am-books Chapter 328 - 278: Land Promotion
Chapter 328 - 278: Land Promotion
linyang county.
the streets were cold and desolate, and the few pedestrians hurried on their way.
the tavern handyman busily wiped down the tables and floors, afraid of being fired by the owner if the business was too poor.
in these days, countless people would fight for a job that just provided enough food to eat without asking for pay!
four consecutive years of natural disasters had brought misery to the people, despite the protection of the earth god.
some sold their children in desperation, while others saw their entire families perish.
nine out of ten homes were empty, and white bones littered the wilderness.
"people always say how wonderful it is to be a god..."
zhou yi muttered to himself. now, when he spoke these words, they felt full of irony.
the townsfolk of the county, as well as the nearby villagers, built land god temples everywhere out of gratitude, but little did they know that the disasters of the past years were actually caused by the very gods they revered and praised.
"i am troubled in mind, ’tis a cause for celebration."
zhou yi instructed the handyman to look after the shop and then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely through the streets.
from time to time, he encountered acquaintances and lamented that business had been poor lately. at this rate, he might as well return to the countryside and farm the land.
"boss zhu’s gone to listen to opera music again? you’re not getting any younger. you should settle down and get married!
the owner of hui xiang building suggested, "i have a distant niece who can keep accounts and do needlework. she’s quite a catch. shall i arrange a meeting for you?"
"you scoundrel, making me lower my status for no reason!"
zhou yi subtly rejected the offer. he looked to be thirty-five or thirty-six years old, well into middle age, and in recent years, many had tried to find him a match.
he had declined them all, reasoning that as the earth god’s lifespan was not long, and having acquired the incense secret techniques, he wouldn’t need the identity of a tavern owner for much longer, so there was no need to hold anyone back.
not long after.
east city.
xiao xiang building.
after the drought, locust plagues, floods, and earthquakes, was another epidemic about to begin?
"this guy has gone mad. what on earth does he want to achieve?"
zhou yi consulted the records of linyang county and compared disasters over the last three hundred years, which typically occurred once every five or six years.
moreover, not all of them were the work of the earth god; there were also mountain gods, water rulers, and actual natural disasters. it could be said that overall, they protected the land as benevolent deities.
"is he wildly collecting wish power beads to extend his lifespan?"
zhou yi frowned slightly, thinking this was the most likely reason. in the nine continents cultivation world, it was not unusual for cultivators to engage in frenzied blood sacrifices in search of extended lifespans at the end of their days.
there is great fear in life and death!
cultivators accustomed to being exalted above all feared death even more than commoners did, unable to let go of their power and status.
"for now, continue watching and see what kind of scheme this guy is really playing!"
zhou yi’s eyes were deep and somber. an epidemic was not like other natural disasters; if it were to spread rapidly, it might obliterate an entire county.
the daheng empire might not care about gods in the wilds, but it did impose laws on the official deities of the prefectures. if a massive catastrophe were truly provoked, they would surely send someone to hold the earth god accountable.
it is the role of a deity to shepherd the people, yet even they must not cut even the roots of the chives!
...
in the seventy-fifth year of the yuanding era.
summer.
an outbreak of a strange epidemic occurred in linyang of the qingyun prefecture, infecting tens of thousands.
the disease devoured qi-blood, leaving sufferers emaciated like skeletons, wandering and wailing like living corpses.
...
there is a tavern.
the door was firmly shut, and windows were nailed closed.
the handyman guarded the front and back doors with a stick, nervously watching the street through the holes.
the sparse passersby on the street moved aimlessly, with lifeless eyes and shambling gaits, dragging and staggering along. occasionally, the thud of bodies hitting the ground could be heard, signaling someone had collapsed.