Chapter 90: Earth Soul Awakens, Encountering the Demonic of Xuantian Sect?

Agricultural officials are responsible for encouraging farming and ensuring good harvests. During the Harvest Festival, the weather across the entire Nanyang Prefecture, not just Gucheng, is adjusted accordingly.

The Prefectural Bureau of Agriculture controls the weather on a large scale, and any minor adjustments or missed details are handled by the agricultural officials below them.

For the past two days, Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui have been inspecting and patrolling Anping Town.

After touring Anping Town, they eventually arrived at the village head's house.

Counting the harvest and collecting taxes wasn't their direct responsibility; Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui were mainly there to make general inquiries about the situation.

The village head, who was over fifty, showed no restraint upon seeing them. He chatted freely, as if speaking to his own youngsters:

“This year, Gucheng, like previous years, has enjoyed favorable weather and a bountiful harvest.”

“As long as you're willing to work hard in the fields, anyone can support their family and eat their fill.”

“However, there are always those who are lazy and gluttonous. Take 'Huang Silang' from Group Six, for instance; he’s always been idle, living off his parents. Even with the Harvest Festival here, he hasn't lifted a finger to help his family.”

“Last year, his elderly parents, already in their seventies and eighties, couldn't work anymore. They were about to watch their rice rot in the fields until the villagers stepped in to help with the harvest. That boy didn't even show gratitude; instead, he told everyone they were worrying needlessly. And now, this year, with no one willing to help, he's still lounging at home, refusing to work, claiming the imperial court will provide them with relief grain.”

“That relief is for his parents' old-age allowance! He’s a man in his thirties, with hands and feet, yet he says such things—it’s utterly shameless! Ah, it’s truly a tragedy for old Huang to have a son like that!”

The village head's words infuriated Shen Zhui, who immediately asked, “Where can we find Huang Silang’s home?”

“He’s not home.”

“Then where is he?”

“Over there, at the Niu family compound, he’s playing dice.”

Shen Zhui instantly rose. “Someone dares to gamble? This is outrageous! Brother Zhao, let’s go!”

“Coming.” Before leaving, Zhao Xing used his Five Elements Observation on the village head. Although he had already been watching the man's eyes intently with his Bright Eyes while he spoke, he took one more look.

He then consulted his yellow calendar, finding no abnormalities. After petting his small mountain cat, he followed Shen Zhui, bringing his Dharma Protector Straw Man along.

“Are you Huang Silang?”

As Shen Zhui and Zhao Xing reached the location, a disheveled man with unfocused eyes emerged from the Niu family compound.

Having seen the register and portrait from the village head, they recognized him as Huang Silang at first glance.

“No, you have the wrong person,” Huang Silang mumbled, trying to walk past them.

“Stop!” Shen Zhui barked. “Why are you trying to run?!”

Huang Silang stopped. Seeing the two officials, his mind raced, replaying all the petty mischief he'd committed and wondering which one they had discovered.

“Come with us.” Once Zhao Xing confirmed it was him, he got back into the carriage.

Huang Silang tried to climb into the carriage but was promptly kicked off.

“Ouch!” Huang Silang cried as he fell to the ground.

It wasn’t Zhao Xing or Shen Zhui who kicked him, but the mountain cat.

It hissed outward, its expression clearly displeased.

This person smelled awful, and the cat didn't want Huang Silang inside the carriage.

“You’ll walk,” Shen Zhui said.

Huang Silang looked displeased. “Sir, it’s at least an hour’s walk to the county town. Won’t I be dead tired?”

“We’re not going to the county town, we’re going to your home!”

Huang Silang’s eyes darted. “Sirs, aren’t you arresting me? Did I not commit an offense?”

Shen Zhui was so exasperated he nearly laughed. “Don’t you know whether you’ve committed an offense or not?”

Huang Silang chuckled nervously. “No offense, no offense… then I’ll be on my way.”

“Stop! Did I tell you to leave?!”

“Your elderly parents are in the fields. As their son, you should take on these heavy tasks…” Shen Zhui lectured him earnestly.

Huang Silang's face showed impatience; he clearly wasn’t listening at all.

He had heard all this countless times before.

Shen Zhui spoke for a quarter of an hour, but Huang Silang remained silent.

Zhao Xing pulled Shen Zhui aside. “Brother Shen, please get into the carriage. I’ll talk to him. As an agricultural official, encouraging farming is my duty.”

Shen Zhui nodded and entered the carriage.

Zhao Xing stared at Huang Silang. “Why aren’t you helping your parents harvest the rice?”

“I’m lazy.”

You’re quite brazen about it.

Seeing that the two weren’t there to arrest him, Huang Silang grew bolder. “If sirs pity my parents, why not bestow some money upon us? Or perhaps help my family harvest the rice…”

A shameless person is invincible; there was nothing left to say to someone like him.

Zhao Xing whipped him. “Walk, get your ass to your family’s fields!”

“Ouch! Why are you hitting me? Hey, don’t hit, don’t hit, I’ll go…” Seeing that Zhao Xing wasn’t joking, Huang Silang immediately shrank his head and led the way.

They arrived at the fields.

Indeed, two elderly people were toiling in the fields.

Huang Silang, however, stood idly on the field path.

Zhao Xing didn’t waste any more words. He casually crafted a Repeating Straw Man nearby, then took the whip from Shen Zhui and placed it in the straw man's hand. “Watch him harvest the rice. If he slacks off, give him a whip.”

“What?” Huang Silang protested, agitated. “You’re overstepping! Whether I farm or not is none of your business… Ouch! They’re hitting people! The officials are hitting people!”

Huang Silang lay on the ground, wailing heartbrokenly.

Neighbors, hearing the commotion, came to watch and were immediately amused.

“Serves him right!”

“Shameless!”

“It’s Huang Silang; if the officials are hitting him, there must be a good reason.”

Huang Silang’s elderly parents, seeing their son being beaten, rushed forward, but before they could plead, they were stopped by the neighbors.

The neighbors simply couldn’t stand him, a clear indication of Huang Silang’s abysmal character.

“Are you going to work or not?” Zhao Xing squatted down and asked. “If you work, you’ll only be tired for a day or two. If not, I have plenty of ways to torment you.”

“We are the highest-ranking officials in this area. It would be useless if you tried to report us, understand?”

“I’ll work, I’ll work.” Huang Silang got up. The pain was unbearable, and seeing no one was helping him, he instantly accepted his reality.

Huang Silang quickly rolled up his pant legs and entered the field.

He was subjected to Zhao Xing's forced "labor reform."

Before long, Huang Silang was groaning and wailing, complaining of fatigue and suffering.

Zhao Xing showed him no leniency.

Feeling tired or sleepy? Zhao Xing summoned sleepy bugs to immediately revitalize Huang Silang.

Tried to slack off? The Repeating Straw Man would land a whip on him.

Zhao Xing even made seven or eight more straw men to guard the field from all directions.

If Huang Silang tried to sneak away, he would be instantly caught and dragged back.

This approach by Zhao Xing was undoubtedly "physical persuasion to farm."

Nevertheless, none of the surrounding neighbors objected; they all applauded and cheered.

Many even paused their own work to watch the unusual sight of Huang Silang harvesting rice.

“Silang, your posture is wrong. If you don’t bend your waist, you’ll get tired easily.”

“Silang, are you tired? Your parents have been doing this for over a decade.”

“Huang Silang, there’s a bloodsucker crawling up your leg…”

Huang Silang’s leg trembled, and he quickly reached down to touch it, only to find nothing. He instantly realized he’d been tricked and glared angrily at the child.

*Crack!* The whip landed on Huang Silang’s back.

*Damn it!* Huang Silang cursed inwardly, forced to continue working.

He tried to escape, but found himself surrounded by straw men.

Furthermore, the more he worked, the more energized he became, unable to stop even if he wanted to. To avoid further torment, he had no choice but to work diligently.

By dusk, Huang Silang had become significantly more docile. He even made an effort to appear respectful in front of the two officials, helping his elderly parents home.

“Brother Zhao, your method truly works,” Shen Zhui remarked, smiling as he watched the scene.

“It’s no use. Once we leave in a couple of days, he’ll revert to his old ways,” Zhao Xing said, lying in the carriage and petting his cat. “Unless he can be continuously pushed to work for a year or two, and then patiently reasoned with by someone like you, Brother Shen, perhaps he might change.”

“Is that so?” Shen Zhui mused. “If I ever have the opportunity to govern a region, I will certainly try the method you described, Brother Zhao.”

After nightfall, the two didn't return, opting to stay at the village head’s house in Anping Town.

The next morning, they continued their patrol of Anping Town.

At lunchtime, they inquired about Huang Silang with the old village head.

“Huang Silang? He ran off to the Niu family compound during his midday break.”

“He went to the Niu family again?” Shen Zhui’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yes,” the old village head said with a sigh of disappointment. “Sir, you kindly allowed him a midday rest, but he used that time for recreation. He hardly has any money, yet he still gambles… it’s a tragedy.”

“Where did he get the money?” Zhao Xing asked.

“I gave his mother one tael of money for medicine,” Shen Zhui said, his eyes blazing with anger. “This Huang Silang is truly despicable! And Niu Gui is just as bad; I warned them yesterday not to gamble anymore, and he actually ignored me?!”

At the Niu family compound.

“Big! Big! Big!”

“Open! Two, three, four, small!”

“Ugh, lost again! Damn bad luck!”

Huang Silang, disheveled, took off his shoes, rubbed his feet, and then sniffed them.

Then he pulled a silver coin from his boot and slapped it onto the table. “Niu Gui, again! I’m going to win all your money today!”

Niu Gui spoke. “Silang, this is your last coin. I think you should save it. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be busy in the fields this afternoon?”

“Are you pitying me? Keep going, quickly!”

Seeing this, Niu Gui smiled slightly. “Alright, let’s go!”

The dice rattled inside, making a captivating sound.

Huang Silang’s eyes wavered, following the dice cup.

*Clang!* As the dice cup landed, Niu Gui pressed his hand on it. “Big or small?”

“Big!”

“Open! One, one, two, small. Silang, you lost again!”

Niu Gui smiled and collected the silver coin.

“Bad luck!” Huang Silang slapped his thigh, stood up, and left the gambling table. The other gamblers continued.

Having lost everything, he didn’t leave but found a spot outside the main hall to sit and rest.

According to custom, anyone who came to gamble could also get a meal at the Niu family compound.

Huang Silang closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

The Niu family’s gate was knocked open.

Someone rushed to report that officials had arrived.

“Officials? What kind of officials? Just a few petty clerks. I’ll go see; you all carry on.”

Niu Gui unhurriedly went to the entrance.

At the entrance stood a young man with two iron rulers at his waist, a brown cap on his head, and cloud-stepping boots on his feet.

Beside him stood a young man in linen clothes, and another person followed, wearing a straw cloak and a bamboo hat despite the lack of rain.

“Officer Shen, Agricultural Official Zhao, what brings you here?” Niu Gui asked, immediately recognizing them after opening the gate.

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday to stop gambling?” Shen Zhui asked. “Did you just ignore my words?”

Niu Gui’s expression remained unchanged, and he didn’t deny it. “It’s just a small, friendly game among villagers… surely you can’t be so strict?”

“Alright then, invite me in for a few rounds too.”

“You must be joking, sirs. These are just commoners; how could they possibly play with you?”

“Niu Gui, are you going to invite us in?” Zhao Xing asked. “If we enter now, it’s just to have a look. But if we have to come back with an official warrant, things won’t be so simple.”

Both Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui possessed cultivation, and neither had previously entered the Niu family compound. For them to enter now, Niu Gui, as the owner, needed to extend an invitation.

Of course, it would be different if Shen Zhui carried the "Execution Order" and "Arrest Order" issued by the county yamen; in that case, no permission would be necessary.

“Alright, sirs, please come in.” Seeing their unyielding stance, Niu Gui had no choice but to invite them.

The invisible restraint disappeared, and Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui stepped across the threshold into the Niu family compound.

The Niu family was a prominent household with extensive fields. At that moment, outside the main hall, many migrant rice workers were resting. Some had even collected their wages and gone inside to gamble a bit.

Seeing the officials enter, no one seemed afraid. Some even quietly grumbled, complaining that it might affect their luck.

“Sirs, it’s truly just a small game… there isn’t much money on the table.”

But before Niu Gui could finish, Shen Zhui suddenly drew his ruler-blade. With a flash of light, the gambling table split in two.

*Clatter!* The copper coins scattered across the floor.

Niu Gui’s expression shifted, and he was too startled to speak.

His table was made of solid hardwood with internal mechanisms, and he never expected it to be cleaved in two from a distance.

Niu Gui had assumed Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui were merely ordinary petty officials, so he had disregarded yesterday's warning.

Now, seeing this, he realized these two were not to be trifled with.

“Take the gambling money and go to the town’s martial official to receive your punishment,” Shen Zhui said coldly.

“Yes, I accept my punishment,” Niu Gui said, his attitude instantly changing.

Shen Zhui didn’t press the issue; there wasn’t much money involved, just enough to warrant a fine for Niu Gui, not imprisonment.

As for the other gamblers, a routine questioning and dismissal were sufficient.

“Where is Huang Silang?”

“He’s over there.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Huang Silang, still half-asleep, jolted awake. He opened his eyes and instantly saw the intimidating figure.

He immediately tried to escape out the back, but it was too late.

“Hmph! You are truly an unworthy son!” Shen Zhui fumed, looking at him. His elderly parents were unwell and toiling in the fields at their age, yet he was here gambling?

Gambling away his own mother’s medicine money—was he even human?

“Officer Shen, this is what he lost,” Niu Gui said, carefully returning the money.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xing was questioning the strangers outside the hall.

“Who are they? They don’t look like they’re from this village.”

Anping Town was small, and Group Six had even fewer households. Zhao Xing had a general impression of who belonged to the group, as he had frequently visited Anping Town, though less so after the Minor Heat period.

“Agricultural Official Zhao, these are rice workers I brought from Sanwan Town; it’s autumn harvest, you see,” Niu Gui said with a fawning smile. He recognized Zhao Xing, as agricultural petty officials were even more diligent in their rural visits than martial officials.

Rice workers are migrant farmers who travel to various places to help large landowning households harvest their rice.

“Oh, what are their names?” Zhao Xing asked, casually pointing to two individuals.

“This humble one is Chen Deshun.” The middle-aged man bowed. He had an ordinary appearance, prominent cheekbones, thick hands and feet, and mud on his legs. He then pointed to the woman beside him, who had a sallow complexion, a stout build, and a headscarf. “This is my humble wife, Wu Chenshi.”

“Greetings, sirs,” the woman also bowed.

Both seemed to fit the typical image of rice workers. Zhao Xing nodded and turned back to Niu Gui:

“Niu Gui, in the future, engage in less of this deceitful behavior.”

“Yes, yes, I will never dare again,” Niu Gui said, bowing repeatedly. “I will go accept my punishment now.”

After Zhao Xing, Shen Zhui, and Niu Gui had all departed, the middle-aged man and woman inside the courtyard wall gazed outward, their eyes glinting.

“Is that Zhao Xing?”

“Yes,” Chen Deshun nodded, his previously guileless eyes turning cold.

“Quite handsome,” the woman said, licking her lips. “He truly has an exceptionally handsome appearance and an extraordinary presence.”

“You yourself possess forty-two parts of spiritual charm, so you’re like this too,” Chen Deshun snorted.

“I truly hope we can capture him and bring him back soon,” a wicked glint flashed in the woman’s eyes. “It would be even better to capture a few more as handsome as him. I’ve been repressed for over a decade; I’ll definitely enjoy myself thoroughly on the journey back.”

“To go back…” A flicker of longing appeared in Chen Deshun’s eyes as well. “If we can return successfully, I, too, wish to make up for these past dozen years.”

Shen Zhui escorted Niu Gui to the village head, where he handed him over to the martial official on routine Harvest Festival patrol to pay the fine, then quickly returned.

Huang Silang was led to the fields by a First-Tier Straw Man, while Zhao Xing sat in the carriage, feeling somewhat unsettled.

“Brother Zhao, what’s wrong?” Shen Zhui asked, noticing Zhao Xing’s furrowed brow.

“I feel a bit uneasy,” Zhao Xing replied.

“What seems off?”

“I don’t know,” Zhao Xing said, shaking his head.

There was no apparent reason; his Fiend-Repelling Almanac remained silent.

“Could it be that Niu Gui is problematic?” Shen Zhui asked in a low voice. “Are there any fiends nearby?”

Zhao Xing shook his head again. After entering the Niu family’s compound, he had used the Five Elements Observation. Niu Gui appeared normal, as did everyone else within the compound.

His Bright Eyes also detected nothing unusual. Since leaving the city, he had kept his observational abilities active whenever he encountered people.

Yet there were no anomalies; it was purely a vague sensation.

“Am I overthinking things with Old Chen, becoming overly obsessed, and seeing everyone as a member of the Xuanxian Cult?” Zhao Xing wondered, feeling a touch of self-doubt.

Even if he truly encountered a Xuanxian Cult fiend, he wouldn’t be able to detect them, as the Xuanxian Cult’s concealment methods were extremely sophisticated. These were stealth techniques inherited from the ancient Xuanxian Sect, capable of even blocking the Fiend-Repelling Almanac. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have remained hidden for over a decade, making them so difficult to trace.

Logically, even if he stood directly before a true Xuanxian Cult fiend, he shouldn't detect anything.

But from where did this feeling originate?

“Among the three souls, the ‘Earth Soul’ is the karmic soul. This feeling likely stems from the Earth Soul being stirred.”

Since neither his almanac nor his spells could pinpoint the source of this sensation, Zhao Xing decided to seek its origin from a different perspective.

“Brother Shen, please drive. I’ll take a quick nap.”

After a moment’s thought, Zhao Xing closed his eyes and began to enter a dream state.