Volume 2: The Great Prosperity of Mankind Chapter 44: Yao Passes on the Throne to Shun, The Floodwaters Surge

  The peak of the mountain, at this time Hong Xuan was standing quietly there, bowing his head and waiting for something. Mo Qi Lin was lying at his feet, sleeping soundly, occasionally snoring twice, echoing in the quiet night sky, making it even more silent!

  Lu Xianzi stood with her head bowed at a distance, not daring to make any move. Standing in front of her was the mighty Hunyuan Holy Man, who had previously been an existence that could only be heard but not seen, and was an existence that all living beings looked up to! Now he was standing close to her, making her feel somewhat excited, somewhat bewildered, and somewhat worried for a while.

  Perhaps seeing her unease, Hongyuan smiled slightly, like a spring breeze brushing against her face, natural and refreshing. He asked in a soft voice: "Are you wondering why I brought you to this place?" Although he was asking her, the tone of his words was affirmative beyond doubt.

  Lu Xianzi was taken aback by his words, but quickly regained her composure and said: "Well, the Holy One has obtained it. Little Fairy is indeed puzzled about this!"

  Hong Xuan said calmly: "Lu Xian Nü, you secretly descended to the mortal world and were trapped by emotions. This is a common human feeling, and I also appreciate your courage!"

  Lu Xianzi's face suddenly flushed with a red glow, and just as she was about to respond, Hong Xuan suddenly said: "However, you shouldn't have fallen in love with Emperor Yao and become one with him!"

  Lu Xianzi's delicate body trembled, her face pale with urgency as she asked: "What is the reason for this? Where did Xiaoxian go wrong?" She had a deep sense of unwillingness, why would even a saint say such things?!

  Hong Xuan let out a soft sigh and said, "If you fall in love with someone else, then so be it! But the one you've fallen for is the Human Emperor, which is absolutely unacceptable. A hundred years from now, it will bring endless suffering to accompany you!"

  Lu Xianzi asked with a sorrowful expression: "Please enlighten me, Holy One. Let the little fairy understand too!"

  Hong Xuan gazed up at the starry sky, his wise eyes that had observed the universe and all its phenomena suddenly clouded over, making it impossible to discern what he was thinking. After a long while, he spoke: "When Xuanyuan Huangdi cast the Nine Tripods and established the boundaries of the nine provinces to stabilize the human race, it was indeed a great deed of merit. However, Emperor Yao was born from one of the divine dragons in the Tianbao seal, so the establishment of the nine provinces' boundaries also weakened him somewhat. That's why even after a hundred years, Emperor Yao should still return to the nine provinces' boundaries and not appear in the mortal world!"

  Lu Xianzi's body shook violently, her legs trembling, and she almost fell over. Her eyes were dull and her face was pale as she muttered to herself. She didn't know what she was saying!

  Hong Xuan saw her like this, and let out a slight sigh. A stream of clear air shot onto Lu Xianzi's body. She suddenly shook, woke up, and hastily kowtowed to the ground, repeatedly knocking her forehead on the ground. She begged: "Immortal, have mercy! I hope you will grant me a complete method!"

  Hong Xuan closed his eyes and said faintly, "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. You should know that Emperor Yao is the incarnation of the Kunlun Stamp's Dragon God. If I were to help you, the Nine States' boundary would become unstable in the future, and our human tribe would suffer greatly. How could I abandon billions of people from my own kind? Let's not mention this matter again!"

  Lu Xianzi's face turned sorrowful upon hearing the words. He fell to the ground in despair! Hongyuan saw this and with a wave of his sleeve, took Lu Xianzi away. Just then, they heard a faint cry from afar, "Madam, where are you? Tang Yao is here! Come out quickly and meet me!" The voice was urgent and hoarse beyond measure.

  It turned out that Emperor Yao had finished his government affairs and returned home to see the child sleeping on the bed. But Lu Xianzi was nowhere to be found. He was greatly shocked! Hurriedly sent people to search all over the city, but still couldn't find her. His heart was anxious, not knowing why Lu Xianzi suddenly disappeared. Relying solely on the thread of feeling in his heart, he arrived at Goushe Mountain. At this time, Hongyuan had just taken Lu Xianzi away. Emperor Yao lost the feeling and was immediately shocked and pale. He thought it was Lu Xianzi intentionally hiding and refusing to see him. So he loudly called out, hoping she would respond!

  He just let him call out, but he couldn't hear Luoxianzi's response again. He searched in the mountains for three days and three nights, exhausted, hungry and thirsty, his whole body was in a mess! His heart had already given up on searching. He took one last deep look at Gushan Mountain, turned around and left dejectedly without looking back.

  On the top of Gushan Mountain, Hongyuan watched as Yao Emperor left. In his heart, he secretly sighed: Although he was a saint and above all living things, he was not omnipotent. Although he sympathized with the fate of this loving couple, as the Holy Father of humanity, for the sake of humanity, it was impossible to lose sight of the bigger picture because of a small matter. Therefore, he did not lend a hand to help the two. He only saved Luoxianzi, which was just a small gesture of kindness.

  Gently patted the head of Mo Qi Lin, Mo Qi Lin let out a loud snort, shook his body, and knelt down. After Hong Xuan sat on it, he let out a long whistle, stepped on the colorful auspicious cloud, and went to the East Sea Fangzhang Xianzhou!

  After Emperor Yao returned to the human tribe, he felt that Zhu was missing his mother's care. As the co-ruler of the human tribe, he was busy with government affairs every day and had no time to take care of the child. After thinking for a few days, he married a woman named Shan Yi as his wife to take care of Zhu. Shan Yi was a virtuous person who treated Zhu like her own child and took good care of him in every way. Seeing this, Emperor Yao was also at ease to handle human affairs properly!

  Twenty years passed, one day, the sky showed a nine-province boundary, and a nine-clawed golden dragon fell from the boundary into the land of Jiuzhou Yaoxu. Suddenly, the dragon's roar was loud and lasted for a long time!

  More than twenty years passed, and in the land of Yao's grave there appeared a son who became famous throughout the empire for his filial piety. His name was Chong Hua, also called Yu Shun; he was a descendant of Emperor Zhuan Xu, but five generations had elapsed since his family had held office. His father was blind, and his younger brother, Xiang, did not like him.

  At this time, Emperor Yao was old and weak, and the Yellow River flooded, destroying countless homes of the people. Emperor Yao felt that he could no longer benefit the human race, so he summoned the four great officials to recommend someone who could succeed him as the common lord of humanity. The four officials recommended Emperor Yao's son Danzhu, but Emperor Yao shook his head and said: "Zhu can be the chief of a single region in Dan, but his talent is not sufficient to be the master of the world, it is not possible!"

  There were high officials who recommended Yu Shun to Emperor Yao, saying that he was not only a filial son but also a man of great talent and ability, who could be the common lord of all people.

  Emperor Yao said, "I have also heard of Shun's filial piety, but I have not seen him before and do not know what kind of person he is. After all, the position of co-ruler concerns the well-being of the people of the world, and it cannot be passed down casually. It must be tested before a decision can be made!"

  Then he ordered Shun to come, and married his two daughters who were born before and after him, and also let Shun accompany him to assist in handling government affairs. After three years, Emperor Yao saw that Shun was able to handle household matters well, making family members harmonious; and also handled the political affairs of the people with order, reason, and evidence, which was highly praised by the ministers and loved by the people. Then Emperor Yao abdicated in favor of Shun, saying: "Shun, I am old and cannot bear the burden of our clan's affairs. Now the world is not yet peaceful, floods are overflowing, and the five grains are not growing. Birds and beasts are encroaching on humans, and the paths of birds and beasts intersect with China. The water disaster in the world endangers the people day and night, you must pacify the water disaster, do not disappoint my hopes!"

  Yu's expression was firm as he said: "I, Yu, will put an end to the flood and bring a bright sky back to our people!"

  Emperor Yao nodded in satisfaction and then retired, handing over the empire to Yu Shun.

  In just a few years, a nine-clawed golden dragon suddenly appeared in the sky above Jizhou City, circling around the city for nine rounds before flying towards the ninth heaven. A layer of golden yellow boundary suddenly emerged, emitting a strong suction force that trapped the nine-clawed golden dragon. The dragon struggled and resisted the suction force of the Jiuzhou boundary, its eyes gazing longingly in the direction of Fangzhang Island in the Eastern Sea. A tear as large as a斗 dropped down, transforming into a pearl that flew towards Fangzhang Island. As it was sucked into the Jiuzhou boundary, the dragon let out a mournful roar before being absorbed into the boundary. The Jiuzhou boundary flashed brightly for an instant before disappearing once again.

  On the Fangzhang Island in the East China Sea, a woman held that pearl and wept silently, her voice choked with sobs!

  Behind the woman, Hong Xuan let out a soft sigh and gazed up at the nine heavens, seeing through the Nine Provinces' boundary. The nine-clawed golden dragon was currently hidden within the boundary, quietly sleeping!

  Three different sighs echoed in Huoyun Palace. One seemed relieved! One seemed regretful! One seemed despondent!

  The next day, a message spread from Jizhou throughout the land: Emperor Yao had ascended to immortality, and the whole nation was in mourning!

  Yu was on the throne when the Yellow River flooded even more severely, and he asked his ministers from all directions: "Do any of you have a way to control the flood?"

  All the ministers looked at each other, none of them had a good plan to offer. One of the ministers stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, in my clan there is a man named Gun who was successful in controlling the waters during the time of Emperor Yao. He is skilled in water control, why not summon him to take charge of it and bring peace to the world?"

  Emperor Shun was overjoyed upon hearing this, and immediately issued a decree appointing Gun as the Minister of Works, in charge of flood control affairs, with full authority to mobilize manpower and resources.

  Yu received the order of Emperor Shun, and devoted himself to the great cause of water control. He thought deeply: The flood is surging, only by blocking it can we prevent it from harming the people. Therefore, he mobilized a large number of people to dig earth and block the water. Wherever there was a flood, they went there to intercept it. As a result, the flood subsided day by day, and the embankment rose day by day. After nine years, countless human and material resources were consumed, and high earth walls could be seen everywhere in the Yellow River basin. The flood was blocked, and for the time being, it subsided!

  Yu thought the flood had been controlled, and reported to Emperor Shun. Emperor Shun was overjoyed and held a banquet at home to entertain all his ministers, congratulating Yu on his achievement in controlling the flood.

  Everyone was in high spirits when suddenly a bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a deafening thunderclap that shook the earth. The sky immediately darkened and a torrential downpour drenched the entire northern region.

  Yu the Great put down the wine in his hand, stood up suddenly and came to the door, looking at the heavy rain in the sky, worriedly asked Gun: "My dear, now that the heaven is pouring down heavily, will there be any disaster in the land of Yellow River?"

  The eunuch stood up and said with a worried face: "Your Majesty forgive me! I also don't know!"

  Emperor Shun was about to speak when a soldier rushed in from outside, bowed down and said: "I report to Your Majesty, the heavens have sent a heavy rain, the heavy rain has broken through the embankment surrounding the flooded land, the floodwaters have burst out, inundating countless homes and crops of the people, with countless dead!" As soon as he finished speaking, that soldier was already in tears!

  With a loud cry, Jun rushed out, as if he didn't dare to believe it, and stood there in an instant, speechless!

  All the ministers were shocked! For a moment, the room fell silent, waiting for Emperor Shun's decree.

  Yu Shun's face was gloomy, the muscles on his face twitching constantly, two lines of hot tears streaming down his cheeks. He knelt down to the ground facing Donghai Fangzhang Island and choked with sobs: "Holy Father above! Shun is incompetent, mistakenly using Gun, resulting in countless people of my tribe being buried in the floodwaters, this is Shun's fault!"

  Many officials saw this and also knelt down on the ground one after another, saying they were guilty!

  Yu then came back to his senses and sadly bowed to Emperor Shun, saying: "Yu is incompetent, I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

  Emperor Shun stood up, looked at Gun's pale face and ordered the soldier in a stern voice: "Take Gun to Mount Feather, behead him!" The soldier responded with a yes, took Gun away. Gun did not resist, allowing himself to be taken out of the house, heading towards Mount Feather!

  On the Fangzhang Island in the East Sea, Hongyuan raised his head to look at the sky, as if he saw that ancient and mysterious Taoist temple, and whispered: "Master! When will the trial of humanity finally end? Humanity has gone through too much already!"

  It is: Hard to get a loving person, the surging floodwaters submerged the people!

  According to historical records, Emperor Yao lived in seclusion for 28 years before passing away. For the sake of this book's plot, we have advanced his death by a few years; please forgive us, dear readers!