The author of the book "The Book of the Dead"

Chapter 31: Immortal Governor, Eight Animals Disciple (Seeking Follow-up Reading)

The autumn wind is bone-chilling and the breath turns to frost.

As the sun rose above the pole, Xu Xianzhi slowly got up, stretched, got dressed, and washed his face.

Outside the courtyard, there was a scent of delicious food coming from where the two brothers Tan Shao and Tan Dao Ji were eating around the stove.

"Salted vegetables and tofu? Give me a pair of chopsticks. Where are the other two brothers?"

"They were called away by Brother Xiao."

Xu Xianzhi took the chopsticks, dipped them in soy sauce, and started eating happily.

Tofu and soy sauce are Liuzhuang's specialties, and have become very popular in Kuaiji recently. Tofu is basically distributed as a welfare benefit in the village.

"Not bad, not bad. Give me two peppercorns."

For more than half a year, Xu Xianzhi has lived a very comfortable life.

He was a child who was not valued in the family. He was not very serious and was always looked down upon by his family. So he went out to make a living in anger.

On the way, he heard Xie Anshi's evaluation of Liang Yue, and thought that he could learn how to govern the country and become a high-ranking official in the future.

Unexpectedly, Liang Yue didn't teach him at all, but the treatment he gave him was good. Plus, the atmosphere in Liuzhuang was good, so Xu Xianzhi didn't leave and stayed to play.

Looking at the hazy weather, Xu Xianzhi still felt a little lost.

The owner of the manor is a talented person. I took the initiative to ask him before, but he just smiled and said nothing. I guess he looked down on me for being so careless.

After eating and drinking, the two brothers Tan Shao stood up.

"Where?"

Xu Xianzhi followed the two brothers to the fields.

"So this is it."

This is the land specially designated by the owner at the beginning of the year. There are a total of 300 acres. Different types of rice are planted in every ten acres. Some rice fields also raise fish, shrimps and crabs.

There is also a peculiarly shaped water raft not far away.

The owner of the manor was standing on the soft rice field, wearing a bamboo hat. Bao Qian and the old farmer beside him were also dressed the same way.

"It's... too straightforward and bold." Xu Xianzhi was shocked.

Perhaps, this is the owner's unique hobby.

If this hobby is made known to others, it will surely cause scholars to laugh at it.

He is indeed a madman.

Liang Yue raised his head and said, "You came just in time. Xianzhi, help record it. Bao Qian, teach him."

After saying that, he handed me a thick book.

Xu Xianzhi looked down and saw densely packed horizontal and vertical lines that he couldn't understand, as well as words like breeding, maturity period, plant height, yield, and other words that he seemed to understand but not quite.

Liang Yue went there alone with a few carpenters to tinker with something.

"Hey, Master, are you really going to do this?" Xu Xianzhi asked loudly, but when he saw that the person had gone far away, he had no choice but to do as he was told.

Next, the fields were harvested acre by acre.

This output seems a little bit wrong...

……

The wild mountain paths are overgrown with weeds.

The old man was walking along the path holding a wooden stick. His white beard reached down to his chest, and he was thin and wearing a neat linen robe, which made him look like an immortal.

He walked as fast as the wind carrying the package on his back, and he didn't look old at all.

This is Bao Liang, the governor of Nanhai. He recently resigned from his post and has been traveling around the world to visit famous people in various immortal mountains.

Bao Liang's master was the famous Wujiao Master Zuo Ci in the late Later Han Dynasty.

"People's livelihood is so destitute." Bao Liang frowned, his face solemn.

Wherever he went, the villages were deserted and the people were pale and thin. This was an ominous sign.

Lingnan Nanhai is located in a remote area, but it is quiet and peaceful.

"Hey, I wonder if the old friend's son is still alive."

Bao Liang did not go directly into the city, but came to a remote mountain forest.

A small path in the bamboo forest leads to an unnamed house.

The mountain breeze blew, the bamboo shadows swayed and rustled; the deafening sound of water splashing came from the waterfall not far away.

The bamboos are lush and tall, and the ducks are jumping around; it is a great place to escape from the world and the war.

Bao Liang stood outside the door and called out.

"What's the solution?"

Through the fence, I saw a monk in a white robe opening the door. The monk had a white face and no beard, and looked elegant. He was about forty years old.

"It has been more than ten years since our master passed away. I am Jie Kong, his disciple, and you are...?" The monk opened the door and welcomed the old man in. They sat at the stone table and the monk brought out some tea.

"Nanhai Bao Liang." Bao Liang stroked his beard and smiled without saying anything. "Bao Liang..." Jie Kong raised his eyebrows and calculated in his mind, a little surprised, "Are you the immortal governor that Master mentioned? Aren't you over 120 this year?"

He is indeed a divine governor.

"There is no such thing as a divine governor. This old Taoist is ninety-six years old this year. People in the world are just spreading rumors."

Alchemists spend a lot of money and usually rely on the powerful to make elixirs. In order to gain trust, they often lie about their age, saying they are forty when they are twenty, or sixty or seventy when they are forty.

The question is, what is the secret to maintaining youthful looks?

The two talked about what they had seen along the way.

Jie Kong sighed and said, "I seldom go down the mountain. In the declining era of the Han Dynasty, the aristocratic families fought for power. I was unwilling to be part of it, so I decided to retreat from the world and practice cultivation, away from the hustle and bustle."

"Why did the Immortal Master come out this time?"

"Visiting old friends and walking through the green mountains." Bao Liang looked gloomy. He had practiced Taoism for many years but achieved nothing.

At this age, I already know my destiny. While I still have some years left, I want to find a place to end the rest of my life, and visit famous mountains and rivers and meet old friends.

The solution is gone, and another one is probably about the same.

I heard that this person lived in seclusion here before, I wonder if there is any news about him.

Thinking of this, Bao Liang asked, "Are there any famous alchemists in Kuaiji?"

"Haha." Jie Kong laughed sarcastically, "There are many of them. The sorcerer Wang who turned an empty basin into a snake, the monk Liu who took things from the air, and there is another one who is even more powerful. He claims to have lived from the first year of Huangchu to the present. The nobles are very enthusiastic about this person, and there is a trend of taking elixirs and seeking medicine."

"Haha, you stupid rat."

Bao Liang laughed heartily.

After years of seeking immortality, how could I not know that the road to immortality is blocked?

He spent many years searching for immortals in the hope of success, but always returned with regret.

"But there is one person who may have real skills. This person refines the Green Willow Pill and cures countless diseases. He usually keeps a low profile and does not boast about his reputation."

"His name is Liang Shanbo, Liang Yue, and people call him the madman of Liuzhuang."

"Oh? Where is this person?"

"I also want to see this person, why don't we go together?"

"Alright."

The two of them headed all the way to Liuzhuang.

In Liuzhuang, the rice harvest is good and farmers are harvesting autumn rice.

Everyone I asked along the way had high praise for the owner of the manor.

"He is a capable person, not one who seeks fame and reputation." Bao Liang nodded secretly.

This Qingliu Dan must be real.

Bao Liang especially liked to visit those alchemists who had real elixir recipes.

Seeing that the two men were outsiders, the commander of the army took them to meet the emperor without asking too many questions.

The two men walked through the farmland with doubts.

Soon, a young man wearing a bamboo hat was seen on the ridge of the field ahead.

"This person is the owner of the manor."

Bao Liang is well-informed, but all the people she comes into contact with are elegant hermits and people who live in seclusion from the world.

Or burn incense, fast and purify oneself; or discuss philosophical ideas in a quiet room, wearing crane cloaks and feather clothes; at the very least, one can enjoy the countryside with plum blossoms and chrysanthemums, pure and quiet.

It was the first time I saw people working in muddy rice fields, and they looked very young.

"Xianzhi, the improved varieties have been selected. According to the data of Group A3, the yield next year can increase by at least 30%..."

Liang Yue said that in his spare time, besides practicing Taoism and refining elixirs, he would study farming.

During his previous visits to the people, he found that an ordinary family needed at least two people, two oxen, and a plow to cultivate the land; even with these, conditions such as water conservancy, tax avoidance, good climate, and no war were still needed, and farming for small families was extremely risky.

Without these conditions, a family can only feed themselves with at least 100 acres of land under rough farming and planting conditions. And that's in a good year. If there is any unrest, they will become refugees.

The only way for common people to resist risks is to rely on the aristocratic families, and the manor economy is popular.

If we propose the imperial examination system now, it is just a superficial system and cannot really solve the problem. The only magic weapon that can really break up the aristocratic families is the land under our feet that has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

"Idle talk ruins a country, but hard work makes it prosperous. Envy them, for the way to pacify the world lies in them."

Xu Xianzhi looked at the actual data in the booklet and was distracted for a moment.

Only then did Liang Yue notice the two people.

"Who are you two?"

"Nanhai Baoliang."

"The Immortal Governor?" Liang Yue thought of this person.

(End of this chapter)