Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 102: The Tragedy of the Previous Dynasty
County restaurant.

Lin Chen invited the village chief to a banquet to calm his eldest brother down.

It is not a high-end tavern, but a small restaurant frequented by peddlers in the city. In Lin Chen's opinion, the dishes are inferior to those in Uncle Zhao's restaurant.

At the dinner table, Lin Liang followed what Lin Chen said and just said that he was fishing well, but the officials from the yamen caught him and brought him on board for unknown reasons, and he didn't know what had happened.

Not long after that, he was taken out of the yamen by his younger brother, and he is still confused until now.

Lin Chen was afraid that his elder brother would reveal too much, so he changed the subject and asked about Gu Fei's martial arts training.

"Chenzi, I can't compete with you, but I am confident that I can cultivate my energy within half a year. What do you think is the best martial arts school for me to join?"

"Practice your energy first, don't aim too high. As for which martial arts school to join, I'll give you some advice when the time comes."

As for which martial arts school would be best for Gu Fei to cultivate his energy, Lin Chen had already decided in his mind which one would be the Mantis Martial Arts School.

It costs little and the breakthroughs are gradual. This is the best choice for students from average families.

After eating and drinking, Lin Chen was ready to send the village chief and his elder brother back, but Zhao Zanghu said, "Since we've entered the city, Xiaofei, go to the Er Niang Tavern in the south of the city and get me a pound of Shaodao. The wine is delicious."

"Alai, go to the incense shop and buy some paper money. Our village held a ancestral worship ceremony last time, and the paper money in the ancestral hall has been almost used up."

Gu Fei and another young man in the village were stunned, but when they saw the copper coins handed over by the village chief, they had to take them. After asking for the address, they left the restaurant.

After the two of them left, Zhao Zanghu glanced around and asked in a low voice, "Did Xiaoliang see something he shouldn't have seen?"

As soon as these words came out, Lin Liang's expression changed instantly. Lin Chen sighed in his heart, the old ones are still the wisest. The village chief has discovered that something is wrong with his eldest brother.

Although the eldest brother answered very well, he was always absent-minded when eating. Gu Fei couldn't see it, but the village chief was an old man who had lived for decades, so he would definitely not be able to hide the eldest brother's strange phenomenon.

But what Lin Chen was more curious about was how the village chief knew that his eldest brother had seen something he shouldn’t have seen?

Could it be that the village chief knows something?
"Seven years ago, a similar incident happened on Poyang Lake. Dozens of fishermen were taken away. In the end, about a dozen fishermen have not returned yet. We only know that they went to the military camp and send letters and money to their families every year."

Zhao Zanghu saw the shock in the eyes of the brothers Lin Chen and Lin Liang, snorted, and said, "Twenty years ago, there was also a similar situation."

Lin Chen did not hide it any more: "Village Chief, what is going on? My eldest brother said he saw a fish corpse that was extremely large."

"Fish demon!"

Zhao Zanghu sighed softly, "You don't know, in the whole Poyang County, I guess other counties are the same, all the books from more than 200 years ago have disappeared, even our village annals can only be found up to 200 years ago. I have a secret buried in my heart for many years, and I thought I would never tell this secret to anyone until I was buried, but now it's time to tell you, Xiaochen."

Lin Liang, who was standing by, was about to stand up when he heard this, but Zhao Zanghu held him back and said, "Xiaoliang, you have met someone now, so it's okay. I've also made up my mind. In a few years, when you really can't walk anymore, I'll let you be the village chief."

"Me?" Lin Liang's eyes widened and he waved his hands quickly: "I... I can't do it."

How old is he? How can he be qualified to be the village chief?

"Don't refuse yet. I still have many years to live. The fortune teller told me that an old fox like me will live a long time. If you really want to be the village chief, you will have to endure for many more years."

Zhao Zanghu finished speaking, took a sip of the wine in his glass, and then his expression became serious: "Fourteen years ago, Poyang County encountered a severe drought. The water in the entire Poyang Lake decreased by 30%. The villagers in our village found a wooden box in the mud at the bottom of the lake."

"The wooden box had been submerged in the water for many years. It must have been coated with special wax, so the water didn't penetrate it. When the box was opened, there were several taels of silver ingots inside, as well as a book. The people who found the box were illiterate, so after I read the contents of the book, I divided the silver among them and told them not to tell anyone about the box."

The villagers naturally didn't care about a tattered booklet, but they were also unwilling to publicize their windfall, so the matter became a secret.

"This book was written by a scholar, not from our Liang Dynasty, but from the previous dynasty, the Chu Dynasty."

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. If the contents written by the scholar of the previous dynasty could be preserved underwater for three hundred years, then this box might not be made of ordinary wood.

"Village Chief, what's written in that book?"

"This scholar is actually the ancestor of our village. According to what he wrote in his book, during the Chu Dynasty, every year when offering sacrifices to the lake god, ten pairs of boys and girls had to be sent to the lake god. Otherwise, the lake god would get angry and send his fish monsters to stir up trouble."

"Send ten pairs of boys and girls to the Lake God. What does the Lake God want the boys and girls for?" Lin Liang looked puzzled.

Lin Chen glanced at his elder brother, and then he remembered that in his original body's memory, worshiping the lake god meant arranging three animals and setting off firecrackers, and there was no concept of human sacrifice at all.

"Shenhu, feed the lake god."

When saying these words, Zhao Zanghu's body was trembling, just like when he saw the written records in the booklet that year.

Trembling, fear and anger!
But it was recorded in the notes of that ancestor that this was a customary thing and there was nothing wrong with doing so because the lake god was high above and should not be offended.

"Don't the government care?"

"Government?" Zhao Zanghu said word by word, "In the past, the Poyang County Government also offered sacrifices to the lake god every year, with a hundred pairs of boys and girls and three hundred livestock..."

As if thinking of some horrific scene, Zhao Zanghu poured himself another glass of wine and drank it in one gulp. Lin Liang opened his mouth wide. He could never imagine that a government office would actually worship the lake god monster.

In his eyes, the government office is as important as heaven.

"You haven't read that book. The words of our ancestors are full of despair."

Zhao Zanghu recalled the despair and powerlessness that his ancestor expressed in his notes, and even now he is occasionally awakened from his dreams by it.

"Then you can't escape?"

"Escape? Where to escape? Other places also need to offer sacrifices to gods, such as mountain gods and river gods... The fate of ordinary people is to give birth to children to be eaten by these gods. They are the food of these gods."

Seeing his elder brother's shocked expression, Lin Chen asked in a deep voice, "Did that person mention the Liang Dynasty in the book?"

"No."

Zhao Zanghu shook his head: "Our ancestor lived in Chu until his death. The last sentence in his notes was that he hoped that one day, the people would not have to become food for monsters."

"No!" The eldest brother Lin Liang seemed to have thought of something, and his voice rose a little. Then he looked around and lowered his voice again: "Since the lake god is so evil, why do you, village chief, want us to worship him every year and give him three kinds of meat?"

"What do you know? Our village has sent three kinds of meat to the lake every year. Unlike other villages, they just put on a show. If the lake god... the lake monster comes back again, it will also think of our village."

Listening to the village chief's explanation, Lin Chen's mouth twitched. The village chief was really calculating.

Now, he already has a rough judgment in his mind.

Before the Liang Dynasty, the Chu State was plagued by monsters and cholera. At least the upper class people in the Chu State did not care about the lives of the lower class people. So later, the Chu State collapsed and Emperor Taizu established the Liang State.

What about those monsters?

Were they all killed by Emperor Taizu?

If they were all killed, there would be no need to hide the matter. Instead, it should be publicized widely to publicize Daliang's achievements and make the people more loyal to Daliang.

But if those monsters were not killed, where did they go?

"Xiao Chen, the village is sponsoring your martial arts training. I have a selfish motive for this. I'm afraid that one day those monsters will come back again and our village will suffer."

Zhao Zanghu spoke frankly, looked at Lin Chen and continued, "If we really go back to that kind of world, those powerful people won't care about our life or death. We can only rely on our village to save ourselves. With a warrior like you, it will always be safer."

"Village chief, you worry too much. Daliang is as solid as a rock, and martial arts is so prosperous. This kind of situation will not happen again." Lin Chen consoled with a smile.

"Who can guarantee what the future will be like? Anyway, since you have a talent for martial arts, Xiaochen, you should strive for higher goals. The higher the better."

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed, the village chief was right.

No one can predict what the future will be like.

But whether it continues to be such a peaceful and prosperous era or turns into a chaotic one, it is always right to be stronger.

And since the eldest brother saw the corpse of the lake monster, and the village chief said that the same situation happened seven years ago, it means that the monster has not completely disappeared from Daliang.

"Village Chief, let's stop here. You and my elder brother should not talk about this matter again after we return to the village."

"Don't worry, I'm old but not stupid. I know what I should and shouldn't say."

Lin Chen was not worried about the village chief. He turned his gaze to his eldest brother: "Brother, just forget about this and pretend it never happened."

Although he knew that his eldest brother would never forget, Lin Chen could only give such instructions. Those fishermen who were taken away should have seen the corpse of the fish monster just like his eldest brother.

The Daliang government did not want the people to know about the monsters, and they were able to keep it secret for so many years, and there was no news of monsters circulating in the market. There is only one possibility.

Daliang's measures against those who know the truth are very tough.

Judging from the fate of those fishermen, those who knew about it should be taken away.

Although he has shown his talent now, he may not be able to protect his elder brother in the face of this iron law that concerns the entire Liang Dynasty.

The government office will send Da Ge, most likely Captain You. They don't know the inside story either, and the government agency that actually handles such matters has not yet taken over.

"Brother Chen, I know, but I won't tell anyone who asks me."

Patting his eldest brother on the shoulder, Lin Chen said nothing more. He decided to meet with Captain You in private to find out the truth.

The three of them stopped talking about this matter, and soon Gu Fei and another young man from the village, Yang Hao, came back after buying things. Lin Chen sent the four of them to the city gate and rented a carriage for them. After seeing the four of them get on the carriage, he turned around and left.

(End of this chapter)