txolops Chapter 100 Mountain and River Sacrifice
Chapter 100 Mountain and River Sacrifice
Chapter 100 Mountain and River Sacrifice
Three days later, a great battle broke out.
Huang Qi led his army of refugees in a fierce attack on Fenggu City.
The number of refugee soldiers exceeded 150,000.
There are only 30,000 soldiers guarding Fenggu City.
The original garrison commander, upon hearing that the refugee army had attacked, abandoned the city and fled.
However, despite being five times outnumbered, conquering this city was by no means an easy task.
Before we knew it, the end of the year was upon us again.
Inside the courtyard, Chu Xun faced west and recited the incantation of the Flying Mystery Eight Assemblies.
White, golden energy appeared before my eyes and was continuously inhaled into my mouth and nose.
He then walked to the furnace and used tongs to take out the red-hot meteorite.
The golden essence was expelled from its mouth and merged into the meteorite iron.
So far, three strands of the gold essence fused with extraterrestrial meteorite iron have been collected.
It takes about four months to collect a single strand of golden essence.
Fortunately, the quality of this meteorite was high enough that it could accommodate the three strands of golden essence.
Such divine iron, if truly forged into a longsword, would probably cleave the City God of Zhangnan County in two.
Unfortunately, the meteorite iron has only been forged twice so far, still 98 times short of Chu Xun's goal.
He held the meteorite with pliers in one hand and a hammer in the other.
The clanging and jingling sounds echoed continuously in the courtyard.
Metallurgy 1037/30000: A spell that can slightly alter the shape of metal and advance one level. It has little effect on meteorite iron, but can be used to repair deformed hammers.
This way, we can save some time and money.
After hammering it three hundred times, the temperature of the meteorite cooled down, and Chu Xun put it back into the furnace.
He then took out an ordinary iron ingot from the furnace and began hammering it with a large hammer.
Soon, the outline of the iron billet was smashed out.
Return it to the furnace and heat it up, then use a small hammer to level it.
Once the shape is almost complete, use wire cutters to trim off any excess material.
After working on this for most of the day, the prototype of a longsword was finally ready.
However, it has not been quenched or sharpened, so it cannot be considered a proper weapon.
Meteorite iron from outer space is used to forge magical artifacts for transforming into dragons to protect the path and resist wind calamities.
However, the annual hourly exposure of clergy should not be overlooked.
In the last battle against the Underworld, Chu Xun killed the Martial Judge and the Night Wanderer.
The county's City God Temple has renovated and put the two statues back in.
Chu Xun secretly went to observe and found that Wu Pan and Ye Youshen had "come back to life" after more than half a year, but they had forgotten what had happened before.
This gave Chu Xun a clearer understanding of the Incense God.
As long as the incense burns, they will not be truly killed; they will only lose their memories as immortals and gods and be reborn.
They will only disappear completely when the incense offerings cease.
Fortunately, the forms of Wu Pan and Ye You Shen were very blurry, presumably because there wasn't enough incense offering and their strength hadn't yet recovered to its peak.
Currently, it seems that in a year, they are barely able to maintain their own existence, and are not much better off than the underworld officials.
Just in case, Chu Xun had many longswords forged during this period.
Each one is infused with a trace of golden essence, which will surely bring a small shock to the underworld.
After working for so long, Chu Xun finally had a moment to rest.
The Foundation Establishment stage brings a great leap in physical strength, so this kind of work won't tire me out.
However, even if the body is not tired, the mind will be exhausted.
Several weasels ran over; some massaged Chu Xun's back and legs as he sat on the stool, while others brought him a cup of tea.
They were so attentive, and Chu Xun was not stingy either.
With a flick of the finger, a water droplet imbued with spiritual energy was bestowed upon it.
The weasels' eyes narrowed with delight, and they served the animals even more attentively.
A few crows cawed from the eaves. Chu Xun looked up, laughed, and scolded, "If you can massage my back, I'll reward you too."
The crows flapped their wings and stretched out their claws on the eaves.
They're good at scratching, but they can't really pat someone's back.
Feeling comfortable being pampered by the weasel, Chu Xun half-closed his eyes, a deep blue water droplet appearing before him.
Every three days, a trace of Ren water essence is condensed, and this water droplet contains a full twelve traces.
As the concentration increased, the essence of Ren water also underwent some changes.
The most obvious change is the significant increase in weight.
This single water droplet can weigh at least ten pounds.
Chu Xun couldn't help but think that if it could contain a hundred or a thousand times the essence of Ren water, its sheer weight would be enough to create extraordinary power.
Ren is the essence of water. The number of heaven is one and the number of earth is six, hence the name Liu Ren.
He called this water droplet, which contains more essence of Ren water and undergoes a qualitative change, "Heavenly One Divine Water".
However, the essence of Ren water in my hand was condensed from river water and was not the best.
If it is condensed from a major river or the sea, the quality will be even higher.
Conversely, if it is condensed from well water, the quality will be lower.
"Even the rivers and mountains of this world have upper and lower sections; what's the big deal?"
"Destiny?"
Several weasels seemed to know what he wanted, and quickly ran into the house, then scrambled to bring him a book.
The weasel that first handed the book to Chu Xun was pinned to the ground and beaten before it could even squawk happily.
Chu Xun chuckled and shook his head, ignoring them, and opened the ancient book in his hand.
In the past few months, Tuo Huan'er has found many ancient books, hoping to obtain information from them about resisting the lightning tribulation and helping the Azure-White Python transform into a dragon.
However, throughout history, very few pythons have been able to transform into dragons.
Even if they do occur, they are mostly during thunderstorms and in rivers, making them difficult for ordinary people to observe.
The ancient book delivered by the weasel is called "Sacrifice to Mountains and Rivers," and it was compiled by the Ministry of Rites of the previous dynasty.
The "Explanation of Water" chapter of the Erya describes the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Ji River as the four major rivers.
The Wujiang River, which Wei Ting mentioned and was a full 800 zhang wide, is the Duzong, the head of the four rivers.
According to the "Mountain and River Sacrifice", there are righteous gods in the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Ji River.
The Ji River is a tributary like the Songliu River.
"Heaven has ordained Ji Bo to be in charge of the Ji River."
Chu Xun had read this sentence many times, wondering if after transforming into a dragon, he would have to compete with this so-called Ji Bo for control of the Ji River.
Judging from the fact that the gods of incense offerings suppressed the gods of non-incense offerings in order to compete for ownership of incense offerings.
If mountains and rivers truly have different destinies, then there must be something worth fighting for.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the door.
Chu Xun waved his hand to disperse the Heavenly Divine Water, and then saw Qi Ermao walk in.
Qi Ermao, already fifty years old with gray hair, entered the courtyard and immediately shouted, "This group of refugee soldiers is outrageous!"
"If they can't take Fenggu City, they'll have to conscript locally. If you ask me, they should be arrested and beheaded!"
Chu Xun raised an eyebrow. Huang Qi had been leading his troops to attack the city for several months, but they had not been able to capture it.
Fenggu City is defending itself to the death; I heard they even demolished civilian houses and used stones as weapons.
News also came from Kyoto that Commander Hong's surprise attack had burned down the refugee army's granaries.
They then used a city to set a trap, luring the enemy into a snare.
Zhang Jingheng, the Minister of Revenue, sent people to spread the news in the rear areas occupied by the refugee army.
They publicized the national policies that were being implemented everywhere.
The refugee army suffered heavy losses and lacked supplies.
With morale low at the front and unrest among the people at the rear, the situation has become a dilemma.
According to these reports, the two groups of refugee armies must join forces; otherwise, they will be bogged down and eventually perish.
Whether they should abandon Mingxiu Prefecture, the granary of the nation, or resist the temptation to attack the capital, remains to be seen.
But now the refugee army wants to recruit from the local area, which has crossed Chu Xun's bottom line.
He knew that he could not stop such a large-scale war on his own.
However, within a limited scope, some things can still be done.
"Qiaohua is extremely anxious and wants to go to Fenggu City. I don't dare let Chunni leave her side even for a moment," Qi Ermao said.
Her husband was within her reach, yet she could never see him.
How could buckwheat flowers not be anxious?
Qi Ermao came here only to complain a few times to relieve his unhappiness.
However, a group of refugees came directly to Songguo Village, riding tall horses and arrogantly demanding that Songguo Village send thirty men to join their army in attacking the city.
This is practically suicide.
The villagers trembled with fear, unwilling to go, yet too afraid to resist.
The refugee army held knives to their necks, forcing them to enlist.
Liao Licheng was one of them.
He practiced swordsmanship year-round, and his family never lacked food or drink, so he grew to be very strong.
Qiaohua was already anxious because she couldn't find Shitou, and now that her son was about to be conscripted, she was so anxious that she jumped up and down and cried out.
Liao Licheng clenched his fists and glared at the refugee army, only to be punched in the face by one of them.
"What are you looking at! Believe me or not, I'll chop you up!"
Fenggu City had been under siege for a long time without being captured, and the entire refugee army was burning with anger. When they did things, they had long lost the mind that they once had to fight for the people.
Seeing that the other party had actually raised the knife, Liao Licheng gritted his teeth, intending to snatch it and fight them.
Just as he was about to make his move, he saw the refugee army in front of him freeze, their eyes filled with terror.
For some reason, I suddenly couldn't move my body.
It's like having an iron rod stuck in all four limbs; no matter how hard you try, it's useless.
A flock of crows flew over, two of them grabbed one person, lifted the group of refugees, and threw them outside the village.
The villagers were dumbfounded. It wasn't too surprising that a crow could lift a person, given its astonishing size.
The oldest crow is already nearly five feet tall.
Why didn't the refugee army resist?
Could it be that it was frightened by the crows?
The refugee army, which had been thrown out of the village, had now resumed its activities.
Only then did he realize that a young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old had appeared in front of him.
"Go back and tell Huang Qi that he has lost the people's hearts; he mustn't be so foolish!"
The refugee army watched as a flock of crows landed beside the young men. A dozen weasels leaped over, picked up stones from the ground, and threw them at them.
The refugee army immediately understood that this seemingly insignificant village harbored such a remarkable person.
They turned and ran in a panic, not daring to linger any longer.
Watching the displaced army retreat in a disheveled state, Chu Xun shook his head: "That Ah Qiao—"
At that moment, I suddenly felt something.
[Cleric Rank 8354/10000: Unconferred minor deity, can hide remaining hours each year: 1079 (After conferment, can obtain divine powers and can possess a soul to die in place of another)]
Chu Xun clearly remembered that when the incense offerings accumulated at the Songliu Water God Temple were taken last year, the number was 8334.
There hadn't been any changes for the past six months, but today it suddenly increased by 20 points.
Chu Xun raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the fleeing army that had already run far away.
Was it related to preventing the refugee army from conscripting men in Songguo Village?
After a moment's thought, Chu Xun took a step.
Each step covered a hundred meters, and in the blink of an eye, they bypassed the group of refugees and arrived at Sanshi Village, more than ten miles away.
Chu Xun had almost never been here since the two villages fought over water when he was young.
Now the older generation has all passed away, and even the culprit, Song Jingmin, has been executed.
All past grievances can be considered wiped clean.
People from Sanshi Village also came to conscript men, and Chu Xun didn't waste any words.
The water-based magic controlled the bodies of these refugee soldiers, sending them flying.
Chu Xun needed the crows' help in Songguo Village simply because he didn't want to reveal too much.
But in Sanshi Village, he doesn't even need to show his face.
This can be done easily from a distance of a hundred feet.
The refugee soldiers were thrown out of the village, and a voice rang in their ears: "Get out!"
They were so frightened that they turned pale and slunk away.
The villagers of Sanshi Village looked at each other in bewilderment, still unaware of what had happened.
When he finally realized what had happened, he hurriedly knelt down, tears streaming down his face, and cried out in gratitude, "Thank you so much for your help! Thank you so much for your help!"
Chu Xun glanced at the information, and as he had guessed, the number after "Cleric" had increased by more than twenty points again.
Staring at the number that was just over a thousand short of matching the true god level, Chu Xun's eyes flickered slightly.
I always thought that only believers at the Songliu Water God Temple could accumulate incense points through worship.
But now it seems that this is not the case.
It seems that anything that can affect the fate of others is acceptable.
Like these villagers, if they were conscripted without rigorous training, coupled with the brutal siege warfare, they would be in serious trouble.
Death awaited them.
Chu Xun's help was like pulling them back from the brink of death.
Think of those ribbon-like beliefs in your mind, aren't they the same?
They make wishes because they want to change their own or others' fate.
"So this is the true path of the incense god, or rather, the path of merit."
Chu Xun left Sanshi Village silently and did not go to any other villages.
Instead, after thinking for a while, he headed towards Zhangnan County.
Since changing other people's fates can earn you incense points, instead of searching village by village, it's better to just go for the big one.
He was eager to know what would happen if he reached a level comparable to a true god, but was not officially appointed.
His intuition told him that this was a good thing.
Soon after, Chu Xun entered the territory of Zhangnan County.
Compared to before, the county town is now deserted.
There were hardly any ordinary people to be seen on the streets, and almost all the shops were closed.
It's not that I don't want to do business, but firstly, no one comes to my shop, and secondly, all my supplies have been confiscated by the refugee army.
They said they would repay double the amount if they conquered Fenggu City.
Judging from the current situation, it seems unlikely that they can repay the loan.
Inside the county government office, a group of people were busy at work.
News from the front lines kept coming back.
"We still can't take the city. In just ten days, we've already lost thousands of men!"
"Food supplies are running low, and the news has disturbed the people in the rear, making some unwilling to contribute food and labor anymore."
"Kill! Anyone who dares to spread imperial messages again, kill them all!"
The constant roars were so loud they made people feel restless.
Huang Qi stood in front of the sand table, but did not look at the enemy and friendly forces situation on it.
There's no need to look anymore. Scouts have reported that another army has been defeated by Hong Zexu, greatly reducing the pressure on the capital city.
The Ministry of War has mobilized 20,000 reinforcements, who are heading towards Fenggu City.
If they cannot capture Fenggu City before the arrival of these 20,000 reinforcements, they will not only face a poor siege, but may also be countered by the enemy.
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