Chapter 203 Private Training
Because of the participation of immortal cultivators, the joint reclamation progressed extremely quickly.
The nine-toothed iron plow, driven by the roaring and surging spiritual energy, galloped across the vast land like lightning. Wherever it passed, it plowed out rolling waves of earth. The fresh smell of earth instantly spread, and the new soil fluttered down.
Officials of Fengzhou Prefecture methodically registered and counted the reclaimed land, and then distributed it to many outsiders. They also gave them the good seeds selected last autumn and taught them how to farm.
As a result, many strange sights appeared in Fengzhou. The immortal cultivators were plowing the fields in front, and the people were following them and sowing seeds behind them. The spiritual energy was roaring all around, vast and boundless.
At this time, a group of men with sharp eyes came from the border of Fengzhou, covered in dust. They looked around as they walked, and had dirt splashed on their faces. They drew their swords and looked around, feeling confused.
What they saw at this moment were scenes they had never seen in their lives.
"Brother Tiexiong, I want to go back to the mountains. If my parents were born in Fengzhou, they would not have been forced to death, and I would not have fled to the mountains."
"Nonsense, come back here!"
"Yes, Barber, now that we are here, there is no reason to go back."
“Brother…”
"Barber, listen to your second brother. What your eldest brother said is right. Although... it is very good, think about our children. Do you really want them to hide from us all their lives and worry about being hunted by the Immortal Sect and the imperial court?"
"Stop arguing, let's find an inn to stay in first. I'll go find out what's going on, and then we can discuss the follow-up plan and take action."
Tiexiong's eyes flashed with ferocity, and he rebuked Barber for his speech. Then he led everyone towards the city. However, before they reached the inn, they suddenly saw a row of vermilion slogans written on the opposite wall.
[I was born between heaven and earth, and I must leave some stories for future generations to read]
After a long while, Tiexiong, who was in silence, lifted up the hem of his robe and pulled out a long sword from his waist. Then he glanced at his brothers behind him...
Working from sunrise to sunset and resting from sunset to sunrise, Fengzhou's farming area continues to expand, spreading outward like a scroll.
After daily work, government offices across Fengzhou would prepare big pots of food in the threshing ground.
Pigs and sheep are slaughtered and slow-cooked in the open air, the fragrance wafting in the evening breeze.
Some cultivators often grumble that eating these mundane things will cause their practice to stagnate and will not be conducive to the enlightenment of their mind. After all, appetite is also a kind of desire.
But every time I finish saying it, I will immediately follow it up with a sentence: Please leave me some lamb leg.
A few days before the beginning of spring, the joint reclamation had been mostly completed, and iron pots were set up on the threshing ground in Fengzhou Prefecture. Countless ingredients were rolling in the soup, exuding a rich aroma that drifted in the gentle evening breeze, making everyone salivate.
"Give me a leg of lamb."
"I'm so sorry, we're out of lamb shanks. Would you like some ribs?"
"What's wrong with you? Everyone here knows that I like lamb legs the most. Are you new here?"
"He's new here."
"May I have your name?"
"Tetsuo."
"Hey, your mutton stew tastes really good."
"It's a family tradition, but I haven't made it for many years. The taste is about the same as before."
"Hey, Brother Tiexiong, you are too modest, but next time, remember to save the lamb leg for me!"
Zhao Ermin was adding water to the pot at this time, and couldn't help but look up at Tiexiong: "Brother, didn't we agree to come here to get information?"
Tiexiong stirred the soup in the pot and looked at him: "I'm here to get information. Now I've found a place to work, right?"
The corner of Zhao Ermin's mouth twitched: "I saw big brother sharpening his knife this morning, and I thought that big brother's heart was as cold as ice, and he was determined to take action after coming to Fengzhou."
"Those officials were holding spiritual weapons, which means they knew that there would be private practitioners coming, but they still let us pass. That person wanted to take in the private practitioners. We have been hiding in the mountains for so many years, it's good to be able to live like a human being."
"It's strange to say, but harboring private practitioners is a serious crime in Daxia."
Tiexiong stopped stirring at this point: "Those slogans in the city are for us to see. If there is really a war, that person hopes that we can leave some stories for future generations to see."
Zhao Ermin was silent for a long time, thinking that this was true, but maybe his elder brother was thinking too much. But before he could say anything, he felt something sinking at his feet, and when he lowered his head, he saw a young child.
After a long silence, he opened his mouth and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.
And in the direction where the child was running, Barber, who had not been seen for several days, was also walking towards this place.
He thought that Barber did not want to get involved, so he left. But then he realized that there were a dozen children and several women and children standing behind him in the night, looking at him.
Qiu Zhong was also in the open field at this time, walking with Kuang Cheng. Looking at the three or five children running around in the field, he couldn't help but think for a while.
Ever since the young master established a noble family in Fengzhou, many children have dared to go out on the streets in places where immortal cultivators frequent, and there has been no news of children starving to death at home this year.
But what about the young master’s bloodline?
Now there is only the young master left in the Ji family. He worries about this and that every day, but has never mentioned the matter of continuing his own bloodline.
This is what a loyal servant is like. He not only has to consider the affairs of the house, but also worries about the continuation of the master's family.
Although the news in Fengzhou spread slowly, Qiu Zhong had roughly heard that several young ladies from aristocratic families had taken a fancy to the young master, and he also knew that the young master had not chosen any of them, which made Qiu Zhong feel heavy-hearted for a while.
At this moment, he couldn't help but turn his head and look at Kuang Cheng: "Master Kuang, you and my master are close friends, so you must know something. Old Qiu wants to ask you, does my master dislike women?"
"Uncle Qiu, don't worry too much. In fact, there is already someone in Brother Ji's backyard. He went to Shengjing during the Xinyuan period. I have seen him."
Qiu Zhong opened his mouth and said, "Whose family is this girl from? Why don't you marry her into your family?"
Kuang Cheng lowered his voice: "The women from the three families."
"?"
"There is another one who is living outside."
"How could there be someone stranded outside? Young Master, you are such a fool, why don't you bring him back and give him a proper status?"
"It may be difficult to answer..."
Qiu Zhong was stunned for a moment: "Is it very far?"
Kuang Cheng nodded and thought to himself that you are right, your wives are really more distant than the other.
Thinking of this, his gaze shifted to the south side of the open-air valley.
In the dim night, there were a few demon merchants standing there, observing from the edge. Then they whispered to each other and walked away after communicating for a while. At the same time, they took out paper and pen from their pockets and started writing and drawing.
Qiu Zhong also saw them and couldn't help but frowning slightly.
In fact, ever since he knew that the young master had been to the Snow Region and nearly lost his hands after returning, he has disliked the demon clan.
But the Sixianjian changed the road to this place, and even if they don't welcome it, they can't help but stop people from passing through.
I don't know why, but the demons have been very interested in Fengzhou recently. They always appear in various places and are quite polite to people, but their vertical pupils make them look very weird.
Kuang Cheng looked at Qiu Zhong at this time: "Where did you go today, Brother Ji?"
Qiu Zhong came back to his senses and said, "Some owners of immortal manors came to visit today. The young master received them at the mansion. A few days ago, the young master also brought people to paint slogans. He has been very busy these days."
"For Toyosu."
"But if a war really breaks out, wouldn't everything you did be in vain?"
"Just send your young master out."
"?"
Ji You was in the reception room of Ji Village at this time. In front of him sat the owners of the three immortal villas, Juguang, Tianyan and Dongsheng, as well as some priests and elders who came with them.
Facing a group of old men and women who were concerned about elixirs, he smiled faintly, with an attitude that said, "You understand but don't tell anyone," which made their faces blush.
Being born into an aristocratic family is a blessing, but it is also a shackle.
After being marginalized by their family, their obsession with realm made them very greedy, and although this greed was disgusting, it was also easy to be exploited.
After chatting about the elixir for a while, Ji You sent them out. He returned to the village late at night and saw Qiu Ru jogging towards him.
The little girl has now successfully awakened her spirit. She has made such progress despite only thinking about eating every day. Pei Ruyi has only one comment on her: this girl is extraordinary.
At this time, Qiu Ru pulled Ji You's sleeve and said, "Master, elbow!"
"Where are you going?"
"I'll lead you to steal chicken legs."
It was really an elbow. Ji You looked at her in silence for a long time: "Ruru, do you still not believe that this is our home?"
Qiu Ru showed a surprised expression after hearing this: "?"
Ji was worried that this greedy girl was really afraid of being poor, so he took her to the kitchen and bought her a chicken leg.
The greedy girl not only ate one, but took three.
Ji You looked at her and said, "Why take so much? Just come back when you want to eat more."
"Left it for the young mistress."
"?"
Ji You was stunned for a moment, then realized that it was Kuang Cheng who told them.
The greedy girl was quite thoughtful. In fact, two would have been enough, but she even took one more for herself.
After waiting for the cheating to end, Ji You took him back and saw Kuang Cheng concentrating on writing, but he didn't know what he was writing.
The last time it was Gongshu Chou who wrote so skillfully here, he had directly buried a huge bomb for himself, which made Ji You alert.
However, he did not say much. Instead, he sent Qiu Ru back to the room, and then pretended nothing happened and looked out the window.
Kuang Cheng was indeed writing a book, but Ji You was not so serious as to snatch it away and tear it up, because he found that Kuang Cheng was writing his own biography, which made Ji You, who had been standing by and watching for a long time, feel embarrassed.
The book praised him so highly that he felt uncomfortable.
Ji You couldn't help but whispered, "Actually, I don't have any ambitions or ideals to make a living and serve the people. What you wrote is a bit too great, which is not appropriate. If others read it, they will think that I am really a gentleman who has gotten rid of vulgar tastes. It's embarrassing and I feel like I'm going to die in society."
Kuang Cheng raised his head: "?"
"In fact, I just did what I could to make the road smoother and the people around me live better. That's all. But no one can predict what will happen in the future."
"Maybe there will be a war tomorrow, maybe the foreign immortals in Fengzhou will riot collectively, then everything we do now will be meaningless."
"That's what I thought before, and I wondered if Fengzhou should maintain the status quo, but I did it in the end because there are some things that I really can't stand. The Nursing Home is not that great. It's all about following my own wishes, and it has nothing to do with ideals."
"You wrote in the book that I am the guardian of Fengzhou, but in fact I am not. It's like seeing a child on the side of the road. I can give him a copper coin, but I can't support him for his whole life."
Ji You murmured for a while: "So you'd better not show this biography to others. I'll just keep it for you, so that others won't really think I'm a savior."
Kuang Cheng looked up at him and said, "Brother Ji, you have done enough. Whether Fengzhou exists for one year or three years, the people will thank you in the end."
"No need to thank me, lest I get too carried away one day and really leave my loyalty in history. I'm not afraid of dying, but I'm most afraid of others having too high expectations."
"Brother Ji always says this, but he always rushes forward faster than anyone else."
After Kuang Cheng finished speaking, he picked up his pen and continued writing.
He wrote about the customs and folks of Fengzhou, the beautiful Yuyang County, and some interesting anecdotes and history.
It is basically written from Ji You's perspective. For example, Ji You likes the Yinma Bridge in Yuyang County the most and he used to stroll on the bridge often.
There is also Xiangzi Lake in Danshui County. When I went to Danshui County with Teacher Cao to recruit students, I improvised a poem.
Ah, lake, you are all water.
The most touching thing is that there is a beautiful legend about Xiangzi Lake. It is said that if lovers circle the lake and meet under a locust tree by the lake, they will never be separated for the rest of their lives.
Cultural exchange is actually very necessary, because these are common, which will give people imagination and yearning, and make people feel that such beauty is worth preserving.
Ji You looked at the bright moon at night and couldn't help but whispered: "When will you finish writing this book?"
Kuang Cheng picked up his pen and dipped it in ink: "Depending on the progress, it will probably take two days."
“This is wrong.”
"Um?"
Ji You pointed to a line of words on the book: "After establishing a family in Fengzhou, the next thing to do is to go to the Snow Region to meet the Demon Emperor. Why did you only write a poem and then jump to spring ploughing?"
Kuang Cheng lowered his head and took a closer look: "There is no need to write this paragraph. Just write about everyone's reactions when you came back."
Ji You glanced at him, thought for a while and agreed.
Although celebrity biographies are less serious than historical records, they still have to be true and verifiable.
Kuang Cheng had never been to the Snow Region, nor had he seen how he was beaten all over by the demon general with his bare hands in the snowfield, nor had he seen how he killed the demon general. It was difficult to write the truth of the matter based on hearsay alone, so it was right not to write about it for the sake of seriousness.
Look, what is professional ethics?
This is called professional ethics.
Ji You couldn't help but think of the part where Gongshu Chou wrote the ending based on his imagination, and he felt an urge to curse. He really didn't expect that Gongshu Chou would actually be a novel author.
"I'm going to bed first, don't stay up too late."
"Okay, brother Ji."
Kuang Cheng dipped the brush in his hand into ink, and then continued writing.
After a while, Ji You appeared again in the small courtyard in front of the wing room, holding a cup of tea in his hand, which he handed to Kuang Cheng through the window.
At noon the next morning, the last jointly reclaimed farming area was registered.
He Zhang from Fengzhou Prefecture came in and asked Ji You whether the sowing matter required the participation of cultivators.
Ji You thought for a while, then shook his head.
He wanted to see what would happen if there were no taxes.
So early in the morning of the next day, large-scale sowing began, and the fields were now filled with people.
However, it didn't take long before the immortal cultivators who had participated in the joint reclamation before also showed up. Although they were only half of the total number, they increased the sowing speed a lot.
Ji You stood on the edge of the field and watched this scene, and thought that the picture was quite harmonious.
At this moment, a yawn brought him back to his senses. He turned around and saw Kuang Cheng looking exhausted.
He is not a cultivator and still needs to rely on sleep to replenish his energy. This state is obviously caused by staying up late for too long.
"Is the biography finished?"
"I've finished it."
"It's okay to finish it a few days later. Besides, I'm not a big shot. If I write a biography, I might be laughed at if it gets out. But now that it's finished, thank you, Brother Kuang."
Everyone has a sense of vanity, even Ji You is no exception, it is common.
He had been looking forward to it these past few days, wanting to see himself from a different perspective, so he stretched out his hand to her.
The scholar couldn't help coughing when he saw his hand. "I have finished writing it, but what you don't know is that I lost the biography right after I finished it."
Ji You's eyes flashed with surprise: "Lost?"
"Yeah, it's lost."
"Where did it go?"
"I lost it when I went out this morning. When I went back to look for it, it was gone. Someone must have picked it up."
"Please point me in a direction so I can go ask. What if someone else picks up this socially dead thing?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji You heard the sound of a galloping carriage. Turning around, he found that it was a caravan of demons passing through here and returning, roaring straight towards the north.
They did not use horses to pull their carts, but rather unintelligent monster beasts. These monster beasts ran extremely fast, and their hooves made a rumbling sound, making it difficult to ignore them.
Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
This demon caravan had just arrived a few days ago, and was specifically responsible for purchasing the items they needed. It was said that half of the list of items had not been collected this morning, so logically speaking, they should not be in such a hurry to go back.
And this is too hasty. What if you hit a child?
One of the chariots didn't even have time to raise its flag, but the more you looked at it, the more it looked like someone had picked up something good at the door in the morning, opened it and was immediately overjoyed, then hurried to take it home.
Ji You knew this feeling too well. He had the same feeling when he was fighting with the unarmed demon general in the snowy area and accidentally picked up two precious swords.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
