A Mortal’s Immortal Gourd
Chapter 64: Spirit Beasts

After leaving the black market, Ergouzi didn't immediately return to Daqing Township. Instead, he rushed back to Shekou Mountain overnight. Having been away for so many days, he was homesick.

Compared to the devastated villages he'd seen along the way, Shexi Village was relatively better off. Green crops could still be seen in many areas. A'hu's family had worked hard all season, and the sesame and millet they planted were growing well, already ready for harvest.

"The landlord is back!"

"Landlord's back!"

Seeing Ergouzi appear, a group of children at the foot of Shekou Mountain happily ran toward him. These children didn't yet understand worldly hierarchies or the dangers of human nature, their faces still radiating bright smiles. After being sold by their parents, in their hearts, Ergouzi had become their parent, the shelter over their heads.

Looking at the laughing children before him, Ergouzi felt a sense of accomplishment rising in his heart. He took out a handful of red dates from his bag and distributed them to the children.

"Thank you, landlord!"

"Wow! The dates are so sweet!"

As the children ran off laughing, Qiuyue approached and respectfully bowed to Ergouzi.

"How has everything been during my absence?"

"There were thieves."

Hearing this, Ergouzi's expression changed immediately. He leaped up and dashed toward the mountain peak.

"Gaggle~ gaggle~"

A group of giant geese, seeing their master return, surrounded him, spreading their wings and stretching their necks to peck at his clothes. After scanning the mountaintop and confirming everything was normal, Ergouzi sighed in relief before riding a goose back down the mountain.

Qiuyue was still waiting for him at the foot.

"What exactly happened?"

"A few days ago, some children found dead mice and birds at the back mountain and wanted to cook them. Huang Laocai happened to see it and said something seemed wrong..."

That was essentially what happened - Huang Laocai sensed something amiss. They later found scattered rice grains and other poisoned small animals on the back mountain. After that, they increased night patrols, especially around the back mountain, hiding over a hundred people. Unfortunately, they still failed to catch anyone.

"Good, you've all done well. From now on, arrange more people on night watch when I'm away. Absolutely no one should be allowed up the mountain. Remember to burn all those poisoned grains and animal corpses to prevent anyone from eating them."

Now with several hundred people permanently stationed at the mountain's base, Shekou Mountain's smooth cliffs, iron thorns on the summit, and the geese provided multiple layers of defense. Even if the county magistrate or his officers personally came, breaching Shekou Mountain's defenses would be extremely difficult.

After giving instructions, Ergouzi flew back up Shekou Mountain. The ginseng planted on the summit had been partially eaten by the geese again, though the loss wasn't too severe since the geese had daily deliveries of meat - locust corpses too numerous to consume covered the ground in thick layers.

Ergouzi swept up these locust corpses, mixing in some stored ones from his gourd, filling two large gunny sacks. He gave these to Qiuyue as rations. Then he took out the broken heavy sword along with some newly purchased refined silver from the black market, tossing them to Huang Fugui for repair. Seeing Huang Fugui grimace while lifting the broken sword, Ergouzi handed him a bottle of Peiyuan Gutben Pills.

With household matters arranged, Ergouzi felt at ease and set off for Daqing Township with two geese. Scholar Zhao and the other two had arrived long ago, and the remaining six hundred villagers hadn't dispersed - their numbers had actually grown to over a thousand as nearby people, hearing about available food, came flocking.

Ergouzi gathered all the villagers to reiterate discipline - all deserters would be executed. Judging by the refugees' laughing, slouching postures, they probably weren't taking it seriously. In the last battle, if not for the constables blocking the road and beheading several people, they would have all fled - a complete disorganized rabble.

"Captain Zhang, what's our next move?"

"Rest for a day, then head toward Heishan Town."

Ergouzi had already decided en route - he would sweep the area toward Sanchazi Town. While he couldn't manage other places, he at least wanted to clear Sanchazi's surroundings near his home for easier response if needed. From Heishan Town, they could fight their way back to Sanchazi Town.

Their thousand-strong group stretched lazily along the road for over a mile, head unable to see tail and vice versa. Some disappeared along the way while others joined midway, leaving Ergouzi confused about exactly how many people he commanded and who they were. Worse, when passing villages, some would loot, then fight over the spoils - utter chaos without any discipline.

Fortunately, locusts lacked intelligence. Against an organized army, just a hundred soldiers could rout them with a couple charges. Having recently benefited from applying military strategies from books, Ergouzi wasn't in a hurry to exterminate locusts - he had time before the black market pill auction to reorganize his troops.

First, he divided them into two main categories: Group A comprised 800+ combatants; Group B consisted of 300+ elderly, weak, sick, disabled, or pregnant who came just for food and could only gather firewood or cook. He organized them into squads of five, platoons of ten, and companies of one hundred, appointing corresponding leaders. The eleven company commanders reported directly to him, creating a manageable chain of command - a vast improvement from reading military texts.

However, one regulation gave him pause: whether to allow looting villages. Some texts never mentioned it; others advocated permitting plunder as reward to boost morale and supplies. Historical records showed generals often let troops loot after major battles or when supplies ran short. After much deliberation, Ergouzi gritted his teeth and decided against it - adding a strict no-looting, no-arson, no-killing rule punishable by death.

Having suffered bullying himself, Ergouzi deeply understood that pain. Now that he'd escaped it, he refused to inflict it on others. He vaguely recalled his master saying something like "don't do unto others..." - that scholarly phrasing was hard to remember, but the gist was clear. While he couldn't stop officials from oppressing civilians, within his domain, he wouldn't allow it, even if it contradicted military doctrine. He was just a farmer, not some great general.

Just one day after reorganization, several incidents occurred - villagers robbed of money, grain, even daughters. These undisciplined men ignored his rules. Seeing the bound offenders - ordinary peasants who turned vicious like officials - Ergouzi remained unmoved by their tearful pleas. He had the constables publicly behead them before the entire group.

From then on, the refugees became obedient and fearful, following regulations strictly. In just days, the group transformed into a much more disciplined unit. No wonder military texts recommended executing some soldiers before major battles to intimidate and inspire.

With reorganization complete, Ergouzi calculated it was time to feed the Locust King corpse stored in his gourd to the geese. The two geese smelled it immediately, positioning themselves proudly on either side of Ergouzi, stretching their necks with dignified arrogance while their eyes remained fixed on the locust pieces.

"Here! Eat!"

The illiterate geese, hearing their master's smiling words, mistook them for praise. With elegant neck extensions, each swallowed a locust piece. Soon after, their energy surged violently, running rampant through their bodies.

"Gaggle~"

The geese flew erratically like mad, feathers shedding midair. Only after a long time did they gradually calm, landing to sleep exhaustedly. Ergouzi's spiritual sense detected their weakened state, but also a new, stronger energy resembling the Locust King's yet less violent.

He recalled reading in Zhengwu Hall's collection that all creatures could cultivate immortality - humans becoming cultivators, plants/animals becoming demons with demonic energy. Apparently, consuming the Locust King had generated demonic energy in the geese, equivalent to martial artists advancing to qi cultivation. However, wild ones were called demon beasts; domesticated ones, spirit beasts.

With the geese weakened post-evolution, they needed rest. One Locust King advanced two geese - he'd need more such corpses. After another day's rest as the geese regained strength, Ergouzi had the constables temporarily lead while he returned them to Shekou Mountain to recuperate, picking up the repaired sword before heading to the county for tonight's black market pill auction - prepared and determined to win.