salted fish soaring

The sky is like a dome, and the loess is vast.

Under the sky that is turning from dark to bright, the newborn red sun leaps to the horizon, but the light is blurred and chaotic as if separated by a layer of veil.

The air is dry, and things that don't know whether it is fog or haze are floating on the plain.

Ji Chen squinted his eyes and saw the silhouettes of dead trees frozen in the thick fog.

The branches are bare and the branches are shriveled, like an old man in his twilight.

It's early summer, Yaoguang Lake has thousands of weeping willows like a curtain, and the streets of Huawei City are covered with tall locust trees, and the annoying cicadas resound throughout the city.

In the villages to the west of Qianqu County, the most vibrant summer was completely forgotten.

There are no cicadas and birds, and the wind howls in the dead wilderness.Bursts of sand rose and fell, making people's cheeks sting.

"When I was young, this was the largest forest in Quanqianqu. It stretched seven or eight miles from east to west. There were elms in the east and poplars in the west. It was so green that you couldn't see the edge. When a child got into the forest, he couldn't see the sun at all. If you get in, you can't get out.

"Afterwards, half of the tree died overnight. That year was the famine year again, and the roots of the weeds were all dug up. People ate the leaves and peeled the bark, so the tree died faster. After the famine year was over, there was another severe drought, anyway. After all these years of tossing, the whole forest is gone."

The person who spoke was a thin old man, with a cane in his right hand and his left arm supported by his son. He was standing in front of the new Sinong Liu Er, sighing slowly and lightly:

"Now I tell the children in the village about the forest, and they don't believe it. Who knows what happened that year. Some people say that there was a fairy official who cast a spell and broke Fengshui..."

The middle-aged man who helped the old man was shocked: "Father, how can you say that the fairy official is not!"

The old man's eyes were still cloudy, and he was not frightened, so he numbly begged: "Yes, I'm confused, I'm about to die, Mr. Sinong, please forgive me."

"Don't dare." Carpenter Liu Er hurriedly helped him up.

Even if he puts on a new robe and a high crown, it is still difficult for him to regard himself as a master of farming.

He seems to be still working as a carpenter, and his tone seems to be asking the customers who ordered wood furniture what they need: "Old patriarch Zhang, we are here this time, mainly to see the land and see what everyone needs.

"Can the food delivered last time last until this year's autumn harvest? Can the chickens and ducks survive? Is there any pest infestation in the field? As for what to do in the future, it must be arranged by the new immortal official. Now whatever you want to say, just Say what."

The villagers timidly followed behind the patriarch, each of them shriveled, black and thin, like vertical corn poles.

Some of them had dealt with Carpenter Liu, and when they saw that he was still the same as before, without the airs of an official, they became bolder:

"Then what does the new immortal official mean?"

"I heard that so many taxes in the past will be abolished. Do you have to pay new taxes?"

"Someone in the village said that the new fairy officials fed us to open an altar to worship the heavens..."

The new official took office with three fires.If you change a small official in the village, you have to peel off a layer of skin in the village, let alone the biggest fairy official.

The abnormal behavior of the new fairy made the whole Qianqu feel like a new year, and every household in the village rejoiced.

The good times didn't last long, and all kinds of unimaginable rumors spread like a big stone falling, breaking up the happy atmosphere.

"Who said that a new tax should be paid? Landlords with more than [-] acres of land only pay the 'field mu tax'. Worshiping to heaven is even more nonsense. If you don't believe it, you can go to Tiancheng to see. The temple is locked. No one is allowed to go in and worship. There is no place to worship."

"You said the temple is locked?" The old patriarch suddenly held Carpenter Liu's hand, "There is no need to make offerings anymore?"

Carpenter Liu was startled, he didn't expect him to be so drowsy and emaciated, yet he could burst out with such great strength:

"The new fairy official was locked up on the first day he took office. He is a good person, and he is given food and chicken. Why don't you think of him?"

The villagers muttered and couldn't give a specific reason, with embarrassed and hesitant expressions.

Carpenter Liu said solemnly: "The immortal officials have cast a spell on the fields in your village, and the millet will sprout tomorrow morning!"

The crowd exploded with a bang.

This year there is a shortage of water and the land is so hard that it can hardly be plowed. The whole village is in a hurry to get angry.

The old patriarch held Carpenter Liu's hand again: "Really!"

Carpenter Liu said: "I have seen the fairy officials cast spells with my own eyes, you can go to the next village and ask, their beans have already germinated. If I want to tell a lie, there will be thunder and bangs!"

In the second half of the sentence, he was so anxious to swear that the villagers' atmosphere changed and they were overjoyed:

"Is the fairy official sitting on the cloud tower in Tiancheng, and with a single finger, cast spells on our land?"

"It's really a fairy! Thank you, Xianguan, thank you Sir Sinong!"

The old patriarch pointed not far away, wondering: "Who is that young man? Why are there so many people surrounding him?"

When he mentioned it, everyone immediately became curious: "That's right, I saw him walking on the fields in the village yesterday. He stayed awake most of the night and kept wandering around. Early this morning, he wandered around in the dry forest outside the village again."

Liu Carpenter turned his head to look, startled.

Among the dead wood, a figure half-kneeled on the ground, slowly stroking the dry and hard soil with a serious expression.

There were more than a dozen young people standing beside him, all looking at him, inexplicably like a group of children surrounding their father.

Then the man stood up and waved, and the people around him handed over the shovel at the right time, and he began to dig a hole, as if he wanted to plant saplings.

When Carpenter Liu saw this scene, the emotions in his eyes became complicated, admiration, respect, and gratitude almost overflowed, and there was a hint of pride in it.

But he didn't answer, just said:

"You'll know when we leave."

……

Every time Song Qianji went to a place, he touched the land first.

He did not reveal his identity to prevent being kneeled down.

Liu Carpenter guessed that the new immortal official was keeping a low profile, and would only inform the local villagers when he was about to leave.

Seeing Song Qian move his hands, Ji Chen also picked up a shovel to dig a hole: "What else can be grown in this dry forest? Millet or beans?"

"We don't grow food, we only grow trees and grass." Song Qianji said.

Ji Chen sighed, "It's such a pity that such a large area of ​​land exists."

Song Qianji thinks it's normal, he can grow anything, and happiness is never discounted!

Originally, this forest was a natural barrier for Qianqu County to prevent wind and sand.

Not every piece of land should grow food.

Qianqu has a vast land and few people, bigger than a hundred Huawei cities.The latter has a population of one million, and Qianqu has only a mere one hundred thousand.

There are very few lands that are actually cultivated by people and can produce food.

Some are barren and lack fertilizer, some are dry and water-deficient, some suffer from black sandstorms and drought for most of the year, and some have ravines and roads that cannot be dug out.

Now Qianqu has extremely low yield per mu and is full of five poisons.

If we wantonly open up wasteland, the result will only be more and more wasteland.Repairing barriers, protecting water and soil, and accumulating spiritual energy are more important than opening up wasteland.

Song Qianji and the Spring of Immortality are getting more and more tacit understanding, but he still can't really use this kind of treasure of heaven and earth.

What he quietly took out was only the spiritual mist floating out of the bottle.

The spiritual mist nourished his meridians, and finally flowed along his fingertips, quickly soaking the soil.

The sleeping land seems to be awakened, and vitality emerges from scratch.

He likes to create vitality, and this sense of accomplishment is similar to sowing and harvesting, which makes him smile with satisfaction.

"It is more difficult to create life than to destroy it."

Song Qianji remembered this sentence again, which was told to him by an old monk in the previous life.

He didn't take it seriously when the other party preached scriptures everywhere.After being reborn and farming, many words that he didn't agree with or didn't understand gradually became clear in his mind.

I don't know if I will see that wandering old monk again?

The thought passed in a flash.But just like wanting to see the "savior" Wei Zhenyu, he has no obsession to see.

When Ji Chen and other outer disciples saw it for the first time, they were shocked when Song Qianji poured spiritual energy into the ground.

Someone suggested: "Let's come together so that Senior Brother Song can save a little."

Song Qianji resolutely refused: "The exercises I practice are different. You guys are not effective, it's just a waste of spiritual energy."

Discussing this matter behind the scenes is inevitably tinged with bitterness.

Ji Chen shook his head: "Brother Song devoted himself to Qian Qu, I really admire it."

Ji Xing: "He does this for Qianqu, and the people of Qianqu don't really appreciate it."

Zhou Xiaoyun comforted: "The previous immortal officials have deceived the common people and left a mess. We just came here, distributed things, and made people eat for a few days, so we can build trust? There will always be pies in the sky. Doubt is a trap."

Cheer each other up after suffering.

Qiu Dacheng: "Brother Song is excellent in both chess and calligraphy, what an astonishing and brilliant genius, but he even went to the field to hoe the fields, what we have done is insignificant."

Xu Wangshan: "Qianqu used to be a treasure land, but now it has been defeated. What are monks doing to find a geomantic treasure land? We can build one ourselves! Let Qianqu reunite in our hands and regain its vitality."

With Song Qianji "leading by example", the disciples of the outer sect were united as one, whether they went to the village to send chickens, or went to the forest to hunt, they all seemed to be doing a major event that would change the world.

Song Qianji put down his shovel and summoned the new Sinong he appointed:

"After I leave, please tell everyone that the saplings distributed before can be planted. Someone will come to check and accept them during the autumn harvest. For every sapling that survives, a reward of two taels of millet will be rewarded."

Liu Er nodded repeatedly, and at the same time quickly calculated in his mind, if the planted saplings were lucky enough to survive, then the village would not need to plant land this year, and the tree planting alone would be able to fill their stomachs and save the surplus grain for the New Year.

The new immortal official is too merciful.

"Do you want to rest?" Carpenter Liu asked respectfully, "You have been traveling for half a month."

After dealing with the disciples of the outer sect, he knew that monks were also mortals in the past, and they would be injured if they fought with others. Immortal arts are not endless, and they will be tired if they are overused.

The new immortal officials cast spells everywhere, which must consume a lot.

"Go to the next village." Song Qianji waved his hands vigorously, "Get on the boat!"

The Immortal Spring in the Purple Mansion responded to his wishes, buzzing softly and glowing with colorful light.

Song Qianji led the team all over Qianqu.

Many years later, this experience appeared in Liu Carpenter's memoirs in his later years——

The opening chapter of "Along with the God-King".

Liu Er, who is already literate and knowledgeable, is good at writing. Under the candlelight that never stops all night in the study, he writes down precious memories with simple, popular but sincere words:

If you come from overseas and ask where the center of the four continents is, everyone will tell you, of course it is Qianqu County.

Qianqu, the capital of Qiancheng, is rich, beautiful and prosperous.Wanderers yearn for it in their dreams, and poets write poems for it, calling it the birthplace of miracles.

Here are the longest bridge, the largest reservoir, the most windmills, the most advanced metallurgy, the most precise irrigation instruments, the safest formations, and the most complete laws.

Here, the boundaries between monks and mortals are blurred, miracles are constantly being created, and great changes are brought about in the entire world.

The rise of Qianqu was not smooth sailing, it was accompanied by blood and fire struggles, and countless indomitable heroes were born and died for it.

I am just one of the insignificant builders of Qianqu and a witness of this history.

The beginning of all legends begins when Song Xianjun sets foot on this barren land.

He came here, blocked the temple, and said the first sentence to the people: "Don't worship me, I will not satisfy any of your wishes."

Until the weather in Qianqu is smooth and the fields are green, he has become the spiritual belief of thousands of people, and he still says: "Don't worship me, I will not satisfy any of your wishes."

It was many years later that I realized the true meaning of Song Xianguan:

It is the true spirit of Qianqu not to rely on praying to gods and worshiping Buddha, but to create with one's own hands.

But people didn't understand it then, and neither did I.

15-year-old Song Xianjun stood quietly in the field, more like a mild-tempered young man.

Rather than a god king who changed the world and created a new world.

……

As soon as this "Walking with the God-King" came out, it was sold out immediately, and was later sold overseas.

People tried to get a glimpse of the true faces of Song Qianji and those familiar names and romantic figures from the gaps in the simple words.

But that was many years later.

Now that Song Qianji had just received the letter from Hongfu County next door, Liu Xianguan asked him to meet at the junction of the two counties.

"We are ready to repair the canal," Song Qianji said.

Meng Heze read the letter over and over again, skipping the long string of nonsense, and didn't see the slightest compromise in the other party's tone, so he couldn't help worrying:

"Senior Brother Song, this Liu Hongshan seems to be trying to blackmail us. It is said that he is about to break through the Nascent Soul, so it is difficult to deal with. This letter is also written with twists and turns."

Song Qianji smiled: "It's okay."

He calmly said nothing, and Meng Heze was confident: "Okay! Anyone who is afraid of others, just come."

Song Qianji recruited Si Li: "Post up a notice that the Immortal Official's Mansion recruited people to dig rivers and repair canals. Take care of food and housing, and give two catties of millet and half a catty of pork every day. Oh, you and Si Jun have nothing to do recently. You can go. The people who offered treasures in the temple before seem to have nothing to do, so just call them all."

Si Li was taken aback.

Let them fix the aqueduct?What a joke.Given this little bit of millet and meat, which rich man would be willing to do rough work.

He only felt that Song Qianji was deliberately embarrassing and had other deep meanings, so he carefully probed: "When will the construction start? Aren't you going out?"

Counting the time, their gifts and Mr. Li's letter have been delivered to Liu Xianguan.

Thinking of this, he suppressed his excitement.

Song Qianji glanced at him, his expression was not displeased, and he only said calmly:

"Recruitment."

This look made Si Li extremely stressed, unable to breathe, and broke out in a cold sweat instantly:

"Yes, my lord!"

Qianqu has not rained for three years, and most of the villagers outside Tiancheng rely on well water to survive.

Droughts in the Southwest come as soon as they are said, and they never make sense. I don’t know when it will start, and the wells will not be able to pump water.

People climbed over the gully to fetch water from the neighboring village. If they were lucky, there would be water in the well of the neighboring village.

The north is close to the poison barrier forest, and the beasts are even more unreasonable.

The high-level monsters have a strong sense of territory, they have carved out their own territory in the center of the poison barrier forest, and drove the low-level monsters to the edge of the forest.

So the low-level monsters took advantage of the night to rush out of the forest, eating people and destroying fields.

This year is different. After the new immortal official took office, he personally traveled all over Qianqu to cast immortals.Xin Si Nong then promoted Quyuanli.

Despite the drought in the southwest, the seeds still germinated, and the green seedlings grew taller day by day, and the growth was gratifying.

In the north, there is a hunting team composed of immortal masters, and the disciples under the immortal officials take turns to be on duty, completely changing the diet of humans and monsters.

The monsters are big, and the villagers in Beidi have meat to eat every day, and hang up the unfinished meat to dry, keep it for the New Year, and some can be given to relatives in neighboring villages.

As soon as the news of "immortal officials recruiting people to dig rivers and divert water from neighboring counties" spread, it immediately caused a sensation everywhere:

"Isn't it building temples and expanding the Immortal Mansion, but digging canals?"

"Are you stupid? The temple has been sealed off long ago. I believe in Song Xianguan!"

"If the canal is built, our village will not have to worry about water in the future, and I will do it without money or food."

Many still remain skeptical.In the past, when conscripts and husbands built temples, they promised many benefits at first.After arriving in Tiancheng, they must rush to work day and night, and if they slack off a little, they will be whipped by the foreman.

Not eating enough, not sleeping well, and being beaten every day, it was really miserable.

"Take care of food every day, and pork, how can there be such a good thing?"

When Meng Heze and Ji Chen accompanied Song Qianji to the border negotiations, the four members of the chicken team were responsible for the recruitment registration.

Ji Xing went out to check the situation, while the other three sat in the room, frowning.

Zhou Xiaoyun: "What if we can't recruit people? We can't force people to work!"

Outer sect disciples used to work in Hua Weizong, and the most annoying thing was being forced by the deacon to arrange some dirty work.

Xu Wangshan slapped his thigh: "Then let's work hard and call back all the hunting teams in the poisonous miasma forest. The monks are strong and work fast."

Qiu Dacheng said: "With hands and feet, there's nothing you can't do!"

Ji Xing suddenly broke into the door: "It's not good, it's not good! Why are you still sitting?"

Xu Wangshan was shocked: "The elders of the Huawei sect wanted us? Did we break into Qianqu so soon?"

"Bah, bah, bah!" Ji Xing said angrily, "It's the people who came to sign up, and they blocked the whole street. We only need one thousand, and there are almost five thousand outside! Come out with me!"