Chapter 120: The Status of Water Minister |
Along with Youyou’s deer cry, strands of spiritual light rose like pale green ink, firmly pulling back the five-colored qi mass.
Her four hooves pressed down with force, constantly dragging backward.
Yo-you—
Her cries rang out again and again. Though she was a transformed monster spirit, before this kind of Dao art, she still seemed somewhat overmatched.
The pale green ink grew thicker, as though a heavy background had been painted over a dazzling five-colored scroll.
Chu Xun sat upright beneath it, the Dao art wondrous beyond words.
Seen from afar, it was a painting.
Seen up close, it was scenery.
The spiritual charm of the mountain was pulled out, bringing with it grass and trees, flowing water, metal and stone, as well as faint traces of fire qi.
Yo-you—
Her cries became more urgent. Her snow-white deer teeth opened and bit down on the pale green ink, her neck pulling downward with force.
The mountain stones beneath her hooves were crushed, and all four hooves sank into them.
The clouds in the sky seemed to sense something and slowly descended, merging with the qi mass.
Then they transformed into a mysterious and marvelous five-colored spiritual light, falling into Chu Xun’s body.
His eyes opened. The colors of the Five Elements alternated within them before finally returning to calm.
Chu Xun stood and pointed forward.
A small tree appeared out of thin air. In the blink of an eye, it became tall and lush.
A clear breeze brushed past, and its branches became covered with white petals.
When the petals fell layer by layer, spreading a layer of white frost over the ground, tiny fruits gradually appeared.
In an instant, they grew to the size of fists.
They were full and glossy, like yellow gemstones hanging all over the branches.
Their fragrance filled the nose, refreshing the heart.
In this valley covered with vines and moss, a pear tree heavy with fruit had grown in the span of a few breaths.
The spiritual deer, entirely snow-white with a few faint spots, trembled and returned to the appearance of an adult woman.
With another tremble, she turned back into a six- or seven-year-old little girl.
She was panting, crystalline beads of sweat dripping from the tip of her nose.
Chu Xun walked over, reached under her arms, lifted her up, and placed her on the pear tree.
Wei Youyou blinked at the yellow pears within reach, her eyes gradually widening.
“Yo! Pears!”
She stretched her neck and opened her mouth to bite at a yellow pear.
Her small mouth bumped the pear away.
Only then did she remember she had hands. She immediately reached out, pulled one down, and gnawed on it.
Her already large, round eyes became even brighter.
Her joyful voice was crisp as wind chimes.
“Master, it’s delicious!”
Chu Xun smiled, plucked a pear, and took a light bite.
There was plenty of juice, and it was incomparably sweet.
This was not an illusion, but a wondrous manifestation of Dao arts.
Some birds and beasts sensed an aura that attracted them and were no longer afraid. One after another, they crawled, ran, burrowed, and flew toward this place.
Birds landed on the branches, making them sway.
They lowered their heads to look at the leaves and branches beneath their feet, then pecked at the pears.
There were also beasts that crawled over but could not climb the tree.
Wei Youyou picked a few pears and tossed them down.
The beasts came forward to sniff them, then bit down.
There were monkeys, wild leopards, and snakes climbing up the tree as well.
Wei Youyou looked at them and timidly curled her toes.
Especially when she saw the wild leopard, her eyes opened wide and round, and even her ears were about to stand up.
“Yo…”
Chu Xun smiled faintly and looked at his own information.
Divine Office: 15,839 out of 30,000.
Uncanonized wandering god. Water Minister, governs winter storage, feng shui, and dispatches the spirits of the Ji River.
Obtained divine abilities: Yellow Millet Dream, Hidden Form and Concealed Shadow, Qi-Gazing and Fate Perception.
As a pseudo-orthodox god, divine abilities may be used ten times per year.
Remaining hidden hours per year: 2,785.
After canonization, orthodox god divine abilities may be obtained, and the soul may be entrusted elsewhere to substitute for death.
Five Elements Dao Art:
Within one thousand zhang, the wonders of Dao arts may be performed, natural and seamless.
Current Five Elements Foundation: 0 out of 5.
The Five Elements become one. The Great Dao is formless. Dao follows nature.
Transform all things beneath heaven and earth, establish the pillars of heaven and earth, and command the laws of heaven and earth.
Chu Xun raised an eyebrow slightly. The Divine Office had not changed much, only gaining some additional suffixes.
But the meaning behind them was extraordinary.
The water immortals, water gods, water lords, and others in the world, no matter how they were called, merely exercised water power.
But Water Minister, strictly speaking, was bestowal.
Just like the Minister of Revenue, no matter how great his power was, it was granted by the emperor.
It could be given, and it could also be taken back.
The Water Minister was the same.
However, judging from the description of dispatching the spirits of the Ji River, this Water Minister was currently only at the Ji River level.
It was somewhat like the ruler of a small country within a great nation. Though small, it was independent.
Even a greater nation had to maintain sufficient respect for it and could not offend it casually.
In terms of status, there was no difference between the two sides.
Governing winter storage and feng shui was even easier to understand.
Winter storage meant heaven and earth closing, sages concealing themselves, yang qi lying dormant, yin qi flourishing, all things returning to their roots, and vital energy returning to storage.
Thus, as the Water Minister with the status of the Ji River, Chu Xun governed winter, water, storage, dormancy, and closure.
In plain terms, within the scope of the Ji River, he was the emperor.
Below that, the Five Elements spell arts had completely changed, becoming Five Elements Dao arts.
The description looked very mysterious, but in reality, it represented enormous freedom.
Within one thousand zhang, the Five Elements Dao Art flowed without obstruction.
Chu Xun looked ahead and gently breathed out.
From the soil outside the valley, another thick locust tree grew.
But what formed on the locust tree were gold, silver, and jewels.
A gust of wind blew, and gold and silver fell all over the ground before transforming into flowing streamwater.
Several clumps of mountain mud turned into human shapes, climbed up from beside the stream, staggered around for a while, then turned back into loose soil.
Like Nuwa creating humans, yet they were not real people.
It was only the manifestation of Dao arts and could not be taken as real.
As for the Five Elements Foundation below that, it was easier to understand.
Gather the qi of the Five Elements, establish the Five Elements pillars, and then one could command the laws of heaven and earth.
Chu Xun already knew how to gather metal essence qi, but the remaining wood, water, earth, and fire were still unknown.
Moreover, gathering and establishing pillars were two entirely different matters.
It was like finding a lump of mud was easy, but shaping it into a pillar that could support heaven and earth was not so simple.
“No need to rush. Take it slowly,” Chu Xun murmured.
At the foot of the mountain, Cheng Congyi and his wife had already bought wine and dishes.
Cheng Shan sat in the courtyard, gazing toward the mountain forest.
The little boy in split-crotch pants crouched by his feet.
Sometimes he looked up at the mountain, but most of the time, he lowered his head and watched the ants crawling over his toes.
The five-colored cloud mass had vanished long ago, yet the person had not come down. He did not know whether something had gone wrong.
Or perhaps, like last time, he had left from another direction?
After waiting anxiously for a long time, he finally saw two figures, one large and one small, slowly appear from the mountain forest.
Cheng Shan hurriedly stood up. Just as he was about to call his son over to support him, he saw the two figures arrive before him in just a few steps.
Wei Youyou held several yellow pears in her arms and ran to the little boy.
“Something tasty.”
The boy looked at the large, clear yellow pears, their fragrance wafting into his nose.
He swallowed, reached out to take one, and took a big bite.
Juice splashed everywhere and flowed down the corners of his mouth.
His eyes widened, and he nodded hard.
“Delicious!”
Wei Youyou smiled until her eyes narrowed.
Chu Xun also held a pile of yellow pears and smiled at Cheng Shan.
“I picked some pears for you.”
It was not yet the season for pear trees to blossom, and Cheng Shan did not know where he had found these pears, but they certainly looked good.
Cheng Congyi came out of the house, took the pears, and brought them close to his nose to smell.
“So fragrant!”
Wei Youyou’s eyes curved even more, and she shouted loudly, “Delicious!”
The little boy stood beside her, chewing pear flesh, and shouted along with her, “Delicious!”
Everyone laughed.
By now, it was time to eat, and they each sat down.
As they ate, they casually chatted about household matters.
Especially when they spoke of the sword forged back when Cheng Shan taught Chu Xun blacksmithing, Cheng Shan could not help asking, “Is that sword still useful?”
“It already broke,” Chu Xun said.
It had been damaged while fighting the old bat.
The sword body was only a container used to hold metal essence qi.
“But I found a good billet. Once I forge another sword, it won’t break so easily,” Chu Xun said.
Cheng Shan nodded and asked with anticipation, “When the time comes, may I see it?”
Cheng Congyi followed up, “I also want to see what kind of divine weapon it will be.”
Chu Xun glanced at Cheng Shan’s vitality. His life flame was dim. He did not have long to live.
Perhaps Cheng Shan saw some clue in his eyes.
He turned to Cheng Congyi and said, “I’m too old to walk anymore. When the time comes, you must help me take a look and see what kind of sword it is.”
The little boy shouted from the side, “Grandpa, I’ll help you go see it!”
Cheng Shan chuckled and patted his grandson’s head without speaking.
After eating, Chu Xun was about to say farewell with Wei Youyou.
The Cheng family were reluctant to part, but they could not persuade him to stay.
Before leaving, Chu Xun asked, “The twenty taels of silver I gave you before are still there?”
Cheng Shan quickly nodded.
“Still there.”
Then he had Cheng Congyi bring over a sandalwood box, exquisitely made and carved with beautiful patterns.
Inside the box was thick red silk cloth, and the twenty taels of silver had been preserved very well.
Chu Xun picked it up, brushed his fingers over it, then put it back.
The little boy ran over and stuffed a fried pastry into Wei Youyou’s hand.
It was made by wrapping sugar in flour and frying it until crisp.
During New Year, he had received two. He ate one and saved one.
“This one tastes good,” the little boy said.
Wei Youyou looked at the pastry in her hand, hesitated, then still placed it in her mouth.
After chewing a few times, she narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“Not nasty.”
The little boy chuckled.
“Your fruit isn’t nasty either.”
Cheng Congyi wrapped the silver properly in red silk cloth, locked the wooden box, and put it back in its original place.
When he came out, he saw his old father still standing at the courtyard gate, gazing into the distance.
“Father, they’ve left,” Cheng Congyi said.
Cheng Shan sighed.
“Yes, they’ve left. I won’t see them again.”
The last time they met was thirty years ago. At that time, he had still been a strong middle-aged man.
Now, he was old and fading. There would be no next thirty years to wait for.
Cheng Congyi did not know what to say. Birth, aging, sickness, and death came to everyone.
Only, seeing his once-strong father now full of white hair, his heart could not help aching.
Cheng Shan turned his head. Seeing that his son looked somewhat sad, he said, “Don’t think too much. Remember, when he forges that sword, look at it for me.”
Cheng Congyi nodded heavily, then said, “When the time comes, I’ll accompany you to see it.”
Cheng Shan laughed and did not answer.
He merely looked into the distance and murmured to himself, “A sword that can cut down all wind evils beneath heaven… what kind of sword would that be?”
On the distant road, Chu Xun glanced at Wei Youyou, who seemed to have something stuck in her teeth. She kept pushing at it with her tongue, unable to get it out, so anxious she hopped back and forth.
Wei Youyou did not like eating cooked things. Although this thing was very sweet, to her, it was far inferior to radish leaves.
“Is it uncomfortable?” Chu Xun asked. “Do you want me to help?”
Wei Youyou stopped and opened her mouth wide at him.
There were two rows of snow-white teeth, and her pink tongue kept poking around in her mouth.
Chu Xun breathed out, blowing away the piece of sugar stuck to the root of her tooth.
Once the irritating feeling was gone, Wei Youyou became happy again.
“You like sweet things?” Chu Xun asked.
“I don’t.”
Wei Youyou said, “But it isn’t nasty.”
Chu Xun laughed.
In the past, she had only had the concepts of delicious and not delicious. Now she had learned “not nasty.”
Wei Youyou hopped to his side like a curious child.
“He’s almost dead. You’re not bringing him home?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Chu Xun thought for a moment and said, “There are too many people beneath heaven. I cannot bring them all back.”
“Then why did you bring my father and mother?”
“Because I owed your father a small favor.”
“What is a favor?”
“It means receiving help from someone else.”
Wei Youyou opened her large eyes, seemingly thinking about something.
After walking forward for a while, she suddenly said, “I owe Master a favor. When Master is about to die, I’ll also bring you home.”
Chu Xun’s steps paused, and he looked over.
Wei Youyou had already hopped away to pick flowers and grass that smelled fragrant and looked tasty.
Chu Xun chuckled.
“I really have to thank you for that.”
On the way back to the village, Chu Xun did not deliberately hurry.
The Five Elements spell arts had advanced into Five Elements Dao arts, and the entire world had become different from before.
There was a feeling of looking at mountains and finding they were no longer mountains, looking at water and finding it was no longer water.
This undoubtedly brought great novelty. Walking slowly was rather pleasant.
Moreover, with a hopping little girl beside him, he did not feel bored.
“Yo, a river!”
Wei Youyou pointed ahead and cried out.
This was still the Songliu River, only somewhat wider than the section near Pinecone Village.
There was a fisherman on the river, punting a boat and casting a net. Chu Xun glanced at Wei Youyou, and the girl happened to look over at the same time.
Her shining, dark eyes seemed to have three words written in them.
Want to play.
There was no hurry to return, and after coming to this world for nearly a hundred years, upon careful thought, he had never ridden a boat.
So Chu Xun brought Wei Youyou over. Before long, the fisherman came ashore.
Perhaps his luck was poor. He had cast his net several times but had not caught much, only a few small fish and shrimp.
The dark-skinned fisherman wearing a straw hat sighed. With no fish to catch, his family would soon be unable to put food on the table.
“Excuse me. Are you willing to rent this boat?”
The fisherman turned his head and saw a man standing on the shore, seemingly even older than himself.
Beside him was a little girl with horn-shaped braids, fair skin, and a few faint freckles on her face.
“You want to rent the boat?” the fisherman asked in surprise.
This was just an old, small black-awning boat. What use was there in renting it?
Chu Xun nodded.
“I’ve never ridden a boat and want to try.”
The fisherman found it both funny and helpless.
“My boat is full of fishy smell. Judging from your clothes, you look fairly respectable. If you’re not afraid of dirtying your clothes, I’ll take you for a few rounds.”
In any case, he could not catch any fish. Sitting idle was sitting idle.
Having someone to chat with was also not bad.
As for earning money from this, he had not really thought about it.
Those near mountains lived from mountains. Those near water lived from water.
He was a fisherman, and he earned money by casting nets and catching fish. This bit of backbone he still had.
Chu Xun did not act polite. He reached out to carry Wei Youyou over.
But Wei Youyou struggled and kicked her legs.
“I’ll go myself! I’ll go myself!”
She slipped down from Chu Xun’s arms and hopped across the water.
When she reached the side of the boat, the fisherman saw that she was small and was about to reach out to pull her up.
But Wei Youyou jumped directly and landed steadily on the deck.
The fisherman froze for a moment and turned to look beneath the boat, shocked inwardly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he vaguely saw a figure land.
When he turned back, Chu Xun was already on the boat.
The fisherman suddenly understood and said admiringly, “So you have martial skills.”
Chu Xun smiled.
“It doesn’t count as martial arts.”
The fisherman said with emotion, “When I was young, I wanted to learn martial arts too. Unfortunately, martial arts were too expensive, and I was of lowly household registration. Now that I’m old, even casting a net is difficult. I have the heart but not the strength…”
Wei Youyou hopped back and forth on the deck. The boat kept swaying, making her eyes brighter and brighter.
“Yo!”
The river rippled, waves spreading from beneath the boat.
She curiously lay beside the boat and reached out to touch.
The larger ripples were broken apart, turning into smaller ripples.
The boatman reminded her, “Careful, don’t fall in.”
“She’ll be fine,” Chu Xun said.
The boatman had already decided they were powerful martial artists, so he said no more.
He then began rowing, and the black-awning boat wobbled toward the center of the river.
It was Wei Youyou’s first time riding a boat, so she was full of novelty.
One moment she tugged at the fishing net. The next, she pulled out a tiny shrimp from within. Seeing it brandish its claws, she was so frightened she put it back.
Then she drilled in and out beneath the awning, enjoying herself endlessly.
Chu Xun stood at the bow. The wind brought the fishy smell of the river, completely different from the shore.
After a while, Wei Youyou ran over, pulled Chu Xun, and asked, “Master, can I cast the net?”
Chu Xun looked at the fisherman. The fisherman laughed and said, “You’re too young. You won’t be able to cast it.”
Though the net looked thin and full of holes, lead weights were tied to its lower corners.
Even for adults, casting such a net fully was not easy.
If one was careless, one might even fall into the water.
Wei Youyou looked at him with wide eyes.
“Can I?”
Looking at her, the fisherman thought of his own daughter and said, “If you can pull it, you can try.”
Wei Youyou immediately reached out and picked up the gathered head of the fishing net, then asked, “How do I cast it?”
The fisherman released the oar, made a loose gripping motion with both hands, twisted his body, then flung them out forcefully.
“Like this.”
Although he demonstrated, he did not think it would be useful.
This net was not especially large, but it still weighed ten jin.
Its center of gravity was low. Without some strength and technique, it was absolutely impossible.
Wei Youyou copied him, holding the net’s head in one hand and the net rope in the other. She twisted her body and asked, “Like this?”
The fisherman laughed.
“Yes, then throw it out.”
In his view, this little girl would only turn red in the face because she could not swing the net.
Yet as soon as he finished speaking, he heard a whoosh.
The fishing net flew directly dozens of meters before him, spreading into an almost perfect circle in midair before falling into the water under the pull of the lead weights.
The net rope tied to the boat stretched straight, pulling the black-awning boat until it tilted nearly halfway.
Chu Xun lightly tapped his toes, and the boat regained stability.
Wei Youyou blinked at the fisherman.
“Then what?”
The fisherman’s eyes were wide, his face full of disbelief.
How much strength did that take?
Only when Wei Youyou asked again did he come back to his senses.
He quickly came over to pull the net rope.
“Pull it in! Pull quickly!”
Pull tight for fish, pull slowly for shrimp. That was an old saying.
“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
Wei Youyou grabbed the net rope and kept pulling upward.
The fisherman knew she had astonishing strength and let go.
But he did not have much expectation for the catch.
In recent years, there had not been many fish in this river. He did not know whether they had been eaten by something or scared away.
It made life very hard for the nearby fishermen.
Before long, the head of the fishing net was pulled out of the water.
As the net itself floated up, the water below began splashing, gradually growing more intense.
The fisherman stared in surprise. Had she caught fish?
When most of the net was pulled up, the splashing below became even fiercer.
Visible to the naked eye, all sorts of fish shook their heads and tails in the water, trying to break free from the net and escape.
When the entire net was pulled onto the boat, although it was not completely full, there were at least a hundred jin of fish.
“Yo!”
Wei Youyou happily squatted down and reached out to poke at the fish.
Several large fish weighing eight or nine jin slapped their tails, splashing water and frightening her into jumping away.
Only when the fish gradually calmed did she carefully return.
The fisherman was already staring foolishly. Ten or more casts of his own net could not compare to this one cast.
When he looked at Wei Youyou again, his eyes carried admiration.
Great strength and good luck.
It was only that these fish…
The fisherman hesitated, then said to Chu Xun with embarrassment, “Although it’s my net, my family truly cannot put food on the table. I only want to keep a few fish to fill my family’s stomachs.”
“Where are you going? I’ll row you there!”
He had already made up his mind. He would exchange physical labor for some food to bring back. That was better than returning empty-handed.
Chu Xun did not refuse.
“Just follow the current downstream.”
The fisherman nodded and rowed hard. At the same time, he sighed and said, “The catch has been getting smaller these past few years. They say there’s a Songliu Water God downstream who keeps two snake immortals, huge beyond belief.”
“I suspect those two snakes scared the fish away. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be like this.”
Chu Xun frowned slightly. The three giant pythons hid in the river to avoid frightening people.
He had not expected them to have such a large effect on upstream fishermen.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
The green python and white python were both nearly twenty zhang long, and the green-white python was even more exaggerated, having already reached over sixty-two zhang.
Such enormous beings were absolute giants without natural enemies in a tributary like the Songliu River.
Moreover, those giant pythons often swam hundreds of li upstream to catch fish. Wherever they passed, ordinary fish likely did not dare approach easily.
Possessing the status of Water Minister, Chu Xun easily sensed the giant python aura remaining in the river water.
It was very dense, far beyond that of fish, and lingered for a long time.
Following the information transmitted through the river, he sensed the giant pythons extremely far away.
The distance was at least several hundred li, completely beyond the range of Dao arts.
This was divine ability.
At the same time, several hundred li away, in an even wider stretch of water—
The three enormous beings beneath the water were hunting.
Schools of fish fled in terror in all directions but could not match their speed.
Their great mouths opened, biting down on groups of fish and swallowing them directly.
At that moment, the largest green-white python seemed to sense something.
Its body twisted rapidly in the water as it looked downstream.
In its seemingly cold pupils appeared a spiritual curiosity.
It had sensed a familiar and intimate aura, yet different from before.
More sacred, and carrying even greater pressure.
Without another word, the green-white python immediately swung its tail and swam in that direction.
Seeing this, the green python and white python hurriedly followed.
On the black-awning boat, Wei Youyou kept casting the net.
Every cast brought in dozens or even over a hundred jin of fish. Soon, the boat was sinking badly.
The fisherman shouted in both shock and joy, “You can’t cast anymore! You can’t cast anymore! Any more and the boat will sink!”
The entire boat was almost filled with fish. He had never imagined there would be a day when he would worry about catching too many.
Wei Youyou still seemed reluctant to stop, but she obediently put down the net.
The fisherman rowed hard, looking at the boat full of fish with both longing and embarrassment.
If only he had caught all these fish himself.
He truly could not understand. Even if the little girl could cast the net farther than him, how could she catch so many fish every time?
Before they knew it, the black-awning boat had already drifted several dozen li downstream.
The sky was growing dim. Standing at the bow, Chu Xun saw waves coming from upstream.
The familiar aura rapidly approaching made him understand something.
Glancing at the fisherman, who was exhausted and panting, Chu Xun asked, “Earlier, you said that when you were young, you wanted to become a martial artist?”
The fisherman panted heavily and took the chance to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
He had rowed nonstop along the way without complaining once.
Now hearing Chu Xun ask, he said, “Yes. I wanted superb martial arts, to roam as a chivalrous hero and uphold justice. Unfortunately, now I can only be trapped on a riverboat, unable to go anywhere.”
According to the household laws of the previous dynasty, lowly households like fishermen were not even allowed to leave their boats, much less marry people on shore.
Even when the founding emperor had first established the dynasty, this was how things were done.
Only after Emperor Changning ascended the throne was this rule abolished.
Fishermen who had lived on boats all their lives were finally able to settle on land.
Chu Xun nodded.
“Then enter the martial world and walk it once.”
The Yellow Millet Dream divine ability was activated. The fisherman’s expression gradually became dazed, and he felt his eyelids become as heavy as a thousand jin.
Without realizing it, he had already fallen asleep.
When he opened his eyes again, continuous shouts rang in his ears.
Turning his head, he saw his square-faced, bearded master scolding him.
“Xie Yun, why did you stop?”
Xie Yun was the fisherman.
He looked around in a daze, then remembered that he had already entered a martial arts school.
His heart was very happy. Even when his master came over and kicked him in the backside, he did not mind.
“Train!”
After scolding him, his master shouted loudly, “If you want to stand out and possess superior martial arts, then you must study diligently and practice hard. You cannot be careless for even a single day!”
“What is martial skill?”
As his master spoke, he suddenly punched the wooden dummy beside him.
Crack.
The wooden dummy broke at the sound. His master stood proudly.
“This is martial skill!”
His martial clothes rustled, his aura vast and imposing.
Xie Yun looked at him with worshipful eyes, his blood boiling.
“In the future, I’ll have martial skill like this too!”
The fisherman slept leaning against the side of the boat, while the three giant pythons had already arrived nearby.
They hid beneath the water and did not dare expose their heads directly.
Chu Xun looked down at them from above. The giant python aura was even denser. Not to mention the surrounding schools of fish—
Even the fish already caught aboard the boat were frightened into thrashing everywhere.
“Yo, yo, yo, yo!”
Wei Youyou cried out in panic, wanting to hold down the fish but afraid of being struck by them.
Chu Xun extended a finger, letting a strand of black spiritual light fall.
The spiritual light slowly drifted onto the green-white python’s forehead and merged into it like a drop of water.
In an instant, the aura on the green-white python was no longer only fishy and fierce.
It was replaced by a more proper aura, gentle yet carrying a trace of dignity.
This was a bit of authority granted to it by Chu Xun as the Ji River Water Minister.
It could better control water and also prevent its aura from frightening fish.
The same was true for the green python and white python beside it.
The three giant pythons happily shook their heads and tails, stirring waves beneath the water.
Wei Youyou curiously stood on tiptoe to look. Seeing the three giant pythons for the first time, she was so shocked that her ears stood up.
“Yo!”
There were giant pythons in the mountains too. One over ten meters long could strangle any beast, more ferocious than wolves, tigers, and leopards.
But the giant pythons before her were far more than ten meters long.
Then the green-white python slipped beneath the boat.
The boat trembled slightly and was actually lifted onto its back.
Its tail swung, sending it forward at astonishing speed.
Wei Youyou’s eyes were full of wonder. Looking at the water surface constantly flashing past, she wanted to reach out and touch it.
But after looking at the green python and white python following behind, she timidly withdrew her hand.
In her little-girl form, she truly was very timid.
Before long, the Songliu Water God Temple could faintly be seen.
Only then did the green-white python stop, revealing a small part of its head from beneath the water and flicking its tongue at Chu Xun.
Chu Xun scolded with a laugh, “You beast. You only swam for a while, yet you’re already asking for benefits.”
He scolded, but he still extended a finger and flicked lightly.
One wisp after another of water essence was refined almost instantly.
The methods of Five Elements Dao Art were far beyond the level of spell arts.
Several wisps of water essence fell into the green-white python’s mouth. Chu Xun also gave some extra to the green python and white python.
The three giant pythons were all very happy and raised their heads one after another.
Chu Xun smiled and stroked each of them, then lightly patted them and said, “Remember, do not use this authority to harm the waters. Otherwise, I will not spare you.”
The three giant pythons shook their heads and pushed the black-awning boat toward the shore with their heads. Chu Xun pulled Wei Youyou and leaped down.
Afterward, the green-white python carried the black-awning boat on its back and swam upstream.
Chu Xun did not interfere. Each had its own thoughts.
It was not a bad thing for the green-white python to want to do more.
Wei Youyou tugged at his sleeve and asked, “Master, I still want to play.”
Chu Xun laughed.
“We’ll play next time.”
“When is next time?”
“The next time we encounter a boat.”
Wei Youyou blinked her bright black eyes, full of anticipation for next time.
Chu Xun smiled and took her hand, walking toward the village.
Before long, the black-awning boat was returned to its original place.
The green-white python emerged from underwater, looked at Xie Yun, the fisherman who was still fast asleep, and flicked its tongue twice before sinking back into the water.
In the dream, Xie Yun had already practiced martial arts for twenty years.
His talent was average, but with diligent practice, he had achieved some success.
After completing his apprenticeship, he wandered the martial world as a chivalrous hero and indeed made something of a name for himself.
He met many different martial-world friends. They fought side by side and bled together.
He witnessed the rises and falls of some people and also saw the dangers of the martial world.
Only when his hair turned white, his blood and qi declined, and his fists no longer had extra strength did he retire from the martial world and build a thatched hut by a riverbank.
Fishermen passing by on boats would come over and chat with him.
Looking at their boat full of fish, Xie Yun smelled nothing but fish.
He could not help thinking, If I hadn’t practiced martial arts, but instead became a fisherman living by the water, what would this life have been like?
A fisherman on the boat waved and shouted, “Old Xie, I’ll give you a big fish for soup! Catch!”
A fish weighing seven or eight jin was thrown over. Xie Yun reached out to catch it, but he was too old. The fish slipped from his hands and struck his face.
The cold feeling startled him.
He abruptly opened his eyes and heard only the sound of river water rippling.
Turning his head, his heart filled with shock.
He was still on the boat, and the boat had already reached the shore.
The fishy smell entering his nose was very clear, and there truly was a boat full of fish.
Only then did he remember that he was not the chivalrous hero Xie Yun of the martial world, but a fisherman.
A sound came from beneath the water. Xie Yun held the side of the boat and looked down, vaguely seeing something swimming away.
But the sky was already dark, and he could not see clearly.
He felt lost.
“So it was just a dream…”
Thinking back on everything in the dream, it felt so vivid, as though he had truly lived an entire life as a chivalrous hero.
After sighing for a while, Xie Yun remembered that the older man and little girl who had ridden the boat for fun had not taken the fish with them.
Could it be that they found it inconvenient?
But he had clearly rowed several dozen li. How had he returned here against the current?
Xie Yun suddenly remembered that before entering the dream, he had faintly heard that older man say, “Then enter the martial world and walk it once.”
He froze. He had once heard storytellers say that immortals wandered the mortal world in the martial world.
Could he have encountered one today?
Thinking back to that little girl who had easily cast the net dozens of meters and caught a full harvest every time.
And this unusual journey of dozens of li against the current.
How could Xie Yun not understand that he had encountered an extraordinary person?
He quickly knelt on the boat, cupped his hands, and shouted, “Thank you, Immortal, for fulfilling my dream! Xie Yun is deeply grateful!”
No one responded. Xie Yun knew that if it truly was a legendary immortal, he had likely gone far away already.
Unable to thank him in person, he felt rather regretful.
He slowly exhaled and climbed up from the boat.
Recalling the scenes in the dream, Xie Yun assumed a stance.
Whoosh.
Ha.
He threw a few punches in a fairly proper manner, then chuckled.
Even if it had only been a dream, he no longer had any regrets.
Then he selected some fish from the boat’s catch, threaded fish cord through their gills, and tied them together.
Carrying them on his back, he jumped off the boat, covered the fish with the awning cloth, and ran toward his home not far away.
As he ran, he kept shouting whoosh and ha along the way.
On the road to Pinecone Village, Wei Youyou asked curiously, “Master, what is the martial world?”
Chu Xun smiled.
“Where there are people, there is the martial world.”
“Then what is acting chivalrously and upholding justice?”
“Helping others be human is acting chivalrously and upholding justice.”
Wei Youyou blinked, seeming not to understand very well.
She had lived in Fenggu City for more than twenty years, but she had never seen anything like acting chivalrously and upholding justice.
She had barely learned only how to be human.
At the end of the twelfth year of Changning.
Emperor Changning personally led the army and defeated the invading horse tribes at the Mobei border.
Then, with eighty thousand troops, he entered deep into Mobei, intending to eliminate the horse tribes in one stroke and end the future threat forever.
The crown prince supervised the state and remained in the capital.
Throughout all of Jing Kingdom, under Chancellor Zhang Jingheng’s management, countless grain and supplies were transported to the border.
This great war came extremely swiftly. Even the horse tribes had not expected that Emperor Changning, who had always emphasized the people’s livelihood, would suddenly launch a large-scale attack.
Mobei, composed of complex terrain such as plains, Gobi, and desert, had never been an ideal battlefield.
It was far too vast. If people hid there, they could not even be found.
But the determination of Emperor Changning and Chancellor Zhang Jingheng could not be shaken. In this war, no one was allowed to object.
Some civil officials submitted death remonstrations. The crown prince was softhearted and could not bear to rebuke them.
In the end, it was Zhang Jingheng who drove those civil officials away in the imperial study.
“Grand Tutor, must this war truly be fought?” the crown prince asked, his heart full of worry.
The horse tribes only invaded occasionally. Why not continue to rest and recover?
Was a peaceful and prosperous age not good?
Zhang Jingheng leaned on his cane and looked at him, his voice old and low.
“It must be fought.”
The crown prince still wanted to say something, but Zhang Jingheng had already interrupted him.
“This war is being fought for Jing Kingdom’s next hundred years.
If this war is won, then in the future, Your Highness will not need to fight wars.”
The crown prince froze.
He was very intelligent and quickly understood the reasoning. He could not help lowering his head.
Zhang Jingheng had someone bring a chair. Wearing an outer robe, he sat outside the imperial study.
Anyone who wanted to offer remonstrations and stop this war had to first pass through him.
Though the Chancellor was old, his authority was even heavier.
He was Jing Kingdom’s Duke Protector and the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty.
Back then, his teacher Tang Shijun had paved the road with his death, turning him into the sharpest blade in Jing Kingdom.
He had cut away Jing Kingdom’s rotten sores, leveled the rugged fields, and allowed the people of the world to have a pair of chopsticks with which they could eat.
Now, he too would pave the way for Jing Kingdom’s future. When the time came, what he handed to the crown prince would no longer be a blade, but a flourishing age.
A stuffy feeling came from his chest. He was already seventy-four years old, too old to be any older.
He slowly pressed a hand against his chest. His somewhat cloudy eyes did not lower, but looked straight ahead.
“These old bones must hold on a little longer.
It is not yet time to leave.”
One year later, good news came from Mobei.
Jing Kingdom’s army had found the royal camp of the horse tribes deep in Mobei.
After a great battle, they killed two horse tribe kings, captured several thousand men, and obtained many warhorses, grain, and supplies.
But the horse tribes still had one king who successfully broke through.
Now he had gathered Mobei’s remaining troops, still forming a force that could not be underestimated.
They had learned the might of Jing Kingdom’s army and seen Emperor Changning’s determination. They no longer confronted them head-on, instead choosing to hide everywhere.
The vast Mobei was so broad that it could even rival Jing Kingdom.
Finding such a nomadic army deliberately hiding itself was no easy matter.
By the end of the year, Liao Xingbang brought back a dark red stone.
He had obtained it by chance from a mountain cave after wandering the martial world for a long time.
It was extremely hard. Ordinary blades and weapons left not the slightest damage when striking it.
Although it was not as miraculous as meteorite iron, it possessed its own fierce and domineering aura.
So he brought it back, hoping Chu Xun would help him forge a weapon.
This time, Chu Xun did not refuse, because the material was truly quite good.
With one glance, he could tell that it contained a trace of fire qi.
This fire qi was not ordinary flame, but the fire essence of the Five Elements.
Chu Xun cut off part of the material, then spent some time using the other half to forge Liao Xingbang a long saber.
The saber body was heavy and mixed with several strands of metal essence qi.
Together with that trace of fire essence, once the blade was sharpened, strange patterns like wandering dragons and snakes appeared along the edge.
When the saber was swung, even the air carried waves of scorching heat.
Liao Xingbang used the long saber to cut open an iron billet as easily as tofu, without even the slightest clanging sound. He was so happy he could hardly contain himself.
“What an incredible saber! It probably isn’t weaker than the Martial Alliance Leader’s Heaven-Reliant Sword!”
Chu Xun said, “It’s much stronger than that sword.”
“You’ve never seen the Heaven-Reliant Sword. How do you know this one is much stronger?”
Xie Ji’s sword only contained a strand of metal essence qi. Chu Xun had several thousand such swords in the side room.
The long saber before them not only had more metal essence qi, but also an extra trace of fire essence qi.
“No matter what, this is a good saber!”
Liao Xingbang chuckled and asked, “Uncle Chen, since you forged this saber, why don’t you give it a name?”
Without thinking, Chu Xun said, “Dragon-Slaying.”
Liao Xingbang froze and subconsciously asked, “Isn’t that a bit too grand?”
“Are you afraid you can’t hold it?” Chu Xun asked.
Liao Xingbang’s eyes reddened from holding himself back. After stammering a few times, he said, “What’s there to not hold?”
“Then that’s its name!”
“Dragon-Slaying Saber!”
When Heaven-Reliant does not appear, who can contend?
When the Dragon-Slaying Saber appears, none dare disobey!
[End of Chapter]