Chapter 189: Every Day Holding a Tube and Looking, Looking, Looking

Regardless of how many people are pushing behind this matter, if you get to the root of it, it is still because those in power in the Du Family did not take it to heart.

Because of arrogance, they looked down on this water transport family.

They thought this task could be done by anyone; if the Bai Family was gone, there were still the Zhang Family, the Li Family, and so on—there were plenty of people to get things done.

But, when it comes to doing this same task, there is a gap between being professional and not!

Furthermore, some things, once started wrongly, will trigger a chain reaction that can be terrifying.

"I wonder if the Du Family has realized this."

If they continue to maintain this arrogant mindset and do not go to look at the changes happening underneath, the situation will become uncontrollable. "Go and check if those two secret warehouses are real," Wen Gu said. "The Bai Family has shown their sincerity, so we shall return that sincerity and assist the Bai Family in withdrawing!" The Bai Family has many people and much cargo; it is impossible for them to move all at once.

But the Bai Family side should have already made plans; the Patrol Guard Division only needs to lend a helping hand when necessary.

The Bai Family's withdrawal from Jizhou cannot be completed in a short time either; if they want to withdraw safely, it should be done in stages.

"The Bai Family will likely let a fleet of ships take a batch of people and cargo away by water before the Autumn Hunt begins. Once the Autumn Hunt starts, the Jizhou army will go out to hunt and clear out the Plague Ghosts, sweeping away most of the threats on land, and they will then choose an opportunity to depart."

After the Autumn Hunt, the water levels of many cargo shipping routes will drop. The later part of the withdrawal route should be part water and part land. It is very likely that the part of the Bai Family needing their support will be this latter group. Perhaps it will also be those core figures of the younger generation of the Bai Family. The affairs of Jizhou are being conducted in secret.

For the people of Xinzhou, apart from news regarding salt, it seems there are no other changes.

The Patrol Guard Division remains as busy as ever.

The beginning of the eighth month is Wen Gu's birthday; he is nineteen full years old, twenty by nominal age.

People in this era all talk about nominal age, and in the eyes of many, twenty is an important milestone in life.

Lady Shen thought that since Wen Gu is now twenty and has not yet held his Capping Ceremony, she went to discuss it with Lao Zhao, and they finally decided to first hold a small birthday banquet in the residence so the family could eat a meal together and have a lively time. Lao Zhao will find an expert to calculate and pick an auspicious day, at which time they will invite guests and hold a Capping Ceremony.

In this era, the Capping Ceremony can be seen as an "adulthood ceremony"; after performing the Capping Ceremony, it means that this person can shoulder heavy responsibilities and take on greater burdens. The people at Dongzhu who heard this news: "..."

How much more responsibility does Wen Gu have to shoulder?

Is the Patrol Guard Division not big enough?!

On his birthday, Lady Shen told Wen Gu to go to Zhao Fu after finishing his shift, which was also a reminder to him: don't work overtime if there's no urgent matter!

The Shen Family side also made a gesture. Uncle Shen specially had the Kitchen make several types of food that day, with a relatively large quantity of each, and sent people to deliver them to the Patrol Guard Division. They sent some to the Three Great Halls and Logistics as well.

Some clerical staff learned the reason and were shocked:

"What? He is only twenty?!"

"Whaaat? He hasn't even held his Capping Ceremony yet?!"

Whether he is twenty or not doesn't matter; as long as the Capping Ceremony hasn't been held and this process hasn't been gone through, that means he is still a minor!

Likewise, holding a Capping Ceremony in one's teens can also count as being an adult.

The problem arises.

Wen Gu is already this much of a workaholic without having held his Capping Ceremony; if he holds the Capping Ceremony and is officially "an adult," wouldn't he be even more of a workaholic?!

"I had indeed heard before that Deputy Envoy Wen was under twenty, but the things that happened later always made me ignore that fact," someone said. They knew he was young, but they didn't expect "underage."

The point is!

He was already enough of a workaholic before; after the Capping Ceremony, could it be that an advanced version of the workaholic king is coming?

At the thought of the possible future development of the Patrol Guard Division, the clerical staff only felt their vision go black.

The aroma of the food sent by the Shen Family eased their anxiety.

Food is always very comforting.

"Does this count as bribery?" someone asked.

"How can this count as bribery? An uncle giving his nephew some food, what's wrong with that? An uncle giving his nephew a birthday celebration, and the kitchen making extra snacks to send to the nephew's colleagues, what's wrong with that?" "As expected of something sent by the Shen Family, the ingredients are substantial!"

"I heard it was made by the Shen Family's cooks, using only good grain!"

Given their family circumstances, they wouldn't go hungry, but in a time of material scarcity, it's impossible to eat well every day.

Some couldn't bear to eat it, only nibbling a small piece themselves, and taking the rest back to share with their families.

Anyone is happy to get a little benefit. So they agreed to go to Dongshu later to offer their congratulations.

The Patrol Guard Division is strictly managed now, so it's not very convenient to give gifts, but saying a few congratulatory words is still fine.

Everyone ate the snacks sent by the Shen Family while discussing Wen Gu's Capping Ceremony.

"I heard it's being held at Zhao Fu!"

How awesome is that; he, a person not surnamed Zhao, is actually having his Capping Ceremony at Zhao Fu!

It can also let those newcomers in Xinzhou City see that this level of "maternal relative" cannot be used to farm reputation!

Looking at it from a positive, long-term perspective, if the Zhao Family can succeed in their great cause in the future, such maternal relatives will definitely be enfeoffed as dukes and marquises!

Thinking of Wen Gu's family background and bright future, everyone adjusted their mindset and timed their arrival at Dongshu.

Knowing that Wen Gu was going to Zhao Fu to celebrate his birthday today, they guessed he should be off work relatively early; even if he left right on time, at this hour, Deputy Envoy Wen should be preparing to leave. They entered the Dongshu courtyard gate with smiles, but a moment later, the group came back out quietly.

Their faces looked slightly twisted.

Damn it, he's still working!

It's your birthday today!

You're going to Zhao Fu later to eat, drink, and be merry!

Lao Zhao is waiting for you at Zhao Fu!

You're actually still working, damn it!!

When they went to look for him, Wen Gu was writing a letter, and there were Clerks guarding the outside, so it was inconvenient for them to disturb him; they could only have someone pass on a message for them. Then they came out with their stomachs full of complaints.

Think of the wealthy Shen Family, then think of the powerful Zhao Family.

"If I had a family background like his..."

I would have laid flat long ago!

"If he has to shoulder even more responsibility after the Capping Ceremony..."

It's hard to imagine how insane that would be!!

Dongzhu study.

Wen Gu is writing a letter to Pei Jun.

The location for the Gu insect medical trials has already been selected; there is a farmhouse by the water there that can be put into use immediately after some repairs. There are other houses nearby that will be renovated one after another. Some of the trials have already begun.

Once Huang Gushi makes a decision, he will focus on achieving results. He is anxious too!!

Later on, when the temperature in the north drops, efficiency will not be high. To prove himself by achieving results immediately, he must conduct the trials right now while the temperature has not yet fully dropped! Pei Jun is there supervising the work.

But Pei Jun does not understand this aspect. Even though Wen Gu had explained some relevant knowledge to him before Pei Jun left, Pei Jun has never been involved in many of the detailed things and finds it difficult to understand them thoroughly. Therefore, Wen Gu must explain it in a simple and easy-to-understand way, with both pictures and text, to ensure that Pei Jun can understand it!

Otherwise, he is easily fooled by Huang Gushi!

Huang Gushi and Qingyi Daozhang are very similar in some respects. Both are capable, but they often want to take shortcuts and love to show off their skills to fool people—it looks impressive at first glance, but in reality, there is no progress at all!

Such a situation must never be allowed to happen!

At the same time, in a certain place west of Xinzhou City, beside a small river not far from the official road.

The surrounding farmland has been abandoned, and survivors have gathered around the large city, so these remote places have become desolate lands.

Now, this place has been chosen as the site for the trials, and the farmhouse buildings have been put to use.

The small courtyard closest to the river is the place Huang Gushi uses for his trials.

This river is not wide. After the people from the Patrol Guard Division arrived here, they set up fences upstream and downstream of this section of the river. It does not stop fish, but it can prevent humanoid creatures from sneaking in through the river water. Today, the people from the Patrol Guard Division brought another wounded person. This person is a villager from a village near Xinzhou City who was scratched by a Plague Ghost while out hunting. The people patrolling nearby discovered him and quickly handed him over to the Patrol Guard Division. Of course, the wounded man himself was also willing; seeing multiple wounds on his body, with one wound even stained with filthy blood, he knew he was unlikely to survive. It was better to sell his life directly, which could at least exchange for some things for his family. The newly arrived wounded man was carried into the room of the riverside courtyard, and unrelated personnel quickly left.

After a while, Huang Gushi walked out of the room opposite and headed to the house where the wounded man was.

Not far away, on slightly higher ground, Pei Jun stood there, holding a Telescope in his hand and looking over there.

Adjusting the Telescope, Pei Jun could clearly see what Huang Gushi was holding in his hand.

It was a cage made of fine mesh, covered with cloth on the outside.

Huang Gushi placed the cage outside and entered the room alone first. It is unknown what he did, but after a while, he came out again and closed the doors and windows. Then, he stood at the modified window, opened the screen at the corner of the window, and it was just right to wedge the cage there.

Opening the cage door, the densely packed creatures inside made a buzzing sound and flew from the cage into the room.

Pei Jun could not see those details clearly, nor could he see what Huang Gushi had just done in the room, but he could roughly guess.

Putting down the Telescope, Pei Jun opened a notebook he carried with him.

On it was the knowledge about Gu insects that Wen Gu had explained to him, and it even had drawings.

With the correspondence with Wen Gu, the drawings and notes added to the notebook became more and more numerous.

The type of Gu that Huang Gushi raises, Pei Jun temporarily calls it "Shield".

"Shield" has different developmental stages, and each stage has different growth requirements.

The second stage of "Shield" is suitable for being planted into the human body.

The initial stage of "Shield" cannot survive in the human body, and if planted from the third stage onwards, it is too aggressive toward the human body and easily causes death. The second-stage "Shield" is the gentlest and most suitable.

But the planting of the second-stage "Shield" requires consideration of various problems. Currently, human technology cannot safely achieve this, and even if it could, the efficiency is not high, and the operator must bear the risk. It is inconvenient for humans, but other creatures can do it.

The first thing Huang Gushi did when he came here was to raise mosquitoes!

Pei Jun looked at the notebook and compared it with Huang Gushi's actions, deciphering them step by step.

First, plant the initial stage of "Shield" into the mosquito's body.

Next, the "Shield" grows on the mosquito, developing from the first stage to the second stage.

Finally, when the mosquito sucks blood from a person, the second-stage "Shield" enters the human body along with the mosquito's saliva through this mobile syringe. The planting of the second-stage "Shield" is completed. Pei Jun carefully flipped through the notebook and picked up the Telescope again to observe Huang Gushi's operation.

Huang Gushi, who had retrieved the cage, closed the window and covered the empty cage with cloth. As he turned to return to his own room, his gaze swept toward Pei Jun's direction. He knew that this person was here to supervise him, but he did not think Pei Jun could understand his operations. Before coming, he had already tested him; this Officer Pei was okay at fighting, but his understanding of Gu insects did not even count as skin-deep. He let out a mocking cold snort in his heart.

Carrying a tube around every day to look, look, look—what are you looking at?

Can you even understand it?!