Chapter 94 - 91: Mind’s Eye
Chapter 94: Chapter 91: Mind’s Eye
At this time,
in Xiahe County, at the residence of Scholar Liu.
This was Scholar Liu’s home in the county seat. In fact, his family spent most of their time living in the city.
This was especially true after Fang Yue had passed the Martial Examination to become a Martial Scholar, while his own son had failed to become a Civil Scholar.
His son even took the examination a second time and still failed to pass.
Adding to that the time he had taken Liu Chuanzhi to the Fang Family to propose a marriage, only to be rejected.
His son, Liu Chuanzhi, began to suffer a mental breakdown. He became irritable and prone to fits of rage, frequently beating and cursing the servants and smashing objects.
Eventually, he descended into madness, constantly muttering gibberish.
Scholar Liu had summoned famous doctors, but they could not cure him.
Later, he even invited a Daoist Master from the city’s temple. Talismanic water, child’s urine, shamanistic rituals—he tried everything, nearly tormenting his son to death in the process.
In the end, he was still not cured.
Scholar Liu was utterly despondent, and a deep-seated resentment for Fang Yue’s Family began to fester in his heart.
’If it weren’t for them, how could my brilliant son have ended up like this!’
A selfish man would never look for the cause within himself; he would always place the blame on others.
Thus, Fang Yue, the one who had a conflict with Liu Chuanzhi, became the target of his hatred.
Unfortunately, Fang Yue was a Martial Scholar. There was nothing he could do to him.
He didn’t dare entertain any wicked ideas.
"What did you say? Fang Yue was gravely injured? He’s a Wastrel now and can never practice martial arts again?"
On this day, Scholar Liu was at home, secretly wondering if he should take another concubine and have another son to inherit the family estate.
After all, with Liu Chuanzhi having gone ’mad,’ he was no longer fit to be the heir.
"Fang Yue has actually become a Wastrel! This is wonderful news!"
The truth was, Scholar Liu had been too preoccupied with family matters recently.
Otherwise, with his connections, he should have received this news long ago.
"Indeed! This is retribution! Retribution!"
Scholar Liu roared with laughter, then strode toward the rear courtyard.
He had to tell Liu Chuanzhi this news.
At this moment, in a secluded room in the rear courtyard of Scholar Liu’s residence,
a disheveled and filthy Liu Chuanzhi sat dazedly on the floor.
"I am a Scholar! I passed the examination to become a Scholar!"
"I passed the metropolitan exam! I am a high official!"
"HAHAHAHA~"
Liu Chuanzhi was a raving lunatic, crying one moment and laughing the next.
Just then, the door opened, and the sound startled him.
Liu Chuanzhi looked at Scholar Liu. "Hmph! Have you no manners? You see this official and do not kneel? Do you wish to be caned?"
"How audacious! You dare to approach? Guards, seize this scoundrel for me!"
He had mistaken his own father, Scholar Liu, for a criminal.
"Chuanzhi," Scholar Liu began, "listen to your father. Fang Yue has met his retribution. He’s been crippled."
Seeing his son’s crazed state, Scholar Liu’s heart ached.
But he still told Liu Chuanzhi the news he’d received. No matter what state Liu Chuanzhi was in, he had to be told.
"Sigh... you’ve become like this. In the future... the future..."
Grief-stricken, Scholar Liu sighed for a moment and prepared to turn and leave.
But just then, Liu Chuanzhi suddenly rushed to his side, grabbed him, and stared with wide, round eyes.
Just as Scholar Liu thought his son was having another fit of madness and was about to call for help, Liu Chuanzhi asked in an urgent voice:
"Father? What did you just say? That Fang Yue... is a Wastrel?!"
Scholar Liu was instantly stunned.
’My son... is he cured?’
’Just by hearing that Fang Yue has been ruined, the madness that stumped every doctor in the city has been cured?!!’
~~~~~~~
Day by day, time passed.
Summer passed and spring arrived. In the blink of an eye, another year had gone by.
This year marked the fifth year since Fang Yue had arrived in this world.
The water shortage had still not been alleviated. Over the past year, Fang Cheng had led the tenants in digging nearly a hundred wells.
Only twenty percent of them actually had water.
They could only plant extremely drought-resistant crops, and the harvests were poor, amounting to only twenty to thirty percent of previous years’ yields.
Famine broke out across the entire Shanyang Prefecture.
It was only in places like Da Liushu Village, where most of the villagers had commended their land to landlords,
that people could still scrape by, as they did not have to pay taxes or grain levies to the imperial court. It had become a sort of secluded paradise.
In Da Liushu Village, at Fang Yue’s Family home, in the west courtyard,
Fang Yue remained in his small courtyard.
"Zhi! Zhi! There’s a letter for you!" Fang Cheng ran in and handed the letter to Fang Yue.
With the water shortage preventing much work, and his wife having recently given birth, Fang Cheng had been spending most of his time at home.
He helped his younger brother by running errands and doing what he could.
Sometimes, he would also push the wheelchair and take his brother out for a stroll around the area.
Yes, his younger brother called the wheeled chair he had made a ’wheelchair.’
A chair with wheels... it really should be called a wheelchair.
"Mm, thanks, Brother."
Fang Yue took the letter, opened it, and saw that it was, as expected, from his master, Fang Hu.
Ever since Fang Hu learned of Fang Yue’s injury, he had sent him a letter every so often.
He would ask about Fang Yue’s recent situation and also share some news.
From these letters, Fang Yue learned that after going to the Prefecture City, Fang Hu had joined the Prefecture City Guard Army.
Last year, he had been rotated into the campaign to attack the Mo Mountain Tribe. He was now stationed with the army in Mo Mountain, in a standoff with the tribe.
He was completely unable to leave; otherwise, given Fang Hu’s temperament, he would have definitely returned for a visit.
"There are rumors in the army that the current ’drought’ in Shanyang Prefecture is related to the imperial court’s attack on the Mo Mountain Tribe..."
After finishing the letter, Fang Yue was deeply shaken.
’The entire Shanyang Prefecture’s abnormal water shortage... is the Mo Mountain Tribe behind it?’
’How could the Mo Mountain Tribe possibly have such power?’
It wasn’t that Fang Yue looked down on the mountain people of the Mo Mountain Tribe. But if they could affect an entire prefecture and accomplish such a feat, would they still fear the Government Office?
How could the Official Army, composed of ordinary men, have them besieged for over two years?
Therefore, this war had begun abruptly, and its progression was shrouded in mystery.
’However, if the Mo Mountain Tribe is truly connected to this ’drought,’ then it would explain why they’ve been able to fight the Official Army for so long.’
Fang Yue couldn’t help but rub his nose. Perhaps the waters of this world ran much deeper than he could see.
He then continued reading the letter.
Fang Hu wrote that as the war dragged on and became more intense,
Shanyang Prefecture seemed unwilling to wait any longer. It had conscripted the Martial Scholars from several nearby counties, and Xiahe County was naturally among them.
Most of the Martial Scholars were forcibly drafted into the war to suppress the Mo Mountain Tribe.
Because it was a forced conscription, countless Martial Scholars were cursing up a storm.
War was extremely dangerous; even Martial Scholars risked falling in battle.
But there was nothing to be done.
Having accepted a title and its honors, one naturally had to pay the price.
"This doesn’t have much to do with me. As a ’Wastrel,’ I won’t be conscripted," Fang Yue said with a slight smile.
He then put the letter away, his gaze focusing.
Before his eyes, a line of text appeared.
[Time flies, and heaven rewards the diligent. Talent +1]
Immediately, the text changed.
[Cultivation Technique: White Tiger Fist (Bone Forging) (Mastered)]
[Talent: 2088 (One in a Thousand)]
[Talents: Advanced Boxing Mastery, Intermediate Copper Skin and Iron Bones]
’Soon. In ten days at most, the Bone Forging Pass will reach Perfection, and my Talent will be upgraded to Advanced.’
Looking at the line for his Cultivation Technique, the word "Mastered" was already somewhat blurry, a clear sign that it was about to change.
Originally, he should have been able to cultivate the Bone Forging Pass to Perfection by last year.
But he had not anticipated getting injured.
After the injury, his cultivation speed had naturally slowed down.
What should have taken two or three months to reach Perfection had instead taken over a year.
Even now, he was still just a little bit away.
Fortunately, not much more time was needed.
~~~~~~
Meanwhile, in Da Liushu Village.
In Fang Juye’s courtyard, seven or eight men were gathered, discussing something.
"Fang Juye, what did you call us here for? There’s still work to do in the fields. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. I have to get back to farming," a coarse-looking man grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah, hurry up and say it. We’ve all got work to do," another man chimed in.
The others also looked at Fang Juye, waiting for him to explain.
Fang Juye squatted on the ground, took a puff from his long-stemmed pipe, and looked at the men before him with a cold sneer.
"A bunch of idlers like you, talking about going back to farm? Who are you farming for? Can you even farm right now?"
The men he had summoned today were all the village’s idlers and ruffians.
Forget farming; you’d have an easier time killing them than getting them to do any honest work.
In fact, they had long since squandered away all their family’s land.
For the past two years, they had only managed to survive by doing odd jobs for the Fang Family.
"Heh, do you want to eat your fill? Do you want to eat meat?" Fang Juye continued.
Eating their fill, eating meat—who wouldn’t want that right now? Forget eating meat; just eating one’s fill was a luxury in these times.
Even the honest farmers couldn’t get enough to eat, so how could men like them possibly have full bellies?
Now that the Fang Family didn’t have much work for them, they were idle and had no income.
"Hmph, so you’re just messing with us. Not happening. Since you’re making fun of us, we’ll be having lunch at your house today."
Hearing this, the men all felt that Fang Juye was just mocking them.
Fang Juye’s own situation wasn’t much better than theirs.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be a bachelor in his thirties.
"Hmph! Fools! If I dare to say it, then I definitely have a way for you to eat your fill—and eat meat, too!"
Fang Juye gave a sinister chuckle and immediately began speaking to the men in a low voice.
At first, the men were confused, then their faces showed shock, and then they frowned.
"Will this even work? It’s too risky! If this gets out, we’ll all be in for a world of hurt."
The men were still worried.
However, it was clear from their tone that their hearts were swayed.
"What’s there to be afraid of? Fang Yue is a Wastrel. The Fang Family is just a paper tiger now."
"This is our Fang Family Village’s own land! Why should we pay taxes to Fang Yue’s Family? We’re just taking back what’s ours! Even if others find out, we have nothing to fear!"