TKTWC 13

Chapter 13

Magic—It Must Be Magic!**

However, because Yuyang didn’t have enough grain carts of its own, most of the carts this time were brought by Liu He from Guangyang.

There was no time to modify every single one, nor could they gather enough animal sinew on short notice. Liu Yi could only use hemp rope and wood to widen the existing wheels for better stability.

Even so, only a portion of the carts could be modified.

Liu Yi planned to place those carts at the front of the convoy to help clear the way.

The most famous grain carts of the Han and Three Kingdoms period were the “Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse” of the Shu kingdom. Legends said they required no human power, could travel a thousand li a day, and could cross mountains and water.

As a modern person who had studied the law of conservation of energy, Liu Yi knew that later records had added mythical embellishments—wood simply couldn’t move on its own.

But since they were so highly praised, the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse must have had unique advantages. She had searched online and various documents for information on this mysterious grain cart, but unfortunately, no reliable structural diagrams had survived.

As for who invented the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, the mainstream modern view credited Zhuge Liang, though some believed it was his brilliant wife, Huang Yueying.

If Liu Yi were fortunate enough to meet either of them, she would certainly seek their guidance.

—

After the wheels, the second step was the cart bodies.

The grain carts themselves were crudely made and not frequently used. Most had cracked, rotting issues.

Liu Yi mixed coal ash left over from coal distillation with lime—what would be called limestone in modern times—added water, and stirred it into a cement-like paste to fill the cracks in the cart bodies.

At the same time, she sprinkled lime over moldy areas to remove mold and insects, then left everything to bake in the sun until the paste hardened and became part of the cart body.

Of course, she couldn’t do all this work alone. The commandery’s yamen runners and some enthusiastic commoners all came to help.

They would also be paid some wages for their work.

Liu He had also assigned her some soldiers from Guangyang, but whether intentionally or not, they were generally lazy and unwilling to learn from Liu Yi. She simply gave them the heavy, rough work—like mixing “cement” and hauling timber—while leaving the finer tasks to her own people.

“Once the cart bodies are dried in the sun, lay the silk fabric over them—make sure to smooth it out flat and tight,” Liu Yi demonstrated while teaching the others. “After it’s laid flat, pour the grain in, then cover it with a larger piece of cloth. Stitch the inner and outer layers together, folding the edges inward so that grain won’t leak out and bugs won’t get in.”

“Also, be careful when cutting and sewing—don’t cut it wrong and don’t waste any. The other materials don’t matter as much, but we have a limited supply of this fabric. If we waste too much, we might run short,” she added.

After all, she had soaked each piece in those vats day after day.

Everyone nodded in agreement—of course they would listen to Master Yi.

Sister Sun was especially enthusiastic: “Master Yi, what’s so special about this silk fabric? If you need more, my second sister has plenty at home! I’ll have her bring two carts over for you! Any color you want! If you want grey, we can dye it fresh!”

Liu Yi smiled: “This isn’t ordinary grey cloth. I call it grain-storage fabric. Feel it and see how it differs from regular silk.”

Sister Sun, being bold and straightforward, immediately rubbed her large palm over it and let out a sound of surprise.

Others also reached out to try, all exclaiming in wonder.

This grey silk looked no different from ordinary fabric at first glance, but it didn’t feel rough like silk—it felt somewhat similar to the surface of an oil-paper umbrella.

No, even smoother.

But when held up to sunlight, it was more translucent than both silk and oil-paper.

Liu Yi instructed a nearby yamen runner: “Go fetch me a bucket of clean water.”

She had Sister Sun and the runner each hold two corners of the fabric, stretching it flat. Then she said to another villager: “Scoop a few ladles of water and pour it over the cloth.”

The villager hurried to comply, his hands trembling with nervousness. He carefully scooped half a ladle and slowly dripped a few drops onto the fabric, all the while glancing sideways at Liu Yi as if afraid of pouring too much and wasting the precious cloth.

Liu Yi found it both amusing and touching: “Pour more—don’t be afraid.”

Only then did the villager pour the rest of the water onto the cloth.

Something unexpected happened—the water didn’t soak into the fabric as everyone had assumed, nor did it drip through from below!

Instead, it swayed and pooled on top like water in a bronze cauldron.

“Alright, try pouring the water off,” Liu Yi said.

Sister Sun poured off the water. Everyone looked at where the water had been—there was no trace of moisture left! When they touched it, there was no dampness at all!

How was that possible? Even oil-paper umbrellas left wet marks after catching rain!

Then came something even more incredible. Liu Yi had Sister Sun throw the fabric directly into the water bucket, swirl it around a few times, and pull it back out—there wasn’t a single drop of water clinging to it, nor any trace of dampness!

The only thing that got wet was Sister Sun’s hand!

While everyone was still stunned, Liu Yi had Sister Sun shake the fabric open and hold it in front of her. Liu Yi stood on the other side and fanned vigorously—Sister Sun could feel a cool breeze on the other side.

Waterproof and breathable!

Without needing Liu Yi to explain further, many people realized that using this kind of fabric to store grain would both keep water out and allow natural ventilation—no more worries about dampness and rot.

“Magic—it must be magic!” someone in the crowd cried out!

At some point, Liu Yi had become surrounded by layers upon layers of people. Even those lazy soldiers sent by Liu He, hearing that something strange was happening, crowded in to see.

They had long heard that Yuyang’s Master Yi was a “little immortal”—able to make barren fields fertile with a wave of the hand and summon rain with a flip of the wrist. They’d all taken it as a joke. Now that they’d seen it with their own eyes, they didn’t know what to say.

“It’s not magic,” Liu Yi explained to everyone. “This is a dye made from coal tar, produced by burning and cooling coal, mixed with tung oil and water. When applied to silk fabric, it forms an aerogel that is waterproof and breathable. Adding lime neutralizes any toxicity, so it won’t contaminate the grain.”

She certainly didn’t expect the commoners to understand words like “coal tar” or “aerogel.” She explained—and demonstrated—to dispel superstition and also to let them know how difficult these fabrics were to make, so they’d handle them more carefully.

In truth, aerogel materials like this were no longer used for grain transport in modern times—the process was too tedious and costly.

Modern times used refrigerated trucks…

“Even if it’s not magic, Master Yi must be a reincarnation of the Great Heavenly Lord Who Rescues the Suffering! She knows everything!” Sister Sun, who had long served as the head of Liu Yi’s praise squad, never forgot her mission.

Somehow, the atmosphere shifted!

Before anyone could see who started it, people suddenly dropped to their knees and began kowtowing to Liu Yi!

“Great Heavenly Lord Who Rescues the Suffering, protect us in peace—keep war away from us!”

“We don’t seek great wealth or high status—only to live our lives in peace!”

“Get up! I’m not an immortal!” Liu Yi hurriedly pulled Sister Sun and the others to their feet.

But she pulled them up slowly, while the crowd knelt quickly—even some of Liu He’s soldiers who had been watching joined in the prostrations!

They were too afraid of war! Kneeling was nothing—what if they didn’t kneel and ended up dying in the chaos?

Suddenly, a few jarring cold laughs came from behind the crowd—

“I was about to praise you for having some skill.” Liu He strolled over slowly, pushing through the kneeling crowd. “Turns out you’re just putting on a mystical act—trying to be the second Zhang Jue?”

The thick smell of alcohol wafted toward her. Liu Yi looked at Liu He’s flushed face, didn’t respond to his words, and instead turned to the kneeling crowd.

“Everyone, go back to your work.”