Chapter 104: The Lament of the Clear River

March arrived, bringing spring back to the world and vitality to all living things. The dark clouds that had long hung over the entire Qingyuan Prefecture finally dispersed.

At the Taiping Sect’s Clear Heart Cottage, Jiang Chen gazed at the two fully formed demon skins before him, feeling quite satisfied. In addition to his own cultivation, he had spent some time successfully refining the hides of the tortoise and snake demons.

"Compared to the demons of the Inspiration Realm, the lingering resentment left behind by Qi-Refining level demons is significantly more ferocious. Had my soul not been sufficiently strong, refining these two skins would not have been so simple."

Carefully sensing the state of the two hides, Jiang Chen could hear the roaring of the tortoise and snake demons. Compared to the Iron Corpse demon skin he had crafted in the past, these two were far superior in both refinement technique and the final sealing of their lingering resentment.

"If I can truly command the power within these skins, the Black and White Elders should possess combat strength comparable to that of an early-stage Qi-Refining cultivator."

With this thought, Jiang Chen put the demon skins away. Just then, for no apparent reason, he felt a sudden palpitation in his heart, as if something ominous were about to happen.

"What is this..."

His expression shifted slightly, and he cast his gaze outside the Clear Heart Cottage. In the next instant, he rose on the wind and arrived at Muyu Island. The sky was clear, the grass was lush, and the orioles were flying; it was a scene of perfect peace. Only the fish in the Bewildering Bay seemed unusually active, leaping out of the water one after another as if chasing the sunlight.

"Where exactly is the problem?"

The palpitation in his heart did not subside. Jiang Chen spread his perception to its fullest extent, surveying the surroundings in search of any disharmony, but he found nothing. Just as he began to wonder if his intuition was groundless, he caught a faint, mournful cry in the distance that sounded remarkably like the wail of a dragon.

"Something has gone wrong with the Qingyuan River."

Guided by an inexplicable intuition, Jiang Chen realized the truth. He fixed his gaze upon the seemingly calm Qingyuan River. The intuition was baseless, yet it was undeniably real and clear.

"Hong Yu, Wang Yuan, Skinny, Cao Banshan, Black and White Elders—come see me at once."

Using his inner energy to transmit his voice, Jiang Chen issued his command. At this critical moment, he chose to follow that profound, mysterious feeling.

Upon hearing the sudden transmission, Hong Yu and the others looked up in astonishment. They clearly sensed the gravity and urgency in Jiang Chen’s tone—a side of him they had never seen before. In their eyes, Jiang Chen had always been composed. Realizing the severity of the situation, they immediately set aside their tasks and rushed toward Jiang Chen’s location.

"The Qingyuan River is in trouble. A flood is likely to sweep through soon, and we must respond immediately."

"Hong Yu, organize the people to harvest the spirit rice in the spirit fields right away. Do not worry about losses; harvest as much as you can."

"Wang Yuan, Muyu Island is too close to the Qingyuan River and the terrain is low. Organize an evacuation immediately and retreat to the outskirts of Jiming Mountain."

"Cao Banshan, Skinny, go to Qinghe County town. Notify the guild and tell them to prepare for flood prevention. If anyone dares to obstruct you, kill them!"

Without any wasted words, Jiang Chen assigned tasks as soon as they arrived. When he spoke the final sentence, his expression turned icy and sharp, shedding all of his usual gentleness.

Hearing this and seeing him in such a state, Hong Yu and the others, despite their many doubts, bowed and acknowledged the orders immediately.

At that very moment, as if to confirm Jiang Chen’s words, a clap of thunder shook the clear sky. The weather shifted abruptly; rolling dark clouds spread out, instantly obscuring the sun. The entire Qinghe County—no, the entire Qingyuan Prefecture—began to darken at a visible rate. In the sky, it was as if demons were exhaling thick mist, driving away the clouds and sunlight, claiming the sky over Qingyuan Prefecture as their own.

"It’s really here..."

Opening his palm to catch the first falling raindrop, Jiang Chen’s expression was grave. At this moment, he was certain his intuition had not been wrong; he had truly heard the wail of the Qingyuan River.

"Is this a natural disaster, or is it man-made..."

Protected by his invisible inner energy, he let the rain fall, his gaze piercing through the misty downpour as if trying to see something hidden.

Boom! A thunderclap exploded, and a bolt of blue-purple lightning streaked across the horizon, illuminating the sky and Jiang Chen’s face. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but this change had come so suddenly that he could not help but be suspicious.

"I hope the situation is not too dire."

With that thought, he withdrew his gaze and took action himself, collecting all the Cold Star Shells in Bewildering Bay. There were too many things to do, and even he could not afford to be idle.

As the Taiping Sect began to mobilize, the misty drizzle in the sky thickened. By the afternoon, it had turned into a torrential downpour. At this moment, it seemed as though a great hole had been torn in the sky, pouring endless water from the Celestial River into Qingyuan Prefecture.

In just one day, the flood erupted, rushing down from the source of the Qingyuan River. Everything in its path—mountains and rocks alike—was shattered, and countless lives were swallowed by the waters. Faced with this sudden flood, all the factions in Qingyuan Prefecture seemed stunned, unable to mount an effective response and forced to let the flood rage unchecked.

In the prefecture capital, the defensive formation hummed, spreading invisible spiritual light to block the wind and rain, but that was the extent of its capabilities.

"The rain has come quite suddenly..."

Standing on a pavilion and gazing into the distance, Prefecture Governor Qi Xiuning wore a grim expression, as if deep in thought. He was thin, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, with deep wrinkles on his forehead and two streaks of white hair at his temples. Dressed in indigo robes embroidered with cranes and pine trees, he looked less like an official and more like a practitioner of the Dao.

Just then, a servant hurried in from outside. Two talismans were attached to the servant's legs, making his movements flicker and his speed immense.

"My Lord, the Lu family has replied. They say they did not detect any abnormalities in the Qingyuan River beforehand. Now, the Lu family ancestor has come out of seclusion to personally investigate the river and stabilize the water veins, hoping to contain the flood as much as possible."

Bowing low, the servant handed over a letter with both hands. Qi Xiuning took the letter.

"What is the situation with the rest of the Lu family?"

After a cursory glance at the letter, which contained only standard formalities, Qi Xiuning spoke again.

"Many of the Lu family’s industries are located in areas with well-developed water systems. They have suffered significant losses in this flood. Currently, almost all the Lu family cultivators have been deployed to minimize the damage, and Lu Xuanping is organizing personnel to provide relief to the impoverished."

Having prepared beforehand, the servant reported the intelligence one by one. Although he was a servant, he was also a practitioner, and Qi Xiuning valued him highly.

Hearing this, Qi Xiuning frowned and sank into deep contemplation.