Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

"Quan Xian, in charge of the Quan Shui lineage, uses the Yangtze River as a hub, connecting with the Zhang River, making it a crucial link in Jingmen's water transport. You are obligated to transport provisions to Jingmen before the war and supply the army during the war… Therefore, Quan Xian, receive this order and do your utmost to ensure the smooth flow of water transport; there must be no mistakes!"

At this moment, Qu Xia upheld the dignity of the Chu State's Mo Ao.

A divine decree was issued and fell into Quan Ming's hands.

Quan Ming understood that this matter concerned the victory or defeat of the entire Chu Kingdom, so naturally there was no objection. Besides, he had been waiting for this day.

In response, Zhang Xian also accepted the divine decree.

The two looked at each other.

Quan Ming will have to work with Zhang Xian for a while. Of course, he will still have to obey Xiang Jun's orders. After all, the core of Chu's water transport is the Yangtze River, and the Quan River is a tributary of the Yangtze River. All dispatches must be coordinated with the Yangtze River.

……

The Dao Tian Assembly was not long; in reality, it was Qu Xia, in the capacity of Mo Ao, who issued wartime orders to the immortals and gods.

After the event concluded, the high-ranking deities departed instantly, their expressions enigmatic.

The immortals and gods of the three realms of Dao Heaven are the mainstay of Dao Heaven, but most of them have too many connections and entanglements with the mortal world. They only pay their respects to Qu Xia and then leave one by one.

As for the several first and second level immortals who were specially summoned, they naturally dared not be presumptuous in front of Qu Xia and were all cautious.

Apart from Quan Ming.

He and Qu Xia were "old friends" who had dealt with each other quite a bit.

Before Qu Xia left, he even stepped forward and said, "Mo Ao, wait a moment. The Zhou emperor is holding a grand meeting in Nan Shen right now, but everyone knows that the states are harvesting their autumn crops and are mindful of the Zhou rites, so this is not a time for war. Moreover, the winter is bitterly cold and the water is icy, so the soldiers of those states that have come south cannot adapt to it."

"What does Quan Xian mean?"

Qu Xia frowned as she looked at Quan Ming, her meaning unspoken.

This is a warning to Quan Ming not to discuss military and political matters!

But Quan Ming said, "Mo Ao, you seem to have forgotten that I am no longer the prince of Quan State, nor a court official of Chu State, but a celestial being... A celestial being, relying on the Dao Heaven, how could I betray the Dao Heaven, betray Chu State?"

"..."

Qu Xia didn't say anything, but in fact, he subconsciously ignored this point.

Or rather, he never let down his guard against Quan Ming.

Seeing Qu Xia's attitude, Quan Ming said frankly, "I am not a subject of the King of Chu, but a deity of the world. All my power comes from seeking good fortune for Chu, thereby gaining the will of the Chu people."

Therefore, everything you say is for the sake of Chu.

"I hope Mo Ao will never forget this."

After saying this, Quan Ming continued, "It is proper not to fight during the autumn harvest, and it is proper not to fight during the winter. So, the war was arranged to take place at the beginning of spring next year... The beginning of spring is still three months away. Why are you so eager to summon us immortals and gods here to plan next year's war... There must be more to this than meets the eye."

Quan Ming was practically about to make it clear.

Qu Xia issued a divine decree, ordering the high-ranking immortal Quan Ming to guard the border, but war was not expected to break out until the following year.

The purpose of these three months is to have our immortals and gods disrupt the other side's alliance and trip them up... There are two possibilities for such methods: one is that the King of Chu has cunning strategists under his command, and the King of Chu has permitted this concealment.

Secondly, the other party had first resorted to a scheme, and the King of Chu was now retaliating in kind.

Qu Xia's expression changed.

He underestimated Quan Ming's vision of the situation.

I actually noticed something from it...

Qu Xia glanced around and saw that there were few immortals and gods left on the battlefield, and they were all quite a distance away. So he said in a low voice, "Immortal Quan, that's enough. Don't talk nonsense anymore."

She gave Quan Ming a deep look.

He wondered what Quan Ming wanted by saying those words, and what he could use to shut Quan Ming up.

Otherwise, if the other immortals and gods found out about this, it might cause chaos...

After all, the strategy of "returning the favor" requires sending immortals and gods from Chu to other countries, which is quite profitable. Most of those high-ranking immortals and gods are innate deities without powerful families behind them, so they can be trusted to be employed.

But those immortals and gods at the third level of the innate realm found out...

Qu Xia could foresee how many disputes would arise in the Chu court tomorrow!

Qu Xia was secretly annoyed, but still said slowly, "Immortal Quan, don't talk about the greater good of Chu. I know you... Just tell me what you want."

Quan Ming smiled upon hearing this.

Qu Xia understood him well; he would not betray the State of Chu and would strive to improve the State of Chu's fortunes, but this had to be done through Quan Ming's methods, not by following anyone's orders.

After a moment's thought, Quan Ming asked, "I wonder how many companies have already secured this opportunity?"

Quan Ming was asking how many Chu clans knew about this matter and had already demarcated areas for dividing the spoils of the war.

Qu Xia's expression fluctuated slightly.

But he still rattled off the names of more than ten prominent families in the Chu state: "The royal family of Chu, and also Qu, Dou, Wei..."

He further stated, "Since Qu Wan of my Qu clan is in charge of Quan Di, the immortals of my Qu clan are responsible for its protection. If the immortal Quan can conceal this matter, the protection of the area south of Quan Shui can be handled by the immortal Quan."

South of Quanshui?

Isn't that the desolate, mountainous southern part of Yongguo?

Quan Ming smiled but remained silent upon hearing this.

Knowing he couldn't defeat Quan Ming, Qu Xia remained silent for a moment before raising his head and saying, "Then let's go with the area north of Quan Shui, up to Zhang Shui... Immortal Quan, the Quan region cannot be protected by only one immortal deity like you."

"Besides, you are only at the first level of the Dao Heaven Realm now."

"This is the bottom line!"

Quan Ming knew he couldn't push Qu Xia too hard, and of course, he had no intention of taking on the entire responsibility of protecting Quan Di himself.

However, he didn't want the Qu family's immortals to annoy him.

His eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "Yes, the area north of Quanshui is fine... However, it would be better to send a deity unrelated to the clan to the area south of Quanshui."

Seeing the change in Qu Xia's expression, Quan Ming restrained the other party from getting angry and gave an undeniable reason: "That brat Qu Wan is preparing to implement his so-called policies in Quan. I think you, as the head of the Qu clan, know this... The Qu clan is too powerful in Quan, but it is not good for the Qu clan... This is, after all, Quan, which has not yet been fully integrated into the Chu state. It is the first hurdle for other countries to surrender to."

Qu Xia was speechless.

He then chuckled, "Immortal Quan's foresight is truly remarkable... My Qu family thanks you."

Qu Xia took one last deep look at Quan Ming, then her figure vanished, leaving Dao Tian.

Seeing this, Quan Ming did not feel that he was being rude.

He turned and left.

On the way, Zhang Xian waited for a long time, hesitant to speak, wondering why Quan Ming and Mo Ao had been talking for so long.

Quan Ming laughed and said, "The Quan people have just entered Chu, and the Quan territory is not yet fully established. As a deity of this place, I must strive for some opportunities to prevent my divine authority from being taken away and me from completely losing control of the Quan territory."

If the immortals and gods of the Qu family were to come, what would they do?

They're trying to seize Quan Ming's power... At that time, Quan Ming will have to worry about the divine decree and maintain the water transport. With his strength at the first level of Dao Heaven, he might not be able to keep an eye on the people in Quan County. If the immortals of the Qu clan and Qu Wan cooperate from the inside, Quan Ming's position as an immortal will probably become a mere shell of his former self.

He sent the non-Qu clan member with authority just now to warn Qu Xia not to have such thoughts.

He had already seen through the other party's scheme. If they dared to offend him, he would fight to the death and use the name of the people of Chu to bring down the Qu family!