After the divorce, I became a mountain god

Inside the bonsai world.

Lujiazhuang Village is fifty miles away from Kaoshan Village.

Although this place is not far from Kaoshan Village, it is no longer part of Shanyang County, but belongs to Lin County and Fengmu County of Shanyang County.

As the name suggests, this county has a lot of woodland and even more timber, which is why this name has been passed down.

But at this moment in Lujiazhuang Village, due to the long-term drought, the sky here is blue without any embellishment. Apart from the huge sun, there is not even a cloud to be seen.

The temperature of the ground rose sharply, presenting a distorted wave-like visual effect.

There has been no rain for a long time, and the land here has long been dry. The once fertile fields are now barren. When you get closer, you can see cracks everywhere, like dry lips.

Although a rainfall a few days ago brought some hope to everyone, the continuous high temperature that followed made people feel miserable. The seedlings that were replanted with great difficulty showed no signs of survival and all withered.

The grass and trees in the nearby woods were scorched yellow, and the leaves were hanging down with difficulty. The few people left in the village were too lazy to go out, and the surrounding area was bleak.

Early in the morning, people who got up early went out and prepared to throw away the night incense from last night, but were suddenly stunned by the scene in front of them.

There is a dark mass in the distance, is this... is this a dark cloud?
God's eyes are open!

It is going to rain!

Before I could fully digest the news, I heard another villager with a good view shouting not far away.

"Oh no! Locusts, so many locusts! It's a locust plague! The locust plague is coming!"

Some villagers who didn't react in time took a closer look and were stunned.

The large mass of thing in the distance that was originally mistaken for a dark cloud was now moving.

The overwhelming and dense swarms of locusts shocked everyone who saw them in an instant. They were like a dark cloud, sweeping in quickly and violently.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze, and the villagers watched the "dark cloud" getting closer and closer.

Many people were at a loss, their hearts were beating faster, and an unprecedented sense of fear surged in their hearts.

The rustling sound made by the locusts is like countless little devils whispering in your ears, which makes you shudder.

People can even feel their greedy appetite and ruthless destruction of all green life.

"Locusts! Locust plague! The locust plague is coming!"

More and more people shouted out, and the sound echoed throughout the world.

People's shouting woke more villagers from their sleep.

Then they saw a scene they would never forget.

The locusts were like a dark cloud, covering the sky and approaching the village in swarms. These little devils migrated at an alarming speed, and wherever they passed, the already fragile vegetation was eaten up, leaving only bare branches and devastation.

The rustling sound of the gnawing mixed with the whistling of the wind formed a heart-pounding natural tragedy.

The villagers stood there helplessly, looking at the surrounding land that was once their hope but was now ravaged by locusts, their eyes full of despair.

Anxiety and helplessness were written all over their faces. Their hands were tightly grasping various tools, but they were powerless and could only watch the little remaining green around them being devoured.

The entire Lujiazhuang village was shrouded in a haze by this unstoppable army of locusts.

There was a sense of depression and uneasiness in the air, as if even time had become heavy.

The locusts continued to move along the forest. The various trees that were already suffering from thirst became even more withered and without branches and leaves after the locusts passed by. The whole forest was filled with an atmosphere of depression and despair.

The forest floor was also covered with a thick layer of locust corpses and excrement, and the air was filled with a disgusting stench. This scene seemed like a nightmare of nature, and it was unbearable to look at it.

It was under this premise that the entire forest became chaotic.

The locusts ate the trees, the grass and the thorns, leaving only bare branches swaying helplessly in the scorching sun.

……

Backing the mountain village.

Li Wufu and his companions packed their bags and tools, and prepared to go into the mountains again with the tamed wolves.

Suddenly, a pigeon-sized bird circled in the sky and slowly landed.

Seeing this, Li Wufu put his hands together, covered his mouth with them, and blew hard, while his fingers kept shaking, revealing some delicate gaps between his fingers, making the sound coming out of his mouth sound like a bird's call.

Hearing the sound made by Li Wufu, the bird in the sky suddenly swooped down, spread its wide wings, formed a larger gliding surface, and used the principles of aerodynamics to achieve a smooth descent with minimal energy consumption.

When it was about to land, the bird tilted its head forward slightly, folded its wings slightly, and gently swung its tail to maintain balance. Its legs gradually stretched forward, and it quickly and steadily grabbed Li Wufu's outstretched hand and stood on it.

Li Wufu gently instructed the young man beside him: "Quick, pour some water out of your water bag!" As he spoke, Li Wufu stretched out his other hand and slightly closed it, signaling the young man to pour the water in the middle of his palm. Without saying a word, the young man untied the water bag and poured some water into Li Wufu's palm. Li Wufu then moved his palm with some water in front of the little head of the bird, and moved his mouth slightly, making a "chirp chirp" sound.

The little bird's eyes rolled slightly, then it lowered its head and slowly pecked at the palm of Li Wufu's hand, absorbing the few water sources there.

Li Wufu glanced at the bird's legs. A small straw-like tube was tied to the bird's legs, and candle oil was clearly sealed at the top.

Li Wufu skillfully touched the feathers on the bird's neck, and the bird gently raised its wings, allowing Li Wufu's hand to more easily grasp the straw in its claws.

Then, Li Wufu took the wheat straw and gently tapped it with his fingernail. The candle oil at the top was removed, revealing a small roll of paper inside.

Li Wufu hurriedly knocked on the straw gently, and the paper roll inside was taken out.

Then, Li Wufu was stunned and shouted to Li Qingjiang who was reading with some children not far away: "Qingjiang boy, come and help me see what the words above say, I can't recognize all these words!"

As a cultured person in the village, Li Qingjiang, encouraged by the mountain god, took on the role of teacher without hesitation during this period.

In theory, this position is still very respected, but under the dual influence of Li Wufu, the elder, and the "head of the meat supply team", Li Wufu is now one of the most respected people in the village. After all, people are easily influenced by others, and Li Qingjiang is no exception.

So, hearing Li Wufu's call, Li Qingjiang did not refuse and trotted over in two steps.

"What's the matter, Uncle Wu Fu? Where did these words come from?"

Li Wufu handed over the small piece of paper in his hand and said, "This should be the county's messenger bird. It's probably a bit crazy due to the heat and thirst, and has lost its sense of direction! Please help me take a look at what's written on it. If it's important, we have to find a way to help it spread!"

Li Qingjiang shook his head slowly and said, "No, this is not the messenger bird from Shanyang County. It should be from Fengmu County. Fengmu County has suffered a very serious locust disaster and is reporting to the Qingmu Prefecture government office!"

"What? Locusts! There's a plague!" Li Wufu widened his eyes. As a person who deals with animals, he knows how terrible a locust plague is.

Li Qingjiang nodded and said, "That's right. And from what is said here, the locust plague has spread to many places and is currently flying towards a village called Lujiazhuang. Uncle Wufu, where is Lujiazhuang? It sounds a bit familiar to me!"

Li Wufu's eyes widened when he heard this, and he said in astonishment: "What? Lujiazhuang Village? Oh my God, that is less than 50 miles away from our mountain village. Including the mountain road we migrated, it is only more than 50 miles away. With such a short distance, those locusts might come to us!"

Li Qingjiang glanced at the signature on the note and said, "The time on the letter is morning. Maybe the locust plague has already passed through Lujiazhuang Village by now!"

Li Wufu said anxiously: "Oh no! Locust plague is a troublesome thing. If this thing comes here, all our hard work and labor these days will be in vain!"

Li Qingjiang nodded seriously and said, "That's right. The rice seedlings planted in the reclaimed wasteland in the village will probably be in trouble. It will be good if we can save one out of ten!"

Li Wufu gently soothed the flying bird in his hand, looked at Li Qingjiang and said: "Not only that, locusts eat all kinds of leaves. Our forests here have finally regained some vitality.
We have called back many birds and animals. If the locusts are allowed to swarm, all the prey in the forest will be gone, and they will definitely not be able to come back for a while. By then, let alone hunting, the chickens, cattle and sheep in our village will have no grass to eat!"

Someone at the side interrupted and said, "Hey! Uncle Wufu, since we have chickens, why don't we just let them eat the locusts? It will also provide us with nutrition. Then the chickens will all lay eggs! How perfect!"

Li Wufu waved his hand and said, "Okay, forget it. Do you know what a locust plague is? It's not what you think, that the leaves in a field are infected with insects. The fields are densely packed with locusts. Let alone our chickens, even if you gather all the chickens and ducks in the county or even the entire Qingmu Prefecture, it is impossible to eat all these locusts in a short time."

The person asking the question was surprised and said, "Ah? There is such a thing, but I heard from my grandfather that when they were young, there was a locust plague in the village, and they used chickens and ducks to kill a lot of locusts!"

Li Wufu shook his head and said, "That means your locust plague is small in scale, with few insects and not forming a large scale, so they can be chased and eaten by chickens and ducks. Otherwise, the eyes of the chickens and ducks would be blocked by the dense locusts and they would not be able to see anything. Qingjiang boy, you are very knowledgeable, am I right?"

Li Qingjiang also nodded and said, "That's right. When locusts form a swarm and form a plague, they fly very fast. It is difficult for chickens and ducks to catch up. And didn't you notice that when the locust plague occurs, the birds and beasts that originally love to eat insects all dodge and not a single one can be seen?"

Another middle-aged man also nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes, I have always been very curious about these things. Why is it so?"

Li Qingjiang explained: "I don't know the details, but I think it has always been like this. Maybe the locusts are too large, and these small-scale birds and beasts are afraid of unknown things! Maybe in their eyes, the black clouds formed by these locust plagues are different from the lone locusts that are common on weekdays!"

Li Wufu shook his head and said, "This may be one reason, but the biggest reason is that these locusts must contain toxins."

The middle-aged man said in confusion: "Ah? There are toxins? This is impossible. Last year, when we had no food to eat, we ate these locusts every now and then. Many people in our village ate them this way, and no one in their family was poisoned to death!"

Li Wufu explained again: "I don't know the specific situation, because when I was hunting in the mountains in the past, I often ate locusts to fill my stomach, and sometimes even ate them raw, and it was nothing serious.
But the insects of the locust plague were eaten by eagles before, and they died of diarrhea within two days. Later, I also observed that many small birds died after eating this stuff. I guess it’s probably because the locusts during the locust plague are different from what we usually see.”

Li Qingjiang's eyes brightened and he said, "This explanation makes sense. I have to write it down. Uncle Wufu, please tell me more about it."

Li Wufu waved his hand and said, "There will be plenty of time later, but not now. This is that matter. I have to go and talk to the village chief about it!"

The village chief Li Kanshan soon learned the news, and then frowned and remained silent for a long time.

"No, there is no way we can stop this natural disaster!"

Li Laosan also nodded and said, "Yes, it seems that we still have to trouble the Mountain God for this matter."

Seeing that there was nothing left for him to do, Li Wufu stood up and said goodbye, "Okay, I'll go check on the messenger bird and see how it's resting. I have to let it continue to send messages to the government office. Maybe the government office can find a solution. If we delay any further, we'll miss something important!"

Li Kanshan nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Go quickly. Even if the government office can't do anything, we have to let them know the news as soon as possible so that they can prepare."

"Also, don't tell the villagers about this news for now. Be careful not to cause panic. It would be bad if trouble breaks out." Li Kanshan warned.

Li Wufu nodded and said, "Got it! I understand."

Li Kanshan added: "Actually, there's no need to worry too much. We have the protection of the Mountain God, so we'll be fine!"

Li Wufu was relieved after hearing this, nodded in conviction, and turned to leave. (End of this chapter)