Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

"Tree Fairy!"

Quan Ming felt something was amiss, and the fish he sent out began to die.

He invoked the power over the waters to investigate whether any other deities had intruded into them...

No?

Quan Ming looked at the approaching Quan City and got up from the small boat. After a moment's thought, he knew who it was. He disliked Zhi Xian's methods and actually sent his subordinates to harass his Quan Water area!

A celestial being, and this is the kind of thing they do?

"What a shameless scoundrel."

"Xiangjun also said that this person was a nobleman of the State of Chu during his lifetime... This is the demeanor of a nobleman."

"Gather!"

As Quan Ming shouted "Gather!", the water in Quan Shui rippled, and the fish that had been dispatched gathered in groups of dozens, alert to their surroundings, ready to attack at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Let's see... what dares to lay a hand on my little fish."

The bamboo-awning wooden boat, guided by the tomb-guarding fish beast, arrived at Quan City. The city, nestled around the water, slowly lowered its shipping gate, allowing Quan Ming to enter. At the small ferry crossing, Dou Bo had been waiting for a long time. All around were Chu soldiers armed with long spears, their ranks orderly, led by a young Chu general. However, Dou Bo held military power, and the young general, following behind him, dared not utter a sound. When he caught sight of Quan Ming's arrival, he merely instructed the soldiers to inform Quan Ming, daring not to do anything else.

"Welcome to the Daffodil Kingdom!!"

Although Dou Bo was old, his eyes were clear, like those of an eagle. He spoke of welcoming him, but his eyes were cold and contained a hint of anger.

Upon seeing this, Quan Ming understood immediately.

It seems this old fellow didn't find the treasure of the Quan Kingdom and has no way to explain himself...

How should we explain this to the King of Chu?

How to explain this to the nobles of Chu?

This has nothing to do with him.

With a smile on his face, Quan Ming stood on the bamboo-covered wooden boat and exchanged greetings with Dou Bo.

He cannot disembark. Deities should not have excessive contact with strangers unless absolutely necessary, otherwise human emotions and desires will affect the deity's mind, and if they accumulate too much, calamity will occur.

Especially for someone like Quan Ming, whose strength is still relatively weak.

"Lord Dou, seven days have passed, and I have completed the construction of the Water Palace. How are you... settling the powerful man?"

Quan Ming had already seen the Quan people gradually gathering under the permission of the soldiers!

His face was haggard, and his expression was fearful.

A few Chu soldiers could escort hundreds or even thousands of powerful people!

Many of the people in Quan City were wounded and sick, with families to support. They were none of the vitality he had seen in Quan City when he was alive. At this moment, they were like mindless puppets, silently coming to the riverbank at the urging of the Chu soldiers. Some infants and young children were about to cry, but their mothers tightly covered their mouths and silently shed tears...

But soon, they all discovered Quan Ming.

They looked over cautiously one by one.

Gongzi Ming!

The children were innocent and unaware, but they all stared intently.

The young men gritted their teeth and bowed their heads, filled with shame and indignation.

The women sobbed silently, wiping away their tears.

Many powerful elders also had tears welling up in their eyes: the kingdom of Quan has perished, they have lost their state, the ancestral temples that have been worshipped for hundreds of years have been destroyed, and the prince has become a god in the kingdom of Chu. There is no longer a monarch's bloodline in the world... It's really over!

Ugh……

Seeing Quan Ren's current state, Quan Ming felt unbearable. He knew that the battle between Chu and Quan Ren had resulted in casualties on both sides, a blood feud. How could he put aside his hatred because of a national policy? The decision not to openly slaughter Quan Ren was already a result of orders from above.

Dou Bo raised his hand!

"uncle!"

A boy who was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old was brought up.

Upon seeing him for the first time, Quan Ming froze... This was the offspring of his deceased elder sister, and could be considered his only remaining blood relative in this world.

"What does Dou Bo mean by this?"

Quan Ming's eyes sharpened. The pitiful state of Quan Ren pained him. He dared to scheme against even Xiong Tong, so why would he be afraid of this Dou Bo? If Quan Cheng weren't currently in the other party's hands, he really wanted to...

"Hehe, this old man can't do anything."

"It was merely a matter of settling the powerful man according to the King of Chu's orders."

Dou Bo stroked his beard, offering subtle but persuasive advice: "Besides settling the people of Quan, we also need to take Quan's bronze, rice, weapons, armor, books, and sacrificial vessels to the Chu capital. The king will reward the Chu generals according to their merits... Now, one battle has just ended, and another is about to begin. The Zhou emperor, along with other states, intends to attack Chu. Supplies are scarce, and I fear we will need Quan Xian's assistance in this matter... However, I waited in Quan City for seven days before Quan Xian arrived, which has delayed us considerably!"

Using the righteous cause of the State of Chu as a threat?

Although the powerful men were unarmed, they all clenched their fists upon seeing that their son was being threatened by Dou Bo.

Upon seeing this, the Chu soldiers raised their long spears...

"boom!"

The Quan River surged and roared, crashing onto the embankment and soaking Dou Bo's skirt and boots. But Dou Bo was unfazed, staring intently at Quan Ming. At the same time, the Chu Kingdom's fortune surged in the sky, aiding Dou Bo and pressing down on Quan Ming's shoulders step by step, trying to drag him into the water, make him lose face, and extinguish the last bit of spirit left in the Quan family.

Quan Ming grunted.

At this moment, he felt that Dou Bo's methods were ruthless, and he was indeed a veteran minister!

The old nobles of the Chu lineage!

They wanted to find out the whereabouts of the treasures of the powerful state from him, and they also wanted to use him to establish their authority, completely destroy the will of the powerful, put mental shackles on the powerful, and make them have no desire to resist, making them more than slaves!

"Oh……"

Quan Ming smiled at Dou Bo and said softly, "Look at this... The King of Chu treated the surrendered people well, but his ungrateful ministers outwardly obeyed while inwardly defying him. If Chu attacks another country in the future, how will the people of that country cope? Will they become slaves or livestock, or will they fight for their lives... At worst, they can flee for their lives. The land will be given to Chu, but the people and things will be left behind. They can only flee for their lives... There are such inhumane people among the ministers of Chu!"

Upon hearing this, Dou Bo's face turned red with anger!

Quan Ming didn't care whether he would be furious or not. He was ready to mobilize the power of Quan Shui to spread his words throughout the Quan Shui basin!

"How dare you, you brat!"

Dou Bo shouted angrily, but the pressure that was pressing down on Quan Ming collapsed instantly!

He gritted his teeth and said to the young general from Chu behind him, "The King of Chu has specially ordered that all of Quan Xian's belongings be sent to Quan Xian's Water Palace, and nothing should be withheld... Dou Lian, you will personally deliver them to Quan Xian later!"

"……promise!"

Dou Bo took a deep breath.

Shocked and furious at Quan Ming's stigmatizing words, he suppressed his anger and said slowly, "Why would Shui Xian do such a thing? I only wish to let you see your relatives from your previous life so that you can stay in Quan Shui in peace and protect the fortune of Chu."

Quan Ming scoffed at this, saying, "I hope so."

He knew exactly how much these self-proclaimed gentlemen valued their reputation.

In this era, fame equates to talent.

Talent is all that is needed to enter officialdom.

As long as one enters officialdom, wealth, beautiful women, power, and status are all within reach.

...This is the ladder for people to rise in society, and nobles especially cannot do without it, but for an ambitious person like Quan Ming, this reputation is a shackle that binds his hands and feet.

However, he is now a god.

What reputation are you worried about?

I'll spare no effort as long as it works!

Just like now...

Dou Bo?

Do you dare to break ties with him?

Even after the falling out, he remains the powerful and influential Quan Shui Shui Xian, but Dou Bo, along with the noble ministers behind him, will likely have to resign early to enjoy their retirement. They'll be buried in peace in a few years, haha!

I won't look at Uncle Dou's old face!

Quan Ming looked at the Quan people who were worried about him.

"It's nothing...it's nothing..."

Quan Ming, with the voice of a deity, reassured them: "Dou Bo is 'highly respected and virtuous,' holding an important position in Chu. How could he stoop to be the magistrate of a mere county? He will surely leave soon. The new magistrate, on the other hand, desires stability for the people and would not dare to mistreat them... Even if he dares, I will write to the King of Chu. The King of Chu possesses the wisdom of a great ruler and knows that war is not what the people desire. What the people want is nothing more than food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, not to establish themselves as kings."

……

……

Small Theater——

Inside the Chu royal palace, Xiong Tong looked at the secret letter in his hand.

Did the King of Chu possess the wisdom of a great ruler?

"Haha... Quan Ming is the king of knowledge!"

War is not what the people want. What the people want is nothing more than food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, not to establish themselves as kings.

"Um……"

Xiong Tong took out a bamboo scroll, copied down this sentence, and made a note: This is how people should be. War... is what I dislike the most!