Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As dawn broke, the yard of Lin Dahe's home was crowded with people. He was showcasing a few potato seedlings that had miraculously survived—their roots wrapped in specially formulated humus, and new white tendrils had already pierced through the poisoned black layer.
"Crop rotation isn't just random planting," he explained while breaking apart a tuber. "This year we plant beans, next year we sow wheat; this way, the soil won't be depleted." He gestured towards a nearby wooden barrel filled with decomposing green manure. "Rotting vegetable scraps mixed with horse urine is three times better than just applying manure."
Old farmer Wang Shu squatted down and squeezed a handful of soil, suddenly widening his eyes. "Hey? This soil feels warm!"
"Lime warms up when it meets water," Lin Dahe told a little white lie; in reality, it was an active microbial agent rewarded by the system. "With higher temperatures in winter, the seedlings won't be afraid of frost."
Just then, a heart-wrenching wail erupted from outside the crowd. Aunt Ma burst in, her hair disheveled, dragging along a seven or eight-year-old boy. "You heartless monster! You fed poison to my dog!"
The child’s face was flushed, with sesame seeds stuck to the corners of his mouth; he looked anything but poisoned. Just as Lin Dahe was about to speak, the boy suddenly retched and vomited a stream of yellow liquid—but with the keen eye of an agricultural student, Lin immediately recognized it as ginger soup.
"Call Doctor Li!" Seventh Uncle shouted, stomping his cane.
Aunt Ma became even more agitated at this. She yanked open the child's shirt. "Everyone look at these red spots!" On his skin were clearly fake rashes drawn with Balsam Flower juice.
"I’m going to report you! I’ll have the County Magistrate take your head!" Her voice was sharp enough to pierce eardrums, her finger nearly poking Lin Dahe in the eye.
"Wait." Cui Xiaoman had somehow squeezed to the front, holding an oiled paper bag. "Dogwa, do you recognize what this is?"
The boy's eyes lit up. "Hu Ma Chui Bing! Zhou Shu gave it to me!" After saying this, he suddenly covered his mouth.
The crowd erupted in murmurs. Aunt Ma's face turned from red to white as she suddenly lunged toward the stone mill. "I can't live anymore—"
Lin Dahe quickly stepped in to block her, and their momentum sent both tumbling onto a pile of grass. He instinctively shielded Aunt Ma's head with his left hand while his right hand accidentally pressed against her waist—there was something hard tucked there that felt like...
"Slap!"
A sharp slap sent stars dancing before his eyes. Aunt Ma broke free, but an oiled cloth bag fell from her arms. Lin Dahe's pupils constricted—it was his lost hybrid notes!
"Give it back!" As he reached out, Aunt Ma was seized by Cui Xiaoman's grip on her arm. In the struggle among the three of them, the oiled cloth opened up, revealing dense charts and symbols inside. The onlooking villagers gasped—those diagrams of Photosynthesis looked like nothing less than a Demonic Book Spell in the eyes of ancient people.
"She really knows sorcery!" Aunt Wang screamed as she clutched her grandson tightly and stepped back.
In the midst of the chaos, Lin Dahe suddenly caught sight of Cui Xiaoman on the outskirts of the crowd. The girl’s face was pale, her hand tightly gripping another half of the notebook—it was indeed the one she usually helped him transcribe!
Their gazes collided in midair; Cui Xiaoman turned and ran, her hair trailing behind like a scythe ready to cut.
By dusk, Lin Dahe paced back and forth at the door of Cui Family's woodshed. Inside came the sound of grinding knives—every time this girl got angry, she would sharpen her Castrating Knife.
"Xiaoman, let me explain..."
With a creak, the woodshed door opened slightly. Cui Xiaoman's eyes shone ominously in the shadows. "Explain what? Explain how you calculated wheat yields to two decimal places? Or explain this 'Photosynthesis' demonic array diagram?"
Lin Dahe opened his mouth to respond when suddenly a system notification popped up: [Trust level insufficient; key information locked.]
"My mother once said," Cui Xiaoman said as she plunged the tip of her knife into the wooden post. "When you encounter someone with an unclear background, you either hand them over to the authorities or..." She yanked the knife out forcefully. "Castrate them and make them a eunuch!"
The moonlight glinted off the blade, dazzling Lin Dahe's eyes. Just then, a sudden urgent whistle echoed from afar—it was Huo Lang Zhang's signal for help!
By the time they reached the village entrance, they found Huo Lang Zhang slumped on a donkey cart, a deep knife wound in his left arm exposing bone. He trembled as he pointed northward. "The main road... The officials are capturing those who can calculate..."
Lin Dahe's heart raced as he snatched the bloodied bundle from Huo Lang Zhang's grasp. Inside was a newly posted notice from the county office: "Those who claim to be sorcerers and speak of agricultural matters, skilled in deceitful arts... A reward of ten taels for their capture..."
Comment 0 Comment Count