Chapter 136 Canghe Regulations
"Manager Bai is truly a man of great courage." Gu Qingqing refilled the vinegar in front of Manager Bai.
"That's what Lord Canghe said about me too."
Manager Bai said with a smile, "Originally, outsiders like me wouldn't be allowed to board the ship directly; we would mostly be assigned to odd jobs on the periphery."
But when Canghe Jun heard that I, a bird cultivator at the Profound Spirit Realm, had led a group of people, young and old, away from Danshui, and that I was so poor that I didn't even have half a spirit crystal, I still flew over and summoned me.
Afterwards, the monks gave us some training, and then we boarded the ship.
Gu Qingqing raised her glass and said, "Alas, fate is so full of hardships. Come, let's have a drink."
Manager Bai raised his glass and said, "Miss, there's no need to belittle yourself. You exude an air of nobility; you must come from a prominent family."
Gu Qingqing's eyes sparkled as she laughed heartily, "You don't know this. I was ugly as a child and not very talented, so I was thrown out when I grew up."
I wandered around for a while.
Then, good luck came. The colorful bird that had just gone out found me unconscious, treated me to good food and drink, and even insisted on recognizing me as its older sister; I couldn't fight her off, so I just let her arrange my food and drink.
Upon hearing this, Manager Bai couldn't help but laugh.
Gu Qingqing asked again, "Is Cangshui nice?"
"Alright." Master Bai replied without hesitation, "Lord Canghe never kills his people indiscriminately. She has established the Canghe Regulations, and everyone can live in peace and cultivate freely in accordance with them."
"I've heard that there was slavery in the South River region. Does the Cang River have it?"
Upon hearing this, Manager Bai immediately became interested in talking. She said, "Five years ago, I spent two years on a large ship heading to the South River, and it was indeed the same there."
But Lord Canghe dislikes gambling and fighting. Our Canghe River's income mostly comes from pleasure boats, unlike the Southern River which relies primarily on cargo transport; therefore, we are different.
Gu Qingqing sought out Manager Bai for advice, and they had a very pleasant conversation.
Miao Wu and Wu Zi were also inquiring about the local elders in the hall.
Everyone received the same answer:
Canghe River is good.
The Canghe River is a sacred place for cultivation.
It is an excellent habitat;
Living here,
No need to offer rare and precious treasures.
There is no need to offer meat as sacrifices to the clan members;
No internal strife
There is no better place than Canghe.
The cultivators' praise of the Canghe River was so unanimous that Miao Wu and Wu Zi were unsure and dared not truly believe it.
The flower-and-bird-themed boat travels four thousand li a day, taking six days to reach the foot of the Canglan Mountains.
On the third day, the boat stopped at a small island in the river. A servant knocked on the door and handed over a jade token, saying, "Guest, we have arrived at Flower and Bird Island. The boat will stay here for three hours. There are performances by the clam tribe on the island, and you can also collect lost pearls. You may go and watch."
Jiao Jue had Ji Rong and Ji Zhuang carry the Wu tribe people to the island, while Gu Qingqing gave Bai Lu servant a few spirit crystals and asked him to ask if Master Bai was free, and if so, to take them to the island for sightseeing.
Before long, Manager Bai arrived.
Today she no longer wears hemp clothing, so it can be seen that many of the feathers on her body are newly grown, making her wings appear large and her body thin.
She carried Gu Qingqing to Jiao Jue and said, "Senior, let me lead everyone on a tour of the island today."
Jiao Jue readily agreed, saying, "Fox, bring me a storage bag."
Gu Qingqing still handed over an old-fashioned storage bag.
Jiao Jue looked at the old but spacious storage bag, his lips twitching, but he still took it and touched the bag to his huge storage ring.
A flash of inspiration struck, and the bottom of the bag visibly filled out.
He tossed the bag to Steward Bai and said, "Introduce it properly."
Master Bai took the bag, immediately craned his neck, and nodded excitedly.
This Flower and Bird Island, as its name suggests, is filled with trees full of flowers, mostly red and white. Giant trees stand tall on the island, and the chirping of young birds can be faintly heard.
Bai, the steward, led them along the path paved with pebbles, pointing with his wing to a nearby islet as they walked, saying, “Our clan lives on that islet, where there is spiritual energy for cultivation. It was specially left by Lord Canghe for us migrating birds.”
Following the direction pointed by Master Bai's wings, Jiao Jue and his group saw that there were hundreds of such islets scattered across the wide river.
"Won't this block the river?" Gu Qingqing asked.
"No, islands that would obstruct the flow of water were reportedly demolished by Lord Canghe long ago."
The Canghe River has patrol teams comprised of aquatic creatures that regularly patrol and clear silt, thus preventing blockages.
"So, do you have to pay for living here?" Ji Rong asked, having heard that there was spiritual energy available for cultivation.
"Children under the age of thirty who embark on spiritual practice, and the elderly whose lifespan is less than fifty years, are exempt from fees."
For someone of my age and in good health, regardless of cultivation level, I must pay two hundred spirit crystals every year.
If one's cultivation level is low and one's life is difficult, and one cannot afford two hundred spirit crystals per year, then one can go to the Canghe Prefecture Affairs Office to plead one's case.
The person in charge will, at their discretion, choose a more suitable task for them, or directly reduce or eliminate a portion of their duties.
As they spoke, Steward Bai led the cultivators to a square. The square was circular and surrounded by wooden houses. These wooden houses were almost identical in size and sold everyday items made of spiritual materials.
The items for sale were uniform and neatly arranged, indicating that Lord Canghe had also made regulations here.
Manager Bai said, "The Canghe River connects waterways from all directions, and many merchants traveling from the south and north have rented shops on the Canghe River."
Lord Canghe did not charge them any shop fees; the two parties agreed to a 40/60 split of profits: Canghe Prefecture would receive 40%, and the merchants 60%. Furthermore, these shops would be subject to the unified management of the Canghe Prefecture's Commerce Department. There were three such shops on Flower and Bird Island.
Bai, the steward, led Jiao Jue and his group on a quick tour of the square selling everyday items before taking them to the next square.
The second square specializes in selling spiritual plants, while the third square is the island's trading area, selling all sorts of things.
Manager Bai said that there are special small boats on the Cang River that can take guests to visit the various islands and buy goods.
These small boats are fast, inexpensive, and not very comfortable; they are maintained by the Commerce Department.
Gu Qingqing noticed that in the third market, there were quite a few fish cultivators with low cultivation levels selling aquatic spiritual herbs, as well as unawakened fish fry.
A pelican was drooling over the fish Xiu next to it, but the fish Xiu just blew a bubble at the pelican and continued doing her business.
Gu Qingqing asked doubtfully, "Most of you eat spirit fish. Is it safe for those fish cultivators to do business together like this?"
Bai, the steward, stopped, parted the feathers on his forehead with his wings, and pointed to a sliver of golden light that shone through, saying, "Every intelligent being in the Canghe River must go to the clan affairs office every five years to have their golden seal affixed. Once the golden seal is affixed, one becomes a Canghe River cultivator and cannot fight or kill each other."
Lord Canghe specially designated habitats for us and set boundaries for the waters for each race, so that we all have enough water to raise the unenlightened spirit fish.
I've heard that this method is now being used for water diversion in the Lanjiang River area as well.
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