The Ba Snake

"The imperial star is about to shift, thankfully the Prime Minister's faction is no longer around, otherwise His Majesty would be in a very difficult position!"

Under the wooden shed of the academy, Dong Zhongshu's expression changed slightly, indicating that he had roughly figured out the relevant details.

'Boom'

Amidst the rumble of thunder, a torrential downpour began.

The burning campfire was extinguished, but the lightning illuminated Dong Zhongshu's pale face.

He was aware of a possible scheme unfolding in the palace and the general direction the court would take in the future, but Dong Zhongshu had no intention of getting involved.

The profound impact of border troubles and internal strife within the Han Kingdom made this change of regime extremely difficult to resist.

Any strengths that can be leveraged will be leveraged, and any weaknesses that may be exposed will be addressed.

If he behaved even slightly abnormally, Dong Zhongshu felt he would be filled in.

Having thought things through, he no longer felt rushed like before he came. Instead, he felt he could stay in Shu County for a while longer, perhaps even until the Crown Prince's possible ascension to the throne.

Dong Zhongshu did not seek good, but he also did not want bad.

He is not an indispensable talent; on the contrary, many people could replace him, which creates a need for caution.

"Brother Zhongshu!"

A voice came, completely pulling Dong Zhongshu away from his thoughts about the imperial court.

He lowered his head and whispered in Zhang Xuezhou's ear. Zhang Xuezhou's head immediately lifted, and he looked at Wen Weng, who was walking into the wooden shed in the heavy rain.

Wen Weng's clothes were completely dry, but the terrible weather made it impossible to continue teaching, and the remaining twenty-odd students had lost their will to listen.

While some people were worried about the potential hazards the torrential rain might pose to their homes, Wen Weng was thinking about another important potential problem.

"Have you heard of the Bashe?" Wen Weng asked.

"Ancient texts say that there was a Ba snake in the Chu region, which was a hundred feet long and could swallow clouds and poisonous rain. It was later shot down by Yi, the leader of the Dongyi tribe," Dong Zhongshu nodded.

"I'm not talking about that kind of snake, but it's somewhat related to the one you mentioned," Wen Weng nodded. "Legend has it that Yi shot down the Bashe serpent and fought it fiercely. The Bashe serpent traveled a thousand miles west before being cut in two. Wherever its venomous blood passed, nothing grew. However, some ancient Cuban sorcerers collected this venomous blood and used it to breed many subspecies!"

"Is there a subspecies of the Bashe snake in the Sichuan-Chongqing region?" Dong Zhongshu asked doubtfully.

"I once saw a snake six zhang long at Taiping Weir. It's probably a subspecies of the Bashe," Wen Weng said. "This snake is fond of stirring up storms and waves. It will surely cause trouble when there is heavy rain, inducing floods and raging waves to destroy the riverbanks. In the past, I was not good enough to deal with it. This time, I happen to have Brother Zhongshu. I hope that Brother Zhongshu can help me, so that we can get rid of this scourge as soon as possible!"

"If you think my methods are acceptable, then use them," Dong Zhongshu said.

"I knew Zhongshu was a straightforward person," Wenweng said happily. "The place where that Bashe is entrenched is a water-dividing area. Once we get rid of that Bashe, it will be easier for me to divert water into Shu, so that the villagers will not have to worry about water, and we can even dig up fertile fields."

"What Brother Zhongweng has done is truly a meritorious deed that will benefit future generations," Dong Zhongshu praised.

"I dare not," Wen Weng said. "How can we teach if students cannot have enough to eat? No matter how much my academy can teach, we must at least ensure that students do not go hungry before they can learn anything."

The academy's grand ceremony was held at night so as not to disrupt people's daily lives.

Even though Wen Weng did everything perfectly, it couldn't overcome the most basic needs that everyone faced.

Farming can fill your stomach, hunting can fill your stomach, trading can fill your stomach, but studying cannot fill your stomach; and you have to wait until you become an official and receive a salary, but who knows when that will be.

Wen Weng once drew a picture of a cake, but no one wanted to eat this cake that promised a government official position through studying.

In the end, only a few minor officials from the prefectural governor's office remained in the academy to show their support.

To solve the problem of student enrollment at the academy, Wen Weng actually needed to address the hunger problem faced by many people in Sichuan and Chongqing.

The torrential rain caused his lecture to fail, but it also gave Wen Weng some insight, allowing him to understand the key to solving the problem.

It will take a long time for fertile fields to spread throughout Sichuan and Chongqing, and it is unknown when the academies will be able to attract a large number of students.

But Wen Weng had to take this step; only by taking this step could his academy possibly welcome students.

As the founder of the official academies of the Han Kingdom, if he had been able to manage them successfully, the academies might have spread throughout the Han Kingdom, thus breaking the various monopolies on knowledge and ensuring the smooth implementation of the court's decrees.

His face shone with light, and when he looked at Dong Zhongshu, he felt as if the heavens were on his side.

If the investigators were replaced by someone else, they would either lack sufficient ability or inevitably be refused the prefect's summons.

Only someone like Dong Zhongshu, who possessed both ability and a strong sense of public duty, would not simply carry out the court's orders just because he was an official. In fact, he shared similar ideals with Dong Zhongshu and even formed a friendship with him.

Wen Weng groped around in the dark for a few seconds, then started banging on the spot.

What are they doing?

Without the campfire, the pitch-black night provided the perfect reason for people to leave.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that most of the people around him had left, leaving only a few people obediently staying in the wooden shed.

Listening to the conversation between Dong Zhongshu and Wen Weng, and hearing the random banging sounds they were making, he couldn't help but feel somewhat confused.

What annoyed Zhang Xuezhou even more was that he had revealed some information. Dong Zhongshu seemed to have thought of some key points but did not say them. Then the prefect of the academy came and said he wanted to kill the snake, which disrupted his conversation with Dong Zhongshu.

Without the campfire, Zhang Xuezhou had little visibility at night and could only rely on the light from lightning streaking across the sky.

He felt that Dong Zhongshu must have known something serious to cause his face to turn pale when struck by lightning.

While rambling on about random topics, Zhang Xuezhou also maintained contact with Dong Zhongshu, lest the other party use him and then discard him.

"Zhongweng is lighting a fire," Dong Zhongshu said. "He is skilled in wind and rain, but cannot practice the art of fire; he can only rely on a flint to start a fire!"

"Then you don't know fire magic?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"What a coincidence, I don't know fire magic either," Dong Zhongshu nodded.

"Fire magic emphasizes killing and destruction, and only some schools of thought in Yin-Yang School and Daoism have corresponding lineages," Wen Weng said. "This is a deadly art, and these schools don't easily pass it on to others. Not only can we not cultivate it, but even if we wanted to, we would lack the guidance of the technique!"

"You are the inheritor of the Yin-Yang School School's Nine Heavens Sect, yet you haven't learned a single skill in igniting fire?" Dong Zhongshu laughed.

"I've been eating raw food for a long time!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly.

Not to mention fire magic, before he obtained the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feather, he didn't even have a single flame and could only eat a little bit along with the others.

He didn't flaunt his treasures at this time, lest he attract trouble.

"The weather is too humid; it's hard to start a fire with a flint," Wen Weng said with a headache.

"Don't worry," Dong Zhongshu reassured him.

"That serpent only reveals itself during storms," Wen Weng said. "I originally intended to try and eliminate this menace, and then present the serpent's gall to Brother Zhongshu as a gift. Now it seems I've been crippled before I even began my mission!"

"What's the use of the gall of the Bashe snake?" Zhang Xuezhou interjected.

"Zhongshu has been stuck in the Divine Ability Realm for years, unable to advance. The effects of the Bashe gall are less potent for others, but for Zhongshu, it might be an opportunity..."

"Etc!"

Dong Zhongshu was initially able to remain calm, but Wen Weng's words made him lose his composure.

Wen Weng's greatest strength was not his spiritual practice, nor his experience as an official, but rather the breadth of his historical knowledge.

The other party knew more about ancient knowledge than Dong Zhongshu, and also had a more detailed understanding of Dong Zhongshu.

Dong Zhongshu originally intended to cooperate with the other party to kill a giant snake, but unexpectedly, the giant snake turned out to be of use to him.

For Wen Weng to make such a recommendation, it's clear that he was about 80% certain.

For Dong Zhongshu, who had been hovering at the Divine Ability Realm for a long time, he would try any opportunity, even if it meant only a 30-50% chance, let alone an 80% chance.