Above the public fields of Grain City, amidst the low-hanging clouds and mist, a Floating Cloud Skiff hovered.
A burly man stood at the bow of the ship, dressed in a light green official robe embroidered with clouds and wheat ears. A copper seal and silver sash were tied around his waist, and at his feet lay a bamboo box cage.
The cage, measuring only about one meter square, was continuously releasing black birds that flew straight towards the farmland below.
Beside the cage stood two middle-aged men in similar official attire, the only difference being that they wore copper seals with green sashes around their waists.
These three men were respectively Chen Shijie, the head of the Agricultural Affairs Bureau in Grain City, holding the rank of Ninth Grade, and his deputies, Gao Linong and Tang Wanchun, both of Ninth Grade as well.
Behind the three, there was another man wearing an iron ruler at his waist, a minor clerk sent by Lord Li Wenzheng from Grain County, responsible for recording the entire monthly assessment, serving as a proper tool.
Once the black birds had all flown out of the cage, the minor clerk began his routine duties, cupping his hands and asking, “May I ask, Lord Chen, what species are these black birds?”
Chen Shijie turned around and returned the gesture, saying, “These birds are called ‘Grain-Eating Birds,’ also known as ‘Vulture Birds.’ They are commonly found in the north, and I specifically had someone transport them from my hometown to assess the local agricultural officials.”
The clerk asked again, “What is the content of the assessment for the Minor Heat period?”
Chen Shijie replied, “During the Minor Heat solar term, the rice crops are nearing maturity, and the Grain-Eating Birds particularly favor the rice. This assessment will test how the agricultural officials deal with the enemies of the farmland.”
The clerk seemed to have never seen a Grain-Eating Bird before and cautiously asked, “Is it similar to a locust calamity?”
“It won’t be that exaggerated; after all, it’s just a routine assessment.”
The clerk took out paper and pen from his waist and asked, “Please provide a detailed scoring standard, Lord Chen.”
Chen Shijie pointed to the cage and said, “The public fields of Grain City have been adjusted to the Major Heat solar term, where the heat is unbearable, which will accelerate the consumption of the officials' vital Qi. After one hour, when the Grain-Eating Birds return to the cage, I, along with Lords Gao and Tang, will score the officials below.”
“The scoring will depend on the extent of damage to the farmland each official is responsible for.”
“If the damage to the rice is less than ten percent, they will be rated as A grade.”
“If the damage is less than twenty percent, they will be rated as B grade.”
“If the damage is less than half, they will be rated as C grade.”
“If the damage exceeds half, there will be no score for this assessment, and they will be punished to replant, using cultivation techniques to accelerate growth. If they can make up for it, they may receive a C grade.”
The clerk quickly noted this down and then cupped his hands, saying, “Thank you for your explanation, my lord. I will not disturb the three examiners any longer.”
With that, he turned and entered the cabin, waiting for the results to be released, so he could have Chen Shijie approve them and report back to the county office.
Below the public fields of Grain City, chaos had already erupted.
No one expected that the exam question would come from the sky, and so suddenly!
A dark mass of birds circled above each agricultural official's assigned fields.
However, these flying birds were merely circling for now, not yet taking action, as Chen Shijie was giving the officials time to react.
Some quick-reacting individuals below had already begun to cast spells rapidly.
Cloud Walking, Wind Rising, Thunder Striking, Rain Summoning—what a lively scene.
Everyone wanted to drive away these uninvited guests at the first opportunity.
“Heavens, I recognize this; it’s the Vulture Bird from the north, which feeds exclusively on grain and is extremely difficult to drive away!”
“Damn examiners! There’s no such bird in the south; how can this be used as an exam question?”
“Chen Shijie is from the north; could it be that he specially brought them here?!”
“The Minor Heat assessment tests for natural disasters; how can the Vulture Bird not be considered a natural disaster?”
“Ah! My newly sprouted rice! Get away, you filthy birds!”
……
In the midst of the frantic chaos, curses and cries filled the once-quiet public fields.
Zhao Xing immediately recognized these as Grain-Eating Birds because he was far too familiar with them!
In his previous life, when he transitioned to an agricultural official, he had encountered this question, and various types of ‘natural disasters’ frequently appeared in his territory. These were particularly troublesome.
Of course, compared to a ‘locust calamity,’ they were still much less severe, as locusts could wipe out everything down to the roots.
“What kind of bird is this? Why can’t the wind blow them away, the rain stop them, and they aren’t even afraid of thunder? Brother Zhao, Qian Dong, how should we respond… Brother Zhao?”
Chen Ziyu looked down to find Zhao Xing’s figure but discovered that Zhao Xing had already run to the haystack area.
Only his voice carried through the wind, “Don’t just stand there; hurry back to your respective fields and think of a way. If all else fails, do it yourself and drive them away; save as much as you can!”
Hearing Zhao Xing’s voice, Qian Dong and Chen Ziyu quickly sprang into action.
At this moment, there was no time to think about anything else; it was a race against time.
Zhao Xing felt extremely fortunate that he had not slackened off in his training of the Scarecrow Technique these past few days.
Because for now, the Scarecrow Puppet was the most efficient method to deal with this situation.
[You have created a Scarecrow Puppet (Repetitive Action)]
[Scarecrow Puppet (Repetitive Action)]
[Proficiency: 854/9999]
[Effect: Acts upon command, endlessly repeating.]
[Grass and Wood Soldiers Proficiency +1]
[You have created a Scarecrow Puppet (Repetitive Action)]
[Scarecrow Puppet (Repetitive Action)]
[Proficiency: 864/9999]
[Effect: Acts upon command, endlessly repeating.]
[Grass and Wood Soldiers Proficiency +2]
The proficiency cap for basic spells is 9999, with every 1000 proficiency increasing a tier, known as ‘Spell First Transformation,’ meaning the power escalates to a new level.
Since Zhao Xing learned the Willow Transmission Technique, the proficiency of the Scarecrow he created was quite high, but it had yet to reach the ‘First Transformation’ level.
However, what mattered now was quantity, not quality.
“Faster, faster… a bit quicker…”
Zhao Xing’s hands moved so quickly they became a blur. Ever since he consumed the Dao Embryo Pill, his vital Qi had been increasing daily, and his physique had improved significantly. In no time, the haystacks in front of him were visibly shrinking, while one Scarecrow after another began to rush towards their destination.
One, two, ten, fifteen…
A quarter of an hour passed, and the circling black birds descended, starting to devour the rice.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing’s expression changed.
His responsibility field was five acres, about the size of half a football field, and now the number of Scarecrows was still insufficient.
“Cloud Walking!”
His fingers glimmered with golden light, heading straight for the farmland above, where the clouds hung low, enveloping it.
At this moment, Zhao Xing was no longer the same as a month ago; the range of his Cloud Walking spell nearly covered half of the five acres.
The effect of the clouds slightly obstructed the Grain-Eating Birds, but it was only a slight obstruction.
“Thunder Strike!”
Zhao Xing cast another spell, the clouds shifting from white to gray, thunder rumbling, and purple lightning flashing.
“Boom~”
The descending Grain-Eating Birds scattered once more, rising back into the air.
Yet they still refused to leave, circling above, seemingly looking for an opportunity to descend, or perhaps waiting for the thunder to cease.
Zhao Xing no longer hesitated and immediately quickened his movements, knowing that this could only provide temporary obstruction and could not hold them off indefinitely.
The Minor Heat assessment aimed to select outstanding individuals from over five hundred participants, and the duration would inevitably be lengthy.
Only about twenty individuals could receive an A grade.
“My best previous score was only a B grade, mostly C grades, just barely passing. The upcoming assessment opportunities are limited, and each one is crucial for me.”
Zhao Xing thought to himself, and as he clapped his hands together, he found nothing but emptiness; the pile of hay in front of him had already been depleted.
He quickly rushed to another haystack to gather more, and just then, several figures also arrived at his haystack, competing with him for ‘materials.’
Mastering the Scarecrow Technique, Zhao Xing was not the only one who found it useful; many minor officials had realized its effectiveness.
“Get away, I spotted this first!”
“What do you mean it’s yours? It’s public grassland…”
“Are you leaving or not?!” Zhao Xing picked up a stone and threw it fiercely at the other person, his expression fierce and his gaze menacing, the player’s nature from his previous life surfacing inadvertently.
“You… you are being unreasonable…” The person was startled and quickly retreated, intending to curse, but upon seeing Zhao Xing’s fierce face and the sickle in his hand, they realized he was not someone to provoke and hurriedly ran away.
Others, seeing this, also dared not approach any further. There were plenty of haystacks; it wasn’t worth it to compete with someone who would throw stones at the slightest disagreement.
Zhao Xing resumed his work, continuing to create Scarecrows.
(End of Chapter)