"What you said makes sense."
The old man took another sip of wine.
"Water, if you say it's good, then it is indeed good. Without it, people cannot live.
But we people in the Wei River basin are often troubled by floods.
Every summer, when it rains heavily, the water rises. Once the floodwaters come, how many homes are destroyed.
It's no exaggeration to say that water drowns all living beings."
Wan Lei wanted to remind him that he was talking about "yān" (annihilate), not "yān" (water).
"If you ask which is more important, fire or water, it's hard to say.
It seems that one can live without fire.
But if you think about it carefully, without fire, life would be worse than that of a wild beast. What's the point of living then?
Without good wine and food, do you want to fight with a pack of wild beasts for meat every day?"
"Thank you for your guidance, old sir."
Wan Lei meant, "You can stop now, let me ponder properly."
But the old man was oblivious. After a few sips of wine, his话匣子 opened and he couldn't stop.
"If you want to say that the people of our Great Jin can live such good lives, use so many things, and cultivate and research flames to this extent, it's all thanks to a bolt of lightning from the past."
"Lightning?"
Wan Lei became interested and glanced at the old man with amusement.
Seeing that he had responded, the old man became even more animated.
"Isn't that right? If that bolt of lightning back then hadn't struck that dead tree and started a mountain fire, people wouldn't have known that food could be roasted and eaten, nor would they have known that water could be boiled and drunk. Who knows, we might still be fighting with wild beasts for food now.
So we common people all believe that lightning is the will of the gods, the embodiment of heaven and earth. When it thunders on rainy days, it means the heavens are angry and want to strike down those who have committed evil deeds."
Wan Lei smiled.
The probability of natural lightning striking and killing people is extremely small. Don't you see so many corrupt officials, so many bandits and robbers, all living well?
However, what the old man said was not wrong.
No matter in what world, in the eyes of the ignorant, lightning is always the will of heaven, a power that cannot be controlled.
And in these worlds, due to people's reverence for lightning, many legends about gods of thunder have naturally emerged.
In some worlds, there are the Thunder God and Electric Mother who bring rain.
In some worlds, it is rumored that the supreme god controls the power of the sky and lightning, and is the lord of all gods. His brothers often fight, he likes to have incestuous relationships with his sister, and he has a daughter...
In other worlds, it is said that on a sacred mountain, there live many gods, one of whom controls lightning, is known as the God of Thunder, and is a powerful warrior who has conquered countless enemies abroad and punished evil within...
Uh,
This legend is true.
Wan Lei can testify.
No matter in which world, lightning is basically used to punish evil and promote good. Especially in the Lei Feng Realm, the application of lightning has been perfected to the extreme. The Heavenly Dao will descend heavenly punishment to punish those who have committed evil deeds.
The lightning element in the Lei Feng Realm is extremely active, and it has even produced powerful beings like the Thunder Emperor.
Just like this Great Jin world, where flames have been used to the extreme.
"Yes, lightning is also a good thing."
Wan Lei nodded in agreement.
"Exactly."
The old man slapped his thigh.
"Lightning, how can mortals control such power? It is the will of heaven. Lightning has brought the fire of civilization to the human world."
"According to you, is lightning the father of fire?"
"Isn't it? Lightning is extremely great."
Wan Lei nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Fang Xiaoyu, nestled in Wan Lei's arms, couldn't stop laughing.
Wan Lei was too narcissistic. They were talking about fire, but he managed to bring it up to lightning and praise himself.
Wan Lei dotingly stroked Fang Xiaoyu's hair and also laughed heartily.
This old man really knew how to talk. And the old man next to them...
Hmph.
The weather was deadening.
Except for Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu themselves, everyone else had no idea what they were laughing at.
But those two families also quickly became happy because Wan Lei gave them some food and wine.
After the incident of starving to death in the Golden Immortal Secret Realm, Wan Lei always carried some non-perishable food with him, stored in special containers that preserved their quality. These containers were usually used for storing elixirs, spiritual herbs, or particularly precious treasures. Now, using them to store food was a terrible waste.
The old man happily shared the food with the two families, while Wan Lei pondered the old man's words.
"I originally thought that water was the source of life, and fire, apart from destroying things, had no other use.
But after listening to this old sir's words, I realized that fire actually has so many uses and plays such a significant role.
Now, I understand why the Water Immortal's Dao method is destruction, while the Fire Immortal's Dao method is creation.
It turns out I was too superficial. The Immortals had already grasped the true meaning long ago."
Fang Xiaoyu smiled without speaking. The old man opposite them chimed in,
"Isn't that right? Water merely sustains life so that people can live, while fire allows people to live better, more advanced, and more fulfilling lives.
The establishment of any civilization is inseparable from fire."
It was New Year's.
This New Year was not good for the people of the three regions.
In the areas ravaged by war, the people were suffering immensely. There was nothing to discuss, as many lands were devoid of people.
The land was scorched into barren ground by the flames of war, and it would only be in the spring of the following year that grain could be planted again, and harvested in the autumn.
This meant that many people would starve to death during this winter and the following spring and summer.
People migrated to areas not ravaged by war, only to discover with surprise that there was no food there either.
The labor force here had been conscripted as porters or absorbed into the large armies.
The grain here had been plundered and had become the rations for the army.
These areas not ravaged by war,
Were also places where people suffered immensely.
But there was one exception.
This place was not ravaged by war.
This place did not belong to any of the three families.
This place was the capital, the most abundant and most fertile region of the entire Great Jin land.
This place was the imperial capital of Jin, the Jingji.
The only place the Jin imperial family could currently govern.
Five hundred years ago, the founding emperor of Great Jin, with his saber and horse, ended the chaotic times, conquered the land, and established the Great Jin Dynasty, which had lasted for five hundred years.
There were rumors that the founding emperor of Great Jin had comprehended the supreme sacred fire, which surpassed the Four Great Flames, from the common people.
This sacred fire had always been controlled by the Jin imperial family.
Three hundred years ago, there was a great drought throughout the land, and the people suffered immensely. They rose up in rebellion. Emperor Dezong was unable to suppress the rebellion and ordered local lords to raise armies to assist the emperor.
The rebellion was suppressed, but this also gave rise to three powers that surpassed imperial authority.
After Emperor Dezong, the division of Jin into three factions had already emerged.