Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 94: People's Livelihoods Are Difficult
Outside Shiniu Village, some villagers are working hard in the farmland.

Lu Zheng came to a field outside the village and saw a hunched man working hard to pull out weeds.

Lu Zheng had met this person before when he went up the mountain to look for monsters. He was acting sneaky and looked a little abnormal. He must have gone to the toad monster to ask for medicine.

The man was in a hurry to get on with his journey and did not notice the hidden Lu Zheng.

Seeing a stranger staring at him, the man couldn't help but look up at Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng bowed and smiled, "I am a scholar traveling to study, passing by here."

The man looked a little excited, with a sickly blush on his face.

Hearing this, he wiped the sweat off his face and bowed respectfully, saying, "Scholar, no wonder the young man looks so noble. How did he come to our mountain village to study?"

"Let's go for a walk, enjoy the mountains and rivers." Lu Zheng said with a smile, "I see your legs are not very convenient. Can your body withstand such heavy farm work?"

The man grinned and said, "We need to eat, so we have to work... My legs used to hurt so much that I couldn't get out of bed, but now it's better. While I can still move, I'll do as much as I can."

Lu Zheng nodded and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, uncle."

The man laughed and said, "It's nothing compared to you scholars. I heard that you scholars don't have to pay taxes, and the government even gives you money and rice."

Lu Zheng explained, "You have to be a scholar with a good academic record to qualify. Money and rice are available, but they're only given out during festivals, not much."

The man said enviously, "That's great!"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "I won't disturb you from working. May I ask who the village chief is? I want to ask him something."

The man heard this and said enthusiastically: "Looking for the village chief, I'll take you there!"

Lu Zheng waved his hand and said, "Uncle is not able to move around easily, just tell me."

Seeing this, the man did not insist. He looked up and pointed at an old man in the farmland in the distance.

"That's our village chief, Mr. Zhang."

"Thank you."

Lu Zheng thanked him and turned to go to Village Chief Zhang's seat.

When he came to Shiniu Village, he originally planned to help the bewitched villagers detoxify and take away the poison stones.

Now it seems that this may not be a good choice.

Those villagers suffered from chronic diseases and were tortured by illness. They were also forced by life. They either had no money to see a doctor or the doctor could not cure them. That is why they turned to the toad demon for help and exchanged their lives for medicine.

They may not be unaware that the immortal in the cave is actually a monster, and the medicine they seek cannot cure their illness.

Lu Zheng sighed in his heart, feeling mixed emotions.

"In the future, I still have to learn some medicine."

Lu Zheng murmured to himself that his righteous spirit could cure the evil spirits, but it could not cure all diseases.

Disease has been a major problem plaguing people's lives since ancient times.

In a world like this, a small cold can take away lives.

Lu Zheng suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but think: "There must be a panacea in this world that can cure all common diseases, right?"

In a world where people can practice cultivation, there is obviously no shortage of elixirs to cure diseases, but such elixirs are not affordable for ordinary people.

However, Lu Zheng still took note of this matter and planned to look for it later.

After a while, Lu Zheng came to the farmland where the village chief was, stated his identity, and wanted to learn about the people's livelihood in Shiniu Village.

When the village chief learned that Lu Zheng was a scholar from the county, he hurriedly greeted him respectfully and invited Lu Zheng to his home.

Lu Zheng declined politely, "That's not necessary. I just want to learn about the villagers' living conditions. I'll chat for a few minutes and then leave."

If you really go to someone's house as a guest, you will inevitably ask the village chief to spend money to entertain you. The village chief rubbed his rough, calloused hands and said honestly, "Ask!"

Lu Zheng took out a pen and paper and asked about the basic situation of Shiniu Village, any difficulties, and any expectations.

The old man and the young man soon started chatting enthusiastically. Some villagers nearby saw this and came over to join in the fun and chat about some things.

During this period, Lu Zheng did not mention the toad monster, and the villagers did not talk about it either.

After having a general understanding of Shiniu Village, Lu Zheng packed up and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, the village chief invited again, "It's already noon, please stay and have lunch!"

Other villagers also invited Lu Zheng to be their guest.

It was rare to have scholars from outside, so these people were very enthusiastic and did not want to be impolite in front of such a distinguished person.

Lu Zheng smiled, thanked him, and then declined. He then turned to the village chief and said, "Please walk me a few steps. I have something to say to you alone."

"Okay." The village chief nodded quickly.

Upon hearing this, the other villagers felt it was not appropriate to follow and made way.

Lu Zheng and the village chief left and slowly moved away from Shiniu Village.

Seeing that no one else was around, Lu Zheng whispered, "When the village chief returns, please tell the villagers that the monster in the mountain has been killed."

The village chief was stunned when he heard this and asked in confusion: "Monster, what monster?"

Lu Zheng didn't elaborate further. "The village chief only needs to say this. Some people will understand. Monsters always bring disaster to people's hearts, and nothing good can be achieved by going after them."

Lu Zheng took out another wooden box and handed it to the village chief.

"If someone suddenly develops a serious illness in the future, the contents of the box may help alleviate some of the symptoms, but they still need to see a proper doctor. Please keep this for yourself, Village Chief."

The thing in the box is the literary treasure written by Lu Zheng.

Those people who have taken toad medicine will definitely suffer from strong side effects if they stop taking the medicine. Wenbao can remove some of the toad poison remaining in the body, but the addiction and the root cause of the disease cannot be cured.

Lu Zheng’s current skills are limited, and this is all he can do to help the villagers.

The village chief reacted and realized that some people in the village had done something shameful with the monster.

He was the head of the village, yet he was kept in the dark.

The village chief was filled with shame and gratitude, and he bowed quickly and said, "Thank you very much, sir, for your great kindness!"

Lu Zheng supported the village chief and said, "It is my duty to rid the people of harm. Village chief, please put the things away and keep them safe."

"Okay, okay." The village chief carefully took the wooden box and held it solemnly in his arms.

"There's no need to see me off, Village Chief. I'm leaving now."

Lu Zheng bowed and said goodbye, then strode away.

The village chief watched Lu Zheng go away, and only turned back to the village after his figure disappeared from the mountain road.

Lu Zheng was walking on the road and felt much better.

He opened the map, checked the route, and chose a direction.

Wherever you look, there is a red mark.

"The weather is nice today. If I'm lucky, I should be able to meet him..."

Lu Zheng looked at the place marked on the map, his mind racing, anticipating what might happen next.

(End of this chapter)