Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

More than a month has passed since then. The land of Quan is desolate and barren, with only a few patches of evergreen in the wetlands. But amidst this chill, Quan County is bustling with activity!

Many people have come to Quan County now.

These were all clansmen from powerful families who had petitioned the King of Chu for permission to engage in commerce and serve as ministers, and who were sent to Quan County.

To procure lacquerware, cloth, and wine for the King of Chu and the clans of various cities in Chu.

As for why it's so lively?

Of course, Quan Ming's gift-giving strategy had been effective. During this period, Quan Ming not only gave gifts to the king, but also to many immortals and gods. Even Dou Bo and Qu Xia, who was wary of him, received Quan wine in lacquer boxes.

Quanjiu was brewed and blessed by Quan Ming at great cost, using a large amount of Chu land will and Quan people's luck.

Its effects were enough to make the clan take notice.

With the appreciation of high-ranking figures such as the King of Chu, immortals, and Mo Ao, this slight attention naturally turned into widespread attention, so much so that it spread throughout the Chu region in just one month. This caused the Chu clans, who pursued elegance, to flock to it and all regarded this ceremony as extremely important.

If anyone manages to get a jar, it's enough for them to brag about for days.

Sure enough, as soon as Wang Ling was invited to open trade routes with Quan Di, this group of people rushed over, purchased land and houses in Quan Di, signed contracts, planned to purchase Quan Wine, and even inquired about the brewing process of Quan Wine.

However, compared to the total amount of wine held by the nobles of the Chu state, the quantity of the wine was still small.

In addition, the source is all related to Quan Ming and Quan Ren's luck.

During the procurement, the various clans competed fiercely, creating a lively scene. This liveliness even gave Qu Wan, the county magistrate, a headache, because the arrival of these people led to numerous clans writing to him demanding preferential treatment. Various clan-to-clan dealings were rampant, which had already affected the winter planting.

Winter planting is related to his policies, so how can it be delayed?

However, he could not ignore these clans, otherwise even the Qu clan would not be able to protect him. He could only deal with them, handling important matters and issuing some instructions for winter planting from the gaps.

Can!

This directive has now been rejected.

only because……

"Magistrate, this won't do. My Lu family has already applied to Mo Ao for this land, purchasing it for a thousand taels of gold to grow grains for brewing wine. If you arrange for winter planting, then... will I have to uproot the grains for brewing wine, or will I lose that thousand taels of gold?"

These words were arrogant and showed no mercy.

Of course, in the eyes of the clan, how much face could compare to a box of wine today?

You should know that a box of Quanjiu has already been sold for hundreds of gold coins on the black market. There is a price but no wine. Even if the wine is brewed in large quantities and the price drops, this trend is enough to make the clans that are planning to get rich by this decide to... This land must be used to grow grain for brewing wine.

Qu Wan was stunned.

He never imagined that all his hard work over the past few months would come to nothing.

Because of this wine, Quan County is no longer under his control, and he can't even issue orders for winter planting. So... what about the future?

As for following the mainstream and favoring brewing policies?

Oh……

Power and fortune, the will of the Chu region.

Quan Xian!

What a powerful immortal!

Now, Qu Wan truly understood the feelings his uncle, Qu Xia, had when facing Quan Ming—the helplessness of being forced to let Quan Ming grow stronger and push him down.

"well……"

"you……"

"This wine is brewed for the God of Power, for use in sacrifices. Why are you fighting over it?"

I am furious at their lack of ambition. Brewing wine is an extravagant affair, yet with war looming ahead, these clans only know how to indulge themselves!

Moreover, if a large amount of grain in the area is used for brewing, then... how should it be governed? It would be better to simply change it to a brewing county, let him leave, and let an old man who knows brewing take charge!

This is an insult!

Qu Wan clenched his fists, wanting to confront Quan Xian head-on and condemn Quan Mingxing for his petty actions, calling them despicable!

Can……

The clansman opposite scoffed, "Even the King of Quanxian enjoys drinking wine. Does the county magistrate have any say in this and dare to advise the King to abstain from alcohol?"

"So what if this wine is used for sacrificial rites?"

"The Shang people used to sacrifice people and share the food, taking pride in doing so. The Zhou emperor also bestowed sacrificial food as a gift, and my Chu state also distributed meat to its subjects after sacrifices... All of these things were done."

"Why can't we go to participate in the Quanxian's sacrifice, and after the ceremony, offer gold as a gift and share the sacrificial wine?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Wan angrily retorted, "Then why did you purchase it with gold and interfere with the farming in Quan County?!"

Seeing that Qu Wan was angry, the man was not afraid.

He said directly, "We can use gold to buy it this year, but the grain for brewing wine is already scarce. We can only buy so little. With so many clans, how many jars can we possibly get?"

"That's right. We prayed to the Immortal of Power to brew wine in the name of our clan and offer it as a sacrifice to the Immortal of Power. Next year, all of this wine will be our own... Of course, this wine is special. Only grain grown in the land of Power and brewed by the people of Power can receive its blessing... This Immortal of Power is indeed quite capable, hehe."

The man chuckled a few times, showing no hostility.

Instead, he advised Qu Wan: "You are still young. Quickly talk to Mo Ao of your Qu clan and ask him to change your official post to another place. In Quan County, you can't fight against Quan Xian."

"By the way, the other families will be here soon. You won't be able to plant a single winter seed on this land this year."

He patted Qu Wan on the shoulder, shook his head, and left.

Qu Wan staggered a few steps, retreated to the mat behind him, and slumped down. Soon, a sound came from outside; it was Qu's people arriving.

a letter.

Qu Wan looked dejected, thinking it was an order from Qu Xia to transfer him elsewhere.

Upon seeing this, he nearly vomited blood.

The letter instructed him to arrange a plot of farmland for the Qu family in Quandi as soon as possible, and that the Qu family would send clansmen to take over the land that afternoon to prepare for cultivating grain for brewing wine.

"hehe……"

Qu Wan looked up and chuckled silently. Perhaps the only thing that could comfort him was that the letter was not written by Qu Xia himself, which proved that Qu Xia had not completely given up his rights.

"But can Uncle go against the opinions of the 'majority' of the family?"

Take a deep breath.

Qu Xia had no choice but to get up, because he could not go against his family's wishes and could only use his authority to secure a piece of land for the Qu family.

……

On the other side, Quan Ming idly surveyed the Zhishui River from his bamboo-covered wooden boat, drifting downstream. In the mist, he could see some boats in the distance, using the gentle riverbed and human labor to travel upstream.

He raised his hand, and a wave of wind arose.

Help the ships head towards Jingshan to replenish supplies in Jingmen.

"Thank you, Immortal Quan!"

The boatmen who were pulling the boat all bowed to Quan Ming.

Quan Ming waved his hand and continued downstream.

Halfway there, a blue fish leaped across the water, boarded the wooden boat, and transformed into human form. This was the same blue fish spirit who had visited Shao Siming a month ago and spoken to Quan Ming on his behalf.

"My lord, Shao Siming has read your letter, but she still needs to come to the Corpse Domain in person. She said that if the Corpse Domain can really suppress her 'illness,' then she will definitely keep her word about bestowing blessings."

"Um……"

Upon hearing this, Quan Ming nodded in satisfaction.

"I wonder when the Lesser Master of Fate will arrive, so I can prepare accordingly."

Qingyu said, "Shao Siming said that he would come to the Corpse Domain when the sun and moon alternate... However, this matter is not suitable for a large-scale event. Please do not publicize it, my lord, and just meet him in secret."

"……Can."