Chapter 193 Those who bewitch people should be executed!
The Yunmeng Marsh, stretching for nine hundred miles, is shrouded in mist, and torrential rain continues to fall.
On the north side of Yue Nu Gorge, a crowd gathered on a dam called Di Gong Gate, and cheers briefly drowned out the sound of rain.
"It's blocked!"
No one knows who shouted first, but the crowd on the dam erupted in cheers.
"That's wonderful, my love!" Ye Weilai happily hugged Ouyang Rong's waist without hesitation.
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, looked around, and then turned to instruct the villagers to evacuate the dam.
It seemed to be in response to the cheers of the crowd on the dam.
Rumble—!
A loud noise slowly came from the dam, like a wild beast slowly moving its body.
The cheers that had been rising in the crowd suddenly dropped a beat.
Ouyang Rong, Ye Weilai, Liu Ashan and the others who were about to turn around were also stunned.
Everyone turned to look.
The loud noise did not come from thunder in the sky.
Instead, it came from the misty, rain-soaked Yunmeng Marshland directly ahead.
"This is?"
As Ouyang Rong gazed at the lake surface where the mist remained unchanged, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in his heart.
"This is bad, Magistrate. The heavy rain continues. There must be another landslide nearby, with mud and rocks flowing into the water. Judging from the sound, the scale is definitely not small, no less than what just happened."
Chief Clerk He hurriedly explained to the frowning Ouyang Rong:
"The dam was just hit by trees, rocks, and other hard objects swept in by the huge waves, causing cracks and piping. It was like this: first there was an unusual sound in the fog, then the raging waves crashed against the dam..."
Before Magistrate He could finish speaking, his words came to an abrupt halt, for there was no need to say more; the raging waves had already arrived.
Before Ouyang Rong and the others could react, they saw the mist on the lake surface suddenly dissipate, smashed apart by a surge of angry waves from the lake below.
The aftershocks of the loud mudslide and water rushing in from not far away are coming!
Before most people could even finish thinking about what was happening on the dam, a huge, raging wave swept up thousands of pieces of soil, trees, and other debris, rushing towards them.
"Crouch down to avoid it!"
Ouyang Rong immediately pressed down on the white-haired maid's head, and at the same time turned around and roared.
The first raging wave crashed heavily against the Di Gong Dam, which had just stabilized.
boom--!
The main body of the flood control dam at Digong Gate swayed slightly as if an earthquake had occurred.
Many people stumbled and fell to the ground on the dam.
As Ouyang Rong pressed down on Ye Weilai's head with a large hand and lay down with her to avoid the impact, he felt the dam beneath him tremble violently under the crashing waves.
Overhead, small pieces of water droplets were falling like a torrential downpour.
They came in an endless stream, like celestial maidens scattering flowers.
The debris, shattered and splashed by the first wave of raging water, flew everywhere. For a moment, no one dared to turn around or look up. Everyone either bent over or lay prone, letting the debris hit them and their feet...
Finally, after three consecutive waves.
The raging waves subsided, and the huge surf gradually receded.
The mist that had been stirred up on the distant lake surface returned to its original state once again.
On the dam, a pile of debris and puddles appeared at the feet of the crowd. Ouyang Rong and the others slowly looked up.
"Check everyone to make sure no one is injured. Retreat, retreat first..."
Ouyang Rong lowered his head to make sure the white-haired maid in his arms was not injured, then stumbled to his feet and called to his subordinates.
Fortunately, the dam was built quite high, and the splashing water and debris did not cause too much damage.
Apart from a few occasional cries of pain, most of the people were unharmed.
However, compared to the jubilant atmosphere just now...
The atmosphere on the dam was eerily quiet.
The crowd, realizing what had happened, looked at each other in bewilderment and fell silent for no apparent reason.
At this moment, Liu Ashan suddenly shouted:
"Master! Look down there!"
Ouyang Rong was taken aback and looked down with everyone else.
Below the dam, the semi-circular piping point, which had been enclosed by wooden stakes and fishing nets, was now a scene of devastation.
The sandbags and heavy objects originally intended to suppress the water's force were scattered and thrown about by the previous waves.
At that moment, gurgling and splashing water violently rose from the surface.
The piping was even more severe than initially thought.
As the crowd's gaze moved upwards, an even more desperate scene came into view.
The dam wall below is covered with cracks.
The cracks were no longer confined to the water's surface; some even extended all the way to where everyone was standing.
Click—click—
A faint cracking sound could be heard.
It reached the ears of Ouyang Rong, the militia, the officials, the villagers, and others on the dam.
It was like the whisper of a nightmare demon.
All the tireless efforts of everyone before were easily wiped out by these two massive waves, a force as powerful as nature itself.
The people on the gate had nothing in their hands.
There are no more sandbags, gravel, or other heavy materials left, so we can fill the piping.
On the field, it seemed as if a death knell was beginning to toll.
"It's...it's all over."
Someone in the crowd murmured.
However, this is only the beginning.
Fear permeated the oppressive air.
Finally, it erupted.
On the dam, the crowd in the torrential rain was in an uproar.
A panicked voice cried out, "Run...run!"
"Minister, we should leave now. We've done our best; there's nothing left to fill in..."
"Minister, let's retreat. We can't hesitate any longer. Even if we're unwilling, we have to consider our fellow villagers. We need to evacuate them to Longbei Mountain and Caifeng Mountain. Let's retreat..."
There were also voices of doubt: "What about the people in Longcheng County behind us?"
There were also voices arguing: "What can we do? What else can we do? We can't hold it anymore. The sluice gate is about to collapse. We should save as many people as possible now. Don't fight head-on. Besides, didn't Magistrate Diao and Constable Yan already evacuate the people in the rear?"
“Yes, we have a backup plan. It’s like a natural disaster, it can’t be stopped. Lord Ming, let’s retreat to the mountaintop. There’s no need to stay at the forefront forever…”
There was also the familiar voice of the white-haired maidservant to Ouyang Rong:
"Tanlang, what's wrong? Why are your hands so cold? Tanlang, are we leaving? The sluice gate beneath our feet is starting to tremble; it seems unstable..."
"My love, please answer me. Are you feeling unwell? Why aren't you saying anything..."
The overwhelming wave of noise has returned.
Ouyang Rong felt dizzy.
A cacophony of voices and opinions poured in from all directions, leaving Ouyang Rong feeling as if he had been plunged into water, his senses blocked and his thoughts becoming thick and slow.
Only by being a team leader and truly experiencing it firsthand can one understand the chaos within a team in the face of such a disaster.
Only a mind tempered by time can remain steadfast in the face of such chaos.
But Ouyang Rong has not yet been forged into such steel.
There may be moments of wavering.
"Are we just going to... run away like this?"
The young magistrate looked at the crack, murmured to himself, and let Ye Weilai's warm, smooth hands grasp his hands hanging at his sides.
"Ah..." It seemed that a woman was approaching from behind, tugging at his clothes, and letting out a soft "ah".
Ouyang Rong, lost in thought, didn't turn around to look, nor did he bother to.
At this moment, on the dam, everyone looked at the silent back of a young county magistrate at the very front.
As if it had become a kind of inertia, Ouyang Rong's back remained still. Without giving a clear order, for a moment, most of the people in the crowd, even those like ants on a hot pan, dared not take a step ahead.
Even the most united team will face immense pressure, which will be conveyed to the front lines.
"Master, it's too late! We need to make a decision. Give the order, Master!"
Liu Ashan and his men from the militia surrounded the young magistrate, their voices filled with worry and urgency, as if they were ready to forcibly take him away at any moment.
Ouyang Rong took a deep breath, looked up at them, and opened his mouth as if to speak.
But at that moment, somewhere in the crowd behind him, someone had already begun to break down.
"It's the Dragon King! It's the Dragon King from the bottom of the water ramming the dam!"
"The sluice gate will definitely collapse. None of you can save it, not even the county magistrate! That's how it is, that's definitely how it is!"
The speaker was a priest from the Dragon King Temple, dressed as a temple keeper, about thirty or forty years old, with his face covered in mysterious, colorful paint. He was pointing at the crack and seepage below the dam and hysterically shouting at the crowd around him.
Several priests were with him, but they seemed to be frightened by the middle-aged priest and fell to the ground.
These priests of the Dragon King Temple were previously assigned to the militia by Ouyang Rong for labor reform, and now, some of them seem to have gone mad.
"This is the Dragon King, a warning from the Dragon King. You were not sincere, and the Dragon King has finally unleashed his power. This is divine punishment, and you cannot escape it. If the Dragon King sends another great flood to destroy the county town, none of you will be able to escape!"
The entire place was silent except for the sound of rain and the middle-aged priest's kneeling roar. Everyone's eyes turned to him, including Ouyang Rong.
"Hurry up, all of you, kneel down and beg the Dragon King for forgiveness, to spare your lives..."
The middle-aged priest poked at everyone in the room with his finger, his expression devastated as he roared madly.
The entire audience was immediately thrown into a panic, and everyone took a step back where he pointed.
A bizarre scene is unfolding on the dam where the heavy rain has poured down.
Ouyang Rong closed his eyes: "He's gone mad, take him away."
Liu Ashan and several men from the militia immediately stepped forward.
However, before they could get close, the middle-aged priest jumped up, brandishing his arms to arrest them and threatening them:
"Who dares to touch me? Aren't you afraid of the Dragon King's wrath?! If you don't kneel down and beg for mercy, the Dragon King will surely make sure you die without a burial place! And you too!"
The middle-aged priest abruptly changed the subject, angrily pointing his finger in Ouyang Rong's direction, and said sternly:
"It's you, Ouyang Lianghan, it's you! You're the ringleader! The ringleader who offended the Dragon King! The Dragon King is unleashing his fury by breaking the gate to take your life! The ringleader deserves to die!"
"Ouyang Lianghan, you dare to build sluice gates and control the flood right under the Dragon King's nose! The Dragon King will surely make sure you die a horrible death! This great flood that has swept through Dragon City is all because of you! You will suffer a terrible death!"
"What are you fools standing there for? Quickly throw Ouyang Lianghan into the water as a sacrifice to the Dragon King! The ringleader deserves to die!"
Ouyang Rong opened his eyes at this moment, calmly looked at the middle-aged priest, and sized him up.
Liu Ashan frowned deeply and led several men to quickly rush over, pinning the middle-aged priest to the ground and subduing him immediately.
"Let me go! What are you doing? How dare you touch me? Aren't you afraid of being punished by heaven like Ouyang Lianghan? Do you want to be accomplices? You lackeys, how dare you offend the Dragon King and deceive the people of Longcheng County with this corrupt official... Waaah... Waaah."
The middle-aged priest looked hysterical, struggled for a moment, and then his mouth was gagged.
The surrounding crowd was silent; only the sound of rain could be heard on the field.
"Wait, let him speak." Ouyang Rong looked at the silent crowd on both sides and suddenly spoke up.
“Master…” Liu Ashan hesitated.
"Let him talk, no need to block him."
Ouyang Rong shook his head, and Liu Ashan and the others had no choice but to obey and release the gag.
Ouyang Rong asked the grinning middle-aged priest in a low voice, "Did someone teach you to say that?"
The middle-aged priest's face was contorted with rage:
"What do you mean I should say this? Isn't it self-evident? The Dragon King's wrath is already right before our eyes. Fellow villagers, open your eyes and see! What has this scourge done since taking office? Zheyi Canal, Di Gongzha, which one of them isn't opposing the Dragon King? If the Dragon King doesn't punish him, who will he punish!"
"This flood is the Dragon King's punishment of him! It's pitiful that everyone is suffering along with him, yet they pretend to lead the way in blocking the water. Can they really stop the Dragon King's danger?!"
The middle-aged priest spoke with increasing fluency, and at this moment he actually stood up, pointing directly at Ouyang Rong's finger, then suddenly turning to point at Ye Weilai beside him:
"On the very day this young man took office, he fell into the river and nearly drowned. This was the Dragon King's warning. But unexpectedly, this fellow, who couldn't even swim, managed to escape by sheer luck. Instead of learning from his mistake, he went even further and offended the Dragon King even more..."
"And another thing! Fellow villagers, look at the white-haired woman next to him, that's proof enough!"
"The Dragon King was merciful and spared his life, but he did not repent and was even more audacious in his lust, stealing a white-haired dragon girl from the Dragon Palace and imprisoning her in his home!"
"This enraged the Dragon King, who unleashed a torrential downpour, smashed the sluice gates, and flooded Dragon City once more..."
"It all started because of him. Fellow villagers, don't be misled by this boy anymore. Turn back from the wrong path! Quickly capture Ouyang Lianghan, throw him into the water as a sacrifice to the Dragon King, and also throw this white-haired woman into the water to return her to the Dragon Palace and appease the Dragon King's wrath..."
"The ringleader should be executed!"
The middle-aged priest, his face covered in paint and dressed in brightly colored clothes, roared at the crowd, plunging the entire room into an eerie silence.
Seeing this, the priests from the nearby Dragon King Temple seemed to have mustered some courage and began waving flags and shouting encouragement:
"Ouyang Lianghan! The ringleader deserves to die!"
"The ringleader should be executed!"
For a moment, the only sound on the silent dam was their shouts.
"Absurd!" Ye Weilai exclaimed indignantly.
But immediately, the white-haired girl felt countless gazes quietly falling on her and her silent master beside her.
Ye Weilai trembled all over, her long, wet, silvery-white hair clinging to her cheeks. She bravely shielded Ouyang Rong, arms outstretched, her blue eyes wide with shock:
"You're spouting nonsense! My beloved husband has always been at the forefront rescuing the people! You're a vicious scoundrel!"
Ye Weilai called out to those around her, "Fellow villagers, don't be misled by these false rumors! My beloved is innocent, and I am no white-haired dragon maiden. I have human blood; I can prove it by cutting my wrist..."
The middle-aged priest sneered, "Speaking up for Ouyang Lianghan like this, how much do you want to stay in the mortal realm? Hurry up and go down, don't drag everyone down with you."
Ye Weilai's face flushed red: "You..."
However, before she could finish speaking, her expression froze.
The surrounding crowd and the middle-aged priest were equally stunned. The latter, seeing the young magistrate suddenly approach, repeatedly retreated, saying in a flustered manner:
"What...what are you doing...uh..."
The middle-aged priest's voice choked.
It really is stuck.
Ouyang Rong walked over calmly, pressed his large hand against the middle-aged priest's head, drew the skirt knife from his waist, and cleanly and neatly severed a head.
In the pouring rain, he raised the severed, bleeding head in his hand, gesturing to the entire audience, and declared:
Those who incite and mislead people should be executed!
Before anyone could react, Ouyang Rong casually tossed the head with its wide-open, lifeless eyes into the water. Then, he kicked a bloody, headless corpse in front of him off the dam, sending them both into the water.
Ouyang Rong faced the silent villagers and calmly said:
"Even if there were a Dragon King, there would be no need for him to come; I will go and meet him myself."
He turned his head and whispered to Liu Ashan, He Changli, and the other men:
"No need to retreat. Who said we have nothing to stop the seepage?"
Ouyang Rong took out his knife, stuffed it into the arms of the white-haired maid, turned around, walked to the edge of the dam without looking back, and jumped down alone.
"thump!"
Amidst the silent splashing sounds, the remaining people on the dam stared blankly.
Everyone rushed to the edge of the dam and stared down. They saw the young magistrate floating in the surging waves, his face pale, his frail body struggling to block the piping gap.
He can swim!
Among the crowd at the gate, some who had wavered and doubted bowed their heads in shame.
Other rumors and slanders will naturally crumble without a fight.
Where is the Dragon King?
Ye Weilai held the sword in both hands, turned around and questioned, and the previously silent crowd looked ashamed and avoided her gaze.
Liu Ashan walked out without saying a word and jumped down.
On the dam, the crowd of militia, officials, and villagers who had gathered fell silent for a moment.
One by one, men emerged and jumped into the water.
For a time, the sound of water falling from the Di Gong Sluice Gate could be heard continuously.
(End of this chapter)
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