Chapter 76 Shoveling out manure and dismantling spider webs

As dawn broke, Bai Er nervously stood by Su Yuyao's bedside.

"Miss! Miss!" Bai Er called softly to Su Yuyao, "It's time to get up!"

"Let me sleep a little longer..." Su Yuyao turned over with her eyes closed.

Bai Er glanced at Qing Yue, whose face was dark behind him, smiled awkwardly, then nudged Su Yu Yao and said, "Um... Miss, you have to go to Lord Lang Zhi's place with Lady Qing Yue. Aren't you supposed to go to... Jing Xue?"

"So annoying!" Su Yuyao sat up with her eyes closed and said, "Empress Qingyue is going to have a romantic chat with Grandpa Langzhi, and she insisted on dragging me along!"

"Miss, please stop..."

“I stepped in a pile of dung yesterday! And now…” Su Yuyao groggily lifted her feet and sniffed them, saying with disgust, “Ugh! The stench hasn’t dissipated yet!”

"Miss! Miss!" Bai Er tugged at Su Yuyao's arm.

"What?!" Su Yuyao finally opened her eyes, looked at Bai Er, and her impatient expression instantly turned into a fawning one. "Hehe, Your Majesty... good morning..."

Under Qingyue's watchful gaze, Su Yuyao obediently finished washing and grooming.

"Your Majesty, I'm going to check on Feihua. I wonder how she's been these past few days..." Su Yuyao said obediently, and then stepped outside.

"No need, I'll stay in that room. Feihua is fine." Qingyue looked at Su Yuyao quietly.

“Oh, yes…” Su Yuyao stopped and looked at the cold kitchen. She smiled and said, “Then we need to have breakfast! You see, we haven’t started cooking yet. We’ll have to wait a while…” After saying that, Su Yuyao walked to the table and sat down.

“Let’s go eat at Langzhi’s place. You can eat when Jingxue comes back. There’s still time,” Qingyue said expressionlessly.

“Oh…then…” Su Yuyao quickly turned her head, “Then let’s…”

"How about... another drink?" Qingyue asked coldly.

"Ah?" Su Yuyao finally understood why Qingyue's face was so dark. She quickly said in a coquettish voice, "Your Highness, you really need to discipline Grandpa Langzhi. He insisted that I have a taste, and I only had a tiny bit..."

Seeing Qing Yue's unmoved expression, Su Yuyao knew that her methods were ineffective. So, she forced a wry smile, stood up, and said, "Hehe, Your Highness, let's hurry up and go, don't keep Grandpa Langzhi waiting!"

"Let's go!" Qingyue just rolled her eyes at Su Yuyao and didn't punish her, which made Su Yuyao secretly breathe a sigh of relief. However, she probably couldn't escape the task of Jingxue!

Lang Zhi was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. He got up early and tidied up the house inside and out. He then fetched clean water and not only washed his face but also washed the scars and stray hairs on his head repeatedly. Finally, he changed into a relatively clean set of clothes and sat in the courtyard, quietly waiting for Qing Yue... and of course, Su Yuyao!

"Yao'er, remember this! No more jumping around today!"

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

"Be polite, remember to greet others, and when you go out with Grandpa Langzhi, don't fight with anyone or cause trouble!"

"knew……"

"Also, don't talk nonsense. With so many people around, who knows what rumors might spread!"

"Okay!"

"What kind of attitude is that?!"

"Hehe, I know..." Su Yuyao smiled ingratiatingly and took the food supplies from Qingyue's hands. "I'll carry them! If Grandpa Langzhi sees this, he'll feel sorry for you!"

"Look at you! Talking nonsense again!" Qingyue slapped Su Yuyao's hand away. "I don't need you to carry me! You should think about how to avoid causing trouble, and I'll be thanking my lucky stars!"

"Hehe, I know! I know!" Su Yuyao lifted her skirt and ran along the path towards the manure drying area.

"Yao'er! Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"

"Grandpa Langzhi! Grandpa Langzhi! The Empress is here!"

Langzhi, who was sitting properly in the courtyard, saw Su Yuyao's figure, jumped up, and rubbed the few stray hairs on his head helplessly.

Seeing Lang Zhi's expression, Su Yuyao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Grandpa Lang Zhi! Why don't you come and lend a hand! The Empress brought you so many things!"

Langzhi grinned and strode over to greet him.

Qingyue, who was carrying things and scolding Su Yuyao as she walked, suddenly became delicate and fragile when she saw Langzhi.

She slammed the things down on the ground, waving her hands, and said, "You blockhead! Why didn't you go and greet me? I was worried about you being missing things, so I took all this!"

"Hehe..." Langzhi picked up the things, feeling embarrassed.

"Are we too late?"

"It's not too late."

"How can it not be late? It's already broad daylight!"

"Hehe...it's a bit late..."

"It's all Yao'er's fault! When you take Yao'er to Jingxue later, be careful. Yao'er has never done this kind of work before, so don't let her interfere! You must keep a close eye on her. She jumped into the dung heap yesterday, so don't let her fall into the dung pit today! I don't want to have to wash her myself. I really owe you guys something!"

Although she was being scolded, Langzhi listened with great interest. "Don't worry, I'm just taking her to familiarize herself with the place and temper her character. Actually, I'm going to teach her how to unravel spider webs! But I haven't made a final decision yet; I need to see if she's cut out for it!"

"You can teach her however you see fit, but make sure you keep a close eye on her and don't let her cause any trouble!"

Don't worry!

"Grandpa Langzhi! Madam! Hurry up!" Su Yuyao stood on a round barrel at the entrance of the courtyard, waving to Langzhi and Qingyue.

"Oh dear! Yao'er! Come down quickly!" Langzhi cried out, both amused and exasperated. "That's a manure bucket!"

After some twists and turns, Langzhi finally led Su Yuyao onto the path of Jingxue amidst Qingyue's repeated instructions and admonitions.

Langzhi pulled a wooden cart full of manure buckets, leading the hopping Su Yuyao, and circled around to the slope.

The hillside was very steep, sometimes spiraling upwards, sometimes rushing downwards, sometimes winding through tunnels, sometimes crossing bridges and ditch. Su Yuyao was full of energy at first, but after a while, she began to feel tired. But Lang Zhi pulled the wooden cart as if it were flat ground, without even panting.

"Grandpa Langzhi, how come you are so strong?" Su Yuyao asked breathlessly.

Langzhi turned to look at Su Yuyao, who was covered in sweat, and said, "I've walked this road for thousands of years, how could I be tired!"

"Huh? You've been walking this road for thousands of years? You've been pulling a manure cart for so many years?" Su Yuyao said in surprise.

“Xuanfeng has walked this path for thousands of years, and his feet are covered in thick calluses!” Mentioning Xuanfeng, Su Yuyao felt a pang of sadness and longing. Xuanfeng, where are you now? When will you come back?

...

"Lord Xuanfeng! The rain outside hasn't stopped, and the southeast side is about to give way!" Lei Ming reported anxiously.

"If the floodwaters overflow, how many valleys will be affected?" Xuanfeng asked.

“Three! One is an empty valley, the other two are inhabited, and there are also some sects outside the valleys that will be involved!”

How long can the southeastern side hold out?

"At this rate of rainfall, we can only hold out for three days!"

How long will the evacuation take?

"Everyone?!"

"Yes, everyone!"

"It will probably take seven or eight days, after all, people walk slowly!"

"Everyone, evacuate to higher ground as soon as possible to reduce evacuation time! First, try to divert the floodwaters to the valleys to see if we can hold them!"

"Yes, sir!" Upon receiving the order, Lei Ming climbed the cliff face, grabbed the vines, and flew up to the edge of the cliff in a few steps.

Inside the cave, the laughter and chatter had vanished; everyone was frowning, poised and ready to go.

"Sir, this rain is too strange! Should we investigate it further?" Flying Eagle asked in a low voice.

“What you and I both know, how could Mother Yi not know? This matter originated in the South China Sea, it must be the work of the Tide Lord, but…” Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes, pondering, “…evidence…”

...

"Lord Langzhi, you're a little late today!" the aunt carrying the chamber pot teased with a smile. "Is there some good news?"

Langzhi grinned, took the chamber pot, and poured the filth inside into the latrine.

"Ugh—! It stinks..." Even though Su Yuyao was standing far away, she still couldn't help feeling nauseous.

"Oh! Isn't this Miss Yao'er? Were you punished?" The aunt asked with a smile as she looked at Su Yuyao, who was covering her nose and backing away.

"I wasn't punished... Ugh—!" Su Yuyao gagged as soon as she opened her mouth, unable to defend herself at all.

Seeing Su Yuyao's disheveled appearance, her aunt laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Langzhi took Su Yuyao to the next place. The same smell, the same nausea. After only two places, Su Yuyao had already vomited until her face turned green.

"Yao'er, how are you? Can you hold on?" Langzhi asked, pulling the wooden cart.

"No!" Su Yuyao said, pinching her nose. "Can I go back?"

"No!" Lang Zhi said with a smile, "There is very little flat land in Jiujiao Mountain, so most of the houses are built on cliffs. The paths you and Young Master Guan Yue usually take when patrolling the mountains are simple paths. The path I'm taking you is the most primitive mountain path. You need to memorize this three-dimensional path!"

"A three-dimensional road?" Su Yuyao stared wide-eyed. "What does that mean?"

"It stinks! Run!" A group of children covered their noses and ran past Langzhi.

Langzhi didn't care and led Su Yuyao to collect the excrement from house to house.

Su Yuyao followed at a distance, recalling what Lang Zhi had said about a "three-dimensional road." "What does that mean? A road is just a road, what does 'three-dimensional road' mean...?"

Su Yuyao began to carefully observe the mountain shape and the direction of the road beneath her feet.

Langzhi smiled as he watched Su Yuyao, who was rarely using her brain, and stopped talking, concentrating on emptying the chamber pot.

Su Yuyao was quiet for a while, but then she couldn't hold back any longer. She pinched her nose and ran to Langzhi's side. "Grandpa Langzhi! I know! The three-dimensional road you mentioned means that there are roads on the road and roads below the road. We just walked on many winding upward paths and went through caves. So, the roads in Jiujiao Mountain are three-dimensional!"

"Yes, that's roughly the idea!" Langzhi said with a smile as he pulled the wooden cart. "However, that's not entirely the idea! You have to consider, if you infinitely reduce the gaps between these paths to form a solid sphere, how would you solve it?"

"Solve it?" Su Yuyao thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It's impossible to solve! The road has no beginning and no end, it's so complicated, how can you solve it?"

"It's not about actually solving it, but about finding a solution. If you need to get through this solid ball, you need to find this solution."

Su Yuyao pursed her lips, frowned, thought for a long time, and then sighed, "Grandpa Langzhi, I don't understand, but I want to go back for dinner... I'm hungry..."

Looking at Su Yuyao's pitiful appearance, Langzhi smiled and said, "We came out a little late today and walked a bit slowly. There's still half a mountain to go!"

"Huh?" Su Yuyao rubbed her rumbling belly. "Then we'd better hurry!"

Suppressing her nausea, Su Yuyao walked to the back of the wooden cart, pushed it, and said to Lang Zhi, "Grandpa Lang Zhi! Let's go!"

Langzhi looked at Su Yuyao, who had a serious expression on her face, and said with a smile, "Let's go!"

Su Yuyao pushed hard, and Lang Zhi pulled with all her might. Su Yuyao, holding her breath, handed Lang Zhi the chamber pot, which Lang Zhi took with a smile. "Yao'er, don't help, just wait on the side..."

"That won't do, we have to hurry... Ugh!" Su Yuyao said, gagging again, "I want to go back to eat... Ugh!"

Under the bright sun, the sound of students reading aloud could already be heard in the academy. Langzhi and Su Yuyao had just filled the manure buckets on the wooden cart.

Langzhi carried the sweat-drenched Su Yuyao onto the wooden cart. "Sit tight! Let's go home!"

Su Yuyao clapped her hands and shouted happily, "Great! We're home!"

The old man and the young boy returned to the manure drying ground, drenched in sweat.

Qingyue was hanging clothes to dry in the courtyard when she saw the two of them return. She asked, "Why are you so late? Did Yao'er play again?"

"I didn't... Why does Your Majesty blame everything on me!" Su Yuyao jumped off the carriage and pouted.

"Qingyue, Yao'er behaved very well today! Don't keep scolding her!" Langzhi looked at the clothes scattered all over the yard, and even his own underwear was among them. He scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "You washed them all? You've gone to so much trouble..."

"You! You've tidied up the house, but you can't hide dirty clothes! With so many piled up, how can it not stink?" Qingyue glanced at Langzhi and said, blushing.

"Your Majesty! I'm hungry!" Su Yuyao ran into the kitchen. "What are you making?"

"Yao'er! Go wash your hands! Don't move around!" Qingyue called out to Su Yuyao, then turned back to Langzhi and said shyly, "Go wash your hands quickly, I'll go set the table!"

"Hey!" Langzhi replied with a silly grin.

A pot of congee, a few side dishes, and golden-brown pancakes—simple as they were, Langzhi found them incredibly delicious.

Langzhi ate while keeping an eye on Qingyue, who blushed as she helped Su Yuyao add porridge and pick up food.

"Slurp slurp...smack smack..." Su Yuyao ate very unrestrainedly.

Qingyue couldn't stand it any longer, so she picked up her chopsticks and smacked Su Yuyao hard on the forehead. "Don't make any noise while eating!"

"Ah!" Su Yuyao covered her forehead and said aggrievedly, "I'm hungry!"

"Qingyue, why did you hit Yao'er!" Langzhi reached out to block Su Yuyao's chubby forehead. "Oh my, it's all red! Why did you hit so hard!"

"What kind of girl eats like that? Making such a loud noise!" Qingyue said sternly. "Yao'er, if you make any more noise, you won't be allowed to eat!"

Su Yuyao said aggrievedly, "Your Majesty, the food you made is so delicious! I couldn't help but make noise while eating, so you're to blame!"

After saying that, she grinned and snuggled into Qingyue's arms, "Such delicious food, it would be a shame not to smack my lips... Please forgive me this time..."

"You little rascal!" Qingyue was so coaxed by Su Yuyao that she lost her temper.

After finishing their meal, Langzhi didn't rush to pile up the manure. Instead, he spread out his palm, released a white ball of yarn the size of a head, and threw it to Su Yuyao.

"Yao'er, catch!"

"Huh? What's this?" Su Yuyao held the white ball of yarn, squeezed it with her hands, and found it soft and bouncy. "It's so much fun!"

"All you ever do is play!" Qingyue finished washing the dishes, wiped her hands, and walked into the house. "This is a spider silk ball, it's very precious!"

"A spider silk ball?" Su Yuyao asked as she fiddled with it, "Why are you giving me this?"

“Untie it!” Langzhi said with a smile.

"How do we solve this?" Su Yuyao looked through the spider silk ball.

Langzhi stretched out her palm and smiled slightly. The white spider silk ball suddenly began to expand, and tiny gaps began to appear between the spider silk, radiating a dazzling light.

"Wow! So beautiful!" Su Yuyao exclaimed as she looked at the spider silk ball in her arms, which was gradually swelling and radiating a dazzling light. "Grandpa Langzhi! Your silk is so beautiful!"

"Yao'er! Your Grandpa Langzhi once wove magnificent robes for Mother Yi!" Qingyue said proudly. "The clothes you're wearing now, although made of spider silk, are far inferior to your Grandpa Langzhi's craftsmanship!"

"Really? Grandpa Langzhi is so amazing, why would he come here to shovel manure?" Su Yuyao asked, tilting her head.

Qingyue's expression changed, and she raised her hand to slap Su Yuyao. Su Yuyao suddenly realized that she had said the wrong thing and quickly ran away with the spider silk ball in her arms.

Qingyue flicked her wrist, "You still dare to run?!"

Su Yuyao turned around and saw the familiar ruler again!

"Ah?! Your Majesty! I was wrong, okay?! I won't say anything out of line again!" Su Yuyao quickly hid behind Lang Zhi.

"Qingyue! Qingyue!" Langzhi wrapped his arms around Qingyue and asked with a smile, "Are you so angry because you feel sorry for me?"

"Who cares about you, you stinky spider! You're never serious!" Qingyue pushed Kailang Zhi's arm away and pointed at Su Yuyao with a ruler, saying, "Take the spider silk ball to the outside wall! You can only come back in when you've taken it apart!"

"Huh?! I don't know how! How do I take it apart..." Before Su Yuyao could finish speaking, the smooth and soft spider silk ball in her arms slowly turned into a fluffy shape. Suddenly, each fine hair began to tremble, gradually turning into small particles, and then from small particles into countless spinning dumplings.

"Wow! So beautiful!" Su Yuyao exclaimed, speechless with surprise.

Countless small glutinous rice balls slowly grew larger, turning into countless small red bean buns. The small red bean buns continued to spin, turning into many large steamed buns. The spider silk ball slowly shrank, finally becoming a flash of light, which instantly went out, and the large steamed buns fell to the ground with a thud.

"See? Just tear it down like that!" Qingyue said calmly.

"Wow! It's all demolished already?"

"By breaking the spider silk out of the clump, down to the finest possible thickness, the resulting fabric will be thin and light, and the clothes made from it will be the most elegant and beautiful!" Qingyue said proudly.

“Oh…” Su Yuyao looked at Lang Zhi’s rough and calloused fingers and dared not say anything more.

“Yao’er, you don’t need to dismantle it like Lady Qingyue. Her ability to dismantle spider silk is unmatched in the Heavenly Palace! You just…” Langzhi said, picking up a dismantled “big bun” and squeezing it hard. The originally fine spider silk became as thick as chopsticks, and the spider silk ball the size of a bun became as big as a winter melon.

Langzhi handed the ball of spider silk to Su Yuyao and said, "You just need to find the ends of the spider silk here today!"

Su Yuyao picked up the spider silk ball and said, "Isn't that easy? You underestimate me!"

Seeing Su Yuyao's confident expression, Qingyue said, "Don't be too happy yet! If you don't complete the task, I won't give you any food!"

“Hehe…” Su Yuyao held the spider silk ball and glanced at Qingyue’s expression. Just as she was about to sit down, she saw Qingyue’s eyes widen.

Su Yuyao had no choice but to stand outside the door with the spider silk ball and obediently face the wall.