Chapter 1349

"How come there are so many different people? They're all fresh blood."

Hurrying along, Rakshasa Sha finally stepped into the Tusi Valley; thinking of the merit he had established, having lived up to his trust, he couldn't help but feel pleased, humming lightly.

Looking out, the entire Tusi Valley, inside the Tusi Tower, was full of new faces, new officials, even the Tusi Valley's decor had been completely replaced.

New Tusi, new year, new atmosphere.

Rakshasa Sha thought to himself.

And the result of the new decor was that Rakshasa Sha, searching according to the old positions, actually couldn't find the Tusi's location; he stopped a person.

"Where is Tusi Yi?"

"Tusi Yi?" The minor official questioned blinked, thought for a moment, assuming Rakshasa Sha had misspoken and hadn't corrected himself, "Oh, you're asking about Tusi Xie, right?"

"Tusi Xie?" Rakshasa Sha laughed in disbelief, "That was two or three years ago, and there's still a minor official like you who can't change his way of speaking? So stupid and dull, it's a wonder you've kept your job peacefully until now."

The official was baffled: "What 'can't change his way of speaking'? This lowly one doesn't understand."

"Fine, really, pointless talking to you, just tell me the Tusi's location."

The official pointed out the location, and also mentioned the Tusi went out in the morning and might be at the medicine storehouse taking inventory; Rakshasa Sha waved his hand and went toward the new direction, but also didn't find him — the Tusi simply wasn't in the tower.

"Hey, where is Tusi Yi? Left again?"

"Tusi Yi?" The medicine storehouse official was confused, "You're asking about Tusi Xie, right? Tusi Xie left at noon, seemed to have gone to check the flood situation."

"How is it Tusi Xie again? Didn't Tusi Xie abdicate long ago?"

A name that was clearly already past tense being mentioned repeatedly in his ears, Rakshasa Sha finally realized something was wrong, a trace of unease rising in his heart.

"Abdicate? Tusi Xie just assumed office last month." The medicine storehouse official was surprised, then looked Rakshasa Sha up and down, "You wouldn't happen to know nothing at all, would you?"

Rakshasa Sha's eye corner twitched: "What should I know?"

The medicine storehouse official stared blankly, thought for a moment, tentatively said: "The East Sea Demon King attacked our Southern Frontier, this matter, you don't know?"

"What?" Rakshasa Sha cried out, "The East Sea Demon King attacked our Southern Frontier, when?"

"Tha———— the Demon King finished attacking, the obstruction of the Great Shun's Yellow Shahe governance plan was exposed, Great Shun attacked next, you don't know that either?"

"??"

"Tusi Yi voluntarily abdicated, late third month Tusi Xie resumed office, you don't know any of these things?"

"???"

Rakshasa Sha stood dumbly in place, pupils dilated, as if a gale had swept through his mind.

The official waved his hand, seeing Rakshasa Sha had no reaction, roughly understood the situation, and recounted the major events of last month in full detail.

"So Tusi Xie assumed office at the end of the third month, finished handling affairs, only today came to take inventory, firstly for the handover, secondly to compensate the Demon King, the amount is too large————"

A blow to the head, head broken and blood flowing.

Struck until Rakshasa Sha was dizzy, his steps going weak.

He breathed heavily, eyes blood-red, grabbed the official's arm, nearly pinching the official's arm off, until the official cried out in pain, Rakshasa Sha hurriedly let go, nervously asking: "Th-then, what about my precious medicine?"

"Precious medicine? What precious medicine?" The medicine storehouse official rubbed his shoulder, not looking pleased, "That bribe plan was cancelled long ago, Lord Rakshasa should be glad you didn't get into trouble, just treat it as a wasted trip, how could there be precious medicine rewards?"

"Not a reward!" Rakshasa Sha panicked, "Things have come to this, what reward would I still want. Last time I came to report for increased investment, the Tusi agreed to increase precious medicine, told me to find Lord Shen at the medicine storehouse to collect.

Lord Shen also said the medicine storehouse's major medicines must be specially registered and approved, can't be taken casually, going through the process easily leaves traces and leaks rumors, the special process takes half a month to get them out, I was worried delays would bring variables, urgently needed them, asked if there was another way, so he let me exchange merit for them, temporarily padding the account!"

As soon as the words fell, the approving officials behind all revealed sympathetic gazes.

"That I don't know." The medicine storehouse official shrugged, "Shen Qingwu was the previous Tusi's person, right? Tusi Yi came, managed the medicine storehouse for over a year, Tusi Yi left, Shen Qingwu was also replaced by the returning Tusi Xie within a couple days, what Lord Shen promised you, I can't handle either, why don't you go to Blackstone Forest, ask Tusi Yi? Communicate with Tusi Xie?"

Rakshasa Sha staggered, knocking over tables, chairs, and a bulletin board, a mouthful of liquid surging up.

"Pfft!"

"Hey, Lord Rakshasa, Lord Rakshasa. Someone come quick."

Thighs trembling lightly, chest heaving violently, sweat sliding down from his temples, dripping from chin to chest, clothes completely soaked into semi-transparency, clinging to curves.

Bai Awei coiled for a circle, incomparably majestic power receding like the morning tide, bringing a sense of emptiness after satisfaction.

Li Xianghan wiped sweat, gazing out the window.

The Tusi changed, precious medicine was given, but the sunlight remained, vibrant with life, cultivation resources not lacking, the Huai King adhering to the agreement, unfailingly assisting her cultivation for four hours every day.

Staying in the stockade, she could still see Great Shun's new arrangements, life completely unchanged, still comfortable, showing Liang Qu's actions hadn't caused huge impact on the Southern Frontier, still thriving, she was entirely worrying needlessly.

Let out a long breath.

"Truly a thoroughly refreshing cultivation session, oh! Respected Huai King Lord, how have you graced your most loyal Southern Frontier with your presence again?"

The reflective words unfinished, the tide that had just receded surged up again, as if a sudden attack, Li Xianghan couldn't help but cry out in alarm, reacting, hurriedly prostrating.

The Heavenly Centipede erected its segmented limbs.

Li Xianghan nodded repeatedly.

"Rakshasa Sha? Understood, understood, I know, I'll work hard."

"Good fellow, truly no internet at home."

Liang Qu stroked his chin, thought carefully, then could also understand.

No waterways, no Purple Lightning Boats, travel was slow to begin with, ordinary people couldn't walk there in a lifetime, Entering Zhen Xiang masters spending half a month was nothing unusual, more critically the new and old Tusi alternation, many affairs' progress stalled in between, a tangled mess, no one responsible at all, quite like astronauts in space.

"A Fei, those three portions of major medicine from before, don't eat them, send them back first."

The fat fish drooped its whiskers, greatly disappointed.

——

"The Southern Frontier's compensation hasn't fully arrived, many Martial Saints are still at the border, you have Round Head hurry and take these three portions of major medicine as evidence to the imperial court, there should be traces of the Southern Frontier's handiwork on them, then continue pressuring the Southern Frontier, in the middle exchange them for other major medicines to eat."

The fat fish erected its whiskers, stiff and straight, folded together at ninety degrees in unison.

Waited a moment, three portions of major medicine handed to the arriving Round Head, the fat fish continued spraying black mist, laying foundations, building the traveling palace.

Rakshasa Sha was already just a small loose end of the matter, his status too lowly to make a big article, couldn't squeeze much oil from the Southern Frontier either. Simply arranged a wave, Liang Qu braced his knee and stood, ending today's cultivation, stepped out of the cultivation room, a few scene changes.

Vision elevated, environment noisy.

Looking out.

Black mist pervaded, bustling with activity.

Fat fish assimilated the environment, fists reshaped the terrain, hedgehogs scurried everywhere, sea wolf yaoguai, river dolphin yaoguai, Jin Mao tigers, wild boars, Martial Hall disciples, Ministry of Works and Ministry of Personnel officials and clerks interwoven among them.

The giant river beaver swung its flat tail, spread out the blueprints, communicated with the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Works imperial court officials, pointing and directing, bats serving as translators.

Bustling with activity.

"Quick quick quick, over there over there."

"No, this won't do, when the emperor travels there must be————"

"Three zhang? No no no, according to this location's position, there ought to be three zhang six chi eight cun."

The Ministry of Works helps with construction and review; the reason Ministry of Rites officials came is naturally because a traveling palace differs from other buildings — specifications, orientation, siting, all must follow rules, a type the giant river beaver has never handled before.

Fortunately it's not that strict right now.

There are many kinds of traveling palaces, proper ones and temporary lodgings; often the latter even uses local buildings, renovated into a traveling palace, and there are also traveling palaces renovated into temples and scenic spots opened to the public, a two-way operation.

Rakshasa Sha bribed A Fei; when Liang Qu selected the precious medicines it was already mid-March. By the time Rakshasa Sha fled back to the Southern Frontier and matters became clearer, the traveling palace construction had long since gotten on track under his arrangements.

For this traveling palace, even the Yellow Shahe's management got permission to temporarily slow down, letting Liang Qu stay in the Huai King's Mansion — repaired long ago but never had time to live in — for the first time in ages, quite comfortable.

Hands behind his back observing, Liang Qu stood atop the mountain, view unobstructed in all directions, able to see fishing boats and merchant ships coming and going on the river, a busy scene; to the left the Long Ling silk paintings on the Wangu Yingchun Tower also projected without cease.

Thoughts surged together with the Great Marsh's waves at this moment.

Truly not easy.

"What's wrong?" A faint fragrance entered his nostrils; Long Eying stood shoulder to shoulder, "You look heavy-hearted, worried the construction won't finish in time? Or worried about the Yellow Shahe?"

"Neither."

Liang Qu shook his head, finger pointing toward Shangrao Wharf.

Today's Shangrao Port has long become a busy small harbor. Water spiders, wooden shuttles, pleasure boats come and go without cease, but a large central stretch is always reserved for Yixing fishermen to moor, and among the many fishing boats a wupeng boat always stays moored; though that wupeng boat hasn't gone out in a long time, no one has ever dared push it away.

"In the past Pingyang Mountain was the only small hill in Pingyang Town, the rest all flat ground, so even though the mountain isn't high the view was still superb. Once there was a Fahua Temple on this mountain, famed for efficacious prayers for children, actually a den of iniquity; early in the dynasty's founding it was burned down by local tyrants, becoming a place where local gentry Master Zhao raised mountain ghosts.

Later Pingyang Town became Pingyang Prefecture, and ought to have a Confucian Temple and a Martial Temple; the Confucian Temple is a mandatory site for county seats and above, every year at the beginning and end of the year and on special festivals the local magistrate should proclaim imperial court laws here to educate the populace, and scholars can also lodge here; my maternal uncle put the Confucian Temple on the only Pingyang Mountain, the old Fahua Temple site, fine scenery, good atmosphere.

Jade pool sun and moon move the embroidered robe, Kui Pavilion stars and constellations net Zhen Wen. Confucian Temples often have a Kui Pavilion; county seats three levels, prefectural seats five levels; although Pingyang County hadn't yet become Pingyang Prefecture, my maternal uncle directly got special approval for a five-level Kui Pavilion. Returning by wupeng boat from outside, a five-story treasure pagoda on Qingshan — truly the misty rain of Jiangnan.

Later, you also know, the Great Master achieved Arhat; to keep the Great Master, my maternal uncle decided to build a temple, directly converting the Confucian Temple into the current Pingyang Temple, changing the Kui Pavilion into a Sutra Tower, telling me keeping the Great Master one year earns me five great merits; in a flash over ten years have passed, Brother Yue Long even started a hot spring, renovating and re-renovating, renovating again this year."

Long Eying smiled lightly: "How many great merits earned?"

"Too busy to remember." Liang Qu laughed and shook his head, shouting toward the distant hedgehog, "Arrange it, let everyone go down, and Mr. Mo too."

"Understood!"

The hedgehog began clearing the crowd; people and yaoguai beasts descended the mountain in succession, emptying the surroundings.

Pingyang Mountain's terrain resembles a raised-head snail; the snail's head is a small rise, the shell on its back a large rise, crawling on the ground.

Pingyang Temple sits on the large rise, the highest point; Xu Yuelong's integrated hot spring for eating, drinking, and pleasure is on the small rise.

Both rises occupied; the mountain wasn't big to begin with, no space left for the Sage Emperor's traveling palace — can only create a mountain from nothing!

Personnel cleared, leaving only a half-built foundation.

"Fist, ready? Good!"

Liang Qu sat cross-legged, 【Summon Spirit】!

Deep underground, Fist mobilized large quantities of rock blocks and public ore, infected by Fat Fish into ore veins, with Fist presiding at the center.

The instant 【Summon Spirit】 activated, Fist's aura surged wildly.

At the same time.

Liang Qu changed the water beast divine abilities buffed in the Ze Nation to Fist.

Ancient Empress————

Himself and the post-【Summon Spirit】 Fist, both simultaneously activated divine abilities.

【Jin Yan Crab King】!

【Jin Yan Crab King: Manipulate earth and rock, manifest giant crab.】

Bluestone Street, a child squatted on the doorstep steps counting ants; tiny gravel moved slowly, catching the eye; then the moving pebbles began to bounce, the child following the pebbles' gaze into the distance.

The ground had, at some point, raised a wave of ground-hugging dust stretching all the way to the end of the long street————

The child's mouth gaped open, clear water and snot flowing into his mouth.

Rumble—

Earth dragon turns over, the great earth trembles!

With prior warning, Pingyang people didn't fear, only stopped steps, watching shockedly as the earth mound rose, like spring bamboo shoots after the Awakening of Insects, growing a section each moment, rapidly!

Ore veins rose from underground, trapped dragon ascends to heaven, thick spine pushed aside mud and trees, countless rocks clung to the body turning into a brandishing-claws crab; the sub-crab crawled on eight legs, climbing upward, spine pushing open the earth, two side high mountains shifted level.

A third mountain peak, rose erect!

Zhang-high bluestones fell rolling, smashing big trees, crushing out mud-splashing pits.

Mr. Mo stepped half a pace, pointed at ground turning to steel, the mountain body became a whole, not moving a fraction.

In the past when Liang Qu rode the ceremonial procession to the capital and broke through hunting tigers, this Mr. Mo also escorted; today he came for the traveling palace construction.

Liang Qu's Golden Body has long reached the third stage, also knows 【Point Ground Make Steel】, absolutely no need for help, but the imperial court adding one more arrangement naturally makes it more secure.

With no rear worries————

"Rise!!!"

"Strange strange."

Chen Jiechang, Li Libo, Lin Songbao stared dumbfounded.

The days of practicing martial arts together at a martial hall back then haven't been forgotten.

In a blink, a mountain's been pulled out!

"Moving mountains and filling seas, huh."

Xu Yue gazed into the distance.

Destruction is far simpler than construction.

The might of a Wu Sheng is unfathomable; those who can create valleys with a wave of the hand are many, but those who can raise mountains from flat ground are truly rare.

Every household shut tight their doors and windows, safeguarding their porcelain and pottery, squinting as they watched the situation.

Smoke and dust rose low over the ground, like wind yet also like water, surging through the bluestone streets, winding through the alleyways, even more like water droplets falling, tracing along the veins of leaves.

Wild horses are dust too; living beings blow at each other with breath.

In the end, it was because the central main vein of the leaf was more unobstructed; the smoke and dust surged from the bluestone streets, blowing all the way to the wharf, rising to the great marsh, letting a thin layer of soil dust spread over the water surface, clinging to the waves as they rose and fell.

The mountain body had no loose rocks rolling down.

Jin Mao gazed at the intact cave on the rear mountain and let out a breath of relief.

The dust grew ever more rampant; the "Head-Raising Snail" gradually curved, and before the snail, a third bulge gradually rose, higher than the snail's head but not as high as its shell — a third peak!

Boom!

A fierce wind rushed the face; the ancient empress blew a breath, and the yellow dust and smoke poured through the bluestone streets in one great rush, jetting forth like blown arrows, blowing toward the Jianghuai.

The Rock Sub-Crab was fixed in the earth, only its carapace exposed.

The fist at the core shrank; it waved its twin pincers to excavate, crawling toward the surface.

The Traveling Palace was in front; the Hot Springs and Pingyang Temple stood one on the left and one on the right behind it.

At this very moment, the entire Pingyang Mountain, counted by peaks, faced the Jianghuai directly, forming a "pin" character.

The reason was that Pingyang Temple could not be both higher than the Traveling Palace and in front of it.

And raising the Traveling Palace would obscure Pingyang Temple, ruining the unique beauty of the Kui Pavilion standing atop the peak, visible at a glance from passing boats. The ancient empress, in consultation with the Ministry of Rites and the Sage Emperor, with the added divination of the Imperial Observatory's feng shui survey, established the current specifications.

"Done!"

Atop the peak, the water beasts cheered and leaped; travelers and commoners gasped in amazement, and unable to climb the new mountain, they rushed impatiently up Pingyang Temple to look out.

Liang Qu stood up, patting the dust from his clothes.

"A Fei! The mountain is built; now there's another arduous task for you."

The fat fish trembled, flicked its tail and ran out, stiffening its fins, folding its long whiskers.