Chapter 2: Starting in Hard Mode

The new consciousness and the original information fused in a very short time. The brain felt as if it were burning.

The head was feverish.

Fortunately, this did not last long; the consciousness that completed the memory fusion became clearer.

Opening eyes, the scene rushed in, sanity returned, and the brain rapidly analyzed everything before it.

A strange experience, surprising yet vigilant.

There are no supernatural abilities here, but one must not be careless.

At this moment, Wen Gu was sitting on a wooden chair with a worn and simple style.

He moved his hanging hand. The sleeve fabric was somewhat rough, and the hand looked very young.

That makes sense; this "Wen Gu" was not old to begin with, only eighteen years old this year.

As for the one squatting on the ground in front, who looked not very bright, he was "Wen Gu's" cousin. Just now, in his grief, he was crying and calling for his father, and he happened to call out "Father."

At this moment, the other party stopped wailing and was looking at Wen Gu with a silly, blank expression.

Wen Gu thought to himself: You didn't expect it, did you? Your "father" here has come back to life!

The person opposite stared without speaking; despite having a resolute face, he looked to have the grievance of a young child.

There was no third person in the room. Wen Gu remained calm on the surface, his voice carrying a sickly weakness as he smiled and said, "I just took a nap, I'm not dead."

After a pause, Wen Gu's voice was weak but firm: "Tietou, don't shout nonsense!" Uncle's spirit in heaven surely wouldn't want to hear these things.

This cousin's nickname was Tietou. He fell ill in his youth and injured his head, making him seem not very smart, hence this nickname—the family hoped his head would be as hard as iron and steel, and would not break again.

Medical conditions in this era were poor; even in wealthy families, there were many who suffered lasting effects from illnesses. Cases like this one, where the brain was burned, were not rare at all.

The cousin was not clever enough, but his strength was that he was obedient. He could not absorb much information at once, but as long as he took the words in, he could do the job well.

This cousin was only half a year older than "Wen Gu." His brain was not good, but his physical fitness developed rapidly. "Wen Gu's" father had specifically hired someone to teach him martial arts.

Standing together, the brothers were clearly one literary and one martial.

"Wen Gu" was a person who studied for the imperial examinations, and when he went on a Study Tour, the family arranged for this cousin to follow.

Being one's own kin, it was more reassuring.

When introducing him to outsiders, "Wen Gu" would of course introduce his cousin by his formal name, Wen Ying, but in private, they were more casual.

After the world fell into chaos, they basically just used the nickname.

The cousin had been called this by his family since childhood, and he reacted fastest to the name "Tietou"; he liked his nickname better.

Since the family met with misfortune, the two now relied on each other for survival. In order to make immediate responses in this dangerous world, "Wen Gu" had always called his cousin by his nickname.

Apart from "Wen Gu," no one else in this world called him that anymore.

Sure enough, after Wen Gu called him that, Tietou turned from sorrow to joy, grinning broadly; one could not know what kind of simple mental activity he had gone through.

Only someone with such a simple mind could smile without a shadow in today's difficult world.

Wen Gu raised his hand and pointed to the teapot on the table beside him.

Tietou skillfully poured a cup of tea that smelled of Medicinal Herb. The tea was slightly warm, having been boiled not long ago; he remembered "Wen Gu's" instructions that water should be boiled first.

Wen Gu held a cup of tea and drank it slowly, while organizing the information in his memory.

They were currently only temporarily staying in a small Village; the world outside the village was not very good, and the level of danger was no lower than that of Wen Gu's original world.

According to the information collected in his memory, this was the Dajin Dynasty, which Wen Gu had never heard of, and it had similarities and differences with the historical timeline of Wen Gu's original world.

The dynasty's territory was quite large, and its economic vitality was full. Last year, the Emperor celebrated his birthday, and all the officials, dignitaries, and royal clans gathered in the Huangcheng.

However, under the prosperous age, foreign merchants bribed the Shipping Department and brought the "Long Life Pill" to the Huangcheng to offer as treasure.

Who would have thought that the so-called divine medicine was actually a type of Evil Gu, which could cause "Evil Spirits" to possess people and turn them into monsters.

Peace had lasted a long time, the population was prosperous, the Huangcheng was bustling with traffic, and water transport was developed, so the Evil Plague spread even faster.

The dynasty's center, having no psychological preparation and absolutely no experience in dealing with such things, quickly fell.

Those few foreign merchants originally wanted to loot and run, but they failed to escape and were executed with extreme penalties.

But the Evil Plague had already arrived, and only a small number of people succeeded in fleeing the disaster. Whether they were infected with the Evil Plague or possessed by "Evil Spirits" while fleeing, that was unknown.

Under the fatal blow, the court politics were in turmoil, wars broke out in various places, epidemics occurred frequently, and the world suffered.

The dead were left exposed without burial, and the living fled and scattered.

In such a chaotic world of disaster and plague, lacking the correct experience to deal with it, even if there was no shortage of food and clothing, how many of the people fleeing from all sides could survive?

"Wen Gu" was originally out on a Study Tour, and his father had entrusted him to a friend to follow a large merchant caravan to the Huangcheng to broaden his horizons.

But halfway through the journey, they suddenly learned that the Evil Plague had broken out, and the people in the caravan had to turn back.

However, by the time they returned, the entire city had been destroyed; it was quite tragic.

The two brothers collected the remains of their relatives and handled the funeral arrangements.

"Wen Gu" found the things his father had left in a Secret Box—a Token and a letter.

The letter was written in a hurry, telling "Wen Gu" to take the Token and head north to seek refuge with his aunt.

"Wen Gu's" aunt, his mother's own sister, had married into a family of military officers in the north. Although the uncle's family had declined, the people of these two generations had some ability, and after many years of management and achievements, they vaguely showed signs of rising.

The current dynasty valued literature over martial arts; if the world were at peace, the Wen family, being a scholarly household, would not have needed to cling to them.

However, now that the world was in chaos and the central government had collapsed, if those military officers who led troops could survive, they could provide more protection to their relatives and friends.

Transportation was inconvenient, information was lagging, and social hierarchy was distinct. In an era where ethnic groups lived in clusters, when fleeing, one first looked for places with acquaintances and fellow villagers; relatives were the first choice.

If the relatives also held an official position, that was the preferred choice!

Going a step further, if the relative's official position was higher and they had real power, that was even better than the best!

The class system was strict, and people were divided into noble and base. Having relatives who were officials meant that once you got there, you had a backer, support, and a sense of security!

Now, it was unknown what the situation in the north was like, but by comparison, heading north to seek refuge with relatives was indeed the best choice.

The winter in Beidi was bitterly cold, and those "Evil Spirits" seemed not to like this low temperature.

On this journey of fleeing, the brothers "Wen Gu" and Tietou had also encountered noble families from the South migrating north.

When encountering sudden situations and unsure if one's decision is correct, one can refer to those noble families with deep foundations.

The things seen and heard along this journey prove that their decision to head north to seek refuge with relatives was correct. At the very least, it is the best choice for now.

They joined a group of survivors to head north, encountering many conflicts and disagreeing with others.

Wen Gu believed that when vegetation is lush, it is not suitable for traveling and one needs to find a place to rest and wait for an opportunity, but the others in the group disagreed. Thus, the two brothers left the group and came to this small mountain Village to stay temporarily.

In just a few short months, homes were destroyed, cities fell, and the world was in chaos. Human nature and the state of the world became chaotic and blurred.

Wen Gu suddenly encountered this disaster, felt depressed, and remained in a state of high tension and alertness; after arriving at the mountain Village, he caught a cold and remained bedridden for nearly three months.

Until now.

Without sufficient experience in dealing with things, without reliable sources of information, and without enough armed protection, it is already very remarkable to have persisted to this point while bringing along a not-so-bright cousin.

Wen Gu gently patted his chest and said to the other "self" who had passed away: You have already done very well!

He let out a light breath and thought about himself.

The moment he first arrived here, Wen Gu had a mysterious intuition that after living out this life here, he should be able to go back.

But, this life can be very long, or it can be very short.

Wen Gu does not want to waste this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

He arrived in the ancient era, yet it is not the ancient era he imagined; it is like a fork in time and space, another possibility that the world developed.

His wish was fulfilled, yet it seems it was not fulfilled.

Regardless, he is still willing to reconcile with the world before him.

If there are difficulties, solve them; if one does not put in the effort, how can one know if it is impossible to see the things one dreams of?

This is something that could only be earned with the blessing of countless fortune!

Composing his mind, Wen Gu looked at the arrangement inside the room.

The room is not large; one can see everything at a glance.

In the brazier in the corner, there are residues of burnt plants—the villagers burn several types of fragrant plants to perform Exorcism.

According to the information in his memory, this is indeed effective. The evil things outside have keen senses of smell; if the burning scent is something they dislike, they will avoid it.

The strange smell Wen Gu first smelled was precisely because of this.

It does not smell good, but it is reassuring.

Wen Gu could not help but feel fortunate; fortunately, it was only a fusion of consciousness. If his true body had traveled to this strange ancient world without a vaccine package to protect him, the start would have been game over.

Native creatures born in this world already have a certain adaptability to the environment here. Outsiders might not be able to hold on, and they could be kicked out in the first round of competition with microorganisms.

Foreign consciousness + native body = ability to initially adapt to the living environment.

Therefore, what he is facing now is not a certain-death situation.

But it still counts as a high-difficulty start.

Fortunately, regarding the problem before him, Wen Gu has already provided the first step in the direction of a solution.

As the successor, Wen Gu just needs to break the problem in this direction.

In such troubled times, it is incomparably difficult for the Wen brothers to seek a way to survive. The mountain Village is barren, life is difficult, evil things are running rampant outside, and he has a not-so-bright cousin with him; as two outsiders, the Village will not supply them with resources for free.

After resting for a while and regaining some strength, Wen Gu got up and sat by the window.

There is a simple desk here, repaired and patched countless times; like the bed and chairs in the room, it is overly plain, but barely usable.

However, Wen Gu's attention was not on this furniture; with a burning gaze and slightly trembling hands, he took out a small stack of paper, a writing brush, and an Inkstone and ink stick from the side.

The paper is of superior quality, and the brush and Inkstone are excellent!

Wen Gu suddenly felt a sense of spiritual abundance!

His gaze swept to the window at the side.

The window is not opened wide, but it uses Window Gauze that completely mismatches the overall decoration.

Regardless of whether it is the brush, ink, paper, and Inkstone before him, or the Window Gauze which is a luxury item for farmers, they do not coordinate with the arrangement inside the room.

This, of course, was not something the Village originally had, but something the villagers brought back after going to the Town to search for items once the world became chaotic.

As for the grade of brush, ink, paper, and Inkstone before him, the Village chief still has quite a few!

Taking a deep breath, he spread out a piece of paper with a draft on it and looked seriously at the content drawn on it—a Wubao diagram currently under design.

Wen Gu brought his cousin to this Village using this as a stepping stone, allowing the Village to temporarily accept them and provide living supplies and medicinal soup for his illness.

It is just that for the two months since entering the Village, Wen Gu had been bedridden, and the progress on the Wubao diagram was slow.

Now, he can continue to draw.

Wen Gu opened the window.

Outside, the sky is clear and the sun is bright. A dry wind blew into the room.

According to the experiences in his memory, as long as it is not a rainy day, it is still possible to open the window for ventilation to blow away the dampness and sickness in the room.

Outside the window, one can see houses at varying distances; there are no blue bricks or large tiles, only low earthen houses with thatched roofs. They are similar to the house Wen Gu is currently living in.

If one walks out the door, one still has to slightly bend over and lower one's head to avoid the thatch hanging down from the eaves.

If the rain falls harder, the room might very well leak.

In the more than three months of living here in his memory, there was also rainfall, but the good thing was that there was no continuous heavy rain.

The dirt roads in the Village are paved with some gravel, pottery tiles, and wood.

Not far away, there is a wooden frame set up; when a person stands on it, their line of sight can look over the low houses to see part of the situation outside the Village.

These were all set up in the Village after the world became chaotic so that when encountering abnormal situations, one can stand on them to check the surroundings.

The root cause of this Evil Plague, the Evil Gu in the mouths of the medical officers, is analyzed by Wen Gu to likely be some kind of parasite with extreme lethality—after parasitizing, it can turn normal people into monsters more terrifying than wild beasts, turning them into another species.

It could be an unintentional bowl of raw water, a bite of undercooked meat, or perhaps a wound left behind from not paying attention in the jungle; all could lead to being infected.

Wen Gu's gaze swept over the wild-growing plants in the Village.

The season when the vegetation is most lush has already passed, but it can be seen that the climate this year was suitable, and both the sunshine and rainfall were at normal levels.

Under such poor living conditions, the fact that so many people in this village could still survive proves that the Evil Plague and Evil Gu, which everyone fears, are actually not that all-pervasive.

As long as one pays attention to daily diet and living habits, it is possible to avoid being "possessed by evil."

As for those evil things outside that have already been "possessed by evil," that is another matter entirely. It requires a different logic to deal with them.

Fear stems from the unknown; the more one understands, the more courage one has to face it.

Wen Gu himself has that courage, but the others do not yet.

The local customs here are fierce, and it is quite far from the Town.

Of course, in such a special, chaotic time of disaster, mere fierce customs cannot ensure the survival of more people.

With the surrounding Villages and Towns almost completely wiped out, the key to this small Village being able to survive for the most part lies in—

One, they have a wise Village Chief with considerable authority.

Two, the Village Chief's grandson, who is an apprentice at a pharmacy in the County Town and has truly learned some skills.

Three, there is a hunter in the village who has high combat power, is quite prestigious, and has more life experience than the average villager.

With these three points combined, the village was able to make effective responses in a short time, dodge the initial impact of the Evil Plague, and seek more opportunities for survival in the time that followed.

At the beginning of this year, a Daoist came to the village, three months earlier than "Wen Gu." Most of the time, he stays in his room doing Alchemy. Wen Gu has never had contact with him and does not know what kind of person he is, but he certainly has skills.

Wen Gu plans to communicate with that Daoist once his body has recovered a bit better.

He stretches his limbs and refocuses his attention on the draft on the table.

Grind the ink, get to work!

If he wants to get more supplies from the village and recover his health as soon as possible, he must show sincerity!

A Wubao, a long time ago, was a survival choice for the common people when dealing with external aggression.

It is just that with the centralization of power and the control over the common people, the Wubao of this dynasty only occasionally exist in border areas. Nowadays, many common people have only heard of them, but do not know what a Wubao should look like.

"Wen Gu" also only had a slight understanding of them from the library in his home.

Now, by integrating his memories, Wen Gu can continue the unfinished draft and make some additions and modifications.

How to build fortifications based on the terrain here, and what the internal organizational structure should be—he must not only draw it and write it down, but also make the villagers understand and accept it as soon as possible.

His cousin is curled up on the bed, sleeping quietly. With dark circles under his eyes, he must have been worried sick about "Wen Gu's" illness these past few days and has not had a good night's sleep.

The sunlight outside the window gradually slants. Wen Gu, immersed in the design of the Wubao, notices the movement of someone approaching outside and looks over.

Upon seeing who it is, a smile that is two parts elegant, three parts sickly, and five parts grateful immediately appears on his face.

"It is Young Master Liu!"

The person who arrived is Liu Zha, the son of Liu Liehu in the village. People in the village mostly call him by his nickname "Mutou," and Liu Zha has also said that calling him "Mutou" is fine.

However, as a decent scholar whom the villagers have a stereotype about, how could he be so casual?

Xiao Liu Liehu has also reached the age of hair-binding this year, and having inherited his father's hunting talent and stature, he is much taller and stronger than his peers in the village. He is now also one of the important combat members in the village.

Today he has time and is responsible for delivering meals here. He carries a food box over, also to check on the situation.

Today, the eldest brother of the Wen family cried so miserably that some people in the village suspected whether Wen Gu had already passed away.

But looking at it now, that noise was probably crying out of happiness. The sickly air on Wen Gu's face has dissipated a lot, and he is even drawing!

It is just that he still looks weak and powerless.

Stereotype +1.

The village has never doubted Wen Gu's identity as a scholar. His demeanor and temperament look like he grew up soaked in ink, and his words and deeds carry a thick scholarly air, completely different from the people in the village.

If Wen Gu were really holding a knife, axe, or club, his identity would be doubted instead.

The villagers have their own logic of thinking.

Now that the world is in chaos and the imperial examinations have stopped, scholars may not have the strength to wield swords, but they have knowledge in their heads!

Since Wen Gu said he could draw a Wubao map, he must be able to draw it!

It is just that the progress is a bit slow. Having provided food and medicine for several months, the villagers inevitably have complaints.

Fortunately, it has continued.

Is our village's Wubao map finally coming out?!

Thinking of this, the smile on Xiao Liu Liehu's face becomes a bit more sincere and enthusiastic. This is a major matter concerning the survival of their village!

He quickens his pace to deliver the food box into the room.

When Wen Gu's cousin hears the movement, he has already gotten up from the bed and opened the door to take the food box. Previously, those who delivered food would just hand over the food box at the door.

Xiao Liu Liehu, however, carries the food box and squeezes into the room.

Seeing this, Wen Gu spreads out the drawings on the table before standing up and performing a scholarly bow to the entering Xiao Liu Liehu to express his gratitude. He seems to lack physical strength, and his body even sways.

Facing this elegant bow, Xiao Liu Liehu does not know how to respond for a moment. He looks awkward and waves his hands.

He thinks to himself: The Village Chief is right, scholars are just particular, and their bodies are just weak. After one illness, he is even weaker; he can't even stand steadily, and it looks like even holding a pen is an effort.

He also looks eagerly at the drawings on the table.

Although the world is different now, Xiao Liu Liehu still has a lot of respect for this kind of capable scholar. He also went to school when he was a child, but he didn't continue reading.

Seeing the drawings on the paper, his respect grows even more.

As expected of a scholar, he can't understand the drawing at all!

There is only one wooden table in the room, used for both eating and drawing.

Wen Gu's cousin comes over to tidy up the table. He usually does these chores and is very skilled at it.

Worried that the eldest brother of the Wen family is clumsy, Xiao Liu Liehu snatches the spot and says to Wen Gu:

"Hey, let me, let me! Second Brother Wen, your illness hasn't healed yet, sit down and rest first, drink the medicinal soup while it's hot."

"Then, I will trouble you."

Wen Gu's voice is gentle and slow. He sits there and instructs Mutou to tidy up the brushes, ink, and drawings on the table. He takes a moment to look at the carved wooden food box—a pure classical style, which at a glance was also scavenged by the villagers from the Town.

With the table rearranged, Wen Gu does not say anything more. After this short delay, the temperature of the medicinal soup is just right for drinking.

Hmm, the taste is not good.

But it preserves life and nourishes the body.

Bottoms up!

As Xiao Liu Liehu packed up his things, he couldn't help but ask about the contents of the blueprints.

Wen Gu finished the medicinal soup and explained, "These are just rough sketches, still awaiting refinement; later, I will need to draw several detailed diagrams and annotations to make them easier to review."

Xiao Liu Liehu responded, keeping Wen Gu's words in mind to relay to the Village head later.

Wen Gu glanced at the food in the meal box and understood the situation.

It seems the grain stockpiled in the Village is sufficient for the time being; presumably, they collected quite a lot during the initial chaos. The meal is simple, but the portion is decent.

After finishing the medicinal soup, he consumed some light porridge.

His body was in urgent need of energy replenishment, so even coarse country food became a rare delicacy.

Wen Gu sat there and instructed Xiao Liu Liehu to tidy up the table, putting the brush, ink, and drawings back in place.

Xiao Liu Liehu didn't have a single complaint and was actually quite proactive.

Before leaving, Xiao Liu Liehu took another look at Wen Gu and thought to himself: With this physique, he can't even lift a bamboo pole; if he leaves the Village, he'd only be serving himself up as a snack for evil entities. He probably can't run, but he still needs to be watched.

After stepping out, Xiao Liu Liehu greeted the people patrolling the Village and asked them to check on him from time to time.

The Village has always kept a close watch on the two Wen brothers. Their thinking is very simple—

Our Village provides supplies, and you draw the Wubao blueprints; although there is no signed contract, this was the agreement, so you cannot slip away once you recover!

Regarding a matter of life and death for the Village, one cannot be too cautious.

Wen Gu naturally knows the attitude of the villagers; precisely because of this, he started working immediately after figuring out the situation, at least to show his attitude first, and he is not afraid of the villagers supervising his work.

He calmly continued drawing.

The old wooden chair wobbled a bit when sat upon; this didn't matter, but every time it wobbled slightly, the wooden parts would make a creaking sound.

Wen Gu frowned.

He closed the window and stood up.

His gaze swept over the wooden chair from top to bottom, and after checking, he quickly located the source of the noise, found a suitable tool, searched for a fitting part, and with nimble movements, hammered it into place with two sharp knocks.

Done!

He put the tool back in its original place, wiped his hands, straightened his clothes, opened the window, and then turned back to sit down.

Upright and steady, he sat down without a sound.

His demeanor was refined and scholarly.

It fit the Village's stereotype of a high-class scholar perfectly.

New book launch!

Still a niche subject.

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(End of chapter)