Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 116 Encountering the Blackwater River (Part Two)
Meanwhile, Ao Tu appeared in the official's dream late at night.

When the official heard Ao Tu claim to be the Dragon King, he mustered his courage and looked over carefully.

Ao Tu was dressed in a dark robe and wore a crown with crocodile pearls. He had two dragon horns, a somewhat dark face, and slightly protruding fangs, but at least he had a nose and eyes. Upon closer inspection, he really did look like a dragon king.

The official then bowed and said, "This humble official greets the Dragon God."

Ao Tu said, "No need for formalities. I have come here to tell you that a holy monk from the Great Tang Dynasty will soon arrive here and will build a bridge over the Blackwater River. You must welcome him well and not be negligent."

The official exclaimed in surprise, "It's really true!"

Ao Tu said, "What, you're not willing?"

The official said:
"I'm willing! I'm willing! This would be a great achievement! Lord Dragon God, you may not know this, but our country is connected from east to west, only separated by a river. To the west, Chechi Kingdom has many mountains and little land, lacking food but rich in copper and iron; our country has few mountains and much land, producing a great deal of food, but lacking copper and iron."

Therefore, the king frequently traded with the Kingdom of Chechi, but the river blocked their way, forcing caravans to detour through the Kingdom of Fadi upstream, where they were often exploited. "If the bridge were built, it would truly benefit generations to come!"

Ao Tu said, "I know nothing about your country. I only want the bridge to be built and a temple to the river god to be erected next to it for the people to worship."

The official replied, "Of course, of course, I will submit a memorial to the emperor immediately."

Ao Tu nodded and retreated.

The official awoke with a start, feeling a layer of sweat on his body. Outside, roosters were crowing and dogs were barking, and the villagers had already picked up their farming tools and gone to work in the fields.

The so-called people rely on mountains to eat mountains, and rely on water to eat water.

Generally speaking, people living near mountains make a living by gathering herbs and hunting; people living near water make a living by fishing and catching shrimp.

However, the people living near the Blackwater River are not like that.

Because of the unusual nature of the river water, some people died after drinking it. Therefore, the people spread the word that eating the fish and shrimp in the river would weaken one's health and lead to death.

Therefore, people dared not eat the fish and shrimp in the river.

But this is not actually true.

The Blackwater River is black only because of the soil in the riverbed, which makes it turbid.

While drinking river water directly for an extended period can indeed lead to physical decline and death, this is because the river water is too turbid and contains silt and other impurities, rather than the river itself being to blame.

There is no problem eating fish and shrimp from the river.

The fish and shrimp in the river were exceptionally plump and delicious, and Ao Tu had always eaten the products of the Blackwater River.

Unfortunately, the common people won't believe these things.

Living here for a long time, the idea that the river water is poisonous has become deeply ingrained in people's minds. Drinking the river water will kill people, and eating too much of the fish and shrimp in the river will naturally also kill people.

Even if a few individuals accidentally discover the truth, most people still don't believe it, and the fish and shrimp they catch can't be sold.

For such rumors to be truly dispelled, someone of high enough status must publicly verify them in front of everyone to clarify the situation.

When the official woke up, he recalled the events of his dream, and hurriedly led his servants out of the village and back to the city, where he reported back to his superiors.

More than a month has passed.

On this day, the sound of gongs and drums resounded throughout the deserted village.

Some unsuspecting villagers came out to watch out of curiosity.

Outside, banners and pennants stretched out in unison, their tassels reflecting each other. Gongs and drums cleared the way, creating a deafening din; entourages followed, red umbrellas held high, displaying the full force of official power.

The imperial envoy sat upright in a sedan chair carried by eight men, with his attendants on either side looking arrogant and domineering, some holding palace fans, some carrying seal boxes, some wearing waist knives, and some carrying documents.

Local officials followed closely behind, while landlords and gentry burned incense and led the way.

Upon reaching the banks of the Blackwater River, local officials had already prepared an altar and incense table, offering sacrifices of meat, grains, fine wine, jade, young boys and girls, and beautiful young women. To the left were more than ten monks, and to the right were about ten Taoist priests.

The imperial envoy alighted from his sedan chair with proper decorum, recited the sacrificial text, and paid homage to the river god, first throwing sacrificial animals and grains into the river.
In the river, two tiger cubs and two wolf cubs were already eagerly waiting.

As soon as the three sacrificial animals landed, the elder tiger opened its mouth wide, snatched a yellow ox, and swallowed it whole. The younger tiger, a step slower, also snatched a white sheep and ate it.

The two wolf cubs each grabbed the fat pig and ate it together.

The imperial envoy then ordered that fine wine and jade be thrown into the river.

This time, the two wolf cubs were quick; one snatched a jar of fine wine, and the other snatched a jade disc.

The imperial envoy then ordered the boys and girls to be pushed into the river.

The imperial envoy's men picked up the boy and girl.

There was a three-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, each dressed in festive clothes. The two children laughed happily when they heard the sound of gongs and drums. They were still unsteady on their feet and naturally knew nothing of fear.

The feet of the two children were tightly bound together with a red rope, from which hung two copper ingots. This was called "submerged sacrifice," a ritual performed to prevent the bodies from floating to the surface.

In the Eastern Lands, such sacrifices were mostly made using pottery figures or figurines, rarely using real people. However, in the kingdoms of Xiniu Hezhou, the people were clearly more devout to the gods, and thus still used real people in sacrifices.

The imperial envoy's men forcefully threw the boy and girl into the river, and the two children sank to the bottom of the water in an instant.

At this moment, the river water parted, and Ao Tu flew out of the river, holding a boy in his left hand and a girl in his right.

The two children were too young to understand anything; they just found it fun and laughed heartily. They weren't afraid of Ao Tu's appearance and even climbed onto his arms.

The imperial envoy was terrified. After seeing Ao Tu's appearance clearly, he hurriedly led the officials to kneel down and pay homage to the Dragon God.

Ao Tu's voice echoed across the fields as he said:

“Get up, and never again use human sacrifices. To worship the true God, one only needs to be sincere in one's heart, burn incense and pray. Those who eat people are evil gods.”

The imperial envoy hurriedly bowed and said, "Yes, yes, yes, we will remember the words of the Dragon God!"

Ao Tu used his magic to send the two children home.

Upon seeing this, the imperial envoy pointed to the beautiful young woman and said, "Lord Dragon God, this is the beautiful woman we have chosen for you. She is still a virgin and we originally intended to offer her to you as a concubine. What do you think?"

Ao Tu looked at the girl; she was indeed very beautiful.

When the girl saw Ao Tu looking at her, she shrank back in fright, because Ao Tu was not human in appearance, with a dark face and exposed fangs, and was not very good-looking.

It's fortunate that it looks like this now.

If it were to change to its original form, it would probably be even more troublesome.

Ao Tu said, "There is a difference between immortals and mortals. True gods do not take mortals as concubines. You should send this woman back."

Upon hearing this, the imperial envoy hurriedly sent someone to return the woman.

Ao Tu asked the imperial envoy, "What do you seek in your sacrifice to me?"

Upon hearing this, the imperial envoy hurriedly replied, "Great Dragon God, His Majesty was overjoyed to hear of your dream regarding the construction of the bridge. He has specially appointed me as imperial envoy to offer sacrifices to the Dragon God in gratitude for his great kindness. This bridge construction is truly a great blessing for the nation and the people, a great act of kindness and virtue that will be admired by all!"

Ao Tu said, "Stop talking. I am not doing this for the sake of your country's state, but for the sake of the people's livelihood. After the bridge is completed, a temple to the river god should be built next to the bridge so that the people can pay their respects."

The imperial envoy hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course. I will certainly inform His Majesty and order the construction of a magnificent temple for the Dragon God for worship."

Ao Tu said, “The size of the temple is of no use to me; it all depends on the sincerity of the people. If the people pray sincerely, I will have incense and food to offer, and I will bless both sides of the strait with favorable weather and abundant harvests, and that you will both live in peace. If the people pray silently, I will lack incense and food, but there will be no crime or punishment, and we can live in peace. However, if the people cry out in despair, praying on the surface but actually cursing heaven and earth, and heaven finds out, it will issue a decree to punish me; and I will be punished, and I will move the dragon's body, destroy the bridge, and unleash a massive flood that will submerge your country and its people. You should report this to your king, and there must be no mistake, or you will be blamed for not warning me.”

(End of this chapter)