The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 261 More than one? (3k)

"It's a lotus flower?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Magistrate Han's face at first, then he clapped his hands repeatedly, praising him highly:
"Yes, yes, yes! It should be a lotus, and it can only be a lotus! This sentence is wonderful, truly a wonderful phrase!"

Wang Chengye, standing to the side, also bowed respectfully, his eyes filled with admiration.
“Young master, these two lines are truly a stroke of genius, a masterpiece of nature. I just wonder, did you compose them on the spot, or did you already have a complete draft? If it is the latter, I really hope to hear the full text.”

Magistrate Han quickly echoed, his tone full of anticipation:

"Indeed, indeed! If the young gentleman has any further writings, why not join us in appreciating them?"

Although they did not make a living from writing, and their reading was mostly for paving the way for their official careers, it did not diminish their love and appreciation for good writing.

But Du Yuan gently shook her head and said frankly:

"These two lines were not written on the spot, and there is indeed a complete version already, but it is not my work, but an old work left by someone before me. I just recited two lines casually because I was moved by the scene. As for the complete version, I will copy it for you two when I have time in the future."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the quietly flowing Lan River below, his tone becoming more focused:

"Right now, I'd like to take a closer look at the situation around me."

Upon hearing this, the two suddenly came to their senses.

This is not the time for pretentious affectation, and besides, the young gentleman is a pragmatic person who would never indulge in idle talk about literature.

They immediately bowed and apologized respectfully.
"We were abrupt and disturbed your business, young master. But I wonder, after observing for so long, did you notice anything amiss?"

Du Yuan slowly nodded, her voice low:
“There is a sword stuck in the bottom of the Lan River. The strange movements of those people earlier, and all the strange things you have encountered recently, are all ultimately related to this sword.”

Upon hearing this, not only did Wang Chengye and Magistrate Han's expressions change drastically and they stand frozen in shock, but the surrounding crowd also erupted in uproar.

"A sword was hidden at the bottom of the river?!"

"What kind of divine sword could cause such a commotion?"

"Our ancestors have lived along the Lan River for generations, and we've never heard of a sword at the bottom of the river!"

The crowd was filled with astonishment and questions, and whispers rose and fell.

But soon, everyone fell silent again, their eyes all turning to Du Yuanqiu as he asked:

"Young sir, you are so knowledgeable and experienced, please show us the way and teach us what to do next!"

The people's voices were filled with urgency. The troubles caused by those monsters were already enough to keep them on edge and uneasy, but now that they had witnessed the true power of the gods, their hearts were filled with even more anxiety.

If there's no idea or plan, who can feel at ease continuing to live on this land?

The image of the old man stomping across the Lan River was still vivid in everyone's minds, leaving them both shocked and terrified.

The only thing that could offer some relief was that the young man was not only more skilled than the old man, but he was also genuinely on their side as peasants.

This is truly the best of the best, a real deity!
Seeing everyone's expression, Du Yuan comforted them:
"Rest assured, everyone. Now that I'm here, I will definitely see this matter through to the end."

With this assurance, the tense atmosphere in the crowd immediately eased, and the anxiety on their faces lessened.

Soon, one of the bolder villagers stepped forward and cautiously asked:

"Young sir, do you know what that sword at the bottom of the river is? We've lived here for generations, but we've never heard of a sword hidden at the bottom of the river!"

“Yes, yes!” someone nearby quickly chimed in. “We grew up by the Lan River and never heard the older generation mention this!”

Faced with everyone's questions, Du Yuan pondered for a moment, then smiled and shook her head:

"That sword fell into this area in ancient times. It's not surprising that you don't know this. After all, back then, this place might not even have been inhabited!"

Everyone suddenly realized what was happening, and their doubts finally dissipated somewhat. But just as they breathed a sigh of relief, someone hurriedly pressed for an answer:
"Young sir, isn't there a stone bridge that's been abandoned for many years over the Qingni River? There's also a sword under that bridge! But we don't know the origin of that sword. Do you know when it's from?"

Compared to the unknown sword at the bottom of the Lan River, the sword under the stone bridge of the Qingni River is known to everyone in this area—and has caused quite a few stories because of it.

The most recent example is from a few years ago when Magistrate Gao attracted many tourists from other places with his eight famous essays.

There was once a strong man who was very confident in his martial arts skills. When he saw the sword under the stone bridge, he wanted to take it down so that he could show it off to others.

To be on the safe side, he spent thirty taels of silver to have the town's most famous blacksmith forge a finely cast iron chain about the thickness of an index finger.

On the day of the sword-removal ceremony, he gathered about ten strong young men who held one end of the iron chain firmly, while he himself was tied to the other end, and slowly lowered himself off the bridge. But no one expected that, just as he was halfway up the bridge, a crisp "crack" was heard, and the seemingly sturdy iron chain snapped without warning!

The brave man was said to be quite famous in his hometown and had seen many storms, but at this moment he didn't even have time to call for help. He fell straight down into the pile of rocks below the bridge like a kite with a broken string.

Everyone heard a muffled thud, and when they looked again, the hero was already lifeless.

Logically speaking, this incident could be considered an accident at most, but what truly amazes people and continues to be discussed to this day is yet to come.

When Magistrate Gao first heard about this, his immediate reaction was that the blacksmith had cut corners, which caused the iron chain to break and kill someone. He immediately dispatched his constables to arrest the blacksmith for questioning.

But when the blacksmith was arrested, he cried and shouted that he was innocent all the way, and knelt in the county government hall, kowtowing repeatedly:

"My lord, you are wise! For this iron chain, I used only the finest iron I had specially collected, and I didn't dare to be careless in the slightest when it was heated or forged. After it was cast, I personally tested it three times by hanging it with a millstone weighing over two hundred pounds, and the chain didn't budge an inch!"

“Even when that strong man came to retrieve the chain, he immediately tried it with a hundred-pound stone roller. He himself said, ‘It’s so sturdy that it could lift an ox.’ How could it break!”

Several apprentices and busybodies were also present as witnesses.

Magistrate Gao was puzzled. If the iron chain was so strong, how could it have broken for no reason?

He immediately ordered his men to bring the broken iron chain over, and personally bent down to examine it. Upon seeing it, even Magistrate Gao was astonished:
The iron chain was indeed made of solid iron, with tight links and no trace of cutting corners. However, the break was as flat as if it had been cut with a sharp knife, so neat that there wasn't a single burr. It was clearly cut off by some sharp weapon!

But where in the world could there be such a powerful object? You must know that the iron chain was as thick as an index finger. Even an ordinary steel knife might not be able to leave a mark when it was cut. How could it be "cut" so cleanly?

At the time, Magistrate Gao investigated and investigated but could not find any clues, and in the end he could only temporarily close the case as an "accident".

But now that everyone has witnessed the strange sight of the Lan River being cut off by a single kick, and recalling the old case under the stone bridge of the Qingni River, they can't help but whisper among themselves.

I used to think it was just an accident, but now that I've seen all these supernatural things, could it be that the broken iron chain back then also had some hidden meaning?
These words truly enlightened Du Yuan. He paused, recalling the direction he had passed by the Qingni River, and looked up in that direction.

At that glance, Du Yuan did indeed notice something unusual!
Above the stone bridge over the Qingni River, a faint yet sharp aura lingered. Though faint, it carried a menacing sharpness that made his eyes sting.

'More than one sword?'

Du Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Just as this thought popped into her head, an even more startling conjecture crashed into her mind: "Could there be more than just these two?"

He hurriedly looked up and scanned the surroundings. With the old man's cultivation boost, his Confucian lineage's eyesight was now far superior to what it used to be.

The wondrous sights that were previously invisible due to limitations in cultivation level can now be clearly glimpsed.

That's why he belatedly realized that he had missed most of the strangeness of this place!

The first thing to come into view was the majestic mountain to the southeast. Deep within its belly, an overwhelming sword aura, impossible to suppress, emanated, its sharpness almost piercing through the rock strata.

Without needing to examine it closely, one can be certain that there is a sword hidden underneath.

However, beneath the plains, which stand in stark contrast to these mountains, lies a completely different aura.

The sword energy was sinister and piercing, carrying a hint of coldness and ferocity. It clashed with the majestic sharpness beneath the mountain like needles against wheat awns, yet they formed a delicate balance of yin and yang, mutually restraining each other, with neither able to suppress the other.

Du Yuan rubbed her eyes, which were a little sore from the two sword energies, and looked around more closely, noticing that something was also subtly off in several other corners:
Some places were filled with a faint hint of fire, while others were enveloped in a light halo. Although it was not clear what kind of fire it was, judging from the situation in the first two places, there were probably swords hidden underneath as well.

In that instant, the same question that the alluring woman had asked before also surfaced in Du Yuan's mind, leaving him puzzled: Why would so many immortal swords fall out of nowhere in this place?

"Young master, young master? What's wrong?"

Du Yuan's thoughts were interrupted by Wang Chengye. After regaining his composure, he shook his head and said:
"It's nothing, I just noticed some issues that we hadn't seen before. But don't worry, with me here, nothing will go wrong."

I originally thought it was just this one mouth at the bottom of the river, and I thought that not many people would come.

Given the current situation, Du Yuan would believe it if the chaos in the southwest were to repeat itself.

what can we do about it?

Du Yuan hadn't come up with a good solution yet. He just glanced around out of the corner of his eye.

He felt utterly helpless.

He knew that there were more than just one or two monsters in the river and mountains—wherever his peripheral vision swept, there was clearly a lot more demonic energy beneath the mountains, rivers and streams!

(End of this chapter)