act31side

Why not take a break, give the new guy some of your work? Does it matter who gets the numbers out of the Sky Poles?

He doesn't know anything. When he first showed up, he couldn't tell the difference between wheat and sorghum. Everything he does, I end up having to do all over again to fix his mistakes. I have no idea why Laoshi asked me to teach him.

But he's a real fast runner, so maybe he can help me find Mianmian—

Right! I'll go ask him!

You wha-? He—Laoshi invited him here specifically to help with the farming, he can't—

*cough* Fine, I'll go with you, wait a sec—

Weiii! New guy! Drop your busywork, come help me find my stockbeast!

The summer sun shines brightly while cicadas chirp away happily. In the paddies, a youth clumsily harvests rice, drops of sweat big as beans streaking down his face.

The muscles in his arm are well-built, but without proper knowledge of how to use them, they are useless for reaping the slender stalks with his sickle. After slaving away for most of the day, he has only managed to harvest a single bundle of rice.

His mandarin coat hangs off a pillar, a few fowlbeasts who were hunting for stray grains instead decide to show great interest in this unfamiliar garment, pecking at the hanging belts with their beaks.

Phew—

It's midday already...

And there's still so much left to do...

It's the Hour of Ch'ou... Who won this round?

Count for yourself.

I told you I'm not very good at this.

Then you should learn.

It is not easy to meet you face-to-face.

A decrepit temple... just as unrelenting as you are. You lock yourself away in this hut to stare at that board day after day. What do you see, looking at it?

More or less what you see from your ledgers.

There exist rules on the board, just as there exist rules outside the board.

All under Heaven live for profit, and die for profit... Perceptive as always, Erge.

Over the years, our brothers and sisters seem to have lived much more pleasant lives after discovering their interests.

Our eldest brother seems to have eventually mastered kung fu and made his way north to guard the city there. Our eldest sister, on the other hand, dreamt a thousand years away and roamed hither and thither, living a most happy life.

All of us live as happily as we can be... except her, you know the one.

All these years... and I still feel sorry for her.

Business must've been going very well for you to have the time and luxury to worry about all this.

It wasn't until recently that I comprehended a certain wisdom and learnt a way to live.

Heaven and earth are merely a temporary lodging for all beings, while time is a transient guest that passes generations by...

Man spends an entire lifetime, only for a spiritual lodging and a persistant pursuit for accomplishments. Whether this lifetime is long or short makes little difference.

If you were truly seeing everything through, you wouldn't be sitting here.

I know what you're going to say.

I can help you do what you want to do.

However, I will need to borrow something from you in return.

You're my second-eldest brother, no need to stand on ceremony. What's mine is yours.

Give me your life.

From what I've heard, I came to Dahuang from the villages outside.

That year, someone found a wooden basin in the fields with a child who barely knew how to speak. Most likely, he had drifted into the fields from the river that flowed outside the city. Good thing someone found him.

Considering there was news of a Catastrophe, it's not so difficult to make guesses as to what had happened upstream.

You're a lucky boy, clinging on to dear life in a field of grain... We'll call you He Sheng, for 'Grain Stalks.'

This will be your home from now on.

I later asked around, in hopes of finding the village where I was born.

I found a 'village' that was completely empty. There was nothing but ruined houses and swaths of land covered in Originium crystals.

What happened to the people here?

The land here yields no harvest anymore.

Why...?

Do you see the black rocks? You can't grow food anywhere you find them.

And if you can't grow food, people go hungry.

Is there lots of land like this?

Is there any way we can make these bad rocks disappear, so we can grow food on this land again?

Many people have spent many years looking for a way.

Would you like to join them?

Yes...

It could take a very long time. You might never see the results. Even after spending your whole life on the effort.

Would you regret that?

No.

A lot has happened lately. The land I knew is now completely different. The old fields were almost renovated. Too bad Heaven is cruel and forced these endless calamities upon us.

The farmer by the fields looks up to see the rain falling onto his face. It feels cool and gentle.

The withered crops in the field also stand up straight, their stalks and leaves returning to a crisp, green color.

It's...

Shennong...

Shennong really is back...

Wei, what're you doing, lying around here?

Wake up. Hey, wake up!

Stop!

What's going on?

And why that getup again...?

I...

...What time is it?

It's been half a day since we last saw each other. You had me check the crops in the granary, and said you'd find the culprit behind all the storms in Dahuang. Why are you lying here?

So what's the story?!

How are the crops in the granary? Were they polluted? Have you found the source of the pollution?

You saw none of that...?

What...?

I went to the granary, only to find the summer harvest all turned a strange red-black color... Not only that, but the soil in the fields is all crusty and salted.

I have no idea what happened, but it rained just moments ago, and not only did the soil return to normal, but so did the grains in the granary.

Almost like somebody used some tremendous Originium Arts to cleanse the taint.

The taint underground? Who could do that...?

So we're safe now?

This rain...

Where is Shu?!

Where is... who?

Your teacher! Where is she?

We have a few teachers at the Tianshi Bureaus... Which one are you talking about...?

What did you do?!

What ever do you mean?

She's gone!

What are you up to?!

Why ask me?

It has always been her decision alone to stay here and guard this place. When have I ever interfered in any way?

Was it not 'man' who locked her away in this land for a millennium?

Have you lost your marbles?!

Not only do you and the weiqi failure want to get yourselves killed, you wanna drag all of us down with you?

Looks like my little sisters have spent too much time and had too much fun in this mortal realm... to the point that they've forgotten who they really are.

How much longer will you two keep up this act, pretending you're not different?

Shut up—

*cough* *cough* *cough*...

Dusk... you've been hiding in your paintings for so long, yet you are still as impatient as ever. Quite unbecoming of the world's greatest artist, wouldn't you say?

And Nian. In all these years, I've never seen you so serious. Seems you actually care a lot about your siblings.

I'm going to kill you.