Chapter 5: Nurturing a Little Longer

Inside the Village, the villagers returned home one after another to hide, doors and windows shut tight.

The cousin carried Wen Gu all the way back to their dwelling, remembering to avoid the low eaves; after entering, he placed Wen Gu on a chair, then picked up a Firewood Knife and stood guard at the door, tense.

This series of actions was extremely practiced; clearly, it had happened more than once.

Previously, when "Wen Gu" was ill, there were many inconveniences; because this cousin was not very bright and could not remember many things, "Wen Gu" could only emphasize and instruct him over and over again.

Which things could be done and which could not—after being said so many times, it was like segments of a program implanted in his brain, forming a conditioned reflex.

It was not just these things before his eyes, but also the many, many things during their flight here; the cousin was always like this. He was not smart, but what he remembered most deeply was what his parents and uncle had told him: when out and about, take care of your younger brother.

In his perception, his eighteen-year-old cousin was still that eight-year-old boy with hair in tufts, not much different.

Wen Gu searched his memories and sighed in a low voice; while keeping an eye on the movement outside, he took down the Bamboo Tube filled with talisman water.

He sniffed it—a somewhat pungent herbal scent, different from Mugwort; it should be a secret recipe researched by Qingyi Daozhang himself.

So, it would be great if this kind of talent went into scientific research!

Wen Gu sprinkled a little on his own clothes and his cousin's, while in his heart he pondered how to find an opportunity to interact more with that Daoist Priest.

There were no other unusual movements in the Village for a long time, which showed there was indeed no major trouble; the Daoist Priest's miraculous persona was truly established.

Wen Gu could not fall behind either.

Whether he could continue to receive the support of the few leaders in the Village would depend on his own abilities.

The Village Elders would not value this simple-minded strongman of a cousin so much. In the current situation, supplies like grain and medicinal herbs would become increasingly scarce; Wen Gu had gained an advantage by designing the Wubao walls, but he could not stop there.

He sat before the desk, spread out the blueprints, and ground the ink to moisten the brush.

He had to draw the Wubao construction plans, and also draw a few more exploded-view diagrams, accompanied by text.

Drawing was fine, but as for writing, he had not yet returned to the original level of "Wen Gu."

He needed to practice more.

The Village Elder had a stock of the Four Treasures of the Study; he could afford to use them!

He took out another sheet of paper to practice his writing for a while first.

In Wen Gu's own world, his brush calligraphy was not very good; although he had an interest in this area, due to the chaos of war, conditions were truly limited, and there were not enough supplies or time for him to practice calligraphy with peace of mind.

"Calligraphy, the aesthetic art of characters!"

Wen Gu's own terrible handwriting was a far cry from the Dao of calligraphy.

But "Wen Gu" had acquired a good hand for writing; through more than ten years of diligent study and hard practice, he had achieved something.

On the first sheet of practice paper, the horizontal, vertical, slanting, and pressing strokes clawed and brandished at the tip of the brush, refusing to be disciplined.

But as he gradually became familiar with it, the muscle memory from the body's ten-plus years of hard practice gained the upper hand, and the handwriting also changed from rebellious to obedient.

Starting from the second sheet, the handwriting gradually became upright.

By the third sheet of paper, the characters he wrote already possessed five or six parts of "Wen Gu's" skill.

He flipped through the famous calligraphy rubbings he had seen in the body's memories, then looked at what he had just written.

This writing was still a long way from the higher-level spirit and character of famous scholars, but for Wen Gu, who loved ancient culture but could never attain it, it was already a dream-level masterpiece!

Staring at the characters on the paper, his gaze was mesmerized.

"Beautiful! Wonderful! It really is so good-looking!"

The cousin guarding the door:??

He looked around; there were only the two of them in the room.

Who? Who was good-looking?

With a face full of confusion, he asked Wen Gu: "Brother, who are you praising?"

"I am praising myself."

Wen Gu looked over there and said: "No need to stand guard; the edge of the Firewood Knife is a bit dull, go sharpen the knife for a while, don't worry about me. Remember to wear the hand guards, don't get hurt."

"Oh."

The cousin obediently got up to sharpen the knife.

To prevent injuries to their hands in daily life, the villagers had also sewn several types of gloves according to their needs; they were very rough, but practical. If they were also stained with the Daoist Priest's medicinal water, it would be even safer; even if the hand were cut, it could reduce the risk of infection by the "Evil Plague."

Seeing that his cousin was indeed following the protective steps he had instructed, Wen Gu returned to the desk to continue practicing his writing.

Even if these characters were seen by others, they would just think he was a bit rusty after a long illness.

However, by writing and practicing more, he would reach a higher level sooner or later.

Wen Gu was very serious, and he also cherished this second life very much.

The one who could write a good hand was the muscle memory of this body; if his consciousness returned to his original body at some point and he no longer had this muscle memory, he would not be able to write such good characters.

Therefore, Wen Gu needed to absorb this muscle memory into his consciousness as well, carving it into his soul, making it a "habit" controlled by his consciousness that he could truly use for himself.

Thank you!

Thank you, "me" of this world!

What he had inherited was "Wen Gu's" ten-plus years of experience and knowledge.

After the cousin finished sharpening the knife, during a lull, he asked: "Brother, when are we going to find Aunt?"

He remembered Wen Gu had said many times that they were going north to seek refuge with their aunt. Regardless of whether it was actually his aunt, he followed along and called her that anyway.

Previously, "Wen Gu" had said the season was not suitable for travel and they had to wait for the plants to wither and turn yellow, and then he fell ill, so they had to stay here.

Now, Wen Gu had recovered from his illness; was it not yet time to travel? Outside the Village, the plants were already beginning to turn from green to yellow.

Wen Gu said calmly: "No rush, let's nurture ourselves a bit more; we need to be stronger before it's good to travel."

The cousin was confused; he always felt it sounded strange and didn't understand.

Wen Gu did not continue to explain; if he said too much, this cousin would not be able to understand it and would instead give the game away.

Sigh...

The temperature outside had clearly begun to drop; it was indeed very close to the original plan to head north again.

However, just the two of them were weak and powerless, lacking in numbers and strength. They also lacked professional talent.

It was a pity that the professional talent he had his eye on spent all day in seclusion practicing Alchemy and never stepped out; he couldn't even go to build a rapport with the other party.

He had to think of a way.

The autumn wind had already risen; time waits for no one.

Wen Gu practiced calligraphy for a while, then began to draw diagrams and write annotations.

Glancing at the few remaining pitiful sheets of paper, Wen Gu paused, then picked up his brush and dipped it in ink.

Tsk, the Village Chief still lacked some subjective initiative.

In the afternoon, Xiao Liu Liehu delivered a meal and also saw the new diagrams Wen Gu had produced.

They were illustrated with text and pictures, looking very profound!

It was just that...

"Are these characters a bit too crowded?"

Xiao Liu Liehu had also attended school and knew some characters, but seeing the text on the paper, which varied in size and was densely packed together, still made his eyes swim.

Wen Gu explained refinedly: "Supplies are currently scarce, so we must use them sparingly."

Between his words, he very naturally and casually raised his hand, guiding Xiao Liu Liehu's gaze to inadvertently look at the few remaining sheets of paper.

Xiao Liu Liehu nodded in full agreement, "It is necessary to save."

He didn't say much more, but after delivering the meal, he turned around and went to find the Village Chief:

"Bring more paper! We searched back so much good paper but can't use it; are we supposed to save it for the outhouse?"

Village Chief! Don't be stingy about this matter!

I don't want to see so much dense text on the diagrams; it looks like a poked tadpole nest, and it makes my eyes ache.

Thus, the next day when delivering the meal, Xiao Liu Liehu brought a stack of new paper.

"The Village Chief said, don't be stingy, use it when you need to, use it boldly! Write the characters larger and clearly. Brother Wen, what you are doing now is a major matter concerning the safety of the whole Village; don't feel bad about this bit of paper!"

Wen Gu agreed.

This is what you said, use it boldly!

The way of calligraphy requires diligent study and practice, and constant writing, but unfortunately, the current living environment is harsh and conditions are limited.

Having a stack of new paper was a win-win: he could contribute to the Village while satisfying his own little needs.

Having accepted the items, he naturally had to handle the matter well.

In the following days, Wen Gu's focus was entirely on the Wubao.

In this current world, even in peaceful times, productivity is limited and information is hard to obtain; the collections in scholarly families are not necessarily detailed.

Wen Gu was born in an era of information explosion, later grew up amidst war, and then integrated the body's own memories of this world, localizing his experiences and knowledge.

For the overall aspect, he even drew a rough comparison chart—a luxury fortress version and a rustic village version.

Once the general framework was set, he proceeded to build the practical village version in detail, and the first draft of the drawings was finished.

Xiao Liu Liehu treated it like a treasure and hurriedly held it to find the Village Chief and several clan elders.

At the Village Chief's house, several important figures were all present, currently surrounding a simple wooden table, looking at those drawings, silent for a long time.

They had also been to the County Town and heard storytellers in teahouses mention Wubao.

Historically, in the late years of dynasties long ago, or in regions where war frequently broke out, gentry and powerful clans would build Wubao.

The imperial court would also build fortresses in border areas to defend against foreign enemies.

For the villagers living at the bottom, their lack of knowledge and barren imagination made it impossible to picture what those things were like.

Now, they had the material for their dreams.

The Village Chief pursed his lips, his gaze moving with difficulty from the luxury version to the village version.

Their broken Village, of course, could not compare to that scale. Whether it was the Wubao of gentry clans or the fortresses built by the imperial court, both were too distant.

With the few diagrams Wen Gu drew, they could choose the ramparts they were capable of building and replan the space and defense layout within the Village.

But... the dream (ambition) was still there.

The Village Chief and Lao Liu Liehu both looked at that luxury Wubao diagram again.

The world is in great chaos; which chaotic era doesn't last for decades, or even hundreds of years?

And here, in this surrounding territory, only our Village has a chance for the living.

People fleeing here will all have to listen to us!

Being optimistic and considering the long term, perhaps one day they could build the Village to that scale; by then, the status of people like themselves would also be different, right...

Hiss—

"Ahem!" The Village Chief finally managed to calm down and coughed to remind everyone present, "For now, saving our lives is what matters most."

These few in the Village were very satisfied with the drawings Wen Gu provided, and subsequently personally sent some precious supplies to the two Wen brothers, also asking if Wen Gu wanted to change to a larger room.

Wen Gu politely declined, saying that this place was enough for the two brothers to live in.

He even analyzed it from the Village Chief's perspective: "There may still be some scattered survivors in the surrounding Towns and Villages, and even if there aren't, refugees might come. If we encounter suitable ones, the Village can absorb them. Keeping those empty houses will be useful when there are more people later."

The Village Chief liked hearing this; in a chaotic world, their small population was not enough to seek development.

For a moment, the Village Chief's gaze toward Wen Gu became even more affectionate. He also sent over some medicine to nourish the body.

Wen Gu drank the tonic, pondering in his heart: They lived here, relatively close to several important figures in the Village, such as that Daoist Priest, whom he still wanted to go and visit. If there were any developments in the Village, he could also be the first to notice them here.

As for the few large empty houses the Village Chief mentioned, they were a bit far, and the housing conditions were average.

The room they were living in now, although not large in area, had everything it needed, and it saved medicine to perform disinfection. Whether it was burning herbs or spraying medicinal water, the amount they were allocated was only so much; it was just right for a small space, and what was saved could be used for other purposes.

There was no need to change rooms; living here was fine. Anyway, they wouldn't be staying long.

Because of the diagrams Wen Gu provided, several important figures in the Village came here from time to time to chat with Wen Gu.

After chatting with them more, Wen Gu also had a better understanding of the situation in the Village.

Especially that Qingyi Daozhang.

The Daoist Priest has gone into seclusion again, just like always; he won't come out for ten days or half a month. But topics regarding the Daoist Priest circulate among every household in the Village every day.

Wen Gu learned that when the Daoist Priest first arrived in the Village, he prayed for blessings and performed Exorcism for the villagers, and he even exorcised parasitic worms!

After swallowing a medicinal pill, many people expelled long worms!

I don't know how many times it has been told, but when the Village Elders speak of it, their faces still carry astonishment.

Wen Gu was very supportive and exclaimed along with them: "The Daoist Priest's Daoist Technique is profound!"

He guessed that the parasitic worms exorcised were likely some common intestinal parasites of this era.

Before the world fell into great chaos, the villagers mostly drank raw water, and they didn't have many particularities regarding diet and living, nor did they have the conditions to be particular. They had lived like this for generations, so the probability of contracting parasites was high. It was only later, in order to perform Exorcism and avoid plagues, that they began to pay attention.

And what triggered this chaotic world was very likely another type of highly harmful parasite that even the Daoist Priest could not solve. If he could really handle it, the Daoist Priest wouldn't be hiding in this remote Village; he would have long since gone to attach himself to a wealthy patron.

But Qingyi Daozhang is indeed a capable person.

He really is a talent!

How many more professional skills do I not know about?

This day, he went to the Village Elder's house for a small meeting.

The Village Elders had studied the Wubao blueprints for several days, and those who were illiterate and couldn't understand the diagrams had also understood most of it.

Regarding construction and defense, they needed Wen Gu to go over and discuss it.

Wen Gu did not know enough about their Village and the local terrain and landforms, so some places needed changes.

The people in the Village had their own set of ways to guard against wild beasts.

Those evil things outside can no longer be counted as human; they completely lack human intelligence and are instead similar to wild beasts of the mountains, which can be seen as a type of highly threatening fierce beast.

But at the same time, in this chaotic world, besides guarding against "wild beasts," one must also guard against people!

The Village Elder and Liu Liehu summarized some questions and told them to Wen Gu. These two were relatively farsighted, and some of their questions could hit the nail on the head.

How to build, where to get materials, when to start, what the construction progress would be like with their current labor force in the Village, how to guard against evil spirits during construction, how to deal with surviving refugees when encountered... and so on, all of these needed to be considered.

The other Village Elders attending the meeting, believing themselves to be more familiar with the rocks, grass, and trees around the Village, felt their opinions would definitely be more useful and spoke up one after another, feeling that they were truly very wise at this moment!

But once they said too much, their thoughts became chaotic, unclear, and unmemorable, and as they spoke, they became quiet again.

Worried.

With so many things, how should this be done!

Wen Gu did not show the slightest bit of contempt; he listened earnestly and gave a suggestion: "How about we first make a... three-year plan?"

In this current world, no one can predict the subsequent developments.

If the time is too short, there is no need to make so many plans. If the time is too long, it is also not appropriate.

For them, three years is just right.

Wen Gu explained it simply and clearly.

The Village Elder and Liu Liehu expressed their agreement.

Seeing this, the other Village Elders didn't say much at this time and followed along by nodding in agreement. Sigh, they should just listen to the Village Elder and Liu Liehu; whatever they said to do first, they would just follow along and do it.

With a goal, there was a backbone, and they could know more clearly what to do next.

People are very easily lost when they are in difficulty, unable to find the right direction.

For those like them, who have lived by the fields for most of their lives, they have strength; as long as the direction is found for them, their hearts will settle down, and they will have hope.

For a time, those present had a bit more recognition for Wen Gu.

The Village Elder sighed with emotion: "It is still you scholars who know more; this Wubao and this... three-year plan, we will trouble you with it."

Wen Gu gave a humble bow to the few: "My brother and I have received care from the Village, so we should naturally do our meager part."

Another Village Elder said happily: "What meager part, this is a great use!"

Wen Gu exchanged a few polite words, and while the few leaders were in a good mood, he mentioned as if in passing that he wanted to discuss with that Daoist Priest how to restrain the evil things outside.

The few Village Elders who had just expressed their appreciation now had faces full of disapproval.

There were two important outsiders in the Village: one was a scholar, and one was a Daoist priest.

The villagers all held them in respect—the scholar knew much, and the Daoist priest was even more miraculous.

If one really had to choose between the two, for the moment, the Daoist Priest was more important.

Immortal matters > Mortal matters

An impatient Village Elder was just about to say something.

But he heard Wen Gu sigh apologetically: "It is a pity that the Daoist Priest is miraculous and focused on Daoist Technique; having just finished a Dharma Assembly, he must be resting his breath for a period of time, and I cannot disturb him for such a small matter."

The impatient words were swallowed back down abruptly.

The Village Elders' expressions cleared slightly, and they nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes! We must not disturb the Immortal Master!"

It is still good to have a scholar like Wen Gu, who doesn't make things difficult for everyone.

After testing them, Wen Gu smiled understandingly and remained silent. He wore an expression of "I am very sensible and consider the big picture."

Inner thoughts: I won't go disturb him, but...

If he jumps out on his own, you can't blame me.

(End of chapter)