Chapter 138 Taking Steps to Address the Potential Locust Plague

At this moment, Ning Jinli also felt a cool sensation on her forehead.

Sure enough, it started raining.

Although it was just a few scattered raindrops, this was the first rain in the area in more than half a year.

"It's raining! It's raining!" the surrounding people shouted.

Some people were so excited that they danced with joy, some opened their arms and faced the sky, and some prostrated themselves on the ground in worship.

Then, the raindrops became more numerous and denser.

The rustling sound was incessant.

Judging from the current situation, it seems to be increasing.

"Hahaha! Finally... finally it's raining!" Xiao Qidi shouted, laughing loudly. "Come on! Let it rain even harder!"

Boom—

A muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky.

The thick cloud began to churn, also gathering the surrounding thin clouds together.

At this very moment, elsewhere in Linxian City.

The people working in the fields stopped what they were doing and stared wide-eyed at the sky.

The soldiers who were training also looked up in surprise.

Hearing the commotion, the elderly, women, and children inside the house all ran outside.

Wow!

The rain suddenly intensified, pouring down like a waterfall from the sky.

"It's raining!"

"Finally, it's raining! Folks, come out and see!"

The people of the city cheered and called to their friends, all rushing to the open air.

The sounds of torrential rain and thunder could not drown out their excited shouts.

"Jinli! You did it!" Despite the torrential rain, Xiao Qidi excitedly hugged Ning Jinli's waist and spun her around several times.

If he hadn't held her so tightly, Ning Jinli was afraid she would have been thrown off.

"Stop, stop, stop... I'm getting dizzy!" Ning Jinli shouted.

Xiao Qidi was overjoyed. After stopping, he cupped Ning Jinli's face in his hands and kissed her forcefully, ignoring the many people around them.

The torrential rain pounded on the ground, creating a misty haze that blurred everything around us.

Soaked to the bone, the two embraced tightly and kissed...

...

It rained all afternoon and all night.

It didn't stop until the next morning.

The rain was heavier than Ning Jinli had anticipated.

Fortunately, before this, Linxian City had built many ditches to divert groundwater to various places, which prevented flooding or the destruction of hillsides and fields.

Some of the water nourished the earth, while the rest filled ponds and ditches.

The moment the sun rises, it's as if the world has been thoroughly cleansed, leaving no trace of dust. The air is filled with the scent of earth and plants, and the sky is as blue as a giant sapphire mirror.

Xiao Qidi was not at ease despite the joy of the heavy rain; he still had an important matter on his mind—the locust plague threat in the border region of Yu Kingdom outside Linxian City.

In a house specially built for Xiao Qidi to live in.

Xiao Qidi held a long sword and drew a rough map on the ground in the courtyard.

“Jinli, look,” he said to Ning Jinli standing beside him, “This is Linxian City, and to the west and north is the hometown of those Yu Kingdom villagers. According to my inquiries, they said that the locusts there are growing out of control. I think that if it’s not dealt with properly, it could very well affect Linxian City.”

Ning Jinli stared at the map and nodded. "That's right. Once the locust population reaches disaster level, nothing will grow where they go. Linxian City is currently full of tender plants that have only been growing for a little over three months and crops that are about to ripen, which are the locusts' favorite food. We need to take precautions in advance."

"You must have a way, right?" Xiao Qidi winked at her.

Ning Jinli curled the corners of her lips. "Of course, don't you know who I am?"

Xiao Qidi chuckled and said, "Then tell me quickly."

Ning Jinli looked around, then raised her head and turned her face slightly to the side.

Xiao Qidi immediately looked puzzled, glanced at her, and then looked around.

"Oh dear! You really are..." Ning Jinli pointed to her cheek.

Xiao Qidi hurriedly approached and lowered his head.

Ning Jinli smiled and closed her eyes, waiting for him to kiss her.

But after waiting for two seconds, the kiss never came.

She immediately opened her eyes and saw Xiao Qidi looking down with wide eyes, carefully examining her face.

“Your face…” Xiao Qudi frowned slightly, “I don’t see anything wrong with it. Are you feeling unwell?”

"You big idiot!" Ning Jinli rubbed her temples helplessly. "Alright, alright, let's get down to business. Just pick some of the people who know how to use drones and form a locust extermination team. Drones can handle the locusts."

"Drones can also eliminate locusts?" Xiao Qidi asked in surprise.

“Yes, come here, Teacher Ning, let me give you a little science lesson,” Ning Jinli said as she walked with her hands behind her back. “Locusts prefer dry conditions and dislike dampness. Before they multiply to the point of causing a large-scale disaster, we can change the environment to reduce their reproduction and hatching.”

Xiao Qidi immediately said, "Then, shall we also use drones to conduct artificial rainmaking?"

Ning Jinli nodded, "This child is teachable."

“But,” Xiao Qidi asked doubtfully, “what if there are no clouds in those places? You know, we waited a long time before a cloud appeared here.”

Ning Jinli smiled faintly, "So, using drones to create artificial rain is just one method. We need another method to complement it, which is to directly spray pesticides."

Xiao Qidi hurriedly asked, "Is the insecticide toxic to humans? If we kill the locusts but turn those places into toxic areas, then it will be a loss."

"Don't worry, don't worry," Ning Jinli said confidently. "We have special medicine for locusts. It's slightly toxic to the environment, humans, and other animals, but just be careful with the dosage. It will decompose in a few days after you spray it. Besides, the locusts of your era don't have any drug resistance, so we can greatly reduce the amount of pesticide we use to ensure that it won't damage the environment."

"Alright, I'll go and allocate manpower right away. I'll leave the artificial rainmaking catalyst and insecticide to you." After saying that, Xiao Qidi strode away in a hurry.

"Hey, you little rascal..." Ning Jinli made a face at his back and muttered to herself, "When you get busy, you even forget about your girlfriend!"

Ning Jinli may complain, but she doesn't neglect her business at all.

Xiao Qidi spent half a day organizing a locust eradication team, which included several hundred locals who were skilled in using agricultural drones, as well as several hundred Xuanjia soldiers.

After all, the place they were going to, although not far from Linxian City and outside the border of Yu Kingdom, was still within the territory of Yu Kingdom.

Sending a few hundred Xuanjia soldiers along can not only provide assistance, but also act as guards should they encounter enemy forces.

On the other side, Ning Jinli quickly obtained the catalyst and insecticide.

Everything is ready.

Finally, Xiao Qidi selected two villagers from the Yu Kingdom who had previously fled to lead the way, and the locust extermination team set off.

In addition to deploying locust extermination teams, Xiao Qidi felt that other areas near the border of the Yu Kingdom outside of Linxian City should also be prepared to prevent problems before they occur.

The Xitun Pass area was previously neglected by the imperial court because it was too remote and barren. Although it was nominally part of the Da Xuan Beiyuan County, it was actually no one in charge of it.

This area, though large enough, has no prefectures, except for one neighboring prefecture, Hewan County of Kitahara County.

Therefore, the first place where we need to take precautions is Hewan County.

While studying a map of the area surrounding Xitun Pass in the courtyard, Xiao Qidi suddenly noticed a problem.

"Strange, something seems off." Xiao placed a sheepskin map on the stone table in front of him, frowned, picked up the milk tea that Ning Jinli had just bought for him, took a big gulp, and shook his head while chewing the pearls in the milk tea. "Something's not right, something's not right."

"What's wrong with you?" Ning Jinli leaned over to take a look.

The sheepskin map was incredibly old, difficult to decipher, and the locations and areas marked on it were very vague, making it impossible for her to understand.

"Hmm..." Xiao Qidi put down his milk tea. "The tapioca pearls are a bit too hard today."

Ning Jinli was slightly taken aback. "So this is what you meant by something being wrong? I thought..."

“No, no, no,” Xiao Qidi said, “I just discovered that the villagers from the Yu Kingdom’s border who fled here earlier seem to be going the long way around.”

"Huh? What do you mean?"

“Look here.”

Xiao Qidi pointed at the map with his index finger, "Their village is roughly here, the Yu Kingdom border is over there, and then this is Xitun Pass."

As Ning Jinli looked around, she said, "It seems that their village is indeed closer to us. That's right, it matches their description at the time."

"Then look here." Xiao Qidi moved his index finger upwards and stopped at the place where the three characters "Hewan County" were written.

Ning Jinli carefully examined the blurry border line on the map and muttered, "Their village seems to be quite close to Hewan County, about the same distance from here."

“That’s the problem,” Xiao Qidi said, tapping his finger lightly. “As everyone knows, Xitun Pass is the most barren place in Da Xuan. Nobody wants it, especially since it has been drought-stricken for more than half a year. Even the most remote villages on the border of Yu Kingdom should know about this situation.”

"But Hewan County is different. It did not suffer from drought. Although I have never been there, I have heard that the people of Hewan County live in peace and prosperity."

"It makes sense that the villagers of Yu Kingdom, fleeing for their lives, would risk traveling to the relatively closer territory of Da Xuan. But why didn't they choose to go to Hewan County?"

After listening to this, Ning Jinli pondered for a few seconds and asked, "You don't still suspect that those hundreds of villagers have ulterior motives, do you?"

Xiao Qidi shook his head. "No, that's not it. If I had any doubts, I wouldn't have chosen a few people to be guides for the locust extermination team."

“Since they have no other purpose…” Ning Jinli frowned and said, “then there must be some irresistible factor that makes them have no choice but to come to Xitun Pass.”

Xiao Qidi added, "Or perhaps, they dare not go to Hewan County."

Ning Jinli said, "Let's call them over and ask them."

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Xiao Qidi nodded and then sent someone to bring several refugees from the Yu Kingdom to him.

"This humble subject... pays respects to Your Majesty, and to the Fairy." The villagers of Yu Kingdom kowtowed to Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli in the courtyard.

"Get up." Xiao Qidi waved his hand, glancing at the sheepskin map on the stone table. "I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Xiao Qidi didn't beat around the bush or ask indirectly; he went straight to the question he had just discussed with Ning Jinli.

“Your Majesty,” a refugee replied, “this is because our village is separated from Da Xuan He Wan County by a region that does not belong to Da Xuan and Yu Kingdom.”

"Oh? Where?"

"In... um... this..."

The refugees were scratching their heads, unsure how to describe their predicament.

Xiao Qidi then asked him to come closer and point it out on the map.

He carefully gestured a few times with his fingertips.

“I see,” Xiao Qidi nodded slightly. “This map is too general; I didn’t know there was such a place.”

The refugee continued, "If we common folk want to go to Hewan County, we can only first enter Xitun Pass, and then cross through the territory of Daxuan."

Xiao Qidi asked again, "Why not just pass through here?"

The refugee replied with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, you are unaware that nomadic tribes occasionally roam this area. Even the bandits who roam the border regions of Da Xuan and Yu Kingdom dare not easily enter. If we commoners go in and don't encounter any nomadic tribes, that's fine, but if we do... well..."

Xiao Qidi's brows furrowed. "Nomadic tribes from the far north have always been dangerous. However, the Xitun Pass area and many surrounding places have been suffering from drought for more than half a year. Nomadic tribes don't know how to cultivate the land; they only know how to live by following the water and grass. The chances of encountering them here are probably even lower than finding a water source. So, tell me honestly, is there any other reason?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in the eyes of the refugee in front of him, and he shook his head and said, "No...no more."

Xiao Qidi noticed his unusual behavior and glanced calmly at the other refugees, "Really none?"

The others immediately shrank their necks.

Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes and slammed his hand on the table. "You still dare to hide it from me?"

Several refugees were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud, their faces pressed to the ground, trembling all over.

Ning Jinli leaned close to Xiao Qidi's ear and whispered, "They are timid by nature, and in their minds, they are still living under someone else's roof. Besides, you are the king here, so don't frighten them anymore."

Xiao Qidi thought for a moment, then softened his voice, "You may speak freely. Whatever the reason, I will never blame you."

“This…” one of the refugees said hesitantly, “Your Majesty, we…we are afraid that if we tell you, it will displease you.”

"Is that so?" Xiao Qidi became even more interested. "I assure you, I will not be angry. If even I don't believe you, Fairy Jinli is here to testify, so surely you will believe me?"

Ning Jinli chimed in, "Just tell me what you want. If he gets angry, I'll teach him a lesson."

Hearing this, the refugees' expressions softened considerably.

“Your Majesty, Fairy,” a refugee said solemnly, “we are not going through that area to go directly to River Bend County, not only because we are afraid of the nomadic tribes we might encounter, but also because…we are afraid of the county magistrate of River Bend County…”