Liang Qu knew the earthen house was still there.
He could see its frame hidden inside the main house, like a room within a room.
He wasn't too concerned; there wasn't anything valuable inside, just a mattress and a few rough linen clothes.
The only thing of value might be the pair of Treasure Fish Horns under the rice vat that could be used for medicine.
He planned to take them later and then let the craftsmen dismantle everything.
To his surprise, the villagers brought rice and flour, something he didn't expect.
He didn't even know how to use them since he wouldn’t be cooking at home.
"So, how about it, Liang, take a look. I expanded according to the two-entry courtyard. There are two side rooms on the main house's two sides. I plan to leave the ground in the front yard unpaved and plant two trees on the yellow dirt ground. Typically, people plant jujube, ginkgo, persimmon, or pomegranate trees for good fortune, and they provide shade in the summer. Of course, it’s up to you to decide what to plant."
"Uncle Fu, please don't call me Master Liang. You're older than me; there's no need for such formality. Just call me Ah Shui like before."
The leading craftsman in front of Liang Qu was Liu Quanfeng, a well-known carpenter in town, over fifty years old and highly skilled.
Several of the village elders’ courtyards were built by him.
Liang Qu couldn’t bear to let such an elder call him ‘Master,’ as it was inappropriate.
It was clear how much the River God Sacrifice had impacted the villagers.
Initially, when he was taken as a disciple, the villagers were mostly respectful.
But now, it had turned into awe; some elders didn’t even dare call him by his nickname casually.
Liu Quanfeng didn’t dare either, and after some polite refusal, he reluctantly reverted to it after Liang Qu's insistence.
Returning to his old house, Liang Qu took the Treasure Fish Horns from under the rice vat, left the rice and flour in the vat, and some other miscellaneous items he planned to temporarily store at Uncle Chen’s house before demolishing the old house entirely.
Chen Zhao'an arrived shortly after being notified.
Jumping down from the roof, Liang Qu greeted, "Old Chen."
"So, how does the courtyard look?"
"It's built so well; I feel undeserving. This must have taken several months of work, right?"
"Hey, you saved everyone's lives, and even invited a Martial Master to help. Fixing the house for a few days is nothing. Someday, I’ll bring my grandsons over!"
"And I heard you’ve returned, so the silver we planned to pool together has been quickly brought over. Tongmin."
Chen Tongmin, who was with Chen Zhao'an, took out a large money pouch, but Liang Qu quickly halted him with a gentle press on the arm.
Chen Tongmin instinctively struggled, yet found himself unable to move, even stepping back a little.
"Old Chen, I didn't intend to have everyone help build such a large courtyard. The wood and stone bricks must have cost a lot, right? Who covered the expenses?"
"We elders contributed a bit each, and there's Lord Xue from the town and Lin Di from the fish market who sent a lot of supplies upon hearing about it."
Liang Qu, silent for a moment, nodded.
"Then hold onto the money for now, and use it to pay the workers. You must provide two meals a day, and they should be hearty meals. First use the rice and flour the villagers sent, then give each worker ten coins a day. For those with elderly family members, fifteen coins a day. It's not much, just a token of my appreciation. If there's anything left after the house is built, return it to me."
Hearing this, several men moving timber inside couldn’t help but gulp.
"Good meals, huh?"
While Liang Qu was speaking to the village elder, they didn’t dare interrupt, but in their hearts, they hoped for it.
Chen Tongmin whispered as he leaned closer, "You can't do that, you know. If you pay them daily, they might just slack off."
Liang Qu laughed.
"Isn’t that why I have you, Tongmin brother, to help keep an eye on things?"
"Ah, well…"
Delighted that his grandson could interact more with Liang Qu, Chen Zhao'an urged, "If you insist, then Tongmin, you should help out more. It’s winter, and you don’t have much else to do, right?"
Chen Tongmin could only agree.
Now, Liang Qu's status in Righteous Prosperity City was quite unique, placing him on equal footing with the village elders, which was rare within a thousand miles.
Before the River God Sacrifice, his status was higher than ordinary villagers but still not quite equal to the elders.
This had nothing to do with status, identity, or strength; it was all about moral authority.
The elders, particularly those with strength and connections, naturally held the moral high ground.
Every year, the King would visit the academies to feast with the three elders and five more, personally slicing meat and offering them with sauce to show respect.
Unless Liang Qu became powerful enough to overthrow the entire Great Shun Dynasty or decided to live as a hermit, he could only operate within the social norms.
There were pros and cons to this system.
One advantage was evident—being accepted as a disciple proved this, as did his arsenal of equipment that allowed him to fight above his level.
However, the drawback was also clear.
If the village elders wanted to suppress him, they could just accuse him of lacking morality.
Simple.
But after the River God Sacrifice, where Liang Qu saved everyone, he too had ascended to the moral high ground! The elders had to consider carefully before unjustly accusing him.
How delightful!
There were benefits to doing such things.
Not to mention, if some mountain bandits were to attack, Liang Qu could rally the people, and they would surely heed his call.
Even today, without a penny of wages, many were still willing to help him build his house.
After hastily checking out the house, Liang Qu bid farewell amidst everyone’s compliments and rowed back to Peaceful Sun Town.
He had been gone for two hours and wondered if his two senior brothers had found any more clues.
He had to hurry back to count, just in case it was like the Mountain Demon Hunt, where he didn’t do much yet still gained a big reward.
At Zhao Manor.
"Special Envoy, things are bad, really bad! My mountain spirit breeding site in Peaceful Sun Town has been raided! What should I do?"
Emerging from a facade of grandeur and rumored fondness for attractive men, Master Zhao rushed into the room, rolling and scrambling to clutch onto the leg of the man inside the room.
Zhao Hongyuan, over sixty and rather overweight, had a surprisingly wrinkle-free appearance with a complexion as rosy as a baby’s.
He was crying to a man in black clothes.
"What are you doing? What are you doing? Your snot, your snot!" Huang Zejun recoiled in distaste, kicking Zhao Hongyuan away and demanding, "What site was raided? Speak clearly! At your age, how can you still be so erratic!?"
Sobbing, Zhao Hongyuan incoherently narrated how the disciples of the Yang Clan Martial Hall attacked Dharma Lotus Temple and wiped out over a hundred lesser mountain spirits.
Huang Zejun was stunned.
"We were so close to harvesting, and now you bring me such trouble?"
"I didn't expect this either," Zhao Hongyuan said anxiously.
"That's why I invited you here, so we could start a bit earlier, perhaps?"
Influenced by Zhao Hongyuan's agitation, Huang Zejun was equally restless.
His mind wavering, he agreed in a moment of folly.
Zhao Hongyuan felt a rush of joy, though his face remained tear-streaked.
"It's all my fault for not tying up loose ends, causing such a disaster and delaying the sect’s plans."
"It's too late to blame anyone. You've worked hard for the sect for so many years. Even if there's no merit, there's toil. At least the groundwork has been laid, starting two days early shouldn’t have too much effect."
"Now that my old bones have no further use, having you here ensures foolproof success. I sincerely wish to gaze upon the Holy Mother Goddess and serve her day and night. Is that possible?"
"Hmm, I know your devotion. I will make arrangements shortly to have a ship prepared so you can return to our sect soon."
(The end of the chapter)