Chapter 62

This night, almost no one in Xishan Township slept well. The prospect of trading a liter of locusts for a wild chicken or a hare was stimulating their nerves. Whether they were the gentry, the hunters, or the servants and miscellaneous workers, especially the latter two, they all wished it would be daylight soon so they could start their great locust-catching endeavor.

Despite Xishan Township being close to Fushan Mountain, where there seemed to be plenty of mountain goods, hunting in the mountains was very dangerous. From the beginning of the hunt, the old hunters would warn them that this line of work could cost them their lives at any moment. The best outcome was to have the body dragged back, but the worst was to lose one's life in the mountains, becoming food for wild beasts. Now, just catching a few locusts could exchange for what they used to have to risk their lives to hunt, who wouldn't be excited?

Regardless of how the people of Xishan Township were, Mr. Bian didn't sleep well either. First, he chatted with Anping for an hour, then returned to the Zhang family and talked with Zhang Jiulang's father for a while before finally falling asleep. He got up as soon as it was light and went to the Zhang family's main hall.

In the Zhang family's main hall, An Tingzhang, Zhen Ba, Cui Lan, and Mu Tou were all present. Zhang's father was carefully accompanying An Tingzhang in conversation.

Although he had already told Lin Bei that he would go to Longtan to select the site for the new school today, Mr. Bian changed his mind. He decided to take Cui Lan and Zhen Ba to Hepu County to meet the county magistrate, so he left the new school matters to An Tingzhang and Mu Tou.

In this era, any school was a great benefit to the locality because it could increase prestige. The benefits of prestige in this era are self-evident. Think of Yuan Shao, who had disciples and former officials spread throughout the world, which is why he had a surge of talent in the early stages of the struggle for power. If Yuan Shao himself had been more capable, Brother Mengde really wouldn't have been able to compete with him. This is the benefit of prestige.

Last night, Mr. Bian talked to An Tingzhang about the Nanyue Academy. An Tingzhang naturally supported it wholeheartedly and decided to take on the role of supervisor, hoping to eventually have a position in the academy. Zhang Jiulang's father had already decided to fund half of the academy's construction, which could be said to have the support of the entire township.

After talking for a while, they split up. Mr. Bian took a ox cart, with a water deer for the county magistrate on board. Cui Lan and Zhen Ba went with him, and another ox cart was led by An Tingzhang, carrying Mr. Bian's cherished bamboo slips and supplies for Lin Bei, including oil and salt. Mu Tou and a few other hunters went with them, heading to Fushan Mountain to prepare for Lin Bei to select the site.

Let's leave Mr. Bian's trip to Hepu and focus on An Tingzhang and the others entering Fushan Mountain. Although he had talked with Mr. Bian for a long time last night, Anping was still not quite at ease. He repeatedly asked Mu Tou about the nature and preferences of Lord Yaolong. As the highest administrative official of Xishan Township, Anping was very interested in Lin Bei. Mr. Bian had also subtly warned An Tingzhang last night that although Lord Yaolong had a good character, he did not abide by the laws of the court. His actions, though whimsical, still had some logic to them. Moreover, what Lord Yaolong did was highly beneficial to Xishan Township.

Anping felt that today's Xishan Township was filled with a kind of vitality. The villagers got up very early, with whole families mobilized, holding various items. Upon inquiry, it turned out they wanted to go out early to catch locusts. Although their eyes had bloodshot, they looked spirited and full of energy. Even Anping could see that their eyes were filled with hope.

The faces of Mu Tou and his companions also showed envy because they also wanted to catch locusts. Anping asked Mu Tou, "Is it true that one liter of locusts can be exchanged for a mountain chicken?"

"Of course it's true," Mu Tou replied without hesitation, "The lord would never deceive us."

"Oh?" Anping asked again, "If all the people of Xishan Township work together, we can catch at least several thousand liters of locusts in a day. Are there several thousand mountain chickens in Fushan Mountain? Even if there are, how can Lord Yaolong... catch so many?"

Mu Tou thought for a moment and hesitantly said, "The lord is a monster and must possess monster magic. What we can't do should be nothing to the lord."

Anping didn't say anything, but a hint of worry crossed his mind. Now, the people of Xishan Township both respected and feared Lord Yaolong, and they believed his words without doubt. If Lord Yaolong were to do something despicable, what could be done? But Anping himself was powerless. Although he was a Tingzhang, he dared not go against public opinion. There were many cases of officials being killed in Nanyue, and even the county magistrate could lose his head. Anping could only hope that Lord Yaolong was as good as Mr. Bian said.

When the ox cart left Xishan Township, Anping found that some villagers had already come out, dragging their families to chase the flying locusts. Every time they caught a liter, they would say, "One mountain chicken." Anping could only sigh.

Entering Fushan Mountain, the road became difficult, and the ox cart was even harder to move. Anping had to get out of the cart. He often heard hunters say that Fushan Mountain was full of snakes and insects, but this time, he found it quite safe, with almost no snakes or insects.

"This road has been passed by the lord several times. He must have driven away the snakes, insects, and wild beasts from this area," Mu Tou explained.

Anping felt a bit frightened. To be able to drive away wild beasts and snakes, he truly lived up to being a monster, with unfathomable powers. After thinking this, he felt more at ease about Lord Yaolong. Since his magic was so powerful, it would be impossible for humans to stop him from doing anything. Since he was still trading with humans, he must not have any despicable intentions, but was acting out of genuine goodwill.

Anping himself probably didn't notice this psychological shift. When he arrived at Longtan and saw Lin Bei, he felt only two words: reverence.

Lin Bei was now 13.5 meters tall. When Lin Bei stood up, the height of his upper body alone exceeded 6 meters, plus the snake body as thick as a human waist. The impact was so great that it was hard to think of anything other than reverence.

"Lord, I am Anping, the Tingzhang of Xishan Township, An Pingzhong, paying my respects to the lord." Anping couldn't help but call Lin Bei "lord" like the hunters.