The Frail Scholar at the End of Ancient Times

Chapter 13: So Fierce

Other than the incense for exorcising evil, Wen Gu inquired about the stock of "Bu Ji Wan" from Daoist Master Qingyi.

This item is convenient to eat and filling, making it suitable for travel.

Perhaps to maintain his image as an expert, and viewing the village as a fallback, the Daoist Master also gifted the village a simplified recipe for Bu Ji Wan. It doesn't have as potent medicinal effects but can stave off hunger.

As a professional habit, while giving the recipe, Daoist Master Qingyi once again mentioned the "exorcising evil" properties of glutinous rice.

The villagers believed him wholeheartedly.

The Village Chief was so grateful he wanted to kowtow, and harbored no complaints in his heart.

Therefore, during this period, the village had also been making similar items.

They were making them in batches to save firewood and for convenient storage, and they could be eaten directly once made. By then, they would let the villagers exchange them for work points.

After leaving Daoist Master Qingyi, Wen Gu went to the Village Chief to exchange for some low-tier Bu Ji Wan.

He couldn't rely on Daoist Master Qingyi for everything.The Village Chief had been very busy lately, distributing village supplies, undertaking construction, and practicing the divine ceremony taught by the Daoist Master.

Seeing Wen Gu, the Village Chief said joyfully, "I was just about to look for you! Quick, come and see if this is right?"

The Village Chief picked up a piece of paper. It contained the steps for the divine ceremony, dictated by him and recorded by his grandson, Dou Miao.

Wen Gu had also been present when the Daoist Master instructed them.

Wen Gu took the paper and looked at it.

The handwriting was not neat, but one could barely make out the characters.

Beside him, Dou Miao lowered his head bashfully. In front of Wen Gu, his handwriting was indeed below par, though he had tried his best to write legibly so people could understand.

Wen Gu showed no unusual expression, merely reading the content.

The steps for the divine ceremony were very detailed, even including how to dispose of the ash from the burning exorcism incense at the end.

The Village Chief cherished the incense ash dearly. It was something they could smear on windowsills and door thresholds, or scatter around their homes for protection, and it wasn't something ordinary people could get. Only those who had made significant contributions could receive it.

Wen Gu did not express any personal opinions on this matter.

The incense ash itself did have some preservative and insect-repelling effects.

The village had its own ecosystem. In the current times, there was no need for excessive intervention.

After reading, Wen Gu handed the paper back, saying, "It's very detailed, the steps are written clearly, and there are no errors."

The Village Chief was relieved, "That's good, that's good!"

With one worry resolved, the Village Chief spoke to Wen Gu in a relaxed tone about the village's current construction progress.

The transported wood, stone, bricks, and tiles had been neatly stacked, and construction had already begun in several areas.

The villagers built their own houses. Although they hadn't used such "high-class" materials before, they could manage by taking some time to figure it out.

As long as there were no major technical difficulties, the villagers had their own rustic methods to solve them.

Wen Gu had already charted a course for their village to survive and struggle in these chaotic times. The rest were not major issues.

Wen Gu's written stories had now completed the third volume, all of which were with the Village Chief.

The Village Chief planned to bring them out to boost everyone's morale when they felt too tired from building fortifications.

At this moment, Dou Miao brought two medicinal packets to Wen Gu, saying, "Merchants from the Southern lands often pass through the county town. I've learned some methods for preventing and treating waterborne diseases and epidemic diseases. I've figured them out and made some medicinal packets. Perhaps they'll be useful for your journey."

"Thank you!" Wen Gu accepted them and bowed respectfully.

Alas, Dou Miao was a promising young man, but unfortunately, he couldn't be persuaded to leave. If there was an opportunity in the future, he would return to try and recruit him.

Dou Miao, turning back towards his house, suddenly felt an inexplicable shiver. He looked up at the sky, sensing a drop in temperature, and realized he needed to add more clothing.

"Qi Yue Liu Huo, Jiu Yue Shou Yi" (The seventh month's fireflies glow, the ninth month's clothes are distributed - a saying indicating the passage of time and the coming of autumn).

As the temperature steadily dropped, those in the village engaged in needlework were busy all day long.

Besides having clothes made, Wen Gu also commissioned someone to make three sturdy, large backpacks from strong cloth.

They didn't have zippers, but used buttons. The backpacks had compartments and small pockets inside, allowing for the organized packing of various items, making them easier to find when needed. Things could also be attached to the shoulder straps.

Additionally, after cutting the paper, he asked someone to sew several portable pocket notebooks. Coupled with two charcoal pencils obtained from the Daoist Master, these were for recording any important clues that might arise during the journey.

After taking inventory of his supplies, Wen Gu went to the carpenter's house. He had asked the carpenter to make water flasks.

The bamboo water flasks were essentially bamboo tube cups with lids.

The village had many bamboo tube water flasks before, the kind with a clasp to prevent the water inside from splashing out.

When Wen Gu had last visited the carpenter, he had suggested trying to make a lid with a screw thread.

Unexpectedly, in just two days, they were already made.

"It's not difficult."

The carpenter wasn't one for many words. He was friendly towards Wen Gu and very grateful for the suggestion. In the past two days, he hadn't just made water flasks but had also experimented with other things.

As a token of gratitude, the carpenter waived the processing fee Wen Gu offered. Wen Gu's commissioned wheelbarrow also received a significant discount, and the carpenter even added some of his own wood.

"I'll have the wheelbarrow finished for you in the next two days," the carpenter said.

He was skilled at making them. Before this chaotic era, some villagers had commissioned him to make them to transport their goods to the market town.

When moving goods in the town a few days ago, besides the two-wheeled wooden carts, several people were pushing wheelbarrows to transport cargo.

The wheelbarrow Wen Gu had commissioned also featured improvements in some details. The carpenter himself benefited from it, postponing other orders from the village to rush Wen Gu's.

Little Liu the Hunter had been frequenting Wen Gu's place recently.

His family had already prepared his travel necessities, and his father had asked him to come help Wen Gu.

His father had said that within their small team, Wen Gu was the backbone. Although just a frail scholar, he was the one who made the decisions.

If they could reach the Northern lands safely, they would rely on Wen Gu for guidance then.

His father had said, "You can consider Wen Gu your 'boss,' the one who hired you. We need to let our boss know how capable we are and what our unique skills are."

Therefore, Little Liu the Hunter was actively showcasing his talents to Wen Gu.

He had already demonstrated his archery skills, and he had something Wen Gu was interested in.

"I also have a falcon that I've been training for two years. Its name is Ma Tuaner."

When he was young, he had gone to the county town with his father and once eaten fried Ma Tuaner there, remembering it to this day. Later, when he went to the city for work, he had only seen it from afar, thinking he would buy some after earning money. How well the people in the county town ate, how well they lived, and without having to farm laboriously or venture into the mountains risking their lives to hunt. Little Liu the Hunter had always hoped to find a job in the county town one day and live there with his family. Now, he had to settle for a different dream. The name "Ma Tuaner" carried his simple and persistent aspiration. However, "Ma Tuaner" was currently out hunting and hadn't returned.

Little Liu the Hunter looked around. Not far away, piles of stone and wood were stacked, and a crow was perched on top. He didn't know if it was resting there or observing human activity out of curiosity. There were no other people outdoors nearby; otherwise, they would surely have driven the crow away. Little Liu the Hunter did believe in gods and ghosts, but perhaps due to his familiarity with birds, he wasn't as sensitive to crows as the other villagers.

"There's a crow over there."

Little Liu the Hunter observed Wen Gu's attitude towards the crow, as some scholars intensely disliked them. However, Wen Gu showed no signs of displeasure. Instead, he picked up on Little Liu's remark, "When I was traveling for my studies, I heard a small story about a crow."

Wen Gu told the story of the crow drinking water.

Little Liu the Hunter nodded repeatedly and excitedly, "Yes, yes! They can use tools; they are actually very intelligent! Much smarter than many falcons! When I was young, I didn't understand and asked my father why they didn't train more birds like that. Later, I learned it was due to taboo."

Wen Gu understood.

"When I was traveling for my studies, I heard that long, long ago, crows had positive symbolic meanings. But later, due to wars and disasters, with so many dead, and crows being scavengers that eat carrion, they were often seen circling those places. Scholars would use them in their poems and writings to allude to desolate scenes." Besides desolate scenes, there were also political allusions, but he didn't mention those. Anyway, it was enough for Little Liu the Hunter to know why people were wary of them. When choosing hunting birds, most people here preferred falcons. Among the wealthy households and common people, they mostly carried positive connotations, representing bravery, and also served as a symbol of warding off evil.

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Little Liu the Hunter pondered Wen Gu's words, sighing inwardly. No wonder so many scholars traveled for their studies every year; they knew so much! The crow in front hopped from the stone pile onto the ground, moving closer to Wen Gu and Little Liu the Hunter, perhaps having discovered something or wanting to observe the humans up close. This also brought Little Liu back to the topic at hand.

"Besides the taboo, another reason we don't train crows is that they are too smart and don't obey instructions."

Wen Gu nodded: Understood. The higher the IQ, the easier it is for them to "rebel." Sometimes, being too smart and having too much of one's own opinion isn't suitable. It might even lead to testing their owner's bottom line, and in the end, it becomes unclear who is training whom. Falcons, on the other hand, are easier to train into hunting tools. Seeing that Wen Gu understood, Little Liu the Hunter was very pleased. He felt this "boss" was truly kind, unlike those masters in the county town who knew nothing about birds but were still boastful and critical. Taking this opportunity, Liu recommended his falcon, "Ma Tuaner may not be as smart as a crow, but it has a good temperament, is very obedient, and knows many special tricks. When it gets back, I'll have it perform for you..."

A figure swooped down from the sky, precisely and swiftly, kicking the crow to the ground. The crow, being stepped on, flapped its wings and squawked. The descending falcon, with its powerful talons, stepped on the crow, and its beak began plucking the crow's feathers. It was ferocious. Black crow feathers flew everywhere for a moment. Little Liu was on the verge of collapse, "No! I didn't ask it to perform *this*!!!" After a while, the crow finally managed to flip over, flapped its wings, and escaped. Only the falcon remained on the ground, its face fierce, with fluffy crow feathers clinging to its beak. The battered crow flew away. Other crows flew by overhead, cawing incessantly, perhaps mocking their companion in glee, or perhaps cursing at them humans. Wen Gu shifted his gaze from the sky back to the falcon in front of him. As expected of a raptor, it was so fierce!

Daoist Master Qingyi, who had come out for a walk after getting dizzy from refining elixirs, happened to witness the scene. He glanced at Wen Gu, his eyes filled with mockery, yet also hinting – sometimes, no matter how many schemes you have, might makes right!