Chapter 1273

"Aiya, I've only been back for half a month, why am I leaving again? Ordering me around like this—abominable! You're ruining my cultivation and disturbing my Dao heart! When I have my own furnace in the future, I'll definitely hang you up and whip you eight hundred times a day, eight hundred times!"

Li Xianghan fell backward toward the sky, kicking her little legs and gnashing her teeth.

On the table, light and shadow flickered. The gray mouse knelt on one knee, facing the yellow mouse, and presented a lacquered leather whip. The yellow mouse received it with its claws, and with a rhythmic tightening and loosening, it whipped the air, making a *pop-pop* sound. With a wave of its large claw, the gray mouse pulled the rope, and the white mouse that had stolen the maltose, its paws bound, was hoisted up onto the dragon-gate frame bit by bit, begging bitterly for mercy.

The long whip danced wildly, and the mouse shrieked in alarm.

The *chi-chi zha-zha* little theater was so vivid and dramatic that Li Xianghan couldn't help but laugh, her anger instantly dissipating.

She held the three mice in her palms, pinched their cheeks, kneaded them into shape, and then turned her head, worried about another matter.

After dragging it out for a year, the Insect Valley Festival rewards had finally arrived.

One superior-grade Long Qi, one medium-grade Long Qi, but how was she supposed to transfer them to Liang Qu?

It wasn't a question of whether she could make the decision regarding the rewards.

As a member of the Green Pattern Valley, all of Li Xianghan's daily transactions and social interactions took place within the valley. The circulation of resources like Long Qi was highly scrutinized and linked to the Perfected Form Realm. Even if she wanted to exchange them for Great Elixirs, internal transactions would certainly take priority. External transactions would inevitably lead to questions about her whereabouts—and once there was a loophole, wouldn't she be exposed?

At this thought, Li Xianghan couldn't help but kick her legs again.

"Aiya, it's so troublesome. Let the Prince of Huai worry about it!"

As time passed and the earth's energy rose, the wheat by the river grew increasingly golden.

Old farmers in Yuzhou sat or lay on the field ridges, counting the days and the wheat ears, looking forward to this year's harvest.

Wheat in the "filling stage" turns from green to yellowish-green; it needs plenty of watering during this time. How well it is handled determines the harvest level for the first half of the year. Wheat in the "waxy ripening stage" is basically all yellow, with a few leaves still tinged green, and the stalks still retain elasticity.

Finally, in the "yellow ripening stage," the entire plant is yellow and the stalks have no elasticity. At this point, it is fully ripe and at its plumpest, yet the harvest is already late. Because it is too ripe, it easily sheds grains and gets stolen by birds, commonly known as "ten percent ripe, one percent lost," which is not as productive as harvesting during the waxy ripening stage.

These three periods are squeezed into a total of less than a month, occurring one after another. Experienced farmers must keep their eyes wide open every day, watching the last bit of green fade from the wheat, counting the days, and racing against time.

Once the day arrives, the whole family mobilizes.

If there are widows, orphans, or those who have lost their fathers—

If the neighborhood atmosphere is good, they help each other; if the atmosphere is bad—

"Boom—"

Heavenly thunder shook, as if by divine punishment, accompanied by violent tremors. The blocked silt was suddenly flushed away, the Yellow Dragon roared toward the east, and the people cheered.

An indescribably magnificent body collided with the riverbank, squeezing out beautiful splashes, and a rainbow appeared in the sky.

By the river, the damp silt was pushed into small hills and slowly leveled out. The villagers scrambled to carry loads, transporting this good mud blessed by the River God.

Having signed the contract with the Lord of Qing River, the great river-sinking renovation officially entered its track, vigorous and grand.

Liang Qu also successfully managed to flush the sand for a thousand miles before the fifth day of the sixth month.

The thousand-mile Yellow Sand River downstream of Qinggong Bay had become a flat and open expanse!

"Strange, I wasn't this busy when I was the River Earl at the River-Anchoring Office in the early years. At least I had one day off every ten days. Now I only get three days off a month, and I have to give notice in advance. Wait, it seems about the same—"

Liang Qu did some mental math and put away the leave request memorial that had returned from the Imperial Capital.

He summoned Red Mountain through the spiritual link to pick him up, and taking advantage of the final gap, he made a request to Si Nan.

"The subsequent deployment of the River-Anchoring Office is mainly to continue observing the downstream situation. Binding the water to flush the sand will inevitably wash excess silt downstream. If any place becomes silted and the embankment bursts, it will surely become a disaster.

In addition, spread the news of the Imperial Court's water management early, and communicate with the water beasts in the river to avoid conflicts. We must prevent water-land disharmony, avoid disputes, and intentional retaliation. We would be the ones to suffer, and it wouldn't be good for the subsequent impact."

"Your Highness, rest assured, the River-Anchoring Office will follow this consistently."

"Be more careful, and there won't be any mistakes. By the way, sacrifices are a waste of people and money. It's not just human sacrifices; even if it's slaughtering pigs and sheep, persuade them if you can, and avoid it if you can."

"Understood, I will try my best to dispatch personnel."

Si Nan took up a brush to record this.

The common people would not reduce their sacrifices and worship of the River God because of the popularization of information about the Four Gates and Seven Paths realms; on the contrary, they would become more convinced and more fanatical.

The so-called gods were originally conferred by humans, coming after humans.

The Four Gates and Seven Paths—weren't they just mortals entering the Dao and becoming immortals?

Famous mountains and great temples were everywhere, and a hundred-year-old Daoist priest with a healthy body was enough to be marveled at, let alone the appearance of a Dragon-Human Martial Saint with the true ability to move mountains and fill seas.

Worshipping gods is inherently to seek fulfillment and external help to change a predetermined life. The more miserable one is, the greater the need for this.

If you do not cultivate, seeing me is like a frog in a well looking at the moon in the sky.

If you do cultivate, seeing me is like a mayfly seeing the blue sky.

Even the more one practices martial arts, the more one feels that the Perfected Form and Dragon-Human realms are unreachable, and the more one thinks of them as gods, unless one is a person close to them who has witnessed the path taken step by step.

"Let's go!"

The red clouds filled the sky.

The Prince of Huai stepped onto the White Jade Palace and headed south majestically.

Si Nan dispatched officials to take over the Treasure Ship of Creation to prevent it from being looted by thieves.

Incense smoke curled.

"I wonder how the situation is at the Elixir Workshop—eating them one by one is still too slow."

Liang Qu sat cross-legged in the quiet room, took another portion of inferior-grade Treasure Elixir of Creation worth half an Unworldly Achievement, and swallowed it. Now, he was almost doing everything simultaneously, multitasking. He flushed the sand daily while balancing the digestion of the medicinal power to consume all resources as quickly as possible.

Remaining Unworldly Achievements: eight and a half.

Four hundred and twenty-five times the Root Sea, stirring up waves!

Great Snow Mountain, North Sea, Yellow Sand, Southern Frontier.

Several projects, pushed forward one by one.

"By the way, has Fatty not returned yet?"

Liang Qu's thoughts jumped, missing his capable official.

The River God Festival was about to be held, and he needed "Ba-Bo-Er-Ben" to appear and preside over this year's competition—helplessly, the timing of his recollection was unfortunate. The medicinal power surged up, and after a hurried glance at the spiritual link's location to confirm that Fatty was generally safe, Liang Qu calmed his mind and practiced his cultivation.

With Frog Lord, he would naturally turn bad luck into good.

Cultivation first.

North Sea.

The water flowed gloomily, covered in frost. On the jade-white pillars of the Qilin King's Palace, iron chains were spread out, and green light characters flickered on and off, binding circles of rolling flesh.

Two Qilin beasts transformed into human form, waving long whips and occasionally greeting with iron fists.

"Will you confess or not? Will you confess or not? Do you still dare to come to the Qilin King's Palace? Do you dare to come and steal things?"

The fat fish was bruised and swollen, its belly rippling and heaving, its eyes swollen into narrow slits so it couldn't see anything. It could only see two Qilin claws, hear the threatening voices, and feel that the time for stalling was about up, so it hurriedly called out that it wouldn't dare again.

It confessed, it confessed everything.

Seeing this, the Qilin beast turned and cupped its fists.

"Great King! It says it's willing to confess!"

—

The Jade Qilin sat high on the throne, its elegance revealing vigor. Deep blue brilliance flowed over its jade-white scales, and its mouth and nose sprayed long Qi, disturbing the water flow. The Jade Qilin walked step by step to the fat fish, looked at it for a long time, but couldn't tell what species this lump was.

"You're an Upper-Stage Great Demon, yet you only do things like stealing chickens and dogs. What beast taught you? I spare you because your cultivation is not easy; otherwise, I would have killed you long ago. Speak, who sent you? Why did you sneak into the Qilin King's Palace? As long as you confess honestly, I will spare your life!"

The subordinate translated for the fat fish. The fat fish tried hard to open its eyes, pretending to be weak. While stalling for time, its mind collided, searching for a way to break the deadlock. Just as the Jade Qilin was becoming impatient, a flash of inspiration jumped into its head, and it mumbled a few words.

The Jade Qilin didn't hear clearly, and even if it did, it wouldn't understand the Great Shun official language, so it turned to look at its subordinate.

The subordinate immediately leaned in, let the fat fish repeat, and then its pupils dilated, and it was shocked.

"What kind of expression is that? Who is it?" the Jade Qilin pressed.

"Reporting to the Great King, this wretch says it was the Flood Dragon that sent it!"

"Jianghuai, no, the East Sea Flood Dragon?"

"Great King, it says exactly so."

The Jade Qilin frowned.

The Flood Dragon had entered the Dragon Palace, only to be driven out by the White Ape later—this was one of the major events in the world that even it, rarely leaving home, had heard of. Coming to the North Sea to steal treasure?

"What evidence do you have to prove that this isn't just random slander?"

The fat fish continued to mumble, and the subordinate continued to translate, becoming more shocked the more it heard.

"Great King, it says it is a Wuzhi Porpoise, belonging to the Flood Dragon clan. It used to be a famous Great Poet Fish in Jianghuai, a Great Talent Fish, the Black Whirlwind, and the Flood Dragon's right-hand man. Later, when the Flood Dragon was defeated and went to the East Sea, it also endured and stayed silent until recently, when it re-established contact and was sent to steal treasure. Whether it's true or false, one inquiry will reveal it."

"It can write poetry?" The Jade Qilin was even more surprised. "What poem?"

"Speak! What poem!" The subordinate whipped the air, creating a vacuum.

The fat fish, eyes swollen, raised its volume by three degrees.

"Carrying pearls and bathing in iron, heading toward the Divine Land, scales and manes towering, shaking the Jade Tower.

Fire comes in the middle of the night, knowing there is an enemy, protecting the Jianghuai marshes all at once!"

"The dark pool rises at night, recognizing the spiritual trace, the true form hasn't appeared, but the Qi is already heavy.

Nine Abysses hide the thousand-year jade, five-colored light condenses the wind of ten thousand ravines.

Occasionally sending a rain message to the human world—"

Silence.

A series of verses emerged, with nose and eyes, truly as if a Great Poet Fish had appeared in Jianghuai, even if it was fat and round in physique, without half the temperament of a "Literary Fish."

After a long while.

"Hmph, the Demon King from outside waters doesn't know the rules!" The Jade Qilin was not afraid of the Flood Dragon. "Come, beast, go to the East Sea and Jianghuai to investigate and see if it's true or false. Qiji, Qichuan, you take this wretch away first!"

"Yes!"

All the water beasts were busy interrogating Fatty.

In a corner that no one paid attention to, two webbed feet pried open the palace gate and weighed the Qiankun bag.

"Hu-hu ha-ha! Hu-hu ha-ha!"

The White Jade Palace disintegrated into smoke, and the monkey troop rushed down from the Heavenly Palace, climbing the pillars, jumping onto the walls, crawling along the roof ridges, and letting out calls, startling the silly chickens and wild cats all the way.

The otters turned somersaults into the Prince's Mansion, scouting left and right, exchanging glances, and reporting one by one.

Safe!

In an instant, the Prince's Mansion was bustling with activity.

"Finally back!"

Home is best in one's hometown, and the moon is brightest in one's hometown.

Liang Qu hugged the big dog Wulong, laughing heartily as he rubbed its head.

At the moment he stepped into the courtyard, all the fatigue of the journey was swept away. Looking at the carved beams and painted rafters, seeing the courtyard expanded several times over, watching the jujube trees stretch their branches to greet him, and seeing the Dragon-Humans moving about the Prince's Mansion, he felt immensely gratified.

Flourishing!

Since the completion of the Prince's Mansion, he hadn't really lived at home properly.

The entire New Prince of Huai's Mansion now covered more than a hundred acres, surrounded by a crescent-shaped water area on one side, where sea angels wandered, waterfalls cascaded, and lotus flowers bloomed. It shared space with the green-eyed snails, peach trees grew lush and green, and the wooden bathhouse stood independently as a more private courtyard.

The family valued quality over quantity; it wasn't the kind of "crowded hundred acres" with a pile of maids and servants and several courtyards pieced together, but truly spacious. Standing in the courtyard, one didn't feel the eaves blocking the view.

In the back, there was a large stable, raising dozens of extraordinary horses, all bestowed by the Imperial Court. Fan Xinglai couldn't take care of them all, so Liang Qu directly assigned the usage rights of these horses to the Martial Hall, and hired three Martial Hall disciples to take care of them as a daily task, providing them for Martial Hall activities and incidentally solving the feed problem. As soon as Red Mountain landed, it headed straight there.

Sure enough.

Big is good, big is beautiful.

Chief Engineer Li's design was always on point.

Compared to the original five or six-acre house, it was more magnificent, more imposing, and displayed more grandeur.

How many lifetimes of working would it take to live in such a horse-running mansion?

The water beasts rushed into the pond, and the Third Prince flew at a low altitude.

"Respectfully welcoming the Great King home!" The hedgehog ran out from the house, wearing a string of spiritual fruits, swatted away the monkey claws reaching out, rushed to Liang Qu, and stuck its butt up. "The Great King has traveled north and south, you must be thirsty. Quickly enjoy these fine spiritual fruits; they were all picked this morning."

The Third Prince hovered in mid-air, arms crossed, staring at the hedgehog.

The hedgehog shrank its head and squeezed out a smile: "Third Prince, please enjoy as well."

"Hmph!"

The Third Prince tossed its head arrogantly, mist forming into claws, plucked a peach, peeled the skin in a flash, and offered it to Liang Qu.

"Boss, eat some fruit, they were all picked fresh this morning."

"Hahaha, not bad." Liang Qu took a bite of the peach and toured the room, poking his head around. "Where is Long Eying? Not at home?"

"The Princess has gone to the Dragon Palace and hasn't returned today. Calculating the time, she should be back soon."

"Tomorrow is the River God Festival, how are the arrangements?"

Liang Qu fell backward, and the 【Vine Soldiers】 in the corner flew over like tumbleweeds, gently catching Liang Qu and spreading out to become a lounge chair, remaining still.

"With the Great King's demonstration, everything is naturally according to plan this year. The Princess also added two major projects for the Giant Clam clan and the Beaver clan." The hedgehog handed over a booklet.

"Oh?" Liang Qu flipped through the booklet, his eyes lighting up. "Sword-forging competition? This idea is good, but—

It lacks a soul, a soul to liven up the atmosphere of the entire forging."

"Please instruct us, Great King."

"Since it's forging weapons, naturally there must be someone to test them."

"Could it be that the Great King wants to personally—"

"I can't, I'm too serious. The biggest feature of Yixing is the mix of humans and beasts, making others feel fresh and interesting. Otter-Otter-Open!"

!

Otter-Otter-Open came over, turning somersaults.

"Just let Otter-Otter-Open test the swords. It happens to be friends with Chief Engineer Li, so it can chop some specially made bamboo, or dead pork, etc., to increase visual stimulation. Remember to shout 'One Nest Q' at the end."

"One Nest Q? What does this mean?"

"It has no meaning, but everything must give people a memory point. It can be a picture or a sentence, which can help spread it. And because it has no meaning, everyone will be curious, and it might become popular."

"Understood! The Great King is truly talented!"

The hedgehog's eyes lit up, and it recorded it seriously, learning seriously.

"Giant Clam storage boxes—not bad, Long Eying has five percent of my ability."

"Only five percent?"

"Ha!" With a flash, Liang Qu supported Long Eying's butt, lifted her off the ground, and gathered her into his arms. "Half a month without seeing you, why is my Lady even more beautiful?"

"Oh~" Long Long Eying let herself be held, half a head taller, resting her chin on Liang Qu's shoulder with her elbow. "Was I not as beautiful before as I am now?"

"You're being naughty."

"Don't pinch, don't pinch, hahaha."

After half a month apart, the two laughed. Long Long Eying's crescent eyes were bright, and her peripheral vision suddenly caught Wulong, who was squatting to the side, panting and happily foolish. Her crescent eyes narrowed into a slit, and she pressed down on the large hand that was pinching her butt, looking down: "Did you touch Wulong and not wash your hands?"

Liang Qu's gaze slanted.

"Eh, Lady, when were those wind chimes hung under the eaves over there? They look quite good. Did you buy them?"

"I didn't buy them, Senior Brother Lu sent them, saying they were to guard the house. Don't change the subject."

"Ah, what a pity, the Great Master can't move around easily and hasn't stayed in our Prince's Mansion yet. When I have time, I'll submit a report to have the Master come to Pingyang to lecture on the scriptures. What do you think? By the way, where is Little Stone? Has he been slacking off?"

"Of course it would be good for the Master to come. Little Stone is practicing martial arts in the Martial Hall, being taught by Senior Brother Hu and Senior Brother Xiang. You keep changing the subject—"

Liang Qu was furious: "Is it possible that I'm the only one in all of Yixing who has touched Wulong? Why do you always chase after me? You dislike me, right! I really have to deal with you!"

Long Long Eying pinched her thumb and index finger, forehead against forehead: "Just a little."

"Eh~"

Long Yao and Long Li leaned against the vermilion pillars, holding sour milk and making hissing sounds.

"What's wrong, what's wrong? You've finished drinking the water and forgotten the person who dug the well, right?" Liang Qu put Long Eying down. "Who gave you the essence blood to reach the Great Martial Artist level?"

"It's the Master~" The two said in a mocking tone, "Respectfully welcoming the Master home, greetings to the Master~"

"Hmph hmph, that's more like it."

"Then can the Master let us wash two fewer mattresses tomorrow?" Long Yao widened her eyes, pretending to be pitiful.

"Yes, yes." Long Li echoed.

"Cough, what are you talking nonsense about all day? I've been practicing martial arts diligently, okay."

"Yes, yes, yes."

It was only afternoon, and there were still arrangements. Long Long Eying's face was slightly red, and she tidied her collar, looking at the water beasts swimming on their backs in the pond: "Why don't I see Fatty?"

"He and Frog Lord have something to do in the North Sea and were delayed. He said he's still busy." Liang Qu lay down again, eating ice cream in large mouthfuls.

"Then who will preside over the competition tomorrow?"

"Round-Head, let Round-Head go. Senior Brother Xu is enough to liven up the atmosphere."

3

In the pond, Round-Head, holding sour milk, received the task and touched its forehead with its fin.

After becoming a King, it was rare to return home. After finishing the ice cream, Liang Qu had Mother Zhang lead the cook team to prepare dishes for a banquet to entertain guests in the evening. He himself seized the time to look over the festival process in various places, checking for omissions. The festival would start tomorrow, and the streets and alleys of Yixing were already crowded with people, making him look forward to the favor level of the next day even more. Only after meeting with his sect members in the evening could he be considered truly settled.

At the hour of the boar (9-11 PM), the people settled down.

The water flowed, and foam rolled in the wooden bucket.

Thick fog steamed in the bathhouse. Long Long Eying combed her hair and poured water on herself, and the door opened in response.

The water mist was disturbed, revealing a human figure.

At the hour of the rat (11 PM - 1 AM), midnight.

"Change a little, change a little, just a little, the first layer is enough—"

"Ha~ ha~ Why don't we go to the pond? I planted large-bellied grass, otherwise those two girls will talk again tomorrow—"

The large-bellied grass was filled with fragrant water, overflowing. Occasionally, sea angels emitting fluorescent light floated near, reflecting the large bellies, looking like transparent jade. Suddenly, a palm pressed against the belly wall, startling the sea angels away and returning to darkness.

At the hour of the ox (1-3 AM), the rooster crowed.

"The second layer, let me see the dragon tail—"

At the hour of the tiger (3-5 AM), dawn.

"Is the third layer okay? Bury it a little—"

At the hour of the rabbit (5-7 AM), sunrise.

"Master, Lady, get up! The sun is shining on your butts!"

"Coming, coming! Don't rush, don't rush, Long Eying, where are my clothes?"

Noon.

The cotton thread burned through, and the copper ball fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Offer the sacrifices!"

The loud voice resounded through the pier.

【Sacrificing to the Huai River, River Favorability +20.4478】

【Ruling the Huai River, Seizing Favor 2.4】

【River Rule Level: 2.4 (River Favorability: 47.8207)】

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