warmly.

"Master Lu! You've arrived!"

"Master Lu, that pork stew with vermicelli yesterday was so delicious!"

"Master Lu, when can we vote? We can't wait!"

The morning light finally broke through the horizon.

The first rays of sunlight slanted across the snowfield, illuminating the vast expanse of gray-white tents.

The frost that had formed on the tarpaulin began to melt, turning into countless fine water droplets.

It shimmered with tiny rays of light in the sunlight, like a whole expanse of silent, unspoken gratitude.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, looked at Chen Fushun in front of him, and asked the last question:

"By the way, when you guys were blocking the city hall area before, you didn't suffer any losses, did you?"

The authorities here are much better than during the Qing Dynasty, but they still treat these rural villagers quite ruthlessly.

They would readily swing a big stick to beat or chase people away.

Lu Yuan was afraid that the authorities would take a hard line against these villagers.

Chen Fushun was taken aback, then immediately smiled and shook his head repeatedly, saying:

"No, no."

"Speaking of which, I still have to thank your wife for this."

Ok?

Lu Yuan blinked, somewhat bewildered, and looked at Chen Fushun, not understanding what he meant by that.

Chen Fushun grinned and said:

"At first, they didn't give us a friendly welcome and even sent people from the Fengtian Police Station with rubber batons to drive us away."

"Later, your wife, Song Meiqin, arrived with the Fengtian Security Corps, and that's how we were rescued without any trouble."

For a moment, Lu Yuan felt a surge of emotions.

The emotions are a bit complicated, a bit hard to describe.

But... if I had to sum it all up in one sentence...

Just ...

I'm missing my wife a little.

I miss my two beautiful aunts...

Finally, Lu Yuan nodded and quickly said to Chen Fushun:

"Alright, village chief, you can wash up now, I'll head back right away."

Chen Fushun nodded repeatedly, then casually asked with a smile:

"Master Lu, did you just return from outside... from the Nourishing Earth?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan was taken aback.

Hey.

Chen Fushun knew that he had gone to raise evil spirits?

But then I thought about it and it made sense, since it was already the fourth day since the start of the Heavenly Venerable Ceremony.

The pamphlets and such that I asked Aunt Qiao'er to make before have probably already been started, and the people naturally know about them.

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded, saying:

"Yes, I just got back, I'm exhausted, I'm going home to see my wife now."

I'll talk to you again later~

After saying that, Lu Yuan turned to leave.

However, Chen Fushun was taken aback and quickly greeted him:

"Master Lu, Master Lu~"

Ok?

Lu Yuan turned to look at Chen Fushun.

Lu Yuan really wanted to go find his two beautiful aunts right away; he didn't want to waste any more time here.

Chen Fushun grabbed Lu Yuan's arm with one hand, turned to the side, pointed to a tent in the middle not far away, and quickly said:

"The two ladies stayed here yesterday, in that big tent in the very middle!"