Famine

Chapter 22

…She's not some damn girl, she's an old monster. She even knows a talented scholar from the Song Dynasty… What do you think?

But I didn't say it aloud. Of course, I was also puzzled. Huang E was allergic to kindness, but strangely enough, when Tang Chen was kind to her, she not only didn't react, but she felt extremely comfortable.

I find it quite strange that not only is her interpretation of the oath unusually lenient, but even her allergies flare up at her whim.

But my heart was heavy, and I couldn't care less about the allergens in the desolation.

Upon entering the shrine, I placed a bottle of Royal Salute on the offering table and then shoved the packet of remnant spirits under it.

The old man didn't say anything; it was as if a storm was brewing.

"...Girl~" He roared with the aura of a flower mother, "I heard you went on a trip, but why did this bunch of old devils appear on your trip~ When will you ever learn to behave, huh? Do you think I'm some kind of junk collector... Old Zhao? Little Wang?! What, it's you guys?"

He was halfway through his outburst when he stared blankly at the several haggard and exhausted men.

"...Commander-Commander?" The former local deity surnamed Zhao stared at our old man in disbelief. "You didn't go to Xiaoliuqiu?"

"What did I do wrong to deserve being exiled to Xiaoliuqiu?" The old man was truly furious. "What kind of commander is this? There's no such thing! Tell me, how did things get to this point? Is this how I taught you? Why did you end up scattered and disoriented? Explain yourself!"

Master Zhao stammered, but the landowner under his command gritted his teeth and told the truth.

"...You bastards deserve to be beheaded!" the old man roared, his beard flying wildly. "What more do you want in terms of offerings and incense? Where did your repentance go?! I won't accept them, I won't accept them! Girl, get them far away from me! You, you...you've ruined my reputation, and you still want me to take you in? Dream on! Get out of my sight!"

The group of men knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy. The old man was furious, and I didn't dare to breathe. I could only open the bottle of Royal Salute that cost me a month's worth of food and pour myself a drink.

Who knew that at this moment, that kind-hearted simpleton tugged at me and asked, "Why is the local deity angry? What did they say?"

I waved to him, signaling him to be quiet, but it was too late.

The old man's face paled. "...You brought this philanthropist along too? Girl, how much money did I owe you in my past life that you're coming back to collect it double in this one? Tell me, tell me..."

Just then, Tang Chen bowed to the old man and said, "Although I can't hear what you're saying, these men are men I picked up, and they have nothing to do with Hengzhi."

Now, the old man's face was completely drained of color. "...Girl, can he see me?"

With a forced smile, I answered tremblingly, "Sir, you're asking a question you already know the answer to."

“…I’m dead, I’m dead. I’m guilty for letting this virtuous person see me! What am I going to do? What am I going to do…you’ve ruined me, girl!” He was already crying by the end of his curses. “Not to mention I can’t accept these sinful gods, showing myself in front of a virtuous person with good karma is an even greater sin! When is he going to become a monk? What’s the point of going to university…”

Although I only half-understood what they meant, I did understand that Tang Chen was to become a monk. To be honest, I really hate these adults. They're always suggesting Tang Chen become a monk, as if locking him away in a religious sanctuary would bring peace to the world.

I hardened my face. "He doesn't want to become a monk anyway. Even if it costs him his life, I'll keep him free." I swallowed hard and retorted to the old man, "It's my fault for leaving a mark on his clothes back then..."

"You dare talk back to me! You brat!" the old man cursed. "Why don't you think about why he's suddenly considered Tang Sanzang's flesh? Why would he be a good person out of nowhere? If you don't understand, go read Journey to the West! How can I explain these causes and effects to you? How can I, an old man, interfere? Not to mention you, you unlucky little girl who's wasting your life!"

Now I understand, even if I didn't understand before. But I can't explain why, I just won't let it go. "My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens," I said fiercely. "At most, it's just death. For someone like me, death is nothing, but if something happens to Tang Chen, or if he doesn't become a monk as he wishes, how many people will be heartbroken? You, sir, are the most understanding person, how can you want an innocent person to enter the Buddhist order?" As I spoke, my heart ached, and I started to cry.

"...He's not your husband, why are you risking everything?" The old man's tone was helpless.

"He's my only friend." I sobbed. Tang Chen hurriedly handed me a handkerchief, asking me a series of questions. I just waved my hand, took the handkerchief, and wiped my tears.

"Is it because the local earth god can't accept these men?" he asked. "Is it because these men are guilty?"

On the way back, I mentioned it to him briefly. I couldn't bear to send them to my uncle's place. My uncle's place rejects demonic energy; I couldn't even stay there myself, let alone these men who had mingled with demons. Sending them there would be nothing short of torture.

"Then, can it be registered under my name?" he said. "Everyone needs a place to live. Register it under my name and I'll take it back when I graduate and live independently, is that alright?"

Not only was the old man stunned, but even these men stared at him with their mouths agape.

"...Their original intention was...that..." I hesitated for a moment, "...to do something detrimental to you."

"Heh, I thought so too." Tang Chen smiled gently. "But meeting is fate, and leaving me would make my conscience uneasy."

…that kind-hearted fool.

The matter was resolved inexplicably.

Although it's unprecedented for a mortal to worship sinful deities under their name, and it even required consulting the City God for legal interpretation, he was treated exceptionally well because he was a virtuous person (?) and these sinful deities were spirits of the underworld, so it was handled as a "human-ghost sacrifice."

But I think the old man must have put in a lot of effort to make it go so smoothly. He may have a fierce tongue, but he's incredibly kind at heart. I wonder how many bureaucratic refrains he endured before it finally came to fruition.

Originally, the local land deities did not have five battalions of soldiers, but since these deities arrived, they could not be left unattended. So, they were essentially occupying the vacancies of the five battalions.

You asked me if I understood... to be honest, I didn't quite understand. Anyway, Tang Chen doesn't need to be taken back after graduation, but there's a ceremony to reward the troops on the 26th of the lunar month, and the memorial service should be held on time.

These men were quite happy. They said that being able to escape this sea of suffering was already wonderful, and they never expected to be able to return to their old commander's command. They would be willing to serve as soldiers in the Fifth Battalion for the rest of their lives.

"Old Commander?" I asked, puzzled. Although it was wrong for them to sneak over to chat with me like this, they had been cooped up for so long, they needed to catch up on things.

Old Zhao craned his neck to look in the old man's direction, then whispered mysteriously, "When the altar was set up, the old commander was in the vanguard, the first local deity to arrive. Back then, evil spirits were rampant; it was a complete disaster..."

According to them, when the island was first established, the higher-ups didn't pay much attention to it and sent an old man with a rather impressive title: "Commander-in-Chief." At that time, he led a group of local deities and worked very hard alongside the early settlers. Only after the island was successfully developed did the higher-ups prepare to establish a City God Temple.

At the time, all the local earth gods were happy for the old man, thinking that the position of City God was undoubtedly his. They celebrated for several days with great fanfare, but unexpectedly, a City God was appointed out of nowhere.

Following closely behind the City God was an imperial edict. On the surface, it was a reward for the old man's hard work, with genuine praise and the title of "Commander-in-Chief of Fortune and Virtue," to be worshipped in temples. In reality, however, the decree was to relocate him to the remote island of Xiaoliuqiu.

"Later, with so many people and so much to do, and hearing that the commander of Xiaoliuqiu had taken office, we thought our old commander had gone. But who knew he was so proud and arrogant that he declined the promotion and volunteered to come here to manage the cemetery..." The men sighed in unison.

…No wonder. No wonder Huang'e said that other local deities are no good, but our old master can get things done. Because he was originally a commander-in-chief, seeing how respectful these men are, he must be very popular.

I don't think the old man really cared about the promotion. It was just that his achievements were so great that they threatened the emperor. He was parachuted in as the City God, and fearing that his subordinates would not be convinced, he simply demoted him in name only, sending him far away.

I never expected that "the higher-ups" would be so political. It just so happens that I came to this school and am now adding to the old man's population (and causing him trouble) every day.

On the second day of this month, I doubled the offerings, but the wine was just regular aged baijiu. It's pathetic that I've been living off Tang Chen and Shuo for a month; I really can't just freeload like that. But I still did my best to prepare the offerings.

"I don't need you to pity this old man, you little brat!" He snapped. "If it weren't for you two troublemakers, I would be living a very leisurely life!"

"Yes, yes, yes." I nodded obsequiously and bowed my head to offer incense.

“...Your face.” He hesitated for a moment, but still said, “Let’s just abandon that vicious bird.”

“No, sir,” I replied softly. “It’s nothing, just let it be.”

He drank in silence. “With your condition, you can’t even drink incense ash water, let alone practice spirit writing.”

"It's alright," I said calmly. "We're inseparable."

He sighed, but surprisingly did not scold me.

The old man was such a good person… I mean, a good god. He wasn't some kind of humanist deity; he had a very broad mind.

I am truly fortunate to have His care and protection. As for the changes in the desolation and the fine scales on my face... I do not wish to think about them for the time being.

The class trip came to a safe end, but there were a few minor aftereffects.

That spectacular spirit writing session was actually filmed by someone using a V8 camera. Unfortunately, the young lady was in the frame. Suddenly, a huge uproar ensued, and the video went viral online for quite some time.

As a result, the kind-hearted young lady who rescued us turned out to be a "vengeful ghost" and was mistaken for a bad person.

I was worried that the young lady would be angry, so I sent a messenger to apologize. But she was really gentle and just smiled and let it go.

“We are ill-fated, and wanting to avert disaster for others will only cause them fear.” She had the ghost messenger reply to me, “This is not the first case, nor will it be the last. Anyone who is willing to do it should accept it with joy; the virtuous need not worry.”

Such a person deserves to have descendants.

But the rumors spread like wildfire, and other classes wanted to go on class trips, so they came and dragged me along with Tang Chen, which made me feel helpless and amused at the same time.

I'm not crazy, why would I want to suffer? I absolutely refused, and they begged me until the very end, "It's fine if you don't go, but can you give me a lucky charm?"

…I'm not a Taoist priest, God…

Annoyed to the point of no return, Huang E said in a cold and indifferent tone, "I'll draw one and make a copy for you, that'll get rid of them, won't it?"

"Don't draw talismans that will attract bad things!" I looked at her suspiciously.

"Who am I? I'm the Goddess Zigu!" she said arrogantly. "You think you can make things difficult for me with such a trivial matter?"

I took a copy of the talisman she drew and had it copied for people in other classes, and strangely enough, it kept them safe. It was really puzzling.

As for discovering that it was a pregnancy-preserving talisman, most of the semester had already passed.

The old man and Huang E laughed loudly in unison, creating a great commotion.

"Grandpa, why didn't you remind me sooner!" I blushed with embarrassment. Good heavens, I actually gave a pregnancy-preserving amulet as a peace charm to a classmate in another class... This...

"It's just for peace of mind. The form doesn't matter..." He wiped away tears of laughter. "Little bird, this is wonderful... a pregnancy-protecting talisman! Hahahaha~"

I sighed wearily and covered my face.

(Completed)

Part Two: Dreamcatcher

After settling the men in, Tang Chen and I returned to Shuo's house, exhausted. To my surprise, Uncle Shi was sitting in a coffee shop, drinking coffee with Shuo.

I have a subtle fear of highly accomplished people, and now that two highly accomplished people are sitting together, that fear is amplified.

"You're back?" Shuo smiled faintly. "I'll make you some tea." She stood up.

But her uncle called out to her, "Shopkeeper."

Shuo tilted his eyes slightly. "Daoist Master, we each follow our own path. If you don't mind my bluntness despite our brief acquaintance, I'd like to offer you some advice. Seeking good fortune cannot prevent misfortune; good and bad are always intertwined. That's all. I hope you take care."

“Indeed, everyone has their own path, but what is the purpose of reading the books of sages and worthies?” Uncle Shi replied with righteous indignation.

Shuo didn't answer, but just smiled and went to the counter.

…The way these wise people speak is truly profound and insightful. If I could understand them, I might be able to study at Harvard.

"Uncle!" Tang Chen exclaimed in shock, "What...what's wrong with you?"

It was then that I noticed my uncle's face and arms were wrapped in bandages, and he looked badly injured. I could only think of Jiaolong, and I felt a pang of sadness.

I'm afraid that if I release the dragon, that stubborn fellow will cause trouble and implicate Uncle.

"...Uncle, it's my fault..." I stammered, "Was it that stupid dragon...?"

"As expected, the dragon escaped thanks to your help." Uncle smiled and kindly gestured for us to sit down. "His tribulation is over, and it's time to give him his freedom... Although he was somewhat resentful, he only came to find my master who passed away many years ago... He didn't make things difficult for me." He looked at the injuries on his body. "This isn't from that dragon. I interfered in other people's karma, so I'm fortunate to have such injuries."

"Each family bears its own karma." I suddenly became unhappy. Actually, karma isn't that scary; it's people's fear that amplifies the harm. Only when you truly keep karma in your heart will it truly exist. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. If you know nothing, don't care, and don't give up trying because of difficulties, karma can't touch you.

My uncle didn't say anything, just looked at me and smiled, then glanced at Tang Chen, making my face burn red. But he smoothly changed the subject, "I just happened to be passing by, and I had nothing going on in Tainan... so I came to see where you're staying." He praised, "You're really lucky to be living here."

Shuo chuckled behind the counter and slowly shook his head.

He kindly inquired about our lives and listened attentively to our travel experiences. He shook his head disapprovingly, "Xiao Chen, you shouldn't have taken on this. I remember telling you that."

"Yes," Tang Chen replied, "but as Uncle said, what is the point of reading the classics?"

My uncle chuckled, "You're getting more and more eloquent." He glanced at the barrenness on my shoulder, seemingly unintentionally. Unlike before, she wasn't afraid; instead, she glared back.

“Your illness is becoming increasingly difficult to cure,” my uncle said to me.

I forced myself to say, "...I never intended to cure her."

He stepped closer and looked at my face, then suddenly touched it, startling me so much that I quickly looked away. His expression was one of pity and sadness, making me feel like I had a terminal illness.