Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 16 Tian Xingjian

Under the silent gaze of the crowd,

Amid the heavy breathing of the villagers,
The ten-foot-square area where the wooden stick stood suddenly cracked and sank, turning into a hole.

The soil fell with a rustling sound, and then the edge of the pit, which was originally dry and cracked, began to become moist.

First, a stream of turbid muddy water gushed out from the pit, turning the area around the pit into a puddle.

Then, streams of clear water broke through the mud and water, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

Someone bravely went over, scooped some with his hands and drank it, and then was delighted, "It's sweet!"

"It must have been given to us by He Bo!"

"I'll try it too!"

"I also want!"

Then, people began to crowd up to taste the rain and dew bestowed by ghosts and gods.

The servant also came forward and used the bamboo tube he was carrying to scoop some for Ximen Bao to taste.

Not really sweet...

Ximen Bao thought silently,

This is the smell of normal river water, and it even has a lingering smell of mud.

He looked at the villagers who were constantly exclaiming in surprise around the "spring water", thinking that it was indeed the case that "everything comes from the heart".

Feeling good in my heart,

Then everything is good.

But not long after, the cheering villagers stopped again and said sadly, "The water is gone in an instant!"

in fact,

It's not because the water has reached the bottom, but because they no longer have to scoop it with their hands easily.

so many people,

If everyone scoops a little, the water level will naturally drop quickly.

Ximen Bao knew why.
So he stepped forward and calmed the excited villagers down seriously, and then said, "I am favored by the God of the River, so what happened today happened."

"The waterwheel and this spring are both gifts from the gods and ghosts."

"However, the canal construction cannot be abandoned. Since He Bo accepted the sacrificial text, he must have approved of this matter."

"Build twelve canals. This is written in the sacrificial text. The water we bring in now, together with the water in the spring, is only barely enough to irrigate the land..."

In his dream, Ximen Bao requested the River God not to solve the water issue directly, otherwise all human affairs would depend on ghosts and gods, and what would be the use of brothers and sisters?

If the River God could just lightly tap and create a clear spring water well beside the fields in Ye County for people to use at will, then wouldn't all his previous efforts in building the canal be in vain?

"Mr. Ximen, why do you want to continue repairing?"

Why not ask He Bo to finish the task and save them from the hard work?
They will definitely offer a good sacrifice!
Knowing that Ye Ling was a person of concern to He Bo, and who might be more capable of communicating with ghosts and gods than Wu Ju, the villagers did not dare to question Ximen Bao directly, "Are you sick? Why are you forcing yourself to endure hardships when you can obviously solve the problem by praying to God?" They just expressed their doubts in a gentle tone.

Ximen Bao asked in return, "Did He Bo respond to the previous sacrifice?"

"No."

"Is the sacrifice careless?"

The villagers blushed immediately, "Absolutely not! Didn't Mr. Ximen see our sincerity in singing with his own eyes?"

"Is it because the sacrifice did not satisfy Habaek?"

The villagers hesitated and dared not confirm, "I guess he didn't understand what He Bo was thinking, and he is not as wise as Ximen Gong."

Recalling that Ximen Bao threw the witch into the river just a few days after taking office, it must be obvious at a glance that He Bo likes the witch more!
With such a good ability to understand the minds of ghosts and gods, it’s no wonder that Ximen Bao won the favor of He Bo!
Then Ximen Bao said, "The love of ghosts and gods for people is not the same as the love of parents for their children."

Parents love their children without any reason, so children can ask for anything from their parents without paying any price.

"If you and I are incompetent, then to the River God, we are no better than the fish swimming in the Zhang River."

"The Book of Changes says: Heaven moves with vigor, and the gentleman strives to strengthen himself."

"In this world, one must first help oneself, and then God will help one."

"If all we have to do is kowtow and offer sacrifices, then why don't the ghosts and gods continue the Xia and Shang dynasties?"

Comparing the scale and dedication of the sacrifice, the further you go forward, the more "sincere" it seems.

Although the villagers did not understand what Ximen Bao said, "the ancients said", they still understood the meaning -

They have to work hard first.
Then the gods and ghosts will favor you.

"Then you have to do everything yourself, why bother worshipping gods..." someone complained in a low voice.

Ximen Bao said, "Kowtowing to ghosts and gods is because humans cannot do it, so they pray to the gods of heaven and earth."

"You are not sick, so why would you take medicine?"

"Besides, you ask ghosts and gods for help in everything. Do you need ghosts and gods to help you get married and have children?"

The man immediately waved his hands, "No way! I'll just do the hard work of giving birth to the child!"

The others laughed along, but still wanted to ask Ximen Bao for a guarantee, "If we do something, will He Bo definitely bless us?"

"Everything depends on human effort. How can a wall of dung last long?"

"Okay, you are the governor of Ye and you can communicate with He Bo..."

After some quiet debate, the villagers finally decided to do as Ximen Bao said.

If this is the best "sacrifice" for ghosts and gods, then let it be a bit painful.

But it is conceivable that

When a ghost or god who can clearly demonstrate his power appears, it will definitely cause some people to think of "taking shortcuts".

Especially for those who already have power, the things they pursue can only be given by ghosts and gods.

……

"But what does this have to do with me?"

He Bo casually rolled up a wave and rolled a fish that was eating water plants into a backflip.

The innocent fish rolled over inexplicably, opened its mouth with a dull look and made two "baba" sounds, then filtered out this memory that was useless for survival and continued to nibble on the grass.

He Bo sighed as he looked at the yellow strip that was half missing.

"The illusion is false, and the cost is low."

"Directly acting on reality, the energy consumption is still a bit high."

He Bo originally wanted to try whether he could really "bless" people and relieve their pain. But now it seems that he is not worthy of trial and error.

So for now, He Bo can only dig a well for Ye County.

Thinking of this, He Bo couldn't help but say, "Confucius said, 'I was poor when I was young, so I could do many menial tasks.' Compared with other great rivers in the world, my Zhang River is nothing special. I can do some menial tasks with it!"

"Anyway, I am invincible in the Zhang River!"

He Bo stopped thinking about it and walked slowly into the "Underwater Palace of He Bo" that he had just created for himself.

Until now,
He Bo also didn't have the ability to create a physical body for himself.

He is every drop of water, every grain of sand and every wave in the Zhangshui River.

The rushing Zhang River,
It's his blood and body.

However, He Bo still retains his human thinking.

Many times, he still misses the feeling of being a human being.

So after building a manor in his dream and welcoming Ximen Bao into his dream, He Bo suddenly discovered that -

Although I have no entity,

But you can also weave a "dream" for yourself!

Zhangshui was originally his territory. He Bo could do whatever he wanted there without breaking any law.

It would fall before, but in the final analysis, it left the river itself and acted on others.

So He Bo performed magic in the Zhang River and created a "palace" for himself.

This "palace" exists in his consciousness, invisible and formless.

If we are still mortals, then it is simply "self-satisfaction in the brain".

But He Bo is now a ghost,

If the ghosts and gods say it exists, then it exists, and it is the kind that they carry with them.

“I just don’t know when I can make it truly manifest in front of people.”

He Bo was lying in his own "palace", watching the countless water whirlpools passing by outside the palace, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Let's save some money first and take down Tongdishui in one fell swoop!"

　Thanks to book friend 20231113052307232 for the monthly vote and book friend Qin Sihua for the recommendation vote (*︶*)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)