Chapter 1950: 14: Simulated History, the Surprising Zhao Xing!_3

"In this post of mine, in just a thousand years, four River Officials have already been changed out—two beheaded, one demoted, one fined until his family was ruined and then exiled to the Desolate Domain."Governing the Starry Sky river routes is no easy job.

Normally, a River Official would sit for ten thousand years before being moved, but after the Lixing River Change, the River Officials of the Pinghuai Department were replaced with increasing frequency.

The main reason is that the Heaven Leisure Ancient Country now faces both internal unrest and external threats.

"After the Lixing River Change in the Heaven Leisure Ancient Country, the neighboring Sky Demon Country, Ten Thousand River Demon Country, and Devouring Star Demon Country—two of them immediately launched wars against Heaven Leisure Ancient Country."

"Among them, the Ten Thousand River Demon Country struck the hardest. As the saying goes, strike to kill when the enemy is sick—when Heaven Leisure Ancient Country was struck by a massive natural disaster, it became the perfect opportunity for an offensive."

"That General Fang Yu from just now is heading south to Star River Pass to resist the Demon Race invasion from the Ten Thousand River Demon Country."

The Dao Domain Realm is the main force in war and in resisting the Desolate Domain. The place Fang Yu is going requires passing through the Wuma Lixing River of the Wuma Constellation. This Chaotic River, spanning the entire constellation, is tangled and convoluted. Only the Star River Cities along the way can provide supplies and rest.

Fang Yu’s grand army must cross the river, but Zhao Feiyang has run into trouble here. Because of his misgovernance, of the eight stable Void Rivers around Wuma Lixing City, only one remains.

Everyone knows that having Boundary Ships enter Void Rivers for acceleration is a crucial method of rapid travel—especially when space-time is unstable and Teleportation Arrays fail or deviate. Advancing via Void Rivers is the only swift means of marching.

If they were to drift slowly through the Starry Sky, Zhao Xing and the others would not have been able to exit the Chenluo Wasteland even in a hundred thousand years.

"My lord, it’s simply impossible to complete Fang Yu’s demand in one month. At this point, the only wise course is for you to flee." The Old Minister of Agriculture finished his long sighing and, face full of anxiety, urged Zhao Xing to run at once.

The aged Minister of Agriculture’s name was Jiao Zhongchun; he was also of the Yin Yang Dao Domain Realm, though he had lived far too long and was long past his peak.

He was also ’Zhao Feiyang’s’ Assistant Officer, and one of the River Officials of Wuma Lixing City.

For him to give such advice was, first, because he had a kind heart; second, because he and Zhao Feiyang came from the same Boundary Star—fellow natives, in a sense; and third, out of sheer helplessness.

"Uncle Jiao, if I run, what will happen to you? The higher-ups will definitely punish you."

"And if you don’t run, you think they won’t punish us?" Jiao Zhongchun shook his head and said, "Lixing River was a mess to begin with. If only the Agricultural Star Supervisor were punishing us, it would be slightly better. But ever since this place was turned into a military-controlled zone, it’s no longer just the Agricultural Star Supervisor—now the Military Department can discipline us too."

"Fang Yu has his orders. If he fails to complete his military command, he’ll definitely behead you to make his report to the higher-ups."

"My lifespan is nearly at its limit already. Whether I run or not hardly matters anymore."

Zhao Xing was struck speechless.

Natural disasters and human calamities, unending wars—together they had turned the bureaucratic governance of Heaven Leisure Ancient Country into a complete mess.

A natural disaster descends? Let’s go behead a Minister of Agriculture.

The earth quakes and shifts? Come, let’s behead another Minister of Agriculture.

Lost a battle? Doesn’t matter—beheading a Minister of Agriculture is never wrong.

After the Lixing River Change in history, it practically became a nightmare for all Military Minister of Agriculture Officers in Heaven Leisure Ancient Country.

"No wonder the Heavenly Leisure Pinghuai History Book once said: ’The Lixing River Change lasted for two epochs, and its root lay not in natural or geological disaster, but in human calamity!’" Zhao Xing could not help but sigh.

Under such long-term high-pressure rule, even if there were Ministers of Agriculture who wanted to act, they no longer dared to.

Yet Zhao Xing’s situation now was that if he did nothing, he would die immediately.

Though he could defeat Fang Yu, and could also escape, that was clearly not the outcome he wanted.

"Uncle Jiao, I don’t plan to run."

"If you don’t run, are you going to sit here and wait for death?" Jiao Zhongchun grew anxious. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, ’Zhao Feiyang’ had always treated him with great respect, and they came from the same place; he had long since regarded ’Zhao Feiyang’ as a junior of his own.

"It won’t necessarily be waiting for death." Zhao Xing slid the Spring Token of the Start of Spring into the bamboo lot-tube in his hand and said leisurely, "From my observation, Fang Yu is not one of those usual military thugs. Just now he never truly intended to kill; otherwise you, Uncle Jiao, would never have been able to dissuade him."

From a single glance, Zhao Xing could tell that Fang Yu was a Sword Cultivator of the Life and Death Dao Domain Realm. If he’d really wanted to kill, he would have done so just now, and not even ten thousand Jiao Zhongchuns could have stopped him.

"Since he’s not that sort of military thug, as long as we accomplish the task properly, there won’t be a problem." As Zhao Xing spoke, he picked up a sheet of paper and began folding it.

"Accomplish it properly?" Jiao Zhongchun gave a bitter smile. "Of the eight Void Rivers outside Wuma Lixing City, only one remains navigable, and that one’s not very stable. He demands that at least half be restored within a month to provide stable marching routes for his army—how could that possibly be done?"

"Don’t you know what the situation is like in the Lixing Pinghuai Prefecture? We have no manpower, and no supplies."

"Forget one month—even a hundred years wouldn’t be enough!"

"That’s why I plan to talk to him." Zhao Xing’s hands paused; the sheet of white jade paper had already become a paper crane.

After he infused it with Mana, the paper crane let out a chirp and flew out of the great hall.

"Hey? Don’t... ah!"

Unable to stop him, Jiao Zhongchun could only flick his sleeves in frustration, convinced that Zhao Xing was courting death.

What good could talking do with those thuggish Martial Artists of the military?

The Paper Crane Spell was a very common universal Spell, but once empowered by Zhao Xing’s Mana, it became extraordinary.

Fang Yu, being of the Life and Death Dao Domain Realm, was naturally swift in flight; by the brief time spent talking, he had already flown beyond Lixing City’s Barrier and reached a Warship outside the boundary.

Just as he was about to board the ship, however, a streak of red light shot toward him.

"Hm? A paper crane?"

Fang Yu turned at once, looking at the paper crane flying out from the Star City.

Clearly it was a very ordinary paper crane, yet Fang Yu still felt that it was anything but simple.