Its body was crafted from translucent jade and pale emerald wood of an unknown material. The carriage curtains were made of moon-white gossamer silk as thin as cicada wings, embroidered with the pattern of the Big Dipper. As the carriage moved, the stars actually rotated slowly.
Only Yue Fuguang knew that those weren't flowing stars—they were burning spirit stones to supply the carriage's flight.
Tiny golden bells hung from the four corners of the carriage roof, emitting clear, melodious chimes when the wind passed, occasionally shaking down a scattering of fine starlight.
The carriage was surrounded by faint clouds, but they weren't ordinary white clouds. They shimmered with a rainbow luster like mother-of-pearl, as if the rosy dawn and sunset had been gathered together to weave a curtain.
Among the clouds, faint spiritual birds would occasionally appear and disappear, their tail feathers trailing long ribbons of light as they circled the carriage three times before vanishing into the depths of the cloud sea.
The most exquisite touch was the faint trail of light left in the clouds after the carriage passed, like someone using moonlight to draw a shallow mark across the blue sky that lingered long.
Yue Fuguang: Who needs exhaust fumes anyway!
Within that lingering light, the faint shadow of a lotus flower would occasionally flash, appearing for an instant before vanishing again—as if reminding the mortals gazing up from below that a celestial being had indeed just passed.
The crowd was stirred with excitement, thinking how fortunate anyone would be to ride in such an immortal's chariot!
They stared at He Jin, Feng Tang, and Yu Huaixian with envious, jealous eyes, wishing they could drag them down and take their place.
Yue Fuguang's own astonishment was no less than theirs.
This was the cheapest flying carriage she had selected from the system shop, boasting only basic defensive power along with its good looks and flight capability.
Even so, its original price was 288,000, so despite liking it, she had never bought it. She only kept it in her shopping cart, occasionally browsing it. If not for today's sale, she wouldn't have placed the order.
Needless to say, there was a vast gap between the system's introduction and animated images and the real thing.
If she had known the flying carriage would be so dazzling and elaborate, she would have long ago… put it in her cart and looked at it three times a day!
Cuizhu and Shen Chunying helped the caramel, milk tea, and three little foxes onto the carriage. Yue Fuguang cleared her throat softly, waking everyone from their daze.
“Alright, the carriage is here. Time for us to depart.” Before stepping onto the carriage, she turned to Shen Jian. “General Shen, I leave the troops to you.”
“Rest assured, Your Excellency. This general will not fail you!”
Shen Jian watched the carriage soar into the sky, tears of longing flowing from the corners of his eyes.
Inside the flying carriage sat Yue Fuguang and He Jin, while Feng Tang and Yu Huaixian acted as charioteers, though the carriage needed no guidance from them.
As the carriage skimmed over the clouds, Yue Fuguang lifted the gossamer curtain.
From above, she saw the vast Green Mulberry Plains stretching hundreds of miles, dotted with hills of varying heights.
It was a time of drought. Though the land was no longer cracked into countless dry fissures like the ugly scars she had seen before, thanks to the rain she had brought last time, a month had passed, and the seedlings had begun to wilt. Inch-long sprouts lay prostrate on the dry, sun-bleached soil, and even the wind was scorching hot.
Perhaps because the entire territory was arid, the water evaporated much faster than usual.
The rainfall she had delivered last time should have sustained the land for nearly two months, yet after only a month, widespread signs of severe water shortage appeared.
She could see the farmers below, bucket by bucket, drawing water from the few remaining ponds and ditches to irrigate their fields. “Just in time,” she murmured.
Had she delayed a few more days, the seedlings would have been beyond saving unless she sent spiritual rain. The manual watering below was clearly insufficient, a drop in the bucket.
Yue Fuguang, trying to conserve energy, had only added a tiny amount of enhancement to the rainfall last time, just enough to ensure crops grew robustly.
He Jin, standing at her side, grasped her sword and looked down. “The Dayan Kingdom has Your Excellency. That is Dayan's blessing and the people's blessing.” Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Yue Fuguang, her tone as reverent as ever.
Yue Fuguang brushed off the compliment with a smile, instead pointing below with interest. “He Jin, isn't that the Sword Mountain where the Seven Swords Manor is located?”
The Sword Mountain was easy to recognize: its hundred-mile-long range resembled a giant sword, and the Seven Swords Manor was said to be built at the sword's hilt, like a gem set into it.
“Your Excellency, we are indeed approaching the Seven Swords Manor ahead,” He Jin replied, excitement creeping into her voice despite the distance remaining.
Seeing her expression, Yue Fuguang teased, “I know you're eager, but you don't need to rush. After we finish our work here, we’ll drop by your home for a visit.”
“You mentioned once that Seven Swords Manor is known for its pheasants and colorful mushrooms. Sounds like we're in for a treat today.”
In truth, she had never gone without these delicacies each season; He Qisha always personally delivered them to her mansion.
Today, she was arriving in such a grand carriage to pay a high-profile visit, hoping to boost He Qisha's standing. According to the system, the You Tan, Tian Xing Tower, and Pan Shan factions were causing trouble again.
A month ago, when she was still in Yizhou, she heard he had survived an assassination attempt by You Tan agents.
After all, Seven Swords Manor bore her name. She couldn't stand idly by.
“If my father knew Your Excellency was visiting today, he would be overjoyed,” He Jin said, thinking of her father He Qisha with a smile.
He could be counted among Your Excellency's most devout followers, burning incense for her three times a day. Her statue had been carved from an exquisite piece of jade he hoarded for years, by Master Cai.
She had seen it once. It wasn't just similar—it was strikingly lifelike, capturing the essence of Your Excellency as she stood on the carriage shaft, gazing down upon the world.
Yue Fuguang stood on the carriage shaft, her head slightly raised, her wide sleeves flapping loudly in the high-altitude wind.
Her expression was calm. She raised her hand slightly, her fingertips forming a complex hand seal, a spiritual light gathering into a pattern the others couldn't comprehend.
This was the first time the three of them had witnessed Your Excellency's full process of summoning clouds and rain.
“Go.”
A green light shot from her fingertips, straight into the sky.
Moments later, faint thunder rumbled from the horizon.
Yu Huaixian, sitting at the back of the carriage, leaned out to look down but was yanked back by Feng Tang. “Be careful, boy, or you'll fall off.”
[Master, why are you using hand seals this time?] Since Your Excellency's power had grown, over the past month, she had progressed from summoning clouds and rain with a wave to voice control; hand seals were a thing of the distant past.
“I just wanted to test how far I can extend the rain's range at full capacity with these hand seals.”