From the fake emperor to the concubine

“There’s a pit of gravel here,” he said. “It accumulated black mud once in the spring, and nobody goes there usually. If we divert the ditch here and build a stone wall around it, it might become a water reservoir.”

The bone-mother asked, "Is the pit big enough?"

“It can’t hold the entire lake, but it’s enough to fill the edge,” Wu Chen said.

Zheng Yi circled the area of ​​rubble pit separately.

"Okay. The first step is not to drain it, but to pull back the edge. Let's pull down the water around the southwest edge of White Bone Lake to expose the bottom of the shore first."

He then drew three more dots on the lake shore.

"At the same time, we need to drill three deep holes. One is near the southwest shore, one is due west, and one is on the south shore. I need to know whether the shallow layer under the lake is solid ice, solid soil, or hollow. If all three are hollow, we have to be more careful when digging the trench."

The old woman nodded: "The old bone drill is enough. I'll also have someone bring out those ice picks from behind the bone-sacrificing house."

Chiya said, "The things in the Bone Ritual House can move too?"

The old woman said, "Don't ask so many questions."

Zheng Yi looked up: "Are there ice picks behind the ossuary?"

“It’s an old item, not used regularly,” the Bone Woman said. “It was left over from when we sealed the ice cracks next to the altar. The chisel head is very hard.”

Zheng Yi's heart stirred slightly.

"Did the Black Rock Tribe seal the ice rift before?"

Wu Chen said, "Many years ago, there was a winter ravine on the north side of Black Stone Valley that could swallow people. The older generation used large stones, ice wedges, and wooden supports to narrow its opening once."

"How was it pressed?"

Wu Chen thought for a moment, stood up, grabbed a piece of charcoal from the side, and roughly drew a V-shaped crack on another piece of animal hide.

"First, build wooden supports on both sides to prevent the crack from continuing to break. Then, push the large stone in to hold it in place. Pour water on the outside to freeze it into one piece."

Zheng Yi stared at the diagram for a moment, then suddenly said, "This method might be applicable to the end of the guide trench."

Wu Chen was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

“If that reservoir is full, and we want to continue lowering the lake level, we’ll have to release more water. But we can’t let the dirty water spread,” Zheng Yi said. “We can do what you suggested and build another opening outside the gravel pit. We can open it when we need to release water and seal it when we don’t.”

The old woman said, "You want to create two entrances, one to lure in and one to block."

"Correct."

Chiya was completely bewildered, but not wanting to appear stupid, he could only force a nod: "I knew it would be like this."

The old woman was too lazy to expose him.

Zheng Yi picked up the charcoal pencil and wrote a few short marks next to the leather map, then looked up at Wu Chen.

"How long will it take you to bring back the results after surveying the terrain?"

"long time."

"Too slow."

Wu Chen looked at him: "You're going to get tested?"

“I’ll go to one side, you go to the other,” Zheng Yi said. “You know the terrain best, I’ll observe the air beneath the ice, and we can combine our efforts faster.”

The old woman immediately said, "No, you just came back from the lake, and you still have that deadly chill on you."

Zheng Yi said, "We will not go to the center of the lake, but only measure the southwest side and the south bank."

“That won’t do either,” the Bone Woman said. “You should at least force that cold energy out first.”

Before Zheng Yi could speak, the old woman had already turned around and started rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

"Sit down."

Wu Chen whispered from the side, "Listen to her. I'll go survey the terrain first."

Zheng Yi glanced at him, but ultimately didn't insist any further.

The old woman took a black earthenware jar out of the cabinet, lifted the lid, and a burst of spicy heat immediately rushed out.

Chiya was nearby and was so affected by the fumes that he sneezed twice.

What is this thing?

“Shut your mouth, you brat,” the Bone Woman said.

She placed the earthenware pot next to the brazier, and then had Zheng Yi take off half of his outer robe, revealing the pale blue marks left on his shoulders, neck, and chest from the biting cold.

Chiya then saw clearly and gasped.

"It looks like it's been frozen."

Zheng Yi said, "That's exactly right."

The old woman took out a bone needle, rolled it in the hot medicine, and the tip of the needle immediately shimmered with a light red sheen.

"Don't move."

The needle fell quickly and steadily.

Zheng Yi received two needles each at his Jianjing, Tanzhong, and rib areas. Then, the Bone Woman placed her palms on his back, and the medicinal energy in her palms massaged along his tendons and bones inch by inch. She had no spiritual power, but the heat she generated was extremely steady, like a small fire slowly moving through the gaps in his bones.

Zheng Yi closed his eyes for a moment, and the astringent chill in his chest indeed eased considerably.

As the old woman pressed the object, she asked, "What if you still can't see what's below the lake after you go down?"

Zheng Yi opened his eyes: "Then force it out."

How do we force it?

“It doesn’t want to go too far from the lake now because there’s something it relies on in the lake,” Zheng Yi said. “Either there are a lot of corpses, or that mist-like core can’t live without water and cold. As long as the structure by the lake is broken, it will come out to check, or come out to block it.”

Wu Chen stood by the door and nodded upon hearing this.

"Like a wolf guarding its den."

"Pretty much," Zheng Yi said, "except this nest is deeper."

Red Fang couldn't help but say, "What if it doesn't come out? You dig a trench, and it just hides down there and pretends to be dead."

Zheng Yi said, "That's even better. If it stays still, I can keep releasing water and keep chiseling."

Red Fang blinked: "You're so patient?"

Zheng Yi looked at him: "You think I didn't?"

Chi Ya thought about how Zheng Yi had been practicing his bone-strengthening exercises, acupuncture, revising prescriptions, and spear training these past few days, and silently swallowed the rest of his sentence.

By the time Bone Granny put away the needles, Wu Chen had already left.

Zheng Yi put on his outer robe and stood up.

"I'll go and select someone to drill the hole."

The bone-mother asked, "Who are you bringing?"

“They can see the ice and hear the sound of water,” Zheng Yi said, looking at Chi Ya. “And they can run fast.”

Chiya straightened up immediately: "I can."

Before Bone Granny could object, Zheng Yixian said, "He doesn't go near the center of the lake, but only helps me listen to the ground sounds and recognize the old route on the outer circle. He also has to relay messages to different locations for me."

Bone Granny stared at Red Tooth for a moment, and finally said, "Don't wander around within three steps of Zheng Yi."

Red Fang immediately responded, "Okay!"

The old woman added, "If you go forward on your own, I'll break your legs first, then set them back on, and then beat you again."

Red Fang shrank his neck: "I'll remember that."

……

Half an hour later, the area outside the Black Rock tribe was already bustling with activity.

Wu Chen led a team of hunters into the southwest valley, carrying wooden poles, long ropes, and engraved bone rulers. Another team was selecting men by the stone wall to prepare to transport chisels, ice drills, and large stone wedges.

Zheng Yi stood in the open space and divided the people into three groups.

One group followed him to the south and southwest banks of Baigu Lake to drill shallow holes and listen to the sound of the water.

One group stayed outside the tribe to clear the snow and find the boundaries of the old pit, following the location of the rubble pit drawn by Wu Chen.

Another group prepared animal hides, ropes, and rough wood, and went to build a temporary windbreak as soon as the news arrived.

As Chi Ya listened, he muttered to himself, "Three on the south bank, four in the southwest, and six in the rubble pit..."

Zheng Yi glanced at him: "Got it?"

"remember."

"Then go and tell the old woman to deliver the hot soup to three different places, not all at once."

Chiya turned and ran, but after a few steps he turned back: "Which three places?"

Zheng Yi pointed to the sketch on the ground and repeated it.

Chi Ya's ears turned red, but he refused to admit that he hadn't heard it all. He forced himself to listen to it again before running off.

An older hunter standing nearby watched his retreating figure and laughed, "Still a child."

Zheng Yi said, "Kids who run fast are useful too."

The hunter nodded and slung the ice drill over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Mr. Zheng."

When we arrived at White Bone Lake, it was past noon.

The wind was stronger than in the morning, and the broken ice slabs on the lake reflected a blinding gray-white light in the sunlight, creating a stillness that made one's heart tighten.

This time, even more people came, but no one spoke loudly.

Red Fang, carrying a bundle of short wooden stakes on his back, trotted along Zheng Yi's right rear, his eyes constantly shifting between the lake and Zheng Yi. "What if it suddenly appears?"

"meeting."

Chiya paused in his tracks: "Could you please not speak so flatly?"

Zheng Yi said, "If it comes out, I will see it before you do."

Chiya thought about it and felt a little more at ease.

Zheng Yi didn't rush to dig along the lakeside; instead, he led his men to walk along the southwest line.

He walked along, observing the color of the snow, the undulations of the ground, and the old watermarks. Wu Chen had arrived earlier and had already planted short markers with bone feathers in several places.

A marker was placed on the side of a slope, where the snow crust below was a dark color.

Zheng Yi squatted down and brushed away the snow, revealing a mud crust left by last year's waterline underneath.

“This place was flooded in the spring,” he said.

The hunter beside him asked, "Can you speak?"

"There is an opportunity."

Zheng Yi walked down several dozen steps and had someone put two long bone poles together and stick them into the snow to test the depth.

The bony column extends all the way to the shoulder, only then does it touch the hard layer below.

Chiya gasped in astonishment: "So deep?"

Zheng Yi said, "Deep snow doesn't mean deep soil."

He moved to a different spot and probed again; he reached the bottom in just two feet.

They changed to another one, and a hollow "thump" came from below.

Everyone's expression changed.

Zheng Yi immediately raised his hand: "Don't step on that side."

He had the area cordoned off with short wooden stakes, then squatted down with his ear to the ground.

There was indeed a very faint echo from underground.

It's not a stream of water, but rather like water droplets occasionally dripping from beneath a hollow layer of ice.

Chiya also wanted to learn to lie close to the ground, but Zheng Yi grabbed his shoulder and pressed him down.

"If you can't tell, don't lean on me."

"How could I—"

"You're breathing too heavily."

Chiya choked and could only retreat in frustration.

Zheng Yi stood up, looked at the empty area, and then looked towards the rubble pit further out.

“The drainage ditch cannot be directly facing here,” he said. “The area below is hollow; if water is applied, it might collapse first.”

The hunter next to him immediately asked, "Then what should we change it to?"

Zheng Yi traced a small, westward-sloping arc on the snow with his toes.

"Go around from this side. First, avoid the empty space, then use that tall rock to the west as a barrier."

Chiya stared at the line for a long time, then whispered, "Isn't this just digging a little further than before?"

"Yes," Zheng Yi replied.

"Wouldn't that be even slower?"

"Slow is better than complete collapse."

Chiya wanted to refute, but couldn't find the words, so he could only continue carrying the wooden stake.

After determining the general direction of the guide trench, Zheng Yi went to the lakeside to determine the drilling points.

The first spot is on the southwest shore, near a black rock half-buried in ice.

Zheng Yi had the snow cleared out from an area of ​​two zhang in diameter, and then nailed three short wooden stakes into a triangle and tied bone bells to them.

Red Fang asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

“Warning,” Zheng Yi said, “If something is pushing upwards from underground, the ice surface will shake first, and the bell will ring.”

Chiya leaned closer for a look: "That's it?"

Zheng Yi hummed in agreement and tapped each of the wooden stakes with his hand.

The spiritual energy was extremely subtle, almost invisible, yet it connected the three wooden stakes to a small ring of ice around them. Whenever there was an unusual vibration below, the bell would ring much louder than usual.

Chiya couldn't see any spiritual energy, but he felt that the bone bell seemed to have become lighter.

"Is that all right?"

That's enough for now.

The ice drill began to strike downwards.

The lead hunter was incredibly strong; with a press and twist of his arms, the drill bit immediately sank into the ice, making a piercing "crunching" sound. The other two took turns, and soon a circle of broken ice had formed.

Zheng Yi didn't fixate on the opening; instead, he used his divine sense to seep down along the crack that had been drilled.

Ten feet, twelve feet, fifteen feet.

First came solid ice, then a layer of grayish-white ice mixed with fine bone fragments, and then suddenly the ice loosened.

water.

The bottom of the hole is in contact with water.

The next instant, an extremely cold blast of air shot upwards through the borehole, instantly covering the drill rod with a layer of white frost.

The driller's hand trembled, and he almost dropped it.

"Step back."

Zheng Yi stepped forward, placed his palm on the edge of the hole, and pressed his spiritual energy through the opening to temporarily block the rising cold air. Then, he leaned down to look.

The hole was so small that nothing could be seen; all that could be seen was a deep blackness.

He took out a small, refined bone needle from his pocket and gently tossed it down.

There was no bottom tone.

After a few breaths, a very faint "ding" was heard.

Chi Ya felt a chill run down his spine: "So deep?"

Zheng Yi slowly stood up: "It's not shallow water."

A hunter nearby asked, "Is that an empty lake?"

“It looks like it,” Zheng Yi said. “There’s a water layer directly beneath the ice, and you can’t see the bottom. But this location isn’t too far from the shore, which means the water is deeper than we thought.”

Red Fang couldn't help but ask, "Then how do we put it?"

Zheng Yi did not answer, but instead directed the second shot to hit the edge of a slightly higher ice ridge to the west.

This section was even more difficult to drill through, as the ice contained a lot of old bones and frozen mud, causing the drill to get stuck several times. When it finally broke through, the water didn't flow straight down; instead, there was a gap before the faint dripping sound could be heard.

Zheng Yi probed in with his divine sense, his expression darkening slightly.

"What's below isn't a whole lake; it's a cavity."

Wu Chen happened to be returning with his men when he heard this from afar and quickly approached.

How large is the cavity?

"I can't see it all yet," Zheng Yi said, "but it's not small."

Wu Chen threw the bone ruler he was using to measure the height on the ground, squatted down by the hole, and listened.

"Like a cave."

Zheng Yi nodded: "Below the west side of the lake, there is likely a honeycomb-like crater."

Wu Chen's expression was not good: "Once the diversion channel is opened, the water may not flow the way we want."

“So we need a third one.” Zheng Yi looked towards the south bank.

The third hole was drilled under a relatively thick layer of snow on the south bank.

This time it took a long time, with five players rotating, before they finally managed to break through the bottom layer.

As soon as the hole was opened, a stream of black muddy water gushed out.

Chiya was so shocked that he took two steps back: "What is this?!"

Zheng Yi reached out and rubbed a little bit with his fingertips.

It wasn't pure mud; it was bone meal as fine as ash, mixed with black water.

He brought it to his nose and smelled it, his eyes darkening.

There are layers of sediment below.

Wu Chen asked, "Good or bad?"

“There are good and bad aspects,” Zheng Yi said. “The good thing is that the south bank wasn’t completely wiped out after just one shot, which means the entire area isn’t in danger. The bad thing is that a lot of things may have sunk below.”

The woman sent by the Bone Granny to bring hot soup arrived at this time. Seeing that everyone's expressions were not good, she asked in a low voice, "Would you like to have some hot soup first?"

Chiya immediately took the bowl and gulped down half of it before he felt his teeth were less trembling. (End of Chapter)