131: Chapter 130: The Path to Fetch Water 131: Chapter 130: The Path to Fetch Water Hou Niao’s Eighth Puzzle had simply progressed to the ninth, which was expected due to the existence of the Purple Mansion Vortex.
Similar surprises would continue to arise on his path of cultivation until he thoroughly understood the secrets of the Purple Mansion.
Speaking of the process alone, it went smoothly; what was troublesome was the endless overflow of his Dantian.
Would he keep expanding until old age?
One day, he saw three women in the courtyard getting dressed in armor.
Of course, it wasn’t actual armor but rather the cloth armor most common in the wilderness, which provided little protection.
There was also an ox cart in the yard with a huge wooden barrel on its frame, so he instantly understood what the three women intended to do.
After thinking it over, he realized it had been a while since he last went out to clear his mind.
So, he stepped out of his room and patted the ox on its hindquarters,
“Going to fetch water?
Then let’s go together.”
The three women looked joyful.
It was something they wanted to ask but didn’t dare to.
Collecting water from the small fort required traveling to a river about twenty miles away called the White Ribbon River; twenty miles wasn’t far, and a horse could complete the round trip in about an hour.
However, if it was a loaded ox cart, the situation was entirely different.
Not only was the cart slow due to the weight, but also many paths were unsuitable for ox carts,
If they left at sunrise and returned by sunset, things would be fine if all went well.
However, encountering any trouble along the way, such as a cart breakdown, the ox becoming temperamental, or any other reason, it would be difficult to return before dark—and what darkness meant in the Yinling for ordinary mortals was self-explanatory.
Every day, there were people from the fort fetching water.
Everyone would gather to form a convoy, providing mutual support and courage; for instance, today, there were nearly thirty ox carts, meaning thirty families had reached the point where they had to fetch water.
The convoy formed a long line, keeping watch at the front, back, left, and right, with men stationed all around to guard against potential accidents.
At least thirty percent of these families were solely operated by women, who showed no resentment; the tenacity to pursue happiness still thrived in these women, undeterred by the pressures of life.
It was just like the Jiang Family’s three daughters-in-law, who had secretly kept a man whose origin was unknown and nobody bothered with, nor did they probe into any alleged moral issues.
If anyone dared challenge them, despite their submissiveness in Hou Niao’s presence, they were fierce enough to face direct confrontation.
Hou Niao ambled beside his own ox cart, puzzled, “Looking at the layout of the fortresses in Yinling, they are mostly built along the rivers for easy access to water and none are more than five miles away.
Why is the small fort built so far from the river?”
Jiang Lin, the most knowledgeable among the three daughters-in-law because she had read some books as a child, knew a bit about the history of the small fort.
“Let me enlighten you, sir.
The small fort was originally built beside the river, right next to the White Ribbon River.
However, about a hundred years ago, after a torrential rain, the White Ribbon River suddenly changed its course, hence the current situation.
The old riverbed outside the small fort has now become fertile land, but fetching water has become extremely difficult, outweighing the gains.”
Hou Niao was at a loss for words; this was truly a twist of fate, beyond control.
Altering the course of large rivers was very challenging, as the Water Clan in the rivers would not consent, doing everything in their power to obstruct such efforts.
For instance, in Anhe Country, even building a dike by the Daoist Sect faced strong resistance, delaying beneficial projects indefinitely;
However, in the Yinling Wilderness, the situation was different.
The rivers here were small to medium in size with modest flow rates, and due to the terrain of the wilderness, these rivers were shallow—Hou Niao knew none were deeper than ten feet.
Such shallow rivers provided no room for Water Demons, who could be seen from the bank, removing any element of concealment.
But conversely, they were easier to reroute.
Before coming to Yinling, he had researched the area’s topography and geomorphology and found that river rerouting was common here, especially during the decades-rare torrential rains.
“So it’s , natural and man-made disasters.”
Jiang Lin’s geographical knowledge was solid, “The impact caused by the rerouting of the White Ribbon River did not only affect our small outpost alone but also the large outpost on the other side of Suqiu.
They also had to travel an extra ten miles to gather water, though it wasn’t as severe as here…”
Hou Niao’s mind stirred, “The large outpost?
Where did you say it was?”
Jiang Lin answered cautiously, “It’s thirty miles west of Suqiu.
Our small outpost is twenty miles northeast of Suqiu.
The original White Ribbon River was like a line that threaded through the large and small outposts and the middle of Suqiu, but now that it has been rerouted, they are all far from the river.
The large outpost is ten miles farther, and our small outpost is twenty miles farther…”
Hou Niao pressed on, “And what about Suqiu in the middle?”
Jiang Lin thought for a moment, “There are no human settlements in Suqiu, and it’s said that fierce creatures often appear there,”
“Sir, I am not sure about the details, I only know it seems even farther from the river, but how much farther…”
Hou Niao waved his hand and smiled, “Don’t panic, there should be maps of the old river courses in the fortress, right?
We’ll know once we look at them when we get back.
There’s no rush right now.”
Jiang Lin nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, my father has a rich collection of books, including maps of the river from decades ago.”
Hou Niao pondered, though he was not in a hurry, it was still just a rough idea.
They had set out at dawn and reached the White Ribbon River by late morning; from a bit further away, it indeed looked majestic and perpetually flowing, but a closer listen revealed that the sound of the water lacked a certain depth, more resembling the tinkle of a spring…
The water was too shallow, and partly frozen too.
In such shallow water, let alone nurturing a Water Demon, even larger fish and turtles couldn’t survive.
The team let out a cheer, and the ox carts rushed towards the riverbank, each finding a spot to draw water; it wasn’t an easy task, as the near shore had already frozen over, and water had to be collected further in, careful not to venture the ox carts onto the ice, fearing they might sink.
Fortunately, it wasn’t their first time collecting water, and they were quite experienced; take the three widows of the Jiang Family for example, one knelt at the deeper ice to draw water, then tied the bucket with a rope, another pulled the rope back, and a third poured the water into the large wooden barrel on the ox cart, their cooperation smooth and pleasing to the eye.
At that time, the sunlight shone brightly, lightening everyone’s mood, and for a while, there was a mixture of laughter and cheerful chatter; these were the diligent and plain mortals, who, even in such harsh conditions, had not given up hope for life.
Hou Niao did not join in the labor; his task was different, like about a dozen other men, scattered around the riverbank, closely watching for any potential dangers.
Labor could be undertaken by women; but combat, that was still a man’s job.