Above the Public Fields of Gucheng, a Flowing Cloud Flying Ship hovered amidst the low-lying clouds.
A burly man stood at the bow of the ship, dressed in a light green official robe embroidered with clouds and wheat, with a bronze seal and silver ribbon tied at his waist, and a bamboo woven basket cage placed at his feet.
The basket cage looked to be no more than a meter square, yet black birds continuously flew out from it, heading straight for the farmlands below.
Beside the basket cage were two middle-aged men wearing the same official robes, with the slight difference that they had bronze seals and green ribbons at their waists.
These three were Chen Shijie, the Chief Official of the Gucheng Agricultural Supervision Office, a Ninth-Rank official.
And the two Deputy Officials, Gao Linong and Tang Wanchun, both From-Ninth-Rank, who were in charge of registered fields and equal distribution.
Behind the three was another person, wearing an iron ruler at his waist; he was a scribe sent by Li Wenzheng, the Gucheng County Magistrate, responsible for recording the entire monthly assessment, a complete tool.
When all the black birds had flown out of the basket cage, the county yamen's scribe began his routine, cupping his hands and asking, "May I ask, Lord Chen, what species are these black birds?"
Chen Shijie turned around and returned the bow: "These birds are called 'Grain-Eating Birds,' also known as 'Vulture Birds.' They are mostly found in the north, and I specifically had people transport them from my hometown to assess the local agricultural officials."
The scribe asked again: "And what is the content of the Minor Heat assessment?"
Chen Shijie said: "During the Minor Heat solar term, the Origin Rice is nearing maturity, and Grain-Eating Birds are fond of Origin Rice. This assessment will test how agricultural officials deal with natural enemies in the fields."
The scribe seemed to have never seen these Grain-Eating Birds before and cautiously asked, "Similar to a locust plague?"
"It won't be that exaggerated; after all, it's just a regular assessment."
The scribe took out paper and pen from his waist and asked again, "Please, Lord Chen, provide the detailed scoring criteria."
Chen Shijie pointed to the basket cage and said, "The Gucheng Public Fields have been adjusted by me to the Major Heat solar term. The scorching heat will accelerate the consumption of the officials' Origin Qi. An hour later, when the Grain-Eating Birds return to their cages, I, along with Lords Gao and Tang, will score the officials below."
"The score will depend on the extent of damage to the farmland each official is responsible for."
"Those with less than 10% damage to their Origin Rice will be graded 'A'."
"Those with less than 20% damage will be graded 'B'."
"Those with less than half damage will be graded 'C'."
"If more than half is damaged, there will be no score for this assessment, and they will be penalized to replant and accelerate growth with Cultivation techniques. If they can make up for it, they may receive a 'C' grade."
The scribe quickly jotted it down with paper and pen, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your explanation, my lord. I will not disturb the three examiners any further."
With that, he turned and entered the ship's cabin, waiting only for the results to be released, then for Chen Shijie to approve them and report back to the county yamen.
Below the Gucheng Public Fields, chaos had already erupted.
No one expected the test to come from the sky, and so suddenly!
A dense flock of black birds circled above the fields each agricultural official was responsible for.
However, these birds were only circling and had not yet made a move; this was Chen Shijie giving the officials time to react.
Below, those who reacted quickly had already begun to cast Spells swiftly.
Moving Clouds, Raising Wind, Striking Thunder, Spreading Rain, it was quite lively.
Everyone wanted to drive away these uninvited guests as quickly as possible.
"Oh my god, I recognize them! These are Vulture Birds from the north, they specialize in eating grain, and they are incredibly difficult to drive away!"
"Damn examiners! We don't even have these birds in the south, and they're using them as a test question?"
"Chen Shijie is from the north. Could it be that he specifically transported them here?!"
"The Minor Heat assessment tests against natural disasters. How is a Vulture Bird not a natural disaster?"
"Ah! My newly headed Origin Rice! Get lost, you stinking birds!"
…
Frantic, cursing, and crying, the previously quiet Public Fields, where the examination was taking place, suddenly became a scene of wailing ghosts and howling wolves.
Zhao Xing immediately recognized them as Grain-Eating Birds because he was all too familiar with them!
In his previous life, when he was transitioning to an agricultural official, he had encountered this problem, and various 'natural disasters' frequently appeared in his territory. These things were notoriously troublesome.
Of course, they were still far less severe than a 'locust plague,' which was utterly destructive, gnawing even the roots.
"What kind of birds are these? Why can't the wind blow them away, the rain stop them, and they aren't even afraid of thunder? Brother Zhao, Qian Dong, how should we deal with this… Brother Zhao?"
Chen Ziyu looked down, searching for Zhao Xing's figure, only to find that Zhao Xing had already run to the haystack area.
Only his voice drifted on the wind: "Don't just stand there, quickly go back to your respective fields and figure something out! If all else fails, drive them away yourselves. Protect as much as you can!"
Hearing Zhao Xing's voice, Qian Dong and Chen Ziyu also moved quickly.
At this moment, they couldn't worry about anything else; it was a race against time.
At this moment, Zhao Xing was very glad that he hadn't slackened in his Cultivation of Scarecrow Spells these past few days.
Because, for now, Scarecrow Puppets were the most efficient way to deal with this.
【You created a Scarecrow Puppet (Repeater)】
【Scarecrow Puppet (Repeater)】
【Proficiency: 854 / 9999】
【Effect: Acts on command, repeats cyclically.】
【Turning Grass into Soldiers Proficiency +1】
【You created a Scarecrow Puppet (Repeater)】
【Scarecrow Puppet (Repeater)】
【Proficiency: 864 / 9999】
【Effect: Acts on command, repeats cyclically.】
【Turning Grass into Soldiers Proficiency +2】
The proficiency cap for low-level Spells is 9999. Every 1000 proficiency points increases its tier, which is called 'Spell First Turn,' meaning its power goes up a level.
Since Zhao Xing studied the "Willow Transmission Method," the Scarecrow proficiency given was very high, but it had not yet reached the 'First Turn' level.
However, what was needed now was quantity, not quality.
"Faster, faster, a little faster…"
Zhao Xing's hand speed was almost blurry. Since taking the 'Dao Embryo Pill,' his Origin Qi had grown daily, and his Physique had improved a lot. In a short while, the haystack in front of him visibly shrank, and at the same time, Scarecrows began to rush towards their destinations.
One, two, ten, fifteen…
A quarter of an hour passed, and the circling black birds descended, beginning to devour the Origin Rice.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing's expression changed.
His responsible field was five mu, about half a football field in size, and the current number of Scarecrows was not enough.
"Moving Clouds!"
A golden light flashed from his finger, shooting straight above his farmland. The clouds lowered, enveloping it.
At this moment, Zhao Xing was no longer the same as a month ago; the range of his Moving Clouds almost covered most of the five mu of land.
The effect of the clouds slightly hindered the Grain-Eating Birds, but only slightly.
"Striking Thunder!"
Zhao Xing cast another Spell. The clouds turned from white to gray, thunder began to rumble, and purple lightning flashed.
"Boom~"
The descending Grain-Eating Birds scattered again with a clamor, pulling their bodies higher.
However, they still refused to leave, circling overhead, seemingly looking for an opening to descend, or perhaps waiting for the thunder to stop.
Zhao Xing no longer hesitated, immediately speeding up his hand movements, because he knew this could only block them for a while, not indefinitely.
The Minor Heat assessment, which aimed to select outstanding individuals from over five hundred people, would certainly not be short in duration.
At most, only twenty people would be able to achieve an 'A-plus' score.
"My best score before was only a 'B-minus,' mostly 'C-plus' or 'C-middle,' just barely passing. There aren't many assessments left, and each one is crucial for me."
Zhao Xing thought to himself, reaching out to grasp, but found nothing; the haystack in front of him was already empty.
He immediately rushed to another haystack, pulling out grass to weave, and just then, several figures also ran to his haystack, competing with him for 'Materials.'
Zhao Xing was not the only one who had mastered the Scarecrow Spell and found it useful; many officials had realized it.
"Get lost, I saw this first!"
"What do you mean it's yours? It's public grassland…"
"Are you leaving or not?!" Zhao Xing picked up a stone and fiercely threw it at the other person. His face revealed a fierce look, and his eyes were ruthless; the player's nature, deeply ingrained from his previous life, inadvertently showed through.
"You, you are so unreasonable…" The person was startled, quickly backing away to dodge. Just as he was about to curse, he saw Zhao Xing's fierce expression and the sickle in his hand, immediately realizing this was not someone to provoke, and could only run away.
Seeing this, others also dared not approach. There were still many haystacks, and it wasn't worth fighting with such a ruthless character who would throw stones at the slightest disagreement.
Zhao Xing then continued to make Scarecrows again.
