Chapter 59

The banquet Bai Ling prepared proved useful after all; once the music and dance dispersed, Qi retook control of the water authority of Cloud Dream Marsh.

The water of Cloud Dream Marsh, originally suppressed by Fuxi, was released by Qi from its restraint, becoming turbulent again; both flood and ebb surged greatly.

Cloud Dream Marsh swallowed much external water and discharged much previously accumulated old water, widely affecting the surrounding major water systems.

These effects inflicted heavy losses on the living beings dwelling in Cloud Dream Marsh, as the turbulent floodwaters inundated much farmland and many towns.

Areas that could exist only under Fuxi's suppression have now returned underwater, turning into a marsh.

Likewise, much of the former marsh's standing water receded, exposing fertile soil and silt below; with slight modification they become excellent farmland.

The surrounding water systems are similarly affected; many water deities who used to visit Qi when he was absent from Cloud Dream Marsh to discuss water qi are utterly astonished, which differs from earlier discussions.

This greatly affects them; the water qi of the water systems they occupy has undergone drastic changes, and surges or drops in river flow will shake their fortune.

The environment around the water systems will also be affected, altering the survival conditions of the surrounding beings and greatly changing their way of life.

This causes them to lose control over the surrounding environment, making it difficult to gather the fortune of beings within the water system.

Those with good intentions feel pained for the casualties of beings, while those only concerned with themselves feel anguish over their own losses.

They are bewildered and angry, feeling deceived, and unanimously set out, rushing toward Cloud Dream Marsh.

All this occurred during the banquet.

The banquet lasted a thousand years; within that span, the changes in the primordial world were enormous.

Both the eastern and western continents were affected, but the impact has only just begun.

Even a slight change in a river's upstream will cause immeasurable effects downstream.

Within an epoch, the water systems of the eastern and western continents are unlikely to calm down.

Whether the four rivers and eight streams of the eastern continent or the three waters and twelve rivers of the western continent, they will undergo large changes in water flow, thus affecting the whole continent.

Fuxi sensed the changes in Cloud Dream Marsh and wanted to find Qi to ask why, for the impact on the primordial world is too great.

Fuxi even feels this impact may be the greatest number of primordial beings affected since the calamity of the ferocious beasts.

The number of deaths it could cause among all beings of heaven and earth is no less than countless billions!

Nüwa tried to stop him but couldn't; Fuxi broke free and headed straight for Qi's residence, his eyes filled with uncontrollable anger.

Fuxi didn't find Qi at his residence; using his divine sense he discovered Qi was still drinking alone in the Heart-of-the-Pond Pavilion.

"You have done such a thing, and still have the heart to drink wine?"

Fuxi's anger flared unchecked; he slapped the stone table before Qi with a palm, producing a huge sound, yet the stone table remained unharmed.

Qi used divine power to protect the stone table, preventing it from suffering Fuxi's poisonous hand.

"Very angry? Sit."

Qi's voice was very calm as he pointed to the stool beside him.

"What else then? It concerns countless beings of the two continents, yet you can act so recklessly? Simply absurd!"

Fuxi did not sit down but angrily questioned Qi.

Taiyi stood in a corner, silently listening with Di Jun; shortly after Nüwa arrived, and the three listened to their conversation.

The Chaos Bell, given reserved means, can let Taiyi hear their voices without breaking the Heart-of-the-Pond Pavilion's barrier.

"Do you know Qi would do this? Such means cannot be accomplished in a short time."

Di Jun and Nüwa are somewhat curious.

"This is bound to happen, from Fuxi feeling sympathy for those beings, being persuaded by those water deities, and moving with compassion, this is bound to happen."

"Why? Isn't this a good thing?"

Nüwa this time really feels somewhat confused; for beings this is a good thing, why does Taiyi say Qi will inevitably do this?

Qi also has compassion for all beings of heaven and earth, so how does it become inevitable?

Di Jun also has some doubts; in his view, this is good for Qi, allowing him to easily gather vast fortune, also beneficial to beings, so Qi would not refuse.

Taiyi, seeing the two doubtful, gave an explanation:

"Although Qi has compassion for beings, his fundamental principle is based on heaven and earth as foundation; he may save and love, but cannot interfere with the operation of heaven and earth."

"Or rather, he cannot directly interfere unless it benefits all beings of heaven and earth, just as when we first expounded the Dao at Cloud Dream Marsh."

Having said this, Taiyi glanced at Di Jun and continued:

"You have also associated with Qi for so long; he has always been very cautious about this, never lightly using the water authority, precisely because he worries such things would happen."

"Qi's compassion for beings is not only for the present; he values the future more, believing that only an unknown future holds hope."

"And when divine beings manipulate heaven and earth, in Qi's view, it is erasing the future of beings; an unchanging heaven and earth equals no chance to change beings' future, becoming a stagnant pool."

"Therefore Qi previously never interfered with the evolution of Cloud Dream Marsh, only retaining a necessary amount of water qi, letting the rest flow freely."

"These changes are what Qi left for the beings that Cloud Dream Marsh can influence, a sliver of hope to alter destiny."

"Because environmental change, in Qi's view, is the optimal solution to prevent social strata from solidifying."

"And Fuxi, under the persuasion of many water deities, manipulated the changes in Cloud Dream Marsh, which is equivalent to erasing the hope Qi left for beings."

"Given Qi's nature, this becomes inevitable."

Taiyi's voice ceased, and Di Jun and Nüwa also fell into thought.

"After a moment, Nüwa then asked:"

"Since you knew, why didn't you stop or remind them then? Now how are we to settle this?"

Nüwa feels her head is about to explode.

Di Jun also looks at Taiyi with a headache, saying, "Right, why didn't you stop or remind them? Now how to let the two settle this has become a problem."

Taiyi also explains thus:

"Don't blame me; although I knew back then, I, like you, was unwilling to bear hardship and was persuaded by them."

Di Jun is now truly speechless, and he and Nüwa stare at each other.

"Then how should they settle this? Fuxi won't let go so easily—this concerns two continents! And now, how to settle this is the key."

Di Jun's head ached as if it would burst; he truly did not want his good friend of many years to just scatter like that.

Nüwa also nodded in considerable agreement.

Taiyi merely laughed and said:

「It's fine, fellow Dao cultivator Fuxi will come to understand; as for now, fellow Dao cultivator Fuxi at most will just get a beating, it's fine. 」

「Fellow Dao cultivator Qi will show restraint in his actions; as long as fellow Dao cultivator Fuxi comes to his senses, or endures without dying, at most he'll just need to cultivate for a few great cycles, it's no big deal. 」

「Just need fellow Dao cultivator Nüwa to help mediate then, so that fellow Dao cultivator Fuxi doesn't think this great disaster was caused solely by him. 」

Di Jun, hearing this, reacted, felt much relieved, and his expression was no longer heavy.

And Nüwa was completely troubled.

Because she realized that, given Fuxi's personality, he might really blame everything on himself, since Qi's actions are reasonable.

Nüwa now looked anguished, just wanting to strangle Taiyi to death, or dash her own head to death.

Moreover, the communication between Qi and Fuxi has only just begun.

(End of chapter)