Seeking Truth with a Sword

Chapter 379 - 330 Delivery

Su Feng said, "You must have read about the flood during the Fengyi Era in the books, right?"

"That flood?"

"Mm-hm."

Su Feng nodded. "Back then, Hedong Road and the Capital Province were struck with torrential rains that lasted for two months. The court, the Academic Palace, the garrison, academies everywhere, and State Mansion troops all put forth their utmost effort to fortify the riverbanks, exhausting countless manpower, resources, and wealth just to barely stabilize the dams. However, some Demon Cultivators, for their own selfish gains, slaughtered the River Suppressing Chi Beast dwelling at the bottom of the river—one that had lived for who knows how many years. This caused the riverbanks to burst open, and the floodwaters raced into the plains. The lands of both provinces were completely submerged. Houses collapsed, carriages were washed away, villages and towns were drowned, and countless common people lost their homes, leaving a scene of utter desolation."

Li Ang fell silent for a moment. Once a flood breaks out, it can affect hundreds of State Mansions along the riverbanks, with victims numbering in the millions, or even tens of millions. Afterwards, there are issues like the spread of diseases, soil salinization, and reduced grain production, which are even more severe than Water Poison epidemics that are like being slowly cut by a dull blade.

The Fengyi Era was coincidentally when the Mountain Master was young. Having personally witnessed the terror of the flood, it’s no wonder that in the decades of the Mountain Master’s tenure, the Academic Palace has placed such great emphasis on water conservancy.

Li Ang thought for a moment and then asked, "Even with Yu Country’s national power today, are we still unable to eliminate the hidden dangers of floods?"

"The waters of the Muddy River are thick with silt. Raise the dikes by one foot, and the water level rises by eight inches. The dikes are built higher and higher, eventually towering twenty to thirty feet above the towns on either bank. It’s like a hanging river above the ground." Su Feng spread his hands. "The Muddy River’s water is so full of silt, it’s said that for every ten parts water, six are mud. So much silt flows downstream every moment. Even Cultivators, mighty as they are, remain human, not Gods and Buddhas; they can’t magically eliminate the silt in the river. Moreover, the bottom of the Muddy River connects to the Nine Nether. The Nine Nether Dark River spreads throughout the world, its terrain so complex that no one can fully understand it. It’s possible that Hedong Road or the Capital Province receive little to no rain. However, torrential rains from other places can enter the Muddy River through the Nine Nether Dark River. This can cause the Muddy River to surge suddenly, leading to floods. That’s what they mean by ’the might of heaven is unpredictable.’"

"This really is..." Li Ang smacked his lips. It feels as if Yu Country is sitting on a powder keg stacked with countless hidden dangers. Risks seem to lurk everywhere.

"Shocked, aren’t you? Haha, when I first found out, I couldn’t sleep at night either. I nearly ran down Vermilion Bird Street to tell the citizens about the risks, just like a man who frets about the sky falling down." Su Feng smiled. "Ease your mind a bit. Once your authority increases and you’ve read more Forbidden Books from the Book Collection Pavilion, you’ll adapt. If ordinary people can learn from their missteps, how much more so the Academic Palace, with its countless clever minds? Compared to the Former Sui, Yu Country has already built more dikes, reservoirs, and drainage gates. At crucial crossings, they’ve also arranged for the garrison and government troops to stand guard, minimizing the risk of floods as much as possible. The forces and methods we have to maintain order in secret are far greater than you imagine. The likelihood of another major flood is incredibly slim. It’s about the same as the Haotian Sect Leader suddenly announcing he’s abandoning his faith to come to the Academic Palace for the entrance exam."

Yu Country doesn’t recognize dual citizenship. If the Sect Leader came, they’d have to issue him a new household registration—and it would have to be from Chang’an! Li Ang mused.

Li Ang rubbed his temples, deciding not to worry about this matter anymore.

"Don’t you see, the waters of the Yellow River come from the heavens..."

Amid the sound of poetry recitals at the banquet, the Heavenly Boat slowly and leisurely sailed westward, arriving at Xia Mountain during the night. Carriages that had been waiting outside the Academic Palace gates took the drunken guests back to their respective homes. Li Ang also boarded a carriage and returned to his long-missed Golden City Mansion. Too many events had occurred during the trial; it was time to rest well.

HUFF.

In the early morning, Li Ang woke up in his own bed, having had a full night’s sleep. He skillfully used Telekinesis to fetch a towel and hot water. After brushing his teeth and washing up, he went to the living room to have breakfast with Chai Chai and Galuo.

The breakfast included, but was not limited to, porridge, fried eggs, wine-fermented tofu, fried dough sticks, pickled vegetables, meat-filled flatbreads, milk, and steamed buns.

Li Ang looked at the table full of food and was no longer surprised.

Chai Chai had an even bigger appetite than him. Galuo, as a Body Refining Martial Artist, also had an especially large appetite. When she first lived in the Golden City Mansion, she was a bit shy, like a young girl, deliberately eating less and claiming to be full after just three bowls of rice. After a few days of seeing Chai Chai’s meal plan, she finally started to eat her fill.

CLINK! CLATTER—

Chai Chai and Galuo sat on opposite sides of the table, each holding a bowl larger than their face, eating with their heads down and not uttering a word. Li Ang, having finished his meal, calmly sat in the middle, flipping through today’s newspaper. He used Telekinesis now and then to take away their empty plates, clean them in the sink, and stack them neatly.

With the increase in food consumption at home, the stove hadn’t been lit for cooking in quite some time; they mostly ordered dishes from restaurants. Restaurants along the street would send a waiter with a menu at mealtimes, asking Li Ang, their valued customer, to place his order. After receiving the menu, they would start cooking immediately and send the food over in containers.

Maybe I should suggest they develop a delivery service, Li Ang even considered.

"Any news today?" Chai Chai put down her bowl of porridge and asked casually.

"Nothing major." Li Ang glanced at her and used Telekinesis to brush two grains of rice from her cheek. "The ruler of one of the Six Nan Zhao Kingdoms has died of illness, so there will probably be an internal battle there. Also, Jiangnan East Road is planning to give a lamb to families with newborns."

"Give away a lamb?" Chai Chai tilted her head, puzzled. "What does that mean?"

Li Ang curled his lip. "It’s to encourage childbirth."

"Ah?" Chai Chai’s eyes widened in astonishment. "Isn’t Jiangnan Road densely populated? They still need to encourage it?"

"Times have changed," Li Ang explained. "The wealth produced by workshops is far greater than that from farming. Naturally, the more laborers, the better. The officials there even posted notices with slogans like, ’Many and quick births, happiness for life,’ and ’Boys or girls, it’s all the same; daughters are even more filial to their parents.’"

The introduction of forceps and the training of midwives in the sick house had greatly reduced the mortality rate of infants and mothers. Besides, workshops didn’t really discriminate between male and female workers.

Li Ang shook his head. "There’s also maritime trade. This academic exchange spurred the development of sea routes to the Western Country. Coastal State Mansions are busy building ships and are all short of manpower." He continued, "Some time ago, Ji Linglang mentioned that Shopkeeper Shade from our hometown in Yizhou has been growing his business. He even changed the name of his trading company to Shalong Trading Company."

"Shalong?"

"It’s actually named after the long parasite I pulled out of his leg."

Mentioning this, Li Ang couldn’t help but feel exasperated. "It seems Shopkeeper Sha is now fascinated with collecting various parasites. When he does business in other countries, he brings out jars of alcohol with different parasites in them. He then shares his personal experiences to warn foreigners about the hazards of drinking unboiled water and eating raw food."

In some ways, Shopkeeper Shade was riding on my coattails. But his advocacy for drinking more boiled water is beneficial to people, and I’m glad to see it.