But the River Flood Dragon still had many questions. "If everything is as you say, young friend, we water demons are straightforward by nature, and this bargain is worth making. But what I want to know is, how can you guarantee that the Qin Sect and Yue Sect won't interfere? Powerful though your Shanmen may be, its banner flies in the Southwest. Can it really make the two greatest traditions in the Northwest obediently hand over a treasure?"
Hou Niao remained unhurried. "Flowing Sand Lord, you probably aren't aware that the Qin Sect and Yue Sect don't oppose planting forests in the Binxu Desert. After all, this is a great good for the livelihoods of the entire Northwest, benefiting humanity and earning boundless merit. What cultivator, what tradition, would refuse such merit? It earns favor before the Heavenly Dao.
"So, as long as they know the Water Spirit Pearl is being used for this purpose, most cultivators in the Northwest won't object. After all, this is their home, just as it is the home of your Flowing Sand River Water Race.
"If I'm not mistaken, desertification has had a considerable impact on the Flowing Sand River as well, hasn't it? With ever more sand washing in and the riverbed rising, controlling the water grows harder and harder for your Water Race. If this situation isn't resolved at its roots, then in another few hundred or thousand years, when the Flowing Sand River follows in the footsteps of the former Snow River, how will you face the demon children and grandchildren under your rule?"
The River Flood Dragon had no answer, because this Sword Cultivator had struck at the very root of the problem. When it came to managing the river, every other method treated only the symptoms, not the cause.