Wolf-Raised Cub with a Space: Surviving the Disaster Years

The dark cloud must have accidentally attached itself to her in the Immortal Realm.

But unexpectedly, when she patted it lightly, the cloud didn’t disperse. Instead, it slowly began to rise.

Shen Ningning looked up, watching helplessly as the head-sized dark cloud floated upward and finally vanished into the clouds above.

Suddenly!

Centered on the spot where the small cloud had disappeared, the sky abruptly turned pitch-black, like dark cotton soaked with water.

Thunder RUMBLED, growing closer and louder!

Shen Ningning’s watery eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at the horizon.

In the distance, a villager shouted, "It’s going to rain! Quick, get the basins to collect water!"

The very next second after he spoke, bean-sized raindrops came crashing down!

It was as if the heavens were dumping water, the drops hitting Shen Ningning’s little face hard enough to sting.

The Black Wolf King reacted swiftly, snatching Shen Ningning up in its jaws and running toward a village house.

Once back under the eaves of the house, the little girl still couldn’t believe her eyes.

’Such a heavy downpour... Did it all come from my little dark cloud?!’

Not only were the villagers overjoyed, but even the wolf pack happily frolicked and rolled around in the rain.

Strangely enough, the rain fell only within a fifty-li radius, with Wolf Mountain at its center.

It stopped after only the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn.

But that was more than enough to bring joy.

Every household collected the rainwater, and every mu of land in Xiangyun Village was nourished and irrigated.

After the baptism of the downpour, the loquat tree had become lush and verdant, its branches and leaves standing tall.

It was only at this moment.

Shen Ningning became certain: if she pulled out any one of the dark clouds from her Immortal Realm, she could summon a great storm.

News of this joyous, sudden downpour reached the Emperor’s ears that very afternoon.

In the Imperial Study Room, several key ministers spoke with undisguised delight in their voices.

The Emperor was even more moved. "Heaven blesses our Cangyun Country, sending sweet rain once more. It seems the drought will surely be resolved soon!"

The ministers all chattered at once—

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s blessing."

"When this great rain began, the Capital City was still under a bright, sunny sky. But the heavens near Wolf Mountain were covered in dark clouds and filled with rumbling thunder. Your Majesty, this must be an immortal making their presence known."

The Emperor nodded happily. "Indeed."

He suddenly recalled that the name Wolf Mountain sounded somewhat familiar.

The little girl Mo Lingwei was so concerned about, Shen Ningning, seemed to live on that very mountain.

’What a truly remarkable place, blessed with outstanding people and auspicious energy!’

Just as the Emperor was about to bestow a reward, he heard the Imperial Censor say, "Before coming to the palace, this minister learned that Minister Wei’s youngest daughter had gone to Xitai Village, behind Wolf Mountain."

The smile on the Emperor’s face faltered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Minister Wei’s youngest daughter? The same child who has been known as the rain-summoning blessed girl since her birth?"

"The very same. I heard that Miss Wei was in the village at the time, distributing congee with the Wei Family’s eldest young master and others in Xitai Village to provide relief to the common people."

The Emperor’s expression became somewhat dark and unreadable.

His smile was ambiguous. "What a coincidence. I recall that the Wei Family has called her a blessed girl ever since she was born, but aside from the great rain on the night of her birth, every subsequent prayer for rain has gone unanswered."

The Imperial Censor added, "Perhaps she was too young, her power not yet profound enough?"

"But both Your Majesty’s sacrificial prayer for rain before and this downpour at Wolf Mountain are inextricably linked to Miss Wei."

The Emperor laughed out loud.

The Imperial Censor, however, was unsure of the Emperor’s true feelings. He had more compliments for the Wei Family on the tip of his tongue but dared not continue.

The Emperor spoke, his tone deep and enigmatic. "Then it seems I have underestimated this blessed girl."

"In a few days, it will be the Crown Prince’s birthday. Summon Miss Wei to the palace. If it also rains on the Crown Prince’s birthday, I shall name her a Commandery Princess."

The ministers present were all in an uproar.

This was a meteoric rise.

Considering that Minister Wei was from the same family as the favored Consort Li, if the Wei Family were to produce a Commandery Princess, their future wealth and prosperity would be unimaginable.

However...

The Emperor smiled again, but his eyes were cold. "But if she fails to summon the rain, well... we’ll see what happens."

The consequences were self-evident.

A chill ran down the Imperial Censor’s back, and he quickly lowered his head.

’They say serving a ruler is like tending to a tiger. How true that saying is!’

With just a few short sentences, the Emperor could elevate a family to greater glory and riches, or plunge them completely into the mud.

When the news reached the Wei Family, Miss Wei was enjoying a life of luxury.

In such hot weather, she certainly hadn’t gone out.

Her father, Minister Wei, had simply found a few young girls of a similar age to wear her clothes, veils, and sun-blocking hoods to appear in various places in her stead.

The moment they heard it was going to rain, they would immediately send a substitute over.

This way, they were bound to get it right eventually.

However, when Mr. Wei heard that the Emperor was allowing his daughter to attend the Crown Prince’s birthday, he was pleased.

But his happiness didn’t last long before he began to worry about the matter of the rain.

’We can fake it on ordinary days, but what are we to do if it really has to rain on the Crown Prince’s birthday?’

"Father, I just heard the housekeeper say I can go to the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet?" Wei Yufu, a mere four and a half years old, walked into the study.

Though young, she was the most favored among Minister Wei’s twelve children.

She was dressed in fine silks, a gold-and-jade pendant around her neck, a golden bracelet on each wrist, and dazzling ornaments in her hair.

Wei Yufu’s tone was somewhat arrogant. "I knew it. How could the Crown Prince not invite me to his birthday?"

"Father, I want to buy new clothes. Buy up all the Snow Silk Brocade in the Capital City. I want to wear the most beautiful dress on the day of the Crown Prince’s birthday."

Minister Wei snapped back to his senses. "Absolutely not! Fu’er, not only can you not go, but you must also feign illness and refuse to enter the palace."

Wei Yufu immediately furrowed her brow, expressing her displeasure with a spoiled pout. "Why? It’s a special invitation from the Emperor! It’s a blessing others couldn’t even beg for."

"The person the Emperor wants to invite is a blessed girl who can truly summon the wind and rain. Can you do that?"

Hearing this, a flash of unease crossed Wei Yufu’s face, but she decisively threw a tantrum. "That’s for you to worry about, Father, not me!"

"I just want to see the Crown Prince! Auntie even said that when I turn eight, she’ll let me enter the palace to become a female official for the Crown Prince. Were you all lying to me?"

With that, she burst into tears.

Minister Wei’s heart ached, and he immediately went over to hug her.

"My dear daughter, what Father is doing is precisely to help you get closer to the Crown Prince!"

"You’re lying, Father! If I don’t go to the birthday, how can I get closer?"

"This is what you don’t understand." Minister Wei leaned in and whispered a few words in his daughter’s ear.

Wei Yufu didn’t understand, but she did stop crying. "But... will it really work?"

Minister Wei gave a cryptic smile. "Just leave it to Father to arrange."

「 ... 」

Lately, Mo Lingwei had been finding the round, white porcelain fishbowl in his courtyard more and more pleasing to the eye.

Whenever Chen Shaobei came to report on matters, six or seven times out of ten, he would see the Crown Prince standing leisurely by the porcelain bowl, a handful of fish food in his grasp.

This day was no exception.

"Your Highness’s injuries seem to have healed quite a bit," Chen Shaobei said with a smile, clasping his hands in greeting.

The sun was scorching, yet Mo Lingwei seemed to be surrounded by his own cool, phantom breeze.

His robes were neat, his ponytail tied high, exuding both youthful spirit and a touch of noble grace.

Mo Lingwei turned his head to look at him. "This white porcelain bowl you bought back then wasn’t a bad purchase after all."

Chen Shaobei laughed. "Didn’t Your Highness blame me for making a superfluous purchase at the time?"

Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow and shot him a glance. "What did you come here for?"

Chen Shaobei then asked, "Your Highness has also invited Miss Shen to the banquet. Where should her seat be arranged?"

"Beside me," the young man answered decisively.