Thinking of this, Zhao Xian said, "Uncle Village Head, where are those people? Take me there and let me find out about their situation."
“Okay, they’re not far from the workshop. I’ll take you there.”
After the village head finished speaking, he led Zhao Xian out of the workshop.
The village head led Zhao Xian to a large tree next to the workshop, where some young men and women were gathered.
Although they were dressed simply, they were clean and presentable, and did not look like they were fleeing a disaster.
Standing next to these people was a middle-aged man who appeared calm on the surface, but a faint worry was visible between his brows.
Wang Lizheng led Zhao Xian to this man and said:
"Qiao Lizheng, this is Marquis Zhengyang. He has come here to inquire about some matters."
Upon seeing Zhao Xian, Qiao Lizheng quickly bowed and paid his respects.
"I am the village head of Fudu Village, and I have met with Marquis Zhengyang."
"Qiao Lizheng, there's no need for such formalities. Are all these people from your Fudu Village?"
"Reporting to Marquis Zhengyang, they are villagers from Fudu Village, all unfortunate people. Because Fudu Village suffered divine retribution, they have all suffered. In recent years, their children have died one after another."
These children were all born healthy, but their health deteriorated quickly, and unexpected things happened.
Some young people who have multiple children cannot escape God's punishment; most of their children die at the age of one or two.
Later, we invited a master to look at the feng shui of the village. The master said that the villagers had offended the mountain god, and the mountain god wanted to punish the villagers and make sure that the children in the village would die a terrible death.
The young people I brought all lost their children, and now none of them dare to have any more children; they're afraid to stay in the village.
As the village head, I cannot stand idly by and do nothing about these things happening in the village.
I thought of Narcissus Village, so I brought them here. I beg Marquis Zhengyang to take them in and give them a meal.
Qiao Lizheng's words shocked Zhao Xian. How could a village have so many children dying at the young age? What was going on?
I came from the modern world, so I don't believe in divine retribution or being punished by the mountain god. There must be a reason for this.
"Qiao Lizheng, with this situation in the village, are the others okay?"
"The adults are fine; the problem mainly occurs in the children. This has happened before, but only once every few years."
However, in the past two years, this situation has suddenly increased; almost every newborn child will eventually fall ill, and none of them survive.
"What were the children's conditions when they fell ill? Could Qiao Lizheng describe them in more detail?" Zhao Xian asked.
At this moment, Qiao Lizheng appeared extremely sad. He wiped away his tears and said:
“I have lived in Fudu Village since I was a child, and I have lived there for more than 40 years.”
In my memory, Fudu Village is a blessed place, nestled against Fudu Mountain, where the villagers are able to make a living.
It's no exaggeration to say that Fudu Village is a blessed place, with tall trees and excellent crop growth.
The grain grown here yields much higher yields than in other places, so villagers always have surplus grain and rarely go hungry.
Fudu Village has more than 300 households and a population of over 2,000. For some unknown reason, all the newborns in the village in the past two years have died.
When children fall ill, it happens very suddenly. A perfectly healthy child can suddenly develop symptoms such as difficulty breathing and purple skin, which are incurable and can lead to death within two days.
The villagers could only watch helplessly as these children suffered torture, enduring unbearable pain until their deaths, a truly heartbreaking situation.
Some famous doctors also came to the village to see what disease the children had. They had never seen this disease before and were at a loss for what to do.
Later, the village invited a master who said that the villagers had offended the mountain god. For a time, the whole village was plunged into panic and despair, and some people began to leave Fudu Village.
But many people don't want to leave their birthplace; they'd rather die in the village. After discussing it with some of the village elders, I decided to take some young people out temporarily to see if we could continue their family line.
Today I've brought couples who have lost their children; they are all pitiful people.
To be honest, I took them to some nearby villages, and when the people there found out we came from Fudu Village, they treated us like we were plague carriers and chased us away.
I know there is a Narcissus Village in the Great Northern Dynasty. The Marquis of Zhengyang and General Li in the village are the guardian deities of the people of our Great Northern Dynasty. On a whim, I brought them here.
We hope that Narcissus Village can accept them. They are not some kind of plague, but victims. If Narcissus Village cannot take them in, they will truly be homeless.
As Qiao Lizheng spoke, he began to choke up.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian comforted Qiao Lizheng, saying:
"Qiao Lizheng need not worry. If Fudu Village is in trouble, Shuixian Village cannot sit idly by."
Here's what we'll do: these workshops have just started production and need manpower. If they're willing, let them stay here first and then work in the workshops.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Lizheng was overjoyed. Perhaps he was too excited, because he immediately knelt down before Zhao Xian.
Zhao Xian quickly got up, helped Qiao Lizheng to his feet, and said:
“This is unacceptable, Qiao Lizheng. I will have someone arrange things for them immediately.”
The matter of Fudu Village is far more complex than a simple punishment from the mountain god. I want to investigate this matter and see what really happened that led to the inexplicable deaths of so many infants.”
The government also sent people to investigate the situation in Fudu Village, but made no progress and the matter was eventually dropped.
Finally, the villagers had no choice but to seek help from a master. Although the master concluded that the villagers had offended the mountain god and were being punished by him, some people still did not believe it.
Seeing that Marquis Zhengyang wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly, Qiao Lizheng was very pleased and agreed to cooperate with Zhao Xian to investigate the matter with all his might.
After settling the young people in, Zhao Xian took Qiao Lizheng back to his old house and began to learn more about the situation in Fudu Village.
At this moment, Joe was speaking in great detail, recounting events from hundreds of years ago, as long as he knew them.
Next, Zhao Xian inquired about the situation in some nearby villages, and Qiao Lizheng gave detailed answers.
As Zhao Xian listened, he drew something on a piece of paper, drawing very carefully.
Finally, Zhao Xian suddenly asked about Fudu Mountain, and Qiao Lizheng began to explain the specific situation of Fudu Mountain.
In Qiao Lizheng's view, the situation in the village should be related to Fudu Mountain, but it has nothing to do with the mountain god.
Something must have happened at Fudu Mountain to cause the unexplained deaths of the children in the village.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
