novelraw Chapter 47: I'm Going Down the Mountain to Have Fun
Chapter 47: I'm Going Down the Mountain to Have Fun
Young Master Tu.
It was this bastard who chased him for several hundred li and nearly shot the stupid bird to death with one arrow.
Li Qiuchen thought to himself that he'd remember this grudge. If they were fated to meet again in the future, they'd settle this account slowly.
After the soldiers left, there were no major incidents in the village.
If there was anything significant, it was that in a few more days, it would be time to pay taxes.
The northern frontier was vast and sparsely populated with fertile land. Food had never been particularly scarce. The government's taxes weren't heavy, and the village could also use pearls to offset part of the taxes, saving quite a bit of grain.
After paying the autumn grain at Blue Stone Platform, villagers would bring their remaining grain and mountain goods collected over time to the market.
Was that place Blue Stone Platform still intact?
That day, Li Qiuchen was outside Blue Stone Platform and personally witnessed the town catch fire with billowing smoke blocking out the sky.
The losses probably weren't small.How many people survived was hard to say.
The village was isolated from information and might not know about this yet.
Since he knew Blue Stone Platform would have a large market, Li Qiuchen also dismissed the idea of exchanging for cornmeal at the old man's house and decided to go take a look.
He should be able to find quite a few useful things.
Even perhaps... while the weather wasn't too cold yet, follow the official road and wander around the county seat.
The happiness of a single man was just that simple.
The stupid bird's size was still too large. Taking it anywhere was inconvenient. If it were only as big as a sparrow... with an appetite also only as big as a sparrow's, then it would be a perfect bird.
After drinking some wine and chatting half the night with the old village chief, Li Qiuchen didn't stay overnight in the village.
Anyway, the weather hadn't gotten unbearably cold yet. Sleeping in the forest was safer and more secure.
Getting up in the morning, frost covered the ground everywhere, and ice crystals had begun appearing on leaves.
Li Qiuchen shivered and discovered he'd thought too simply.
This beggar's outfit on his body really had no cold protection or warmth retention ability.
Even though he'd now cultivated to the point of being impervious to cold and heat, walking outside wearing such thin clothing would inevitably arouse suspicion from interested parties.
Traveling over mountains and ridges to Blue Stone Platform, from far away he could see an endless stream of country folk on the road, either carrying sacks on their backs or driving carts loaded with goods.
Country markets came in two types: large markets during festivals and small markets every month. Buying and trading was already inconvenient. You couldn't just keep enduring when your home lacked something until New Year's to come out and buy it.
The main difference between large and small markets was that large markets were bigger in scale (obviously). Merchant caravans would come to collect goods. There would be various fresh enterprises rarely seen normally, itinerant entertainers, theatrical performances... In short, very lively.
Small markets were more or less like farmers' vegetable markets.
County officials couldn't possibly run to every township to collect taxes. There wasn't enough time, and problems could easily occur midway. So they would establish granaries and offices in townships like Blue Stone Platform, having villages within ten li come here at unified times to pay taxes.
First came this system, then came the market.
Li Qiuchen leaned on his staff and mixed into the crowd.
The town's situation was better than he'd imagined.
At least on the surface, it looked well recovered. Although traces of the great fire from two months ago could still be seen, most repairs were complete. The town's residents also didn't seem to have suffered many losses.
If there was anything noteworthy, it was that there were quite a few more officials in town.
At the intersection were fully armed officials setting up checkpoints. Some officials held dark iron tubes—their power not to be underestimated. The head constable held a scroll of wanted criminal portraits, his two eyes searching back and forth.
Everyone passing through had to be questioned. If they were town residents, they had something like an identity certificate. As for mountain people and country folk, there was no way—forget certificates, they couldn't even read but the problem wasn't serious. Whether you were an honest, dutiful farmer could be seen from your appearance. The traces left by daily wind and sun exposure on faces simply couldn't be faked.
Only Li Qiuchen—the more he cultivated, the more refined he became, his skin getting better and better. If he didn't smear some mud on his face, others would easily mistake him for a woman.
Fortunately, he was young now and inconspicuous. Following behind someone's cart, pretending to be together, the checkpoint official just glanced at him without asking a single question and turned his gaze to the people behind.
This made Li Qiuchen, who had prepared to use his ocular technique, breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.
Thinking about it made sense. This wasn't the county seat. Management wasn't that strict.
Entering Blue Stone Platform, Li Qiuchen first found a merchant house that bought pelts and exchanged the several wild boar hides in his hands for ready cash.
The merchant house's assistant saw he was young and pressed the price very low. Li Qiuchen didn't mind.
He actually wasn't lacking money, just that the silver in hand wasn't convenient to spend.
Spending money lavishly would easily attract interested parties' attention.
Now in full view of everyone, using wild boar hides to exchange for several strings of copper coins—this was the currency circulating at the market.
Casually buying some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, then going to a grain shop to buy two sacks of rice and flour, he walked into an alley and when no one was paying attention, stuffed them into his bracelet.
Breaking off a sweet sorghum stalk, Li Qiuchen strolled and chewed, leisurely wandering to the town center. Looking up, he saw that enormous bluestone in the square.
Blue Stone Platform—the name's origin came from this flat-surfaced large bluestone.
Northern people were all particularly casual with names but this stone truly had some significance.
On the road, Li Qiuchen heard people say Blue Stone Platform was originally called Tiger Platform. It was said that years ago, a merchant caravan passed through this area and saw a large tiger lying on the stone napping. The merchant didn't dare disturb the mountain lord and offered up a fat pig.
The tiger was very satisfied. After eating the pig, it patted its bottom and left. From then on, Blue Stone Platform became extremely safe. Passing merchant caravans could rest here without encountering beast attacks but that was already a story from who knows how many hundreds of years ago.
Later, an immortal passed through this area, stayed for a hundred days, and taught ignorant village children. So everyone also called this place Immortal's Platform.
Many more years passed. A county magistrate took office and re-surveyed the county's geographical features. He discovered too many similar place names like Immortal's Platform, Immortal's Valley, Immortal's Mountain, Immortal's Well—too chaotic to distinguish. So he uniformly renamed them.
In government records, this place was named Blue Stone Platform.
It was said that a while ago, before being besieged by soldiers, that Mohe the Perfected Being also passed through here, took a liking to this stone, and forcibly occupied it.
Speaking of mystical properties, there were certainly some.
Li Qiuchen activated his ocular technique and looked. Inside the bluestone was a turbid earth spiritual qi slowly flowing.
In other words, this was an ultra-large spirit stone that hadn't finished forming.
Although not a true spirit stone, for cultivators mastering earth-type techniques, it was also a decent cultivation environment.
Like Li Qiuchen himself—he normally liked sleeping in forests, his body automatically absorbing plant and tree qi.
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