A Mortal’s Immortal Gourd
Chapter 40: Great Zhou Dynasty

It was time once again for the annual rent collection and county tax submission.

But starting this year, Ergouzi no longer had to pay taxes.

He only had 50 mu of land, and Shekou Mountain was registered as barren land in the county records. With the status of a Xiucai, he was exempt from taxes.

Not a single grain needed to be handed over, though the due rent was still collected in full.

"Master, this is 100 dan of rice. We've had it ready for a while now, but Shekou Mountain is too high, and we just can't get it up there."

In front of Ergouzi stood a mound of golden rice, piled like a small hill.

He finally understood the joy of being a wealthy landlord.

For a regular person’s appetite, eating white rice daily, three or four dan a year would suffice.

If you added some meat, then a dozen dan or so would do.

However, if he traded it for Peiyuan Gutben Pills, with the current grain prices, it would only fetch about a dozen pills.

"Master, should I think of a way to help you haul this rice up the mountain?"

A’hu thought Ergouzi was worried about transporting the grain and asked considerately.

"No need."

"Hauling it up and down is too much trouble. Just store it here for now. I’ll just hire some craftsmen to build a big warehouse at the foot of the mountain."

Ergouzi figured it was too much hassle to carry bag after bag up the mountain. Besides, he couldn't openly use the gourd to store grain in front of others.

Now that he had land and food, he might as well build a large house at the foot of the mountain—it could serve as a temporary residence and storage.

"A’hu, it's just the off-season now. Help me hire some craftsmen to arrange for the house construction. The wages will come out of these 100 dan of rice."

"Alright, no problem."

A’hu agreed enthusiastically—this was a sign of the master’s trust.

Then A’hu’s wife brought over a basket of eggs, and his four-year-old son came over holding a hen to give to Ergouzi.

Ergouzi only accepted the basket of eggs.

"Keep the hen to lay eggs—it'll help your household a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll rent you the same 50 mu next year. The rent will still be fifty percent, no increase."

With the master’s assurance, A’hu’s whole family let out a sigh of relief.

Zhang Youliang had already raised the rent to sixty percent. The tenant farmers in the village could only grit their teeth and bear it.

Word was, some tenants were eyeing this 50 mu of land, hoping to rent it from Ergouzi.

Carrying the basket of eggs, Ergouzi left A’hu’s home and happened to run into Xiao’e, who was playing in the village.

"Brother Gouzi!"

"Xiao’e!"

Xiao’e was six years younger than Ergouzi, now already ten years old. She’d grown a lot taller in the past couple of years.

Since Ergouzi lived up the mountain, they often only saw each other every few months. Every meeting felt especially warm.

"Xiao’e, let’s go find a spot to roast some eggs."

Looking at the bamboo basket full of eggs, Ergouzi suddenly had an idea.

"Okay!"

It was already autumn turning to winter. They gathered some dry grass and branches, then lit a fire under a ridge by the field.

They got some wet mud and coated the eggs in a thick layer, then placed them beside the fire to slowly bake.

"They're done, should be done—hurry, take them out!"

Bang...

Ergouzi was just a bit too slow, and one of the eggs exploded in the fire, sending yolk flying everywhere.

The two scrambled to pick up the yolk from the ground and stuffed it into their mouths.

Then Ergouzi tapped small cracks into the remaining eggshells and used a low flame to roast them, so they wouldn’t explode.

"Smells so good!"

Xiao’e ate three of the crispy, fragrant roasted eggs in a row.

"Brother Gouzi, you're so good at roasting eggs—did you do it a lot before?"

Xiao’e was curious. Back then, her family’s two older brothers only got to eat eggs occasionally.

"Didn't have eggs back then, but there were bird eggs in the mountains."

Back when Ergouzi used to chop wood on the mountain, he’d occasionally find bird eggs and roast them this way.

"Let me tell you, a few times I roasted bird eggs, and when I peeled them, inside were those formed, feathered baby birds."

"Ah? You dared to eat that too?"

Just the thought made Xiao’e feel queasy.

"Why not? It’s all meat. I didn’t even leave a single feather."

Ergouzi even stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, as if savoring the memory.

He remembered most baby birds didn’t have feathers, but he made it sound more disgusting to scare her.

"You know why the pigs your family raised never grew big?"

"Why?"

"Because I stole all the good stuff to eat."

Ergouzi even looked a bit smug as he said it.

"Hahaha..."

"I remember now! My mom even argued with the piglet seller, saying he sold us sick pigs that wouldn’t grow!"

"Hahaha..."

The two of them sat by the fire, laughing and eating, playing the whole afternoon away.

When it was time to leave, Ergouzi stuffed a large bag of dried red dates into Xiao’e’s hands. The sweet dates made perfect snacks for a kid.

"Hide these red dates and eat them yourself. Don’t let anyone know—not even your parents or your brothers."

"Okay, I will."

Xiao’e nodded obediently, then suddenly remembered something and reminded him:

"Oh right, Brother Gouzi, if you go out, make sure to hide your money. Don’t leave it on the mountain—what if a thief takes it?"

"Don’t worry. No one can climb Shekou Mountain."

They chatted a bit more before finally going their separate ways.

In Ergouzi’s heart, he had only one real family, one true friend.

All those calling him 'cousin' or 'brother' were just fake.

…

That day, Ergouzi carried a large burlap sack and walked into the county town.

A long line of farmers stretched at the city gate—some shouldering loads, some pushing wheelbarrows—all there to pay taxes at the county office.

But taxes had nothing to do with Ergouzi for now.

His first stop was, of course, Huichun Hall. He sold some more Strength Pills to Sima Yi, asking to exchange them all for Peiyuan Gutben Pills.

Sometimes he wondered—where did Sima Yi sell all these Strength Pills?

And where did he get so many Peiyuan Gutben Pills?

But Sima Yi never said, and he never asked.

Just like Sima Yi never asked about the origin of his Strength Pills.

After finishing the transaction, Ergouzi took a package wrapped in multiple layers of dried lotus leaves from the sack.

"Thanks for helping me during the last exam. We country folk don’t have anything fancy to give you."

"Just a bit of local specialty."

Sima Yi took the package and felt it was rock-hard, like a stone. Definitely not ginseng.

"It’s a cured goose I made myself. Tastes pretty good. Hope you enjoy it."

Ergouzi, guessing Sima Yi’s confusion, explained.

"It was nothing—Brother Zhang, you're too kind!"

Sima Yi put away the goose and thought to himself: this guy really is sincere. He already gave ginseng last time, now he’s bringing a goose.

"By the way, you’re here to register at Zhengwu Hall, right? I’ve got some errands nearby—I'll take you there."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Sima Yi slung the goose over his back and led Ergouzi straight into Zhengwu Hall.

Ergouzi had heard of Zhengwu Hall since he was little, always admired it, but never had the chance. Today was his first time stepping through the gates.

Zhengwu Hall spanned several mu, with dozens of buildings arranged around a central training field.

At the moment, a group of apprentices was sweating through their training on the field.

Some looked familiar—probably the young lords who took the exam with him. Since they failed, they had to keep studying here.

"Zhengwu Hall’s Left Hall Master is a mid-stage Qi practitioner, a Martial Juren, and the county magistrate’s adviser. He’s hard to meet."

As they walked, Sima Yi mentioned the Left Hall Master, a slight flicker of distaste crossing his face.

"You should know, in all of Anchan County, there are fewer than ten Martial Jurens.

Each one holds high status—able to take important military posts, draw government stipends, and exempt from taxes."

"But the empire’s at peace. Anchan County’s military only has a few dozen people. Every position is already filled with well-connected types. There are more officers than soldiers."

Ergouzi thought to himself: good thing he didn’t join the army.

A force of only a few dozen, filled with factions and cliques—a newcomer like him would just be ordered around. Better to farm in peace on the mountain.

While talking, they arrived at a building that was clearly larger and more refined than the others—clearly important.

Ergouzi hesitated to step inside, but Sima Yi casually pushed the door open.

"Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother!"

With Sima Yi’s shouts, a burly man with a square face and a thick beard stepped out. He looked quite a bit like the County Constable.

"Yo! Fourteenth! You didn’t have to bring me snacks!"

The square-faced man laughed heartily, reaching for the goose, but Sima Yi swatted his hand away.

Clearly they were close and often joked around.

"This is from Brother Zhang."

Only then did the man notice Ergouzi behind Sima Yi, and his smile turned serious.

"This is the new Martial Xiucai, Zhang Ergou?"

"That’s me!"

Seeing the man bow with cupped fists, Ergouzi quickly mimicked the gesture.

"Fourth Brother, Brother Zhang is a friend of mine, also recommended by Uncle. Please look after him."

"A friend?"

Sima Hong looked Ergouzi up and down, curious.

"You actually have a friend?"

Sima Yi ignored him and continued:

"Brother Zhang, this is my fourth brother, Sima Hong, the Deputy Hall Master here. If you ever need help, find him."

After introducing them, Sima Yi left.

Deputy Hall Master Sima led Ergouzi through the registration process and even used his authority to assign him a small single-room house.

Ergouzi’s current title was Registered Instructor at Zhengwu Hall. He had no teaching duties yet and received only one dan of rice per year as salary.

If he took on disciples, his income could increase. If a disciple passed the Martial Xiucai exam, he’d receive additional rewards.

But Ergouzi had no interest in teaching—he’d rather spend that energy farming.

What mattered to him was that Zhengwu Hall had plenty of martial arts materials he could access freely as an instructor.

He could also learn and exchange techniques with other martial artists, avoiding the trap of training blindly.

"This is your token. With it, you can borrow books, receive your stipend, and come to me if you have questions."

After Sima left, Ergouzi checked out his new house.

It had a bedroom, a living room, a training room, and a kitchen—suitable for long-term living.

Still, he kept thinking about his crops on Shekou Mountain. He only planned to stay here occasionally.

Since his instructor role was only in name—just collecting a small salary with no work—he was perfectly content.

That day, he headed straight to Zhengwu Hall’s library.

A staff instructor was stationed there. Once Ergouzi showed his token, he was easily let in.

The library wasn’t large—only about two to three zhang square—with a few hundred books.

It was the most books Ergouzi had ever seen.

Books had always been expensive—paper, ink, and hand-copying were all costly.

Most were thread-bound paper books; a few were made from animal skin.

He randomly pulled one titled Geography of the Great Zhou—a book on geography.

After flipping through it a bit, Ergouzi was fascinated.

Before studying under Li the Half-Immortal, his world was limited to Sanchazi Town—he’d never even been to the county seat.

Even after that, he only knew Anchan County was a tiny corner of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He didn’t know much more.

Now, through this book, he learned the Great Zhou Dynasty had 9 provinces, 36 prefectures, and 186 commanderies, comprising thousands of counties.

To the east was an endless ocean full of sea monsters.

To the west was the Tao Mountain Kingdom, filled with demons and zombies.

To the north was the Giant Kingdom, where people were three meters tall, violent and brutal, fond of eating brains raw.

To the south was the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, ruled by all kinds of demon clans.

Five thousand years ago, the Sage Ancestor of Great Zhou subdued the lands, repelled the chaos, and protected the people, ushering in thousands of years of peace.

Anchan County lay in Sanyang Commandery of Qing Province, at the southwestern corner of the dynasty, bordering both the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom and the Tao Mountain Kingdom.

Ergouzi closed the book, realizing that monsters and demons weren’t far away. He was glad the last few thousand years had been peaceful.

Then he browsed a few more books, most on martial arts methods—

Titles like Thirty-Six Tiger Subduing Fist, Thirteen Dragon-Slaying Staff Techniques, Five Opening Saber Forms, Five Chain Whips, Thirteen Death-Reaping Saber Chains...

Just a glance told him these were simpler and easier than what Li the Half-Immortal had taught him. The physical demands weren’t even as high.

With his current strength, he could master these easily.

There were also books on knowledge and skills—agriculture, irrigation, military tactics, blacksmithing, and more.

Such things were normally passed down orally to trusted family.

Ergouzi didn’t expect these rare skills to be written down and freely available.

Especially military strategy—that was required for the Martial Juren exam.

A Martial Xiucai was just a fighter; basic literacy was enough.

A Martial Juren, however, held real power—whether in the military or government. They needed more than just strength.

Ergouzi stood before the bookshelf, utterly captivated.

Before he knew it, he had finished an entire agricultural manual, amazed at how complex farming could be.

He set the book down and pulled out another. The title read: Essays on the Dao of Immortality in the Great Zhou.

The title alone grabbed his attention.

He’d always heard of immortals. Of all the people he’d ever met, only his master resembled one—and only barely.

County Magistrates, Constables, and Sheriffs—those were said to be cultivators.

The yellow talismans from Daoist Xuanzong were likely made by cultivators too.

All he knew of cultivation came in scraps and rumors—nothing systematic.

Now, as he opened the book, he was absorbed again—reading all the way to the end before realizing night had already fallen.