Chapter 1213

"Hey, can you hurry up? You're all dawdling, and I still have to go participate in a competition later!"

"Coming, coming, I'll definitely be fast. If someone is treating us, we'd be fools not to be eager."

"Very good, everyone is here. Junxuan, why are you acting like a sissy? Can you even get things done?"

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

"Who's a sissy? Stop spouting nonsense. I am a scholar, a scholar-seed of the Wen family; one must have poise, understand? Poise!"

"Ugh~ truly disgusting."

"The Jianghuai is vast, the reeds are dense, the mist is boundless, and fishing boats race—in this scene, scholar, if you aren't struck by poetic inspiration, why don't you compose a poem on the spot for us to see?"

"I have a stomachache today, and traveling the waterways made me dizzy. I'll compose one later. Why are this ghost-thing's legs so high? Shi Yun, you should write a letter to the Prince of Huai, suggesting that the water spiders lower themselves after reaching the shore to improve the level of service." Wen Junxuan grabbed the side railing, shook his lower legs, stepped into the void twice, and only after finding the wooden pole of the railing did he slowly climb down from the back of the water spider. "By the way, you just said you're 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 produced 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 have insider tickets in my hand. What did you think I was treating you to? Going to the Pingyang Mountain Volcano Hall to bathe and get your backs scrubbed?"

"What?" Wen Junxuan lunged forward, grabbed 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 Princes and Demon Kings participating, the East Sea Great Hunt qualifier?"

"That's right, it's exactly this tournament!"

The crowd was completely stirred up.

In their daily schooling, they had long heard of the various novelties in Yixing County: cloth shadows, hot pot buffets, volcanic algae hot springs, and the transparent water-sky glass walkway—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 haven't even practiced martial arts, how can you participate?"

"Heh heh, you know the 'what' but not the 'why.' The Princes, Demon Kings, and the Great Hunt qualifier are all just heads thrown out by my master. In reality, anyone who is alive and has Qi can participate. Alright, alright, let's hurry, the River God Festival is about to start, and it begins right after!"

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

"Wait, Shi Tou, there are only eight of us, why did you take ten tickets?"

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

"Women are just trouble."

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

"Don't worry, we're all brothers, we'll get the tickets and handle things."

"Charge, charge, charge!"

"Hanyu." Fang Yanling looked around the pier. "Where is Wen Wen Shi Yun? Didn't he say he wanted to treat us to watch the Hero Fighting Tournament and come to deliver the tickets? We 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 family's waterway, which doesn't lead directly to the pier, but to the reed marsh over there. Should we go over there and wait?"

Fang Yanling was suspicious: "Family waterway? How do you know so clearly?"

"Um..." He Hanyu racked her brain, then suddenly pointed ahead, "Look, they're coming!"

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

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

"Wow, so many people!"

"This is too lively, isn't it? It feels even livelier than Nanzhili and the Imperial Capital!"

The youths jumped up and craned their necks, dazzled and rubbing shoulders. Not to mention how carved and painted the place was, with flags fluttering, it was simply extremely crowded and extremely lively.

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

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

The ten-zhang-wide bluestone driveway 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 to 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 revealing surprise: "Shi Tou, is it ice?"

"It should be my master's wife's doing. Haven't you noticed? It's a sunny day today, why isn't it hot at all?"

"Huh, it seems so."

The crowd squatted down one after another to touch the stones; they were as cool as ice cubes, and the stone slabs were frozen together.

In the north, there are fire ducts in homes during winter so people don't feel cold walking on them; this was the exact opposite.

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

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

"Look! 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 hammer and a large saw, received the hot, golden, large French fries from the stall owner, 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 said helplessly: "Don't make a fuss, okay? This is very normal. My master's Prince's Mansion is currently being built by beavers. Quietly tell you, those who can carry such large tools are symbols of master craftsmen among the beaver clan and can forge spirit weapons! You should show more respect and call them 'Master' when you see them."

"Ma... Master—" The youth twitched his mouth.

"Is this normal?"

"Why wouldn't it be 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 with those who see it!"

Two small river otters held wooden skewers, eating as they walked on the road. Hearing Wen Wen Shi Yun's greeting, they immediately protected the grilled fish in their claws, pretended not to hear, pretended not to know him, and walked away quickly.

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

"Roar roar ha!"

Two golden monkeys grabbed the wine flags in mid-air, swinging like tree branches, throwing themselves out one after another, shouting and screaming. "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 amazing 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 connects water and land, and his connections are very broad."

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

Not just the classmates following Wen Wen Shi Yun, but tourists who had never been to Yixing were all seeing novelties everywhere on the street, all shocked and unable to take it all in.

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

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

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

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

The Eternal Spring Tree!

The entire Eternal Spring Tree stood against 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 that it was "it" that was 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, Yixing's spokesperson fish, Benbo'erba, to introduce the long-standing festival traditions to all the guests experiencing the River God Festival atmosphere."

The Jianghuai Great Marsh crosses the river heart, ten thousand miles away, it is the vastest Great Marsh on the Huai River, there is no other—The Dragon Lord—has nurtured countless living beings, people of outstanding talent, fish of outstanding lakes—

The tradition of the Yixing County June 6th River God Festival has been passed down from generation to generation, with a history of thousands of years. The Prince of Huai grew up in Yixing City, grew to Yixing Town, and was enfeoffed as Prince to Yixing County—"

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

"Turtle grandson!" Chen Chen Zhaoan scolded. "Just listen, can you be as knowledgeable as the Prince of Huai?"

"Too magical."

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

People's eyes revealed amazement.

The fief where the Prince of Huai was located was completely two worlds from other places!

Everywhere were novel things they had never seen, heard, or eaten before.

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

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

As soon as these words came out.

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

"Thank the frontier soldiers!"

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

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

"Finally, thank the three thousand disciples of the Huaiyin Martial Hall. They are full of vigor, they are cute and brave, they once repelled the invasion of the Ghost Mother Sect, defeated the Ghost Mother Sect's conspiracy, and 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 boys and youths 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, 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, giving 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, please look forward to it; at the Xu hour, when night falls, there will be a fireworks display. Yixing has many attractions, and everyone has plenty of time. If you have nothing to do, you can follow the bluestone road under your feet to Pingyang Mountain. The Pingyang Mountain Temple, where the Arhats and Vajra Wisdom Kings of the Hanging Temple are consecrated, is a beautiful choice to pray for blessings and safety for family and friends."

"If you feel tired from climbing the mountain and breaking branches, and break into a sweat, there are hot springs, cultivation, and dining integrated on the mountain, the non-in-app-purchase Volcano Hall, the mutton soup and mutton hot pot inside are Jianghuai specialties, and it is also a wonderful place to enjoy the fireworks display tonight."

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

"To the east, the Water-Sky Corridor, experience the water and sky in one color, the sunset like broken gold. Summer is hot, enjoy the coolness, sit on the jade crystal boat, go all the way to Jiangchuan County, see the aquatic specialties, Jianghuai specialties, new cloth shadows."

"To the north, the Sky Ship Chamber of Commerce auction, world wonders, quality guaranteed."

"To the south, the top floor of the Eternal Spring Tree, the Phoenix Fairy Fish of Jianghuai, the scenery is unique."

"Please, parents, take good care of 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 shopping.

Simply can't finish shopping!

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

The cavalry 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 fief of a Prince, developed for just one 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 people couldn't wait, gave up the water spider and capsule, went directly through the cargo channel, were picked up by river porpoises after coming out, and lay on the ground spitting water.

"A-Shui is really fucking awesome!"

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

Xu Xu Yuelong 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, clearly according to what Liang Qu said, arranged as many rooms and content as possible, but before noon, the Volcano Hall was completely in an emergency, the ingredients stored in the cellar were simply not enough, and people had already been sent to raise them urgently.

Revenue exceeded ten thousand taels in three hours!

The mountain next door.

"Ha—.. —"

The Golden-Haired 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 Dharma masters from the Hanging Temple guided the pilgrims, praying devoutly.

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

"Charge, charge, charge, three taels per person, no cheating, departure when full, Pingyang Temple, departure!"

"Boom—"

Dust rose, and the wild boar rode away.

The thirty-li, ten-zhang-wide bluestone road served as a guide, and on both sides of the road, all kinds of merchants and travelers, eating, drinking, and playing, had everything.

Although there were no brothels for pleasure in Yixing County, it was precisely because of this that it was more suitable for family outings, and young men and women coming to date, without having to worry about that kind of embarrassment.

"Splash."

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

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh."

The transparent glass boat split the waves, splashing water.

People barefoot on the water-sky one-color raised their hands to block it.

The effect was excellent!

Liang Qu put away the speech draft, let A-Fei take over, and continued to repeat the introduction 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 and didn't speak.

I really don't know who brought out this trend; it's only been a few days of ruling, and they've all learned it.

"It's a pity it can't be screened at the same time."

He originally wanted to try whether he could pass the limit of the Mirage Shell's hundred-mile dream stacking to let a nearby fief screen the game live together, but the attempt failed.

"One" and "Two" dream stacking, "Two" and "Three" dream stacking, "Two" and "Three" are more than a hundred miles apart, so they couldn't be stacked successfully, a local area network within a local area network.

Don't know if it can be solved if it grows again.

"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 freed up the ceremony space.

Wen Wen Shi Yun successfully rode the black dragon, met up with He Hanyu, and headed to the Yixing County Elder Viewing Platform.

Noon.

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

Tourists from 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, tied red strips on his arms, his blood vessels bulging, waving a large mallet, beating the big drum "Dong! Dong! Dong!"

"River God Festival, start!"

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