Chapter 220: 228. Sword Hanging over Butterfly Creek

228. Sword Hanging over Butterfly Creek

Halfway up the small isolated mountain.

A sword-casting furnace opened wide.

Beside the furnace, an old man in hemp clothes sat looking up and drinking wine, as if waiting.

Everything looked so plain and unremarkable.

But if you look into the distance for a thousand miles.

In the vast Jiang Nan Circuit, from time to time, scattered and surprising human figures jumped up.

Or high buildings, or treetops, or mountain peaks, looking toward the direction of Yunmeng.

In the silent place, there was thunder.

It can be said that the angry tide comes on Butterfly Creek, and the ten thousand-mile sky wind moves the ground thunder.

One hundred miles away.

Upstream of Butterfly Creek, a water gate dam sat horizontally between Yunmeng Marsh and Yue Maiden Gorge.

On the dam, there were small officials patrolling in groups of three or five, laughing and talking, the sky above their heads, clear blue for ten thousand miles.

Below the dam, there was a newly erected water standard monument, with half of the monument body submerged in the water surface.

At a certain moment, the water level, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly rose.

Ouyang Rong saw a blue Qi pillar, rushing straight into the clouds.

Like a vertical line, connecting heaven and earth.

Majestic and spectacular.

This was not a realistic simulation screen produced by some kind of technology head-display that deceived the eyes that Ouyang Rong had experienced in his previous life when shopping.

This was happening right before his eyes.

Is this what Qi Refiners like the junior sister can see normally?

A "fuck," which Ouyang Rong, who considered himself a gentleman and a cultural person, forcibly swallowed back.

He suddenly felt curious.

Looking around the world.

These are... the Qi between heaven and earth.

The junior sister was right before.

Everything has Qi.

Ouyang Rong was dazed.

Immediately lowering his eyes, he looked at the lotus arm grabbing him by Xie Lingjiang.

A scarlet Qi stream like a flame, shaped like a long snake, surged out from the junior sister's arm.

Only to see this "scarlet fire snake" pass through the hand Shaoyang meridian and surge into his own body meridians all the way.

"Junior sister, are you transferring spiritual energy to me?"

"Hmm, the Ru Shixiong doesn't have Qi refining cultivation yet, I am helping you look at Qi."

Xie Lingjiang's pretty face tightened, staring at the strange phenomenon of "Qi rushing to the Big Dipper" in the distance.

Pausing, she looked straight ahead, continuing to explain in her mouth:

"Lower grade, blue Qi; middle grade, vermilion Qi; upper grade, purple Qi. Among them, the depth of the single color represents the purity of spiritual energy, which can show the level of Qi refining cultivation of the same rank.

"And most Qi Refiners, once they make a move, can see the color of spiritual energy and roughly know the cultivation level.

"These... the Ru Shixiong will slowly become familiar with them in the future."

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but nod in wonder, curiously lowering his head to look at himself.

He had no spiritual energy on him, just a grey area.

Turning his head to look.

In this Qi-viewing field of vision, the scene of the junior sister beside him was the same as the red dress she was wearing.

Like southern red beans, vibrant and beautiful.

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look sideways and ask:

"The pill the junior sister gave me just now, was it sought from Longhu Mountain..."

Xie Lingjiang suddenly interrupted, pointing forward with her finger and saying:

"Because of the differences in Qi refining cultivation or Qi refining techniques, different Qi Refiners can see different things when looking at Qi.

"For example, Yin-Yang school Qi-viewing masters can see much more than we can, such as dragon Qi and king Qi.

"What the Ru Shixiong can see now is just the most basic."

Ouyang Rong silently swallowed his words, clicking his tongue in wonder at the words, pointing at the strange phenomenon of the small isolated mountain on the west bank of Butterfly Creek in the distance, speechless:

"The most basic, can see such an outrageous thing? Eh, is this what I can see?"

Xie Lingjiang carried Ouyang Rong and jumped off the eaves. After landing, her tone carried anxiety:

"That's why I said, the trouble is big.

"Father said, sword casting is like alchemy, both are refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, extracting the purest Qi from it, reaching a certain 'unity' on external objects, for Qi Refiners to use.

"This tripod sword condenses spiritual energy too purely. The most powerful Daoist alchemist I have seen before, refining a furnace of golden pills, didn't have such an exaggeration.

"Just born, first sword washing, can cause such a magnificent scene, even the Ru Shixiong can clearly see it."

"..."

Ouyang Rong was speechless for a while, curiously asking:

"Washing sword? What washing sword."

"Confucian classics say, when a new tripod sword is out of the furnace, it will trigger the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to perform the first sword washing, adapting to this world... I don't know much either, the first sword washing should be the scene we see now."

Ouyang Rong interrupted:

"Junior sister, just tell me, what stage is this tripod sword in now?"

Xie Lingjiang sighed:

"Ru Shixiong can understand it this way: this tripod sword with an unknown true name has just left the 'small' sword furnace that has been brewing it for many years, and now it has entered this world.

"It's just like a baby trying to leave the mother's womb, adapting to the outside of the womb, while waiting for the final umbilical cord to be cut.

"And the first sword washing is this process.

"The area of one hundred miles downstream of Butterfly Creek, including the entire Longcheng, is now being treated as its mother's womb, crazily absorbing water energy and earth energy to wash the sword."

Ouyang Rong curiously asked:

"Baby's mother's womb? Umbilical cord? What kind of strange metaphor is this? What is the tripod sword's umbilical cord?"

Xie Lingjiang glanced at him and just said:

"The sword-casting master is this umbilical cord. Don't forget that he is also a Qi Refiner, and right now, the sword-casting master is the final bridge connecting the sword furnace and the tripod sword.

"Actually, the moment the furnace door was opened and the tripod sword left the sword furnace, the sword-casting master's fate was already doomed..."

A bit abstract, Ouyang Rong pondered for a while, nodded, and asked a more abstract one:

"Save the big or save the small, right? Must one go? Then definitely save the big."

Xie Lingjiang was stunned, nodded, and shook her head: "What does the Ru Shixiong mean? Want to save the sword-casting master?"

Ouyang Rong supported the knife with one hand, took off the felt hat with the other, looked at the rushing sword Qi in the distance with cold eyes, and asked forcefully:

"Saving the sword-casting master is just incidental, whether it can be saved doesn't matter, after all, those who do evil will perish.

"But this tripod sword washing, actually treated the entire Longcheng County area as its mother's womb, absorbing water energy and earth energy to wash the sword.

"Who gave it the power? I don't agree, the common people of Longcheng County don't agree either, we are not its wild father!

"So what I want to ask is, now that it hasn't completely left the mother's womb and cut the umbilical cord, does that mean there is still a chance to kill the fetus, just like saving the big and not saving the small, protecting the mother's womb, junior sister, is such a description correct?"

He turned his head and narrowed his eyes at Xie Lingjiang, who was listening blankly:

"That is to say, this tripod sword is in the first sword washing. If we rush over now, for example, blowing up the sword-casting furnace or something, is there still a chance to destroy it?"

Hearing the senior brother's fresh and refined brain circuit, Xie Lingjiang's face was stunned:

"I... I don't know, should... should it be possible, can it be interrupted?"

She also asked back without confidence, looked at the serious Ouyang Rong two more times, and couldn't help but say more:

"Ru Shixiong, I have really never heard of this line of thought of yours, and there is no past experience to refer to.

"In the past dynasties, rulers cast swords, and everyone hoped that the tripod sword would be born, and they all raised it well.

"Even the enemies who snatched the tripod sword were the same, no one studied how to interrupt the tripod sword's first sword washing ceremony, and no one cared whether the tripod sword affected the common people in the surrounding area..."

Speaking of this, Xie Lingjiang's words slowly stopped.

Ouyang Rong suddenly pointed to the south, his body leaning forward with the knife, word by word:

"Junior sister, stop staring at this mythological tripod sword for a moment, go look over there, the Di Gong Gate is rising water and urgent again!"

Xie Lingjiang turned her head suddenly and looked south.

Far away, between the mountains upstream of Butterfly Creek, there were several mountain peaks at equal intervals, one after another rising with blue smoke.

At this moment, the two were standing near the top of Dagu Mountain, seeing it clearly.

It was just that Xie Lingjiang had been nervously watching the strange phenomenon of the tripod sword out of the furnace and washing the sword, so she didn't notice it for a while.

"This is... beacon fire?" She realized.

Previously, to deal with the flood, Xie Lingjiang remembered that the senior brother had set up an early warning mechanism, including water standard monuments along the upstream Butterfly Creek, and seven fire platforms in the upstream mountains, to facilitate reporting news in the first time.

Blue smoke represents the water level rising urgently, preparing to take refuge.

And black smoke represents the Di Gong Gate collapsing, and the flood is coming soon.

Ouyang Rong said calmly:

"It is blue wolf smoke, the water level of Yunmeng Marsh is rising, the Di Gong Gate side is already urgent, and is requesting protection from the Longcheng County Government."

He took a deep breath and said:

"The plum rain season has passed, in the hot summer, the water level is rising, if it is not the strange phenomenon caused by this tripod sword pulling the water veins, what is it?

"Looking at it now, the previous two floods were also its work. Things that happened before, just endure it, but today looking at it, it wants to come up with a bigger one. Then the hard work of these few months, hasn't it all been in vain?

"I, Ouyang Lianghan, don't agree! The common people of Longcheng County don't agree either!"

After speaking, Ouyang Rong turned his head and rushed out of the temple.

Xie Lingjiang looked at the senior brother's familiar back blankly.

"Ru Shixiong, wait for me, I will go with you!"

Her figure flashed, following Ouyang Rong who was rushing forward with his head buried.

The latter did not turn his head and said: "How long until the tripod sword's first sword washing is successful?"

Xie Lingjiang looked into the distance and watched the Qi, examined the sword Qi light pillar in her field of vision for a while, pinched her fingers and calculated, and turned her head:

"Expected around noon."

"Twelve-thirty noon, should be in time to rush to the county government to organize refuge, and then mobilize manpower to prevent the Liu family."

Ouyang Rong murmured, calculating in his heart.

At this moment, the two had run to the archway at the foot of the mountain, preparing to go down the mountain along the road.

Ouyang Rong panted while running, and suddenly turned his head, instructing:

"Junior sister, your speed is faster than mine, go one step ahead, go to the county government to report the news, and hold the scene for me.

"Just say the Magistrate is back, let them not mess up their positions, and stick to their respective posts.

"You first let Yan Liulang and the others issue the Magistrate's handwritten letter, summon all the common people in the city, and go to Dagu Mountain to take refuge, just like the measures for the last rising water.

"This is the top priority, the first priority!

"Then, let them mobilize official ships and materials, and wait for me to return to the county government before making other arrangements!"

Don't look at the Longcheng County town and Butterfly Creek from Donglin Temple, it doesn't seem far.

But in fact, looking at the mountain, the horse dies.

Dagu Mountain is located in the suburbs of Longcheng County, one hundred miles away. If you don't take the waterway, just riding a carriage would take one or two hours.

Xie Lingjiang didn't even catch her breath, shook her head on the side, and said:

"It's okay, Ru Shixiong, I will take you to hurry on the road."

Her clean hand reached toward Ouyang Rong's shoulder.

Ouyang Rong frowned: "Taking me is too troublesome."

Xie Lingjiang extended her hand without returning: "It doesn't matter, I can stop halfway and change a breath of air."

Ouyang Rong turned sideways to avoid:

"But it will affect your speed. Listen to me, you go to report the news first, the direction, I am right behind, will be there soon, don't worry about me."

Pausing, he said seriously:

"Junior sister, I am mainly worried that without me, the county government is now a mess.

"In addition, I have to take a detour and go to the new ferry of the Zhe Zhe Yiqu first!

"Now it is the morning of the fifteenth. If there are no accidents, the ceremony of celebrating the opening of the canal is being held there. Diao Assistant Magistrate and the others are all there. I will go over and summon them, let them organize the common people nearby to go to Dagu Mountain to take refuge. This is the top priority,

"Then, I will borrow a boat, take the waterway of the Zhe Zhe Yiqu, and return to the Longcheng County Government with the wind! This road is much faster than riding a horse on land! Will be there soon."

Xie Lingjiang lowered her head and tucked her sleeves.

In the red dress sleeves, several fingers were tangled and inseparable.

Did not move immediately. ===== CHAPTER 221 =====