Chapter 21: Long Wang of the Grand Canal

A strange procession wound through the mountains, over a dozen people in total, with the Holy Maiden seated on a sedan chair at the rear.

In the center of the group stood a burly young man, a bamboo pole three or four zhang long balanced vertically on his shoulder; the base was as thick as a sea bowl, resting steadily on his shoulder. As he walked, the pole swayed only slightly, and when tired, he skillfully shifted it to the other shoulder.

This sight resembled the rural acrobatic act of "carrying a banner," yet the man's pole was bare, devoid of any cloth banner; instead, a small wooden bowl was mounted at the very tip, and something seemed to be placed inside it.

Seated on the sedan chair, the Holy Maiden grew restless, constantly crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Zhao Yong was dead; Chang Xunbei had vanished for no apparent reason; and Wu Haishan had taken people to chase that fellow and had not returned yet.

The Holy Maiden suddenly realized that she had no one capable left by her side!

Had it not been for a few people arriving at the sect yesterday, bringing the "bait" for catching June Bugs, the only capable person remaining beside the Holy Maiden would have been her own maid.

Several clerks from the Zhao Fur Shop were forced into the mountains, taking turns carrying the Holy Maiden's sedan chair.

At first, they trembled with fear, for they knew the terror of Ghost Wushan better than the Holy Maiden and her group.

However, along the way, the beauty beneath the Holy Maiden's skirt made these clerks' mouths go dry, and the fear in their hearts was gradually replaced by desire rising in their minds.

The Holy Maiden glanced over and saw: beneath the skulls of those men, the lustful worms were growing fatter and stronger; finally, she felt somewhat comforted. Once the June Bugs were caught, this old lady would surely feast to her heart's content!

The little maid followed alongside, raising an eyebrow as she gazed at the long, tall bamboo pole ahead, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

But she could tell the Holy Maiden was very irritable, so she wisely chose not to disturb her.

Having followed the Holy Maiden for many years, the little maid had learned four or five tenths of her methods.

With a coquettish and innocent look in her eyes and brows, she chatted a few words with the person sent by the sect to escort the "bait," causing one of the young literary cultivators to speak without holding anything back.

"Although you suspect that Xu Yuan may have already consumed the June Bug, the June Bug is very special and differs from ordinary medicinal guides.

Even if Xu Yuan ate it, he would be unable to fully digest it within three months.

Therefore, as long as he smells the fragrance of the bait, the June Bug within his body will instinctively move toward the bait.

Moreover, within these three months, as long as Xu Yuan is captured and then... eaten, the effect will be the same as eating the June Bug itself."

When speaking of eating people, neither the literary cultivator nor the little maid showed any abnormal expression, as if they frequently did such things.

And their whispered conversation beneath the sedan chair was overheard by the Holy Maiden.

The Holy Maiden lazily interjected: "If Xu Yuan has not eaten the June Bug, we will leave immediately after catching the June Bug.

We will return in three months; I must personally slice open that fellow's skull!"

Xu Yuan had blown up her sedan; since she entered the world, she had never been so humiliated, and thus she bore a deep grudge against Xu Yuan.

At noon, the sunlight was perfect; the evil entities in the mountains, weary of such vigorous yang energy, all retreated into the shadows to lie dormant.

The Holy Maiden's procession stopped to rest in a river valley.

Today, "approaching the river" was not forbidden.

According to the almanac, more than half the days in each month are forbidden for "approaching the river," so the time available to rest or camp by the river is scarce.

This river was about ten zhang wide; in this section of the valley, the water flowed gently, with green waves rippling lightly.

The riverbank featured golden fine sand mixed with pebbles of various sizes, and the area near the water was damp and soaked.

The burly youth at the very front slammed the bamboo pole into the ground, driving it deep into the sand, where it stood straight and upright.

Upon the Holy Maiden issuing a single word, the clerks under Zhao Yong rushed forward to show off.

Some fetched water, some started fires, and some gathered firewood.

The four new cultivators who had recently joined the sect each stood at a cardinal direction, surrounding the bamboo pole and the bait in the center; should Xu Yuan appear, they could capture and kill him immediately.

Seated on a large rock, the Holy Maiden gazed at the river and suddenly recalled: "The River Workers' Alley... back when the imperial court dug the Grand Canal here, countless laborers and coolies died along the way; their descendants must have stayed behind and all live in this River Workers' Alley..."

The maid's face changed: "Is that Xu Yuan a descendant of those rebels?"

On days when "approaching the river" is forbidden, the only rivers one can approach without danger are the "Grand Canals" crisscrossing the Huangming domain.

Over two hundred years ago, the Huangming dynasty was in turmoil, its great house on the verge of collapse.

Internally, Gao Chuang declared himself king, leading 1.3 million veteran soldiers to roam freely across the seven decaying provinces of the northwest; externally, the Jian slaves rose up, their eight elite divisions unmatched in mounted archery, breaking through Shanhai Pass with their military edge aimed directly at the Northern Capital!

Almost everyone believed the Huangming's fate had run its course and that the dynasty would change within ten days.

However, at this critical moment of peril, the Emperor personally paid homage to the Long Wang of the Grand Canal; suddenly, great currents arose in the canals of both capitals, and in a single night, hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers from the south were transported to the Northern Capital!

The Jian slaves were utterly defeated, and the Huangming dynasty survived.

Subsequently, it took another twelve years to quell Gao Chuang's internal rebellion, exterminate the Jian slaves, and fully reclaim the lands of Liaodong.

After that, the Huangming opened the Grand Canal widely; within a century, the canal water network spread throughout the entire Huangming domain, reaching even the northwest and Liaodong.

Indeed, there was no need to consider geological or hydrological conditions; as long as the riverbed was dug, the Long Wang of the Grand Canal could compel the river water to surge in.

The Dragon Kings of rivers in various regions either had their water systems absorbed into the Grand Canal and willingly submitted beneath the Long Wang of the Grand Canal, or... they were stripped of their divine duties, either dying or vanishing.

The strange and eerie phenomena seemed to have begun rising from that era.

Yet the Huangming grew ever more "prosperous"!

The Grand Canal's massive and cheap transport capacity could move armies, supplies, and more; over the past century, the Huangming territory expanded by a full double!

In the north, they have been fighting the Xue Sha Ghosts for twenty-seven years, seizing two thousand seven hundred li of land from them.

In the southwest, Ghost Wushan was, one hundred and twenty years ago, still territory of Southern Jiaozhi.

Now, this place is the Huangming's Southern Jiaozhi Province.

However, every time a canal is dug, a massive corvée labor force is conscripted, ranging from thirty to fifty thousand at the minimum to a million at the maximum!

And these river workers, far from their homeland, often died in foreign lands during the canal construction.

Moreover, the construction period was long; upon completion, many river workers were already old and unable to return to their native lands.

Thus, uprisings by river workers were frequent, which is why the little maid, upon hearing the name "River Workers," immediately associated it with "rebels."

Among the new territories expanded by the Huangming over the past century, there were many places similar to "River Workers' Alley."

The river workers who could not return had no choice but to stay locally, huddling together to settle down.

Having read some unofficial histories and notes, the Holy Maiden shook her head lightly: "It is not that simple; this River Workers' Alley... caused a huge commotion back then, and it seems to house some figures not to be underestimated."

The maid was puzzled, but the Holy Maiden laughed and shook her head, saying: "These are old matters; I am overthinking it. The court has plenty of methods to wear down such people; a century has passed, and the River Workers' Alley probably contains only old, weak, sick, and useless trash."

Zhao Yong's assistants had already dug several cooking pits on the riverbank and lit fires to prepare lunch.

The literary cultivator quietly approached and whispered to the Holy Maiden, "It seems there is some movement!"

The Holy Maiden remained impassive: "Keep your composure." She then added, "Everyone be careful; this is, after all, a land beyond the reach of civilization."

Ghost Wushan receives abundant rainfall, with rivers and streams crisscrossing the mountains. When the Grand Canal was extended to this area in years past, the Shanhe Bureau fought several great battles against the local anomalies. Though the outcomes were mixed, they never managed to conquer this place, and the canal was forced to bypass Ghost Wushan.

Such places were termed "lands beyond the reach of civilization" by the Great Ming.

The anomalies hidden within are often so powerful that even the mighty Long Wang of the Grand Canal finds them troublesome.

(End of this chapter)