A Mortal’s Immortal Gourd
Chapter 42: The Unlucky Thief

Ergouzi followed the Ding siblings through the rice fields until they finally arrived at a village.

The village was large, with at least a thousand households. All the houses were made of green bricks with tiled roofs. The villagers were neatly dressed and had healthy complexions.

It was completely different from Shexi Village. Judging by appearances, everyone in Ding Family Village had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear.

He couldn’t believe there was such a prosperous place in the world.

Whenever the villagers saw Ding Xiuxiu and her brother, they showed great respect, greeting them politely.

At the center of the village was a large courtyard with high green brick walls. The tall walls were even dotted with small holes for shooting arrows.

Above the courtyard gate were three large characters: “Ding Family Village.”

The front gate stood wide open—there wasn’t even a gatekeeper, just a few kids squatting by the entrance playing with pebbles.

“We passed a lot of houses on the way here. I noticed many doors were left wide open. Aren’t you worried about thieves?”

Ergouzi was puzzled. Even the poorest homes had something of value.

Things like pots, pans, rice, firewood, and oil—if not kept safe, they could be stolen in a blink.

Not to mention, the people here seemed quite wealthy; their homes must contain plenty of valuables.

“Locking doors? In our Ding Family Village, we don’t have thieves.

Everyone’s a neighbor here. Putting a lock on your door is like treating your own people as thieves. That’s just disrespectful.”

Ergouzi felt something strange about that logic. It was the first time he’d heard such a theory.

As they spoke, the three of them walked into the village, and Ergouzi finally met the patriarch of the Ding family.

To his surprise, this famous figure looked no different from an ordinary old farmer.

He wore coarse clothes, his skin was tanned like soy sauce, and his hair was casually tied on top of his head.

When Ergouzi arrived, the patriarch was rolling up his trousers, barefoot, weeding a small plot of land.

“Scholar Zhang, please wait a moment. While the sun’s still high, let me finish weeding these patches.”

The patriarch’s hoe moved so swiftly it looked like a blur, uprooting weeds in an instant without damaging the crop roots.

Even Ergouzi, who had farmed since childhood, had to admit he couldn’t match such skill.

After pulling out the weeds, the patriarch flipped them over onto the ground to dry under the sun.

As for what was growing in that plot—others might not recognize it, but Ergouzi knew it well.

It was ginseng. Judging by its appearance, it had already been growing for many years.

Ergouzi had once heard from Sima Yi that ginseng was extremely hard to cultivate, requiring strict conditions.

Each plot could only be used for three years, after which the soil’s nutrients were depleted, and the ginseng had to be dug up and moved.

However, there existed a type of land naturally suited for growing ginseng—spirit fields.

Unlike ordinary soil, spirit fields were rich in spiritual energy, which ginseng could absorb.

In spirit fields, ginseng grew stronger and more potent. Even after a hundred years, it didn’t need to be transplanted.

Ergouzi focused and sensed the area. He could see spiritual energy flickering within the soil—this small plot was indeed a spirit field.

No wonder the Ding family was one of the top clans in Anchan County. They actually owned a sizable spirit field.

Besides ginseng, the plot had many unfamiliar plants—likely rare medicinal herbs.

The patriarch put away his hoe, picked a few purple leaves from a robust plant in the spirit field, and handed them to the Ding siblings.

“Hahaha... Brother Zhang came from afar as our guest. We’re just simple country folk—let’s fry some greens and slaughter an old hen for wine.”

The patriarch laughed heartily without any airs of authority, taking Ergouzi by the hand into the main hall.

Soon, someone brought over some dried fruits and tea.

The nuts and pastries were delicate and delicious—unlike anything Ergouzi had ever tasted.

Especially one kind of sugar bean that melted instantly in his mouth, turning into a rich pork lard with a trace of honey sweetness.

“If you like it, Brother Zhang, pack a few jin to take home with you when you leave—enjoy them slowly.”

The patriarch popped an almond into his mouth and grinned at Ergouzi.

“Thank you, Patriarch Ding!”

Ergouzi blushed—he had been too busy munching on sweets, revealing his lack of worldly experience.

He couldn’t help it; the patriarch was too easygoing, which put him at ease as well.

Had he been sitting in front of the County Constable or the Magistrate, he wouldn’t dare relax for a second.

Just as things got a little awkward, footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

Two figures—one tall, one short—walked in.

“Greetings, Patriarch.”

“Haha, no need to stand on ceremony. Please, have a seat. Let me introduce you.”

After introductions, Ergouzi learned that the two newcomers were Martial Xiucai from previous years.

The tall one was named Mu Feng, the short one Wang Ying. Both were now living in Ding Family Village as retained guests.

They were talkative and friendly. The moment they joined, the hall filled with cheerful laughter and easy conversation.

Not long after, several young maids brought in the food and set the table.

The four—Patriarch Ding, Mu Feng, Wang Ying, and Ergouzi—sat down to eat.

The dishes looked plain and simple—not like the ornate meals from Hongyan Restaurant—but the moment Ergouzi took a bite, he noticed something different.

The ingredients actually contained spiritual energy and greatly benefited cultivation.

They were on par with the ingredients transformed through his gourd.

At the table, the once chatty Martial Xiucai tried to maintain composure, but their eating speed betrayed them.

They likely didn’t get to eat food like this often.

Ergouzi couldn’t help but wonder—he had no prior dealings with Ding Family Village. Why was the patriarch treating him with such honor?

The thought made him a little uneasy.

Even after the meal, the patriarch made no requests of him.

“If you don’t mind, Brother Zhang, feel free to stay in our humble village for a few days.”

“I’ve got other matters to handle. I’ll trouble Mu Feng and Wang Ying to show Scholar Zhang around the estate.”

With that, the patriarch excused himself and left...

…

Meanwhile, back on Shekou Mountain—after Ergouzi had left for the city—three thieves in black once again set their sights on it.

But the martial artist among them was still injured from his last fall. He now walked with a cane and moved with difficulty.

Still, he was undeterred. His ambition to elevate the art of thievery hadn’t wavered. He wouldn’t rest until he reached the summit.

These days, the three rarely slept at night. They wandered around the cliffs in the dead of night, searching for a way up.

Finally, the scholar among them had an idea—why not reopen the blocked path that Ergouzi had sealed?

It was tedious, sure, but better than endlessly circling the mountain.

So the three of them, with picks and hoes in hand, returned to the base of Shekou Mountain.

The injured martial artist couldn’t dig, so he stood lookout—participation was what counted.

The old and the young took on the actual work of digging and prying.

Starting from the mountain base, they attempted to reopen the blocked path.

But the volume of dirt was massive, and digging from bottom to top made handling large stones especially difficult.

Unlike Ergouzi, they lacked the strength. Any stone over a hundred jin was impossible to push uphill.

And digging under large rocks meant risking being crushed if one came loose.

They worked through the night, soaked in sweat, only to clear a small section.

After three more nights, tonight they hit a new obstacle—several massive boulders.

The smaller ones weighed three to five hundred jin, the larger over a thousand—impossible for them to move.

Whenever they were exhausted, hungry, or sleepy, they’d curse Ergouzi loudly to stay awake and vent their frustration.

“That damn Ergouzi! May his kid be born without an *sshole!”

“Fing Ergouzi! F his ancestors for eighteen generations!”

Smack!

Just as the young thief was getting into it, the older one slapped him across the face.

“Who the hell are you cursing eighteen generations of?”

“All those years of reading the classics—might as well feed them to the dogs!”

The young one, chastised, knew he’d spoken out of line and took it out on the rocks, smashing them hard with sparks flying.

“That Ergouzi is real scum. If I’d known, I’d have broken his arms and legs back then.”

He jabbed a crowbar between the rocks.

Rumble...!

At that moment, two massive boulders tumbled loose, crashing down toward them with unstoppable force.

The path was narrow—barely wide enough for two—and there was nowhere to run.

“Move!”

Seeing disaster imminent, the older man heaved with all his strength, pushing the young one up onto a nearby ledge.

The falling stones rolled down with a thunderous roar and buried the older thief beneath them.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

The young man stared at the mangled mess of blood and flesh on the ground, not knowing which piece to pick up first.

“Zhang Ergou! I’ll make you pay in blood!”

A heart-wrenching scream pierced the night...