Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

Chapter 181 Liu Qing Manifests His Divine Power as the Four River Gods, River Demon Steals Water from Dou Jiande

One after another, divine lights appeared in the place where the gods were hidden, followed by a great burst of light. Soon after, the light dissipated, revealing ten divine tokens.

These ten divine authority tokens all belong to river gods of the ninth rank.

There are nine river gods of the Wuding River, four short river gods, the Hunjia River god, the Sanliu River god, and the Shuijia River god.

And the river gods of Lijiaqu, Liujiaqu, Shilipuqu, Shibalipuqu, and Sanshilipuqu.
These were all intentionally selected by Liu Qing. If it weren't for the large area the river flows through, or the dense population and abundant farmland on both banks,

Unfortunately, while the evolved divine offices are sufficient, there are only four avatars. Liu Qing needs to keep one as a 'seed' for the next batch of splits.
Therefore, Liu Qing can only join the Dao with three people this time.

If it weren't for the urgent need for help to solve the drought outside, Liu Qing wouldn't have wanted these four divided spirits to merge with the Dao.

These four divided spirits have already reached the perfection of Yang Spirit. If they were to use the Soul Division Divine Power again, they could become eight, or even sixteen.

Leaving one aside to merge with the Dao, Liu Qing instructed the other three divided spirits to begin merging with the Dao.

The three divine beings lunged at the divine tokens of the Wuding River, the Sanliu River, and the Siduan River, instantly generating incense and divine power, and flashing with divine light.

Afterwards, Liu Qing used the Soul Splitting Divine Power again, splitting the remaining Yang God into two, then four, resulting in four Yang Gods appearing in his body again, only smaller than before.

"The Ninth Rank God of the Wuding River pays homage to the Divine Lord."

"The ninth-rank deity of Sanliu River pays homage to the Divine Lord."

"The four short rivers and nine ranks of gods pay homage to the divine master."

Soon, the three spirits completed their duties, manifested, and knelt before Liu Qing. Liu Qing nodded and passed on the Cloud and Rain Technique to the three of them.

All three were clones, originally one with Liu Qing. Liu Qing taught them the Cloud and Rain Technique, so they naturally mastered the technique without needing to cultivate it.

Liu Qing copied the other spells and gave them to the three river gods. In addition, he also gave each of the newly split souls a copy of the other Daoist scriptures that he had not yet mastered from the East Sea, so that they could continue to comprehend them on his behalf.

Outside the Snake Pool River God Temple, a large number of disaster victims poured in. The first avatar, who was sheltering under the statue, came in to report: "Lord God, Li Shimin and Li Xiuning are leading a large number of disaster victims, praying for rain. What should we do?"

“Go and manifest yourself as the seventh-rank river god of Da Wan Lake. Tell them that it will rain at midnight tonight, lasting for two hours, with each drop being one foot and one inch.”

Liu Qing considered the situation and concluded that if they wanted rain, they could only draw water from the Jing River, then turn it into rain clouds, and push the clouds to the Wuding River, Siduan River, and Sanliu River basins, which were the most severely affected by the drought.

The process of drawing water from the Jing River and pushing it through the three Yun Rivers was extremely troublesome and labor-intensive. With Liu Qing's current resources, he could only manage to bring down a foot or an inch of rain.

In fact, drawing rainwater from nearby lakes such as Dawan Lake, Wuding River, Siduan River, and Sanliu River is the most time-saving and labor-saving method.
However, these locations belong to Liu Qing's trusted confidants, and drawing water from them will inevitably cause the water levels of several rivers to drop again, harming aquatic life.
Therefore, Liu Qing was unwilling.

The first incense-infused avatar, the seventh-rank river god of Dawan Lake, amidst the devout prayers of the disaster victims and the swirling incense smoke...

Suddenly, the clay statue shone brightly with divine light, and within the light appeared a deity, majestic yet compassionate: "Your requests have been known to the River God of Dawan Lake."

"Having fulfilled your wish to relieve your suffering and nourish all people, this deity cannot bear to see you suffer. Therefore, at midnight tonight, I will send down clouds and rain, one foot at a time."

Both Li Shimin and Li Xiuning were overjoyed. Their decision to come was impulsive, but upon reaching the River God Temple, they regretted it, fearing that Liu Qing would be unable to perform his rainmaking ritual and thus lose face.

The fact that his siblings brought people without prior notice might be interpreted as them using their influence to coerce him, which could easily damage their relationship.
But now that Brother Liu has manifested his divine power and publicly promised to bring rain, alleviating the drought, how could Li Shimin not be overjoyed?

Back when the two first met, the other was merely a minor demon; how long has it been since then, and he has already become the River God of Great Bay Lake?

The speed of their progress and the abundance of their blessings are truly astonishing.

Liu Qing's first incarnation appeared and promised to send rain. The crowd of disaster victims kneeling in front of the temple were overjoyed and moved to tears of gratitude.

It was just an experiment, but it actually worked out.

They pleaded with the Dragon King but received no response, and begged the local earth god but remained indifferent. Unexpectedly, this unknown river god from the mountains and fields agreed to send rain, demonstrating his compassion and power.
Moved by the experience, the disaster victims offered their sincere thanks in prayer. Streams of incense smoke rose from their heads and flowed into the statue, instantly filling it with a great surge of incense smoke.

After the rains fall tonight, these disaster victims will spread the word, and soon the fame of the River God of Dawan Lake will surely spread throughout the vicinity of Chang'an, and then slowly spread this fame throughout the Qin region.

The disaster victims expressed their gratitude profusely and dispersed to their homes, hoping for rain tonight.

Li Shimin and Li Xiuning then entered the temple to meet Liu Qing.

The clone replaced the original body. As soon as he saw Liu Qing, Li Shimin said with shame, "I did not inform you in advance and impulsively brought a large number of disaster victims here. Although I did not intend to coerce them, I have created a fait accompli. I am very ashamed."

"Fortunately, Brother Liu is highly capable and did not put you in a difficult position. Otherwise, I would truly have failed you." Liu Qing's slight dissatisfaction gradually dissipated after Li Shimin's sincere apology.

"It's alright. We've known each other for a long time, and I, Liu, know Brother Li's character well."

"This drought has affected a wide area. I, Liu, have limited abilities. Tonight, I can only bring rain to one county first, and then I will spread it to other areas."

"After the rain, the drought has been alleviated and the fields have been moistened again. Although the planting season has been missed, it is still possible to replant another crop. I would like to ask Brother Li to lend them some grain seeds for the sake of the disaster victims."

"Although it will cost a lot, this move will also win the hearts of the people of Qin for Brother Li."

Liu Qing emphasized this sentence, and Li Shimin understood immediately after a moment's thought, and couldn't help but admire him.

Li Shimin solemnly clasped his hands in greeting: "Brother Liu, rest assured. I used all the profits from the salt trade to buy cloth, ironware, and grain. My family has tens of thousands of bushels of grain stored up. It is only natural for me to lend grain seeds to the disaster victims."

Afterwards, Li Shimin and Li Xiuning left.

Soon, it got dark, and it was almost midnight.

Liu Qing unleashed the prefectural lord's water-reporting token, his voice echoing across the eight pools, five rivers, and seventeen canals: "All personnel stationed and patrolling the Great Bay Lake area, immediately proceed to the Jing River to fetch water!"

Shrimp Traveler, Shrimp Shallow, Crab Left Hand, General Qinghua, Duckweed Demoness, Four Short Men, and a host of other river demons are stationed and patrolling.

Emerging from the water, facing Liu Qing, he clasped his hands and shouted, "As you command, Master!"

The river demons used their water magic to ride the waves to the Jing River, swallowing countless drops of water before quickly returning.

The seven river demon factions beneath the Jing River were enraged at the sight. How dare a mere branch of the Great Bay Lake's watery realm come to the Jing River to draw water?

There is a severe drought right now, and the water level of the Jinghe River has dropped significantly. If you steal water from the Jinghe River again, how will we, who live on the Jinghe River, survive?
Your efforts to win hearts and minds and help the disaster victims by bringing rain have nothing to do with our Jinghe River.

The river demon lords of the seven families along the Jing River all surfaced simultaneously to obstruct the river demons of Dawan Lake from drawing water.
The shrimp merchants not only came themselves, but also brought their entire arsenal of river demons, large and small. With so many people came great strength; almost all of these river demons possessed the talent of storing large quantities of water in their mouths, allowing them to collect tens of thousands of tons of water at a time from the Jing River.
After the seven factions of the Jing River emerged from the water, thousands of fish, shrimp, turtles, eels, and loaches appeared, revealing their true forms and opening their mouths to devour the water of the Jing River.

The head of the Dou family immediately flew into a rage: "You dare to steal our Jinghe River water? You're courting death! Men, stop them with me!"

“Father, the river monster of Dawan Lake is drawing water in order to bring rain to alleviate the drought and save thousands of disaster victims. This is a good deed. Please reconsider and withdraw your order so that thousands of disaster victims can live.”

No sooner had the Dou family patriarch finished speaking than a powerful demon emerged from the Dou family's group of fighting fish. This demon possessed the cultivation of the Refining Spirit Returning to Emptiness realm, and could transform into a human-like form with a majestic appearance.

It was Dou Jiande, the eldest son of the Dou family patriarch. At this moment, he was frowning and looking reluctant as he knelt in front of the Dou family patriarch to dissuade him.

"You brat, go to hell! You're a river demon! What business is it of yours what the disaster victims on the shore are? Get the hell down there!"

The head of the Dou family slapped Dou Jiande away, furious. His eldest son was excellent in every way: highly intelligent, quick to cultivate, and the most skilled among his children. He was also generous, had many friends, and was highly respected. If he were to succeed Dou Jiande as head of the family after his death, no one would object.

However, the only bad thing about this guy is that he's too kind-hearted.

Dou Jiande, the demon of the fighting fish, returned and knelt down again, continuing to persuade: "Father, they are fetching water to bring rain and save people. If we don't stop them, and the news spreads afterward, we will have a good reputation. With a good reputation, we will receive more offerings."

"With the calamities raging in the human world and the secrets of heaven unclear, what use is all the incense and silver we have? Can it be used to worship heaven and confer godhood? That Yuan Datou is probably the last one to successfully worship heaven and confer godhood. The rest of us can only be wild demons."

"Get out of my way. If you dare to say another word to stop me, don't call me 'Dad.' Go live on the shore yourself."

The head of the Dou family kicked Dou Jiande, sending him flying onto the shore. He then ordered his river demons to stop the shrimp travelers.
As soon as the Dou family's river monsters moved, the other six families' river monsters followed suit. In an instant, tens of thousands of river monsters from the seven factions of the Jing River rushed towards Xia Kexing and his companions.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared on the surface of the Jing River; it was none other than General Fubo, Yuan Datou.

"You old codger, do you still recognize me?"

The Dou family patriarch was immediately startled. The newcomer was holding two hammers, wearing divine armor, and had incense and divine power around his body. He also had a divine token hanging from his waist. Judging from his appearance, who else could it be but Yuan Datou?
"I am here today. If you dare to obstruct the river demon of Dawan Lake from taking water, I will smash your head with a hammer!"

"You yourself just said that the secrets of heaven are unclear right now. If I were to smash you to death with my hammer, nothing would happen to me."

The Dou family patriarch saw that the old demon, who had once been of equal status to him, had now become a god, enjoying immortality, and whose cultivation far surpassed his own. His divine power, imbued with incense offerings, was terrifying and overwhelming, enough to crush him.

It felt an indescribable envy and jealousy, but dared not show it. Faced with Yuan Datou's threat, it could only feign obsequiousness.
"The venerable god has given the order; how dare this lowly demon disobey?"

"The Lord of Dawan Lake may take as much of the Jinghe River water as he desires."

(End of this chapter)