Chapter 457 Road Construction (1)
Ji Rong's words left Shi Ming's mind reeling. The inner conflict within her was finally unleashed after these words, and her spirit began to collapse.
She plunged into the shallow, dark river before her, letting the bitter water engulf her. Long-standing suffering had made her accustomed to being immersed in bitterness, and at this moment, she finally felt at peace.
But she had only been in the water for a day when Qing Guanzi woke her up the next afternoon.
Looking at her thin body, Qing Guanzi said fiercely, "You black dragon, you really are stupid. You don't even know to come to me for food. You've been squatting here being lazy!"
I don't know how my junior sister could have seen your withered and dying appearance and even asked me, the Great Sage, to teach you martial arts!
From now on, you must clean at least 100 li of the river every day... Never mind, start by cleaning 50 li carefully every day. After you finish cleaning the river, you must pile the silt up to the shore of Bitter Water Lake, and then go to the Blood Pill Sect to get your meal from me.
I'll teach you... I'll start by teaching you how to strengthen your foundation and temper your meridians. Without strong bones and muscles, learning anything will be difficult.
After saying that, Qing Guanzi tossed Shi Ming a relatively worn-out large storage ring, saying with great disdain, "I've already put today's food in there for you. I'll also give you this storage ring; you can use it to store mud from now on."
The sacred aura emanating from Qing Guanzi made Shi Ming tremble uncontrollably. His disdainful look finally cracked open her heart, bringing her back to her senses. She quickly regained her composure, accepted the storage ring, and solemnly bowed to Qing Guanzi.
With a new life beginning, she can no longer dwell on the past.
Pushing water, transporting mud, receiving meals, and practicing cultivation.
Shi Ming began her new life on the 12,300-mile-long Bitter River, day after day.
Six months later, Qing Guanzi stared at Shi Ming, whose breathing had become much stronger, and said, "I have taught you all the methods for strengthening the foundation and tempering the meridians; from today onwards, you don't need to come to me after you finish eating, just cultivate on your own."
But from now on, you will have to clear 80 li of mud every day, and every month you will have to add 10 li. Once you have cleared the river once, you will clear it a second time. When you can clear 500 li a day, come and find me.
I will then teach you the Dragon Clan's Body Tempering Technique; if you can learn it, it can extend your lifespan.
——————
After settling Shi Ming in, Ji Rong thought about the river network of Buzhou and embarked on a journey to find cultivators who could control the waterways.
It's easy to find creatures with a beginning and an end, but it's hard to find cultivators who are literate, hardworking, and ambitious.
After much deliberation, Ji Rong felt that simply setting up literacy classes in Kushui would not have a wide impact, and that it would be necessary to introduce more cultured ethnic groups.
Then she thought of the Lich lineage. Once upon a time, they were worried and ashamed because of their mixed bloodline. If given the opportunity to make a name for themselves, they would be very willing.
So Ji Rong went to the Wu tribe in Danzhou and found Wu Yue, who had a large fish tail. She asked him bluntly, "Wu Yue, although the desolate sea is vast, you must be tired of seeing it after so many years."
Do you want to lead your branch to control the floods in Buzhou? If you do well, you can become the River Lord and enjoy the love and respect of the entire river.
At that time, your figures will also appear on the totems of the various states.
"Lord Ji, me?" Wu Yue pointed to his face and said, "Your question is so sudden, I don't know how to answer."
Ji Rong nodded and said, "Yes, it's you. In the Lich lineage, your branch can dive underwater and cannot live without water, so naturally you can navigate rivers."
However, the continent is currently impoverished and lacks spiritual energy. If you go there, you will certainly suffer some hardships. Therefore, I am asking you first. If you are not willing, then forget it.
Upon hearing this, Wu Yue only hesitated for three breaths before agreeing just as Ji Rong was about to turn away. He said, "Lord Ji, I am willing to go. I wonder when we need to set off? I would like everyone to pack up..."
Ji Rong nodded and smiled, "Is three days enough? Remember to make sure everyone brings all their belongings, because once you go, it will be difficult for you to come back in a short time."
Three days later, Wu Yue brought his group of 675 cultivators to Ji Rong, who then used a magic cage to transport them to the Twin Dragon River.
Afterwards, she found a Venerable Realm Catfish Wild Cultivator in the far north of Juzhou and sent him to the Niannu Mountains to clear the silt from the water.
Yu Hezhou asked a mountain tortoise for a group of pure spirit fish and released them to roam the Xiaolang River;
Yu Cangzhou asked some Shui people who had been living in poverty for many years to go to Fanshui and the downstream of Kushui Lake to make a river.
They found a pool of spirit fish roe in the Fulu Mountains and went to the Sa River;
Many mixed-race aquatic creatures were found at the former site of the Dragon Pool in Kunlun Yaochi, which then migrated to the Hengsan water system.
With the influx of aquatic creatures, these waterways gradually spread throughout the entire territory of Buzhou. They connect the spiritual veins of the Lijiang River in the west, the single waterway of the Canglan Mountains in the east, and the Fanhai Sea in the north, linking the corners and center of Buzhou together.
With the waterway cultivators available, mountain paths could then be constructed, but constructing mountain paths was an extremely costly undertaking.
In the past, when roads were being built in the Danxue Mountains, the area was poor, but rich in cultivators;
After the road was repaired, the creatures living along the road would spontaneously trim the grass and sturd the soil along the roadside. In previous years, the creatures with fuller stomachs would secretly compare whose road section was more solid. As a result, the road in the Danxue Mountains got better year by year.
But this state is different; it is a place with poor land, low spiritual energy, and few living beings.
There are many high mountains here, but due to a lack of spiritual energy, the mountaintops are often covered in ice, and the foothills are mostly permafrost.
Therefore, building a road here is not easy, especially since Ji Rong's plan is for this road to connect the four major mountain ranges of the continent like a waterway.
So, Shan Zhongfeng privately discussed it with Ji Rong. He took out a leather scroll engraved with the mountains and waterways of the continent and said, "Girl, the greatest purpose of this road is to let cultivators know where it is safe to go."
But the road we need to build is too long, and we have neither resources nor wealth. So I thought we shouldn't use stones first, but only pave it with wood. When the resources of the prefecture are greater and the people are more prosperous, then we can pave it with stone bricks. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong hesitated and said, "The mountain roads are mostly wet, and the timber in Buzhou is mostly of ordinary quality. I'm afraid it won't withstand the dampness and will spoil in a few years."
“If it breaks, just replace it with a piece of wood.” Shan Zhongfeng said, “Daughter, I’ve thought about it. We’ll be cutting down trees when we’re building the road, so the wood is easy to find. Even if we replace it every five years, the mountains of Buzhou can afford it.”
If it's just about felling ordinary trees, even mountain beasts that have cultivated to the Illusionary Realm can do it. There are quite a few such minor cultivation areas in the continent.
However, if a stone slab is to be used to pave the road, then it is not something that ordinary cultivators in the demon realm can do.
..."
Shan Zhongfeng spoke, and Ji Rong listened. In the end, she agreed to Shan Zhongfeng's plan.
However, after thinking about it, she made some modifications and said, "Father, the rain makes the wood wet and slippery, so let's use wood for the outer edge and pave the inside with gravel. That way, even if the road is almost completely ruined, the gravel will mix with the decaying matter and won't be swallowed up by weeds so quickly."
Moreover, it's easier to repair.
Upon hearing this, Shan Zhongfeng immediately nodded in agreement, saying, "That would be even better."
Once the materials needed for road construction were determined, and the food and wages for the road builders were calculated, Shan Zhongfeng immediately set to work, carving out the leather scrolls and hiring the builders.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
