Li Shi’an turned a deaf ear to all the skepticism.

His entire being was immersed in the resonance with the cards as he began to guide the entire process.

The water in the pot gradually came to a boil; the brown rice and red beans churned in the boiling water, giving off the simplest, most rustic aroma of grains. Hao Yun continued to infuse it with holy light energy, sustaining this “purity” and “nourishment,” making the porridge’s fragrance even more enticing. He Bieshan, meanwhile, wielded the forging hammer, carefully regulating the heat.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood silently before the stove, his gaze sweeping over the barren land around him. He suddenly spoke: “It’s not enough.”

Li Shi’an understood immediately.

With a mere thought, two of the nine Red Turban Elite Soldiers standing behind Zhu Yuanzhang immediately stepped forward, spears in hand, to take up guard positions at the nearby mud-brick house, while two others began helping to carry firewood and maintain order.

As for Zhu Yuanzhang himself, he took from his robe the wooden alms bowl—transcended from a 【Broken Clay Bowl】—and personally used an iron ladle to scoop from the pot

The piping-hot, steaming porridge is ladled spoonful by spoonful into the bowl.

【Triggered hidden event chain: The Beginning of Almsgiving · The Hope of the People!】

【Key figure ‘Zhu Yuanzhang’ detected in the ‘Land of the Rising Dragon’ scene. Aligning with historical trajectory, performing the ‘distribution of porridge’ action!】

【Behavioral Concepts: ‘Survival,’ ‘Food and Shelter,’ ‘Order,’ ‘Hope’!】

【Scene Alignment: Extremely High!】

【Historical Resonance: Extremely High!】

【Currently mobilizing ‘displaced people’ and ‘starving people’ units roaming within the scene…】

【Retrieving historical fragments associated with this concept…】

【Special response detected… Calculating match rate…】

Soon, centered on that steaming iron pot, a wave of energy suddenly radiated outward! The entire energy of the “Huaiyou: Land of the Rising Dragon” scene trembled!

The scent of porridge that had been wafting through the air seemed to be imbued with life and gravitational pull, transforming into countless tentacles that spread in all directions—toward the depths of the ruins and into the thickets of wild grass!

“Hmm?”

“What’s that sound?”

In the audience, those sitting closer instinctively sniffed the air, as if they had truly caught a whiff of the alluring scent of steamed rice. Immediately afterward, a shocking scene unfolded.

From behind the dilapidated mud-brick huts, beneath the overgrown field ridges, and within the dried-up ditches, one by one, people clad in rags, gaunt and emaciated, with vacant stares, struggled and staggered to their feet.

They were part of the scene—merely “starving peasants” serving as background props, nothing more than meaningless decoration.

But at that moment, drawn by the aroma of the porridge and Zhu Yuanzhang’s act of “charity”—and spurred by the chain of events—they began converging on that iron pot one after another!

Their numbers swelled—ten, twenty, fifty… In the blink of an eye, there were over a hundred!

As they gathered around, a faint glimmer of hope—the will to survive—reignited in their eyes.

Under Zhu Yuanzhang’s watchful gaze, the starving people spontaneously formed a long line, waiting for a bowl of life-saving porridge.

【Event Chain Progress: Starving People Gather!】

【Current Number of Starving People Gathered: 129】

【Zhu Yuanzhang’s Reputation (within the region): Slightly increased!】

【The concept of “Order” is solidified!】

“This… this is…” The commotion in the audience turned to astonishment. “He actually brought out the background starved peasants?”

“Can you actually play the game like this? Does handing out porridge really boost reputation?”

Teacher Chen’s mouth dropped open, and the anxiety on his face gave way to a look of stunned bewilderment.

Zhang Hongyuan’s hand, which had been drawing the talisman, froze abruptly. He looked up at the sky in astonishment; he sensed that the talismanic energy he had just emitted—used to detect and guide, seemed to be interfered with—or even… overwhelmed?!—by a force that was vaster, more primal, and more deeply rooted in the human heart?!

“Impossible! How could a mere bowl of porridge possibly summon such immense aspirational power?”

Zhang Qingyue also stopped scattering beans. As she looked at the long line of starving people, the playful smile on her face vanished for the first time, replaced by a sense of inexplicable shock: “Brother… they… seem to be truly hungry…”

“No…”

Even as she spoke, Zhang Qingyue didn’t know what she was saying herself. Was this the first time in her life she’d seen something like this trigger an event? Alex furrowed his brow, gazing at the dense crowd of starving people, and for the first time felt the pressure brought on by sheer “numbers.”

“A crude gathering… but why can’t my ‘Mirror Hall’ domain dispel this base craving?” 

Everyone’s minds were shaken.

At that moment, a sharp gleam flashed in Li Shi’an’s eyes. He knew the most critical moment had arrived.

He looked at Hao Yun: “Hao Yun! Now’s the time! Use your Holy Light Card to resonate most strongly with ‘Vitality’ and ‘Hope’ and perform a targeted search.” “‘Yellow Heaven,’ ‘The Beginning,’ ‘The Follower’!”

Although Hao Yun was still reeling from the shock, her absolute trust in Li Shi’an made her act before she could think, carrying out the command immediately.

【Core Event Chain Triggered: The Will of the People · Sharing Food and Drink!】

【Core figure ‘Red Turban Nine Commanders’ Zhu Yuanzhang detected administering benevolent governance (distributing porridge for relief) at the ‘Haozhou City Refugee Camp’!】

【Supporting characters ‘He Bieshan’ and ‘Hao Yun’ have been detected working in perfect coordination to provide necessary supplies and logistical support!】

【Detected behavior highly aligned with the core hidden rule of “Huaiyou · Land of Dragon’s Ascent”—“Vitality in Turbulent Times”!】

【Detected a convergence of gratitude from a large number of displaced people! Triggered the “Faith/Popular Support” conversion mechanism!】

【Effect:】

1. “Red Turban Nine-Commander Zhu Yuanzhang” has received a hidden boost to his Charisma attribute! His appeal to displaced peasants and soldiers has greatly increased! The loyalty of the soldiers under his command is rapidly rising!

2. Gained Regional Reputation: “Gratitude from the Haozhou City Refugee Camp” (Effect: While active in this region, you are more likely to receive help from displaced people, and the probability of encountering hostile events is slightly reduced).

3. Echoes from the river of history are stirred… Historical fragments related to the concepts “Distributing Porridge for Relief” and “Vitality in Turbulent Times” have been retrieved…

4. 【List of Recruitable Temporary Character Cards (White Card Tier) Unlocked! Please select a recruitment target within 60 seconds!】 

A semi-transparent list, visible only to Li Shi’an’s team, hovered before them.

The list contained dozens of blurry names and simple icons, each accompanied by an extremely brief description.

【Displaced Laborer · Wang Wu】：Grateful for your porridge, I am willing to serve with all my strength. (White Card Peak; can be temporarily recruited as a bodyguard until the end of the scene.)

【Down-on-His-Luck Scholar · Li Er】: Has a basic understanding of reading and writing; might come in handy. (Intermediate White Card; can temporarily handle simple paperwork and provide a small amount of intelligence.)

【Herb Gatherer · Granny Sun】：Knows a few types of medicinal herbs. (Lower-tier White Card; can provide basic assistance with herb identification and gathering.)

……

These options were all as expected—ordinary talents likely drawn by the free soup distribution.

Li Shi’an’s gaze swept right past them, fixating intently on an option at the very bottom of the list that glowed with a slightly different hue! Its description was shockingly brief:

【Nameless Warrior】：He seemed very hungry and ate a lot of porridge. He’s very strong but doesn’t talk much. (Upper-tier White Card? Abnormal status, data corrupted……)

Anonymous Warrior?

Li Shi’an’s heart skipped a beat! That’s the one!

“Yun Yun!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Shi’an immediately said to Hao Yun, “Pick the one at the very bottom! ‘Nameless Warrior’! Hurry!”

Although Hao Yun didn’t understand why, her trust in Li Shi’an was absolute.

She immediately focused her mind and selected the option labeled 【Nameless Warrior】.

【Confirm selection! Retrieving temporary character card—“Nameless Warrior”!】

【Cost: 100 units of refugees’ gratitude, 50 Card Energy Crystals.】

Above the soup kitchen, the intangible waves of gratitude emanating from the displaced people seemed to be drawn toward it, rapidly converging and merging into the large pot that was still steaming.

The leftover porridge in the pot seemed to glow briefly.

The next moment, a figure suddenly stood up from the crowd waiting in line for porridge!

This man was extremely tall and burly, towering more than a head above the surrounding refugees. His arms were nearly as thick as an average person’s thigh. Though his clothes were equally tattered and his complexion waxy yellow, he had a massive frame, and his eyes radiated a fierce intensity.

He was still holding an empty bowl in his hands.

Seemingly startled by the changes within him, he looked somewhat flustered toward Hao Yun, who was standing by the porridge tent. A glow gathered around him, flashed briefly above his head, and then vanished into Hao Yun’s card slot.

【Summoning Successful! Hao Yun has obtained a temporary character card: Zhang Niujiao (Unawakened)】

【Card Name】: Zhang Niujiao (Unawakened)

【Current Tier】: White Card (Upper Tier · Anomalous)

【Card Type】: Character Card (Temporary)

【Status】：Extremely Hungry (All stats reduced by 70%), Taciturn, Data Corrupted (Suspected interference or sealing by a higher-tier force?)

【Talent Potential】：Strength (???), Tenacity (???)

【Background Info】：He seems to have once been a heroic figure roaming the mountains and forests? A crushing defeat caused him to lose everything, leaving him stranded here. A hearty bowl of porridge,

He’s now grateful to him. (Could we try to unlock his true potential in a specific way?)

【Bond】: ‘A Debt of Gratitude for a Meal’ (with Hao Yun) His obedience to Hao Yun’s commands has increased significantly. 

Zhang Niujiao?!

The moment that name appeared—even though his status displayed “Unawakened” and “Data Corrupted”—the name itself…

Sui Yang, who had been closely monitoring Li Shi’an’s team’s movements, suddenly leaped to his feet, his face showing disbelief and shock for the very first time!

Meanwhile, Zhang Hongyuan, who had been closing his eyes and concentrating to channel his talismanic power, seemed to have been violently jolted by something. He abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze shooting like lightning toward the newly appeared white card in Hao Yun’s slot on the light screen!

The card energy flow in his hands, which had been running smoothly, suddenly became violently chaotic, nearly backfiring on him!

“Impossible!” Zhang Hongyuan growled under his breath, his usually composed face now etched with disbelief. “‘Mark of the Earth God’?! That’s clearly a fluctuation triggered only when the core heirs of the Zhang family tap into the ‘Power of the Earth’! Though it’s faint enough to be negligible… but how could it appear on a…a white card summoned on the spot?! And from a… support cardmaster who makes porridge?!”

Zhang Qingyue, standing right beside him, was completely speechless.

In the audience, all the teachers, students, and reporters who had clearly seen the card’s name and the strange phenomenon erupted into a deafening uproar after a brief moment of dead silence!

“Zhang Niujiao?! Which Zhang Niujiao?!”

“The Black Mountain bandit leader from the Yellow Turban Rebellion? Zhang Yan’s adoptive father?!”

“Even though he’s not a direct descendant of Zhang Jue, he’s still the leader of an important branch of the Yellow Turban Rebellion!”

“A white card? A temporary card? How is that possible?! The Zhang siblings haven’t even made a move yet!” 

“Cooking porridge… cooking porridge and a Zhang Niujiao just appeared?!” 7

“Am I fucking hallucinating?!”

Teacher Chen’s mouth dropped open; the thermos in his hand clattered to the ground, and he didn’t even notice the hot water splashing all over his foot. Meanwhile, the smirk on the once-proud Ouyang Chen’s face froze completely, turning into utter bewilderment.

All eyes in the room, like spotlights, were fixed intently on the white card in Hao Yun’s card slot.

Li Shi’an looked at the stunned Hao Yun and the speechless He Bieshan, and a smug smile finally curled at the corners of his mouth. His gaze swept past the chaotic crowd to the Zhang siblings in the distance, who were equally overcome with shock and confusion.

See? That’s exactly “the reason why.”

The “Power of the Earth” and “Qi of the People’s Grievances” that you have been desperately trying to summon through talismans and spells—their most primal, most authentic form may well be this bowl of porridge that saves lives.

Just as the elaborate ritual set up by Zhang Jue’s descendants was getting underway, someone—using a bowl of the simplest porridge—beat them to the punch, knocking open the gates of the Yellow Heaven and securing that very first… spark!

Li Shi’an looked at the card in Hao Yun’s hand. Not a bad start.