Chapter 5: Raising Them a Bit Longer
Within the village, the villagers hurried back to their homes, their doors and windows tightly shut.
Cousin carried Wen Gu back to their residence, carefully avoiding the low eaves.
Upon entering, he placed Wen Gu on a chair, then grabbed a wood-chopping knife and nervously guarded the doorway. These actions were performed with practiced ease, indicating they weren't his first time.
Previously, when "Wen Gu" fell ill, it caused considerable inconvenience. Because his cousin wasn't very bright, he struggled to remember things, so "Wen Gu" had to repeatedly explain and instruct him.
What things could be done, and what couldn't—the more he spoke, the more they became like programs implanted into his mind, forming a conditioned reflex. This wasn't just for the current situation; it was how his cousin handled many things during their escape.
He wasn't intelligent, but the most deeply ingrained memories were those of his father, mother, and uncle telling him to look after his younger brother when they were away from home. In his cousin's mind, the eighteen-year-old was still the eight-year-old child he knew, not much different.
Wen Gu searched through his memories, sighing softly as he kept an ear out for sounds outside. He took down the bamboo tube filled with talisman water.
It had a slightly pungent, herbal scent, different from mugwort. It was likely Daoist Master Qingyi's proprietary blend.
The village remained quiet, with no further disturbances, indicating that there were indeed no major issues and the Daoist master's divine persona was firmly established.
Wen Gu couldn't fall behind either. Whether he could continue to receive support from the village's key figures depended on his own capabilities.
His cousin, a simple-minded strongman, wasn't enough to earn such high regard from the village elders. Given the current situation, with supplies like food and medicine becoming increasingly scarce, Wen Gu had gained an advantage by designing the fortifications, but he couldn't stop there.
Sitting at his desk, he spread out his blueprints, ground ink, and wettened his brush. He could handle drawing, but his handwriting hadn't yet returned to "Wen Gu's" original level.
He needed to practice more. The Village Chief had plenty of the "Four Treasures of the Study" in stock, enough for him to use! He took out another sheet of paper and began practicing his calligraphy.
In Wen Gu's own world, his brushwork wasn't great. Although he had an interest in it, the conditions were too limited due to the war, and he lacked sufficient supplies and time to practice calligraphy peacefully.
"Calligraphy, the art of written characters!" His own messy handwriting was far from the path of calligraphy. But "Wen Gu" had learned to write well through over a decade of diligent practice, achieving some success.
On the first sheet of practice paper, the strokes—horizontal, vertical, flick, and press—seemed to thrash about under his brush tip, refusing to be tamed. But as he grew more familiar, the muscle memory from over a decade of strenuous practice took over, and his writing transformed from rebellious to compliant.
Starting from the second sheet, his characters gradually became more upright. By the third sheet, the characters he wrote already possessed five or six parts of "Wen Gu's" skill.
He flipped through the body memory of famous calligraphers he had seen before, then looked at his own writing. His handwriting was still a long way from the higher realm of scholarly elegance, but for Wen Gu, who loved ancient culture but couldn't obtain it, these were dream-like masterpieces!
He stared at the characters on the paper, his gaze lost in them.
"Beautiful! Wonderful! They are truly magnificent!"
His cousin, standing guard at the door, was confused. He looked around; there were only the two of them in the room.
Who? Who was beautiful? With a bewildered expression, he asked Wen Gu, "Brother, who are you praising?"
"I'm praising myself," Wen Gu glanced over and said, "You don't need to stand guard anymore. The blade of the chopping knife is a bit blunt; go sharpen it.
Don't worry about me. Remember to wear hand protection, don't hurt yourself."
"Oh."
His cousin obediently got up to sharpen the knife. To prevent injuries in daily life, villagers had also sewn several types of gloves according to their needs.
They were rough but practical. Dipped in the Daoist master's potion, they would be even safer; even if a hand was cut, the risk of "evil plague" infection would be reduced.
Seeing that his cousin was following the protective steps as instructed, Wen Gu returned to the desk and continued practicing his calligraphy. Even if someone saw these characters, they would assume he was a bit rusty after his long illness.
However, with more practice, he would eventually reach a higher level. Wen Gu was very serious and cherished this second life.
Being able to write well was the muscle memory of this body. If his consciousness ever returned to his original body, without this muscle memory, he wouldn't be able to write such good characters.
Therefore, Wen Gu needed to absorb this muscle memory into his consciousness, engrave it into his soul, and make it a "habit" controlled by his consciousness, truly usable by himself.
Gratitude! Gratitude to the "me" in this world! He inherited over a decade of experience and knowledge from "Wen Gu."
After his cousin finished sharpening the knife, he asked Wen Gu when he had a moment, "Brother, when are we going to find Aunt?" He remembered Wen Gu mentioning many times that he wanted to head north to seek refuge with his aunt.
Whether she was his aunt or not, he just followed along. Previously, "Wen Gu" said the season wasn't suitable for travel and they had to wait for the plants to yellow, then he fell ill, forcing them to stay.
Now that Wen Gu had recovered, wasn't it time to travel? The plants outside the village were already starting to turn yellow from green.
Wen Gu calmly replied, "No rush, let's recuperate a bit longer.
We need to be stronger before we can travel." His cousin was confused, feeling that it sounded strange, and didn't understand.
Wen Gu didn't elaborate; if he said too much, his cousin wouldn't understand and might even give something away.
Alas… The temperature outside was clearly dropping, and indeed, it was getting close to the planned time to head north again.
However, with just the two of them, they were few and weak, lacking specialized talent. Unfortunately, the talented person he had in mind was constantly in seclusion, refining pills and not coming out; he couldn't even go to exchange pleasantries with him.
He had to think of a way.
The autumn wind had begun to blow; time was of the essence.
After practicing calligraphy for a while, Wen Gu started drawing and writing annotations. He glanced at the few remaining sheets of paper, paused, then picked up his brush and dipped it in ink.
"Tsk, the Village Chief lacks some initiative in this regard."
In the afternoon, Little Liu the Hunter brought their meal and saw Wen Gu's newly drawn blueprints.
They were illustrated and looked quite profound! It was just… "Are these characters too cramped?" Little Liu the Hunter had some education and recognized a few characters, but seeing the small, densely packed text on the paper made his eyes dizzy.
Wen Gu explained politely, "Supplies are scarce now, so we need to be frugal."
As he spoke, he casually raised his hand, guiding Little Liu the Hunter's gaze, inadvertently drawing his attention to the few remaining sheets of paper.
Little Liu the Hunter nodded in full agreement, "We do need to be economical."
He didn't say much more, but after delivering the meal, he immediately went to find the Village Chief: "More paper! We've gathered so much good paper, and we're not using it. Are we going to save it for wiping our bottoms?" Village Chief! Don't be stingy about this! We don't want to see so much dense text on the blueprints, like a tadpole nest, making our eyes hurt.
Therefore, the next day when he delivered the meal, Little Liu the Hunter brought a stack of new paper.
"The Village Chief said not to be frugal, use it when you need to, use it boldly! Write the characters larger and clearer.
Second Brother Wen, what you're doing now is crucial for the entire village's safety. Don't be stingy with this paper!"
Wen Gu accepted.
"You said it, use it boldly!" The path of calligraphy requires diligent practice and continuous effort, but unfortunately, the current survival environment is harsh, and conditions are limited. With a stack of new paper, he could contribute to the village and satisfy his own small needs—a win-win situation.
After receiving the items, the task had to be done well. In the following days, Wen Gu's focus was on the fortress.
In this world, even in times of peace, productivity was limited, and information was difficult to obtain. The collections in aristocratic homes might not have been exhaustive.
Wen Gu, born in an era of information explosion, later grew up amidst war. He then integrated his experiences and knowledge with the body's memories of this world, localizing them.
Overall, he also drew a rough comparison chart—a luxurious fortress version and a rustic village version. After establishing the general framework, he detailed the practical rural version, and the first draft was completed.
Little Liu the Hunter, as if possessing a treasure, quickly took the blueprints to the Village Chief and several clan elders. At the Village Chief's home, several important figures were gathered around a simple wooden table, looking at the blueprints in silence for a long time.
They had also been to the county town and heard stories about fortresses from storytellers in teahouses. Historically, during the end of ancient dynasties or in war-torn regions, local gentry and powerful families would build fortresses.
The imperial court, along the border, also constructed strongholds to defend against foreign enemies. The villagers at the bottom, with their limited knowledge and imagination, couldn't depict what those were like.
Now, they had material for their dreams.
The Village Chief pursed his lips, his gaze shifting with difficulty from the luxurious version to the rural version.
Their humble village was, of course, no match for those. Whether it was the fortresses of the gentry or the strongholds built by the court, they were too distant.
The drawings Wen Gu had made allowed them to choose which walls they could build and re-plan the village's layout and defenses. But… dreams (ambitions) still existed.
The Village Chief and Old Liu the Hunter looked again at the picture of the luxurious fortress. The world was in great chaos; which chaotic period didn't last for decades, or even centuries? And here, in this surrounding territory, only their village had a chance of survival.
Refugees would have to listen to them! Being optimistic and considering the long term, perhaps one day they could build the village to that scale. By then, their own status would be different…
Hiss— "Cough!" The Village Chief finally calmed down and coughed to remind everyone present, "For now, staying alive is the priority."
The elders in the village were very satisfied with the blueprints provided by Wen Gu.
They personally delivered some precious supplies to the Wen brothers and asked Wen Gu if he wanted a larger house. Wen Gu politely declined, saying that their current place was enough for the two brothers.
He also analyzed from the Village Chief's perspective: "There may be scattered survivors in surrounding villages and towns, and even if not, refugees might come. If suitable, the village can absorb them.
Keep those empty houses; they'll be useful when there are more people."
The Village Chief appreciated these words.
In chaotic times, their small population wasn't enough for development. The Village Chief's gaze towards Wen Gu became even more affectionate.
He also sent more medicinal herbs to strengthen his body.
As Wen Gu drank the tonic, he pondered: living here, they were close to several important village figures, like the Daoist master, whom he wanted to visit.
They could also detect any village developments immediately. The empty houses the Village Chief mentioned were too far away, and the conditions were average.
The current house, though small, had everything they needed, and it saved medicine for disinfection. With their allocated share of resources, a small space was just right, and the saved portion could be used for other purposes.
There was no need to move; living here was good. Besides, they wouldn't be staying long.
Because of the blueprints Wen Gu provided, several important village figures visited him frequently to chat. The more Wen Gu conversed with them, the more he understood the village's situation, especially regarding the Daoist Master Qingyi.
The Daoist master had gone into seclusion again, as usual, and wouldn't emerge for at least ten days to half a month. However, topics about the Daoist master circulated daily throughout the village.
Wen Gu learned that when the Daoist master first arrived, he performed a ritual to bless and exorcise evil spirits for the villagers, driving out parasitic worms! After taking a pill, many people expelled long worms! No matter how many times it was told, the village elders still spoke of it with shock.
Wen Gu played along, exclaiming, "The Daoist master's magic is profound!" He speculated that the parasitic worms he exorcised were likely common intestinal parasites of that era.
Before the great chaos, villagers often drank raw water and were not particular about their diet and lifestyle. They had lived like this for generations, and the chance of contracting parasites was very high.
It was only later, for exorcism and epidemic prevention, that they started paying attention. The cause of this chaotic world was likely another extremely harmful parasite that the Daoist master couldn't solve.
If he could, he wouldn't be hiding in this remote village; he would have long since attached himself to a powerful patron. But Daoist Master Qingyi was indeed a capable person.
Truly a talent! How many other professional skills did he not know about?
One day, he went to the Village Chief's house for a small meeting. The village elders had studied the fortress blueprints for a few days, and even those who couldn't read understood them reasonably well.
Regarding construction and defense, Wen Gu needed to be consulted. Wen Gu was not familiar with the village's surroundings and local terrain, so some adjustments would be necessary.
The villagers already had their own methods for defending against wild beasts. The evil creatures outside could no longer be considered human; they had lost all human intellect and were akin to wild beasts, posing an extremely dangerous threat.
However, in this chaotic world, besides defending against "wild beasts," one must also guard against humans!
The Village Chief and Liu the Hunter summarized some questions and told Wen Gu. These two had foresight and could ask pertinent questions.
How to build, where to get materials, when to start, how fast the construction would progress with the current labor force, how to defend against evil spirits during construction, and how to deal with surviving refugees—all these needed to be considered. The other village elders present, who considered themselves more familiar with the mountains, rocks, and plants around the village, offered their opinions, believing they were very wise at this moment! However, the more they spoke, the more confused their thoughts became, and they couldn't keep track, eventually falling silent.
They were worried. With so many things to do, how could they manage?
Wen Gu didn't show any sign of disdain and listened intently before offering a suggestion: "How about we make a… three-year plan?" In the current world, no one could predict future developments.
A short timeframe was unnecessary for such extensive planning, and a long timeframe was also unsuitable. For them, three years was just right.
Wen Gu explained it simply and clearly.
The Village Chief and Liu the Hunter agreed.
The other village elders, seeing this, refrained from speaking and nodded in agreement. Alas, they would follow the Village Chief and Liu the Hunter's lead; whatever they decided, they would follow.
With a goal, they had a backbone and knew more clearly what to do next. People easily become lost and lose direction when facing difficulties.
For these people, who had lived by farming for most of their lives, they had strength. As long as they found the right direction, their hearts would settle, and they would have hope.
For a time, those present felt even greater approval for Wen Gu.
The Village Chief sighed, "As expected, you scholars know more.
This fortress and this… three-year plan, it will be hard work for you." Wen Gu bowed humbly to them, "My brother and I have been taken care of by the village, so we should do our part."
Another elder happily remarked, "What 'doing our part'? This is a great use!"
Wen Gu made polite remarks. While the principal figures were in good spirits, he casually mentioned that he wanted to discuss with the Daoist master how to restrain the evil creatures outside.
The village elders, who had just expressed their admiration, looked displeased. The village had two important outsiders: one was a scholar, and the other was a Daoist priest.
The villagers treated both with respect—scholars were knowledgeable, and Daoist priests were even more mystical. If they had to choose between the two, the Daoist priest was more important now.
Divine matters > mortal matters.
One impatient elder was about to say something.
However, Wen Gu added apologetically with a sigh, "Unfortunately, the Daoist master is mystical and focused on his cultivation. After performing a ritual, he must be resting for a period.
I cannot disturb him for such a minor matter." The impatient elder swallowed his words.
The village elders' expressions softened, and they nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes! We absolutely cannot disturb the Immortal Master!" It was better to have a scholar like Wen Gu, who didn't make things difficult for them.
After this test, Wen Gu smiled understandingly and remained silent, appearing "reasonable and considerate of the bigger picture."
Inside, he thought: I won't disturb him, but… if he jumps out himself, you can't blame me.
(End of Chapter)