Chapter 11: The Locust Plague Disaster!
Above the public fields of Valley City, shrouded in low-hanging mist, a drifting cloud sailboat hovered silently.
At the prow stood a burly man clad in a light green official’s robe embroidered with clouds and stalks of wheat. A bronze seal hung from his waist on a silver cord, and by his feet lay a bamboo cage.
The cage, roughly a meter square, now released a continuous stream of black birds that flew straight down toward the farmland below.
Beside the cage stood two middle-aged men in similar official garb, distinguished only by their bronze seals tied with blue cords at their waists.
These three were the chief supervisors of the Valley City Agricultural Bureau: Chen Shijie, the head official of the bureau, holding the ninth rank; and his two subordinates responsible for land registration and equitable distribution, Gao Linong and Tang Wanchun, both also of the ninth rank.
Behind them was another figure, a clerk sent by the county magistrate Wei Wenhe, wearing an iron ruler at his waist, tasked with recording the entire summer assessment process—a mere tool in this official drama.
When the last black bird returned to the cage, the clerk began his routine inquiry, bowing respectfully: “May I ask, Lord Chen, what species are these black birds?”
Chen Shijie turned and returned the bow. “These are called ‘Grain-Eating Birds,’ also known as ‘Vultures.’ They are common in the north. I specially arranged for them to be transported from my hometown to serve as a test for the local agricultural officers.”
The clerk asked again, “What is the content of this summer solstice assessment?”
Chen explained, “At the time of the summer solstice, the early rice approaches maturity, and these birds favor it greatly. This assessment tests how agricultural officers cope with natural enemies of the fields.”
The clerk, unfamiliar with these birds, cautiously asked, “Is this similar to a locust disaster?”
“Not quite so severe. After all, this is only a routine assessment.”
The clerk pulled out paper and pen and requested, “Please, Lord Chen, provide the detailed scoring criteria.”
Chen gestured toward the cage. “The public fields of Valley City have been altered by me to resemble the heat of the Great Heat solar term, which accelerates the depletion of the officers’ vitality. After one hour, when the Grain-Eating Birds return to the cage, Lord Gao, Lord Tang, and I will grade the officers below.”
“The scoring depends on the extent of damage to the fields each officer is responsible for.”
“Less than 10% damage to the early rice will be rated ‘A.’”
“Less than 20% damage will be rated ‘B.’”
“Less than half damaged will be rated ‘C.’”
“Damage exceeding half will result in no score for this assessment, and the officer will be penalized by requiring replanting with accelerated cultivation techniques. If the recovery succeeds, they may be awarded a ‘C’ rating retroactively.”
The clerk quickly took notes and bowed again. “Thank you, Lord Chen, for your explanation. I shall not disturb the examiners any longer.”
With that, he turned and entered the cabin, awaiting the results to be approved by Chen Shijie before reporting back to the county office.
...
Below the public fields, chaos had already erupted.
No one had expected the exam question to come from the sky—nor so suddenly!
A dark mass of birds circled above each officer’s assigned plot.
But for now, the birds only circled, making no move—Chen Shijie was giving the officers time to react.
Some quick responders had already begun casting spells.
Cloud Walking, Wind Rising, Thunderstrike, Rain Summoning—the scene was lively with magic.
Everyone wished to drive away these uninvited guests as quickly as possible.
“Oh heavens, I recognize them—they’re northern vultures that feed exclusively on grain. And they’re incredibly difficult to repel!”
“Damn examiners! We in the south don’t even have these birds! How can this be a test?”
“Chen Shijie’s from the north. Could it be that he deliberately brought these birds here?!”
“The summer solstice test is about natural disasters, so aren’t these vultures a natural calamity?”
“Ah! My rice just started heading! Go away, you filthy birds!”
...
Amid the frantic curses and cries, the once-quiet public fields became a scene of pandemonium.
Zhao Xing immediately recognized the birds as Grain-Eating Birds—he was all too familiar with them!
In his previous life, when he switched to the agricultural bureau, he had faced this test, and his territory often suffered various ‘natural disasters.’ These birds were notoriously troublesome.
Of course, they were not as devastating as locusts, which could utterly destroy crops down to the roots.
“What kind of birds are these? They won’t be blown away by the wind, not stopped by rain, and are unafraid even of thunder. Brother Zhao, Qian Dong, how should we respond… Brother Zhao?”
Chen Ziyu looked around for Zhao Xing but found he had already fled to the haystack area.
Only Zhao’s voice drifted back on the wind: “Don’t just stand there—rush back to your assigned fields and find a way! If all else fails, drive them off yourselves! Protect as much as you can!”
Hearing Zhao’s command, Qian Dong and Chen Ziyu quickly sprang into action.
There was no time to waste now; every second counted.
At this moment, Zhao Xing was glad he had not neglected practicing the scarecrow spell these past few days.
For now, scarecrow puppets were the most effective method.
[You have created a scarecrow puppet (replica).]
[Scarecrow Puppet (Replica)]
[Proficiency: 854/9999]
[Effect: Responds to commands, cycles repeatedly.]
[“All Plants as Soldiers” proficiency +1]
...
[You have created a scarecrow puppet (replica).]
[Scarecrow Puppet (Replica)]
[Proficiency: 864/9999]
[Effect: Responds to commands, cycles repeatedly.]
[“All Plants as Soldiers” proficiency +2]
...
The proficiency cap for basic spells is 9,999. Every 1,000 points raises the spell rank, marking the first transformation, which enhances the spell’s potency.
Zhao Xing had learned from the “Willow Transmission Spellbook,” granting him high proficiency with scarecrows, though not yet to the first transformation level.
However, what mattered now was quantity, not quality.
“Faster, faster…”
Zhao Xing’s hands moved nearly too fast to see. Since taking the Dao Embryo Pill, his vitality had surged daily, and his constitution improved greatly. Before long, the haystack before him visibly lowered as one scarecrow after another sprang to life and marched toward their destinations.
One, two, ten, fifteen…
After a quarter of an hour, the circling black birds descended to feast on the early rice.
Zhao Xing’s expression darkened.
His responsibility spanned five acres—half the size of a soccer field—and the scarecrows were still too few.
“Cloud Walking!”
A golden light ignited at his fingertips, soaring above his fields, enveloping them in low mist.
By now, Zhao Xing was no longer the man he was a month ago; the cloud walking spell now covered nearly half his five acres.
The mist slightly hindered the Grain-Eating Birds, but only marginally.
“Thunderstrike!”
He cast another spell; the clouds shifted from white to gray as thunder roared and violet lightning flashed.
“Shoo!”
The descending vultures scattered in a flurry, rising again to circle high above.
Yet they refused to leave, seemingly searching for a chance to swoop down once more, or waiting for the thunder to cease.
Zhao Xing did not hesitate. He quickened his weaving motions, knowing these spells could only delay the birds temporarily.
The summer solstice assessment would sift through over five hundred candidates; the duration would be long.
Only about twenty at most would earn an ‘A.’
“My best previous score was only lower ‘B,’ mostly mid or upper ‘C’—barely passing. There won’t be many assessments left, so each one is vital.”
He reached out to grab more straw but found the pile empty.
He hurried toward another stack to gather materials, but just then, several figures arrived at the same haystack, competing with him for the ‘resources.’
Zhao Xing wasn’t the only one who realized the power of the scarecrow spell; many officers had caught on.
“Move! I saw this first!”
“What do you mean it’s yours? This is public grassland…”
“Will you get lost or not?!” Zhao Xing snatched up a stone and hurled it fiercely at the others, his face twisted with ferocity, eyes sharp.
His ingrained player instincts from his previous life surfaced without warning.
“You’re so unreasonable…” One man shuddered and backed away quickly, about to curse, but seeing Zhao’s fierce expression and the sickle in his hand, he wisely fled.
Others watched and dared not approach; there was plenty of haystack left—no need to fight a ruthless man who threw stones at the slightest provocation.
Zhao Xing resumed weaving his scarecrow puppets, undeterred.