Chapter 229 Sword Hanging Over Butterfly Creek (First Update)
Halfway up Xiaogushan Mountain.
A sword-forging furnace was fully opened.
Beside the stove, an old man in hemp clothing sat leaning back, drinking wine, seemingly waiting.
Everything seemed so ordinary and unremarkable.
But if one's gaze extends a thousand miles into the distance.
Along the vast Jiangnan Road, one can occasionally see scattered, fleeting figures leaping about.
Whether from a tall building, a treetop, or a mountain peak, one can gaze towards the direction of Yunmeng.
Thunder roared in the silence.
It can be said that the raging tide rises over Butterfly Creek, and the wind and thunder shake the earth for thousands of miles.
Hundred miles away.
Upstream of Butterfly Creek, a sluice gate dam sits between Yunmengze and Yue Nu Gorge.
On the dam, groups of two or three junior officials were patrolling, chatting and laughing, while the sky above them was a clear blue.
Below the dam, there is a newly erected water level marker, with about half of its body submerged in the water.
At one point, the water level, which had been dormant for a long time, suddenly rose.
...
Ouyang Rong saw a column of azure energy shooting straight into the sky.
Like a vertical line, connecting heaven and earth.
Magnificent and spectacular.
This is not the kind of deceptive, realistic image produced by a technological headset that Ouyang Rong experienced in his previous life while shopping.
This really happened right before his eyes.
This is what a Qi cultivator like Junior Sister usually sees.
Ouyang Rong, who considered himself a gentleman and cultured man, swallowed the word "damn it" with great effort.
He suddenly became curious.
Looking around at the world in all directions.
These are... the qi of heaven and earth.
My junior sister was right before.
Everything has energy.
Ouyang Rong was in a daze.
He immediately lowered his eyes and looked at Xie Lingjiang's arm that was holding his.
A crimson stream of energy, shaped like a long snake, surged from the junior sister's arm.
The "crimson fire snake" surged into his body's meridians through the Hand Shaoyang Meridian.
"Junior Sister, are you transferring spiritual energy to me?"
"Yes, Senior Brother doesn't have any spiritual energy cultivation yet, so I'm helping you with Qi observation."
Du Xieling's pretty face tightened as she stared at the strange phenomenon of "qi piercing the Big Dipper" in the distance.
She paused, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and continued explaining:
"Lower grade, azure; middle grade, vermilion; upper grade, purple. The shade of a single color represents the purity of the spiritual energy, indicating the level of cultivation within the same grade."
"Most Qi cultivators can roughly tell a person's cultivation level by observing the color of the spiritual energy once they make a move."
"These... Senior Brother will gradually become familiar with them in the future."
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but nod in amazement, and curiously looked down at himself.
He had no spiritual energy; he was just a dull, gray figure.
I turned my head to look.
Under this aura-gazing perspective, the junior sister beside him appeared the same as the red dress she wore.
Like a red bean from the south, bright and beautiful.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but glance sideways and asked:
"The pill that my junior sister just gave me was obtained from Longhu Mountain..."
Xie Lingjiang suddenly interrupted, pointing ahead and saying:
"Due to differences in Qi cultivation level or Qi refining techniques, different Qi cultivators can see different things through Qi observation."
"For example, the Yin-Yang masters who observe qi can see far more things than we can, such as dragon qi and royal qi."
"What the eldest brother can see now is only the most basic level."
Ouyang Rong silently swallowed his words, gasped at the words, pointed to the strange phenomenon on the west bank of Butterfly Creek in the distance, and remained speechless.
"Even the most basic things are this outrageous? Uh, is this what I can see?"
Xie Lingjiang jumped off the roof with Ouyang Rong in her arms. After landing, her voice was filled with anxiety:
That's why I said, this is a big problem.
"My father said that forging a sword is like refining an elixir. Both involve refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, extracting the purest energy from it, and achieving a certain 'unity' in the external world, which is then used by those who cultivate qi."
"The spiritual energy condensed in this cauldron sword is too pure. Even the most powerful Taoist alchemist I have ever seen could not produce such an exaggerated amount of energy when refining a batch of golden pills."
"It has only just appeared in the world and is the first time it has been cleansed, yet it has already caused such a magnificent sight that even the senior brother can see it clearly."
"..."
Ouyang Rong was speechless for a moment, then asked curiously:
"Wash your sword? What do you mean, wash your sword?"
“Confucian classics say that when a new sword is forged, it will attract the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to undergo its first cleansing, so that it can adapt to this world… I’m not quite sure either, but the first cleansing should be what we are seeing now.”
Ouyang Rong interrupted:
"Junior Sister, just tell me directly, what stage is this cauldron sword at right now?"
Xie Lingjiang sighed:
"According to the eldest brother, this sword whose true name is unknown has just left the 'small' sword furnace that has been brewing it for many years, and has now entered this world."
"It's like a baby trying to leave the womb, adapting to the outside world while waiting for the final umbilical cord to be cut."
"And the first sword washing is this process."
"The area within a hundred miles downstream of Butterfly Creek, including the entire Dragon City, has now been confined by it, becoming a giant sword furnace. The earth's veins and water veins are all affected by it, and its fortune is being frantically absorbed to cleanse the sword."
Ouyang Rong asked curiously:
"Baby in the womb? Umbilical cord? What strange metaphors are these? What is the umbilical cord of the Dingjian?"
Xie Lingjiang glanced at him and simply said:
"The swordsmith is the umbilical cord. Don't forget that he is also a Qi cultivator. Right now, the swordsmith is the final bridge connecting the sword furnace and the cauldron sword."
"In fact, the moment the furnace door is opened and the sword is taken from the furnace, the swordsmith's fate is already sealed..."
That's a bit abstract. Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, nodded, and asked an even more abstract question:
"You mean save the mother or the child, right? One has to go? Of course, save the mother."
Xie Lingjiang was taken aback, then nodded, then shook his head: "What do you mean, Senior Brother? You want to save the Swordsmith?"
Ouyang Rong, one hand on his sword, the other removing and discarding his felt hat, coldly observed the soaring sword energy in the distance, and asked with a resounding voice:
"Saving the swordsmith was just a side effect; whether he could be saved or not was irrelevant, since he brought this upon himself."
"But this cauldron sword cleansing sword actually regards the entire territory of Longcheng County as its womb, absorbing water and earth energy to cleanse the sword."
"Who gave it that power? I disagree, and the people of Longcheng County disagree too. We will not be its unauthorized father!"
"So what I want to ask is, since the fetus hasn't completely left the womb and the umbilical cord hasn't been cut yet, does that mean it's still possible to kill the fetus, like saving the mother over the baby, to save the womb? Junior sister, is that a correct way of describing it?"
He turned his head, squinted at Xie Lingjiang who was listening in a daze, and said:
"In other words, this sword is undergoing its first cleansing. If we rush over now and, for example, blow up the forging furnace, is there still a chance to destroy it?"
Hearing her senior brother's peculiar thought process, Xie Lingjiang was stunned:
"I...I don't know. Should...I think it's okay to interrupt?"
Lacking confidence, she retorted, glancing a few more times at the earnest Ouyang Rong, and couldn't help but blurt out:
"Senior Brother, I have never heard of your way of thinking before, and I have no past experience to refer to."
"In the past, when rulers of all dynasties cast swords, everyone hoped that the sword would be born and they would take good care of it."
"Even the enemies who tried to seize the sword didn't bother to figure out how to interrupt the sword's first cleansing ceremony, nor did anyone care whether the sword affected the local people..."
At this point, Xie Lingjiang slowly stopped talking.
Ouyang Rong suddenly pointed south, leaned forward while holding his sword, and said, word by word:
"Junior Sister, stop staring at this mythical cauldron and sword. Go check over there; the Digong Sluice Gate is flooded again!"
Xie Lingjiang immediately turned her head and looked south.
From afar, one can see wisps of smoke rising from several equally spaced mountain peaks in the upper reaches of Butterfly Creek.
At this moment, the two stood near the summit of Dagushan Mountain, and could see it clearly.
However, Xie Lingjiang was so focused on watching the strange phenomenon of the sword being forged and cleansed that he didn't notice it for a moment.
"This is... a beacon fire?" she suddenly realized.
Previously, in order to deal with floods, Xie Lingjiang remembered that his senior brother had set up an early warning mechanism, including water level markers along the upper reaches of Butterfly Creek, as well as seven fire stations in the mountains upstream, to facilitate the timely reporting of information.
Blue smoke indicates a rapidly rising water level and an urgent need to evacuate.
The black smoke signifies that the Di Gong Gate has collapsed, and a flood is imminent.
Ouyang Rong calmly and collectedly said:
"It's blue smoke, the water level of Yunmengze is rising sharply, and Digong Gate is already in a state of emergency, requesting assistance from Longcheng County."
He took a deep breath and said:
"The rainy season has passed, and in the sweltering summer heat, the water level has risen sharply. What else could this strange phenomenon be but the cauldron sword affecting the water veins?"
"Now it seems that the two floods last time were also caused by it. We could just tolerate what happened before, but today it looks like it's going to do something even bigger. Wouldn't all the hard work of the past few months have been for nothing?"
“I, Ouyang Lianghan, disagree! The people of Longcheng County also disagree!”
After saying that, Ouyang Rong turned and rushed out of the temple.
Xie Lingjiang stared blankly at her senior brother's familiar back.
"Senior Brother, wait for me! I'll go with you!"
She flashed and caught up with Ouyang Rong, who was running forward with his head down.
Without turning his head, the latter asked, "How long until the first successful cleansing of the Dingjian Sword?"
Xie Lingjiang gazed into the distance, observing the pillar of sword energy in his field of vision for a while. After calculating with his fingers, he turned his head:
"It is expected to be around 2:45 noon."
"It's 12:30 noon. We should be able to get to the county government office in time to organize evacuation and then mobilize manpower to stop the Liu family."
Ouyang Rong murmured to himself, mentally calculating for a moment.
At this moment, the two had already run to the gate of Donglin Temple and were preparing to descend the mountain along the road.
While catching his breath from running, Ouyang Rong suddenly turned around and gave the order:
"Junior sister, you're faster than me, go ahead and report to the county government to keep things under control for me."
"Just tell them that the county magistrate has returned, and that they should not panic and should stay at their posts."
"First, have Yan Liulang and the others issue a letter from the county magistrate to summon all the people of the city to take refuge on Dagushan Mountain, just like the measures taken last time when the flood occurred."
"This is the most urgent and pressing matter!"
"Then, have them gather official ships and supplies. I'll make other arrangements when I return to the county office!"
Don't be fooled by the fact that you can see Longcheng County and Butterfly Creek from Donglin Temple and look down the mountain, making them seem close.
But in reality, it's like looking at a mountain and running until the horse dies.
Dagushan is located on the outskirts of Longcheng County, more than 100 li away. If you don't travel by water, it will take one or two hours to travel by horse-drawn carriage.
Xie Lingjiang didn't even catch her breath. She shook her head and said:
"It's alright, Senior Brother, I'll take you with me."
She reached out her delicate hand towards Ouyang Rong's shoulder.
Ouyang Rong frowned: "Taking me along is too much trouble."
Xie Lingjiang extended her hand without looking back: "It's alright, I can stop more often to get some fresh air."
Ouyang Rong dodged to the side:
"But it will affect your speed. Listen to me, go and report the news immediately. Don't worry, I'm right behind you, I'll be there soon. Don't worry about me."
He paused, then said with a serious expression:
"Junior sister, my main concern is that without me here, the county government is in complete chaos."
"In addition, I need to take a detour to the new ferry crossing at Zheyi Canal first!"
"It's the morning of the fifteenth now. If nothing unexpected happens, they're holding a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the canal. Magistrate Diao and the others are there. I'll go over and gather them so they can organize the local people to take refuge on Dagushan Mountain. That's the top priority right now."
"Then, I'll borrow another boat and take the Zheyi Canal waterway back to Longcheng County Government Office with the wind. This route is much faster than riding a horse overland! I'll get there in no time."
Xie Lingjiang lowered her head and covered her sleeves.
Inside the sleeves of the red dress, several fingers were intertwined and inseparable.
They did not set off immediately.
(End of this chapter)
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