novelraw Chapter 57: Let him run thirty-nine zhang first
Chapter 57: Let him run thirty-nine zhang first
Chapter 57: Let him run thirty-nine zhang first
Under the cover of night, some were planning important matters, while others were driving corpses overnight.
The corpse drivers who had left the courtyard were also feeling quite depressed. They had initially thought this would be a very ordinary trip, but who knew they would encounter this group of people in the middle of the night, including a stinky Taoist priest who seemed to be a competitor! Fortunately, everyone had a tacit understanding and wouldn't interfere with each other's livelihoods. They decided to let it go; survival was paramount. Encountering annoying things was just bad luck for the day. It was in the past and they wouldn't meet again.
The next day, at the courtyard by the dirt slope, everyone began preparing to set off early in the morning. With the news gathered by Daoist Master Qingyi, Wen Gu's team's route shifted slightly. After traveling for half a day, the surroundings remained desolate. Wen Gu looked in a certain direction. Over there, it appeared to be a stretch of dirt slopes and hills, nothing special. Only from a higher vantage point could one discover the many signs of life hidden behind the rocks and earth.
Several villagers from Shiqiao Village were squatting behind a large rock. The land here was barren, with no large trees. Their village was built against the mountain, and most of the buildings were made of stone and earth, blending in with the surroundings. The climate in the Northern lands was dry with less rain, so the epidemic of evil had a relatively smaller impact. Upon seeing Wen Gu's group approaching, the villagers first noticed their numbers, which immediately instilled fear. However, seeing the carts, the villagers swallowed saliva and mustered the courage to block their path. Their aggressive approach nearly got them mistaken for bandits and shot. Fortunately, Wen Gu had given instructions beforehand.
The villagers stammered out their intentions: they wanted to trade water for dry rations with Wen Gu's group. "There are no other water sources nearby, you can only exchange with us!" Wen Gu surveyed the terrain and asked County Lieutenant Zhou to select a place less prone to ambush for them to rest. Trading supplies was certainly feasible. However, Wen Gu stated, "We need to test the water you provide before we can determine if it's usable." "How... how do we test it?"
About half an hour later, the firewood collected along the way was lit, and an iron pot was placed over it to boil water for porridge. The aroma of food spread. The porridge in the large iron pot was thick, at least much thicker than the Shiqiao Village's rice water! The villagers squatting nearby kept swallowing, frequently looking towards the hills, as if asking the people there, "What should we do? What's next? Can we really not just grab it?"
At this moment, Little Liu, He Da, and Yu Er came over with several bowls of porridge. The bowls didn't contain much, so it wouldn't fill them up, but it could alleviate hunger. "Here, fresh out of the pot, we'll exchange these for your water, is that okay?" The villagers, who had been watching expectantly for a long time, took the bowls and took a gulp. They hissed from the heat, blew on it, and then took another large mouthful. Seeing them drink, the people in the group also began to eat with relief. The water was fine.
Little Liu, He Da, and Yu Er ate their porridge while chatting with the villagers. Enjoying the goodness of the food, their moods improved, and the atmosphere became relaxed, leading to casual conversation. According to the villagers of Shiqiao Village, a small river used to flow nearby long ago, and a stone bridge was built over it, hence the village's name. Later, the river dried up, but the stone bridge remained, having existed for hundreds of years. Their ancestors had lived here, and most of the villagers shared the surname Shi, living together as a clan.
Little Liu also talked about his own village. "I'm also from a village, and our village even has a fortress, do you know what a fortress is..." He recounted the dangers they faced on their journey and the grand spectacle they witnessed in Jin Wu City. "Even if our village had a fortress, it couldn't withstand such a concentrated attack; it would be flattened in one encounter!" "Don't believe me? Ask anyone in this group, pick someone at random and ask if what I'm saying is true! "Can this be faked? Haven't you asked others who came from the South?" Little Liu, He Da, and Yu Er spoke one after another, describing the dangers from various angles.The villagers' doubts lessened, and they licked their bowls clean, feeling even hungrier. One of them said, "We've never been pushed this far before; we always stayed in the village. When we encountered trouble, we just ran far away. Who knew there were so many monsters and spirits outside!" Although Little Liu and the others exaggerated, most of what they said was true, spoken with genuine emotion and fear in their eyes.
Little Liu said, "I just want to get to the Zhao Clan and make a name for myself, then I'll bring the people from my village over. It's too dangerous out here!" He then looked at the villagers with a puzzled expression, "Our village is far away, and I scouted ahead. You are so close to the Zhao Clan, why didn't you think of seeking refuge there?" The villagers opened their mouths, unsure how to respond. They had lived here for generations and lacked the courage to leave. Everything had been fine before, but now they were running out of food, and the nearby firewood was almost all cut.
Little Liu continued to provoke them, "If you go there first, you'll have food. As more people come from the South and refugees from the North gather at the Six Great Clans, there won't be enough food. Those who come later will get nothing! I don't know how many people are still farming, or how much grain is left in the granaries." The villagers of Shiqiao Village nodded. "Isn't that the truth! Now is the time to fight for food! Achieving great things is all talk; having food to eat is the most practical thing!" They also learned that the scholar named Wen in the group had relatives in the Zhao Clan who could arrange for them.
They huddled together and chattered, saying they needed to go back to get water and exchange for more food, and they would settle the accounts later. They left two people to guard while the others ran back with water pots. "Clan leader! We have big news!" They had been hiding in the village, afraid to farm or hunt, and even the nearby firewood was gone. A few days ago, someone went further to chop firewood and got into trouble, making them even more fearful. Could they still stay here? With so many mouths to feed in the village, continuing like this was equivalent to waiting for death, or they could resort to robbery. But they had witnessed the fierce attacks on monsters by the southern forces. They were cowards; they couldn't compete.
The two villagers left behind were continued to be engaged in conversation by Little Liu and the others. Wen Gu watched from the side. While the people of Shiqiao Village were timid, they were still decent in these trying times. Locals know their area best and would certainly know if there were any "escaped fish" or other survivors nearby. They could also take advantage of the situation along the way. Shiqiao Village used the excuse that it would take time to fetch water from the well, delaying the group.
Meanwhile, the people returning from driving the corpses also discovered this group. "Why is it you again? What bad luck!" Just as they were about to avoid them, Wen Gu called them over with an excuse. "Thus and so, convincing them that their 'exceptional skills should be displayed at the Zhao Clan', blah, blah, blah." What Wen Gu valued was not their "corpse driving" technique, but their extremely strong awareness of epidemic prevention! Perhaps they also had some anti-epidemic medicine. It was not convenient to inquire about these things now, so he would bring them along first.
The corpse drivers were only unfamiliar with the situation in the Northern lands and were still observing. Many people in the North were unfamiliar with their profession and harbored reservations. If the chosen location was not conducive to their business, they would starve. According to their plan, they would wait through the winter, gather more information from various sources, and then decide on their destination. Wen Gu's invitation now was indeed tempting. They had only operated within a small area in the South before. Now, far from familiar surroundings and without protection, they lacked confidence when facing those powerful factions. Plus, there were Taoist priests, making the competition fierce. The scholar named Wen's sincere invitation, promising to introduce them to business opportunities then, was indeed tempting. What were they afraid of? They were afraid that their skills wouldn't be exchanged for the resources needed for survival!
Daoist Master Qingyi beside them: "..." "Dog scholar!" As expected, they can't be relied upon! He had even said they would build a Taoist temple at the Zhao Clan and gather alchemy equipment... it was all just false promises! No, this dog scholar must be made to sign a written agreement! And also... Daoist Master Qingyi glanced at the corpse drivers wearing their hats and snorted. "Just some petty tricks!" So what if they joined? There would only be one "Immortal Master" in this group! Do you few useless people think you can step on me? He recalled the awe in the eyes of the Shiqiao Village villagers when they looked at him earlier. The villagers must have seen his performance last night, right? This Northern land also reveres ghosts and spirits! Do you really think this is all I'm capable of?
I was low-key before because I didn't want to be a tool in the dog scholar's hands, wanting to do less work. If I remain low-key now, it would be a disservice to this Taoist robe I'm wearing! Who knows, the dog scholar's relatives might even need my Taoist magic to be promoted! His maternal uncle, surnamed Zhao? Perhaps he's just a branch family of the Zhao family. If he held real power, the dog scholar would have been arrogant long ago. Planning his own rise to fame, Daoist Master Qingyi changed his previous low-key demeanor, vowing to seize the primary voice in the group!
County Lieutenant Zhou noticed Daoist Master Qingyi's change and was very worried, privately reminding Wen Gu. Wen Gu reassured him, "Daoist Master Qingyi has always been a very pure person; it's just a matter of time. It's fine, let him run thirty-nine zhang first." County Lieutenant Zhou didn't understand: "And then?" Wen Gu joked, "Then I'll take out my forty-zhang knife." County Lieutenant Zhou twitched his mouth. Wen Gu was clearly telling a joke. Where could such a long knife exist... Wait! The scholar's knife cannot be judged by common sense!
The evening clouds loomed, and the four fields were silent. In Shuo City, the southernmost city of the Zhao Clan, the City Guard received a message via messenger bird. "The Young Master's cousin?" A scholar named Wen, somewhat frail, leading a team of about a hundred people? If they could reach here alive, optimistically, there would only be a few dozen left, right? He ordered his men to keep an eye out for teams coming from the South, especially small teams of a few dozen people, looking for a scholar named Wen.