Chapter 43: Song of the Straw Raincoat
Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Song of the Straw Raincoat
Cultivating in a coffin, then studying with everyone else.
During his free time, he would sort through the belongings of the deceased families and manage the terraced fields that were on the verge of neglect.
This was the basic routine of Zhu Ge’s days.
As for a Third Realm Jingzhe Official?
That was something far too distant for him.
Whether it was the Martial Dao or the Confucian Dao, he had yet to even enter the First Realm.
"Zhu Ge, there’s been a lot of rain these past few days. We need to pick up the pace." Big Belly Dog Duan Lei walked ahead of Zhu Ge, a burlap sack of rice slung over each shoulder.
"But that method you mentioned is brilliant, truly amazing. Using plant ash to prevent dampness and pests is so useful."
The two of them were moving grain to be stored and guarded collectively.
"As long as it’s useful," Zhu Ge said with a smile. He was carrying three sacks of rice on each shoulder, so he walked a bit slower, but he could still keep up with Big Belly Dog.
"The few of us can finally eat our fill of rice now, but who knows if these stores will be enough later on! You’ve probably noticed it yourself, haven’t you? Your appetite has gotten bigger recently."
"Yeah!" Big Belly Dog grinned, his voice deep and resonant.
"I’ve only recently learned what it feels like to be ’full.’ My mother used to tell me my appetite was the same as hers when she was young, but she had been full before, and I never had. She said that when I could finally eat until I was full, it must mean I’d found a good Court."
"Yes, to be full... What a difficult wish to fulfill," Zhu Ge sighed with emotion.
Duan Lei was tall with a large frame, but he wasn’t particularly muscular. He was taller than Ma Laizi, but not as burly.
Because Duan Lei often went hungry, he was naturally thinner.
But now that the entire village was gone, they could finally eat their fill.
"But you haven’t been eating enough these past few days." Zhu Ge smiled. "Eat more, so your Martial Dao can become stronger. Once you’re stronger, we can go hunt some game, and then we’ll be able to eat even more!"
"Hehe, okay." Big Belly Dog’s smile grew wider, full of hope. "Practice martial arts, then eat, then practice some more, hehe."
"That’s right." Zhu Ge nodded slightly, then looked at the house ahead. "We’re here."
The house before them was large. It had belonged to a villager, but his entire family of five had been drained to death by the Fungus God. So, Zhu Ge and the others were now using it as a temporary storage place for their grain and rice.
The two entered the house, their footsteps stirring up a bit of the plant ash and dust on the ground. Then, they opened the entrance to the cellar and went inside.
Putting down the sacks from his shoulders, Zhu Ge took a quick count of the rice in the dim light. If they ate freely, it would be more than enough to feed the few of them for a year.
The *Mozi* states that consuming one dou of grain a day requires thirty-six shi a year; two-thirds of a dou, twenty-four shi; and one-third of a dou, twelve shi.
And here, there were a full two hundred and eighty shi of grain. The new and old rice from the entire village combined would naturally amount to even more!
’What a pity...’ Zhu Ge shook his head as he thought of the official who would be coming to collect taxes during Jingzhe.
He had no idea what kind of attitude the newcomer would have, nor how much of this grain would ultimately be taken.
"Let’s go, Big Belly Dog. We’ll keep moving," Zhu Ge called out, leading Duan Lei back outside.
There was still a lot of grain. They needed to fill this place up first before moving on to another storage spot.
And they had to be quick. Otherwise, with the heavy moisture of spring and no individual families to look after the stores, there was no telling how much rice would sprout or get infested with pests.
"Brother! Brother!"
Just then, Hua Liusha’s voice echoed in Zhu Ge’s mind. ’There’s something wrong! Something’s wrong! Looks like something big is coming from the north...’
Zhu Ge frowned and looked to the north, asking aloud in confusion, "Xiaomei, are you saying that’s... the aura of the Third Realm?"
Duan Lei was confused, not knowing what Zhu Ge was talking about, but he quickly figured it out. "Are you talking to Hua Xiaomei?"
Zhu Ge nodded slightly. "Big Belly Dog, you continue moving the grain. Hua Xiaomei sensed a powerful aura. I’m going to go... receive our guest."
Duan Lei: "Okay."
So, Zhu Ge went to the northern edge of the village and gazed into the distance. Before long, Yu the Scholar, who had been in the middle of transplanting rice seedlings, came over as well.
"It must be the Jingzhe Official," Yu the Scholar said, his expression uneasy. "The Jingzhe Official usually arrives during Jingzhe, but it’s only the season of light rains now. It seems Yuan Yang City is in desperate need of grain."
Zhu Ge frowned. "The Master still hasn’t returned. Could it be his aura? Did he break through to the Third Realm and is now coming back?"
Yu the Scholar raised his eyebrows. "I hadn’t considered that possibility. Sigh... but I have a feeling the Master ran into trouble before he even reached Yuan Yang City."
At the mention of the Master, Yu the Scholar’s spirits seemed to sink.
But just then, both of them felt a jolt and looked into the distance.
A small boat was slowly floating toward them through mid-air. On it, a boatman was rowing with phantom oars.
The man had just come into view when a loud, clear song brutally forced its way into Zhu Ge’s mind.
"Oh, the big rain, it won’t fall down, hey! And the light rain’s barely around, ho!"
"My own true love, my brother dear, sent word he needs a raincoat here."
"The raincoat’s waitin’, as you can see, a-hangin’ on the old palm tree!"
The short melody was rich and varied, with each phrase containing two or three short, drawn-out notes in a call-and-response pattern.
It had a fresh, open, and unrestrained feeling.
And yet, after hearing just a few lines, Zhu Ge’s expression changed drastically.
’Brother! It hurts!’
Inside his mind, Hua Liusha let out a painful shriek, which quickly turned into a wail, then a groan, and finally, silence.
At the same time, billows of black mist poured from Zhu Ge’s eye sockets, as if they were two gushing springs.
Seeing this, Yu the Scholar quickly shouted, "Senior, please wait! This being is one we have subdued; it is not a possessing spirit that has seized a body!"
As he spoke, Yu the Scholar’s body released waves of pressure characteristic of a Second Realm Confucian Dao practitioner.
And in that brief moment, the small boat from the distance had, at some unknown point, arrived right before the two of them.
Its bow rested against the village path, while most of its hull remained floating in the air, bobbing gently as if it were moored in a lake.
Zhu Ge quickly cupped his fists in a salute and explained, "Senior, we were only saved this time thanks to the Ghost in my mind!"
After paying his respects, Zhu Ge finally got a good look at the person before him.
The man on the small boat had rippling muscles. He wore a straw hat and a raincoat. Though he looked young, his skin was as dark and swarthy as that of an old farmer who had toiled in the fields for many years.
His arms, however, were exceptionally thick, with veins and tendons bulging like the gnarled roots of an old tree.
"I am the Jingzhe Official from Yuan Yang City. My name is the Raincoat Fisherman."
The Raincoat Fisherman, who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, cupped his hands in greeting, his expression as gentle as a spring breeze. "Greetings to you both."
"Greetings, Raincoat Fisherman!" Yu the Scholar was the first to bow, a placating smile on his face. "I remember Lord Pei used to be the one who came. Why is it this year...?"
"He’s dead."
The smile on the Raincoat Fisherman’s face didn’t change. "Plagues are rampant across the land, and insects are everywhere. A lot of people have died."
As he spoke, the Raincoat Fisherman ignored Zhu Ge. He wore a superficial smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and though he appeared to be smiling, one could feel an aloofness that kept others at a great distance.
"I see," Yu the Scholar said, shaking his head in lament. "Our Jianshan Village was also invaded by a Fungus God that took advantage of our weakness. The reason for it was..."
"No one left in the village? Then hand over all the money and grain." The Raincoat Fisherman cut Yu the Scholar off, his smile now seeming a bit more genuine.
"There are only six of you. You can keep thirty shi of grain."
With that, the Raincoat Fisherman leaped down from his boat and walked into the village, his hands clasped behind his back.
’Thirty shi of grain?’
’That’s not nearly enough to eat!’ Zhu Ge’s expression changed.
Yu the Scholar hurriedly spoke up, "Wait, wait! Raincoat Fisherman, could you please hear me out?"
The Raincoat Fisherman stopped and turned back. His smile remained, but his eyes glinted sharply, a faint white light glowing in their depths. "Are you going to resist the tax?"
Seeing this, Zhu Ge also spoke up. "Raincoat Fisherman, we..."
"You worthless thing that hasn’t even entered a realm." The Raincoat Fisherman didn’t even glance at Zhu Ge, casually waving a thick arm. "How dare you speak when I am speaking? On the matter of you harboring a Ghost alone, I can execute you!"
In an instant, Zhu Ge felt as if he had been struck a heavy blow. Two lines of bloody tears streamed from his eyes and ears.
’This man is hostile!’
"Raincoat Fisherman, please wait!"
Yu the Scholar’s face paled. He dropped directly to his knees, his expression pleading and his voice bitter.
"My young brother doesn’t understand the hierarchy of ranks and status. I beg the Raincoat Fisherman to be merciful! I have prepared a banquet for this evening and hope the Raincoat Fisherman will honor us with his presence!"
"A banquet? Heh." The corners of the Raincoat Fisherman’s mouth curled up.
"Can you mortals provide beautiful women for song and dance? Do you have enough meat and wine?"