Chapter 8

As the smoke rose, it indicated that someone was there. Bai Minghe was preparing to enter the valley again but was still stopped.

"Bai Sir, that old hunter is a peculiar old man. It's best not to go! The elders in the village have said that this old man has been in the mountains for fifty years, but he only comes out once or twice a year to exchange some oil, salt, and grain."

Bai Minghe was determined to solve the problems of the thirty-two villages in Baling, and this valley was a good opportunity to do so. Therefore, he did not listen to the advice: "You all go back first. Come here before dawn tomorrow and leave some food."

He only had a little dry food with him, and what Bai Minghe decided, the head of the Sun clan could not stop.

The old hunter was peculiar, but he was not a monster. The Sun clan people watched as Bai Minghe entered the old hunter's yard and then left together.

Water was boiling in the old hunter's pot, and two mountain chickens were still struggling for their lives on the ground.

Seeing a stranger suddenly appear in his home, the old hunter did not get up, only glancing at Bai Minghe with the corner of his eye.

Bai Minghe, however, straightened his clothes and bowed deeply: "I am Bai Minghe from Guanzhong, a candidate for the imperial examination this year. I have come uninvited, only to ask the old man about the mountains and the valley around here."

While speaking, Bai Minghe kept his eyes on the old hunter, clearly seeing the contempt in his eyes. It was also clear that the old hunter knew the status of a candidate.

Having lived two lives and seen all kinds of people, the old man gave Bai Minghe a sense of clarity.

"Your junior, Bai Minghe, humbly requests your assistance!" Bai Minghe bowed again.

The old hunter remained unmoved, continuing to whittle his bamboo arrow, not even turning his head this time.

Bai Minghe's mind raced, analyzing who this old man might be. A person who could live in seclusion for fifty years could only be someone who had experienced great sorrow. If they had great hatred, they would have sought revenge long ago. Only someone who had experienced great sorrow could see through everything and live in seclusion.

Just as Bai Minghe was thinking about how to speak again, the old hunter suddenly stood up. His aged face had a pair of calm, water-like eyes, which reminded Bai Minghe of his teacher from his previous life, who had guided him into business. Only a person without desires could be trustworthy and establish a business on trust.

"What do you want?" Perhaps because he had not spoken to anyone for a long time, the old hunter's tone was strange.

A bad idea suddenly arose in Bai Minghe's mind, and he smiled faintly: "I plan to destroy your yard and make you homeless. Then I will flood this valley."

"Ha ha ha!" The old hunter burst into laughter, his voice shaking the night birds in the forest.

"I want to solve the problems of the thirty-two villages in Baling. I have bet everything, even pledged the floating tickets for the imperial examination to the eight village heads. I do not seek wealth or any return from the thirty-two villages. I only seek to gain a reputation through this opportunity. Another reason is that I know I will not pass the imperial examination, so I dared to pledge the floating tickets to the eight village heads!"

Bai Minghe spoke his true thoughts in one breath.

This was a gamble, betting that the old man was not an ordinary hunter, and betting on a connection.

The old hunter did not answer immediately but drew his bow and arrow. With just a glance, he shot two birds flying out of the forest, piercing them through and making them fall to the ground.

"I... I have killed countless people. You have quite a bit of courage to enter this yard. What does the life or death of the thirty-two villages in Baling have to do with me?"

What a remarkable skill! Bai Minghe's eyes widened. Was this a normal person? In the modern world, would there even be a point in the Olympic archery competition?

"Join me, and I will give you three taels of silver a month. I, Bai Minghe from Guanzhong, am well-read, loyal, and righteous. I value... " Before Bai Minghe could finish his lines, his neck was grabbed, and the old hunter, with a murderous aura, said: "I have killed countless people!"

Bai Minghe struggled for a long time before the old hunter let go.

He squatted down and panted for a while before catching his breath. Bai Minghe was not discouraged: "Killing one person makes you a thief, killing ten makes you a hero, killing a hundred makes you a great hero, and killing a thousand makes you a great hero. If you can kill ten thousand, you will be remembered for a hundred years. You have only killed a few people. I, Bai Minghe from Guanzhong, am a descendant of Bai Qi, the Martial Peace Lord, who killed a million people and was remembered for a thousand years!"

"Nonsense, Bai Qi did not kill a million!"

"I will change my surname to yours if he did not kill a million!" Bai Minghe's temper flared, but the old hunter's calm eyes turned to a faint murderous aura: "If he killed a million, I will change my surname to yours!"

"Old man, don't be stubborn. I, Bai Minghe from Guanzhong, represent the Bai clan of Guanzhong, and I will debate this with you today!"

Changing one's surname is a common phrase in modern arguments, but in the Ming Dynasty, it might not have the same meaning. The old man built a fire, roasted a chicken, and wrote the history of the State of Qin and the war history of Bai Qi in the sand with a branch.

Bai Minghe's knowledge of history was mediocre, but he knew some special figures.

Not just a million, but one million six hundred thousand, I, Bai Minghe from Guanzhong, will debate this with you.

The Battle of Yique, where 240,000 soldiers of the Han and Wei alliance were killed. The capture of the Chu capital, where 350,000 Chu soldiers were killed. The attack on Zhao, where 600,000 Zhao soldiers were killed (including the Battle of Changping). The attack on Wei at Huayang, where 130,000 heads were cut off. The battle with General Jia Yan of Zhao, where 20,000 soldiers were drowned. The attack on Han at Xingcheng, where 50,000 heads were cut off.

Bai Minghe wrote the war history of Bai Qi in the sand with modern penmanship, writing over a thousand words.

After finishing, he finished a mountain chicken, drank a large mouthful of wine, and threw the empty bottle into the valley, laughing to the sky: "The Bai clan of Guanzhong, the name of the Martial Peace Lord, who dares to challenge it in the world!" After laughing, he fell asleep by the fire.

The old hunter held a torch and read each line. Not only did he read, but he also wrote down the relevant sentences from the books he had read, making calculations.

After reading about the Battle of Changping, the old hunter looked at Bai Minghe, who was sleeping by the fire, and understood. As a descendant of the Bai clan, being emotionally moved by the glory of his ancestors was understandable. After analyzing everything, the old man suddenly looked up and said with a sigh: "Killing a million people, remembered for a thousand years! Remembered for a thousand years!"

Unconsciously, it was already morning. When Bai Minghe woke up, the words on the ground had disappeared.

The old hunter came to Bai Minghe: "From now on, I will take the surname Bai."

Bai Minghe was not fully awake, staring at the old hunter for a long time before asking: "Then what?"

"I have lost to you, that's it. I will take the surname Bai." The old hunter said firmly, went back into the house, and brought out his full set of hunting equipment, preparing to take Bai Minghe into the mountains, and said: "You said last night that you want to use this valley to store water, but how will you make the water flow to those villages?"

"I have my ways." Bai Minghe did not explain further. Seeing this valley, he thought of the modern landslide lakes. Flooding this abandoned quarry did not cause him any guilt, and the connected valley would not be instantly submerged, giving small animals a chance to escape.

As for the trees on the mountain, those in low-lying areas would be submerged, so they could be cut down in advance.

After a quick tour of the mountains and confirming the location, they returned to the old hunter's house, where the Sun clan people had also arrived.

"Let's go to the Lu family!" Bai Minghe had a plan in mind, bringing a deer the old hunter had hunted as a gift, and hurriedly headed to the Lu family. At this time, Bai Minghe knew only the Lu family could help him.

All unowned land belonged to the government, and more specifically, to the emperor.

Who owned this mountain and valley, Bai Minghe needed to know clearly. To proceed, he first needed to obtain the land rights.

At the Lu family, Lu Zhenqiu, the third son of the Lu family and a fifth-rank scholar, personally received Bai Minghe in the side hall. The head of the Sun clan was invited to the kitchen to eat some hot food.

"Lu Sir, to be honest, I can solve this problem. I can ensure that the water situation for the spring plowing in the thirty-two villages of Baling will improve this year, and it will be completely solved next year. Moreover, I have a large project that can bring in at least a thousand taels of silver annually for the thirty-two villages and a hundred taels of tax for the government."

Lu Zhenqiu sat down, originally preparing to exchange polite words.

Logically, Bai Minghe should have apologized first, as he was disturbing during the New Year and during the Lu family's banquet. He should have said some words of self-reproach and apology. Therefore, Lu Zhenqiu had prepared some polite words.

However, Bai Minghe started by saying he had already solved the problem, truly leaving Lu Zhenqiu speechless.

"Whew..." Lu Zhenqiu drew a deep breath. This problem had not been solved for decades. Who would dare to say that the previous county magistrates and prefects were incompetent?

"Nephew, are you sure?" Lu Zhenqiu's address changed. His son was two years older than Bai Minghe and was also a candidate for the imperial examination this year. Calling Bai Minghe "nephew" was not inappropriate and even added a touch of intimacy.

"Let me hear this too, is it youthful arrogance or the talent of a candidate?" A young eunuch walked in, though arrogant, he still bowed to Lu Zhenqiu: "Lu Sir, I was originally here to say goodbye, but I heard some interesting news. Please forgive my rudeness."

Face and respect go hand in hand.

Since the eunuch gave Lu Zhenqiu face, Lu Zhenqiu smiled and nodded, then introduced Bai Minghe: "This is the head of the Imperial Dietary Office, Jin Guanshi, who is in Shanxi to procure wine and vinegar. Due to the snow, the roads are difficult, and he has borrowed a hundred servants from my family to deliver the wine to the palace before the Lantern Festival!"

In a few sentences, Lu Zhenqiu not only introduced the eunuch but also expressed his attitude and revealed several issues.

First, calling Jin Guanshi by his title indicated that he had no close ties with the eunuch, a way to draw a line, as a scholar should not associate with eunuchs.

Second, Bai Minghe guessed that it was the New Year, and the county and prefecture offices might not be able to gather enough people, and even if they could, it would take time. Additionally, the eunuch's position was not high enough to borrow help from the military.

Finally, the young eunuch was working hard, not letting the snow delay his journey.