Chapter 615: The Yellow River Breach

Li Daoxuan really did want to see Luoyang, but he was in no rush.Jiang Cheng was still far from reaching Luoyang. Each day, Li Daoxuan switched his “shared senses” to glance at the Cotton Thread Deity on Jiang Cheng’s chest. Once Jiang Cheng arrived in Luoyang, Li Daoxuan could fully shift his attention for a tour; it wasn’t too late then.

One day later, when the wind was light and the rain weak, and the river surface relatively calm, Jiang Cheng saw the chance. He boarded a ferry, pulled the iron chain to cross Fengling Dock, and finally arrived at Tongguan Road on the southern bank of the Yellow River.

Then he began advancing eastward along the official road…

The journey from Tongguan Road to Luoyang was a long four hundred li.

Along the way, fierce winds and heavy rains struck occasionally, making Jiang Cheng’s trip very arduous. Several times when Li Daoxuan “shared senses” to check his progress, he found Jiang Cheng struggling forward in the downpour.

Li Daoxuan couldn’t help sighing: ancient merchants truly found earning money difficult.

Several days later, he finally completed the four hundred li journey.

Jiang Cheng smiled and said to his subordinates: “We’re finally about to reach Luoyang. Mengjin Kou is right ahead, very close to Luoyang. Whew, I’m exhausted.”

Li Daoxuan happened to share senses precisely then and heard his words. He thought happily to himself: Great, great, we’ve nearly arrived at Luoyang. When playing the game “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” capturing Luoyang and holding Emperor Xian hostage was his favorite part. Now, seeing the ancient city of Luoyang firsthand would indeed bring him joy.

However, his joy didn’t even last five seconds.

He then heard one of Jiang Cheng’s subordinates shout: “Bad! Master, look quickly, look over there…”

Jiang Cheng and Li Daoxuan both turned their eyes toward the direction pointed by the subordinate’s finger.

He was indicating the Yellow River riverbank at Mengjin Kou to the north…

Just as everyone glanced over at that instant, they saw a breach open in the Yellow River riverbank.

With a loud rumbling, the riverbank cracked and yellow river water gushed out. At first, it was just small leaks everywhere, but rapid full collapse commenced soon after.

The riverbank started collapsing over a wide area, and yellow water surged forth violently.

Jiang Cheng: “Fuck!”

Li Daoxuan: “!!!”

Jiang Cheng’s subordinates cried out together: “It’s bad!”

“Run!” Jiang Cheng reacted first: “Quick, run to high ground! Run, hurry, move!”

A subordinate yelled: “The salt carts!”

Jiang Cheng: “Abandon them! Drop them, run!”

Everyone abandoned the salt carts and began sprinting wildly toward the nearest hillside.

The breached Yellow River water surged madly across the plain outside Luoyang.

Common people screamed and ran frantically everywhere.

The yellow water chased behind them, driving them to run, yet its speed was overwhelming—human legs couldn’t possibly outpace it. Occasionally, a common person would fall, be swept up by the water, and be swallowed…

Jiang Cheng’s group was relatively far from the riverbank and wasn’t immediately submerged; they still had time to flee. Ahead stood a small but not too high hill called “Gao Slope.”

Hundreds of common people were already on the slope as Jiang Cheng’s group scrambled desperately up.

Standing atop the slope and looking back, they saw the yellow water had reached where they had dumped the salt carts. The several salt carts were engulfed and vanished instantly.

These carts had been transported from Yongji ancient ferry dock with great effort. Who would have thought that in just a blink, all the toil of the journey would go to waste.

Of course, worse than the salt carts were the common folk overtaken by the river’s surge. One after another, they vanished into the torrent.

A fortunate few reached the base of the high slope, scrambling desperately upward. But those already atop dared not descend to rescue; they could only shout frantically from the ridge: “Climb faster! Quick, quick!”

“BOOM!”

The floodwaters swept past halfway up the slope. Those who had clambered above that point were spared, while any who hadn’t made it in time were all swept away by the churning yellow waters.

Li Daoxuan watched this scene, his heart heavy with sorrow.

Yet this place lay beyond his sphere of influence. He could not reach in to save these commoners; he could only gaze at them helplessly.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when calm finally settled over the surroundings.

The river no longer raged. Instead, it pooled across the vast plain, flowing sluggishly.

Several hundred commoners stood atop the high slope, surrounded on all sides by the yellow river.

Scanning the horizon, they could see distant slopes dotting the water surface — some east, some west — each summit crowded with hundreds of souls.

Like tiny islands in a yellow sea.

Though spared from the flood’s immediate fury, a new peril faced these isolated survivors. Each island held hundreds of bedraggled refugees. Few had brought food or water; none carried cooking pots. With nothing to eat, nothing to shield them from rain, they stood exposed to the cold downpour and buffeted by river winds.

How long could they endure this?

Jiang Cheng scanned his surroundings, then spoke to his men nearby: “I fear we’re stranded. We escaped drowning, yes, but trapped on these islands? We won’t last days.”

A follower murmured, “We have rations… maybe we can hold out? The water might recede soon?”

Jiang Cheng shook his head. “Hard to say! The Yellow River changing its course is nothing new. What if this entire area becomes its new path? We’d be stranded smack in the middle of a river channel until we die.”

The others fell silent.

Jiang Cheng pressed grimly, “And even if it doesn’t become the channel, when the water does retreat, thick mud will cloak everything.”

Deeper silence followed. Mud. That threat seemed worse. Walking in deep sludge was treacherous; one misstep could mean sinking beyond escape. Death, once more the only outcome.

Despair gripped them all.

Just then, the Cotton Thread Deity tucked against Jiang Cheng’s chest spoke: “Endure. Gaojia Village’s Sharp Knife Troop has set out.”

Joy surged through Jiang Cheng. He lowered his head quickly, but the Deity had already fallen silent after delivering that single sentence.

One sentence, however, was enough.

A fierce hope instantly ignited in Jiang Cheng’s heart.

His will to survive blazed. He jumped to his feet and shouted to the trapped throng: “Gather close! Huddle together — share your body warmth! Use anything you have to shield yourselves from rain, share it with those nearby! We must conserve energy! Endure! Aid is coming!”

A group of villagers looked back with eyes like ashes: “Master, who would rescue us? The authorities won’t care about lowly folk like us dying.”

“Yeah, who in the world would come?”

“Don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid!” Jiang Cheng’s voice roared. “Rescue will come! It is certain! A divine being named the Dao Xuan Deity watches over the common people! He cares deeply! He will arrive soon to save everyone… For now, trust me — huddle together for warmth. Don’t waste your strength needlessly! Come gather round… let me tell you all the story of the Dao Xuan Deity.”