Chapter 1, The Ark of the Iron Heart Source

From Wang Rouhua's fragmented words, Tie Xinyuan understood his current situation and learned about a blacksmith named Tie Aqi, who had desperately helped him and his mother escape the chaotic village, only to be ultimately engulfed by the flood

Seventh Brother filled the raft with people, and when he and his mother wanted to get on, not a single person was willing to make a little space. If those people had just given up some room, Seventh Brother would not have died

Looking at the large hole in the corpse's neck, Wang Rouhua decisively used a wooden stick to pull the corpse over. As the corpse came closer, her heart began to race uncontrollably. The corpse, with its pale eyes, stared intently at her, as if guarding its own wealth

Along the way, she witnessed many extraordinary sights that she had only dreamed of seeing. First, there was a pig that had its snout clamped onto a tree trunk. Perhaps it had been holding on for too long, as a wave came crashing in, causing the pig to fall back into the water.

Throughout this journey, Wang Rouhua has encountered individuals who have fallen into the water

The great flood has changed many people; neighbors who used to be friendly may now turn into demons. The pig, which desperately wants to survive, imparted a lesson to Wang Rouhua.

Moreover, not to mention that the entire outskirts of Tokyo have been flooded, even in a single village like Tiejiacun, the number of affected individuals far exceeds one thousand.

Unbeknownst to when, the wind began to rise over the water's surface, and the thick columns of rain transformed into gentle strands of rain. The clever Wang Rouhua even knew how to use that tattered umbrella to harness the wind, allowing her bathtub to purposefully drift along with the breeze

It was these words that led Tie Xinyuan to decide to live under this name from then on. He has already fulfilled the responsibilities of a father and is also striving to fulfill the responsibilities of a mother, so he can only make an effort to fulfill the responsibilities of a son. There is really nothing more to say about it

Before one's own life has come to an end, the child must not encounter any misfortune; otherwise, the one in charge of the underworld will beat them to death

Due to the waves, the Iron Wang family could see them, but they could not see the Iron Wang family. The Iron Wang family was astonished to see a person suddenly push another person's head into the water. She desperately covered her mouth, fearing that she would scream and be seen by that person. Since that person was capable of drowning a companion, seeing her bathtub would surely drive him even more insane

Wang Rouhua has many hopes and is now beginning to envision what her son will look like when he gets married. Looking down at the current situation where she and her son have nothing, she becomes anxious.

As a peasant woman, Tie Wang understood clearly what she should do at this moment. Her husband would rather drown than continue lying in the bathtub, dragging down their child who had just been born for less than five months. No matter what, she could not allow him to be without descendants.

Wang Rouhua has an abundance of milk, so much so that she is on the verge of vomiting from consuming it. The milk continues to drip from her nipples onto her face, suggesting that she is destined to have a strong childhood

Fortunately, Wang Rouhua was very clever and decisively discarded the pouch, keeping the money inside. When Tie Xinyuan saw his mother joyfully touching each copper coin and kissing the few scattered silver pieces, his expression became momentarily dazed.

Pushing aside that terrifying corpse, Wang Rouhua's heart raced violently. According to the local customs, stealing money from a corpse would result in being paraded through the streets.

Tie Xinyuan wanted to tell his mother to throw away the pouch and just keep the money, but when the words reached his lips, they turned into meaningless babble.

This corpse is different; primarily, it is because there is a pouch embroidered with entwined lotus vines wrapped around the waist of this corpse. Such items are typically used by merchants, and Wang Rouhua boldly speculates that it must be filled with copper coins.

In the past, Tie Shiba from Tiejia Village was caught by the authorities after he fished a corpse out of a ditch and stole a piece of jade pendant from it. Later, when he attempted to sell the jade pendant, he was apprehended. The old clan leader punished Tie Shiba with thirty strokes of the rattan and then paraded him in the village for a whole day as a public display.

A large, wet field mouse jumped into the bathtub, and Tie Wangshi showed no fear at all; she simply struck the mouse dead with a club. However, she did not dispose of the mouse's corpse, for as a farmer's wife, Tie Wangshi understood that after a flood, every grain of food is invaluable. Field mouse meat is considered a delicacy, which she had tasted when she was driven out of the Wang family home.

Iron Wang lay on the edge of the bathtub, shouting her husband's name loudly in the wind and rain, as the elements poured into her mouth, and it seemed as if heaven was commanding her to be silent

Wang Rouhua could not bear to imagine the moment when the flood surged in from all directions

The copper coin should have inscriptions on it, but Tie Xinyuan could not clearly see what was written on it. However, the round shape of the coin at least relieved him, as it seemed he had not arrived in a strange place. He felt as if he had seen many such copper coins before.

The bathtub avoided the large trees that protruded above the water's surface, where people were crawling all over. Wang Rouhua simply believed that staying in the bathtub with her son was far safer than being up in the trees with that group of people

In the face of survival, all friendships are merely the reflection of the moon in a water tank

Fortunately, a piece of wood was tied to the body, which prevented it from being dragged to the bottom of the water by the coins

Wang Rouhua diligently recalled the wonderful times spent with Seventh Brother, not letting a single moment slip by. Her expression shifted from pride to sorrow, as if as long as she held Seventh Brother in her heart, heaven would always grant her and her child a chance to live.

She exerted a great deal of effort to untie that pouch, and then she tightly bound it around her waist. She had weighed it, and there was at least two guan of money inside.

The Iron family was horrified to discover that the pig was actually struggling to swim towards its own bathtub. She wanted to leave, but her hands and feet went numb from fear, rendering her unable to move.

If she were to take a moment to look down at her child at this time, she would find that her child's beautiful little face is filled with a look of gloom

Then she saw two people lying on a slender beam. This beam was so thin that if one person lay on it, they could still keep their head above water. However, if two people lay on it, the beam would submerge, and they could only struggle to lift their heads to breathe above the water.

They all fell into the water, yet still thinking about money; if you don't die, who will? Wang Rouhua spat lightly to bolster her courage

He was somewhat perplexed as to why this woman, who had just lost her husband, would exhibit such frenzied behavior

It is understandable that Tie Xinyuan feels depressed. He was originally lying alone on the Gobi Desert, gazing at the stars, thinking he would end up in a place like the underworld. Upon waking, he discovered that he seemed to have arrived in another place, with his ears filled with the sounds of heavy rain and flowing water, which certainly would not be present in the Gobi Desert.

Iron Wang swore that at the moment she locked eyes with that pig, she realized that the pig truly wanted to live... very much so

Thus, the Iron King quickly set aside his sorrow and stretched his neck to look for a place where he and his mother could dock.

The child's cries jolted Iron Wang from her stupor. She opened her arms wide and tightly wrapped the child against her full bosom. The child suckled vigorously, which brought her great comfort, as just a moment ago, the child had not moved at all.

A dead cow floated by from a distance, and after Wang Rouhua assessed the value of the cow, she felt somewhat dejected, as her family used to have cows as well

The name Tie Xinyuan was also learned from the mouth of this woman. Whenever she had a little free time, this woman would chatter on about her own matters, including this name that sounds quite nice.

A snake, measuring a full yard in length, was tightly coiled around the beam column. Beside it, more snakes were gathering around the column. Some field mice, which usually could not bear the sight of the snake, were also crouching on the beam column. Gradually, the column became completely covered by snakes and mice. This situation could not last long; it is believed that before long, more lives would vanish around that cursed beam column.

The result soon emerged, and Tie Wangshi saw the beam column that had broken free from its constraints, while the two individuals had vanished

Thinking of Tie Shiba's fate, Wang Rouhua felt a bit worried. Tie Shiba's fourteen-year-old son has not been able to show his face to others, and even now, no matchmaker is willing to speak on his behalf. She does not want her own son to also lack a matchmaker to help him with marriage in the future

Therefore, Wang Rouhua coldly watched many people being engulfed by the flood, yet felt not a trace of guilt in her heart

Another corpse floated by the edge of the bathtub. Wang Rouhua was no longer very afraid of corpses; after drifting in the water for a whole day and night, she had seen many corpses.

The men all went to the riverbank, leaving only the elderly, the weak, women, and children in the village. Seventh Brother, being a blacksmith, was retained by the clan elder to forge tools, which is why he was able to stay behind

In the flood, there were many large wooden beams, and it was unclear whose house they belonged to. They struck heavily on the pig's head, causing it to let out a mournful cry. After struggling a few times, it was swept away by the flood into the distance

Tie Xinyuan had emptied one breast and then switched to another to continue feeding. He did not wish to do this, but the power of instinct was overwhelming and completely beyond his control. As soon as his stomach felt hunger, he would naturally cry out, and then a full breast would be waiting for him to suckle.

Looking at the vast murky water around her, she no longer shouted, but resignedly sat in the middle of the tub, propping a broken umbrella against her back, tightly holding her son wrapped in swaddling with one hand, while using a ladle to desperately scoop out the rainwater with the other hand

Wang Rouhua murmured incessantly as she lay awake, staring at her son after waking up

Heroes are made by men like Brother Seven, while I am a woman, a woman holding a child, and I do not need to pity anyone

After a long period of confirmation, he believes that he is now on a boat, a very small boat, as small as the wooden basin used by the lotus-picking women of Jiangnan

The iron-hearted source, having had its fill of milk, boredly blows bubbles

Is it lost or not

Wang Rouhua swore to the heavens more than once that she would raise Tie Xinyuan to adulthood to continue the Tie family's lineage. Although Tie Xinyuan understood that this woman was merely motivating herself, accumulating the courage to live on, and striving not to fall asleep by seeking out topics to discuss.

He had long wanted to confirm his current safety, but upon seeing his chubby little hands, he decisively abandoned this plan. Now, his life is entrusted to a woman named Wang Rouhua.

The responsibility of being a good son now is to strive not to trouble his mother, even though he is drenched all over, he still decides to sleep immediately, not crying or making a fuss is the best repayment for Wang Rouhua

Wang Rouhua wanted to throw away the pouch, but looking at the entwined lotus vines on it, she found it hard to part with. Such a pouch could sell for at least twenty copper coins.

If this is hell, then Tie Xinyuan thinks this place is quite nice