Chapter 217 - Chapter 217: Chapter 212 Disaster Arises, Insect Master Thrives_1 (1/2)
Chapter 217: Chapter 212 Disaster Arises, Insect Master Thrives_1
Translator: 549690339
“You, village chief, workharder than anyone else! You rented eighty mu of land from the Yan Family, didn’t you?”
“Heh heh, how can I compare to you! I’ve got a whole family with mouths waiting to be fed; if I don’t work for a day, I start getting anxious. You’re different, with your iron rice bowl, drawing a government salary every month.”
Although Xu Zhenchang seemed to be playing the sympathy card somewhat intentionally, what he said was also logical.
A farmer’s economic income relies entirely on working the land; without work,
where would the money come from?
Insect Masters are a different story entirely.
Even a low-ranking Insect Master gets a fixed salary every month. It’s
equivalent to being on the public grain ration.
Even if Qin Niu didn’t farm, he’d still have food to eat and live much more comfortably than the vast majority of farmers.
“That may be so, but being an Insect Master isn’t an easy job. With the current unstable situation, who knows when we might be conscripted by the
government to defend the borders.”
The Black Tiger Gang had implemented a talent registration and management system and issued monthly salaries, naturally expecting something in return.
There’s an age-old rule of maintaining troops for thousands of days to use
them at a critical time.
Once you’re enlisted, you enjoy all kinds of preferential treatment from the government, but when war breaks out, you can’t be a deserter or hide like a scared turtle. How could there be such a good deal?
“By the way, did you notice any outsiders entering the village?”
Qin Niu asked in a hushed voice.
“Haven’t noticed! But I’ve been in the fields since early morning, and I haven’t gone door-to-door to ask around. Does Master Qin need me to check it out?” “There’s no need to conduct house-to-house searches, and that would be too dangerous anyway. The Insect Master Association has issued a notice, saying that the situation is rather tense lately and that you, as village chief, should be extra cautious. If outsiders come into the village, you can report them to me immediately, and officials will come to handle it.”
Qin Niu pondered silently to himself.
Could it really have been a monster beast that entered the village last night and went directly into the mountains?
It was not an impossibility.
If only ordinary monster beasts were roaming around, the Black Tiger Gang could deal with them. If a dangerous fiend made an appearance, they would surely report it to the Immortal Sects and ask them to send an Immortal Master to capture the beast.
“I also heard some similar news. I heard that two Insect Masters hired by the Yan Family, one died, and the other disappeared. It’s a good thing you didn’t go, Master Qin; otherwise, it would have been really dangerous.”
Xu Zhenchang nodded solemnly.
Recent undercurrents were stirring, and anyone with a modicum of vigilance
could detect it.
Xu Zhenchang was closely connected to the Yan Family, so it wasn’t surprising that he could get hold of such information.
As they were talking, there was a commotion in the wheat field nearby.
Qin Niu was on high alert.
Could it be that the powerful individual who entered the village was hiding in
the wheat field?
That would surely be quite demeaning for them.
“When insects wreak havoc, Black Tigers run amok. As calamity strikes, Insect
Masters rise…”
Zhang Banzui, reeking of alcohol, stumbled out of the wheat field.
It turned out to be this old drunkard who, having drunk too much the previous night, had accidentally wandered into the wheat field and lay down to sleep there.
Zhang Banzui often took the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed.
“Ah, Zhang Banzui, why lie in my wheat field of all places? Do you know how hard it was for me to grow this little bit of wheat? I—”
Seeing Zhang Banzui staggering out of the wheat field, Xu Zhenchang’s cheeks twitched with grief.
With this drunkard lying in there for a night, he surely must have ruined a lot of wheat.
“Heh heh, village, village chief, hello!”
Zhang Banzui’s cheeks were flushed, his face sporting a foolish smile, and he was still clutching his precious gourd that he never let go of.
It always seemed to contain an endless supply of alcohol.
“Village chief, don’t scold him. Zhang Banzui’s had a tough life too, living alone without children. His settling in our village was fate. We should try to treat him kindly.”
Qin Niu intervened to stop Xu Zhenchang from lashing out.