Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 144 Reclaiming Control of the Water System
Chen Ji stared at the illusory image of the river book with great interest.

He had never seen the water god use magic.

Now is the perfect time to see how the water gods battle it out.

"Please move to the shore, sir, to avoid getting involved later."

"it is good."

Although Chen Ji wanted to take a closer look, since Ji Ming had spoken, he nodded and walked to the shore.

Ji Ming waved his hand and conjured a waterway on the river. He watched Chen Ji go ashore before turning his head to look at the clear Xidu River.

"Here comes the river!"

Ji Ming landed on the river and shouted loudly.

Behind him, the illusory image of the Hutuo River emitted a dense mist, which twisted and formed a mysterious rune.

The next moment, a wave of water vapor rushed towards me.

He reached out to touch it, but there was no moisture at all. Only then did he realize that the moisture did not come from in front of him, but from his soul.

So he used his Qi-gazing technique to look closely.

Only then did I realize that the runes in the air seemed to be more than just runes; they were more like some kind of edict.

Looking at Ji Ming's hand gestures again, they were indeed different from before. He was making a gesture similar to a water control incantation, but it was also different from the gestures used by the Daoists before.

He suppressed his thoughts and decided to ask later.

But he didn't forget to remind the little foxes to look carefully, as these might be things they would need to know in the future.

"I'll test you when we get back."

"what?"

"How can you test a fox like this, sir?"

Bai Ba asked.

"To study a subject, one needs to understand other spells. You are mountain demons, so have you previously learned about water spells?"

"Not really."

"Now that the Dragon King is performing magic for you, why aren't you watching carefully?"

"Furthermore, if you intend to cultivate Foxfire in the future, you should also examine what the dragon form looks like before you can use it."

"Furthermore, what the Dragon Lord is using right now is not an ordinary water technique, but an imperial edict, which you may need in the future."

"Understood!"

"Let's take a look."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

The four foxes, who had initially just thought it was a bit of fun, immediately looked seriously at the Water Dragon Lord after hearing Chen Ji's words.

A strange light gleamed in his eyes.

Chen Ji nodded slightly and looked at Long Jun's movements, studying them carefully.

The air was so thick with moisture that it was impossible to disperse; even without using the aura-observation technique, one could sense the pervasive moisture.

"The River Chart has appeared!"

Ji Ming spoke again.

The river that suddenly appeared in front of us seemed to float out in a phantom image.

From the air, it perfectly reflects the course of the river in the village.

It echoes the illusory image of the Hutuo River behind Ji Ming.

"The flow has stopped!"

Ji Ming raised his hand and pointed to the river, issuing an imperial edict.

With the imperial decree issued, the Hutuo River rushed straight towards the point where the Yellow River was diverted.

In an instant, the two rivers collided, creating surging waves and bursting open a hundred-foot-long white ribbon.

But as the white ribbon fell back into the river, Chen Ji raised an eyebrow and looked over, only to discover a problem.

He knew nothing about water management, nor did he understand the river god's decrees.

However, judging from the impact just now, Ji Ming Long Jun did not gain any advantage; in fact, some of the water he brought out even flowed into the Yellow River.

In his limited understanding, this was a sign that Hutuo Dragon King was weakening.

I also gained some understanding of the Xidu River God, whom I had never met before.

The mere fact that a river was transported here caused trouble even for the Dragon Lord Hutuo himself; he truly deserves to be called the River God of the Four Rivers.

Looking again, Ji Ming began chanting incantations and casting spells once more.

However, the struggle between the river gods was not an ordinary magical contest, but rather a battle for power.

There was nothing Chen Ji could do but watch from the sidelines.

Lost in thought, I heard Ji Ming shout in my ear.

"Shameless! You dare to secretly seize my Beidu's ancient veins! Get out of here!"

After saying that, he raised his finger and pointed to the place where the two waters met.

The illusory image of the Hetu River merges into the river.

The surging undercurrents in the Hutuo River pressed down on the Yellow River.

The clear flow of the Yellow River suddenly stopped, and a moment later a stream of yellow mud and sand gushed out, slowly spreading in the water and heading towards the Hutuo River.

The malevolent and sinister aura that Chen Ji had just sensed dissipated, carrying with it the yellow sand.

It was as if thousands of armored ghost soldiers were rushing towards the Hutuo River.

"A mere trick! Break it!"

Ji Minglongjun snorted coldly upon seeing the ghost soldier before him, and then cast a spell.

It was exactly the image of the aquatic creatures from the Water Mansion that Chen Ji had seen before.

In a short while, thousands of aquatic creatures reappeared on the Hutuo River, holding weapons and staring intently at the ghost soldiers before them.

"kill!"

Ji Minglongjun's gaze fell upon the Yin Qi Ghost Soldiers, revealing that they possessed no real ability and relied solely on the Yin Qi they had drawn upon from the Yellow River.

So he summoned the water veins again to wash away and attack the water veins in front of him once more.

The collision of the two streams of water is also a collision between the Hutuo River and the clear waters of the Yellow River.

In an instant, all the fish, shrimp, turtles, and tortoises in the river rolled their eyes back, their fates unknown, and even the place where the bodies had been hidden was no longer safe.

"Spare your life! Spare your life!"

A mournful cry came from the distant waters, but it was almost inaudible due to the turbulent currents. Only Chen Ji, who was closer, could faintly hear it.

At first glance, I realized it was the vengeful ghost from the Yellow River that I had just questioned.

At this moment, the river gods of the two rivers were fighting, and Chen Ji was unable to use the underworld edict to invite him over as he had done before.

He simply raised his hand and cast the Soul-Binding Technique.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Ji felt a blur before his eyes, and a semi-transparent figure appeared in his palm—it was the Yellow River Vengeful Ghost from before.

"My lord, save me... um? I'm not dead yet?"

The vengeful ghost instinctively kowtowed, only to find that its surroundings had changed; it was no longer the place where the corpse had been hidden.

Before I could even be surprised, I heard Chen Ji's voice.

"The river is filled with yin energy, which would normally be suitable for your cultivation. However, there is a battle between river gods at the moment, so please come here and rest for a while until the battle is over before you return."

"Natural, natural!"

The vengeful ghost dared not utter a single complaint at this moment.

Putting aside Chen Jiri's identity as a wandering deity, this soul-binding technique alone was enough to terrify him to the point of losing his soul.

However, Chen Ji looked along the river but could not find any trace of the fisherman ghost.

"Weird!"

Chen Ji looked around and felt puzzled.

The old fisherman ghost has clearly not disappeared for decades, so how could he possibly disappear now that the two rivers are fighting?

Unless there is something in the river that terrifies him.

Chen Ji's eyes flickered as he looked at the vengeful ghost and asked what the river's change of course had to do with them, and why the fisherman ghost had disappeared.

"this……."

The vengeful ghost sighed.

“Diverting a normal river wouldn’t be a problem, but this one is different.”

"It was the Yellow River God who used his magic to suppress it here. To break the waterway, the Hutuo River waterway must occupy the ancient waterway in order to restore clarity."

"The old angler probably didn't like this kind of environment, so..."

Just as the vengeful ghost finished speaking, Chen Ji looked up and saw a figure in a straw raincoat appear in the distance.

This time, they weren't fishing on the riverbank, but in the middle of the river, in a small boat that appeared out of nowhere.

"Greetings, sir!"

Old Ghost laughed loudly, looked at Chen Ji, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"I knew something was going to happen when I saw the fish swimming in the water looking panicked before I set off. I didn't expect that the master would actually invite the Dragon King!"

"Old man, why are you still thinking about fishing at a time like this? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Chen Ji looked over nervously.

The old man is now sitting not far from the confluence of the two rivers.

If the Yellow River's current were any more turbulent, I'm afraid my whole body would be swept away.

"The adults don't like fishing, so they naturally don't know that we like fishing in this kind of weather. That's why we won't die; we're lucky."

After saying that, he laughed and continued fishing while hovering in the water.

Chen Ji shook his head, sighing that this was indeed no ordinary old ghost, and let it go.

A ghost that can live for so long must have some special abilities.

Then he looked at the vengeful ghost and asked what state the Yellow River and the Hutuo River needed to reach now.

"This……"

The vengeful ghost peered through the porthole for a moment before looking away. "My lord, spare my life! It's not that I'm afraid to speak nonsense, but this concerns the authority of the aquatic tribes, and I've only heard rumors. I beg you, my lord, to spare my life."

"It's alright, just say it."

Chen Ji listened attentively.

Then the vengeful ghost spoke and explained to him the power of the aquatic tribe and the River Book.

"The River Book is an important magical artifact for controlling the water veins of rivers. Only by possessing the River Book can one fully mobilize the power of the water veins."

"Previously, the Yellow River was attached to the power of the water vein of the West River. In addition, the ancient river channel was cut off and there was no power of the water vein of the North River, so it was able to occupy the ancient river channel."

"But now that Hutuo Dragon Lord has invoked the power of the Northern River, he already has complete authority over the water system, so it is more troublesome for Hutuo River Dragon Lord to regain authority than before."

"..."

The vengeful ghost was not very clear-headed to begin with, and having been frightened earlier, it spoke haltingly, taking a long time to finish what it had to say.

Chen Ji was taken aback, not expecting this to happen.

As expected, the battle between the river gods was much more complicated than anticipated.

Now, ordinary people cannot see what is happening on the water's surface; they can only see the water rippling, the thick fog spreading, and the swirling tornadoes appearing everywhere.

However, in the eyes of the demons and ghosts around Chen Ji, the battle taking place on the river was already extremely fierce.

The ghost soldiers on the Yellow River died one after another, but they were reborn under the nourishment of the Yin energy and once again attacked the monsters of the Hutuo River Water Palace.

The monsters of the Hutuo River's water palace were the same; after dying in battle and turning into water, they would condense and take shape again, fighting back and forth at the confluence of the two rivers.

only……

In Chen Ji's eyes, the yin energy of the Yellow River was much denser than that of the Hutuo River, and there was also river sand spreading out.

If this continues, the water vapor in the Hutuo River will be completely depleted in just a few hours.

At that time, even the Hutuo River might become part of the Yellow River basin.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji loudly asked Ji Minglongjun if he needed any help.

Ji Minglongjun, who was originally fighting with the Yellow River, lit up when he heard this and hurriedly shouted.

"Please help me block half an incense stick's worth of incense at Xidu! Allow me to use my magic."

"it is good."

Chen Ji nodded, also showing a hint of eagerness.

His current magic is enough to deal with ordinary demons and ghosts, but he has never come into contact with divine demons and ghosts before, so it's a good opportunity to give it a try.

There's only one river, so even if you get hurt, it won't be serious.

After saying that, he looked at the four foxes and they began to cast spells together.

In an instant, several huge rocks weighing hundreds of kilograms were dug down from nearby.

"go with!"

Bai Ershisan grabbed a stone and threw it fiercely.

It landed right in the middle of the river.

Then several more stones were thrown, in completely different places.

Even Bai Ershisan doubted that the stone was thrown in the wrong spot, but Chen Ji's eyes lit up and he said it was the best spot.

next second.

The vast, rushing river calmed down, and even the ghost soldiers fighting on the water lost their killing intent.

The Yellow River was no longer as fierce as it was in the western section; instead, it seemed to be flowing calmly.

"kill!"

In an instant, the water demons of Beidu also realized that their opponent was weak and launched a counterattack to kill them.

The yellow sand of the West River flowed slowly out, but no ghost soldiers could stop the water demon of the North River anymore.

At a glance, the Yellow River no longer appears clear as before, but has returned to its original earthy yellow color.

"How did it turn back into mud and sand?"

Chen Ji looked at the vengeful ghost, asking him to explain, but the vengeful ghost didn't know either.

Fortunately, Lord Ji Minglong had already prepared his magic and had time to answer.

A hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

"The previous Qingming was formed by his control using the River Book. Now that the power of the River Book has dissipated, it can no longer be maintained. This is the real Yellow River."

"Hmm? They haven't been completely driven out yet?"

Chen Ji was a little surprised.

I thought the Yellow River would return after it dispersed earlier, but I didn't expect it to still be here.

Ji Minglongjun smiled and shook his head.

"Sir, there's no need to worry, it won't have any impact, and..."

Ji Minglong chuckled.

"The Records of the Four Rivers also records a method that allows us to trace the water system by looking up the river. Now that we have the Yellow River, we can also begin to explore it."

"We wouldn't even dare to imagine it if it were the whole Yellow River, but if we could turn a section of the Yellow River into the Northern Canal, that would be no simple feat."

"Indeed."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji also admired Ji Minglongjun's courage to some extent.

Previously, they were merely resisting, yet it was as if they were risking their lives; now, they are even thinking of taking the Yellow River itself as their reward.

"if not?"

Ji Minglongjun snorted coldly.

"What kind of logic is this? He's allowed to occupy the waterway of my Northern Canal, but we're not allowed to occupy his Western Canal!"

After saying this, he looked at Chen Ji and bowed respectfully.

"This matter is largely thanks to your correspondence, sir; otherwise, I don't know how much water system I would have had to lose to discover it."

"At that time, Beidu will not have enough authority, and I'm afraid it will not even be able to take back this ancient river channel."

"Sir, please step back a little, and I'll take back this section of the Yellow River!"

Ji Ming Long Jun transformed into a dragon and slowly opened his mouth.

The people, ghosts, and demons present hurriedly retreated.

Ji Minglongjun then took to the air, circling and twisting his body to form a decree.

He muttered incoherently, speaking in a completely unintelligible language.

The phantom of the Hutuo River behind him lit up, and even a beam of light fell on the body of the Ji Ming Dragon.

The entire dragon seemed to be enveloped in the color of water.

Then the dragon's claws reached out, grabbed the Yellow River on the ground, and lifted it up forcefully.

The next moment, the entire Yellow River was mentioned.

Beneath the dragon's claws, the Yellow River, now restored to its clear yellow hue, seemed to wave like a ribbon, drifting away with specks of water like a light rain.

"That's awesome!"

The four foxes were moved and filled with emotion.

"Is this the skill of lifting mountains and crossing seas that is described in storybooks?"

"I wish I could lift a river like that someday."

"I really need to cultivate advanced magic; building roads has caused me trouble!"

"But we still need to build the road first."

After listening to Si Hu's account, Chen Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely worried that the four foxes, seeing such skill, would go and directly cultivate other magical arts.

At that moment, Ji Ming's hearty laughter rang out beside him.

"If the four of you want to learn this kind of magic, you must practice diligently and listen to your teacher!"

"Greetings, Dragon Lord!"

The four foxes quickly bowed.

Chen Ji nodded in greeting before inquiring about what had just happened and the current situation of Ji Ming.

Ji Ming waved his hand.

"We've managed to reclaim control of this waterway, but it's also caused some trouble."

"Why do you say that?"

"Sir, please look."

Ji Ming pointed to the riverbed on the ground and sighed.

"Previously, this river was on the ground and was already a small river that did not affect the nearby villages."

“Now that the ancient riverbed of Xidu has been moved here, if Beidu does not take care of it, this place will become Xidu’s territory again. But if Beidu manages it, it will have to manage the water system along the way, which is extremely time-consuming.”

"Moreover, after that section of the Yellow River merges into the Northern Canal, the riverbed contains a great deal of silt, and even aquatic creatures need several days to adapt..."

"and many more."

Chen Ji was taken aback, then suddenly realized something.

"Dragon Lord, you said there's a lot more silt and sand in the Northern River?"

"Exactly."

"Could it raise the riverbed?"

Yes, but it's not obvious.

How was this matter handled in the past?

Although Ji Ming didn't understand why Chen Ji was curious about this question, he still answered in the same way.

"It will continue to be washed into the sea, and what cannot be washed away will remain in the river. Then we can raise the river level and reinforce the embankment."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji's suspicions were confirmed, and he looked at Ji Ming with a serious expression.

"The Dragon Lord has not regained control of the water system, and I was curious before why Xidu did not come to deal with this place."

"Now I should know their purpose."

(End of this chapter)