CHAPTER 321: CHAPTER 41: UNCONVENTIONAL DARK BEASTS OF THE TERRITORY

This Beast Tide had brought Fengdan County and its citizens a relatively long period of peace and quiet.

Viscount Mo’er was dragged all the way back to Bailu County by his steed, and though he managed to survive, he was scared out of his wits.

The people of Bailu County would also gossip about Viscount Mo’er’s humiliating behavior behind his back, lying in bed for a full two months from the frustration and embarrassment, with nothing but a breath left, groaning all day long.

Hongling and the others didn’t understand why Yue Jinghua spared Viscount Mo’er, wondering why she didn’t seize the opportunity to eliminate such a scourge.

Yue Jinghua said leisurely: "A pig-like neighbor, sometimes, is the best kind of neighbor."

Now Yue Jinghua was managing Bailu County in the capacity of a temporary lord, which was known only to Viscount Mo’er himself. If he were to report this to the Imperial City, it would not bode well for both Fengdan County and Yue Jinghua.

Viscount Mo’er was greedy and relentless in pursuit of his goals, and as long as he lived, he would covet Fengdan County. After two disastrous defeats, the Bailu County Guard Army dared not venture into Fengdan County again.

The news that the Beast God had descended upon Fengdan County was spread by "interested parties," and rumors had it that Fengdan’s new lord, blessed by the divine, would bring endless blessings to the county.

In these two months, the long winter of Xuan Beast Ridge finally ended, and spring arrived stealthily in Fengdan County, heralded by the first breeze that melted the ice on Ice Lake.

The day after the Beast Tide, Yue Jinghua was still joyfully tallying up the rich rewards that the event had brought her.

Over three thousand two hundred Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs lay unconscious, with more than a hundred severely injured; those gravely hurt were slaughtered, and each household was given a Xiang Pig, while the remaining three thousand one hundred were divided into two parts. Over two thousand were sold to nearby counties through the efforts of Hong Yao.

Though ferocious, the meat of the Xiang Pig was also surprisingly delicious and had always been a popular dish within the Empire and the neighboring duchies. However, the Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs from Xuan Beast Ridge were notoriously aggressive and liked to attack in groups, which is why the people of Fengdan County had never been able to deal with them.

Fortunately, this time, with the help of the specially formulated narcotic from Feng Chuo, they smoothly captured these thousands of Xiang Pigs.

Of the remaining thousand Xiang Pigs, Yue Jinghua followed Shalman’s advice, selected a few hundred with mild temperaments that were easy to domesticate, built a pig farm in the village for breeding the docile version of Xiang Pigs, and gave them an incredibly seductive name: Moxiang Pig.

As for the last hundred or so Xiang Pigs, Yue Jinghua had another bold idea.

At the foot of Xuan Beast Ridge, hardworking villagers started the new year’s spring planting upon hearing the first call of the cuckoo.

That day, in several fields near the neighboring village, the villagers gathered around, discussing the situation in the fields.

"Lord Beast God, I have never seen such a way of farming," said Granny Bu’erma, the oldest in the village, pounding her back, her toothless mouth wide open.

Ever since the village had survived that Beast Tide under the protection of the golden-haired snake woman Gole, the villagers had adopted a new saying, "Lord Beast God," which they repeated, young and old alike, as if to protect themselves from all disasters.

What astonished all the villagers was that after breeding and selling the Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs, their respected Lord had another whimsical idea recently. Since the Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs had a pair of sharp tusks, why not simply turn them into plowing pigs for tilling the fields?

In the farmland, Erwang, not yet ten years old, hitched up his newly-made trouser legs, his growing frame standing straight and sturdy.

In front of him, four Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs were arrayed in a line, each snorting as they stood harnessed with special pig driving ropes, ready to plow the field.

Erwang held the pig driving rope with his right hand while taking out a specially made whistle, placing it to his lips, and blowing it.

"Beep—" a whistle sounded.

The domesticated Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs exhaled rugged breaths, their stumpy hooves churning up the soil unremittingly, like little locomotives, their tusk-like teeth penetrating the earth.

The winter had just passed, and due to the proximity to Xuan Beast Ridge, Fengdan County’s soil was mostly frozen solid, filled with numerous chunks of stone.

Every spring, the villagers had to expend a great deal of strength to till the soil. One day, upon witnessing the Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs ramming through the earth, turning over more than an acre of soil and stones in the blink of an eye, an idea flashed through Yue Jinghua’s mind. Oh, what a catch, isn’t this a natural Xuan Beast tractor?

As the whistle’s sound continued, the four Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs charged forward as if they were wound up, upon encountering large rocks, they executed a sleek jab, and the rocks immediately shattered into pieces.

These fragments could also be used as feed for the Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs, saving a considerable amount of fodder.

The villagers rubbed their eyes, confirming the reality of this scene.

With the help of the Stone-eating Fragrant Pigs, Erwang, who was merely ten years old, managed to till a quarter of his family’s allocated land in just a morning’s time. At this rate, within three days, the villagers would be able to finish plowing all the arable land in the village.

This spared them at least dozens of times the effort compared to previous years. For Fengdan County, which had many elderly, women, and children, this was doubtlessly fantastic news.

"Incredible! It must be the Lord Beast God revealing his presence, gracing us with these plow pigs," the villagers were overjoyed, eagerly spreading the word. Since the lord had arrived and they received the protection of the Beast God, life had been getting better day by day.

They started using convenient Blue Snow Candles and had their own farmland; the villagers began to look forward to the days ahead.

On the ridge of the field, Helian Sheng, who had been standing by and observing, thoughtfully stroked his chin. Governing the territory in the name of the Beast God and receiving the people’s support, this Young Lord’s cunning far exceeded his expectations. Perhaps it was time to properly discuss potential cooperation with him.

At that moment, Hongling wove through the crowd and approached Helian Sheng.

"Miss Ling, I wish to request an audience with Lord," Helian Sheng had been wanting to have a detailed conversation with Yue Jinghua since the beast tide, but had unfortunately been rebuffed under the excuse of being too busy.

The ice and snow had already melted, and it was time to schedule the plan to cross Xuan Beast Ridge. Before that, he had to have a thorough discussion with Yue Jinghua.

"Mr. Helian, our lord also happens to be looking for you. Please come this way," Hongling nodded politely, guiding Helian Sheng to find Yue Jinghua.