Chapter 963
Chu Yang, you taught well.
The square cap is no longer crooked. The small wooden cane is much more stable when used for support on the ground than before.
Even his left leg, which was venomous from snake bites, was still limping, but the limp was noticeably less pronounced.
“It’s done.” His voice was no longer hoarse and dry, but clearer, though still weak. “The leyline nodes are 70% repaired. The remaining 30% will need time to heal—the leylines have been eroded for over half a year; they can’t fully recover in a day. But the circulation has been re-established, and as long as there are no new disturbances, it should return to normal within three to five months.”
"What about three to five months from now?" Chu Yang asked.
"Three to five months later..." The Earth God raised his head, gazing down at the Jujube Blossom Valley bathed in the twilight, "the evil energy in the soil will be gradually washed away by the earth's spiritual energy. The fields will become fertile again, and the river water will become sweet again. This year's harvest is too late, but next year... next year Jujube Blossom Valley will be just as good as before."
Chu Yang picked up the Wind Spirit Jade Token from the stone beside him, squatted down, and handed it to the Earth God.
"for you."
The Earth God took the jade tablet and examined it twice, turning it over and over.
"This is……"
"A Wind Spirit Jade Token. It contains a wisp of wind spirit energy; crushing it will release a powerful gust of wind. That snake demon has escaped, and I'm not sure if it will return. If it does, crush this jade token—the gust of wind will blow it several miles away, buying you some time."
The Earth God's hand holding the jade tablet trembled slightly.
"But this is your life-saving treasure..."
“I have other ways to save my life. You take this.”
The Earth God gazed at Chu Yang.
His small, bean-like eyes reflected the last glimmer of purple light at dusk.
"donor……"
“There’s one more thing.” Chu Yang took out Tiger Vanguard’s scimitar from his storage bag—the first trophy he had acquired in Yellow Wind Cave. The scimitar wasn’t long, and Tiger Vanguard’s demonic energy still lingered on its blade. Although its quality wasn’t top-notch, it was still a pretty good weapon for a low-level land god.
"You can keep this knife too. It's more useful than your little wooden cane."
The Earth God took the curved knife with both hands. The knife was longer than him and looked like a flag in his hands.
He raised his head, looking at Chu Yang, at Sun Wukong, and at Zhu Bajie, who was leaning against a tree trunk and snoring.
Three hundred years.
He served as the local deity of Zaohua Valley for three hundred years, witnessing countless travelers, merchants, officials, monks, and Taoists coming and going.
No one ever stopped to help him.
He was the lowest-ranking god, so low that his name might not even be found in the Heavenly Court's archives. The small territory he governed was not even a dot on the map of the world. His joys and sorrows, his hardships and difficulties, his three hundred years of dedication and obsession in protecting this land were as insignificant as a feather in the Heavenly Court's operational system.
Available today.
Someone fought a battle for this land he had guarded for three hundred years, sweating profusely, and left behind his life-saving treasure.
The Earth God knelt down.
It wasn't the kind of kneeling that gods used to do when paying homage to their superiors—it was a kneeling of pure gratitude from the bottom of one's heart towards another group of people, without any consideration of status or rank.
"Your great kindness will never be forgotten by Zao Hua Valley for three hundred years."
Chu Yang reached out and helped him up.
"Don't kneel. Three hundred years is too long, it's okay if you've forgotten. But your leg—the snake venom hasn't been completely cleared out yet, has it?"
The Earth God looked down at his dark purple left leg.
"No. However, once the earth's veins recover their circulation, I can draw upon the earth's spiritual energy to suppress the snake venom. Given time, it should be able to gradually be eliminated."
"That's good."
Chu Yang stood up and patted the mud off his hands.
"We should go. Master is still waiting for us in the village."
He walked up to Pigsy and patted his pig face.
"Pigsy, wake up. We're leaving."
Pigsy opened his eyes with grunts and groans, and groggily got up from the ground.
"Is it all done?"
"All done. Let's go down the mountain."
The three of them walked down the mountain along the same path they had come from.
After walking a dozen steps, Chu Yang suddenly stopped.
He glanced back at Black Pine Ridge.
As dusk fell, the withered black pine trees still stood like black bones embedded in the gray mountainside. But he felt that something was different—he couldn't quite put his finger on it, perhaps the mountain air was no longer so stuffy, or perhaps the soil beneath his feet was no longer so cold.
Or perhaps—it's just his imagination.
But his spiritual perception told him it wasn't an illusion.
The earth's veins are flowing.
Like a river that had been dormant for more than half a year, it has begun to flow again. Although the flow rate is still slow and the water volume is still small, the direction is right and the trend is good.
Give it time.
Give this land time.
It will be alright.
……
The way down the mountain was much easier than the way up.
Firstly, he had already familiarized himself with the route, and secondly, he was relaxed after completing his mission. Although Zhu Bajie had exhausted most of his spiritual energy, he was actually more energetic than when he went up the mountain, and he started humming that perpetually off-key tune again.
Sun Wukong led the way, carrying a wild rabbit he had caught on the mountain sometime during the two hours he was waiting for the local earth god to repair the node.
"Let's add something special tonight." He grabbed the rabbit by the ears and shook it.
Pigsy's nose immediately started twitching.
"Should we grill it or stew it?"
"Look at Brother Chu Yang's skills."
Chu Yang smiled wryly, "I have less than 20% of my spiritual energy left, I can't even start a fire steadily. I'd better find a farmer's house and use the excuse of cooking a stew."
By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark.
The moon had not yet risen, and the sky was a deep indigo blue, with only a faint grayish-white tinge on the eastern horizon, a sign that the moon was about to rise.
There are a lot of stars, though.
Without the interference of city lights, the stars above Jujube Blossom Valley were densely packed, like someone had scattered a handful of silver on deep blue velvet. The Milky Way stretched from one end of the sky to the other, its pale milky white light arching into a magnificent dome overhead.
The three walked along the official road toward the village at the south end.
The outline of the village could be seen from afar.
Unlike when I passed by in the afternoon—there are now many more lights in the village. Not just one or two more, but many more. Almost every window is emitting an orange glow, and some houses have torches lit in their yards, illuminating half the alleyway.
There were also human voices.
It wasn't the listless whispers of the daytime, but rather lively, enthusiastic conversations and laughter, drifting intermittently from the direction of the village.
"Is the village getting lively?" Pigsy pricked up his ears. Chu Yang quickened his pace.
As Chu Yang entered the village, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old rushed out of the alley and almost bumped into him.
"Hey—watch out—"
The boy looked up at him, then at Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie behind him, and his eyes widened suddenly.
"It's you! The ones who fought the snake demon!"
He turned and ran towards the village, shouting as he ran—
"They're back—the ones who fought the snake demon are back—"
The village was immediately in an uproar.
A crowd of people emerged from the alley—men, women, young and old, with their families in tow. Leading the way was a middle-aged man with a weathered face, followed by a group of simply dressed farmers. Some carried lanterns, some held bowls, and some carried nothing at all; they had simply come to watch the spectacle.
The middle-aged man strode up to Chu Yang and looked him up and down.
"Were you the ones who helped get rid of the snake demon?"
"Yes." Chu Yang nodded. "You are—"
"I'm the village head of Zaohua Village. My surname is Sun, and everyone calls me Big Head Sun." He grabbed Chu Yang's hand and shook it vigorously a few times. "Your master is at my house—come in, come in—"
Chu Yang was pulled by him into the village. Along the way, villagers on both sides surrounded him, asking him all sorts of questions.
"Was the snake demon killed?"
"Was he killed?"
Will the crops in the field come back to life?
When will the river water become clear again?
Chu Yang answered each question briefly. The snake demon was seriously injured and fled; it wouldn't return anytime soon. The ley lines had been repaired, but the soil and water sources would need time to recover, approximately three to five months. This year's harvest was ruined, but next year should be better.
The villagers' reaction was not what he had expected.
He thought they would be disappointed—after all, the snake demon hadn't been killed, and this year's harvest couldn't be saved.
But the villagers' expressions weren't of disappointment, but rather a sense of relief that had been suppressed for a long time and that they had finally seen a turning point.
An elderly woman with gray hair squeezed to the front, tugged at Chu Yang's sleeve, and stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.
"To come back to life...it's good that the earth can come back to life...it's good that it can come back to life..."
Sun Datou led Chu Yang and the others to his home.
This is an ordinary farmhouse courtyard with earthen walls and a thatched roof. In the courtyard, there is a stove built with rammed earth. On the stove, there is a large iron pot, and something is bubbling inside. The aroma of steam mixed with grains and vegetables fills the entire courtyard.
Tang Sanzang sat on a wooden stool in the courtyard.
His robe was neatly folded and placed beside him, and he held a paper fan in his hand, resting it on his lap with the fan facing outwards. On the low table in front of him was a bowl of cold, coarse noodles and half a dish of pickled vegetables.
Seeing Chu Yang and the other two enter the courtyard, he put down his paper fan and stood up.
Their gaze first fell on Chu Yang—they scanned him from head to toe to make sure he wasn't injured—then it fell on Sun Wukong—there were traces of snake blood on his clothes but he was fine—and finally on Zhu Bajie—aside from being a little dirty and tired, he was also alright.
His shoulders relaxed.
"I'm back."
"You're back." Chu Yang sat down opposite him. "Master, the matter is settled. The snake demon has been driven away, the earth veins have been repaired, and the rest can be left to the Earth God to nurture."
Tang Sanzang nodded.
“This humble monk spent the afternoon in the village,” he said, “helping them with what I could—reciting some calming scriptures for a few sick children, helping the village headman write a disaster report to the county government, and also—”
He paused for a moment.
"He also taught several women how to make simple water purification using well water and alum."
Chu Yang was slightly taken aback.
"Purify water? Master, you can do that too?"
Tang Sanzang smiled slightly.
"Chu Yang, I've kept in mind what you said in the Dry City last time. Buddhist teachings are medicine for the mind, and water is medicine for the body. I can't just chant scriptures and preach; I should occasionally learn some practical things."
He pulled a piece of paper that had been folded several times from his sleeve.
"This is a topographical map of Jujube Blossom Valley and the distribution of wells, which I wrote down this afternoon after consulting with Village Chief Sun. I think that once the earth's veins recover, the well water will first become clear in the wells closest to the vein nodes. At that time, the villagers can draw water from those wells first, and then gradually expand to other water sources."
Chu Yang took the paper, unfolded it, and looked at it.
The drawing wasn't very detailed, but the markings were very clear—the location of the village, the orientation of the wells, the general direction of the ridges, and even the depth and current water quality of each well were noted in small print.
He looked up at Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang was fanning himself with a paper fan, the ink-wash orchids on the fan swaying gently under the light. His expression was calm, as if he were doing something utterly ordinary.
But Chu Yang knew that this was no small matter.
This was the first time Tang Sanzang had taken the initiative to do something "other than chanting scriptures".
It wasn't driven by Chu Yang, nor was it forced by circumstances; it was something he wanted to do himself.
He is changing.
It's changing little by little, without us even realizing it.
"Master," Chu Yang said, folding the topographic map and handing it back to him. "You did a very good job."
Tang Sanzang put away the topographical map and shook his paper fan.
"It's because you taught me so well, Chu Yang."
At this moment, Sun Datou came out of the house carrying a large bowl of steaming noodles, followed by his wife, who was carrying a plate of sliced braised meat and a pot of hot wine.
"My benefactors, you've worked hard—eat quickly, eat well—we don't have much to offer, please forgive us—"
Pigsy's snout had been twitching for a while, and now he couldn't resist any longer. He pounced on the low table and began to feast.
Sun Wukong gave the wild rabbit to Sun Datou's wife, asking her to stew it the next day to nourish the village children.
Chu Yang added noodles and braised meat to Tang Seng's bowl, and then served himself a bowl as well.
The noodles were made of coarse flour, so the texture was a bit rough. The braised meat wasn't prepared in a refined way either; there was too much salt. The liquor was just ordinary sorghum liquor.
But on this night, in this small village that had just seen a glimmer of hope after six months of gloom, under the glow of the brilliant starry sky above the courtyard, these simple foods tasted especially comforting.
Chu Yang sat on the threshold with a bowl in his hand, gazing at the alley outside the courtyard.
A few villagers were still in the alley, standing in twos and threes at their doorways talking. Some were laughing, some were sighing, and some were squatting on the muddy ground in front of their houses, lost in thought.
A little girl of five or six years old ran out from the depths of the alley, holding a wildflower she had picked from who-knows-where—a small yellow flower with wrinkled petals, drooping and withered, clearly struggling to survive in the soil corrupted by evil spirits.
The little girl stopped at the gate of the courtyard, looked up at Chu Yang, and held up the wilted little yellow flower in front of him.
"for you."
Chu Yang took the flowers and looked at them.
The flower was wilted, but still alive. A tiny speck of pollen remained in its stamen, resembling a tiny grain of gold in the lantern light. (End of Chapter)