Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 1 Reborn as a River
He Bo was flowing quietly,

The wind and clouds passed by his eyes.

The noise of people continued.

A small progress bar floated at the edge of the field of vision, and 99.999% of the progress had been loaded.

"Right away!"

"Right away!"

"I've had enough of this damn life!"

After waiting for who knows how many days and months, there was finally the dawn of the end, and He Bo couldn't help but feel excited.

As his heart fluctuated,

The originally calm river surface suddenly rose up with a few waves, which hit the shore with a loud noise.

"After the progress is completed, there must be some changes in this life that is worse than death!"

He Bo was full of expectations.

Conscious and aware,

But I can't move at all.
But I can still hear and see other people's words and actions, which is only slightly better than lying flat on my back with my eyes closed...

Who made him a river now?

The gurgling river brought He Bo's thoughts back to his previous life, or to the time when he was still a human being.

He Bo before he became a river,
He is a normal "person" who can run, jump, talk and laugh, and lives in an era of advanced technology.

He Bo lived happily until he was 20 years old with both parents and no worries about food and drink. Then he unfortunately "died" while trying to save a drowning child.

of course,

Losing the body but still retaining consciousness,
Is he dead or not?
He Bo couldn't explain it clearly.
But initially,
He Bo was extremely happy.

I feel like I am just like the protagonist in traditional online novels and have had an adventure.

As a result, after the excitement faded away, He Bo helplessly realized that he had merged with an unknown river.

He is the river.

The river is him.

But a river cannot talk or communicate with people.

Even in the early stages, when the progress bar was not even halfway through, he couldn't even control the water waves. He could only stay awake like a drowning person, feeling himself being swept eastward by the current.

Even more terrifying is,
Through observing the people traveling between the two sides of the river, He Bo sadly discovered that he was most likely no longer in the original time and space.

Because when He Bo was still a human,
No one would carry buckets to the shore to fetch drinking water anymore.
There would never be a wizard leading a group of people to perform a bloody and barbaric human sacrifice by the river.

At that time, He Bo did not have the ability to cause waves with his thoughts like he does now. He could only helplessly watch as one young "sacrifice" after another was tied with stones and thrown into the river, and then became food for the aquatic creatures in the river.

"If my guess is correct, once the progress bar is full, we will be able to completely control this river!"

of course,

The worst outcome,

It is also possible that he was completely assimilated by the river.

However, compared to being a "river man" who retains his perception, He Bo feels that it would be better to disappear completely.

Various examples have long proved that

People have been lonely for a long time away from the group.
You will be driven crazy.

……

Ye County,

The witch was looking around the city, preparing for "He Bo's Wedding".

"Since you have no money this year, what about the girls in your family?"

The old witch, supported by her disciples, spoke to a man in simple clothes.

The man prostrated himself on the ground and begged the witch, "I have paid taxes and eaten food this year, but I cannot afford to prepare a wedding for He Bo... As for my daughter, she is only seven years old, how can she be He Bo's bride?"

"Please forgive me this year. I will make it up to you next year."

The witch sighed compassionately, "Alas, I raised money and gathered people just to please the River God and prevent floods from harming Ye."

"We all rely on the Zhang River for our livelihood, so how can we not understand the importance of pleasing the River God?"

"If you don't give me money this year, you can ask me for help, but who will take responsibility if He Bo gets angry?" "Your daughter is still young, so it doesn't matter. There are still two days to collect money. If you have money, you can give it. If you don't have money, you can send someone. Even if you can't be He Bo's lover, you can be a cleaning servant for him."

The man prostrated himself on the ground and cried inconsolably, but he did not resist the witch's words. He just waited for the witch and her disciples to leave, then went home and hugged his little girl and shed tears silently. Then he tightened his belt and said that he would rather not eat than not squeeze out some money.

"We can save some at home and borrow some...we can always make up the difference."

The man said to his wife, touching the little girl's innocent face, "How could I bear to watch a seven-year-old girl sink into the Zhang River!"

His beloved also sat beside him, wiping tears in pain. "Every year, we marry a new bride for He Bo, and every year the wizard comes to ask for money and rituals. How can we live like this?"

"But what else can we do?"

"If the Zhang River floods, the entire Ye County will be gone!"

"Besides, even if we don't believe this, how dare we not give them money if they ask for it!"

The man wiped his face with his sleeves, but he couldn't wipe away the bitterness and resentment on his face.

"Okay, I'll go out and borrow the money quickly. I'll get it together sooner and feel at ease sooner!"

"If...if we can't gather enough money, we'll just take the children and run away!"

The man looked reluctantly at the mud house that he had built with great difficulty, as well as the accumulated bottles and jars, and finally stamped his feet and said.

Not long after the man left the house, someone else came to visit.

The woman was worried that it was the witch who had sent people to collect money again, so she asked her daughter to go back to the house and hide. She slightly opened the door and asked the people outside, "Who are you?"

The person outside the door said, "I am an official of Ye County, ordered by the king, and I have come to ask about some matters."

The woman looked through the crack in the door and found that the man standing outside was handsome, wearing wide sleeves and a loose robe. He indeed had the air of an official or nobleman, and did not look like a subordinate sent by the witch.

So he timidly opened the door and welcomed the distinguished guest in.

The nobleman said, "My name is Ximen Bao. I have just been assigned to this place. I see that the population is small and the farmland is barren. I am puzzled. What disaster has happened?"

"Now that you know, is there any way you can do something about it?" The woman pinched her sleeves, thinking of her husband who was out borrowing money and her daughter hiding in the house, and couldn't help but ask the nobleman.

"Since I'm asking, I must have the intention to do something." Seeing her distressed face, Ximen Bao comforted her, "Just tell me what happened first. Otherwise, if you keep silent, even if I have the intention, how can I do it?"

Hearing this,

The woman then told him the situation in Ye County.

First, one year, the Zhang River flooded and submerged the fields on both sides. Afterwards, the gentry and witches in Ye County spread rumors among the people that the main reason for the flooding of the Zhang River was that the river god of the Zhang River was causing trouble.

The witch claimed that He Bo liked young and beautiful women, and as long as she married him a young and beautiful girl every year, there would be good weather and a good harvest every year.

Otherwise, the river god will get angry, floods will occur, and fertile farmland will be destroyed, with disastrous consequences.

After hearing this, the people of Ye County sought the blessing of He Bo and held the wedding ceremony according to what the witch had said.

However, apart from selecting beautiful women, it would cost a lot to marry a wife for He Bo. Therefore, the gentry would collect taxes from the people every year and extort money, saying that they were raising funds from the people to prepare for great events.

"You believe in such a thing?"

After hearing this, Ximen Bao was furious. He felt that the people of Ye were deceived by the gods and ghosts and were ignorant.

Over the years, I don’t know how many women I have hurt and how much money I have lost.

"So what if you don't believe it?"

"If you don't believe me, the ones who will be sunk into the river are my family!"

The woman said to Ximen Bao, "Your Excellency will have your own peace of mind, don't worry about this!"

Ximen Bao felt ashamed for this, "I was just thinking too simply."

"Now that I have heard about this matter today, I will naturally find a way to relieve the worries of the people of Ye County."

He stood up angrily and said to his attendants, "If we allow such evil people to continue to cheat and extort, how can we live up to the trust of the king?"

"As for money, I will provide you with some first, to show your deep love for your son."

Ximen Bao asked someone to take out some coins and give them to the woman.

After the woman took it, she wiped her tears and expressed her gratitude.

After this,

Ximen Bao took his men to inquire everywhere, and after understanding the basic situation of Ye County, he made a preliminary decision on how to deal with the local witchcraft and the harm to people.

……

(End of this chapter)