Chapter 29

"Looking at the weather, it seems there won’t be any rain again." Zhuminglang muttered to himself.

The forest has its own way of storing water, with dense shrubs, thick soil, and leaves that release moisture when heated by the sun. However, the city in the valley is so dry that the ground is beginning to crack.

It’s not that people have no water to drink at all, but the fields and livestock lack a large amount of water. Winter is coming soon, and people need to stockpile some food.

Xiaobaiqi is indeed very lazy. Despite having wings and just waking up from a long sleep, he refuses to fly in the beautiful forest, instead choosing to stay on Zhuminglang’s shoulder...

He would rather cling to a person than take a single step on his own.

Fortunately, the little guy is light. If it were Dahuaya, Zhuminglang would feel that he should switch to being an armorer and give up the profession of a dragon herder.

"There’s a cliff ahead, it’s not suitable to walk there. Look for another path," Zhuminglang said to Baiqi.

Baiqi seemed reluctant to leave this comfortable ride, nuzzling his little head against Zhuminglang’s cheek and acting coquettish.

"You’re so lazy." Zhuminglang was both amused and exasperated.

Fine, I’ll explore it myself.

Zhuminglang bypassed the stream and found that the terrain of the forest ahead suddenly rose, with several areas so steep that there was no place to climb...

"Strange, how are there signs of a path here?"

When Zhuminglang bypassed the steep areas, he noticed that the vines and thorns in the forest had been cut, and there was a clear path underfoot, as if it were a trail frequently used by woodcutters.

With some doubt, Zhuminglang followed this path to a higher ground, and according to his memory, he found the location of the stream...

But the scene before him made Zhuminglang pause.

A dam!

There was a dam here, right at the steep spot, completely blocking the stream.

The water management of the Zulong city-state is not very backward, so it’s normal for a dam to appear in such a place.

The dam stores water during the rainy season and releases it during the dry season, a common agricultural water management practice.

However, behind this dam, the water was abundant like a mountain lake, showing no signs of drying up. Moreover, the stream at the higher ground, though not abundant, was still continuously flowing into this valley dam!

With the water storage capacity of this dam, it could fully irrigate the dry fields of Ronggu City and sustain the livestock, as long as the stone gates of the dam were opened!!

"What’s going on here??" Zhuminglang was somewhat bewildered.

The young city lord clearly said that Ronggu City had no water, and irrigation and feeding had become major issues. Yet, this dam was storing a full reservoir of water here. Was this deliberately causing a crisis for the people?!

Zhuminglang still had a good impression of the young city lord. He was neither humble nor arrogant when facing the dragon herders, spoke logically, and even considered the potential hazards of nighttime rain...

But seeing the full reservoir, the tightly locked gates, and the pitiful trickle of water flowing into the fields and pastures, Zhuminglang felt a deep disgust and disappointment towards the young city lord!

The water is overflowing, yet it’s not released.

The suffering of the people is ignored.

His intentions are sinister!

...

On the way back, Zhuminglang’s mood was heavy.

Though he had no grand ambitions, he couldn’t tolerate such corrupt bureaucratic behavior. It would be best to inform Teacher Duanlan about this matter as soon as possible.

In contrast, Teacher Duanlan is truly a kind-hearted person. He didn’t mind flying a long distance to this eastern Ronggu City just for a rainmaking ceremony that would bring him no personal gain, and he instilled in the dragon herder students the valuable concept that those with abilities should benefit the hardworking masses.

...

At noon, the strong sunlight was like a whip lashing everything. The orchards were withered, and the fields were cracked. Although it was autumn, the intense heat made people feel even more disheartened.

The temperature difference between day and night was significant. By the time Zhuminglang returned to Ronggu City, he was already drenched in sweat. He walked down the street towards the mansion and saw vendors hurriedly packing up their goods, looking somewhat panicked.

When he arrived at the mansion, Zhuminglang didn’t see his teacher or classmates. They must have already gone to the sacrificial terrace. He asked a servant for directions and headed towards the sacrificial terrace.

Just as he stepped out, a man approached him. The man looked at Zhuminglang as if he had been searching for him, with a somewhat strange expression.

"Is this Brother Zhu?" the man bowed deeply.

Zhuminglang looked at him but didn’t speak.

This man was none other than the young city lord, Zheng Yu.

Zheng Yu stood in front of Zhuminglang, maintaining his bow, which made Zhuminglang think of something. He became alert and was ready to have Baiqi take action.

"Have you been to the upstream of the stream, Brother Zhu? Did you see the dam?" Zheng Yu asked.

"I saw it." Zhuminglang was already prepared.

"Are you going to inform Teacher Duanlan and Teacher Kebei?" Zheng Yu asked again, his tone unchanged.

"Speak your mind." Zhuminglang was ready to act.

"Please don’t misunderstand, Zheng Yu is just a weak scholar who knows nothing about dragon herding and has no ill intentions towards Brother Zhu. Before you inform the two teachers, could you listen to a few words from me? If you still want to expose my misdeeds to the people and the teachers, I will not stop you, and I am willing to accept the punishment." Zheng Yu stood up, his face showing sincerity.

Zhuminglang glanced at the sky.

It had been clear just a moment ago, but now dark clouds were gathering. It was unclear whether the weather was changing or if Teacher Duanlan’s Azure Dragon technique was already being performed.

It wasn’t as hot, but it was starting to feel oppressive.

"Speak, City Lord." Zhuminglang wasn’t in a hurry, as the man had already spoken so much.

"Brother Zhu, do you know about Wutu? Do you know that soldiers are fighting the Wutu rebels fifty miles away?" Zheng Yu began.

"I know." Zhuminglang nodded.

Wutu, where he had beautiful memories... of planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms.

"Brother Zhu, being a wise person, what do you think of this war?" Zheng Yu asked.

"I’ll just listen to you." Zhuminglang said calmly, but he had a different view of Zheng Yu.

This man’s behavior was disgusting, but his eyes were clear, unlike a certain small vendor at the bridge.

——

(We’re changing the update time. Two chapters before 7 PM. If there are no drafts, I usually write in the afternoon and then post them. Cough, cough, the familiar flavor is back...)