Chapter 1213: Two Worlds, Is This Still the Great Shun?

"Hey, can you guys hurry up? Stop dawdling one by one; I have to go compete later!"

"Coming, coming, I'm definitely fast. Who wouldn't be eager when someone else is treating? You must have a screw loose."

"Excellent, everyone is here. Junxuan, why are you acting like a sissy? Can you even do anything?"

The youths leaped down from the air, stepping over the reeds beneath their shoes, and stood on the bank, mocking and urging him on.

"Who's a sissy? Nonsense! I am a scholar, a scholar-seed of the Wen family. One must have poise—do you understand what poise is?"

"Ugh, how disgusting."

"The Jianghuai is vast, the reeds are dense, the misty waves are boundless, and the fishing boats race—in such a scene, scholar, if you don't feel a surge of poetic inspiration, why don't you compose a poem on the spot for us to see?"

"I have a stomachache today, and the waterway made me dizzy. I'll compose one later. Why are the legs of this ghost-thing so high? Wen Shi Yun, you should write a letter to the Prince of Huai, suggesting that the water spiders automatically lower themselves after reaching the shore to improve the service level." Wen Junxuan grabbed the side handrail, shook his calves, stepped into the void twice, and found the wooden pole of the handrail before slowly climbing down from the back of the water spider. "By the way, you just said you were participating in a competition—what competition?"

"Yeah, why is there a competition?"

The youths recalled the earlier words.

"Ha!" Wen Wen Shi Yun stepped on a stone, tossed his hair in the wind, rubbed his thumb, and dealt out ten red tickets from his hand. "Of course, it's to participate in the First Hero Fighting Tournament! I am a 'starting team member,' and I have internal tickets. What did you think I was treating you to? Going to the Pingyang Mountain Volcano Pavilion to take a bath and get a scrub?"

"What?" Wen Junxuan lunged forward, grabbing the stack of paper tickets, his face flushed with excitement. "Could it be the Hero Fighting Tournament hosted by the Prince of Huai? The one with many vassal kings and demon kings participating, the East Sea Great Hunt qualifiers?"

"Exactly, that's the one!"

Everyone was completely stirred up.

At school, they had long heard of the various novelties in Yixing County: cloth films, hot pot buffets, volcanic algae hot springs, and transparent glass walkways—ten thousand times more interesting than pitch-pot, archery, or beanbag tossing, especially the recent, grand "Hero Fighting Tournament."

Wen Junxuan questioned: "You said you're participating? You've never practiced martial arts, how can you participate?"

"Heh heh, you know the 'what' but not the 'why.' The vassal kings, demon kings, and the Great Hunt qualifiers are all just bait thrown out by my master. In reality, anyone who is alive and has Qi can participate. Alright, alright, let's go quickly; the River God Festival is about to start, and it'll begin right after!"

The youths cheered, swung their wooden sticks, cut down the reeds, and rushed out of the reed marsh.

"Wait, Shitou, there are only eight of us, why do you have ten tickets?"

"Oh, it's He Hanyu. She saw I had them the other day and insisted on asking for tickets, and she also wanted one for her friend—that Fang Yanling girl. Otherwise, she'd tell on me to my mom. I had no choice but to bring them for her."

"Women are such a hassle."

"Exactly, exactly." Wen Wen Shi Yun nodded. "But don't go blabbing about it, or she'll get angry and tell my mom, and I'll be the one who ends up unlucky."

"Don't worry, we're all brothers; we'll handle the tickets."

"Charge, charge, charge!"

"Hanyu." Fang Yanling looked around the pier. "Where is Wen Wen Shi Yun? Didn't he say he was going to treat us to the Hero Fighting Tournament and bring the tickets? I haven't seen him for ages; he wouldn't stand us up, would he?"

He Hanyu pointed to the reed marsh to the south: "He should have taken the waterway from his house. It doesn't lead directly to the pier; it's in that reed marsh over there. Shall we go wait over there?"

Fang Yanling was suspicious: "The waterway from his house? How do you know so clearly?"

"Uh..." He Hanyu turned her brain, suddenly pointing ahead, "Look, they're here!"

Fang Yanling turned her head, saw a group of youths, and immediately forgot the confusion that existed, waving her hand high.

"Hey, over here! Ugh, there are too many people, they can't hear. Let's go, let's go get the tickets. Ugh, why is it so crowded? Make way, make way."

"Wow, so many people!"

"Isn't this too lively? It feels even livelier than Nanzhili and the Imperial Capital!"

The youths jumped up and craned their necks, dazzled and shoulder-to-shoulder. It wasn't just about how carved and painted the place was, or how the flags were fluttering; it was the sheer number of people, the ultimate liveliness.

People from all over the country, with all sorts of accents.

"Whoa, look at the ground. It's paved with bluestone slabs, not planks. The road is ten zhang wide. Is the Prince of Huai that rich?"

The ten-zhang-wide bluestone carriage road could allow more than ten carriages to run side-by-side, and there was even a trimmed shrubbery in the middle, allowing the flow of people and carriages to clearly move forward on the left.

It could only be described with one word.

Extravagant!

Even in the two capitals of the Great Shun, it was hard to see such wide roads with such huge costs!

Wen Junxuan couldn't help but reach out to touch it, his fingertips touching it with surprise: "Shitou, is it ice?"

"It should be my master's wife's doing. Didn't you notice? It's a sunny day today, but it's not hot at all."

"Huh, it seems so."

Everyone squatted down to touch the stones; they were as cool as ice cubes, and the gaps between the stone slabs were frozen together.

In the north, there are fire channels in houses during winter so people don't feel cold walking on them; here, they were doing the exact opposite.

"Fresh grilled knife fish, fresh grilled knife fish."

"French fries, delicious and healthy, oily French fries, and crispy potato chips, fresh rapeseed oil."

"Look quickly! Beavers! Beavers are buying French fries on the street!"

A member of the youth group pointed in horror.

Everyone looked over.

Two beavers, half a person tall, each carrying a large iron hammer and a large saw, took the fried, seasoned, steaming golden French fries from the vendor, glanced sideways at the shouting youths, paid with copper coins, picked one up and threw it into their mouths, and turned around without looking back.

Wen Wen Shi Yun was helpless: "Don't make a fuss, okay? This is very normal. My master's palace is currently being built by beavers. Let me tell you quietly, those who can carry such large tools are symbols of master craftsmen among the beaver clan and can forge spirit weapons! You should show a little more respect; when you meet them, you have to call them Master."

"Ma... Master..." The youth twitched the corners of his mouth.

"Is this normal?"

"How is it not normal? Look, there are river otters over there too, see? Same thing." Wen Wen Shi Yun pointed to a grilled fish stall nearby. "Hey, share and share alike!"

Two little river otters held wooden skewers, eating as they walked on the road. Hearing Wen Wen Shi Yun greet them, they immediately protected the grilled fish in their claws, pretending they didn't hear, didn't know him, and walked away quickly.

"Stingy." Wen Wen Shi Yun muttered, then turned his head, "Hey, there are monkeys too!"

"Roar, roar, ha!"

Two golden-haired monkeys grabbed the wine flag sign in mid-air, swinging like tree branches, throwing themselves out one after another, shouting, "Everyone is out, Master must have given them a day off." Wen Wen Shi Yun was certain.

"Ah?"

"This is nothing. You'll only know how powerful it is when you get to Jiangchuan County. Have you seen an octopus shopkeeper? An octopus shopkeeper can serve seven guests at the same time. There are also mermen, turtles, giant frogs, salamanders, crab trains..." Wen Wen Shi Yun listed them like family treasures, not without pride, "My master has connections on both land and water, and his network is very wide."

Clearly, they were both vassal kings, but the Ningjiang Prefecture where the Prince of Yue was located and the Yixing County where the Prince of Huai was located felt like two completely different worlds.

Not just the classmates following Wen Wen Shi Yun, but the tourists who had never been to Yixing were all amazed, unable to take it all in as they looked at the street.

Even if they hadn't played or eaten anything, the moment they stepped onto this road, the trip was already worth it!

"Dear tourists, merchants, and fellow villagers, good morning everyone! Welcome to Yixing County, this beautiful and rich small county town in the south—"

The voice flying from the high sky startled everyone, and they looked around.

Fang Yanling and He Hanyu, who were squeezing toward Wen Wen Shi Yun, stopped their steps and captured the source of the sound.

The Eternal Spring Tree!

The entire Eternal Spring Tree stood in the sky, its top canopy wrapped in a circle of Dragon Spirit Gauze, at least several bolts worth, unfolded like a headscarf and wrapped into a ring shape. A large white fish riding blue waves circled and shuttled through it; it seemed like "it" was the one speaking just now.

"It is now the beginning of the Si hour, and there is still one hour until the start of the River God Festival. Before that, please allow me, the Yixing Spokes-fish, Benbo'erba, to introduce the long-standing festival tradition to all the guests experiencing the atmosphere of the River God Festival.

The Jianghuai Great Marsh crosses the heart of the river, ten thousand miles away, and is the most vast Great Marsh on the Huai River, bar none—the Dragon Lord—has nurtured countless living beings, people of outstanding talent, and spiritual fish and lakes—"

"Thousands of years?" Chen Tongmin was curious. "Grandpa, have we been around for that long?"

"You turtle-grandson!" Chen Zhaoan scolded. "Just listen to what you're told. Can you be as knowledgeable as the Prince of Huai?"

"Too magical."

On the bluestone road, people, horses, and carriages all stopped.

People looked amazed.

The fiefdom where the Prince of Huai was located was completely different from other places!

Everywhere were fresh things they had never seen, heard of, or eaten.

Is the brain of a young Martial Saint really that useful?

"Before more introductions, please allow me, 'Benbo'erba,' to represent the Prince of Huai and all the villagers of Yixing County to thank the Holy Emperor and His Majesty. It is the Holy Emperor and His Majesty who are busy with ten thousand tasks, coordinating all directions, making the four seas peaceful, and giving you and me the opportunity to gather and be happy."

As soon as these words were spoken.

The crowd on the ground surged, bowing in unison.

"Thank you, Holy Emperor!"

"Long live the Holy Emperor, long live, long live!"

"Secondly, thank the soldiers at the border. It is the soldiers at the border who guard the Great Shun, making everyone live and work in peace, giving you and me today to travel with our children."

"Thank you, soldiers at the border!"

"Then, thank the Pingyang Prefecture Master, Su Guishan, and all the officials of Pingyang Prefecture for their strong support for this River God Festival and their willingness to support Yixing County in maintaining order."

Inside the River Patrol Office, Su Guishan stroked his beard and smiled lightly.

"Finally, thank the three thousand disciples of the Huaiyin Martial Hall. They are full of vitality, lovely and brave. Having repelled the invasion of the Ghost Mother Sect and thwarted the Ghost Mother Sect's conspiracy, they have once again transformed into Yixing volunteers to maintain order! Maintain safety! Passing the torch, they are the future of the Great Shun!"

On both sides of the bluestone street.

The young youths and young men puffed out their chests, showing the volunteer badges on their arms, welcoming the admiring gazes of the crowd, and their slight fatigue completely disappeared.

"Words of gratitude can never be finished, so let's not say too much.

Today's activity schedule: At noon, the River God Festival will open on time. At that time, the Prince of Huai, appointed by His Majesty, will preside over the Jianghuai River to give thanks to heaven and earth for nurturing all things; at the Shen hour, the first 5v5 competition of the Hero Tournament will start on time, so please look forward to it; at the Xu hour, when night falls, there will be a fireworks display. There are many attractions in Yixing, and if you have plenty of time and nothing to do, you can follow the bluestone road under your feet to Pingyang Mountain. The Pingyang Mountain Temple, blessed by the Arhats and Vajra Wisdom Kings of the Hanging Temple, is a wonderful choice to pray for your family and friends for peace and safety.

If you feel tired from climbing the mountain and sweating, there is a volcanic pavilion on the mountain that integrates hot springs, cultivation, and dining. The lamb soup and lamb hot pot inside are Jianghuai specialties, and it is also a wonderful place to enjoy the fireworks display tonight.

Turning west, the peach tree corridor of the Huaiyin Martial Hall, the peach trees are catalyzed by the long Qi of the Yi wood, the birthplace of the new law, the road the Prince of Huai came by, the lecture hall of Master Zhaowu, has limited-time activities to experience the fun of cultivation in youth—

To the east, the Water-Sky Corridor, experience the water and sky as one, the sunset like shattered gold. In the hot summer, enjoy the coolness, sit on the jade crystal boat, all the way to Jiangchuan County, see the aquatic specialties, Jianghuai products, and new cloth films.

To the north, the Tianbo Chamber of Commerce auction, world-class wonders, quality guaranteed.

To the south, the top floor of the Eternal Spring Tree, the Phoenix Fairy Fish of the Jianghuai Eight Beauties, the scenery is excellent.

Please, parents, look after your children. If there is an accident, you can seek help from nearby Martial Hall disciples. Tourists and carriages entering and leaving the waterway, please move to the left in an orderly manner..."

Can't finish visiting.

Simply can't finish visiting!

Dazzling and overwhelming, Fang Yanling and He Hanyu heard the introduction and wanted to go everywhere, but were worried that there wouldn't be enough time and they would miss some major activities.

The horse teams and merchants from the Southern Frontier and Northern Court were even more dumbfounded.

Is this still the Great Shun?

Has the Great Shun developed to this extent?

A vassal king's fiefdom, developed for barely a year, actually...

The crowd surged, going east and west, and the vendors on both sides shouted hard, determined to make a fortune today.

More people landed by water spider and capsule.

Some impatient people even gave up the water spider and capsule, walked directly through the cargo channel, and were fished up by river porpoises, lying on the ground spitting water.

"Ashui is really fucking awesome!"

Ran Zhongshi, Xiang Fang Su, and others looked at the big fish on top of the Eternal Spring Tree and exclaimed repeatedly.

Xu Yuelong even leaned on the railing and applauded.

This was definitely the greatest operation he had ever seen, using a local festival to attract such a large volume of tourists for sightseeing.

Preparations at the beginning of the year had clearly been made according to Liang Qu's instructions, arranging as many rooms and content as possible, but before noon, the Volcano Pavilion was completely in a state of emergency, and the ingredients stored in the cellar were simply not enough, so people had already been sent out urgently to raise more.

Ten thousand taels of revenue in three hours!

The mountain next door.

"Ha—... —"

The Jin Mao Tiger wore half a cassock, with two children hanging on its tiger whiskers, yawning and knocking on a wooden fish, acting as a lucky cat at the temple entrance.

The monks from the Hanging Temple guided the pilgrims to pray devoutly.

Bats flapped their wings, introducing the local customs, and wild boars carried large private rooms, going back and forth.

"Charge, charge, charge, three taels per person, no cheating children or old people, depart when full, Pingyang Temple, depart!"

"Boom, boom, boom."

Dust rose, and the wild boar rode away.

The thirty-mile, ten-zhang-wide bluestone road acted as a guide, and on both sides of the road, all kinds of merchants and travelers, eating, drinking, and having fun, had everything one could expect.

Although there was no place for brothels in Yixing County, it was precisely because of this that it was more suitable for families to travel and play, and for young men and women to come on dates, without worrying about that kind of embarrassment.

"Splash."

Chubby toes soaked in the water, wrinkling up. The young girl rolled up her trousers and kicked the water, walking on the transparent water walkway, watching the fish swimming below, while the young man behind watched the girl.

"Shoo, shoo, shoo."

The transparent glass boat cut through the waves, splashing water.

People barefoot on the Water-Sky Corridor raised their hands to block it.

The effect was excellent!

Liang Qu put away the speech, let A'Fei take over, and continued to repeat the introductions of Yixing County's various attractions and legends.

"Is everything debugged?"

The mirage shell opened and closed its shell, and the white meat inside was folded ninety degrees like a corner.

Liang Qu opened his mouth but didn't speak.

He really didn't know who started this trend; they had only been under his rule for a few days, and they had all learned it.

"It's a pity it can't be screened simultaneously."

He had originally wanted to try if he could use the limit of the mirage shell's hundred-mile dream-stacking to allow a nearby fiefdom to broadcast the game live simultaneously, but the attempt failed.

"One" and "Two" stacked dreams, "Two" and "Three" stacked dreams, but if the distance between "Two" and "Three" exceeded a hundred miles, they couldn't be stacked successfully—a local area network within a local area network.

He didn't know if it could be solved if it grew further.

"There's plenty of time, it's enough for now."

Liang Qu hurriedly jumped down from the Eternal Spring Tree, let the Martial Hall apprentices disperse the crowd at the pier, and cleared space for the ceremony.

Wen Wen Shi Yun successfully rode the black dragon, met up with He Hanyu, and headed to the Yixing Village Elder viewing platform.

Noon.

The sun was bright, the river breeze was vast, and the flags on both sides of the bluestone street were fluttering.

Tourists from all over the five lakes came from all directions, surging and spreading like the rising tide in the Jianghuai Great Marsh.

At the crossroads, inside the drum tower, a bare-chested man spread his legs, with red strips tied to his arms, his blood vessels bulging, waving a large mallet, beating the big drum, "Dong! Dong! Dong!"

"River God Festival, start!" ===== CHAPTER 1214 =====

"River God Festival, begin!"

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