Chapter 25: This is Hard Currency

The two of them stopped thinking about searching for some Great Immortal; at a time like this, nothing was more important than food!

That fat rat was so big that even a weasel would struggle to drag it, and its movements weren't agile enough; it was still possible for them to go over and intercept it.

However, Wen Gu stopped them:

"Don't chase it; that rat has already breathed its last."

Xiao Liu was unwilling: "That shouldn't be! It was still screaming just a moment ago!"

County Lieutenant Zhou was more rational at this moment; he glanced at the area not far away a few times and let out a heavy sigh.

Even if that rat hadn't breathed its last just now, it wasn't far from it; snatching it over would be useless.

What could they do? They couldn't exactly continue to make a move against the Great Immortal, could they?

Not appropriate, not appropriate.

They could only put away their blades.

Seeing this, Xiao Liu had no choice but to grit his teeth and put away his bow.

Beside them, Qingyi Daozhang was deeply suspicious.

Given the shrewdness of that Gou Shusheng, he should have let Zhou Shan and Xiao Liu go to intercept the moment he discovered the fat rat; why did he wait until the rat was about to breathe its last before slowly asking about it?

Was it intentional?!

Zhou Shan and Xiao Liu weren't thinking about anything else; they were extremely annoyed at this moment, standing in place and reflecting.

They should have thought of this the moment they saw that fat rat!

Why was their mind only filled with worshipping the Great Immortal at that time?

Truly inexcusable!

Who to blame?

Of course, they couldn't blame the Great Immortal, and even less could they blame Wen Gu.

Blame me!

The two of them felt deep self-reproach, as if watching a large sack of rice vanish into thin air before their eyes.

In the future, when seeing the Great Immortal, they couldn't just focus on worshipping; they should first look at what it was foreshadowing!

In critical moments, it really had to be the scholars who read the books of sages; they were rational and sharp.

Wen Gu didn't say much at this moment; he neither scolded them nor deliberately tried to change their superstitious thinking.

People who could survive until now, while not absolute, were mostly more inclined toward practicality—as long as they could survive, offending gods or Yaojie was something they would just have to do.

Without the fat rat to lead the way, they could only try to deduce its path of movement.

Where exactly did it come from?

They had checked several houses in a row and had long since looked inside the rice jars; there wasn't a single grain of rice inside, as they had long been thoroughly looted.

If it were buried underground, they would need to know the general location to dig, right? This Town, while small, wasn't actually that small; with just the few of them, they couldn't possibly turn over this whole piece of land, could they?

They didn't know if there was a second fat rat; if there wasn't, what should they do?

Knowing full well that food was hidden here, yet not knowing where it was hidden—how could they be willing to give up!

Their hearts were anxious.

Zhou Shan and Xiao Liu looked toward Qingyi Daozhang.

The Daoist Priest showed no indication; he likely didn't possess such supernatural powers. He couldn't be relied upon.

They looked at Wen Gu again.

Wen Gu took out the layout map of the Town he had drawn, and he pointed to a spot and asked: "Is that the grain shop over there?"

County Lieutenant Zhou said: "Yes, that is the largest grain shop in the Town, and the owner's family lives in the courtyard behind it. But we searched it just now; it was all empty, the Cellar was open, and it had long since been searched by others."

The previous group of major powers, after clearing out the evil things in the Town, must have also searched this place thoroughly.

Even if the grain shop and the owner's family had hidden food, it would have long since been looted.

"Let's go take another look," Wen Gu said.

Although it was only a fleeting glance just now, that fat rat seemed to have run out from over there.

The grain shop was not large, and they searched it carefully very quickly.

There was nothing unusual.

They went to the courtyard of the owner's family in the back again.

Being in the grain business, they had money and connections, so their residence was built quite well; even if it couldn't compare to those wealthy families in the County Town, it was still a brick-and-tile house with a courtyard. It was just that it hadn't been tended to for a long time, lacking the care of human presence, and appeared a bit dilapidated.

Inside the courtyard, there was a water well, several stone rollers of varying sizes, and a stone mill.

It was not strange for the grain shop owner's family to have these things.

Thinking of something, Wen Gu asked again:

"County Lieutenant Zhou, you said before that the grain shop had reported to the officials that water bandits had come to rob them of their grain?"

"Yes, at the time, because of the chaos everywhere in the County Town, we couldn't spare the manpower to manage matters here. However, I did make inquiries; people from the Town who went to the County Town said that this grain merchant had his door broken down and his grain robbed in the middle of the night.

"It wasn't just the grain shop; their family's stock was also all robbed, and several parts of the residence were burned down. That night, the servants fought back in anger, but unfortunately, they still couldn't stop the water bandits, and the courtyard wall even collapsed. Others in the Town didn't dare to come over, and the neighbors all kept their doors and windows tightly shut."

County Lieutenant Zhou recalled the news he had heard back then and continued:

"When this grain merchant was robbed of his grain, the wailing of his family could be heard throughout the entire street; the shop owner's mother and wife would sit at the door every day crying and cursing, staring at passersby with sinister eyes. The townspeople all walked around this place."

Wen Gu said: "So, everyone in the Town knew there was no food left here."

County Lieutenant Zhou nodded: "Yes."

They had already searched this place, focusing on the main rooms. The Cellar had already been picked over by others, and they had even gone inside to confirm; there really was nothing left.

Wen Gu stood in the courtyard and looked around.

"Encountered a robbery by water bandits in the middle of the night, the courtyard wall was destroyed, so they rebuilt the wall with bricks afterward?"

County Lieutenant Zhou said: "Yes, a courtyard wall can provide defense; when the world becomes chaotic, you definitely have to repair the courtyard wall first. It is said that after the largest grain shop in the Town was robbed, the other two grain merchants were uneasy and soon fled with their whole families. Not long after, the other wealthy households also ran away, including this grain merchant."

The situation was getting worse and worse, grain prices were absurdly high, and in the end, there was no grain left at all, so the townspeople naturally had to flee.

Wen Gu suddenly smiled, "This grain merchant is a fastidious person; the world is about to fall into chaos, yet he still plastered a layer of wall shell on the newly built courtyard wall."

He paused, then added: "And he made it higher and thicker."

A grain merchant with connections and a way out would not hold his ground here.

If the wall had collapsed, patching it up for an emergency would suffice; why build it so well?

Several months had passed, and the newly built courtyard wall was already mottled from wind, sun, and rain. It looked just as desolate as everything else and did not stand out.

Wen Gu observed the surroundings, walked toward a certain spot, and used the wooden stick in his hand to push aside the shrubs growing at the corner of the wall.

He saw that at the corner of the wall near the ground, the protective layer on the surface had been stripped away, and the bricks on the inner side of the wall had also been stripped away; if one leaned in to observe closely, one would find tooth marks along the edges.

"Is this how wall bricks are made? The bricks of this courtyard wall are not the same inside and out."

County Lieutenant Zhou and Xiao Liu also crowded over.

Xiao Liu had no research into wall bricks; the walls in their village were all made of stone and earth.

County Lieutenant Zhou, however, had a change in his expression.

Wen Gu said, "I heard some old stories during my Study Tour; if I haven't guessed wrong, this should be..."

County Lieutenant Zhou revealed a look of shock: "Famine-relief grain bricks?!"

He could not spare time to say more, took out the dagger he was carrying, scraped a little off the wall, roasted it over the fire, and smelled the scent. After the high heat roasted away the evil, he licked and tasted it before it had cooled.

As soon as Xiao Liu heard the word "grain," he followed suit; he was quite sensitive to the taste of food.

"Grain!"

"It's grain bricks!"

For a moment, their gazes fixed on the courtyard wall were burning.

The two changed positions, scraped off the outer wall shell on different wall surfaces, and Xiao Liu even roasted and tasted the wall dust. Hmm, this one didn't seem edible.

What excited them was that the newly built courtyard wall was entirely made of grain bricks on the inner side!

So many!

So many grain bricks!

As expected of the biggest grain merchant in a wealthy Town!

Wen Gu was also happy.

The number of Hunger-Free Pills refined by the Daoist Priest was limited and had almost been digested away; this dog of a Daoist must have private stores, but he wouldn't take them out easily. It was understandable; those were his last life-saving items, who would be willing to share?

These grain bricks were indeed good supplies for fleeing, durable for storage, and could stave off hunger!

After the excitement, County Lieutenant Zhou was so angry he laughed.

Back when the county wanted to quell the chaos and requisition grain, the grain merchants all ran away one by one, and this family simply "got robbed" and even became the victim.

So many grain bricks...

The rumors in the Town about the water bandits robbing the grain shop—what was that all about?

Self-directed and self-acted!

It was all one family!

Knowing that grain prices were too high and that the grain couldn't be kept once chaos broke out, they robbed themselves first, letting the people in the Town and outside the Town know that they had no grain!

The grain went for a spin outside, turned into grain bricks, was transported back, and was built into the courtyard wall. It was still their own property, and no one could rob it.

"Heh!"

County Lieutenant Zhou sneered.

What "yours"—now it is ours!

Xiao Liu was emotionally agitated at this moment: "We still have to thank the Immortal! If Huang Daxian hadn't caught that fat rat right in front of us, we might not have noticed. Who knows, in a little while, there might have been a few more nests of rats here, ruining all the grain bricks!"

County Lieutenant Zhou agreed deeply: "Could this be what the Storybook calls an Immortal pointing the way?"

Xiao Liu nodded heavily: "Must be! We aren't insightful enough; it has to be Brother Wen."

Even Qingyi Daozhang hadn't realized the opportunity given by the Immortal.

Qingyi Daozhang, who understood the underlying meaning, had a face as black as coal: Ignorant commoners!

And Wen Gu decided that he must never let these people know the legend of the Five Great Immortals.

To make it convenient to pry out the grain bricks, they chose to spend the night at the grain merchant's house and stay for another day or two.

Dinner was boiled grain bricks.

Gnawing on them dry would chip teeth; after boiling them with water, as long as they could be eaten, the taste didn't matter!

They tidied up the beds in three rooms; if there were conditions, one should naturally sleep better, as the body recovers faster when well-rested.

They took turns standing guard.

Xiao Liu was still excited, as if he had been injected with chicken blood, his whole body full of energy.

Digging for grain is never tiring! I can dig even more!

County Lieutenant Zhou dug bricks together with him.

Qingyi Daozhang closed the door to go do Alchemy; it was unknown what he was stir-frying inside that portable pill furnace, it sounded sandy.

In another room, Wen Gu turned a delicate Letter Opener with his fingers, his mind recalling everything he had seen since arriving at this riverside Town.

Those Arrows left behind from shooting evil things, those emptied houses and warehouses...

From the end of autumn to the beginning of next spring, it would be the time for wealthy families to migrate north. Other survivors might also follow the migration.

The refugee groups from various places must have already started moving, like trickling streams, gathering toward the north.

Competition in Beidi is very fierce.

And it is about to become even fiercer.

I wonder if my aunt and uncle in the north are safe and how they are faring.

I hope they have already gained a firm foothold in this chaotic world and hold real power in their hands.

A cold glint flashed by.

Thud!

A slender Letter Opener was pinned to the frame of the window ahead.

If it had been a fraction to the left, it would have hit the brick wall. If it had been half an inch to the right, it would have flown out through the window.

Wen Gu walked over and pulled it out.

Not precise enough; it didn't land in the center of the window frame. Still need to practice more.

On the bed, his cousin Tietou was already snoring rhythmically.

In the second half of the night, Wen Gu and his cousin stood guard outside.

His cousin dug for bricks, while Wen Gu pondered matters by the fire.

Inside the room, the child of County Lieutenant Zhou woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night; County Lieutenant Zhou spoke in a low voice, and it took quite a while before things were quiet again.

The child has experienced trauma and has been living in fear; if this continues for a long time, it will hinder their health.

At night, neither the adults nor the children sleep well.

The next day.

Wen Gu set out a cleaned, appropriately sized stone mill, a small pile of pried-up food bricks, and a few small, scattered stacks of oil paper found in the Town.

He looked at the three children of County Lieutenant Zhou with a kind and friendly gaze.

Little ones, come, time to work!

Work hard during the day, and you will sleep soundly at night.

Wen Gu also explained to the others. As for the food bricks, they can just eat them themselves; they only need to throw them into a pot to boil. They can knock off as much as they need, or even put the whole block into the pot.

However, on this journey of fleeing north, there might be times when they need to use them.

They can serve as currency in this chaotic world.

Taking out a whole food brick has a certain chance of attracting trouble.

But if it is portioned into powder, others will only assume it is the kind of dry rations used for long journeys.

In such an era, coins do not circulate much among the people, but food is an important material that can be used for trade both before and during chaotic times.

There is no need to grind too much at once; this task is handed over to the three children.

County Lieutenant Zhou had no objections.

This work is simple and not a heavy burden. The place is also safe.

In the next room, the Daoist Priest has the door closed; I don't know what kind of divine pill he is still refining in his portable small pill furnace, but a rather unpleasant medicinal odor is wafting out.

Qingyi Daozhang says this scent is not good for humans or evil entities, but due to the direction the window is open and the wind direction, the scent blows outward and does not come toward the courtyard side.

Therefore, the three children working in this small courtyard do not feel uncomfortable.

Evil entities will not approach the small courtyard when entering the Town, and there is also a falcon in the sky responsible for keeping watch.

County Lieutenant Zhou is not worried.

Xiao Liu, with the assistance of Matuan, hunted two wild animals.

Even though it is troublesome to process them now and requires more caution and care, digging for bricks consumes too much physical energy, and they still have to travel, so everyone must eat meat to replenish themselves.

Wen Gu then took Tietou and County Lieutenant Zhou to search other residences for supplies. To see if anything else was left behind.

The big factions eat the meat in front, so it is fine for small fry like them to drink some soup.

In a nearby bookstore.

The interior was empty, and the furnace was full of the charred remains of burned books and paper.

It is evident that during the initial period of the chaotic world, there were survivors here, but they did not dare to go out to look for firewood; even after chopping up the wooden furniture, they still needed flammable materials to start a fire.

When the surrounding vegetation is lush and has high water content, book pages are indeed very convenient fuel for starting fires.

Once the furniture was all chopped up, they moved on to burning whole books.

Later, other factions came here to clear it out again; as far as the eye could see, it was completely empty.

The windows and door panels had all been dismantled; if left abandoned for another year, this house would be at risk of partial collapse.

County Lieutenant Zhou knew at a single glance that there was nothing left here worth taking.

Yet he saw Wen Gu holding a long pair of tongs, rummaging through the furnace.

County Lieutenant Zhou was puzzled: Could there still be something hidden here?

Soon, Wen Gu picked up two slender objects from the furnace ash.

They looked like knives, but were too small and had not been sharpened. Ornaments?

"What are these?" County Lieutenant Zhou asked.

"Just bookmarks," Wen Gu said.

Before starting the text, the requirement I set for myself was to update an average of five thousand words per day...

Let me calculate how much I am still behind on the schedule.