Chapter 491: Building a Bridge
What happens in Chapter 486 of "The Great Ming in the Box"? A hint of caution now rose in Shi Kefaâs heart.The words âDeityâ suggested a rather... Read on to find out!
A hint of caution now rose in Shi Kefaâs heart.The words âDeityâ suggested a rather illegitimate path. Plus, this man wore god-like clothes and wore a stiff, bizarre expression, radiating creepiness that seemed eerily similar to the White Lotus cultâs methods.
If this truly was a cult, then Shi Jian, the Ba Zong commanding this post, was undoubtedly a member.
This Longmen Ferry seemed highly dangerous.
Shi Kefa felt he had stumbled into a den of thieves; panic crept in. If words turned hostile, Longmen Ferry might just become his burial place.
Li Daoxuan grinned at Shi Kefa, his silicone face twisting into an utterly terrifying expression: âShi Kefa, youâre quite famous. I know of you.â
A chill ran through Shi Kefa: âI am merely a minor judge, hardly famous.â
Li Daoxuan widened his grin: âYou are a hereditary captain of the Imperial Guards. You obtained the jinshi degree in Chongzhen Year One, thus gaining an official post.â
Shi Kefa: â!!!â
Being recognized by a stranger as having dual identities shocked him. Commoners knew of his official titleâimperial examination results were publicized broadlyâso his jinshi status surprised no one.
But few knew of his hereditary position as a captain of the Imperial Guards.
Shi Kefa lowered his voice instantly: âHow⌠how did you know? Thatâs top secret. Do not breathe a word.â
Li Daoxuan swiftly switched perspectives, returning his consciousness to his real body outside the box. He activated the âAttentionâ function, focusing it on Shi Kefa. This âAttentionâ could penetrate wallsâand clothesâlike a scanner sweeping over Shi Kefa. Immediately, it detected a secret letter hidden in his sleeve, even revealing its contents clearlyâŚ
Switching back to the Titanic Deity persona, he stated: âOfficially you serve as a judge overseeing legal affairs, yet the court dispatched you to lead disaster reliefâutterly unrelated to your duties. Actually, itâs to ease your intelligence gathering, isnât it? Reporting rebel movements, refugee activity, and officialsâ behavior? Classic work for the Imperial Guards.â
Sweat poured down Shi Kefaâs face. This⌠he knew all that? How?
Li Daoxuan pointed at Shi Kefaâs left sleeve: âYour sleeve conceals a secret letter detailing your journeyâs observations. Especially the shifts in grain price have alerted you. You report to the Emperorâthe closer to Chengcheng County, the lower grain prices become⌠You plan to investigate thoroughly, uncover Chengcheng Countyâs grain source.â
Shi Kefa: â!!!â
His hand shot to his swordâs gripâŚ
To avoid exposing his Imperial Guards identity, he didnât carry the embroidered spring blade. Instead, he wore a Japanese samurai bladeâdecorative to ordinary scholars but functional for him, serving as the embroidered bladeâs substitute.
Shi Kefaâs voice turned grave: âBy stating all this boldly, you mean to see me dead before leaving this place?â
Li Daoxuan spread his hands: âNot that cruel. I donât kill those not heinously evil or irredeemable. Besides, while your abilities may be lacking, your character is decent.â
Shi Kefa: â!â
Li Daoxuan blinked at him: âWhat you witness next might shock you. I wonder if youâll still write that letter⌠Quite curious indeed. Watch closely. Donât blinkâŚâ
Shi Kefa had no intention of blinking. Hand gripping his sword, eyes locked on Li Daoxuanâs minutest motionâready to fight desperately if attacked, even if it meant cutting his way out of Longmen Ferry.
Right thenâŚ
Someone yelled: âLook at the sky!â
âThe Deity is taking action!â
âWow! Here it comes! Here!â
Shi Kefa tilted his head upward. Beyond the parting clouds, a golden giant hand descended from the heavens. Dozens of yards across and immeasurably vast, its palm alone could bear hundreds. Shi Kefa shivered violently, his hand slipping unconsciously from the sword gripâŚ
The hundreds of Gaojia Village Militia members on the dock cheered rapturously; they hadnât seen the Deityâs golden hand in ages. Witnessing it now, morale soared instantly.
Refugees from Hejin County, amid recent dock construction, had heard fragments about the âDeity.â Some remained skeptical until the golden giant hand appeared. All instantly prostrated themselvesâlike Chengcheng Countyâs villagers the first time they witnessed it.
The thirty thousand surrendering bandits, having never heard of any Deity, faced chaos. Seeing the golden giant handâunknown whether godly or demonicâscreamed fearfully into disarray.
The giant hand first reached the eastern bankâs slope. Bang! Bang! Bang! It struck the earth several times. The ground quaked violently; nearby civilians recoiled in fear. Shi Kefa staggered, barely keeping balance.
Soon, the riverside land compressed tight. The golden hand crossed the river, thumping the opposite ground firmly twiceâcompressing the earth densely.
Shi Kefa understood: this marked the bridgeâs location. The compressed spots on both banks would anchor the piers.
The golden giant hand retracted beyond the clouds. Moments later, it returnedâcarrying an immense bridge this timeâŚ
Multicolored, stretching dozens of yards long and four or five yards wide!
âCrash!â
A massive thunder echoed as the bridge dropped onto the river. Both ends plunged deep into the compressed spots.
The golden hand then shook the bridge side-to-side, testing stability. It scooped mud and stones, heaping more upon the piers, pressing downward repeatedlyâassuring rock-solid steadiness without wobbleâbefore withdrawing into the sky.
Thus, far less than half an incense-stickâs duration afterâŚ
A bridge spanned the Yellow Riverâa giant, polychromatic bridge stretching dozens of yards grandly.
It stood majestically before all, making them doubt whether they dreamedâŚ
âShi Kefa! Shi Kefa!â
Hearing his name called, Shi Kefa startled awake. The one summoning him was the man called âDeity,â still wearing that eerie grin: âLet us inaugurate the bridge together. Only after someone crosses first will the others dare.â
Shi Kefa jolted fully alert: âHuh? Huh? YesâŚâ
Longmen Yellow River Bridge exists today. Spanning the Yellow River, it claims the largest cable-stayed structure in Chinaâlauded as âYellow River Premier Bridge.â Also Shanxi Provinceâs longest, highest-investment, and most complex bridge.
In this book, our protagonist just tossed down a plastic bridge without any elevated ramp facilitiesâmiles behind Longmen Bridge of today. Ha ha.