Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 347 There Are Still Heroes in the World (Part 2)

July 2nd.

This day is destined to be recorded in history.

When the Yuancang River breached its banks, countless people witnessed just how fragile the defenses of Pingyang City truly were.

The city's defenses, which were supposed to be the seat of the Tiannan Circuit Provincial Administration Commission, collapsed with a single blow when the river breached its banks.

A torrential downpour began, accompanied by the surging force of the river.

Urgent messages were sent out one after another, but Yao Xing, the Left Provincial Governor of Tiannan Circuit, was actually in seclusion!

Guo Youding, the Right Provincial Governor in charge of military affairs, left Pingyang City the day before.

It is said that a powerful evil demon emerged from the Lingbi Swamp, where the Tiannan Road and Penglai Road meet.

This demon is vicious and ferocious, and it enjoys eating human hearts. It has already harmed the living beings within a radius of four hundred miles, which is why Guo Youding specially led his troops to exterminate it.

Although, killing demons should not have been Guo Youding's duty.

Slaying demons should have been the job of the Prison Suppression Division!
But since the Zhenyu Division lacked top-tier experts and couldn't kill that great demon, they had to turn to Guo Youding for help.

In this way, Guo Youding's intervention seems to make sense.

However, Yao Xing went into seclusion, and Guo Youding led his troops away from the city to kill demons a thousand miles away. All the experts in the Zhenyu Division also went with him.

As a result, the vast city of Pingyang was suddenly left undefended, becoming a mere shell of its former prosperity.

When the flood came, most people didn't even realize what was happening.

All that could be heard was the roar of water, and the howls of wild beasts seemed to echo from the vast sky.

Immediately following was a torrential downpour.

Then all that could be seen was a vast expanse of white, and amidst the dense, chaotic sound of rain, giant waves breached the riverbanks, burst through the city gates, and surged into the streets and alleys.

Many pedestrians on the street were caught off guard and were knocked to the ground by the waves and the wind and rain.

Someone cried out, "Help! Help!"

Some people hurriedly got up and ran to the houses next door.

Amidst the wind and rain, only cries could be heard: "Quick, block the door! Block the door!"

"No, it can't be stopped, Heavens! Why did the Yuancang River breach its banks so quickly this time? The rain had barely started when the water rushed in..."

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up, let's get to the roof!"

"No, no, what will happen to my things in the house? My food, my money, all the possessions I've worked so hard to accumulate..."

"Help! Help! Waaaaah..."

Cries and screams filled the air, a scene of utter chaos.

But that's not all. The torrential rain and floods came suddenly. Many people fled in panic as the rain approached, but others had completely different attitudes toward the situation.

At the Cangjiang Wharf, dozens or even hundreds of laborers were moving goods under the supervision of their foreman.

The foreman was named Zhang Liumazi. He was born idle and uneducated, but he was lucky enough to have an older sister who caught the eye of a certain leader of the Lingwu Gang and became that leader's third concubine.

Zhang Liumazi's career took off from there. He lived a life of luxury with his brother-in-law, the head of the incense shop, and even managed to get a minor managerial position at the dock.

After he became the manager, he perfectly exemplified the smugness of a petty person gaining power.

He deceived his superiors and subordinates, acted arrogantly and domineeringly, and kept dozens of laborers under his command completely subservient.

This morning, he came out of Lichun Tower with a yawn. Once he got to the dock, he did nothing else but pick up his whip and start whipping a young laborer to death.

The boy was obediently carrying the goods, but as soon as he hoisted them onto his shoulder, a whip lashed out at him.

Zhang Liumazi casually made up an excuse:

"You damn brat, what are you doing all morning? What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pick up your things and get going, you worthless bastard!"

Snapped!clap clap clap!
The whip cracked so hard it seemed to explode in the air.

Zhang Liumazi, reeking of alcohol, brandished his whip and laughed loudly.

Originally, this was just an ordinary day for him.

The laborers he whipped almost never resisted.

Even if someone occasionally disagrees, Zhang Liu Mazi doesn't need to personally deal with them. There will naturally be lowly servants among the laborers who are willing to fawn over him and take the initiative to beat the dissenting person into submission.

Those lowly people scrambled to get their hands on him.

If you please him, you can get fewer lashes, less money being embezzled, and even occasionally receive a reward or two.

Zhang Liuma knew perfectly well that they didn't have the courage to overthrow themselves.

Because, back when his sister hadn't yet married her husband, Zhang Liu Mazi himself had worked as a laborer, and that's what he did...

Zhang Liumazi burst into laughter and lashed out with his whip.

His eyes gradually turned bloodshot, but he didn't notice that the eyes of the laborer boy he was whipping were even bloodshot.

Zhang Liumazi also failed to notice that, not far away, a thin, grayish-black mist was beginning to rise from the surface of the Yuancang River.

Until one moment, the rain poured down.

Huge waves surged along the riverbank, and suddenly a huge head emerged from the water, followed by a long body like a dragon.

"Ah!" Zhang Liumazi screamed in terror.

The torrential rain lashed down like a jumble of pearls, blurring people's vision.

Zhang Liumazi suddenly felt a pain in his wrist as the whip was snatched from his hand. Then, a lightning-fast kick came down hard, striking him squarely between the legs.

"Ah!" This time, Zhang Liu Mazi screamed in excruciating pain, his heart breaking.

Before he knew it, the boy who had just been whipping him suddenly leaped in front of him and pinned him firmly in the raging rain.

The boy roared, "Go to hell! Go to hell, go to hell, go to hell... Ah!"

He gripped the whip handle and charged wildly, striking erratically.

The violent force blinded Zhang Liumazi and tore his throat apart.

Blood splattered and instantly flowed into the rain.

However, the crimson blood that flowed into the rain was not washed away or diluted by the rainwater. Instead, it strangely and as if it were alive, gathered together into a ball.

Then, these clusters of blood flew up again in the torrential rain.

They roared and charged against the wind and rain toward the giant, strange fish that was raising its head and howling in the Yuancang River!

The strange fish roared deafeningly, yet it carried an indescribable sense of vicissitude and sorrow.

Most strangely, along with its earth-shattering roar, a soft, plaintive female voice also rang out.

The woman's voice seemed low but was actually high, echoing softly through the raging wind and rain.

It sounded faint and intermittent, distant and subtle, yet it resonated in the ears of every living being.

"Human beings live in constant fear and anxiety; where is there no suffering? All living beings are filled with sorrow; where is there no grief?"

The woman's voice was plaintive and tearful: "My name is Xie Jiang, and I am the daughter of Xie Huaizheng, the imperial envoy for flood control in Tiannan Road ten years ago."

My father worked tirelessly for the country and the people, devoting himself to the management of rivers and the fight against epidemics. He provided disaster relief and rescue, and many of the survivors of that time benefited from his kindness.
My father's life was not as lofty as the heavens, but he was certainly worthy of the title "upright and incorruptible." He was devoted to the people, but how did the world repay him?

The common people are ignorant and easily deceived, and I don't blame them.

But I want to go to the Heavenly Palace, to the Jade Capital, to find the Emperor and ask him why he doesn't kill the treacherous minister but instead kills the meritorious official.

I also want to ask on behalf of the many people of Tiannan Road: why does the dike of the Yuancang River keep collapsing?

Is river management really that difficult?
Is it more difficult than for the emperor to live in the imperial palace in Yujing Tiandu, where he is dressed in fine clothes and eats delicacies, sits high in the temple, practices great cultivation, and levies exorbitant taxes?
Is it more difficult than corrupt officials running rampant and powerful figures consolidating land, oppressing the people, having numerous wives and concubines, and living in wealth and luxury?

For decades or even centuries, Tiannandao has never had a year without a bumper harvest.

But even with a bumper harvest, how many farmers can actually eat their fill?
Have you not heard that the poem "Sympathy for the Peasants" is often sung among the common people?

I heard that the poem was written by a prodigy from my Tiannan region, and it says:
Plant a millet in spring and harvest ten thousand in autumn.

There is no idle land in the world, yet farmers still starve to death."

The woman's voice was both accusatory and soft.

Her voice, amidst the wind and rain, seemed to pierce through all barriers of the mortal world, reaching the ears of all sentient beings within a radius of hundreds or even thousands of miles.

She recited the poem with deep emotion, and after finishing, she said:
"There is no idle land under the heavens, yet farmers still starve to death... Such a world cannot be called prosperous."

I do not wish to harm the people; I only ask that those who are suffering in their hearts come with me to the Jade Capital.

Please lend me a hand so that my son may successfully transform into a dragon today!
If this dragon is born, it will not be my dragon alone, but the dragon of millions of people in Tiannan Road, the dragon of all living beings.

We leaped over the Dragon Gate together and headed towards the Jade Capital.

Go ask the emperor, ask Heaven and Earth!

Fellow villagers, would you like to join me?

Her voice was both mournful and powerful.

It finally touched the hearts of countless living beings.

Someone couldn't help but say, "That's how it should be, I'm willing to go with you..."

Before the words had even finished, the person who responded opened their mouth wide and suddenly spat out blood.

The blood gushed out violently, and in just a moment, the person who vomited blood managed to vomit all the blood in their body.

At this point, the living person is dead, and the flesh is dried up.

The soul of the dead man rose from the top of his withered body, his expression dazed yet his gaze resolute. Even as a spirit, he flew toward the Yuancang River and toward the direction of the strange fish in the river!

The strange fish cried out and rose higher and higher.

On both sides of its slender body, more and more blood gathered into clumps, rushing towards it like swallows returning to their nests.

At the same time, countless wronged souls crowded together, piled up around it.

Some of it has already integrated into its body, making its body grow stronger and stronger.

Others remained gathered around it, yet they eagerly pounced on its body.

Among the common people, whether they "voluntarily die" or die because of disputes, all those who die in the wind and rain, regardless of the manner in which they die, will eventually have their bodies and souls moved.

Blood flew toward the strange fish, and so did the soul.

In an instant, what swept across the sky was more than just wind, rain, and raging waves.
There is also the blood and souls of countless ordinary people!
Amidst this chaos, there were naturally some highly skilled cultivators who, upon seeing the crisis, responded in their own ways.

Some of the remaining garrison soldiers frantically asked, "General, what should we do?"

The so-called general was actually a deputy general in charge of defending the city.

What can the deputy general do?
But then his eyes rolled back, his body suddenly lurched backward, and he shouted, "How dare you, you fiend! Ah... you scoundrel, you dared to launch a sneak attack! I hate you so much!"

boom!
The lieutenant's entire body fell straight down into the city gate.

It landed on the bluestone paving stones under the inner city gate and city wall.

Instantly, a large amount of blood gushed out.

The city gate guards were thrown into chaos, with the soldiers running around like headless flies.

The river surged into the city, and cries of anguish filled the air.

The woman's voice still whispered:
“Plant a grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn.

There is no idle land under the heavens, yet farmers still starve to death!
What a glorious era it was, yet people starved to death. I am not content with this! How can I accept this?

Fellow villagers, are you content with this?

A deafening roar, seemingly coming from nowhere, echoed through the city: "We are not reconciled either!"

"We're not willing to accept this either..."

Wow!
The wind and rain grew stronger, and waves surged into the city.

Some people gritted their teeth and fought desperately, climbing onto the roof with their willpower, trying every possible way to survive.

Some people, relying on their cultivation, tried to break out of Pingyang City and escape to a more distant place.

There were others, also relying on their cultivation, who defied the wind and rain, wielding various weapons as they rushed towards the source of all this turmoil—

The Yuancang River, where a dragon is being nurtured.

Among them was Cui Yunqi.

Cui Yunqi ran swiftly with his sword in hand, wading through the wind and rain, while Cui Fu led his guards in pursuit.

"Young master, young master, please wait! Young master, you mustn't do this..."

Cui Fu shouted anxiously.

But Cui Yunqi wouldn't listen.

Cui Fu could only grit his teeth and say, "Young master, this journey is extremely dangerous. Your cultivation is insufficient. Are you really going to go and fight that evil dragon?"

Cui Yunqi raised his voice and said, "What's wrong with facing an evil dragon?"

Cui Fu was so anxious that he couldn't help but say something harsh:
"But young master, even if you were to fight, who could you possibly defeat? It would be better to retreat with us for now, so that you can still be of use and perhaps even save a few civilians!"

But then they heard the young nobleman, weathered by wind and rain, speak loudly:
“Cui Fu, I know your intention is to persuade me to protect myself. But have you heard the chanting of that heretical sect?”
She said that there is no idle land under heaven, yet farmers still starve to death. She was actually using this poem to incite the people to become possessed and commit suicide!
Brother Chen wrote the poem to soothe the hearts of the vengeful spirits, with the intention of showing compassion for the farmers; he truly had a heart full of compassion.

But at this very moment, this evil path is using Brother Chen's poem to carry out acts of killing and violence. Since I am here, how can I sit idly by?
Brother Chen has written more than just this poem, "Sympathy for the Peasants." There is also "The Knight-Errant." Haven't those poems deeply touched people's hearts?

He can kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles, and after the deed is done, he dusts off his clothes and disappears, concealing his identity and name...

Three cups of wine and I've made my vow; the Five Sacred Mountains seem light as a feather. Even in death, my chivalrous spirit will remain, and I will be worthy of being a hero of this world!
I am very familiar with "Ode to the Knights-Errant" and love it the most. Today, I will learn from the knights-errant in the poem and do what I know is impossible.

It is not ashamed to be a hero in the world.

It's just death!
I will make that evil spirit know that there are demons like her in the world who resent heaven and earth, who, though claiming to seek revenge, first harm the people.

There are also people like me, Cui Yunqi, who are willing to go to great lengths for the sake of all living beings, even if it means facing countless difficulties and dangers and risking their lives!
From this day forward, the name of Cui Yunqi, the chivalrous hero, will resound throughout the world.

Cui Fu, you don't need to persuade me anymore.

"Take the guards and leave first. When you return to Yunjiang Prefecture, tell my father that your unfilial son has sacrificed his life for righteousness."

As his voice fell, resounding and powerful, he saw another person rushing towards him from the street ahead.

(End of this chapter)