Chapter Ninety-Five: The Bandit and the Horse

“Currently, the salt boiling method used in Fengshi Village consumes too much labor and firewood. I suggest we improve it by switching to the sun-drying method,” Xu Wenshan said confidently as he explained the sun-drying technique to Wei Laosi.

In truth, these two methods are easy to understand. Salt is extracted from brine either by boiling it out or by drying it in the sun. Compared to sun-drying, boiling salt is certainly more labor-intensive. However, Fengshi Village has stuck with boiling mainly because the sun-drying method still has several technical challenges to overcome.

Simply put, when brine is spread on the ground to dry, how do you prevent it from seeping into the soil? How do you scrape the salt from the salt pans? How do you separate the salt from the soil? These are the technical issues involved with the sun-drying method.

The solution is actually quite simple: add some fresh water to the brine, pour it into the man-made salt pans, and after sun exposure for a while, a layer of mirabilite naturally forms on the surface. This layer acts as a barrier between the brine and the ground, solving all the problems associated with the sun-drying method.

After listening to Xu Wenshan’s explanation, Wei Laosi wore a skeptical expression and said, “It’s not like we haven’t tried this method before. How come I’ve never heard of what you’re saying?”

Xu Wenshan grew a little impatient. Why is it that whenever other time-travel protagonists speak, people instantly believe them, but when he talks, no one trusts him?

Wei Laosi replied, “Our workers have long been accustomed to the boiling method. The salt produced is fine and excellent quality. More importantly, our method produces salt quickly.”

Xu Wenshan smirked slightly. What Wei Laosi said was not without merit; boiling is naturally faster and yields better-quality salt than sun-drying.

This explained why no one listened to him. There is no insurmountable gap between new and old technologies; each has its own advantages—like the bow and the matchlock gun. Early matchlocks did not have an overwhelming advantage over composite bows; it took many years for firearms to outpace bows.

Although Wei Laosi championed the boiling method for its various advantages, Xu Wenshan had to abandon it because he desperately needed more labor.

He couldn’t convince Wei Laosi otherwise, especially since he had already stated his mission was to “return Fengshi Village to its ordinary villagers.” If he tore apart relations with the locals now, it wouldn’t be good for his reputation.

Fortunately, Wei Taigong stepped in to smooth things over. “Old Four, don’t be stubborn. Young Master Xu is our village’s great benefactor; he eliminated the White Dragon Gang, a huge tumor. We should listen to what he says.”

Wei Laosi was reluctant and said, “Father—”

Wei Taigong cut him off. “Enough. No more words. Let’s do as Young Master Xu says. You must take responsibility for this matter.”

As Wei Laosi left, he shot Xu Wenshan a glare. Xu knew this matter might still go awry.

After Wei Laosi left, Wei Taigong approached Xu Wenshan, asking what “big project” he intended to undertake. Xu smiled mysteriously and led Wei Taigong into the White Dragon Hall, where he spread out a map on the table.

“This is…” Wei Taigong began.

“This is a map of this entire area,” Xu Wenshan said. “The most important thing is this location on the map.”

Wei Taigong studied the map for a while, stroking his beard. Then suddenly, he clenched his goatee.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is Tian Lake?”

Tian Lake—the lake in the sky. A lake atop a mountain naturally seems like it’s in the heavens.

Xu Wenshan nodded.

Wei Taigong gathered his other sons and exclaimed joyfully, “Tian Lake! I never thought in my lifetime I’d discover another Tian Lake!”

From Wei Taigong’s words, it was clear he had seen a volcanic crater lake before. He explained that in his youth he had once seen a lake on the mountaintop, but it was already shrinking at the time and eventually disappeared after a few years.

Xu Wenshan nodded. Crater lakes can disappear for various reasons. This one, however, showed no signs of shrinking.

“I plan to build a water diversion canal from this lake to Luhe Gorge,” Xu Wenshan said.

Wei Taigong shook his head and sighed, “That’s quite an ambitious engineering project.”

Seeing that Wei Taigong did not completely reject the idea, Xu asked, “Are you capable of doing it, Taigong?”

Wei Taigong smiled. “I’ve done hydraulic works when I was younger, but I’m not sure how much energy I have left now.”

Xu Wenshan was thrilled. He grabbed Wei Taigong’s arm eagerly and began discussing the feasibility of the project. Wei Taigong was also very interested in this public welfare project. He dismissed his sons and only left a young girl in the room.

Patting the girl’s head, Wei Taigong said, “This is my granddaughter. She’s very smart and keenly interested in this field. May she stay and listen? Young Master Xu doesn’t have to pay attention to her; she can learn on her own.”

Xu Wenshan glanced at the girl. She looked about thirteen or fourteen, with yellow hair in braids, thin and indistinguishable from an ordinary village girl. He waved his hand, “No problem.”

Then Xu Wenshan began explaining his map. It was a contour map. At first, he worried Wei Taigong might not understand contour lines, but to his surprise, Wei Taigong grasped the concept immediately and even praised the idea as quite ingenious.

Xu continued explaining, and after going over the map’s scale and legend, Wei Taigong stroked his beard in admiration, clearly understanding everything. The young girl nodded slightly and, when questioned, could even recite Xu’s explanation fluently, confirming her full comprehension.

This left Xu Wenshan somewhat discouraged. Even as a time traveler, he could find no sense of superiority over them.

However, when he glanced back at the spider spirit standing behind him, seeing her confused expression, he felt reassured.

Xu had only brought the spider spirit with him to Fengshi Village; Lu Ze and Saya had stayed behind to guard the home.

As Xu Wenshan was getting into his explanation, Wu Yi, the guard, rushed in hurriedly and whispered, “There are bandits.”

Xu frowned. “How many?”

“We’ve seen about twenty so far, but it seems like more are coming. They also have horses.”

Xu frowned more deeply. He reported to Wei Taigong, then hurried with Wu Yi to the village gate.

Outside, a dozen horsemen were watching the village from afar, gesturing with their whips. Behind them followed a motley group of bandits, dressed in various outfits, seemingly preparing to set up camp nearby.

“Are they planning to camp right at the gate?” Wu Yi wondered. “Do these bandits really have such gall?”

Xu’s expression darkened. “They have reinforcements coming.”

Indeed, Xu’s suspicion was correct. Another troop arrived, this time entirely mounted—thirty or forty horsemen led by a banner featuring a winged horse.

“That’s the Flying Horse Stronghold!” Zhang Aniu recognized the banner.

Xu Wenshan’s eyes were fixed on those horses, unable to look away.