Liangzhou.
Golden sunlight shines on the newly reclaimed fields, where villagers of Qingshi Village are busy working.
Sweat streamed down Fang Niangzi's resolute face, dripping onto the soft soil. She straightened up, gazing at the thriving seedlings in the field, a smile unconsciously spreading across her lips.
"Madam Fang!" Old Man Li rushed over, his rough fingers pointing angrily into the distance. "The officials are here! They say there's something wrong with the Mountain Goddess's seeds!"
Fang Niangzi frowned and slammed the shovel into the ground. In the distance, dust billowed as a troop of officials rode up. The lead officer dismounted, his face ashen.
"By order of the imperial court!" the constable shouted, his voice shrill and unpleasant, "The promotion of grain seeds in the barren mountains is temporarily suspended! Reports from various places indicate that the new seeds have mutated and become monsters! All the seeds you have planted must be dug up and destroyed!"
"fart!"
A furious shout boomed like thunder. Fang Niangzi strode forward, her indigo robes fluttering in the wind, her eyes wide open, as if burning with flames.
“We planted these crops with our own hands and watched them grow every day. What kind of monster could they be?!” Her voice was strong and resonant, echoing through the fields.
The constable sneered, untied the cloth bundle from the saddle, and suddenly shook it open. A twisted tree trunk rolled to the ground, its bark cracked like scales, and a scarlet gash opened in the center of the trunk, through which wriggling flesh could be vaguely seen.
"A bunch of fools, open your dog eyes and look! These are the monsters your other villages have cultivated! Do you want to kill even more people?"
The villagers gasped, but then erupted in an even louder roar.
"Impossible!" Fang Niangzi stepped forward, her iron hairpin pointing directly at the constable's throat. "This is definitely not the seed of the Mountain Goddess. Someone among you is trying to frame the deity!"
"Yes! It's a frame-up!"
"There's absolutely no problem with the Mountain Goddess's seed!"
"We'll fight anyone who dares to touch our crops!"
"Death to the blasphemer!"
The villagers raised their farm tools, their eyes burning with anger. Several teenagers also picked up stones, their faces flushed red.
The constable was so frightened by this display that he took two steps back, his face turning pale: "You...you're trying to rebel?!"
Fang Niangzi sneered and pulled a cloth bag from her bosom, inside which were several plump sweet potatoes: "These are the real sweet potatoes! Your monster dug them up from some filthy place!"
"If you dare to be disrespectful again, even if you are an official, you will not escape with a good death!"
Fang Niangzi couldn't resist extending a transparent silk thread from her right hand, hooking it onto another iron hairpin on her head.
"What can you do if you object? The imperial decree has already been issued, and all seeds must be destroyed! You have no idea how terrifying those monsters are!"
The officials quickly left, not daring to stay.
Behind her, Fang Niangzi picked up the section of tree trunk, her face grave, and went to the front of the mountain god temple. She prayed to the mountain god and told her what had happened that day.
...
In fact, Yu Luo already knew.
She lightly tapped the jade chessboard with her fingertips, and a chess piece shattered silently.
"Host, the Grand Preceptor of Yan Kingdom has made his move." The system, in the form of a silver sprite, landed on her shoulder. "Some seeds have been tampered with and replaced with demon tree saplings. Once planted, they will transform into demon trees."
Yu Luo remained expressionless, continuing to play chess calmly, while the system grew increasingly anxious.
The system quickly circled around her: "What do we do now? If this isn't resolved, the people will no longer dare to plant crops on the barren mountains, and your faith power will be gone! The faith power you gained before will very likely be taken back!"
Yu Luo said softly, "System, you fell asleep again and missed a crucial step."
The system looked bewildered. It had only slept for a day, so how could it have missed another crucial step?
Yu Luo smiled, and with a light flick of her snow-white sleeves, a phantom image appeared on the chessboard. Abnormal farmlands in various places appeared out of thin air, and twisted trees rose from the ground with their trunks bared and clawed, like one demon after another.
“The Grand Preceptor of Yan has chosen a good time,” she said softly. “Taking advantage of the court’s promotion of new grain varieties, he is spreading panic and undermining the people’s faith.”
"The General Who Guards the State of Liang is a ruthless character; he actually took the opportunity to destroy all the grain seeds."
As she finished speaking, her expression gradually turned serious.
If she hadn't intervened, the Liang Kingdom would never have distributed food to the disaster victims or provided any disaster relief.
Now, in order to deal with her, they have ordered the destruction of so much grain meant to help the people. This is unforgivable!
This court is utterly corrupt and must be uprooted!
"Host, what exactly did I miss?" The system was still dumbfounded.
Why is the host so confident? These days, these demonic trees have appeared in various places, and the people have long lost faith in the crops grown on barren mountains, and have even developed a fear of them. How can we turn the tide?
"Ahhhh! It's like the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is! Host, please explain clearly!" The silver sprite somersaulted back and forth in the air.
Yu Luo: "..."
"Have you forgotten what I just showed you? Didn't you observe those demonic trees carefully?"
The system was bewildered: "What's so special about those demonic trees? No matter how weak a demonic tree is, it's still deadly to ordinary people!"
"Then let me show you." Yu Luo raised his sleeve again, and several villages in the desolate mountains appeared on the panoramic map.
A group of time travelers were gathered together, excitedly studying the so-called demon tree.
"It really is this kind of tree! We've struck it rich! From now on, the people won't have to worry anymore!"
"Thank you so much, Grand Preceptor of Yan, for going to such lengths to deliver so many packages! You're such a kind person!"
A group of time travelers were filled with emotion.
This time, the Grand Preceptor of Yan has made a great contribution!
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