Chapter 66: Sacrificing to the River God

Qin Mu was puzzled; why would touching a handkerchief bring bad luck for three years? Yet, this "handkerchief" was soft, smooth, and naturally fragrant. It would indeed be excellent for wiping sweat. It seemed to be woven from an unusual type of silk, making it quite valuable and a rare find in the Great Ruins.

Qin Mu tucked the handkerchief into his robe and happily played with the Junior Protector Sword and its scabbard. The upper half of the Junior Protector Sword's scabbard was golden, adorned with jade and pearls. The scabbard's opening was carved into the maw of a fish-dragon, from which the sword would emerge. The lower half of the scabbard was silver-grey, unadorned and uncarved, while its tip featured a carved fish-dragon tail, also golden.

*Clang.* Qin Mu returned the sword to its scabbard. As his vital energy surged into it, the Junior Protector Sword sprang forth again. This time, a colossal fish-dragon materialized from the scabbard, soaring above his head and spitting out the sword from its mouth. Qin Mu raised his hand, drew the sword from the fish's mouth, and felt a surge of satisfaction. "This scabbard is truly remarkable; it can even manifest a fish-dragon!" He returned the sword to its scabbard, and the fish-dragon swallowed the Junior Protector Sword before dissolving back into the scabbard.

Qin Mu was ecstatic. He then channeled vital energy into the scabbard again; the fish-dragon reappeared, spitting out the Junior Protector Sword. He drew the sword, then reinserted it into the fish's mouth, and the fish-dragon re-merged with the scabbard. He played with it repeatedly. The blind man beside him finally interjected, "Mu'er, stop playing. Your granny brought in more livestock and wants you to herd the cattle. These cows will be taken to Inlaid Dragon City to be sold tomorrow."

Qin Mu acknowledged him, then hurried back to the village. As he led six oxen out to graze, he mused, "Granny sold off the village's livestock a while ago, so how did we suddenly get six more cows? Where did these come from?" As he left the village, he saw the village chief, the apothecary, the mute, and others huddled together, seemingly in discussion. The cripple sat nearby, dismantling a black banner. He gave the banner cloth to Old Man Ma for his carpenter's shop curtain and the pole to Granny Si to chase chickens.

The next day, after Qin Mu had hitched the ox cart, Granny Si smiled and said, "Mu'er, you're coming with us to the city this time." Qin Mu was both surprised and delighted. He quickly slung the Junior Protector Sword over his back, gathered his pig-slaughtering knife, bamboo staff, iron hammer, and other belongings, then leaped onto the ox cart. The blind man leisurely approached from behind and sat on one side of the cart, with Granny Si on the other. The cart was loaded with iron tools crafted by the mute, several stacks of exotic beast furs hunted by Old Man Ma, the cripple, and Qin Mu, and two tethered sheep among the cargo. Three large, sturdy yellow oxen were harnessed to the front of the cart, and three more were tethered behind it. The boy cracked the whip, and the yellow oxen blinked innocently before setting off toward the village exit. This was his first time entering a city, and he couldn't help but feel a thrill, so excited that his body seemed light enough to float. He was entirely oblivious to the innocent gazes of the yellow oxen and goats.

Inlaid Dragon City was a thousand li away from Old Cripple Village, making a trip there a significant undertaking. The Great Ruins were desolate, and land travel was difficult, so they first had to travel by water and then cover more than ten li by land to reach the city. Qin Mu drove the cart to the Yong River, where he saw the cripple had prepared a large bamboo raft. He carefully maneuvered the ox cart onto the raft. Once the cripple untied the ropes, the raft began to drift downstream, steadily gaining speed. Even at this speed, it would still take four or five days to reach Inlaid Dragon City.

After drifting for over forty li, the blind man tapped the water with his bamboo staff, and the raft immediately veered towards the shore. Qin Mu, not understanding, looked up at the shore. He saw that it was in the direction of Granny Temple, and many people from various villages had already gathered there, most of them with ox carts and horse carts, waiting by the river. The Yong River was treacherous, with swift currents, water monsters, and fierce large fish. For this reason, villagers from different settlements often chose to travel to Inlaid Dragon City together on the same day, as a larger group provided mutual support. The riverbank was filled with bamboo rafts, and more were arriving from a distance. Before long, over a hundred rafts had gathered.

The blind man took out a few incense sticks, lit them against the wind, and planted them by the riverbank. Other villagers then stepped forward, also planting incense sticks. Fragrant smoke billowed along the riverbank, drifting towards the river's center with the gentle breeze. Suddenly, someone cried out with a clear, resonant chant, and then more people joined in, singing loudly by the river. It was a river song, a tribute to the river god.

"I journey with you to the Nine Rivers, where fierce winds whip the waters into waves;Riding a water chariot with a lotus canopy, drawn by two dragons and a chi-dragon;Ascending Kunlun to gaze in all directions, my heart soaring, vast and free;As dusk approaches, I regretfully forget to return, my thoughts lingering only on the distant shore;..."

The ancient melody resonated from their nasal cavities and throats. Many villagers sang together, their voices melodious and grand, creating a scene that stirred an inexplicable emotion in Qin Mu.

Suddenly, the water ahead parted, and colossal creatures emerged from the depths. From beneath the surface, massive aquatic beasts appeared, with greenish backs and four enormous, fin-like webbed feet. Their heads resembled those of fish, but they possessed long, spear-like noses. Each colossal aquatic beast raised its head, resembling a small hill, and brought its nose to the incense sticks along the riverbank. With a powerful inhale, the incense sticks rapidly burned down, their smoke entering the beasts' nostrils. The immense creatures closed their eyes, and a moment later, exhaled a large smoke ring, appearing to thoroughly enjoy the sensation.

The villagers on the bank seized the opportunity to drive their ox carts onto the colossal beasts' long, greenish backs. Seeing this, Qin Mu quickly maneuvered his cart onto the back of one such creature. Granny Si produced a large piece of meat she had prepared earlier and tossed it into the water. The beast devoured the meat, let out a long "craang" sound, then began swimming downstream with its four webbed feet, carrying the ox cart and its three passengers. Behind them, other green-backed behemoths emitted long cries. Calls echoed throughout the river, one after another, accompanied by the villagers' melodious and rhythmic chants, as the beasts carried them upstream.

"These are unique beasts found only in the Yong River, called River Carriers." Granny Si explained, "The River Carriers are considered river gods by the villagers who live along the Yong River. They enjoy the smoke from incense and also like eating beef, but what they love most is listening to songs, particularly those that praise them. River dwellers only need to light a few incense sticks to attract them, and by offering beef, the River Carriers will take us downstream. If they get hungry along the way, we must provide more beef, or they'll stop and throw us into the water."

Qin Mu clicked his tongue in amazement. The River Carrier beasts swam incredibly fast. With the current, they cut through the waves, strong winds rushing past their faces, moving much faster than a galloping horse on land. Qin Mu calculated that at the River Carriers' speed, they could likely reach Inlaid Dragon City, a thousand li away, before nightfall!

In the Yong River, the calls of the River Carrier beasts echoed, rising and falling, mirroring the undulating green hills on both banks. Sunlight streamed from ahead, making the river surface shimmer with golden ripples, like a wild dance of golden snakes. Qin Mu gazed into the distance, suddenly feeling his mind and body immensely expansive, as if the golden river, green mountains, blue sky, and canyon were all contained within his heart. This was a magical land, home to magical people and magical river beasts. While to outsiders of the Great Ruins it might appear to be a place of desolate mountains, treacherous waters, and difficult folk, for Qin Mu, this was his home!

As evening approached and the sun set, Qin Mu noticed a small dock emerging by the riverbank. The River Carrier beasts gradually slowed, swimming towards it. Granny Si stood up and smiled, "Inlaid Dragon City is almost here, Mu'er. Drive the cart ashore; let's get into the city as quickly as possible." Qin Mu secured the bamboo raft and drove the cart ashore. Looking back, he saw other River Carrier beasts also coming to shore, and people from other villages in the Great Ruins were disembarking from their ox carts and horse carts, all heading in the same direction.

The ox cart traveled for two or three li, ascending a small hill. Ahead lay a downhill path. Qin Mu jumped off the cart, intending to steady the yellow oxen to prevent them from rolling down, when he suddenly felt a jolt and stared, dumbfounded, at what lay before him. At the foot of the hill, a grand road stretched straight ahead towards an ancient and majestic city. At each of its four corners, the city walls featured colossal stone pillars, over thirty zhang thick and roughly one hundred sixty to seventy zhang high. Each pillar was encircled by golden divine dragons, seemingly carved and then gilded with gold leaf, making them gleam brilliantly! The city's gate tower was also shaped like a dragon's head, with the city gate forming the dragon's mouth and the gate tower's upturned eaves resembling dragon horns – a sight both fierce and imposing!

Inlaid Dragon City. One of the Great Ruins' few prosperous locations. Resources were scarce in the Great Ruins; essentials like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were precious and had to be purchased from outside. Not everyone could travel to the outside world; only bustling places like Inlaid Dragon City attracted external merchants who brought in goods and bought rare items from the Great Ruins to sell elsewhere.

"These divine dragon pillars here are much larger than the stone statues in our village." Qin Mu exclaimed in genuine admiration, "If we could steal them and put them at our village entrance, they'd certainly look magnificent!" Granny Si shot him a look. "If they could be stolen, I'd have taken them long ago! You'd need all the old folks in the village mobilized just to have a chance! Hurry up, it's getting dark; let's get into the city soon!"

The wheels rumbled as Qin Mu drove the ox cart into the city, looking around curiously. Everything in Inlaid Dragon City felt new to him. The city was bustling with traffic and people everywhere; he had never seen so many people in his entire life. There were also many girls, elaborately dressed, standing in windows on various buildings. They enthusiastically opened their sashes, waved at him, and continuously called for him to come up and play.

"City folk are so welcoming." Qin Mu was very excited and waved back at the girls, shouting, "Once I've sold my goods, I'll come find you ladies to play!" The blind man didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mu'er, those girls upstairs are 'fallen' women; they don't genuinely want to play with you. If you go up there, they'll strip you bare and even suck out your bone marrow!" Qin Mu was startled. "Fallen? Blind Grandpa, they're all standing quite steadily; they don't look like they've fallen. Are they all demonesses like Wu Nü? Wu Nü also said she wanted to play some 'shameful things' with me, but I refused."