Thin Monk

Liang Qu sat in the courtyard, drinking fish and meat porridge, with a group of bricklayers and carpenters.

Listening to them chat while drinking porridge, Liang Qu gained a great deal of knowledge about the changes happening outside.

A seventh-rank County Magistrate is just a minor figure in the Governor-General's Office, but for the county he is in charge of, and even the surrounding areas, it is a very important matter.

When a new official takes office, the "Red Edict" is issued, and the post stations along the way will provide services. According to the unspoken rules of officialdom, the magistrates of each prefecture and county will send some silver.

The first thing County Magistrate does upon taking office is to receive the official seal. Accompanied by his entourage, he then tours the yamen (government office) once, a process known as "Circling the Azure Dragon."

After the "Circling the Azure Dragon" ceremony, the County Magistrate must kneel facing north in his official robes and kowtow to express his gratitude for the emperor's grace.

At this point, the bailiffs would strike the wooden clapper three times, and then beat the drum three times.

Immediately afterwards, the County Magistrate sat facing south and formally entered the court, beginning to "light Three Fires" (i. e., set off three major events).

The main activities involve burning incense and worshipping gods. Incense is offered at temples such as the City God Temple and the Temple of the Sages, followed by inspections and inventory checks.

Since Ping Yang Town became Ping Yang County and Chao River County was abolished, the archives and personnel of Chaojiang County have been moved to Ping Yang County.

It's just that such a large County Government Office can't be moved and built in just one or two months; it's quite messy.

When the new County Magistrate first arrived, he did not carry out this series of procedures. He put them on hold and issued several notices and decrees first. He would complete the procedures after everything was sorted out.

Therefore, the so-called land measurement was really hasty.

Liang Qu sat there listening to everyone's words, as if it were just a casual observation, and the main purpose seemed to be to announce his arrival.

That makes sense. Let alone dividing the land, even Land Measurement and Tax Assessment is not easy.

With so many officials in the county, which one would agree to let you measure the land as you please? If it were that easy, there wouldn't be any land consolidation; you could just measure it again every now and then.

After breakfast, Liang Qu practiced underwater in the morning, went to the Martial Arts School in the afternoon to teach a few students, learned some things himself, and then went to the academy.

"What? There's an exam?"

Liang Qu was very surprised.

He's been here so long, and I've never heard of him having to take an exam.

Si Hengyi smiled and said, "It has always been necessary, but you are different from other students. You were arranged by Master Yang, and I have personally witnessed your academic progress, so I have never given you an exam. However, with the arrival of the new County Magistrate, you will inevitably have to take this exam."

According to past practice, a newly appointed County Magistrate must conduct a written examination of the students in the county to understand their academic strengths and weaknesses.

Don't worry, nothing serious will happen. It's just a process. Whether you do well or poorly on the test won't affect anything; it'll just be a matter of impression.

Liang Qu was relieved; it was just a formality, so it wouldn't matter.

"By the way, Mr. Si, have you heard about the recent land survey?"

Si Hengyi nodded. "I've heard people talk about road construction, boat racing, and land surveying."

What are your thoughts?

Si Hengyi pondered for a moment, "Road construction is definitely a good thing. It will ensure that people have food to eat and that roads can be repaired. But I don't quite understand things like boat racing and land measurement."

"Can't read?"

"The current County Magistrate is the Second Place appointed by the emperor. His knowledge is dozens of times greater than mine. Logically, if he really wanted to measure the land, he shouldn't have been so hasty. Knowing it was useless, he did it anyway. There may be a deeper meaning behind it, but I can't see it."

Si Hengyi put it rather euphemistically, but in reality, he also believed that most of these projects were merely for show.

Liang Qu nodded and stopped thinking about it.

Inside the clinic, the doctor brought in a basin of water, broke off a piece of firewood and placed it in it, pressing two fingers on the firewood floating on the surface of the water.

"Floating Pulse is like a piece of driftwood on water. You can knock it over if you press it lightly, but it will drift away if you press it hard."

The doctor pressed down the driftwood, but the buoyancy was too great, and the driftwood naturally drifted away.

Then he threw down two more stones, which sank straight to the bottom of the water.

"The Sinking Pulse is like a stone thrown into water, sinking to the bottom. If you want to find it, you have to press into the bones and muscles."

The doctor put his finger into the water and pressed down on two pebbles at the bottom.

"When blood is lost, there will be a hollow pulse, which is called the Hollow Pulse. If the left cun pulse is hollow, it means the heart has lost blood. If the right cun pulse is hollow, it means the yin is injured. If the hollow pulse enters the left guan pulse, it means the liver blood is not stored."

Each type has a different treatment method. As Martial Artist, you should pay more attention to injuries sustained in future battles. Even for Martial Artist, blood is fundamental; excessive blood loss may temporarily prolong life, but it won't last long.

Liang Qu nodded.

He has almost mastered the skills of herbal identification, bone setting, and bone grafting, and has treated more than a dozen patients. He has also begun to study pulse diagnosis.

An hour a day doesn't take much, but what you learn is invaluable.

night.

As usual, Liang Qu went to patrol the river. After packing his things, he also went to the kitchen to grab a few meat pies that had been made.

After killing the Spirit Monster, there is fish belly meat to eat. Liang Qu doesn't need this, but he often encounters two beggars on the road and can give them some.

Without Uncle Chen, I might have starved to death that night, let alone made a name for myself.

That feeling of being starving to death was truly unbearable.

Liang Qu had no wish to donate his own flesh to help others, but he also didn't want to see anyone slowly waiting to die like he had in the past.

He can now be considered a rentier, a few pies are just a drop in the ocean.

Take everything with you, and set sail from Liang Qu.

By midnight, Liang Qu had earned four more Minor Merit, bringing his total to Minor Merit. He then exchanged them for nine Cockscomb Fruit and casually picked up a booklet introducing the river.

The booklet was obtained for free without any Minor Merit, so Liang Qu still had a Minor Merit left.

A candle is lit at the bow of the boat, its flame flickering dimly, while Liang Qu.

The entire Da Shun has three major rivers, with the Jiang Huai River being the largest. Its downstream tributaries are as numerous as wings, and rivers are found all over the land.

Interspersed between the rivers is extremely fertile soil, making the entire Jianghuai region arguably the most densely populated area in Da Shun.

Jianghuai Marshlands is a Great Marsh near the sea along the Jiang Huai River, and the distance from the center of the marshland is as far as ten thousand miles.

When Liang Qu heard such a precise description for the first time, he was deeply moved.

This map is so damn huge, it wouldn't be surprising if there were even real Flood Dragon, let alone flood dragons.

The length of the entire Jiang Huai River is unknown; the only knowledge is that it, along with two other River Conservancy Office, originates in the Great Snow Mountain Region.

There are the world's highest mountains there, and all the snow is produced there; the snow-capped mountains have remained unchanged for millions of years.

The wind and snow travel south, turning into water and flowing into rivers, creating a place filled with mystery and terror.

Few people go there, and few people come out.

(Note: This is a folk legend and has no factual basis. According to research by the Ministry of Works, snow is formed from invisible water in the air that has cooled, and does not come from the Great Snow Mountain.) Liang Qu: "."

This Ministry of Works is quite powerful.

Liang Qu glanced through it briefly, and seeing that it was getting late, he put the booklet into his pocket, moored his boat at his designated spot, and prepared to go back to sleep.

"Benefactor stay!"

His voice was deep and husky, with a powerful penetrating quality.

Liang Qu turned his head and saw an Old Monk appear out of nowhere behind him.

The Old Monk was extremely thin, so thin that only his bones remained. His wrinkled skin clung to his forehead, almost outlining the contours of his bones. Yet he was also extremely tall, half a head taller than Liang Qu.

He was dressed in a Patch Robe and held an old bowl, looking more like a beggar than a monk.

Such a bizarre appearance walking on a dark road might scare children who are out playing to tears.

Liang Qu patted his pockets; he had no money, and the meat pies were all gone on the way there.

"I'm sorry, Master, I have no food or money on me. If you'd like, you can wait until tomorrow. I'll pass by this road again and bring you two vegetarian buns."

The Old Monk shook his head. "Benefactor, this old monk does not beg for alms."

Not begging for alms? Liang Qu raised an eyebrow and became secretly on guard.

The Old Monk bowed deeply and asked, "Do Benefactor have a master? If not, would you be willing to become my disciple?"