Immortal Dao Fruits, Cards to Help Me

Chapter 138 Old Lady

The old woman had a nostalgic expression on her face as she recounted events that happened in the village when she was young.

That year, for some reason, the confluence of the three rivers would emit a chilling light every night, and some daring people would cast their nets and pull things out.

What they pulled out was a piece of iron chain!
One section was hauled onto the boat in the net, but the lower half was still in the river.

Then the father and his two sons on the fishing boat started pulling and pulling for the time it takes to eat a meal. They were exhausted and covered in sweat. In the end, the boat was about to sink under the weight of a huge pile of iron chains, but the iron chains underwater seemed endless.

In the end, they had no choice but to give up.

Later, a passerby learned of this and said that it was the Water-Dividing Sword at the mouth of the Three-Forked River, a treasure formed from the great sword left behind by Wang Junke, a general of the Tang Dynasty, and nourished by the water qi of the Three-Forked River.

Only then did the villagers realize what it was.

Unfortunately, no one salvaged this treasure in the decades that followed.

Chen Xiuxian had read some players' analyses on the forum. This "Great Sword King" was not a historical figure, but a character from a fictional novel.

He was a fierce general, originally from Wuliuzhuang, Hebei. He was a bandit leader who served as the chief of the northern route of the bandits.

Later, he became the second of the Five Tiger Generals of Wagang Village after forming a sworn brotherhood.

The second of the "Four Fierce Warriors," Iron Spear, was killed by Wang Junke.

When Xue Rengui was on his eastern expedition, Wang Junke, the Duke of Changguo, followed Li Shimin across the sea to the east. He was later ordered to guard the warships at Shizikou, but he died of illness in the army due to catching a cold.

This man had a face like a red date, a long beard reaching his chest, a three-section Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand, and rode a chestnut horse. He loved wearing a parrot-green battle robe, hence the name: "Green-Robed General, Bearded Gentleman, Great Saber King Junke".

This is clearly a fake Guan Yu!

As for what exactly happened a thousand years ago that caused this general to throw his precious sword into the river, that remains unknown.

Nowadays, legends and stories are probably only good for entertainment.

However, as long as the water-splitting sword actually exists, that's fine.

Chen Xiuxian wants this.

……

Chen Xiuxian kept praising the old lady for her extensive knowledge and experience, saying that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure, and promising that he would take responsibility for the old lady's care in her later years since he had borrowed her treasure.

If someone dies one day, someone will surely break a basin, wave a banner, and burn paper money at their grave.

The old woman was cheerful and optimistic: "No need. I don't have many years left to live. I'll just wait until I die. As for this kang mat, you can take it if you need it."

The old lady had lived for so many years and experienced so much; just by looking at Chen Xiuxian's appearance, she could tell he was no ordinary person.

Even if someone directly robs you, what can an old woman like me do?

Besides, they were so polite, and this handsome young man was really pleasing to the eye—good-looking, polite, and articulate.

Take it. Take it if you need it. How many copper coins is a kang mat worth?
The more the old lady acted this way, the less Chen Xiuxian could afford to use her for nothing!

What happened?

Chen Xiuxian carefully explained to the old lady.

“Grandma, here’s what happened, you probably already figured it out. I know a little magic. We’re going to a ghost city soon to exorcise demons, and we need to cross a dark river without this water-splitting sword.”

"And if you want to get the Water-Dividing Sword, you really can't do it without your family's heirloom kang mat."

"Your house has been very warm these past few years because of this kang mat. I don't need much, just a few sorghum husks, it won't damage the whole thing."

"As for arranging your old age and funeral, I am not lying to you. After I finish dealing with things here, I will take you to the vicinity of Shenyang and arrange for you to stay in a familiar estate."

Upon hearing this, the old lady smiled and said, "This kang mat was woven by my grandfather. He was a renowned craftsman for miles around! He could make adobe bricks, build houses, do carpentry and masonry, weave mats, brooms, and baskets, and make feather dusters... There was nothing he couldn't do!"

“He built this kang (heated brick bed), and we haven’t had to clean the ashes for so many years. I thought it was because the kang was easy to burn, but it turns out it’s because of the kang mat.” After Chen Xiuxian explained the specific use of the kang mat, the old lady thought for a moment and shook her head: “No, since it’s for lighting, how can we only take a few mats? What if we waste time and there isn’t enough to burn? It’s too dangerous to be in the dark under the river.”

"Let me tell you, it's not peaceful down there. It's said that there's a river dragon king down there, and a hundred years ago, every year on the third day of the third lunar month, people would even throw young boys and girls down as sacrifices! Otherwise, the river dragon king would come ashore and eat people! Those people died horribly, all withered and emaciated..."

"Just a couple of years ago, someone saw a water monkey in the river! It was incredibly strong underwater! But the second son of the Liu family was an excellent swimmer. He took a harpoon and poked the beast, which saved his brother."

"Sigh, it feels like this river has become increasingly unsettling in recent years. The village's folk performances have gotten bigger and bigger each year, but the effect has gotten worse and worse!"

……

Chen Xiuxian chatted with the old lady, who hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time and seemed a bit talkative, for over an hour before leaving with the rolled-up kang mat.

However, Dou Zhongde and Mimi were allowed to stay with the old lady.

First of all, neither of them could help underwater. When Mimi heard that she had to go into the water, she almost sang "North and South Green Beans" because she was very resistant.

Moreover, Chen Xiuxian's water-repelling bead was only a level 3 blue quality, with a limited range of effect; it wouldn't work if there were too many people around.

We left them here to protect the old lady. Since we promised to take care of her, we must keep our word.

When the old lady learned the details, she even asked Chen Xiuxian to bring the whole roll of mats, worried that it wouldn't be enough.

I am also deeply grateful!
Arriving at the confluence of three rivers, we found ourselves in a unique terrain where three rivers meander and intersect within a radius of two miles, forming a strangely shaped confluence.

The water surface was strange; sometimes it was as smooth as a mirror, and sometimes it was turbulent and surging.

According to the old lady, fishermen who haven't lived by the river for three generations basically don't dare to go into the river.

The hydrological conditions here are extremely complex, and the water conditions are particularly dangerous. However, the catch is plentiful, making it hard to leave, so we have to take the risk!
The children in the village didn't dare to swim at the confluence of the three rivers; they would walk several miles upstream to swim in the middle of the Hun River.

Chen Xiuxian pulled out a few pieces of sorghum husks from the kang mat and put the mat into his inventory.

Although the old lady told him to take them all with him, Chen Xiuxian didn't want to use them too much, lest he break the treasure.

Speaking of which, the kang mats in Liaodong are all made from the outer skin of sorghum stalks.

After the sorghum stalks are harvested and air-dried, the outer leaves are peeled off, they are trimmed smooth with a knife, and then split into four strands.

Then soak it in water to ferment it, scrape off the inner "pulp" while keeping the outer skin, and then use a stone roller to roll it to make it soft and flat.

Finally, skillful weaving is required.

Some are woven from reeds, but they are not as sturdy and durable as those made from sorghum husks.

The sorghum husk mat was extremely intricately woven. Chen Xiuxian searched for a long time but couldn't find a single "head". He could only use the Long Rainbow Sword to cut a little at the edge and pull out a few pieces of sorghum husk.

This thing now has a warm, translucent brown color, and it feels very resilient and wobbly in your hand.

It didn't feel like sorghum husk to Chen Xiuxian; it felt more like plastic!

Chen Xiuxian took out a pearl-like object about the size of a longan and then walked into the river.

As soon as I stepped into the river, the water automatically parted, as if an invisible sphere with a radius of two meters was pushing the water away.

Chen Xiuxian walked step by step into the river. After four or five steps, the riverbed suddenly became deeper, and he fell into the water.

Then the spherical space became even more apparent. Inside, it felt like being in air; there was no dampness, and one could breathe freely. One could also control their movement, though at a significantly slower speed.

Chen Xiuxian poured a little magic power into the water-repelling bead, and the spherical space expanded a bit more.

It spread until it reached its limit, when it was five meters in diameter.

Of course, Chen Xiuxian didn't need such a large space.

No need to waste magic power, we'll have a big battle to fight soon!

(End of this chapter)