Chapter 27: The Auspicious Time Arrives Again
Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Auspicious Time Arrives Again
Yu the Scholar’s eyes were vacant. He was like a walking corpse.
Though he wore a straw hat, it was a purely mechanical act. His head and body were completely drenched.
His basket, meanwhile, was filled with all sorts of colorful mushrooms.
There was a huge pile of them—bruising boletes, milk caps, dried beef fungus, termite mushrooms, and more!
Drawing on the original owner’s memories, Zhu Ge could tell with a quick glance that none of the mushrooms were poisonous. They were all the kind that were perfectly edible once stir-fried.
It just went to show that people in Yunjiang really loved their mushrooms.
Even in his walking-corpse state, Yu the Scholar could instinctively and mechanically pick out only the edible mushrooms.
Moreover, the sight of these mushrooms made Zhu Ge’s mouth water instinctively.
Sure enough, for the Yunjiang People, the love of mushrooms was a delicacy practically encoded in their genes.
"Picking mushrooms today. For the Mushroom Festival," Yu the Scholar answered, his expression vacant.
"Right," Zhu Ge nodded, then asked tentatively, "My family has prepared quite a few mushrooms as well. You’ll have to come and try some at our table."
Zhu Ge’s words were just a normal invitation between villagers.
He wanted to run a few tests to see if Yu the Scholar could be of use in this non-lucid state.
If so, Yu the Scholar’s method of using his lifespan to power the "Confucian" character could be saved for a critical moment.
"Alright." Yu the Scholar nodded stiffly, then added reflexively, "There’s a god in the village. Hurry home. Shut your doors and windows tight, and don’t let the moonlight in."
Seeing that Yu the Scholar was responding, Zhu Ge continued, "Have you ever heard your teacher speak of a Mr. Chong?"
"I have not heard of him," Yu the Scholar replied.
Zhu Ge was satisfied, seeing that Yu the Scholar could indeed answer his questions.
’This was a relief. Having to summon the lucid Yu the Scholar for every little question would be a terrible waste of his lifespan.’
"I think I’ve found a trace of the god. Perhaps we should talk..." Zhu Ge said, trying to draw him out.
"You... found traces of the god?" Hearing this, Yu the Scholar mechanically raised his head. His lifeless eyes met Zhu Ge’s.
"Yes, it might be the Tiger God," Zhu Ge nodded slowly.
Yu the Scholar lowered his head. "So you’ve found it. Do not act rashly."
’Such a small reaction?’
Zhu Ge was now almost certain the Tiger God was a fake.
He didn’t say this out loud, however, and continued trying to get more information out of him.
"Right. On the day of the Mushroom Festival, let’s hold a proper long-street banquet. We can gather everyone together to guard against a sneak attack from the Tiger God, stir-fry some mushrooms, and dispel some of this recent gloom," Zhu Ge proposed.
This was the plan he had previously settled on with the lucid Yu the Scholar.
They would gather everyone together during the Mushroom Festival, in a place that wouldn’t be affected by the detonation of the village.
Then, they would ignite the explosives and blow up the entire village.
They didn’t even have to burn the whole village down. Just forcing the god out would count as a success.
After all, it was only a First Realm God. The "Confucian" character left by Yu the Scholar’s teacher was enough for him to fight it.
But to his surprise, Yu the Scholar shook his head.
"No?" Zhu Ge froze, then raised an eyebrow.
’Does that mean no long-street banquet? Or we can’t gather everyone to guard against the Tiger God? Or maybe we can’t stir-fry mushrooms? Or we can’t dispel the gloom?’
"No," Yu the Scholar answered, his voice stiff. "The mushrooms must be stir-fried at home."
Zhu Ge breathed a sigh of relief at his words.
’So that’s what he meant by "no."’
It was true. For the Mushroom Festival, the mushrooms were always cooked at home.
"Also," Zhu Ge continued, "I propose that we should train the villagers. We need to at least have the means to protect ourselves before your teacher returns."
"Whether it’s Martial Arts Practice or the Confucian Dao, either would work. What do you think?"
"Mm, that’s reasonable," Yu the Scholar responded woodenly.
Seeing this, Zhu Ge breathed another sigh of relief.
’This way, he could create more opportunities.’
If Yu the Scholar took the lead in gathering everyone, Zhu Ge could go around planting the gunpowder.
He just had to get the timing right. It couldn’t be a rainy day.
Fortunately, having lived in the mountains for so long, the body’s original owner was extremely sensitive to the weather. Zhu Ge had inherited this instinct, so he knew the weather would clear up the day after tomorrow.
The spring rain here was different from the summer rain.
Spring rain was light and continuous, while summer rain was sudden and intense.
This current rain would end tonight. Then all he had to do was light the fuse the day after tomorrow.
"Right, have you noticed anything strange lately?" Zhu Ge continued probing.
He understood the principle that sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.
’His own discoveries, and those of the lucid Yu the Scholar, were limited. Who was to say the controlled version of Yu the Scholar didn’t have more information?’
"I’ve noticed the manual laborers aren’t farming anymore. The pole-carriers," Yu the Scholar answered instinctively. "They’re very strong, but they haven’t been working."
’Pole-carriers? Ma Laizi and his cronies?’
Zhu Ge’s first instinct was to dismiss this. He already knew Ma Laizi and his friends were being controlled by Xigui, Hua Liusha. It was only natural they weren’t working.
But then, another point suddenly occurred to him.
’Why didn’t Ma Laizi seem like he was being controlled by Xigui when they interacted before?’
Back then, Ma Laizi had been insolent, insulting his father and mother. He had seemed exactly like his usual self.
’There’s something fishy about this...’ Alarms blared in Zhu Ge’s mind.
It seemed the controlled Yu the Scholar really did have a different perspective.
Of course, it was also possible that the controlled Yu the Scholar was just naturally hostile toward anyone else controlled by Xigui.
Regardless, it made Zhu Ge realize that there was something different about the pole-carriers.
’So what was different about them?’
"The pole-carriers, the hunters..." Zhu Ge carefully considered what was special about these people.
At a glance, these people just seemed to be more physically robust, which was why they were always hired for the heavy, tiring jobs.
But upon closer thought, each of them did have their own unique traits.
It was just that those traits were what made them different from ordinary people.
For example, Ma Laizi was a deadbeat, the type who never pays his debts.
Others were more cheerful or more introverted—just ordinary differences in personality.
’No, wait. Could the key be their physique?’
After thinking it over, he realized their common trait was their sturdy build.
And this common trait was what set them apart from the other villagers.
’Don’t tell me Hua Xiaomei just likes burly men?’
An absurd conclusion flashed through Zhu Ge’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
He wouldn’t jump to conclusions without knowing the full picture.
He would put this question aside for now. It wasn’t too late to draw a conclusion once he discovered more.
Zhu Ge made a mental note of this question, bid farewell to Yu the Scholar, and headed home to sleep.
The next day, he continued his Martial Arts Practice and recalled the Confucian classics from his past life one by one, hoping they might be of use someday.
But that night, something strange happened yet again.
’That sound...’
Hearing the CLANGING of gongs and the BEATING of drums outside, Zhu Ge frowned from his bed.
He’d only been here a few days, and something had happened nearly every single night.
It was enough to give him a nervous breakdown.
But in a life-or-death crisis like this, a nervous breakdown was a luxury. Even if he were to fall into a deep depression, he’d have to force himself to survive first and save the wallowing for later.
"Groom, the auspicious hour is here! Come out and be wed!"