Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

Chapter 106 Taking away life

Yunxi Continent is where all the water veins of the world converge.

Almost all waterways converge here, flowing into Yunmeng Marsh and then into the sea.

Similar to Chunhua City, the people here almost all rely on fishing for a living. The crops are also rice varieties whose roots are submerged in water.

This marks the eleventh year of drought in Yongningzhou.

It was August, autumn, and the afternoon air was crisp and clear.

A group of people were sitting on the dock; they were all fishermen.

Unable to go out to fish, they could only gather together and look at the calm and vast water.

This is a branch of Yunmengze, near Yongningzhou, and its name is Hongze.

"Old Liang, when can we go fishing? We're almost starving."

An old man got up.

He was thin and bony, with dark skin, but his eyes shone brightly, and he seemed to have inexhaustible energy.

He repeatedly tapped the pipe in his hand against the wooden stake, shaking off the ash.

"That's right, Liang, when are we going to get out of the water?" Seeing someone take the lead, the rest of the people joined in the commotion.

The old man with a splendid appearance.

He was just a bit taller and had a straighter spine than the person who had just spoken.

He puffed on his pipe.

"You all know what abilities the Black Dragon King possesses."

"Its breath can turn even metal into a puddle of pus, so what can our little canoe do?"

"If we were to run into the Black Dragon King—or even just one of his little black dragons—I'm afraid the corpses wouldn't even be left behind, and the village's corpse retrievers wouldn't be able to retrieve them."

"We can't just stand by and watch, can we? We don't know about other places, but in Hongze, August is the time when crabs and mandarin fish are at their fattest and most tender. One net can make a lot of money," someone added.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Liang Xun looked around and realized that everyone was staring at him.

He knew exactly what these fishermen were thinking.

He stood up, packed away his pipe and tobacco pouch, and tucked them into his waistband.

"Stop joking around, what do you mean by 'we have enough to eat'?" Liang Xun brought up the subject, "Don't you have any grain stored up? Didn't you sell fish to those merchants in Yongning Prefecture in the first half of the year?"

"Those merchants start with a thousand taels of silver, and they buy from entire villages at a time."

"That's one thing, but I'm planning to catch more fish in August and tidy up the house again—" As soon as Liang Xun finished speaking, someone couldn't wait to whisper among themselves.

It was originally a very beautiful vision.

They work hard to catch fish, sell them to merchants, profit from the catch, and bring the money home to their families, leading to a happier life.

Liang Xun sighed.

"I won't stop you from getting rich, but you need to think carefully. Once you go into the water, you'll most likely be reduced to ashes."

"Old Liang, let's make offerings to the Black Dragon King and maybe get some time to come out," the old man who spoke first said as he approached Liang Xun.

"It's not the old man's favorite —"

"What do you mean?" Liang looked up and stared straight at the person who spoke.

"So many people escaped from Yongning Prefecture in previous years, including many orphans and widows. Now they have all been born and grown up a bit —"

"Don't they want to go back to Yongningzhou and not stay in this humid place? Let them go up to the water, and let fate decide their fate."

The old man finished speaking in one breath.

Ten years ago, Yongningzhou suffered from drought, and many people were stranded in Yunxizhou.

The Zhongshan Mountain separates Yongningzhou and Yunxizhou, resulting in very different lifestyles for the people of the two states.

With so many people fleeing, Hongze, which is close to Yongningzhou, was the first to be affected.

If there are enough people, they are no longer refugees. When they unite, they can form their own villages.

There are many conflicts between the people of the two prefectures in the Hongze area.

"Why don't you let your family members decide whether to let fate decide their fate?" Liang Xun approached the old man who was speaking.

He was tall and strong, with eyes like an osprey and a straight spine.

For a moment, the old man was forced to retreat repeatedly.

"Old Liang, Old Liang. You know Old Wu's family situation. They only have one daughter, and she ran off with a man from Yongningzhou. Now they can't find her, and they don't even know if the baby she was carrying has been born yet."

"Calm down, calm down."

The crowd quickly stepped forward to dissuade them.

"I'm not going to block your path to wealth, I'm just making things clear to you."

"The Black Dragon King of Hongze is not the Zhongshan God of Yongningzhou."

When someone came to mediate the fight, Liang Xun voluntarily stepped aside.

He is the head fishmonger of the three surrounding villages.

He has to be responsible for the lives of the more than three hundred fishermen in front of him and under his command.

"It has decreed that we are not allowed to come out of the water until the treasure is found. If you really go down, you will really die."

"Think it through, explain it to your family before you go into the water, and I will also notify your family."

After saying that, Liang Xun turned his head, his sharp, osprey-like gaze sweeping over everyone present.

Finally, it fell on Wu Xin.

The two elderly people locked eyes.

"Oh, never mind, Lao Liang, tell me what kind of treasure it is."

Liang Xun was the head fishmonger, and Wu Xin was no less capable.

Everyone quickly changed the subject.

"I can say something about that." As dusk approached and everyone was about to part ways, Liang Xun climbed down the ladder.

"Tell us, tell us!" the crowd clamored.

However, its meaning is completely different from the original meaning of "起鬨".

"Hmph." Wu Xin didn't want to listen, but since it concerned his livelihood for the second half of the year, he had no choice but to listen patiently.

"Have you heard of Shuowang Gate?" Liang Xun asked as he sat down.

Seeing everyone shake their heads, he immediately added, "This Shuowang Gate is the most peculiar immortal gate in the world."

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"This immortal sect is not like our Star River Sword Palace, which has a fixed mountain. Wherever they are, that place becomes the Shuowang Sect."

"What does this have to do with the treasure the Black Dragon King is looking for?" someone asked.

"That's a very important matter. The lifelong wish of the Shuowang Gate Immortals is to perfect their cultivation techniques."

"I heard from the gentry in the city that this method of 'new moon and full moon' is a supernatural power that can steal lifespan from the heavens."

As Liang Xun finished speaking, the sky seemed to darken.

Ripples spread across the lake, and the water plants swayed with the current, as if something was swimming inside.

"That's amazing? It's stealing lifespan from the heavens?" Everyone was astonished.

"Old Liang, when did you go to the city?" someone asked.

Upon hearing this, Liang Xun glanced at Wu Xin discreetly.

"I went to see what the city lords needed and what prices were high, but it wasn't anything major."

"The key point is this treasure that steals lifespan from the heavens."

"Oh dear, you're making it sound so mysterious. If it were really a treasure, how would we have gotten wind of it?" The crowd scoffed.

"Have you not heard that all living beings under heaven have a destiny to become immortals?"

"The city magistrate posted this notice because he wants to take advantage of the large population of Yunxi Continent—"

Liang Xun spoke with certainty, then lowered his voice and whispered to the crowd.

"We need to find that treasure before the Dragon King does."

"How mysterious! How can a magic formula steal lifespan from the heavens?" Wu Xin snorted.

"That's why I said they're from Shuowangmen," Liang Xun explained, not annoyed.

Have you noticed that in some years, the solar terms don't quite align with the changing seasons?

Every few years, a few months will appear on our calendar —

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