Chapter 146: Unable to Stem the Flood Forever

Da Yu is somewhat perplexed at the moment.

Since his appointment as Minister of Works by Emperor Shun and the start of his flood control work, several decades have passed.

Da Yu, now nearly thirty, stands on the river dike, his stature more robust than in his youth.

Years of wind and sun have given his skin a bronze hue, with deep lines etched between his brows.

His eyes, however, are sharper than before; a single glance can silence a noisy place.

His hemp robe is splattered with mud, the bronze axe at his waist worn but still sharp, his large knuckled hands covered in calluses, now gripping a yellowed river map.

His gaze falls upon the river ahead.

And the roiling dark clouds in the sky spread like spilled ink.

In the distance, the mountains are swallowed by black clouds, leaving only a faint outline; the air reeks of damp earth, even the birds have returned to their nests early, and all around lies an eerie silence.

Da Fei had come here a few days ago to inspect; he observed the stars at night and tracked bird and beast signs, predicting a storm would strike here.

Now, being the flood season, he ordered Da Yu to bring the Self-Expanding Soil overnight to reinforce the dikes with the local tribespeople.

So, what is he perplexed about?

Naturally, he is perplexed about Gun's failure.

For these past several decades, he has followed Gun's flood control methods without error, yet he cannot fathom what caused Gun's failure.

After much thought, he suspects that an enemy is working behind the scenes..........

"Si Sikong, Si Sikong!"

A call from behind broke Da Yu's train of thought.

Da Yu knows who it is without turning.

Da Fei came up behind him and laughed, "Is there anything still lacking?"

"It's about to rain; go take shelter."

Da Yu withdrew his gaze from ahead, turned his head to him, and nodded, saying:

"Good."

Da Yu and Da Fei walked side by side toward the nearby hill.

The ground beneath their feet had begun to soften, each step leaving deep footprints.

Forks of lightning flashed intermittently on the distant horizon, and the low thunder grew nearer.

Before the cave opened in the middle of the hill, Yi Qi Chi was directing the last few people to move supplies.

Although they had reinforced the dikes, to guard against a possible breach they still sought a safe place to settle the local tribespeople.

The person in charge of this was none other than Yi Qi Chi, who had originally followed Da Yu in flood control.

His temples showed a hint of white, yet his posture remained straight as a pine.

Seeing Da Yu and Da Fei, he stepped forward quickly:

"Si Sikong, everyone has been settled."

Da Yu nodded, about to speak——

Boom—

A bolt of thunder struck suddenly, shaking the cave slightly.

Immediately, the downpour fell like the heavenly river pouring onto the earth.

The curtain of rain instantly blurred vision; the distant dikes loomed faintly through the rain.

"This rain.........." Da Fei frowned, looking out of the cave: "It's greater than expected."

"If not reinforced beforehand, the dikes will surely break!"

Da Yu did not reply, merely walking to the cave's edge to watch the outside downpour, his eyes deep, unknown what he thought.

As time passed, the rain grew ever more violent.

The world outside the cave had long been swallowed by the rain curtain, making it impossible to tell day from night.

The only light in the cave came from the burning bonfire; its flames cast twisted shadows on the damp rock walls, like a pack of struggling beasts.

Da Fei slowly turned the stick in his hand above the flames; fat from the roasting meat dripped into the fire, making a 'hiss' sound.

Amber light flickered in his pupils: "Not good."

His voice was lowered to a whisper, as if he did not want the others to hear, only for Da Yu to catch.

"If the rain keeps intensifying...... it may become the greatest downpour in these past several decades!"

"The dikes we reinforced earlier..........."

Da Yu, watching the flames leap before him, suddenly seized the pottery jar beside him, rose, and donned his rain cloak.

Water droplets on the rain cloak flicked into the fire, raising a fine white mist.

Without a word, he strode toward the cave mouth.

"Si Sikong, where are you going?" Da Fei's voice called after him.

A bolt of lightning split the air outside, casting Da Yu's shadow onto the rock face.

That shadow was ten times his height, as if it could prop up the whole mountain range.

"Block."

The single word fell like a stone.

The rustling of his rain cloak blended with the rain, and Da Yu's figure vanished into the leaden gray curtain.

Someone in the cave drew a sharp breath; the fire popped, sending out a spark.

"Block." Da Fei murmured the word.

He did not follow out.

Because he knew that going out now would be useless; before the rain he could still lead people to reinforce the dikes, but after it came.......... only Da Yu, holding the Self-Expanding Soil, could continue to act and repair!

As it turned out, Yi Qi Chi beside him stood up wanting to follow out, but he was held back by him:

"Can you help him? The best course of action right now is to do nothing."

"Believe in him."

Yi Qi Chi, hearing that, wanted to say something, but in the end he just let out a breath and sat down silently.

What he said is right; if even Da Yu can't resolve it, then I certainly can't—going would be neither help nor hindrance..........

"It'll be fine." Da Fei turned the meat in his hand, suddenly adding a sentence.

Yi Qi Chi still didn't speak, just blankly staring at the fire.

Everyone looked at the situation outside.

A heavy mood permeated the cave, like damp mist enveloping everyone's hearts.

They silently prayed that the storm would pass safely.

Outside.

Da Yu braving the raging storm arrived before the dam.

His stance remained as steady as a boulder amidst the raging wind and rain; no matter how the wind howled or the rain poured, it could not move him an inch.

Over these years his body refinement had reached an extremely high level, so the winds and rains that could make ordinary people stumble or even be blown away could not shake his form in the slightest, nor impede his step.

The river before him was no longer its usual self.

Turbid Hong water carried sand, branches, and occasionally animal carcasses, striking the dam with the force of moving mountains and overturning seas.

Even after reinforcing the dam with Self-Expanding Soil, it appeared perilous in the face of such frenzied waters.

With each crashing wave, one could see the dam tremble slightly, as if it might be torn open at any moment.

Da Yu narrowed his eyes; rain blurred his vision, yet he could still clearly feel the immense pressure bearing on the dam.

He wiped rain from his face, took a deep breath, and opened the clay jar in his hand.

He grabbed several handfuls of Self-Expanding Soil and, without hesitation, scattered them onto the dam's weakest point.

Upon contact with the dam, the Self-Expanding Soil immediately spread like a living thing, quickly filling every crevice and reinforcing every inch of the dam.

It rose, until it completely held back the river water about to overflow!

Afterwards, he would retrieve the Self-Expanding Soil............

Boom!

A thunderous roar split the rain curtain.

Da Yu jerked his head up, only to see the distant mountain peaks collapse in a thunderous crash under the rain's onslaught; the mountain split as if cleaved by a giant axe, countless boulders carrying mud cascaded down, triggering towering waves.

That Hong water came too fast, too fast for anyone to react.

The dam, which had been solid just moments before, was instantly washed away, as fragile as a child's sandcastle.

The Self-Expanding Soil Da Yu scattered didn't even have time to spread before being completely devoured by the frenzied current!

"We can hold it for a moment, but not forever!" Da Yu's pupils contracted sharply; his earlier confusion found an answer.

But this answer came so cruelly.

He would rather never understand this principle in his lifetime—for at this moment, the towering flood is rushing toward the small hill behind!

What should we do now?

Let's fight!

Da Yu gritted his teeth, just thinking about expending his lifespan to activate the Human Defeats Heaven Ring for a sliver of hope, when a voice sounded in his ear:

"Wen Ming."

"You seem to have run into some trouble."