A place to stay

"If we haven't gone the wrong way, after the next fork in the road, we'll reach Yingzhou."

Fang Zelin looked down and tried to determine his location.

North of Yingzhou, you can reach White Stone County.

But who exactly is this expert from White Stone County?

Thinking about this, Fang Zelin felt a surge of anticipation.

Fang Zelin followed the official road for dozens of miles before finally seeing the fields by the roadside.

Looking at it now, the fields on both sides are full of rice, and the golden rice ears are all bowing low.

Seeing this, Fang Zelin realized with a start that autumn had already arrived.

He didn't rush along the way, but instead enjoyed the scenery.

I didn't expect that it would already be autumn when I arrived here.

Even Fang Zelin couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion at this moment.

But after Fang Zelin took a few steps forward, he suddenly frowned slightly.

Just a moment ago, I could see many rice paddies ahead, but after walking a little further, I saw that many fields were already abandoned.

In some fields, the rice stalks grow straight and tall.

The rice ears on the top didn't have many grains hanging on them; some even looked flat.

That's probably why there were no rice grains inside; it was just an empty shell.

Fang Zelin was stunned for a moment upon seeing this.

Why are all these perfectly good fields being left uncultivated?

Fang Zelin walked forward for a while and saw an old man harvesting rice.

"Grandpa, why are so many fields here abandoned? Nobody's farming them anymore?"

Fang Zelin arrived at the edge of the field and asked with some doubt.

This is a completely different scene from the dense rice paddies I saw before.

This scene made Fang Zelin feel as if he had entered another dynasty.

"Hey, if the fields aren't even our own, how are we supposed to farm them?"

The old man turned around upon hearing the voice and saw a young man by the edge of the field, dressed quite well. He immediately dared not be negligent.

Fang Zelin frowned upon hearing this. "Have all the land been taken away by those local gentry?"

He understood the reason immediately after hearing it.

In ancient times, land annexation was practically unavoidable.

"That's right! After several years of famine, everyone ran out of money and couldn't buy food. They had to sell their land, and the local gentry would start recruiting us to farm the following year. But after two years of famine, nothing grew in the fields, and we ended up owing them grain. Who would want to farm then?"

The old man's words were filled with anger at that moment.

We, the common people, work so hard to cultivate the land.

In the end, however, they gained nothing and instead accumulated more and more debt.

Fang Zelin listened to these words and remained indifferent for a moment.

Looking up at the surrounding fields, I saw that much of the land was barren, and some of the rice stalks were just empty shells.

With Fang Zelin's keen eye, he could see it at a glance.

Who would want to farm land that can't grow crops?

If I had known it would be like this here, I would have preferred to come here and use my Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique" a few more times.

However, looking around, there weren't many fields still growing crops, so even with the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique, the effect wasn't particularly good.

Furthermore, it is unknown how many other places in the Great Jin are in this situation.

Even if one cultivates immortality, it seems there's not much one can do about this situation.

Fang Zelin stood on the edge of the field, looking at the scene before him, lost in thought.

Perhaps, when his cultivation level is higher, and he can move clouds for thousands of miles with a wave of his hand, he might be able to play a tiny role.

With this thought in mind, Fang Zelin sighed softly, turned around, and continued on his way.

The rice was already ripe, so even if he used the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique now, it wouldn't have any effect.

We walked along the official road straight ahead.

As I walked, I felt the place becoming increasingly desolate.

After walking for dozens of miles, they finally saw a village in the distance, which brought a sense of human presence to the area.

In the distance, I could hear a few rooster crows.

As Fang Zelin got closer, he saw several shirtless children chasing and playing.

Around mealtime, the children kept glancing towards their homes.

Standing at the village entrance, you can still see wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys.

Upon seeing the strangers at the village entrance, the children immediately took a step back and looked at Fang Zelin with some wariness.

But beneath their wary gaze lay a hint of curiosity.

This village is located in a remote area, and strangers usually don't come here.

The arrival of strangers at the village entrance quickly attracted the attention of many villagers.

After a short while, an old man, leaning on a cane, came swaying slowly towards them.

"Young master, what brings you to our Covered Walkway Village?"

The old man was over seventy years old, and his voice sounded somewhat weak.

"Old man, I, Fang, have traveled a long way to get here and am heading to White Stone Town. The sun is about to set, and I would like to find a place to rest here. Could you please do me this favor?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin cupped his hands in a respectful greeting and spoke.

The old man suddenly understood, then stroked his beard. "Going to White Stone Town White Stone Town, huh? Lately, quite a few more people have been going White Stone Town, including many from the village. You're also looking for a master there, hoping to get some guidance, right?"

Do the people here also know about the master in White Stone Town?

It seems that what the Beiqu City God said was true.

Thinking of this, Fang Zelin felt a slight jolt in his heart, and then nodded.

The old man smiled upon hearing this, relaxing slightly. "However, if you're going to White Stone Town, you've taken the wrong road. The main road ahead should turn into the road overgrown with weeds about ten miles away."

"The road to our village is well-maintained by people walking on it year-round, so there aren't many weeds. But the main road is rarely used, and it's overgrown with weeds now."

Fang Zelin was taken aback upon hearing this. Had he gone the wrong way?

Upon careful reflection, it is indeed true.

Earlier, I had seen a road overgrown with weeds.

Fang Zelin subconsciously felt that since so much grass had grown, it was unlikely that anyone had left.

So I didn't think much of it.

"It's getting late. If you don't mind, young master, we can have someone make room for you."

"No problem at all, as long as there's a place to stay, that's all that matters."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin quickly waved his hand and said...

Upon hearing Fang Zelin's reply, the old man chuckled and led Fang Zelin toward the village.

Fang Zelin looked around and saw that most of the villagers were wearing hemp clothes and straw sandals.

And then there were some people who were completely barefoot.

The village appears to be quite poor.

This contrasts sharply with Fang Zelin's current attire.