Revelation of the Way of Heaven

The sky grew darker and darker, and the mountains and forests on both sides of the River of Tears had turned into a dark shadow. Only the roar of the engine and the sound of the water hitting the bottom of the boat could be heard on the ferry. This feeling was not very comfortable, so in order to make the atmosphere less desolate, they started chatting with the boatman.

"Once we get past that white sand beach, the river will calm down. We need to get past that shoal before sunset, or we'll be in trouble." The boatman took a couple of puffs of his pipe and occasionally looked up at the setting sun in the west.

The group glanced at the sky and, seeing that the sun was still a little far from the mountaintop, didn't think much of it. Guo Shiyi asked the boatman curiously, "Master, why is this river called the River of Tears?"

"The origin of the name 'Tears River' is quite interesting; it all starts with a local legend," the boatman said with a smile.

"What legend? Tell me! I love hearing legends!" Guo Shiyi said excitedly. It was so boring on the ship, and it was rare to have a story to listen to. Everyone couldn't help but crane their necks.

Seeing everyone's interest, the boatman naturally didn't refuse. With his back to them, he took two deep drags on his cigarette before saying, "Actually, a long time ago, this river wasn't called the River of Tears. As for what it was called, I don't know. The River of Tears originates from a Goddess Peak next to Changsheng Village. Next to the Goddess Peak is a lake, the sacred lake of Changsheng Village. The water there is incredibly clean; I guarantee you've never seen such a clean lake."

The boatman paused for a moment and then continued, "It is said that during the Qin and Han dynasties, there was a woman named Liuwa in Changsheng Village. After she came of age, she married a man named Yang Yun from the same village. However, in the first spring after their marriage, Yang Yun disappeared while hunting in the mountains near the sacred lake. That day, the entire village of Changsheng, young and old, went up the mountain and searched the mountains near the sacred lake carefully. Of course, they found nothing, because everyone said that Yang Yun had offended the mountain god and had been captured by the mountain god. They were afraid that he was probably dead. Everyone told Liuwa to accept her fate."

The boatman took another puff of his cigarette, and through the hazy smoke, he continued, "But that girl Liuwa is so stubborn. No matter what everyone says, she insists that her husband is alright and will definitely come back. She insists on waiting for Yang Yun to return on Goddess Peak. Seeing how obstinate she is, everyone initially helped her search around, but after a while, they naturally gave up. But Liuwa still stubbornly went to Goddess Peak every day to wait, from spring to summer."

"Did she manage to keep watch?" Guo Shiyi asked anxiously when she saw the boatman pause again.

But the boatman didn't answer her. Instead, he continued telling his story: "When Liuwa was on Goddess Peak, she cried every day, calling out her husband's name. When she cried, her tears flowed down the mountain into the Sacred Lake, so the water in the Sacred Lake kept increasing until it was about to overflow. This really worried the people in Changsheng Village."

"Why?" Guo Shiyi asked, puzzled.

"Because the sacred lake is right next to Changsheng Village, and its terrain is higher than that of Changsheng Village, once the water in the sacred lake overflows, the village will definitely be flooded." The old man explained, and then continued, "The anxious villagers rushed to Goddess Peak to find Liuwa and tell her to stop crying, but Liuwa's tears just wouldn't stop. Just when everyone was extremely worried, Liuwa suddenly brought Yang Yun back to the village."

"Oh, we finally caught up!" Guo Shiyi exclaimed happily upon hearing this, then frowned and said, "But where did Yang Yun go all this time?"

"That's what everyone asked Yang Yun back then. Yang Yun told everyone that he had offended the Goddess Nuwa on the mountain and had been captured by her."

"The Goddess Nuwa?" Guo Shiyi couldn't help but ask.

"Huh? Don't you know?" The boatman turned around and looked at them in surprise.

"Know what?" Guo Shiyi asked him, mimicking his accent. Qin Xiaochuan was also puzzled.

"I thought you were here for tourism and adventure. If not, what are you doing in that little mountain village?" the boatman asked instead of answering.

"We're going on a tourism and adventure trip," Guo Shiyi said, puzzled.

"Then why don't you know the legend of Nuwa? Besides the legend we just heard, there is another ancient legend in Changsheng Village."

"What other legends are there?" the young girl asked him hurriedly.

"Aunt Shiyi, let Grandpa talk slowly," Xiaoying suddenly interjected. Qin Xiaochuan was afraid she would get cold, so he wrapped her in thick clothes. The little girl looked like a little rice dumpling now.

Hearing the little girl's words, everyone else couldn't help but laugh. Guo Shiyi blushed slightly, then stopped urging the boatman. The boatman turned around, smiled at the little girl, and continued, "In Changsheng Village, there is an ancient legend that there is a place called Wuyuan Land near the Sacred Lake. According to legend, Nuwa, the goddess who created humans and mended the sky, lived there and protected Changsheng Village. However, no one has ever truly seen that place, except for Yang Yun, whom I just mentioned."

Upon hearing him mention the Land of Witchcraft Origin, everyone immediately became interested, and Qin Xiaochuan eagerly asked him, "Where did he see it?"

Before the boatman could react, Guo Shiyi smiled and glanced at him. Qin Xiaochuan knew what she meant, and sure enough, he then heard Xiaoying's dissatisfied voice, "Uncle, it's your turn again."

He smiled sheepishly at the little girl and said, "Okay, okay, Uncle knows, Uncle won't rush you anymore."

"Mmm." The little girl nodded seriously.

Then the boatman continued, "Yang Yun didn't tell everyone where he found the Land of Witchcraft, because the Goddess Nuwa instructed him not to reveal it, otherwise he would face even greater punishment. The reason Yang Yun was able to come out of the Land of Witchcraft was entirely thanks to Liu Wa. Firstly, Liu Wa's devotion moved the Goddess Nuwa, and secondly, the Goddess Nuwa couldn't bear to see Changsheng Village suffer from the flood, so she taught Yang Yun how to drain the water, so that after he came out, he could lead everyone to drain the water from the Sacred Lake into this river. After that, the river was renamed the River of Tears."

After hearing the boatman's story, everyone was a little disappointed. They didn't care where the river's name came from, but rather the location of the Witch Origin Land. It was a pity that Yang Yun hadn't left any clues. But if he had really left any clues, the Witch Origin Land would probably have been developed long ago.

"Later, to commemorate the contributions of Yang Yun and his wife in controlling the floods, the villagers specially built two stone statues and placed them by the sacred lake. They also named a human-shaped stone on Goddess Peak the Weeping Husband Stone, because Liuwa brought Yang Yun back on the summer solstice. From then on, every summer solstice, the whole village would go to the sacred lake to worship the Goddess Nuwa," the boatman added at the end.

Just as the boatman was speaking to them, the sun had already set behind the mountains, leaving only a sliver of afterglow. The sky immediately darkened considerably, and shadows began to appear on the river's surface. They had no idea how far away the white sand beach the boatman had mentioned was.