Chapter 37 Moving Mountains
In the Holy Terra Empire, there has always been an ancient story about "The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains".
The story goes that long, long ago, within the territory of the Holy Terra Empire, there were two great mountains, named Taihang and Wangwu. They were towering into the clouds, majestic and magnificent, but they also severely hindered the travel of the local residents.
To the north of the Taihang and Wangwu Mountains lived an old man who was nearly ninety years old, named Dongfang Qingcang.
Because of the mountain's obstruction, Dongfang Qingcang's family's travel is extremely inconvenient. Every time they want to go to the other side of the mountain, they have to take a long detour or climb steep peaks, which takes a lot of time and energy.
Therefore, Dongfang Qingcang made up his mind to move these two mountains.
He led his family, digging through the mountain day and night, trying to change their fate using this most primitive and clumsy method.
Dongfang Qingcang's actions attracted the attention of the surrounding residents.
Some admired his perseverance, some sympathized with his plight, but many more mocked his foolishness.
Among them, an old man named Zhisou directly mocked Dongfang Qingcang to his face: "You are really a foolish old man. You are so old and your strength is limited. How could you possibly move these two mountains?"
Faced with the wise old man's ridicule, Dongfang Qingcang was not angry. He calmly replied, "Even if I die, I will have my son and my grandson. They will inherit my will and continue to dig the mountain. Generation after generation, without end, while the mountain will not grow any larger. One day, we will be able to move these two great mountains to the ground!"
Dongfang Qingcang is a devout believer of the God of Preservation. He firmly believes that the continuation and inheritance of life is the key to overcoming all difficulties.
With the blessing of the power of survival, he was not only healthy and energetic, but also very fertile, with many children and grandchildren, and his family prospered.
Under his leadership, his descendants also joined the effort to excavate the mountain.
Day after day, year after year, they tirelessly dug into the mountain, putting the spirit of "The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains" into practice with their actions.
As time went by, the story of Dongfang Qingcang gradually spread, and more and more people were moved by his spirit.
They flocked to visit the place where Dongfang Qingcang had dug the mountain, and were impressed by his perseverance and determination.
Some people even volunteered to join the excavation work, hoping to contribute their share to this great cause.
Ultimately, the place where Dongfang Qingcang dug the mountain became a well-known tourist attraction, drawing countless visitors.
This not only boosted the local economy but also spread the spirit of "The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains" more widely, and the relationship between the local Life Sect's Tourism and Culture Administration and the Eastern Family has become increasingly better.
However, reality is often much crueler than stories.
As the Dongfang Qingcang family continued to grow, problems arose in the allocation of resources within the family.
As direct descendants of Dongfang Qingcang, they control the violent apparatus, occupy the vast majority of resources and power in the family's tourist attractions, and live a life of luxury.
Those collateral descendants, on the other hand, could only be driven, whipped, and forced to do the arduous work of digging mountains, day after day, generation after generation, endlessly.
Due to long-term labor in harsh environments, a large number of collateral relatives have contracted pneumoconiosis, a disease that severely damages their lung function, causing them difficulty breathing and immense suffering.
Many people die young because of this, and even those who live suffer a living hell.
In a secluded corner of the Dongfang family, a sixteen-year-old boy named Dongfang Jingyun is taking care of several clansmen suffering from pneumoconiosis.
These clansmen were all elders of Dongfang Jingyun and "heroes" in the Dongfang family's mountain-digging project.
They dedicated their lives to their family, but ultimately met such a tragic end.
Looking at the elder before him, who was ravaged by illness and barely recognizable as human, Dongfang Jingyun felt a deep sadness and helplessness.
He didn't know how long these days would last, nor did he know whether his own future would end like this elder's, in endless labor and illness.
He recalled the story of "The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains," and the ancestor who was once full of passion and dreams.
However, reality told him that the story was perhaps just a beautiful legend.
These ordinary members of their tribe are destined to play those unnoticed and forgotten roles in this legend until the end of their lives.
Just as Dongfang Jingyun was feeling lost and desperate, a series of footsteps suddenly came, interrupting his thoughts.
Several middle-aged men dressed in fine clothes and with an extraordinary air walked in. They were high-ranking members of the Dongfang family and direct descendants of Dongfang Qingcang.
These people are used to a life of luxury and rarely come to such remote places.
Their arrival surprised and unsettled Dongfang Jingyun.
"Jingyun, come with us."
The middle-aged man at the head of the group spoke, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.
Where to?
Dongfang Jingyun asked, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
"You're sixteen now, it's time for you to get married," the middle-aged man said. "We've already arranged a marriage for you. She's the youngest daughter of the Wang family in the city. She comes from a good family, is virtuous, and is a perfect match for you."
"Getting married? Starting a family?"
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jingyun was stunned.
He never expected that these people would come to him about this matter.
"I'm not going."
Dongfang Jingyun shook his head and said firmly.
"I don't want to get married, nor do I want to marry some young daughter of the Wang family. I just want to stay here and take care of..."
"Nonsense!"
The middle-aged man interrupted Dongfang Jingyun, sternly rebuking him: "This matter is not up to you! The rules set by your ancestors require descendants to multiply and thrive, to expand the family, and to contribute to the great cause of moving mountains! Do you intend to disobey the ancestral precepts?!"
"Ancestral precepts? Again with ancestral precepts!"
Dongfang Jingyun suddenly became agitated and shouted:
"Why? Why should we, his descendants, pay the price for his decision to excavate Wangwu Mountain and Taihang Mountain? Why should we bear such an absurd fate?"
Why should we sacrifice our lives for a vague and unattainable goal? Why can't we pursue our dreams and live the life we want, just like normal people?
"Just because we are descendants of Yu Gong, does that mean we have to dig mountains generation after generation until the end of our lives? That's not fair! That's not reasonable!"
Dongfang Jingyun's words stunned the middle-aged people present.
They never expected that this usually quiet boy would say such a thing.
"presumptuous!"
A middle-aged man, realizing what was happening, angrily rebuked, "How dare you question the decisions of our ancestors! This is utterly rebellious!"
"Guards, take him away!"
"I think he's been influenced by those pneumoconiosis patients and his mind isn't clear! Take him back and discipline him properly!"
Several middle-aged men spoke up and were about to step forward to grab Dongfang Jingyun.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
However, in the face of these people's threats, Dongfang Jingyun suddenly burst into laughter.
His laughter was filled with sorrow and despair, but also with determination and madness.
"Do you think I would obediently go back with you, marry a woman I don't know, have a bunch of kids, and let them continue digging in the Taihang Mountains, repeating the tragic fate of our family?"
"You are wrong."
Dongfang Jingyun said with a bitter smile, "I had long expected this day to come, so last night, I castrated myself."
As he spoke, Dongfang Jingyun lifted his robe, revealing his blood-stained lower body.
Blood kept seeping from his wounds, staining his clothes and the ground red.
shocking.
"You...you..."
The middle-aged people present were stunned by what they saw.
They never expected that Dongfang Jingyun would do something so ruthless.
"He castrated himself?! He actually castrated himself?!"
"Jingyun, what exactly did you do? Without Niu Zi, how can we contend with Shuangshan?" Dongfang Weiyin stamped his foot and glared at Dongfang Jingyun.
A middle-aged man said in a trembling voice, "You actually...you actually did such a thing! You're going to kill your family line!"
"Hahahaha, childless and without descendants?" Dongfang Jingyun laughed loudly, "So what?"
"I would rather let this tragic fate, this absurd and endless mountain-digging project, end with me than let it continue to harm my children and grandchildren!"
"Hahaha, hahaha, you won't get anything from me, you won't get anything at all