Chapter 65 + 66: The River God Ritual

"Oh no, my Si Pin Guan Yin!" Qin Feiyue’s face turned pale with shock as he hurriedly felt for his waist, only to find the fourth-rank official seal missing, sending beads of cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Losing an official seal was a serious matter, but as a disciple of the Guo Shi, he could still suppress the news. What terrified him more was that he hadn’t even noticed when the Quezi had stolen it. If the Quezi hadn’t been after the seal but had stabbed him in the back instead... He couldn’t help but shudder.

Qi Gongzi’s face flushed red with embarrassment, clutching her chest as numerous palace maids surrounded her, forming an impenetrable barrier. Earlier, the Quezi had pilfered several treasures from "him," and it was only when he took the chest-binding cloth that "he" was revealed to be a woman. The Quezi despised touching women while stealing, which caused him to slip up slightly, giving Qin Feiyue the opening he needed, forcing the Quezi to flee.

"This Quezi is the divine thief who infiltrated the imperial court’s inner sanctum to steal the Di Die—the Thief of Heaven!" Qin Feiyue suppressed his inner turmoil and, seeing that Qi Gongzi was unharmed, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He said: "Gong... Gongzi, you’ve been startled. This humble officer is incompetent..."

In the Xuan Bing, Gu Linuan was even more astonished. This Quezi had somehow stolen the sheath of the Shao Bao Jian right from his side! Not only that, but the Hei Fan in his other hand had also been taken by the Quezi. He was now sealed in the Xuan Bing, which was incredibly hard and freezing, immobilizing even a great expert like him. Back then, Qin Mu had tricked him into exhausting his Yuan Qi, allowing the handle of the Shao Bao Jian to be retrieved from the ice. Yet this Quezi had ignored the Xuan Bing entirely, casually touching and stealing both the Hei Fan and the sheath—it was like the hand of a ghost or god!

"Gu Daren, this Quezi once boldly entered the imperial palace’s inner court, right under the noses of countless elite guards, and made his way to the treasury. All the traps and killing formations inside were useless against him as he stole the Di Die, and no one could stop him," Qin Feiyue continued, "It was only thanks to the Guo Shi’s intervention that one of his divine legs was severed, but even the Guo Shi couldn’t capture him. He escaped with the Di Die and vanished without a trace."

Gu Linuan was stunned and fell silent for a moment before saying: "He lost a leg, yet he can still steal with such skill? Is it the leg that’s divine, or the hand?"

Suddenly, a massive beast’s wail echoed from the front of the ship. Qin Feiyue’s heart skipped a beat as he rushed to the bow, his pupils contracting in horror. Ahead, a massive spiderweb stretched across the river, blocking the Yong Jiang and locking down over ten li of the waterway! The beast pulling the ship had collided with the web and was struggling futilely to escape. Then, the river parted as an enormous spider emerged from the depths, dragging the beast onto the web. It began spinning silk around it before sinking its fangs into the beast’s body. Even as many warriors on the ship used Qi to control their swords or unleashed divine abilities, they couldn’t drive back the giant spider or even cut through the web! Soon, the beast withered away, reduced to nothing but a husk.

Qin Feiyue’s body trembled, and his hand on his treasured sword shook as well. He wanted to strike down the giant spider but didn’t dare move. He spotted a pharmacist on the riverbank, carrying a medicine basket and dressed in simple green robes, but his face was grotesquely disfigured. The pharmacist beckoned, and the giant spider in the river began retracting its web, crawling along a silk thread toward him. The spider grew smaller and smaller until it shrank to a tiny speck and crawled into the pharmacist’s medicine basket.

With the web gone, the ship drifted downstream once more. Qin Feiyue faintly heard a voice in his ear: "Tell the Guo Shi not to get any ideas about Da Ru. He might stir up us old cripples..."

In the Xuan Bing, Gu Linuan trembled and whispered: "It’s Du Wang..."

Qin Feiyue steadied his racing heart and composed himself, shouting: "All warriors, listen up! Man the oars and row back to Yan Kang!"

After sailing two or three li, a warrior suddenly stammered: "Qin Jiangjun, there’s someone on the river!"

Qin Feiyue gritted his teeth, his face ashen, and said coldly: "What kind of demon or ghost dares block my ship? Ram them..." But as he spoke, he caught sight of the figure on the river—a person with only an upper body, their lower half severed at the waist. The strange figure held two bizarre great blades, standing on a reef in the middle of the river.

Suddenly, blade light tore through the sky with earth-shattering force. Qin Feiyue looked up to see the clouds in the heavens split by the terrifying blade energy! Then, the blade light descended, slashing straight toward the ship!

Whoosh—

The waters of the Yong Jiang parted, the river dividing into two as if cleaved by the blade!

"Seven Star Shen Zang, activate!" Qin Feiyue roared in fury as divine treasuries within his body burst open, unleashing terrifying Yuan Qi that transformed into two massive dragons, slamming into the ship’s side and shifting it sideways by a hundred zhang! The blade light grazed the ship and continued upstream, splitting the river for over ten li before finally closing behind the strange figure.

"Heh heh, fighting the Guo Shi’s disciple is boring. Fighting the Guo Shi himself would be fun..." The figure on the reef sheathed his blades, placed his hands on the rock, and leaped into the air with explosive force, vanishing from sight.

Qin Feiyue suppressed the trembling in his legs and called out: "Hold the ship steady, hold it..." His voice shook so much that even he could barely hear himself, so he sat down to regulate his breath, though his mind was in chaos.

Gu Linuan was even more fearful, whispering: "Tian Dao! The one who once wielded his blade against the heavens and was slain by the gods—Tian Dao is still alive..."

Qin Feiyue’s expression shifted between pale and flushed: "How can this insignificant little village in Da Ru harbor so many old monsters? Shen Qiang, Tian Dao, Shen Tou, Du Wang... Just what other terrifying beings live in that village?"

He glanced at the Yong Jiang map he had painstakingly drawn, which was still on the ship, untouched by those vicious outlaws, bringing him a moment of relief.

"Wait a minute!" He suddenly realized: those villains hadn’t destroyed the map not because they couldn’t, but because they didn’t care to. These old monsters were so confident that even if he took the map back, the Guo Shi wouldn’t dare invade Da Ru!

"Why didn’t they kill us?" The cross-dressing "Qi Gongzi" asked.

"Disdain." Qin Feiyue replied bitterly: "They disdained to kill us, probably because our skills are too insignificant..." He felt a bitter taste in his heart. As the Guo Shi’s disciple, he had always held himself in high regard, and his reputation echoed throughout the court and country. But this trip through Da Ru had exposed him to so many powerful figures, shattering his former arrogance! He had still felt some pride when he encountered the Xiazi, despite being shaken, but then came the elusive Quezi, the insidious pharmacist, the brutal butcher—his pride and backbone were completely crushed, leaving only fear.

"Nothing can stop the Guo Shi, and nothing can intimidate him!" Qin Feiyue thought of his master, the Yan Kang Guo Shi, and his inner unease melted away. His gaze hardened as he murmured: "The old folks in Da Ru are like mantises trying to stop a chariot—they’ll only end up shattered!"

The ship continued downstream, and Qin Feiyue suddenly paused, looking ahead. There had once been an oasis here with an ancient temple, but now it was gone! He had sensed something odd about the temple earlier and hadn’t entered it, though he had marked it on the Yong Jiang map. To his surprise, upon returning, both the temple and the oasis had vanished.

"Open your eyes!" Qin Feiyue muttered, his eyes gleaming as he peered into the water. He was horrified to see that the oasis was still there, but it had been flattened by some immense force, with the ancient temple now sunk beneath the waves!

"Da Ru..." He steadied himself and ordered the warriors to channel their Yuan Qi to row faster, eager to leave the area.

Not long after the ship departed, the river suddenly split open, and a bronze Buddha, chained and heavy, rose from the depths. Yet it seemed weightless as it stood on the water’s surface.

"Those old monsters from Can Lao Village are stronger than I thought—tricky to deal with..." The bronze Buddha gazed toward Can Lao Village, then stamped its foot and dashed onto the shore, racing away. "They stole my Gong De; I can’t let this slide so easily. But with the Yan Kang Guo Shi itching to enter Da Ru, I’ll just sit back and watch the tigers fight! Once they’re all exhausted, Lei Yin Si can reap the benefits."

Outside Can Lao Village, Qin Mu encountered the Quezi approaching. The Quezi tossed him an object, which Qin Mu caught—it was a sword sheath, a perfect match for the Shao Bao Jian. Qin Mu stared in bewilderment, about to ask where it came from, when the Quezi shoved another item into his arms.

Qin Mu pulled it out and saw it was a strip of milky-white cloth embroidered with pink peonies, about a chi wide and as long as a belt, carrying a faint fragrance.

"Que Ye Ye, what is this?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.

The Quezi’s smile froze on his face as he said awkwardly: "It’s a sweat towel—keep it for wiping sweat. What bad luck... How did I end up with something like this? Touching it will bring three years of misfortune..."

Qin Mu, his heart filled with confusion, wondered how merely touching a handkerchief could bring misfortune, let alone a three-year streak of it.

Yet, the "handkerchief" was incredibly soft to the touch, smooth and naturally fragrant. It would certainly serve well for wiping away sweat. It was likely woven from the silk of a unique silkworm variety, making it quite valuable. Such fine cloth was a rarity in the Great Ruins.

He tucked the handkerchief into his bosom, then turned to admire the Shao Bao sword and its sheath, his heart swelling with joy.

The upper half of the Shao Bao sword's sheath was gold, adorned with jade and pearls. The sheath's opening was sculpted into a gaping fish-dragon maw, and from this mouth, the treasured sword would emerge. The lower half of the sheath, in contrast, was a simple silver-grey, devoid of any decoration or carving. The sheath's tail was also sculpted into a fish-dragon's tail, and this too was gold.

*Clang.*

Qin Mu sheathed the sword. Channeling his vital energy into the sheath, the Shao Bao sword once again sprang forth. As it emerged, a colossal fish-dragon seemed to manifest from the sheath, leaping above his head, its maw opening to release the sword.

He raised his hand and drew the sword from the fish-dragon's mouth, a sense of satisfaction washing over him. "This sword sheath is truly a marvel! It can actually manifest a fish-dragon!"

He returned the sword to its sheath, and the fish-dragon swallowed the Shao Bao sword, vanishing back into the sheath.

Qin Mu's heart blossomed with delight. He injected vital energy into the sheath once more, and the fish-dragon reappeared, spitting out the Shao Bao sword. He'd draw the sword out, then insert it back into the fish-dragon's mouth, and the fish-dragon would merge with the sheath again.

He repeated this playful act over and over until the blind man on the side couldn't help but say, "Mu child, enough with the games. Your mother-in-law has acquired a few more head of livestock and wants you to herd them. These cows are to be taken to Inlay Dragon City for sale tomorrow."

Qin Mu acknowledged his words and hurried back to the village. He led six castrated bulls out to pasture, a question lingering in his mind: "My mother-in-law sold off the village's livestock just recently. How have six more cows appeared? Where did they come from?"

As he left the village, he saw the village chief, the Apothecary, the Mute, and others gathered, engaged in a discussion. The Lame Man sat nearby, dismantling a black banner. He tossed the banner's fabric to Grandpa Cripple to use as a door curtain for his carpentry shop, and the banner's pole to Granny Si to shoo away chickens.

The next day, Qin Mu harnessed the ox cart. Granny Si smiled and said, "Mu child, you can come along to the city this time."

Qin Mu was both surprised and pleased. He quickly strapped on the Shao Bao sword, gathered his pig-slaughtering knife, bamboo staff, iron hammer, and other items, and hopped onto the ox cart. Behind him, the blind man walked at a leisurely pace and sat on the ox cart, one on each side of Granny Si.

The cart was laden with some iron tools forged by the Mute, several stacks of different beast hides hunted by Grandpa Cripple, the Lame Man, and Qin Mu, and two bound sheep whose hooves were tied and placed among the goods.

Three large, sturdy yellow cows were harnessed to the front of the cart, and three more were tied to the back.

The young man cracked the whip, and the large yellow cows blinked their innocent eyes and headed towards the village entrance.

This was his first time entering a city, and a hint of excitement tingled in his heart, so much so that his body felt like it might take flight. He completely overlooked the innocent eyes of the large yellow cows and mountain sheep.

Inlay Dragon City was a long distance from Old Cripple Village, some thousand *li* away, making a trip to the city a significant event. However, the Great Ruins were desolate and the land roads were poor. They had to first travel by water, then walk another ten *li* of land to reach Inlay Dragon City.

Qin Mu drove the cart to the edge of the Surging River. He saw the Lame Man tying a large bamboo raft at the riverbank. He carefully drove the ox cart onto the bamboo raft. The Lame Man untied the rope, and the bamboo raft began to drift downstream, its speed steadily increasing.

Even at this speed, it would still take four or five days to reach Inlay Dragon City.

After drifting for over forty *li*, the blind man used his bamboo staff to point at the water surface, and the bamboo raft suddenly steered towards the riverbank.

Qin Mu, not understanding the reason, looked towards the shore. He saw that it was in the direction of the Grandma Temple. Many people from various villages had already gathered at the riverbank, mostly in ox carts and horse carts, waiting.

The riverbank was filled with stopped bamboo rafts, and in the distance, more rafts were sailing in. Before long, over a hundred bamboo rafts had gathered here.

The blind man took out several sticks of incense, lit them in the wind, and inserted them at the riverbank. Other villagers quickly followed suit, inserting stick after stick of incense at the riverbank. The incense smoke swirled around the riverbank, drifting towards the river's center with the light breeze.

Suddenly, someone shouted a loud slogan, and then more people joined in, singing loudly at the riverbank. It was a river song, a sacrifice to the river god.

"With a maiden I roam the nine rivers, wind surges, water rises in waves;

Ride a water cart, lotus-covered, drive two dragons, a pair of *chi*;

Ascend Kunlun, gaze in four directions, heart soaring, vast and boundless;

Sun sets, sadly forget to return, only at the furthest shore awaken and think;

..."

Ancient tunes resonated from their nasal cavities and throats. Many villagers chanted together, their voices long and majestic. This scene stirred an inexplicable emotion in Qin Mu.

Suddenly, the water surface ahead parted, and a massive creature emerged from beneath.

From the depths rose water behemoths, their backs a greenish hue, with four enormous fins like fish fins. Their heads resembled those of fish but were adorned with long, spear-like noses.

The heads of these water behemoths rose, like small hills, their noses converging before the incense on the riverbank. With a forceful inhale, the incense sticks on the shore burned rapidly, their smoke entering the giants' nasal cavities.

These behemoths closed their eyes, then after a moment, opened their mouths and exhaled large rings of smoke, appearing to greatly enjoy it.

The villagers on the shore took advantage of the situation and drove their ox carts onto the long green backs of the behemoths. Qin Mu, seeing this, also quickly drove his cart onto the back of one of the giants. Granny Si took out a large piece of prepared meat and threw it into the water. The behemoth ate the meat and let out a long cry of "hū," then its four fins began to move, carrying the ox cart and the three people on it downstream.

Behind them, one green-backed behemoth after another let out long cries. The calls in the river echoed, accompanied by the villagers' chanting, high and low. The behemoths carried them downstream.

"These are unique creatures found only in the Surging River, called Burden Rivers," Granny Si said. "Burden Rivers are the river gods in the hearts of the villagers living along the river. They like the smoke of incense, and they also like to eat beef. What they love most is listening to songs, songs that praise them. People living by the river only need to light a few sticks of incense to attract them. Offer them beef, and the Burden Rivers will carry us downstream with the current. If the Burden Rivers get hungry along the way, you must give them more beef, otherwise, they won't move and will throw us into the water."

Qin Mu gasped in wonder.

The Burden River behemoths swam incredibly fast, and with the current, they surged forward, breaking through the waves. The strong wind struck their faces, moving even faster than swift horses galloping on land.

Qin Mu calculated that at the speed of the Burden River beasts, they would likely reach Inlay Dragon City, a thousand *li* away, before dark!

In the middle of the Surging River, the calls of the Burden River behemoths rose and fell, and the green mountains on both banks also rose and fell. Sunlight shone on their faces, and the river surface shimmered with golden waves, golden snakes dancing in chaos.

Gazing into the distance, Qin Mu suddenly felt his body and mind expand. It was as if this golden river, green mountains, blue sky, and canyons were all contained within his chest.

This was a magical land, magical people, magical river beasts. Although outsiders of the Great Ruins considered this a place of poor mountains, bad waters, and shrewish commoners, to Qin Mu, this was his home!

As dusk descended, the sun setting in the west, Qin Mu saw a small dock appear on the riverbank. The Burden River beasts gradually slowed down and swam towards the dock.

Granny Si stood up and said with a laugh, "Inlay Dragon City is almost here, Mu child. Drive the cart down, let's get into the city as soon as possible."

Qin Mu stopped the bamboo raft and drove the cart ashore. He turned to look back and saw that the other Burden River beasts were also flocking to the shore. People from other villages in the Great Ruins were also driving their ox carts and horse carts down, heading towards one direction.

After traveling two or three *li*, the ox cart climbed a small hill. Ahead was a downhill road. Qin Mu jumped down from the ox cart, planning to lead the steady big yellow cow to prevent the cart from slipping. Suddenly, a slight shock jolted his heart, and he stared blankly ahead.

At the foot of the hill, a straight road stretched forward. There was an ancient, simple, and majestic city. At the four corners of the city walls stood stone pillars, over thirty *zhang* thick and about one hundred and sixty to one hundred and seventy *zhang* high. Each stone pillar was entwined with golden divine dragons, seemingly carved and inlaid with gold leaf, making them dazzling with golden light!

And the city tower of this city was also built in the shape of a dragon's head. The city gate was the dragon's mouth, and the city tower's flying eaves were like dragon horns, both fierce and full of dominance!

Inlay Dragon City.

One of the few prosperous places in the Great Ruins.

Resources were scarce in the Great Ruins. Oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all precious commodities that needed to be purchased from outside. And not everyone could go outside. Only in prosperous places like Inlay Dragon City would external merchants come, bringing goods from the outside, and at the same time, buying the rare and strange things of the Great Ruins to sell elsewhere.

"These divine dragon pillars here are much bigger than our village's stone statues," Qin Mu praised sincerely. "If we could steal them and place them at our village entrance, it would be magnificent!"

Granny Si rolled her eyes at him. "If we could steal them, I would have stolen them long ago! Unless you can make all the old folks in the village move, then there's a chance of stealing them! Hurry, it's getting dark. Let's get into the city early!"

The cart wheels rolled, and Qin Mu drove the ox cart into the city, looking around with curiosity. Everything in Inlay Dragon City was new to him.

Carts and horses were like dragons in the city, and people were everywhere. He had never seen so many people in his life.

Furthermore, there were many girls, dressed up brightly, standing on building after building, very enthusiastically opening their window lattices and waving at him, constantly calling him to come up and play.

"The people in the city are truly enthusiastic!" Qin Mu was very excited and waved back at the girls, saying loudly, "Wait until I've sold everything, then I'll come and play with the sisters!"

The blind man couldn't help but chuckle. "Mu child, those on the buildings are fallen women. They don't really want to play with you. If you go up, you'll be stripped to the bone, and even your bone marrow will be sucked dry!"

Qin Mu was startled. "Fallen? Grandpa Blind, they're all standing steady, they don't look like they've fallen. Could they all be monsters like the Witch Women? The Witch Women said they wanted to play some shameful things with me, and I refused."