Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 423 Hunting
Most of the gifts presented by the crowd were furs and the like, but the deer antler presented by Taoist Lu actually contained a first-class spiritual medicine. Zhao Zhen saw it and asked, "Taoist Lu, do you also raise spiritual deer?"

Taoist Lu heard this and said, "Sir, this temple for seeking children has inherited a fragment of the beast-gathering technique, which is a ground-level magic. Unfortunately, it was not completely inherited. I used it to create the deer-gathering technique. Although I have raised more than 30 sika deer in the temple, I have never raised spiritual deer. This antler was indeed obtained by me when I saved a young deer in the mountains and a male deer leader cut off one of his horns as a reward to me."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Is there a magical deer in this mountain?"

Taoist Lu hesitated for a while and said, "Sir, there are indeed magical deer in the mountains, but it is not easy for this deer to grow. I am now trying to tame this deer. I beg you to spare its life. If I can tame it, I will be able to get a small amount of this level of deer antlers every year in the future."

Zhao Zhen did not say what he thought, but just asked: "How many deer are there in the mountains?"

"There are always seven or eight herds of deer, about three to five hundred in number."

"Are there any wild animals in the mountains? We came here this time for a winter hunt, to see which general can shoot more prey. It will be a piece of cake to destroy the Iron Flying Leopard and the Meng Da Axe." As he said this, he blew a whistle, and Wangcai, Wangfu, and Wanglu, who were hiding behind Zhao Zhen, walked forward.

After hearing this, the people below the stairs were all terrified and thought: The new prefect really made his career through military merit, and his soldiers are brave and courageous in fighting. The two strong men who were riding on their heads and bullying others had their heads chopped off in less than half a day.

Zhang Hao, the village head of Zhangjiazhuang, heard this and said quickly, "Sir, there is a big beast at the northern foot of Yuntai Hill. We always avoid this place when we go hunting."

The others also told the news about their own hunting grounds. The most abundant animals in the two mountains were wild boars. There was also a group of gray wolves running back and forth between the two mountains, but no one had found the wolf's den.

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Among the places you are in, only Zhangjiazhuang has a flat terrain suitable for farming, and there are large areas of wasteland. You should all move here from the mountains. There are less than 300 acres of land around the Qiuzi Temple, which will be used as a deer farm in the future, and all farmers will move to Zhangjiazhuang. The state also has policies for reclaiming wasteland, so you can go to the county to ask."

After hearing this, no one dared to object. Niu Laosan, the leader of the settlement on the northern foot of Neiliduozi Mountain, gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, I'm not trying to refuse. My Niu Village is different from them. We originally lived in the mountains and have always made a living by hunting and collecting herbs. If we go to Zhangjia Village, I'm afraid that the land here won't be able to be cultivated well."

Zhao Zhen listened and said, "I have two choices for you. I am recruiting archers here. You can also apply to join the army. The monthly salary is enough for you to support your family. Your family can plant some fields or go to the county to make a living. It is better than living in the mountains. In addition, you can still hunt, but you will have to pay taxes in the future. The tax amount is not much, just a few furs and feathers every year."

Niu Lao San's eyes lit up when he heard this. Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Zhen continued, "Don't force this matter. Each household should do it consciously. In the future, Zhangjiazhuang will also have a clerk who will serve as the deputy head of the village to supervise Niujia Village. Private punishment is not allowed in the village. All punishments are in the hands of the prefecture and county. You must not act recklessly. If you violate the law, you will be punished."

"All land and population must be registered. If anyone is found to have concealed the information, they will be sentenced to hard labor in the county prison."

After hearing this, everyone said they didn't dare.

Seeing that his power was established, Zhao Zhen said, "You don't have to worry. Liangshan Prefecture handles things fairly. Good farmers don't have to worry about harassment from clerks. There are drums in the prefecture and county offices. If there is any oppression or injustice, you can go and beat the drum, and I will send someone to make the decision for you."

"From now on, your descendants, if they have knowledge, virtue, and martial arts, can also join the government and the military, and have a background."

After hearing this, everyone felt relieved.

The Taoist priest Lu was left behind, and the other three were released. Zhao Zhen said to the generals around him: "Take a day off today. Tomorrow, the people who signed up will go in pairs. Except for the deer, you can kill everything else."

After hearing this, everyone went down to prepare. Zhao Zhen turned to Taoist Lu and said, "Taoist Lu, since you also have magic skills, you are different from ordinary people. The post of Taoist priest in Yuncheng County is still vacant. After the people from the state come to assess you, if there is no problem, you will also have a place in the county's Taoist priesthood. You don't need to worry about other things. You are mainly responsible for testing and teaching Taoist priests about Taoism and morality to prevent bad people from sneaking in. If there are supernatural things, you will also be required to preside over it and report it to the state. There are also high-level monks and Taoist priests in the state who can call the wind and rain, summon divine soldiers and generals, and are responsible for supernatural things. The county has already established a monk and Taoist association to be responsible for miscellaneous matters and register the monks and Taoist priests in various temples and monasteries, as well as the properties of various temples."

After hearing this, Taoist Lu bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your advice, sir. If you have nothing to do today, why don't you go to the temple to ask for a child, which is in the deer garden."

After listening to this, Zhao Zhen glanced at Hu Sanniang and Chen Liqing beside him and nodded.

Taking Yu Baosi's flag guard, Zhao Zhen, Hu Sanniang, and Chen Liqing followed the Taoist deer to the temple on the top of the mountain to pray for a child. When they reached the middle of the mountain, they saw a few sika deer that were not afraid of people and walked towards them in small steps.

Wangcai, Wangfu and Wanglu, three hunting dogs, came forward but could not stop the deer. The Taoist said to Zhao Zhen, "Sir, these deer are well-fed and are not afraid of people. They usually roam the mountains, eating grass and trees, and do not harm crops. At night, these deer return to the deer garden on the mountain to rest."

As he spoke, Taoist Lu touched the head of a young deer.

Zhao Zhen nodded. He was not surprised that the Taoist Deer could tame wild deer. Zhao Zhen had long known that the beast gathering technique could make wild animals feel close to him. Just like Zhao Shiqilang, although he did not know magic, he relied on his talent to understand the habits of birds and train them.

Zhao Zhen also brought two falcon slaves with him this time. They were both apprentices of Zhao Shiqilang and were responsible for raising falcons for Zhao Zhen. Now each of them brought a horn eagle. Tomorrow, in addition to the people waiting for hunting, Zhao Zhen would hunt hares in the mountains for fun.

In the temple for seeking children, Bixia Yuanjun, the celestial fairy of Mount Tai, is enshrined in the center. Mount Tai is located in the east, observing the virtue of wood, while the jade girl Kun is water, helping with the birth of children. On the left and right are the goddess of descendants and the goddess of vision. There are two hanging mountains on the left and right of the hall, with the statues of the goddess of Birth and the goddess of smallpox below.

Hu Sanniang and Chen Liqing both came forward to pay their respects sincerely. Then, Taoist Lu invited Zhao Zhen and others to sit in the dormitory. After serving tea, Taoist Lu stood up to say goodbye. However, along the way, he heard that Zhao Zhen was a disciple of Luo Zhenren of Zixu Temple on Erxian Mountain, and also practiced Taoism. Therefore, he presented the incomplete copy of the beast gathering technique that was treasured in the temple.

Zhao Zhen was also quite curious about this. It wasn't that he was very eager to learn the beast gathering technique, but he wanted to see it for himself after hearing that it was a Disha technique.

After a while, Taoist Lu came over with a small box in his hand. He opened the box and took out a booklet and then half a piece of animal skin. When Zhao Zhen looked at it, he found that the booklet was called "The Art of Gathering Deer". The animal skin was made of unknown material. The first page had the words "The Art of Gathering Animals" written on it.

Taoist Lu said, "I present this "Art of Gathering Beasts" together with the "Art of Gathering Deer" that I studied to you, sir. A copy is kept in the temple."

world log
"The Art of Gathering Deer" (This was deduced by the Taoist Deer based on half a volume of "The Art of Gathering Beasts". If you learn this, you can become a deer breeder.)
Deer herder: (Familiar with the habits of deer and keeps deer as companions.)
Professional skills: riding deer, herding deer, driving deer (long-term raising can drive male deer to charge and attack), and antler cutting.

"The Art of Gathering Beasts" (incomplete), there is a magic of gathering beasts on the earth. If you practice it to a high level, you can summon birds, beasts, insects and fish to drive them. The magic is incomplete, so you need to be cautious when practicing it.

After Zhao Zhen read it, he felt the heavenly book in his arms vibrate. Zhao Zhen quickly asked for a clean room. Taoist Lu thought Zhao Zhen was in a hurry to comprehend the magic, so he did not think much about it and led Zhao Zhen to a clean room. Yu Baosi led people to surround the clean room and did not allow anyone to approach. He also drove out the sika deer raised in the yard.

Zhao Zhen sat on the futon and took out the heavenly book from his arms, holding the heavenly book in one hand and the fragment of "The Art of Gathering Beasts" in the other. Since he got the heavenly book, Zhao Zhen has studied it, but unfortunately, there is not a single word in the three volumes of the heavenly book. Zhao Zhen did not give up and asked Gongsun Sheng, Chen Xizhen, and Qiao Daoqing to look at it, but they did not show anything. It was soaked in water and burned by fire, but it was not damaged at all. The origin of this thing is mysterious. Zhao Zhen asked Cheng Wan'er to sew a brocade bag for it and wore it on his body. He took it out to study it when he had nothing to do. He did not expect that it would be shaken suddenly today, so Zhao Zhen naturally did not dare to take it lightly.

There were three volumes of heavenly books, and the bottom one was glowing. Zhao Zhen placed the remaining volume of "The Art of Gathering Beasts" on top of it, and the words on the third volume finally appeared.

The opening chapter reads [Earthly Evil Technique]. After turning the page, the first page reads [Beast Gathering Technique]. Zhao Zhen compared it with the remaining fragments of [Beast Gathering Technique] and discovered that the magic spells recorded in this heavenly book were actually complete.

This discovery made Zhao Zhen overjoyed. He could finally decipher the Heavenly Book. Although there was only one chapter on the Art of Gathering Beasts, he knew how to use it. The other two volumes were no different in Zhao Zhen's opinion. After carefully reading the Art of Gathering Beasts, Zhao Zhen left the purification room with a smile on his face.

Zhao Zhen said to Taoist Lu: "Taoist Lu, where did you get this fragment of the Art of Gathering Beasts?"

Taoist Lu replied, "Sir, this fragment was left behind in the temple. After I succeeded as the abbot, I found it in the cracks between the bookshelves while cleaning up the Sutra Library. Afterwards, I searched the entire Sutra Library but couldn't find anything else. With this half volume of "The Art of Gathering Beasts", it took me nearly twenty years and many additions to write this "The Art of Gathering Deer".

"Have you ever visited other Taoist temples? Are there any powerful Taoist priests in Yuncheng County?" Zhao Zhen asked.

Taoist Lu shook his head and said, "I have never heard of it. My "Deer Gathering Technique" is a magic spell, but it does not have much killing power. It is only because deer, like cranes and turtles, symbolize longevity. Keeping them in the temple is also a beautiful sight, so I studied it painstakingly. But I have never asked which temple has monks who can perform magic spells."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen did not ask any more questions.

After visiting the deer shed, Zhao Zhen did not stay for a vegetarian meal. Instead, he reunited with his soldiers and went back to the village on the east slope to rest.

On the second day, after breakfast, everyone gathered in front of the village.

Pang Wanchun and Pang Qiuxia were in one team, Lei Jiong and Ji Ji were in one team, Chen Liqing and Hua Baoyan were in one team, and Liu Shi, Fan Ying and Fan Shi were in one team. The Shenji were divided into ten teams, four of which followed the participants, carrying the prey and driving away the wild animals. The remaining six teams dispersed into the mountains and forests to drive away the wild animals.

The six teams of soldiers who were chasing the prey went into the forest first, and the four teams participating in the competition also chose a direction and went into the forest. Chen Liqing and Hua Baoyan were the last to arrive. After they murmured to each other, Chen Liqing came forward and said to Zhao Zhen with a red face, "Lend me Wangcai, Wangfu, and Wanglu."

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "What they hunt doesn't count."

"Who wants to use them for hunting? It's just to drive the prey away. With this bow of mine, there is no prey that I can't catch."

Zhao Zhen called the three dogs over and, after giving them some instructions, he said to Chen Liqing, "These three dogs are used to roaming the mountains and can catch ordinary wild boars. I have already told them to obey your orders, so you should be careful."

Chen Liqing responded and called up Wangcai, Wangfu and Wanglu. Hua Baoyan and the soldiers also went into the forest.

Seeing that everyone had left, Zhao Zhen also took his falconer and went to a flat and open place to release the hawks. Liu Tang led his men to chase them away, and before noon, Zhao Zhen and his men had hunted more than ten wild rabbits, pheasants, and four yellow-haired foxes.

After having fun, everyone returned to the village to rest.

It is said that the four teams of heroes dispersed into the mountains and forests. Pang Wanchun and his sister planned to hunt gray wolves, Lei Jiong and Ji Ji planned to hunt wild boars, and Liu Shi, Fan Ying and Fan Shi also planned to hunt wild boars.

Only Chen Liqing and Hua Baoyan had other ideas. After they entered the forest, Chen Liqing said, "Sister Baoyan, wild boars and gray wolves are common, but this big insect is not. Why don't we go hunt the big insects in the northern slope and make sure they are all surprised."

Hua Baoyan heard this and said, "I think the same thing. Sanniang gave me a lot of headwear and jewelry, so I don't want to compete with them for the top spot, as long as they are surprised."

The two smiled at each other, asked Wangcai's three hunting dogs to lead the way, and the two followed closely behind, asking the soldiers to follow from a distance. The group did not stop all the way and ran towards the northern slope.

When they arrived at the northern foot of Yuntaigang, Wangcai and his three dogs became alert. The smell of the big beasts in the mountains made Wangcai, Wangfu and Wanglu alert.

Chen Liqing walked forward and touched the dogs' heads one by one, then walked towards the direction the dogs' heads were facing. When Wangcai and others saw this, they also hurried to the front.

After passing through two forests, Wangcai and his three dogs began to bark at a rock. Chen Liqing and Hua Baoyan looked at each other, Hua Baoyan stayed where she was, on guard, while Chen Liqing went around from one side.

After climbing over a big rock, Chen Liqing saw a big beast lying on a big rock, biting half of a sika deer.

As if it had discovered someone was watching, the big insect stood up and turned to look at Chen Liqing. Seeing that it was a two-legged beast, the big insect roared like a tiger, abandoned the deer, and ran towards Chen Liqing.

Chen Liqing was startled, and quickly drew her arrow and shot it at the tiger. But the arrow seemed to be startled, and it missed the tiger's head.

Hua Baoyan shouted tenderly and shot an arrow. The big insect seemed to sense danger and fell from mid-air.

Chen Liqing calmed herself down, pulled out two arrows, and shot them in rapid succession.

There was a loud noise, as if half a mountain had collapsed. The tiger was shot in the eyes by an arrow. Most of the arrow had penetrated into the tiger's head, crushing it and killing it instantly on the rock.

When Wangcai and others saw it, they rushed over and surrounded the big beast and started shouting.

After seeing that the big beast had been shot dead, Chen Liqing also stepped forward and scolded the barking Wangcai with a smile: "When the big beast was alive, you three were not so rampant."

It turned out that although Wangcai and the other two dogs were already in the rank, they had been playing with Wula and Wuna for a long time, so some things were ingrained in their bones, and they did not react at all for a while. It was not easy for the three of them to deal with a large insect that was not in the rank, but it was not impossible.

Hua Baoyan also came up and saw Chen Liqing sweating profusely. She patted her chest and said, "I was so hasty that I almost caused a disaster." She was obviously upset about the arrow she missed.

Chen Liqing laughed and said, "I also shot the first arrow. Facing this big beast, my hands are not steady."

When the soldiers came up and saw the huge beast, they were all amazed.

The crowd tied up the beast and carried it down the hill along the mountain road, heading towards the camp on the eastern slope.

(End of this chapter)