Gong Gong Watches the News and Finds the Dyke an Eyesore

The morning light was dim, and the house was quiet. Relatively speaking, at least: there was no "thud, thud" of Gong Gong smashing the rockery, nor the "symphony" of pots and pans from Jumang's kitchen. Lin Fan was enjoying the rare peace, curled up on the living room sofa with his laptop, working through a backlog of chores. This, he thought, was probably what a peaceful life felt like.

But fate's gears always began to turn when people were most relaxed, accompanied by the... click of a remote control button.

Water God Gong Gong wore a tight tank top that showed off his bronzed, heavily muscled arms. He'd taken over the most spacious armchair in the living room without a care in the world. He'd clearly just finished his morning workout, and steam still rose from him like he was a human boiler. Bored, he held the TV remote and flipped through channels at random. The sports channel—boxing, which he watched with great interest but thought had too many rules. The agricultural channel—farming, which didn't interest him at all. The cartoon channel—Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, which he watched with a deeply furrowed brow, displeased by the wolf's weakness... The images flashed by.

Lin Fan's eyelid twitched. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. Whenever the mighty Gong Gong took an interest in modern technology, especially a television news broadcast that spread information so quickly, it felt like trouble was bound to follow. He silently prayed that the morning news would be full of celebrity gossip or economic updates.

Unfortunately, heaven didn't grant his wish—especially not Lin Fan's.

"...In local news." The picture froze on the local news channel, where a stern-looking anchor was reporting, "Heavy rains have fallen across the upper reaches in recent days, and the Qinglan River's water level continues to rise. It has now exceeded the warning level. Our city's key water conservancy project, the Qinglan Water Conservancy Hub at the mouth of Qinglan Gorge, is facing a severe test. Completed five years ago, the hub combines flood control, power generation, and shipping. This will be its first major flood since construction. Experts say that the main dam is structurally sound, but some auxiliary dykes—particularly the Guiding Dyke downstream, which is designed to channel the current—may have hidden weaknesses due to the original construction standards and years of erosion. The flood control headquarters has increased inspections and drawn up emergency plans..."

The scene changed to aerial footage. The turbid river surged and roared through Qinglan Gorge like an enraged yellow dragon. The magnificent main dam stood across the river like a giant, but some distance downstream, a lower, curved dyke—the Guiding Dyke mentioned in the report—looked rather frail against the raging current. The camera zoomed in, revealing small patches of damage on the dyke's surface and signs of erosion from the water.

The anchor's voice remained steady, but there was a hint of gravity in it. "Flood control personnel are currently reinforcing the Guiding Dyke, but the current is swift and the work is extremely difficult. Our city has activated a Level Three flood emergency response, and residents in some low-lying areas downstream have begun an orderly evacuation..."

Lin Fan was thinking that the flood looked severe and hoping no one would be hurt when a deeply displeased growl, tinged with anger, came from beside him.

"Hmph!"

Lin Fan shuddered and turned his head. At some point, Gong Gong had sat bolt upright in his chair, his thick brows knitted, his tiger-like eyes wide as he stared at the Guiding Dyke, which looked precarious against the flood. His chest rose and fell slightly, and even the steam rolling off him seemed to carry a fiery heat.

"This dyke..." Gong Gong's voice rumbled through the living room like thunder. "Who designed it? Who built it?!"

"Huh?" Lin Fan didn't understand at first.

"It's crooked! Its foundation is unstable! The angle against the current is completely wrong! This is simply... nonsense!" Gong Gong pointed at the TV, his tone full of the anguish and fury of an expert seeing an amateur's work. "With a current like that, you should guide the water and use its momentum to your advantage! But this dyke tries to resist the current head-on! It may look sturdy, but it's a recipe for disaster! Look at the base—it's already been hollowed out a little. If this continues, the flood won't even need to rise any higher. The force of the water will tear it apart from within!"

Lin Fan opened his mouth, wanting to say that this was a modern water conservancy project designed by experts and must have a scientific basis. But when he saw Gong Gong's expression, as if someone had bullied his own child, he swallowed his words. This was the Water God of the Primordial Era, who ruled all the waters under heaven. When it came to understanding and controlling water, he was the ultimate expert. If he said there was a problem with the dyke, then there probably... really was.

"Lord Gong Gong, please... don't get worked up," Lin Fan tried to soothe him. "The news said the experts know about the risk and are reinforcing it..."

"Reinforcing it?" Gong Gong scoffed, his face full of disdain. "You mean those mortals on the screen tossing a few sandbags around and driving in a few wooden stakes? That's a drop in the bucket! They don't understand water at all! They don't know its nature, yet they think they can restrain it by force. How foolish! Leaving a dyke like this in place is a disaster waiting to happen. If it breaks, the people downstream will suffer!"

His voice grew louder, and his agitation intensified. The vast aura of an ancient god spread out of him uncontrollably. The air in the living room seemed to grow thick and heavy. The windows hummed faintly, and even the light seemed to dim. Lin Fan felt a chill of dread, as if he were standing at the mouth of a volcano about to erupt.

"No!" Gong Gong leapt to his feet, his burly frame like a small mountain. "I can't stand by and do nothing! This shoddy thing is an eyesore, and it'll bring endless harm! I'll be right back. I'll put an end to this source of trouble for them!"

With that, he strode toward the door. He clearly meant to travel all the way to Qinglan Gorge and personally tear down the Guiding Dyke he found so offensive!

Lin Fan was horrified! This was bad! If Gong Gong really ran off and smashed the dyke at the water conservancy hub, it might cause an even greater disaster. Even setting that aside, the act alone would shock the world and expose their whole crowd of ancient gods to the public eye. Then they'd be in serious trouble!

"Lord Gong Gong! You can't! Absolutely not!" Lin Fan sprang forward. He couldn't care less that the man before him had once been powerful enough to topple Mount Buzhou; he clung to one of Gong Gong's arms. It felt like hugging a red-hot iron pillar. "You mustn't! That's a modern project! It's protected by law! You can't just tear it down because you feel like it!"

"Let go!" Gong Gong jerked his arm. Lin Fan felt an irresistible force surge through him, and he was about to be flung away like a leaf.

Just then, a calm, unruffled voice rang out, carrying a cool Dao rhythm that instantly soothed the restless atmosphere in the living room.

"Gong Gong, calm down."

Lao Tzu had appeared at the top of the stairs at some point, still as serene as ever, holding his purple clay teacup. He descended at an unhurried pace, his gaze moving from the TV screen to Gong Gong.

"This dyke concerns the lives of countless mortals in this world. How can you destroy it just because it displeases you? If you intervene, can you bear the weight of the resulting karma?"

Lao Tzu's voice was soft, yet it steadied Gong Gong like an anchor. He could ignore Lin Fan, but he still had some reservations about Lao Tzu, a fellow Sage—especially the Taishang Sage, who governed karma and followed the path of stillness and non-action.

"But, Fellow Daoist Lao Tzu!" Gong Gong craned his neck and pointed at the TV. "You saw it too! That dyke is clearly just for show! It looks good but serves no purpose! Leaving it there will only lead to disaster. I'm preventing trouble before it starts! I'm saving the people downstream!"

"Even if it truly has hidden weaknesses, the people of this world should handle it themselves," Lao Tzu said calmly. "You and I are guests here. When in another's home, one follows the host's customs. We should not meddle in affairs so vital to the lives of its people. That is the rule."

"The rules? When have I ever let rules—" Gong Gong began to argue.

"Gong Gong!" another voice cut in, amused. Master Tongtian leaned against the second-floor railing. He'd clearly come out to watch the commotion. "Why are you getting worked up over a pile of rocks and dirt? It's beneath you. Besides, when you were managing floods in the Primordial Era, didn't you try both blocking and channeling them, only for the world's floods to keep raging until you finally..."

"Tongtian! Shut up!" Gong Gong jerked his head up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, glaring at Master Tongtian. The time when he and the other Ancestral Witches and powerful figures had failed to control the floods, sparking one dispute after another, until it all ended with him ramming Mount Buzhou, was a chapter of his life he'd rather not revisit. Hearing Tongtian bring it up to his face only made his fury flare. "What do you know of the Dao of Water? How dare you criticize it?!"

"Oh? Don't I?" Master Tongtian said with a smile, clearly hoping to stir things up. "Then tell me: if you went there, how exactly would you 'put an end' to that source of trouble? Would you deal with it the way you dealt with Mount Buzhou back then—by ramming into it?"

"You!!!" Gong Gong trembled with rage. Blue light flickered around him as the surrounding moisture began to condense. The temperature in the living room plunged, and frost even appeared along the rim of a glass on the coffee table.

With two Sages about to come to blows right there in the living room, Lin Fan felt his vision darken. One wanted to tear down the dyke, and the other was egging him on. He couldn't live like this!

"Enough."

Lao Tzu spoke again. His voice remained calm, but it carried an unquestionable authority. His gaze swept over Gong Gong and Tongtian, and the restless energy around them was immediately suppressed. Tongtian pursed his lips and fell silent. Gong Gong was still seething, but he made no further attempt to rush out.

"We must think this through carefully," Lao Tzu said. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, motioning for Lin Fan and Gong Gong to sit as well. Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief. His back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Fellow Daoist Gong Gong's concern about the flood is commendable," Lao Tzu said, first acknowledging Gong Gong's intentions. Gong Gong's expression softened a little. "However, one must not act recklessly. You find that dyke displeasing and believe it has hidden weaknesses. That is your professional judgment. But the way to deal with it requires careful thought."

"What would you suggest, Fellow Daoist Lao Tzu?" Gong Gong asked in a low voice, still troubled.

Lao Tzu pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Fan. "Xiao Lin, can you use the methods of this world—the 'internet,' for example—to learn more about this dyke? For instance, who designed it, whether there was any controversy during its construction, and what the experts' current reinforcement plan entails?"

Lin Fan immediately understood. Lao Tzu wanted them to know the situation inside out. He nodded quickly. "Sure, sure! I'll look it up right now!"

He picked up his laptop and rapidly typed in search terms like "Qinglan Water Conservancy Hub Guiding Dyke design" and "Guiding Dyke risks controversy." A flood of information soon appeared.

Just as Gong Gong had sensed, the Guiding Dyke had been controversial from the start. An elderly water conservancy expert named Yan Shouren had firmly opposed its design, arguing that it focused too much on the benefits of power generation and shipping while neglecting the complexities of the current during flood season. He'd predicted that the dyke might become a weak point in an exceptionally severe flood. At the time, the prevailing opinion had favored a more aggressive design, and Yan's objections had been ignored. Now his prediction seemed to be coming true, step by step.

The experts' current reinforcement plan involved dumping boulders and concrete blocks on the outside of the dyke and filling the inner side with sandbags, hoping to improve its resistance to erosion. But even to Lin Fan, a layman, it looked like a case of treating the symptoms instead of the cause.

Gong Gong leaned in to look at the information on the screen. When he saw Yan Shouren's objections from years ago, he slapped his thigh in anger. "Look! Look! There's someone here who sees clearly! What a pity he had no influence! If those fools had listened to him, they wouldn't be scrambling around today and putting on this halfhearted show!"

When he saw the reinforcement plan, he scoffed even harder. "Nonsense! This is utter nonsense! Reinforcing it like that is like putting a plaster on someone with grievous internal injuries! The force of water gets into every crack. This kind of brute force will only alter the local flow and speed up the damage elsewhere!"

Master Tongtian had wandered downstairs at some point and was standing behind the sofa, watching the screen. He clicked his tongue appreciatively. "Mortals have their own interesting disputes. Still, this dyke does look rather awkward." This time, he was surprisingly on Gong Gong's side.

Lao Tzu took a slow sip of tea and said, "In that case, Fellow Daoist Gong Gong, what do you intend to do? Do you still want to knock it down with one punch?"

Gong Gong opened his mouth, then said nothing. After all that commotion, he'd calmed down a little and knew that simply tearing the dyke down was out of the question; the resulting karma would be immense, and besides... it would be rather reckless. But as he looked at the precarious dyke on the screen and the people being evacuated in the news report, he felt deeply frustrated. It was like being a master craftsman who saw a shoddily made object, one that could hurt someone at any moment, but was told he wasn't allowed to touch it. The feeling was maddening.

Lin Fan looked at Gong Gong, who seemed unable to sit still, then at Lao Tzu's composed expression. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him—a bold one.

"Lord Gong Gong," Lin Fan said cautiously, "what if you tried this? Since you think the current reinforcement plan won't work, could you come up with a better, more effective one?"

"Hm?" Gong Gong paused and looked at Lin Fan.

A glimmer of approval flashed in Lao Tzu's eyes.

Lin Fan went on to explain. "I mean, you could come up with a plan for reinforcement—or... or even redesign—that you believe is correct and in line with the 'Dao of Water.' We could figure out how to provide it anonymously to the flood control experts, or... or directly to the elderly Mr. Yan Shouren, who opposed the original plan. If they accept it, wouldn't that solve the problem while avoiding the trouble your direct intervention would cause?"

It was like not letting a master surgeon perform an operation on the street, but still allowing him to provide a treatment plan.

Gong Gong stroked his chin and fell into thought. He was used to solving problems with force, and this roundabout approach, which required him to "use his head," felt unfamiliar. But he had to admit, Lin Fan's suggestion seemed... interesting.

"My plan..." Gong Gong mused. "Naturally, it would be a hundred times better than those fools'! But the materials and techniques of this world differ from those of the Primordial Era. I'll have to give it some thought..."

"That's fine," Lao Tzu said. "You can explain the principles. As for how to implement them using the methods of this world, we can pool our knowledge. Xiao Lin knows this world well and may be able to help adapt them."

Master Tongtian grew interested as well and chimed in. "Oh? Gong Gong's going to hold a class and teach the truths of the Dao of Water? Now that's something new! I'll sit in too and see whether you really live up to your reputation as the Water God." His tone was still teasing, but mostly curious.

Gong Gong glared at Tongtian but didn't fly into a rage this time. His attention had already been completely captured by this new challenge. How could he explain the "Dao of Water" in his heart using mortal language and workable engineering techniques, so that he could save a dyke he found "unpleasant" but which was vital to countless lives?

This seemed more difficult—and... more interesting—than simply tearing down the dyke.

"Fine!" Gong Gong slapped the coffee table hard, remembering to restrain his strength this time. It only made a dull thump. "I'll give it a try! I'll show you—and the mortals of this world—what real 'water conservancy' means!"

His anger faded, replaced by focus and an eager fighting spirit. He stopped looking at the upsetting news and swept a broad hand through the air. "Xiao Lin, bring me paper and a brush! Big sheets! And find me some books and diagrams on this world's water conservancy projects for reference!"

Lin Fan stared blankly at Gong Gong, who had transformed in an instant into an "academic" Water God, then hurriedly answered, "Sure! Right away!"

He felt a wave of relief. The crisis had been temporarily averted, and it seemed they'd even... unlocked some new setting in Lord Gong Gong.

Still, seeing Gong Gong roll up his sleeves, ready to get down to work, Lin Fan felt a hint of unease. Would this plan that supposedly "followed the Dao of Water" require them to move mountains and ley lines or summon the weak waters of the Ninth Heaven? If so, the elderly Mr. Yan Shouren would probably faint on the spot when he saw it...

The atmosphere in the villa shifted from open hostility to a strange sort of bustling excitement. Gong Gong hunched over the big coffee table in the living room, sketching and scribbling on large sheets of white paper and engineering drafting manuals Lin Fan had found for him. At times he thought deeply; at others he gestured excitedly, muttering, "The water should be diverted here, not blocked..." "At this point, the current must be split to weaken its force..." "The foundation! The foundation must be rebuilt!"

Lao Tzu sat to one side with his eyes closed, resting. Every so often, he opened them to glance at Gong Gong's "masterpiece," but offered no comment.

As expected, Master Tongtian had brought over a stool and sat nearby. Officially, he was "supervising," but in truth he was engrossed in the work and occasionally offered his "expert opinion." "Gong Gong, your lines are all crooked. That's hardly professional!" "Why not use a simplified version of the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation here? There's no spiritual energy, but if you follow the layout, it might still work." He angered Gong Gong so much that he nearly threw his brush several times.

Nüwa and Jumang were drawn downstairs by the commotion too. Nüwa glanced at the diagrams, a mixture of abstract and realistic styles, and commented, "They lack beauty," before losing interest. Jumang, however, was intrigued by the part of Gong Gong's plan that proposed using the roots of certain plants to reinforce the banks. The two began discussing which spirit plants—or ordinary plants—had the most resilient, water-loving root systems.

Lin Fan bustled between his computer, where he looked up information; the printer, where he printed reference diagrams; and Gong Gong, translating concepts like "drawing on the momentum of the celestial river," "separating the essence of water," and "using the virtue of earth to subdue water" into modern water conservancy terms such as "diversion channel," "stilling basin," and "geomembrane waterproofing." Though his translations often missed the mark, they managed to keep the conversation going.

The whole villa had turned into the headquarters of a cross-disciplinary, cross-dimensional team tackling a water conservancy project. And it had all started because Water God Gong Gong had found a dyke "unpleasant" while watching the news that morning.

Lin Fan handed Gong Gong an ice-cold beer and watched the Water God of the Primordial Era frown like an elementary school student, trying his best to turn his divine cultivation into diagrams and writing that mortals could understand. He couldn't help but feel a rush of emotion.

These mighty figures really were destructive, but... when they focused on "building" something, they seemed pretty reliable too. Even if the process was still unpredictable, chaotic, and dangerous.

He had no idea what kind of plan Gong Gong would eventually come up with, much less what kind of waves it would cause after they sent it in. But at least, the "dyke demolition crisis" had been temporarily resolved in an unexpected way.

As for what came next... Lin Fan looked out at the bright sunshine and hoped the flood at Qinglan Gorge would hold off until Lord Gong Gong finished his "masterpiece." He also hoped the elderly Mr. Yan Shouren had a strong heart.

The day continued to pass through chaos and delicate compromises, and the morning slowly slipped away. The modern daily lives of these mighty figures from the Primordial Era went on.