Chapter 175 The Guardian Xuanwu of the Xuanwu Kingdom, is it Official History or Unofficial History?
As the saying goes, what one knows is not difficult. As long as one masters the right method, detecting water veins, which may seem somewhat mysterious, is not actually that hard.
It can only be said to be somewhat tedious, requiring personal presence to confirm.
Li Yingling was currently leading Li Xingtian to explore the water veins near Chizhou.
Li Yingling was responsible for the detection, while Li Xingtian was responsible for recording.
After Li Xingtian finished recording, he would show it to Li Yingling for a check to see if there were any errors.
This was not because Li Yingling insisted on ordering her own junior brother around to do the work, but if Li Yingling were to draw it herself...
Li Xingtian would find it somewhat difficult to understand, or rather, looking at it would be very strenuous—Li Yingling's marking method was actually a bit similar to the notation style in the Commentary on the Water Classic.
Li Yingling would directly skip over areas without water veins using markers.
Li Yingling naturally felt that her marking method was clearer and more distinct, saving the effort of drawing the entire water system and significantly improving efficiency.
However, there were simply too many places without water veins.
If Li Yingling were really to draw it, there would only be a few sparse strokes within a huge map.
If Li Xingtian were to take Li Yingling's annotated map and try to trace the water veins back, it was estimated that he would barely be able to recognize them.
Additionally, before departing, Chu Xingchen had specifically instructed to make it simple and easy to understand.
Therefore, having Li Xingtian draw a detailed water vein map was the best plan.
However, for an entire great river, the tributaries extended in all directions, and the vast majority had no water veins, or the veins were weak and seemed to exist or not.
Li Xingtian's method of drawing everything naturally dragged down the progress somewhat, but everything has its trade-offs.
Master was right; one really had to take care of the intelligence of ordinary people.
On the great river, Li Yingling stood on the surging river as if walking on flat ground.
Every time a giant wave struck, while still about three zhang away from Li Yingling, it would instantly become docile, and the river water would return to calm.
"Something always feels a bit off..." Li Yingling looked at the river water before her, recalled for a moment, and suddenly murmured.
"If we follow what Master said and follow the water veins into the sea, going this way, we would have to circle around like complete fools."
Li Yingling reviewed the water veins of the tributaries they had passed before, then looked in the direction of the dam, calculating in her heart for a long while.
Even if the dam here collapsed completely and the water veins changed course, it would not alter the situation where the water veins here were complex and intermittent.
She looked at Li Xingtian and said, "Junior Brother, let me take a look at the water vein map you drew."
Hearing this, Li Xingtian directly handed over the map he was drawing.
Taking the map, Li Yingling examined it for a moment, then pointed at the sparse and intermittent water veins, asking Li Xingtian:
"Junior Brother, if you had to follow the water veins to enter the sea, would you really take a path this crooked and twisted?"
Li Xingtian looked at the water veins Li Yingling was pointing at.
If Senior Sister's detection of the water veins was not wrong, looking at these veins twisted like hemp rope, unless absolutely necessary, Li Xingtian would absolutely not take this path.
With this road section, if one were to set an ambush, looking at a glance, there were at least seven or eight places suitable for an ambush.
Li Xingtian naturally understood his Senior Sister's meaning and said:
"Senior Sister means that this is just a feint to deceive people?"
Li Yingling put away the water vein map in her hand, calculated it once more in her mind, and after confirming there was no mistake, she said:
"Can't say for sure, let's go back and find Master."
After all, even the Second Junior Brother, whose intelligence is not high, could understand the situation, so there was no reason for the bandits Master mentioned to be unclear about the situation.
Li Xingtian naturally agreed with this as well.
The two figures swiftly headed towards Yunze City.
Yuelai Inn.
Li Yingling and Li Xingtian pushed open the door to the guest room. Their Master was not in the room leisurely eating melon seeds as they had imagined.
She glanced at the empty room, spread the map drawn by Li Xingtian on the table, and remarked:
"Master wouldn't have gone to a brothel to listen to songs again and told us to do the work, would he?"
Li Xingtian, who did not dare to respond to this remark, took a talisman from his spatial ring, preparing to inject spiritual power to activate the talisman and call Master back.
Chu Xingchen's voice came from outside the door:
"Rumoring every day, is that it? I, your Master, have always been clean and self-disciplined. Spreading rumors about your Master, aren't you afraid of sect punishment?"
The sound of the door pushing open rang out.
Li Xingtian suddenly rejoiced in his heart for not having responded. Master always catches these moments to come back.
It is even more effective than a talisman.
Li Yingling turned her head to look at her Master and naturally steered the conversation away, her tone somewhat puzzled: "Sect punishment? Does our sect actually have such a thing?"
Chu Xingchen walked to the table and looked at the water vein map, replying as he did so: "Naturally, it must exist; otherwise, I, your Master, would not be enough to handle your antics."
Hearing this, Li Yingling continued to divert the topic: "Then how is the punishment administered?"
Chu Xingchen looked at the great rebellious disciple beside him who was trying to muddle through: "Minor punishment as a warning: one Ten Great Tonic Pill. For spreading rumors about Master, ten pills. For defying Master, a direct reward of a whole bottle."
"In addition, the final right of interpretation belongs to the Master."
Li Yingling fell silent for a moment, then whispered, "...Master, isn't that a bit too harsh?"
Looking at the water vein map, Chu Xingchen casually teased: "Oh? From your tone, are you perhaps intending to start a precedent in the sect for defying your Master?"
Li Yingling's expression revealed a hint of panic, but in her heart, she was not afraid at all. After all, her Master had always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
How could he truly be willing to make me, this best disciple in the world, eat Ten Great Tonic Pills?
But recalling that her Master had fed her quite a few pills for a period of time... she was not so certain anymore.
Li Yingling skipped this slightly dangerous topic and pointed a finger at the water vein map on the table, saying: "Master, during the meeting at Luo Po Ridge, I saw the topographical map of the Xuanwu Kingdom. Although the Xuanwu Kingdom borders the sea, it does not have many outlets to the sea."
"The river flow composition in the other two or three places is also about the same as in Chizhou, so I estimate the water vein situation there will not be much better..."
"If we are really to go out to sea, the Xuanwu Kingdom is not necessarily the best choice. The Nanzhu Kingdom has the most coastline, and the main branches of the rivers are basically all there; that place might be the best exit to the sea."
"We should perhaps go there and take a look at the situation."
Chu Xingchen looked at Li Yingling's serious expression and could not help but reveal a gratified smile on his face.
The somewhat immature young girl from back then had ultimately grown quite a bit.
Although still somewhat immature, looking at her now, one could vaguely see the silhouette of Li Yingling being able to hold her own in the future.
"Well-founded and reasonable, and the deduction also makes sense." Chu Xingchen first nodded in affirmation, then said, "However, expending such great effort just to deceive people—does it not seem a bit excessive?"
Hearing this, Li Yingling asked, "Master, do you mean it has a reason it must take the Xuanwu Kingdom water route?"
Chu Xingchen gently tapped the water vein map before him and said: "The Xuanwu Kingdom's guardian divine beast is the Xuanwu, if I recall correctly?"
Li Yingling nodded. As a citizen of the Xuanwu Kingdom, she had naturally read the kingdom's historical records.
Whether it was the official history that was so gloriously grand it was ridiculous, or the unofficial history so wild it felt like it was written by a sentient wild boar, Li Yingling had read some of it.
She nodded and replied, "Yes, the historical records all write that the Xuanwu is the guardian divine beast of the Xuanwu Kingdom. It has manifested its true form many times to help the Xuanwu Kingdom survive many crises of national destruction."
"How many years has the Xuanwu Kingdom been established?"
"It is almost four hundred years to this day."
"Four hundred years... How long have the Eighteen Immortal Sects of the Central State been established? Would there really be a Xuanwu willing to stay in a place with exhausted spiritual energy just to guard a mortal kingdom?"
Chu Xingchen smiled upon hearing this: "It cannot be that the founding emperor of the Xuanwu Kingdom and the so-called Xuanwu had some unspeakable secret romance, right?"
Hearing this, Li Yingling suddenly recalled a book of unofficial history she had once read.
It was an unofficial history so wild that even recalling it now felt incredibly mind-blowing.
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