Rebirth from Impure Land
Master Xuanchen held the bronze compass star-fixing instrument that emitted a faint, dim light.
As if holding the key to communicate with heaven and earth, I slowly stepped into the decaying atmosphere that permeated Qixia'ao.
His steps were not random, but followed an ancient and mysterious rhythm, sometimes pausing, sometimes turning, his withered fingertips occasionally brushing against the cold broken walls, the exposed damp soil, and the moss-covered pebbles by the stream.
He muttered obscure and difficult-to-understand incantations in his mouth, his voice low and deep, like the hum of the earth's veins.
With each step he took and each incantation he uttered, the dark needle at the center of the compass trembled more and more noticeably, its tip gleaming with an eerie light, sometimes veering rapidly, sometimes trembling slightly, as if wrestling and conversing with an invisible force.
Bean sprouts followed closely beside their master.
The boy's face was tense, trying to suppress the fear brought on by the desolate scenery around him.
He closed his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, and immersed his mind in the "spiritual perception" world that ordinary people cannot perceive.
In his perception, the entire Qixia'ao was shrouded in a thick, stagnant, and suffocating gray-black "fog".
The fog had a strong "bitter" smell and a nauseating "sweet" smell.
Like a century-old accumulation of filth and sludge, it lay heavily at the bottom of the valley, a point of stagnant foulness. When he "looked" at the murky stream, the water became unusually "murky" and "heavy" in certain low-lying areas, as if dragging countless invisible, black, flocculent substances that exuded resentment and disease.
Suddenly, near a sunny, sheltered slope close to the foot of the mountain to the north, he sensed a faint warmth.
This warmth, like a candle flame in the darkness, is weak yet tenacious, carrying a refreshing "flowing" feeling, and struggling to penetrate the heavy, gray, foul air.
"Master...it's warm here! There's energy moving around!"
Bean Sprout suddenly opened her eyes, pointed to the slope, and her voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement.
Master Xuanchen immediately stopped, and sure enough, the tip of the compass needle in his hand pointed steadily in the direction that Douya had pointed, and the dim light became a little brighter.
His thin fingers quickly tapped a few times on the star patterns on the edge of the compass, the pointer was slightly adjusted, and finally the direction was locked.
He nodded slightly, took out an old copper coin with worn edges and engraved runes from his pocket, flicked it with his fingers, and the coin turned into a faint light, embedding precisely into the depths of a crevice in a boulder on the high slope, leaving a faint magical mark.
The master and apprentice worked silently and efficiently, traversing the ruins as if drawing an invisible blueprint of energy.
Bury copper coins or draw barely perceptible cinnabar talismans in several auspicious locations.
Leave warning signs at low-lying areas or stagnant water sources where foul air originates.
When they reached the lowest point in the valley, the area that Douya perceived as the most "sticky and foul-smelling," Douya suddenly took a step back and pointed to the ground overgrown with decaying grass: "Master! Here... there are so many... bones! Cold and resentful! Caught in black mist!"
Master Xuanchen looked solemn. He squatted down and used a withered branch to clear away the thick layer of rotten grass and loose soil that emitted a foul odor.
Below, scattered, blackened and brittle animal bones were clearly visible!
There were large cow leg bones, small sheep ribs, and even rabbit skulls, all scattered and half-buried in the dark mud.
“Pandemic and famine have caused immense suffering and loss of life… The accumulated resentment and filth are not the result of a single day's work, nor are they the result of a single place’s evil.”
The old Taoist's voice was deep, carrying a compassionate and somber tone born of profound understanding of the world. He stood up and, with his fingernail, deeply scratched a rune representing "burial of the wicked" on a nearby toppled stone tablet.
Ling Zhan silently followed by, taking in the actions of the master and apprentice and Douya's whispers.
After Xuan Chen finished his survey, he calmly looked at Ling Zhan and nodded slightly, indicating that the auspicious location, the polluted area, and the water source had been preliminarily demarcated.
A sharp glint flashed in Ling Zhan's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, his clear and powerful command instantly echoed throughout the valley.
"Suihe!"
She directly called out Daya's real name and pointed to several auspicious slopes marked by Xuan Chen on the north slope, "Take people and clear these sunny slopes! Investigate the soil moisture and soil quality in detail, and identify all existing vegetation!"
She emphasized, "Priority task: plan the medicinal herb garden! Isatis root, honeysuckle, houttuynia cordata, perilla... any herbs that can ward off epidemics, prevent disease, invigorate blood circulation, and clear heat should be prioritized for cultivation! Whether we can establish ourselves here depends on the medicinal herb garden! Execute it immediately!"
Shen Suihe's eyes sharpened, as if she had been given a boost, and she replied loudly, "Yes, Mother!"
She quickly gathered several women who knew a little about herbs, picked up their tools, and ran to the hillside.
"Big Girl!"
Ling Zhan looked at Da Niu, who was deftly tightening her cuffs with straw rope and directing the women to hang the freshly picked mugwort and calamus on the newly cleared half of the mud wall. "Take all the quick-handed people and collect mugwort, calamus, mint, and houttuynia cordata along the stream and the edge of the forest! The more the better! It will be used primarily to clean up the newly cleared dwellings, remove odors, and fumigate to kill insects! We will then dry and store it!"
"Mother, don't worry!"
Da Niu's voice was loud and clear, demonstrating her strong drive: "Sisters, follow me! Be sharp-eyed and quick-handed, let's get rid of this bad luck!"
She was like a gust of wind, leading a group of women towards the woodland by the stream.
Ling Zhan walked over to the little stone that was lying on a relatively flat boulder, carefully sketching on coarse linen with charred twigs.
Following the instructions of the bean sprout, he marked the stream, the depression, and the auspicious locations that Xuan Chen had just pointed out. Although the lines were still immature, they were already beginning to take shape.
“Little Stone,” Ling Zhan said in a steady voice, “mark the auspicious location, the area of foul air accumulation, the direction of the stream, and the clean water source determined by Daoist Xuan Chen and Bean Sprout on this map. This map is the foundation for the reconstruction of the camp and concerns the safety of everyone. It must be accurate.”
Little Stone felt a great responsibility, his eyes shining with focused concentration, and he nodded vigorously.
"Don't worry, Mother! I'll make sure I draw it accurately!" His lines became even more stable and detailed.
"Liu Quan, Elder Yang!" Ling Zhan turned to his two core assistants, "Take guards and strong laborers, focusing on auspicious locations, and prioritize clearing and reinforcing houses with relatively intact roofs or walls to provide temporary shelter for women, children, the elderly, and the infirm! Pay attention to surveying the terrain and planning temporary sentry posts! Ensure tools are provided as a priority!"
"Yes!" The two accepted the order and immediately organized a team to begin the cleanup and reinforcement work.
The silent Valley of Death was instantly activated.
The sounds of tools clanging, rustling as weeds are cleared, and shouts of workers carrying broken logs—
Intertwined with the suppressed conversations of women and children, it formed a symphony of struggling for survival.
However, the faint hope brought by this busy work was quickly shattered by a terrified scream coming from a low-lying area downstream! "Bones! So many bones!"
The crowd instantly stirred.
Liu Quan ran back with a grim face: "Madam! Downstream in that depression... we dug up so many... so many human and animal bones! They were all black and piled up together!"
Ling Zhan's heart sank, and he hurried over.
Pushing aside the crowd, a cleared depression revealed a massive, haphazardly piled-up, blackened and decaying skeleton! A cow's skull stared hollowly at the sky, sheep's ribs lay scattered like firewood, and wild boar tusks were half-buried in the black mud… a dense, horrifying sight. The pungent, sweet, putrid stench was so intense it was almost tangible.
Panic spread through the population like a plague.
"It was the plague! They must have died from the plague!"
"This place is no place to stay!"
"A ghost! There's a ghost!"
The women and children turned pale and trembled as they backed away.
"quiet!"
Ling Zhan's sharp shout, like a thunderclap, instantly quelled the commotion. Her face was ashen. She crouched down, ignoring the pungent stench, and carefully examined the remains. They were dark black and brittle, with no obvious signs of cutting or chiseling, suggesting natural decay after death from disease. She then grabbed a handful of soil from beneath the bones, rubbed it between her fingers, and sniffed it—the stench was overwhelming. She abruptly stood up, her gaze sweeping across the terrified crowd with lightning speed. Her voice was resolute, carrying a calming power.
"What's the panic! It's just an old site! This place has been abandoned for many years, and wild animals have died here and piled up. What's so strange about it, Liu Quan!"
"exist!"
"Take men and dig a deep pit right here! It needs to be at least ten feet deep! Lay a layer of quicklime at the bottom of the pit first!"
"Move all the remains into the pit! After moving them in, cover them with a thick layer of quicklime! Then cover them with soil! Tamp it down firmly! Make sure it's airtight, there can't be a single leak!"
"yes!"
"Bean sprout! Little bull! Little stone!"
Ling Zhan turned to the pale-faced child, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Take men and keep watch day and night at the burial site of the remains and the surrounding low-lying area downstream, continuously burning mugwort and calamus—fumigate! Make sure to drive away all the foul air! There must be no slackening!"
This command was not only aimed at any remaining physical pathogens, but also at the intense "resentment and filth" that Bean Sprout sensed entwining the skeleton.
Orders are absolute.
Liu Quan, accompanied by his guards and strong laborers, suppressed his nausea and fear and began digging the huge pit.
The shovel turned up the foul-smelling black mud.
Bean Sprout, Little Bull, and Little Stone directed the women and children to bring a large amount of freshly collected mugwort and calamus, which they then lit at the edge of the depression and downwind.
Thick, bitter-smelling smoke billowed up, stubbornly resisting the sweet, pungent, and putrid stench that permeated the valley.
At the same time, good news came from the auspicious location on the north slope.
"Mother! Mother!"
Shen Suihe ran over excitedly, clutching several plants covered in soil. "Look! Plantain! Dandelion! And selfheal! They're all growing so well! This slope has loose, slightly sandy soil, good drainage, and is sunny! It's a treasure! I've already marked out the beds for isatis root and honeysuckle. Once the gravel is cleared away, we can start planting!"
A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes.
On the other side, the gathering team led by Da Niu also returned with a full load, with large quantities of mugwort, calamus, mint, and houttuynia cordata piled up like mountains.
The women and children immediately sprang into action: they bundled mugwort and calamus into bunches and hung them densely on the doors and windows of the few dilapidated houses that had just been cleaned and reinforced; they crushed mint leaves with a stone mortar and pestle and mixed them with relatively clean stream water to wipe away mold and stains; and they spread a thick layer of houttuynia cordata on the damp ground to absorb moisture and remove odors.
The rich herbal aroma began to dispel some of the stale smell, bringing a touch of freshness and peace of mind.
The skillful young woman even used supple vines and freshly picked wildflowers to weave simple warding-off-evil grass rings for the lintels of several small houses, adding a touch of tenacious vitality to this desolate place.
Little Stone lay on the rock, his face slightly blackened by the smoke from the burning mugwort, yet he was incredibly focused.
Based on the latest findings and Douya's insights, he quickly refined his "Qixia'ao Campsite Planning Draft" on coarse linen.
In the residential area of Jiwei, the areas that have been cleaned and those that need to be cleaned are marked.
Medicinal herb garden area, key filth area (burial site).
The water source is a murky stream, and the relatively clean water intake point is located somewhere upstream.
The polluted areas, the planned reclamation areas... a simple yet crucial survival map gradually became clear under his pen.
Night fell, enveloping Qixia'ao.
Several dilapidated houses located in auspicious locations were cleared and reinforced, and can now barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.
Women and children crowded inside the house, with mugwort hanging above the door and dry grass and coarse cloth spread on the ground.
Several bonfires were lit in a safe spot outside the house, dispelling the chill and darkness of the deep valley. A thin rice porridge simmered in an iron pot over the fire, its aroma mingling with the bitter medicinal scent of burning mugwort and calamus. The nauseatingly sweet, rotten stench in the air seemed to be temporarily suppressed by the mixture of medicinal smoke and the fragrance of rice.
Ling Zhan stood alone on a slightly higher section of broken wall, his figure appearing particularly solitary in the flickering glow of the campfire.
She looked down: the scattered campfires illuminated the weary crowds resting, newly hung mugwort swayed gently in the night breeze, and in the distance, at the edge of the depression, the smoke from burning mugwort still rose into the night like an indomitable beacon.
The day's achievements may be as insignificant as dust, but the direction is clear and the foundation is initially established.
However, her gaze swept over the direction where the bones were buried deep, and beneath the thick layer of soil, it seemed as if resentment was still whispering.
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