Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Qin Ying used a Cell Clamp to pick up a stalk of Yao Grass, comparing it against the research data she had pulled up.
“Call the Artisans over and have them try these out one by one. Just let me know in the end which ones work or if none of them do.”
Han Lie, inside the box, nodded dutifully. “Yes!”
There were about a hundred Tendon Ropes piled in the Front Courtyard, a colorful assortment. Many of them were adorned with brilliantly colored, transparent beads. It was unclear what material they were made of; up close, they were colorless and clear, yet they shimmered with extraordinary beauty under the sunlight.
Han Lie couldn’t help but marvel once again-the Supreme Deity was as generous as ever, and perhaps a bit… nonchalant.
With praise in his heart, he hurried back and forth to contact Xu Tan and the veteran bowstring artisan responsible for the maintenance of the Powerful Crossbow strings.
Maintaining the strings of a Powerful Crossbow required specialized grease and a Bowstring Artisan Household that had practiced the trade for generations. How to melt the grease, how to apply it, and exactly how thick or how much pressure to use-it all depended entirely on the artisan’s experience.
A well-maintained bowstring grew stronger and tougher the more it was used. For instance, the bowstrings of Luoyang were ancient tendons that had been rubbed and maintained for over two hundred years by the calloused hands of successive generations of artisans. They could fire giant arrows two zhang long.
In any other place, a Bowstring Artisan Household would be treated like a treasure.
Except in Yunwu County.
The County Governor had bought his position with money, and his only thought was to recoup the cost of his office as quickly as possible so he could renew it for another term. That was right-the position of County Governor in Great Xia operated on a yearly subscription system. Once the three-year term was up, if one didn’t pay enough money to the Emperor in the capital, they had to pack up and get out.
Consequently, every County Governor in office was more rapacious than the last. Seeing that his three-year term was coming to an end, the previous County Governor had been bold enough to embezzle the funds meant for the grease used to maintain the Powerful Crossbows.
He had planned it all out well: first, scrape together enough money to renew his office, then find a way to bribe his Superior Officers to quietly procure a new batch of bowstrings. He had planned it well, but an unexpected turn of events occurred midway, and he died under the Stoning Punishment.
The Bowstring Artisan Household in Yunwu County was surnamed Lü. Old Lü was fifty years old this year. Having worked in his profession for most of his life, only to be dismissed by that plague-ridden County Governor, the old man had been furious. If people hadn’t held him back with all their might, he would have hanged himself in front of the Crossbow Platform.
After going through that ordeal and then facing the great drought, Old Lü thought his life was over. Who could have known that things would take such a turn?
When someone knocked on his door to inform him to go to the Commandery Governor’s Mansion to inspect bowstrings, his heart nearly stopped. He couldn’t help but ask, “Is it… has the Imperial Court allocated new Ranyi tendons?”
Old Lü huffed and puffed, his blood boiling with the desire to show off his skills once more. Unexpectedly, the County Soldiers who had come for him doused his excitement with a bucket of cold water.
“No!” the simple-looking soldier said bluntly.
“Huh?”
He knew it-young people were just too green! Old Lü’s hand, which was pressing against his chest, trembled, and his eyes rolled back as if he were about to faint.
However, the soldier added with an honest face, “They were bestowed by the Supreme Deity!”
“What?”
Old Lü snapped back to attention instantly.
The high-quality husked rice bestowed by the Supreme Deity was half a man tall per grain; even the Emperor himself might not have eaten it. The Slippery Medicine bestowed by the Supreme Deity had saved the lives of many who were on the verge of being stuffed to death after eating Guanyin Clay!
Granted, the medicine had to be forcibly poured into the backside using a bamboo tube, which was a rather ungraceful posture for administration. But it was still better than having to dig it out with thin sticks! Without the medicine from the Supreme Deity, digging it out manually would leave blood everywhere and could even pull the intestines out. One would then have to heat up the sole of a shoe and use it to press and rub the intestines back in while they were still hot. After that, one would suffer from fecal incontinence for the rest of their life.
But with the Slippery Medicine from the Supreme Deity, things went much more smoothly. The commoners who benefited from it were so grateful for such a divine medicine that they even wanted to erect a Divine Position for the Supreme Deity in the Latrine to offer sacrifices.
Old Lü’s spirits soared, and he urged without pause, “Then let’s go! What are we waiting for?”
With that, he broke into a run toward the Commandery Governor’s Mansion.
The honest-looking County Soldier chased after him, but surprisingly, he couldn’t outrun the old man.
Once they entered the Commandery Governor’s Mansion, Old Lü’s eyes were dazzled for a moment.
Then, staring at the little mountain of Rubber Bands in the front courtyard, he drew a deep breath.
The County Soldier hurried him along from behind. “Keep moving!”
The next second, Old Lü rolled his eyes back, his blood surging, and he toppled toward him.
For a moment, the place was utter chaos.
The County Soldiers swarmed in-some pinched his philtrum, some slapped his cheeks-until they finally managed to revive him.
With half his face swollen, Old Lü crawled up off the ground and charged straight for that pile of Rubber Bands.
He clutched a girlish-pink hair tie and refused to let go.
“Top-grade stuff!”
The thickness, and the length after cutting-both were perfect.
He hadn’t tested it yet, but with his experienced eye, this one in the pile was definitely the best fit.
Old Lü hugged that rubber band-thick as his wrist-brought it to his lips, and kissed it hard.
Leaving aside the mayhem inside the Commandery Governor’s Mansion…
Outside the box, Qin Ying took a food-storage container and packed away the Yao Grass Han Lie had offered up to her.
This plant’s fragrance was intensely strong; touch it once and the scent lingered.
In no time at all, Qin Ying’s bedroom was already full of that aroma.
After putting away the offering, she munched on potato chips and strolled the streets through Han Lie’s eyes.
Yunwu County City used a layout much like the Han Dynasty cities Qin Ying knew.
It wasn’t big. And because it sat on the northwestern frontier, the whole place looked dust-yellow from end to end.
Only the central main road was paved with stone slabs; everywhere else was just yellow dirt.
The alley Qin Ying had seen piled with corpses, and those Cairen Shops, had long since been cleaned up.
But human blood reeks-those places still held a stench, as if it had been churned into the mud.
As Han Lie walked, he turned out to know a lot of people.
“Old sir, you can’t leave your goods out on the road.”
He said it, but he was already bending down to help the elderly man selling mats shift the rolled-up reed screens out of the way.
A lot of people had died in the city. Most couldn’t afford coffins-just a single mat to wrap the body, then bury it. The old man’s business was good, so it was only natural he’d gotten a little too bold.
After playing street enforcer, Han Lie spotted a child standing on tiptoe trying to hang up a white paper lantern.
He reached out and hung it for them.
All the way along, he was like the main character on a quest chain-his hands never stopped.
Even Qin Ying had to praise him: he really knew how to spot work that needed doing.
By the time they reached the end of the street, Qin Ying felt like she’d personally taken an immersive stroll through town.
“Wait-turn left. What’s that place?” she called.
Everything felt fresh to Qin Ying. In front of one building, there was a line of people. They kneaded dirt into incense and kowtowed with solemn devotion.
Qin Ying thought it was some local Great Xia temple or shrine.
Following her directions, Han Lie headed that way.
But before he could get close, he caught a bad smell and stopped short.
“What is it?” Qin Ying thought he’d noticed something.
Han Lie hadn’t even answered when Qin Ying already heard what those people were praying for.
Outside the box, the hand holding her potato chip froze.
She asked Han Lie, “So… my first Divine Position is… the Toilet God?”
She wasn’t really angry, but cold sweat instantly soaked Han Lie’s back.
After a long silence, he clasped his hands toward the heavens and said in a low voice, “This subordinate will immediately issue an order to put a stop to this kind of behavior.”
“And I will investigate and punish the mastermind.”
Qin Ying hummed. “No need to be that serious.”
She wanted to say that, sure, praying to her for smooth bowel movements was kind of disgusting, but she was generous and never fussed over such minor details-there was no need to punish anyone.
Before she could finish, urgent bells suddenly rang out from the Corner Tower on the city wall.
Han Lie cocked his head to listen. Three long, three short.
Enemy invasion!