Lush reeds filled the banks of the river, with patches of bulrushes slightly lower down, occasionally interspersed with clusters of irises.
Even shorter people, standing by the shore, couldn’t see beyond the reeds.
It was no use being tall; there were also willow trees spreading their branches, which, along with elm, camphor, and mulberry trees, formed a natural screen for the waterway. Even if the land was only a few zhang wide, the other side, separated by these trees, appeared as another river, making it hard for people to see.
The waterway was not wide; in the broadest areas, it could accommodate only four rowboats side by side.
In narrower parts, the branches and leaves of the reeds could even tear clothing.
The waterways crisscrossed, dividing the land into fragmented small plots, with bays connecting bays, scattered like stars.
Here, rather than being a marshy lowland, it was more like a maze.
Although the water was at least one zhang deep, the riverbed was filled with mud, and there were water lilies, bulrushes, and water buttercups among the aquatic roots, creating a complex web that made it impossible for boats with deeper drafts to enter. Even if they did, they would be trapped in the waterway.
The water had a very beautiful turquoise color; when scooped up with a wooden ladle, it was clearly clean and colorless.
This was due to the lush plants along the banks, which almost obscured the sunlight; when a boat sailed on the water, one could only see the sky in the relatively open center of the waterway. Looking back, the way they came was already covered by this deep and shallow expanse of green, and looking ahead revealed the same scenery, making it feel as if they had stumbled into the palace of the river god.
Otherwise, how could there be such a vibrant, ethereal place, transcending the mundane world?
It is said that after the fall of the Chu state, when the three kings in the south fought over who was the rightful heir, the officials under the command of King Jing forced strong men to enlist, and the villagers from several nearby villages, including those around Feihe Mountain, fled here with their families. The officials dispatched several thousand men to search, yet they found not a single hair.
Since then, people have claimed that this reed marsh is a soul-snaring formation.
It was vast within; it was said there were even nests of toads (crocodiles), and the outcome of wandering carelessly could end up being food for the toads.
The fleeing residents lived deep within the reed marsh, building houses and cultivating small plots of land, also planting mulberries and hemp, subsisting on fishing and hunting.
As the saying goes, those who rely on the mountains eat from the mountains, and those who rely on water eat from the water. They relied on these winding waterways, resembling a maze.
The water was home to many edible root vegetables, wild ducks were everywhere, and there were plenty of fish, although they were small in size.
Some families caught wild ducks, plucked their feathers, and raised them at home, thus eliminating the need to go hunting, allowing them to enjoy both meat and eggs.
Even though the harvest was minimal, even one could say it was barren, due to the lack of good grain seeds, the weeds being impossible to eradicate, and the mountain sparrows, field mice, and weasels stealing the grain, there were no heavy taxes here! Every year, during the three months when the greens and yellows are scarce, the buds of poplars, the leaves of willows, and the elm money can all be eaten, so no one starves.
However, the Peach Blossom Spring does not exist; they lacked nothing but salt.
They needed to buy it from outside, and although they were very careful, if a piece of meat caught a wolf’s attention, it would bring disaster.
The leader of this pack of wolves was Ayanpuka.
The fleeing people had lived by the water for generations; when they first fled into the reed marsh, they risked their lives to do so. Even though they knew how to swim, some still accidentally fell into the marsh, got tangled in the water plants, or were attacked by toads, leading to numerous deaths. There were many places in the reed marsh that even they did not dare to venture, only picking the familiar waterways.
The group brought by Ayanpuka all understood a bit of martial arts, and more importantly, among them were descendants of the eight surnames of the Tang. Not only were they literate, but they also understood military strategies and had learned the art of Qimen Dunjia.
During the chaotic end of the Chen Dynasty, the royal family and high-ranking nobles of the Xiliang Kingdom had contemplated moving south to the Central Plains and even sent a military force to attempt an attack on the border. However, it was certain that the Chen Dynasty was going to sink, but even a sinking ship still had three pounds of rotten iron; let alone the forces fighting against Li Yuanzhe, none of them were easy opponents.
According to the later words of Master Meng, the wise men of the world were likely all finished by that time. There were countless strategists and valiant generals, and it was even said that a certain valiant general’s name for bravery was well-known, but because the territories were far apart, they didn’t get to see this person’s abilities in time. This person died on the battlefield, establishing another valiant general’s reputation.
At that time, the national strength of Xiliang was declining. While gradually sinicizing, they also learned the luxurious and tyrannical practices of the Chen Dynasty. The wealthy and powerful exploited the common people, and many tribes on the grasslands outside the capital had no means of survival, forced to sell themselves into slavery. The once-mighty Xiliang cavalry, due to the system of military households over generations, had greatly declined. When they moved south to the Central Plains to plunder the border residents, it wasn’t long before they encountered Li Yuanzhe’s forces.
— They were beaten to the point of not knowing which way was north.
The one who came was General Song, who later enjoyed bird-keeping gardens, along with Yin Qingheng, who was later titled Duke of Wei.
He was the most valiant general under Li Yuanzhe and also his strategist.
Xiliang’s defeat was completely justifiable.
Yin Qingheng was a genius and a capable person. When the Xiliang cavalry descended south, he captured the most skilled strategist under Li Yuanzhe and had him draft a lengthy article, using ancient examples to speak to the present.
The ancient story referred to the decline of the Han dynasty, when various heroes emerged, resulting in a scene of “white bones exposed in the wild, and no chickens crowing for a thousand miles.” Although Cao Wei and the later Sima clan rested and recuperated, they had never regained the strength of the Han. The Sima clan retreated to the south of the Yangtze River, leading to chaos from the Five Barbarians that lasted for three hundred years, making the common people like sheep with two legs, and how was today’s situation different from the end of the Han?
Once this article was published, it shook the world.
The strategists were all drenched in cold sweat; they did not regard the threat of Xiliang with any concern, knowing that it was in decline and could be weakened by their hands against Li Yuanzhe. However, there were countless alien tribes beyond the borders. Once the Qiang people were gone, there would be the Wala, who knew when a powerful tribe would emerge to unify the grasslands, and if they caused significant damage to the Central Plains due to infighting, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Ambitious figures like Li Yuanzhe, who wanted to become emperor, were even less willing to take over a mess; even Liu Bang had been besieged by the Xiongnu, and the early Han sent princesses for peace treaties one after another to the grasslands.
Being an emperor was also stifling.
Thus, the various heroes of the world—so long as they weren’t like the Pingzhou Si family, who dared to raise a banner for rebellion over a small fortified castle—began to face the threat of the borders and even reached a kind of tacit understanding.
Usually fighting and killing without talking, but as soon as the Xiliang and Wala people arrived, they would immediately cease fire.
Ceasing fire was acceptable.
But there was a clever fellow who didn’t agree; he even took advantage of the neighboring territory’s resistance against the Xiliang siege to run over and loot.
The following year, several nearby forces joined together to eliminate him, swiftly stripping his territory of food, resources, and troops.
The various heroes at the end of the Chen Dynasty all sought reputation.
Because if one’s reputation was poor, they would be eliminated by others under the name of righteousness.
Xiliang attempted to attack in several places but was met with failure each time, so they simply stopped.
After all, they couldn’t defeat them; they decided to wait until the people of the Central Plains had nearly killed each other before acting.
However, this situation brought a significant impact on Xiliang. Many clever nobles sent their illegitimate sons and offspring of slaves to Mojie Temple to become monks, studying Buddhism and martial arts, while their other sons studied Han studies and military strategies.
Yin Qingheng made them suffer greatly, and they, in turn, greatly admired him, becoming infatuated with the art of Qimen Dunjia, which the Duke of Wei excelled in.
Thus, Meng Qi, who learned Qimen Dunjia from Yin Qingheng, became an object of thievery among the Xiliang people.
Ayanpuka initially brought people to Feihe Mountain with other intentions but unexpectedly discovered this natural hiding place for troops and a soul-snaring formation in the reed marsh.
There was no need to alter the terrain; by adding some trees, digging two ditches, and building a few sluices along with mechanisms, it became extremely defensible. Unless tens of thousands surrounded the entire reed marsh, they would never take it down.
Tens of thousands… what a tremendous noise that would create! By the time they fought their way in, there would be plenty of time to escape.
Feihe Mountain was rich in spiritual energy, and the reed marsh was damp all year round. Although the hibiscus planted here did not grow as well as in the southern regions, it did produce a small patch of beautiful red flowers. However, due to underdeveloped roots, it could not compete with the wild grasses and flowers. People had to constantly weed and tend to them, build shelters to block the rain, and even heat stoves in winter; thus, the yield never improved.
Ayanpuka set up a floating pavilion, partly to make money and partly to experiment with medicine.
The secret medicine made from hibiscus had a strong and unpleasant smell, and it was still quite difficult to control the aristocrats from the remnants of the Chu and Qi states without them noticing.
Unless he found a place more suitable for growing hibiscus and doubled the number of people at his disposal, he could rely solely on hibiscus to crush other forces.
“Lord.”
A low call interrupted Ayanpuka’s thoughts.
Ayanpuka was not wearing a straw hat as he did outside; instead, he sat by the waterwheel with a bald head. The wind powered this ancient waterwheel, with small wooden buckets continuously scooping up stream water, sending it into the ditches, which then flowed slowly toward the fields planted with hibiscus.
After the Xiliang people took over here, the best land was used to cultivate these red flowers.
The fleeing residents who originally lived here lacked food and were subjected to slavery and beatings; now, hardly any of them remained alive.
Although this place was Ayanpuka’s stronghold, neither he nor the others cared much about it, as their roots were in the north. The climate here made them uncomfortable, and many people took the initiative to go out and work towards restoring their country.
Sun, the manager of the Sun family business in Run County, and Li, the military clerk, were among them.
Now that the foundation of Run County was almost gone, when Manager Sun returned to the reed marsh, he felt somewhat embarrassed.
Manager Sun’s real name was Sun Xi, and his ancestors were Han people. However, several generations ago, they had started doing business outside the borders, intermarrying with the Di and Qiang people until it became hard to distinguish. His grandfather, being quite capable, held the position of Internal Grain Officer after the founding of Xiliang; this was an official title from the Qin and Han periods, and he was one of the important ministers among the Nine Ministers. By the time of the Chen and Chu dynasties, this position was roughly equivalent to that of the Minister of Revenue, responsible for the country’s land taxes and other levies.
After the fall of Xiliang, the Sun family lost their prospects. They would have to wait at least five generations to hold an official position unless they found a way to change their names and assume false identities; even so, it was very difficult for him to rise in this generation.
Sun Xi was unwilling to wait; he didn’t want to wait. He believed his capabilities were no less than those of his predecessors, just that his luck had been poor.
Once Ayanpuka appeared, Sun Xi did not delve deeply into his true identity; he did not care whether it was real or fake. He needed a clever person like him as a lord, especially since Ayanpuka was the inheritor of the highest martial arts from Mojie Temple, swiftly rallying those Xiliang nobles who were living poorly.
What were the rules of Mojie Temple? The Xiliang people who had studied Buddhism and practiced martial arts there knew best. Would the supreme martial arts be casually taught to someone without status? They even thought about how the supreme martial arts, which successive elders, abbots, and national teachers had failed to master, could possibly be practiced by an ordinary person?
Thus, subconsciously, they held Ayanpuka in awe, believing he had the protection of the gods.
Sun Xi was still among those who were “poisoned” the least; if Li, whose origins were from the Li family, were present, he might only dare to kneel and speak in front of Ayanpuka.
“The situation in Jingzhou is chaotic. Someone is inciting King Jing and Qi to fight; it seems they want them to go to war.” Manager Sun spoke respectfully, yet there was an unmistakable worry in his tone. “I’ve heard that Meng Qi happens to be involved in this matter. He has yet to arrive at our arranged meeting point, which may mean he’s been hindered by this situation.”
Ayanpuka shook his head slowly. The Taoist from the mountain god’s temple had sent a message via pigeon the other day. Meng Qi and the dragon vein had evidently already entered Feihe Mountain. He had even inquired about the legends of the mountain god in the village and left quietly at night. Logically, they should have quickly discovered that the village elder, who had encountered the dragon vein of Feihe Mountain and firmly believed in the existence of the mountain god, was the grandfather of Su Li. However, all the clues had been laid out, yet the person who should have pulled the strings was nowhere to be found.
Meng Qi had gone missing.
The dragon vein had disappeared along with him.
Feihe Mountain was so large that there was no way to know where they had gone.
Ayanpuka frowned. Sun Xi spoke up to offer comfort, suggesting that Meng Qi and the others might be feigning a distraction and were actually heading toward Jingzhou City.
“You do not know.” Ayanpuka said, his expression serious.
According to the average person’s thoughts, Meng Qi, as the former national teacher of the Chu dynasty, had fought alongside Li Yuanzhe to conquer the world and must be very sensitive to war. Upon hearing that a major incident was about to happen in Jingzhou, he would undoubtedly check it out. Hence, Sun Xi’s speculation seemed very reasonable. However, Sun Xi did not understand how important the dragon vein was to Meng Qi.
Meng Qi had obtained a recipe for eternal youth from the Taijing dragon vein. Although Ayanpuka could manipulate spiritual energy on a small scale, he still felt that what he learned was not as useful as what Meng Qi possessed.
Only by living, and living for a long time, can one hope for more.
What Ayanpuka worried about was that the Taijing dragon vein had first encountered the Feihe Mountain dragon vein; if so, his plans would be foiled.
But thinking further, the dragon vein of Feihe Mountain had been deceived by other dragon veins in the past. For all these years, he had tried every means and still could not make contact, proving to be an extremely tough nut to crack. The Taijing, being such a prosperous dragon vein, would probably also face hostility from the Feihe Mountain dragon vein.
“Go investigate who is causing trouble in Jingzhou.” Ayanpuka casually ordered, unable to disclose the secret of the dragon vein.
Sun Xi took his leave, feeling uncomfortable; he realized he actually did not have Ayanpuka’s trust.
No, he needed to do more and better.
“Someone, let’s go to Jingzhou Prefecture.”
***
“Chirp—”
A mountain sparrow sneezed strangely.
It shook its feathers and began to hop on the fine sand. At first, it waved its claws, but finally, it simply used its beak to peck and draw pictures.
Big and small circles, and curves, long and short.
The reed marsh, claimed to be impossible to invade without tens of thousands surrounding it, had been completely exposed by the “mountain god.”
“Chirp! Chirp!”
After finishing a big drawing, the mountain sparrow regarded itself as a boat and happily ran in the “maze.”
— Take this waterway, the third bend on the left, then right.
The plump mountain sparrow flapped its wings, sliding left and right while holding the drawing, finally perching in the middle of the maze, where it drew a crude flower.
The mountain sparrow sat there, its beak pointing to the sky, proudly indicating to Mo Li and Meng Qi, “The red flowers you’re looking for are right here!”
The author has something to say:
Ayanpuka: This terrain is naturally formed and doesn’t count as a formation; it can’t be broken.
Ayanpuka: The local dragon vein is a hard stone, both smelly and tough; you won’t be able to encounter it.
Meng Qi, who almost fought with the mountain sparrow: Oh.
Mo Li, who was watching the mountain sparrow draw: Oh.
