Chapter 312: Highway Robbery
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Fangzheng’s brows knitted together as well, “Is there no other solution?”
Tan Juguo said helplessly, “What can we do when the heavens don’t rain?” With that said, he sucked at his smoke pipe again, his entire person turning a little down.
Yang Ping added, “It’s not only about a lack of rainfall. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Everyone in the village knows that. Beneath us is not rock or mud but a layer of sand. Sand does not retain water. Therefore, water is lost even when it rains. Our village’s paddies require water to be drawn nearly every day for our consumption.
But here comes the problem. The water table is not infinite in amount. There will come a day when it’s drained dry. Furthermore, our village is rather remote and as we are poor, technological reforms have not reached us. Every family needs to draw water, resulting in drawing water on a large scale, and the wastage of water on a large scale. It accelerates the depletion of the underwater table. I raised the issue a long time ago, saying that we had to stop such acts…”
“You make it sound easy. How are we to farm if we do not draw any water?” Tan Juguo said displeased.
Yang Ping gave a wry smile, “Secretary, I was only giving the cause. There’s no need to argue with me. Our village has been drawing so much water and now that we have a water shortage, it is understandable. What I’m worried isn’t this actually…”
“Then what are you worried about?” asked Tan Juguo.
“I’ve done some investigations. Some villages that drain dry the underground water… Sigh, let’s explain it this way.” Yang Ping stacked a few pieces of watermelon and pointed at them. “This is the landscape. This is the sand layer, and this is the underground water table. In the past, when there was an underground table, it was like that, solid. Now that there’s no water, this will happen…”
Yang Ping took away the watermelon at the bottom and immediately the watermelon above fell down.
“A surface collapse?!” exclaimed w.a.n.g Yougui.
“Cratering?” Tan Juguo used a more descriptive word.
Fangzheng quipped, “Wouldn’t that be very dangerous?”
Yang Ping nodded, “It’s indeed dangerous, but it’s not a phenomenon that will definitely happen. It’s only a possibility. That’s why…”
“Why what? Do we still have other solutions?” asked w.a.n.g Yougui with a wry smile.
Tan Juguo answered, “We should change from wet paddy fields to dry farmland.”
“But, the price of corn this year… We would probably make a huge loss if we changed,” said w.a.n.g Yougui.
“Amitabha. Patrons, This Penniless Monk has an idea.”
“What idea?” inquired Tan Juguo.
“Simple. The bamboo forest will continue growing. Why don’t we let the fields be used to plant Frost Bamboo. Although Frost Bamboo requires a lot of water, it can grow as long as there is rain. The dry season, no matter how long, will pa.s.s. At the worst, they will just die. Since it grows fast, it will appear again when a downpour happens.”
“This is a solution. We have already begun developing our bamboo industry. But it’s a slow process that cannot be rushed. After all, we aren’t familiar with this business. We need to plan well. In addition, it is not only our village who needs water. The entire region is suffering from a dry spell. Many villages are suffering the same phenomenon,” said Tan Juguo.
Fangzheng never expected the dry spell to reach such a dire state. He asked, “If the dry spell continues, what will happen?”
“We will have nothing to harvest,” said Tan Juguo solemnly.
Fangzheng’s heart was heavy when he left One Finger Village.The sustained drought had resulted in a severe lack of water in the nearby villages. Although it was not as bad as people dying of thirst, the need for irrigation made things difficult. If this continued, the nearby villagers would suffer.
Furthermore, Fangzheng would not be able to enjoy his coming days. Without spring water, he could only draw water from the foot of the mountain. But now that the foot of the mountain was lacking water, what was he to drink?
“Master, this matter isn’t hard actually,” Red Boy shook his head when he heard of Fangzheng’s worries.
Fangzheng’s eyes lit up, “What solution do you have?”
“Of course, it’s to Call the Wind and Summon the Rain! As long as you have this divine power, a beckoning of your hand will summon the wind, and a wave of your hand will result in rain. Once the rain and wind come, the drought will immediately be solved!” chuckled Red Boy.
“Fourth Junior Brother, do you have this divine power?” asked Lone Wolf excitedly when he heard that.
Red Boy held his tiny hands to his back as he raised his head and chest. He said with an impressive air about him, “Spells like Call the Wind and Summon the Rain and Cast Beans for Soldiers are Daoist spells. So I’m not very talented. But although I’m a demon king, I have a wide social circle. I have countless Daoist friends.”
“You have that divine power?” Fangzheng also turned excited. If Red Boy could summon rain, this disaster could be immediately resolved.
Red Boy suddenly held his head as he cried, “Aiyah, I can’t handle it. My head hurts… I can’t recall it. I need some sleep. Master, can I take a nap?” With that said, the rascal blinked his eyes. He did not look like he suffered from a headache at all.
Fangzheng obviously knew that the punk was up to his tricks and was attempting highway robbery. However, Fangzheng was rendered helpless as well. He could only nod and say, “Go on. Have a good rest.”
“Master, the temple hall is too uncomfortable,” said Red Boy with a chuckle.
“Then sleep on my bed,” said Fangzheng.
Red Boy beamed immediately as he ran into Fangzheng’s meditation room, got on the bed and slept! As he lied in bed, he was feeling delirious with joy. Having been here so long, this was the first time he was staying inside the meditation room. His body was that of a demon king. The mortal world’s hot and cold was nothing to him but it was an innate wish of people to want something better. Although the thing that was better was not necessarily much better, it was good as long as it was rare!
“Master, Fourth Junior Brother is using this opportunity to negotiate,” said a displeased Monkey.
Fangzheng said with a wry smile, “That’s right. It’s all because he has that bit of skill. Alright, go do whatever you need to do. Solutions need to be thought of still.”
With that said, Fangzheng returned to the temple hall. He offered three sticks of incense to Guan Yin Bodhisattva before silently praying, for good weather.
However, Fangzheng knew that it was unlikely under the purview of the two Buddhas in front of him. His prayer was only to comfort himself. After praying to Bodhisattva, Fangzheng sat under the bodhi tree and asked, “System, do we Buddhists not have Dharma spells or divine powers like Call the Wind and Summon the Rain?”
“You mentioned before that both of them strive for the same goal through different means. Have you forgotten that? Call the Wind and Summon the Rain is not a divine power that belongs to a particular school of thought. Instead, it’s a common divine power. It’s just like switching on the lights by pulling a switch. As long as you understand the reason behind it, you will be able to do it. Daoists, Buddhists, and Confucianists all have related divine powers. However, everyone commonly calls it Call the Wind and Summon the Rain. It’s simple if you want to Call the Wind and Summon the Rain. Just try out your Divine State. What if you manage to get it?”
“What if?” Fangzheng rolled his eyes as he nearly roared out loud. How could a divine power of the Divine State be randomly obtained? That was something that cost merit! The bit of merit he had was not to be used wantonly. But on second thought, could he count on Red Boy? Fangzheng did not find it a reliable solution. It was not even certain the child knew Call the Wind and Summon the Rain, but it was definite that he was taking the opportunity to fleece him. Besides, it would be difficult to get him to do anything in a short span of time!
Relying on himself was better than relying on others. Fangzheng clenched his teeth as he closed his eyes. He activated his Divine State!