The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 1 The Crow and the Farmer

The Cloud Realm.

Jingguo, Jing'an County, Songguo Village.

In the sweltering summer, even at the crack of dawn, the air is still scorching hot, like being in an oven.

The light rain three days ago opened the parched land wide, but it still couldn't drink to its heart's content.

Many farmers opened their soaked linen clothes, revealing their sun-darkened muscles, and carried water back from six or seven miles away, their foreheads covered in sweat.

However, it was like a drop in the ocean; even after pouring in a bucket of water, the soil only darkened slightly.

The men kicked at the still-dry soil, kicking up a cloud of dust, and couldn't help but sigh.

Helpless, he could only pick up the worn-out carrying pole and buckets and go fetch water again.

Beside the dried-up ditch, the crops on two acres of fertile land were growing more vigorously than those on other farms.

Even the wild grass in the fields swayed from side to side in the hot wind, thriving.

A boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a gray short jacket, bent down and pulled weeds from the ground.

Compared to the villagers who were numbly carrying water in an attempt to save the drought, he didn't show much helplessness in his eyes.

His eyes were calm and composed.

It's as steady as a hand pulling weeds.

He raised his hand to adjust his tattered straw hat with frayed edges, revealing his slightly dark face.

"Twelve years have passed. Fortunately, the chaos is over, and it is a good time to rebuild everything."

Chu Xun showed a hint of emotion. Twelve years ago, he was still a resentful beast of burden on Earth, working overtime until he vomited blood.

It wasn't until late at night, on my way home from get off work, that I stumbled upon this world and was transported there.

The original owner's parents died when she was two years old.

They relied on the help of the villagers to make a living despite their difficulties.

She had finally grown to the age of four when, in a cold winter, she suddenly fell seriously ill and, lacking the money for treatment, quietly passed away.

Chu Xun transmigrated just as the chaotic world ended, the Jing Kingdom was newly established, and a new emperor ascended the throne.

At that time, the common people had no shelter, and the emperor could not afford a chariot of four horses. As the Buddhist scriptures say, the whole world was in suffering.

The new emperor, who, according to legend, could not bear to see human suffering, secretly released unjustly imprisoned people and started a rebellion by slaying a white snake, issued an edict.

All the land of Jing Kingdom is divided equally among households, and the people are allowed to buy and sell.

Furthermore, land reclamation was encouraged, and taxes were reduced from nearly half of the previous dynasty's total tax to one-fifteenth.

The so-called "one-fifteenth tax" means that one-fifteenth of the harvest was handed over to the state.

However, a wasteland tax was also levied. As the name suggests, if the land allocated to you was left uncultivated, you would not only have to pay grain tax, but also pay additional taxes.

To prevent people from being lazy and wasting fertile land.

Despite this, the people still called him a sage ruler.

Against this backdrop, Chu Xun, though still a child, inherited two acres of fertile land.

With the help of the villagers and his own diligence, he grew up relatively smoothly.

However, in recent years, the weather has been unfavorable, with consecutive years of severe drought, leaving many farmers with almost no harvest.

Forget about paying taxes, they can't even afford to eat.

"Brother Xun!"

On the ridge of the field, a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old, with pigtails, ran over, clutching her stomach.

His thin gray linen clothes were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to his skin.

Although they are girls, they are all young women who work hard in the fields, and they are all tanned dark all over.

She wasn't particularly good-looking, just average-looking, but the youthful innocence in her eyes and brows was enough to make people take a second look.

Upon reaching her, the girl looked around, then bent down and took out a palm-sized water bag from under her clothes.

He handed it over furtively, like a thief, with a smug smile on his face: "I secretly filled it from the water bucket my father carried. Drink some to cool off."

This heatwave not only caused the crops in the fields to droop, but also left the farmers who had to walk six or seven miles to fetch water completely out of breath.

Every breath felt like swallowing a scalding hot iron, burning from the mouth to the throat and then to the lungs, causing excruciating pain.

No one wants to waste water. Let alone washing up, even drinking water at home has to be done on a fixed schedule and in fixed quantities.

Even a single extra sip would result in a scolding and punishment.

Chu Xun knew her personality; she was much more stubborn than the average girl.

If she doesn't accept the water, she'd rather pour it out.

After taking the water bag, Chu Xun opened the stopper and took a small sip.

The girl urged from the side, "Drink some more, drink a lot more!"

It wasn't until Chu Xun took a big gulp that she laughed with satisfaction.

His voice was like a male duck's, very rough.

The dry, cracked skin on her lips bounced up and down with her laughter, but she didn't care at all.

Chu Xun handed her the water bag and said, "You should drink some too."

The girl took the water bag, looking at the slightly damp opening and her sun-darkened face, and became a little shy.

Although we've known each other since childhood, we're not children anymore.

If I drink it myself, wouldn't that be the same as...?

The more she thought about it, the hotter it felt today; her face felt like it was burning.

Chu Xun glanced at the thin man who had just finished watering the plants and was looking this way, and said, "Go back, don't bring any more water. Your father has a hard time carrying water."

He had said this many times, but the girl never listened.

She only wants to do what she wants to do; that's just how stubborn she is.

Perhaps feeling that this was somewhat dismissive, Chu Xun added, "Tomorrow I'll go with Uncle Shigen to fetch water."

The girl's eyes lit up. She had an older brother, but he had gone to work as a day laborer for the wealthy man.

Since my mother passed away from illness, my father has been the sole caregiver for the two acres of land at home.

Although I tried to help, I was just a girl in her early teens; how much could I really help?

It's good that Chu Xun is willing to help; more importantly, it means I can spend more time with him.

"Girl, let's go!" The skinny man wiped the sweat streaming down his face and shouted loudly.

The girl quickly agreed, grinning at Chu Xun, "I'm going!"

After Chu Xun nodded, she stuffed the water bag back into her clothes, turned around and ran away.

They ran so happily that their straw sandals broke, but they didn't care at all.

I carried it in my hand and ran barefoot all the way.

Back in her field, Zhang Shigen saw her carrying her shoes, barefoot, her soles red from the heat.

Feeling both sorry for her and helpless, she said, "You little rascal, you stole water for A-Xun again?"

The young girl, Zhang Anxiu, stuck out her tongue and took his arm, saying, "Father, don't be angry. I'll give you a back massage when we get home, okay?"

The thin man shook his head: "This little bit of water can't save the drought, what's there to be sad about? Besides, Xun is all alone, relying on just that small plot of land. With this year's severe drought, I'm afraid the county magistrate will still make us pay a fixed amount of grain, and life will be tough for us."

Although the imperial court had issued an order, the local county magistrates added further measures.

If there is a bumper harvest, then the grain tax will be paid at one-fifteenth of the harvest amount.

If production decreases, then the minimum requirement is 200 jin of grain per mu, meaning at least 13 jin of grain must be delivered.

The grain tax is paid twice a year, totaling twenty-six jin.

In normal years, such a rule is fine, but in the event of a severe drought, it can be quite dangerous.

"I think Xun's crops are even more thriving than ours," Zhang Anxiu said.

"What do you know? Right now, God isn't willing to send rain, and everyone is suffering from drought. No matter how good his crops are, how good can they be?"

When fetching water, several nearby villages would argue fiercely over it, and a fight might break out at any moment.

During droughts, countless fights have broken out over water resources, sometimes resulting in fatalities.

Zhang Shigen's face was full of worry, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Damn God, is it wrong for us to live a little more happily?"

But what good is cursing? In the end, they are just ordinary people with no voice.

Looking at the bucket that had served almost no purpose, Zhang Shigen sighed and picked up the carrying pole again.

Zhang Anxiu, being very sensible, also carried a bucket and followed behind, saying, "Father, Xun-ge will come with us to fetch water tomorrow."

Zhang Shigen walked ahead and casually said, "Go ahead, more people means more help."

Zhang Anxiu turned around and saw the figure buried in the field pulling weeds. She touched the water bag hidden under her hemp clothes. Even though she was so thirsty she felt like she was on fire, the corners of her chapped mouth still turned up slightly.

The farmers continued this process until the sun rose and the temperature rose higher and higher.

When the sun became unbearable, they went home to rest and waited until it cooled down in the evening before fetching water.

Only Chu Xun was still busy working in the fields.

Several crows flew down and landed on the branches of a nearby dead tree, making a cawing sound.

Chu Xun looked up and saw several crows gripping dry branches with their claws, tilting their heads to look at him.

Under the sunlight, the seemingly pure black feathers reflect a dazzling array of colors, making them quite beautiful.

Chu Xun couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You guys are certainly punctual."

The crow cawed and landed on his shoulder, showing no fear whatsoever, but rather a hint of affection.

With a few wild fruits of unknown origin dangling from its beak, Chu Xun reached out his hand, and the crow opened its beak and dropped the fruits into his hand.

Then, several wild rabbits hopped over.

With a few tender white Imperata cylindrica roots in its mouth, it tasted crisp and sweet.

Next came two snakes, each about a meter long, one white and one blue, which brought with them three or four ounces of silver carp.

After a while, a weasel and several grayish field mice arrived.

The number of snakes, insects, rats, and ants that gathered gradually increased, each bringing their own food.

Despite being natural enemies and nemesis to each other, they were all behaving themselves at this moment.

After putting down the food, they gathered around Chu Xun, as if waiting for something.

Chu Xun smiled and picked up everything, putting it into the bamboo basket. He looked around to make sure no one else would come.

Then he extended his right hand, skillfully overlapping his index, middle, and ring fingers to form a hand seal.

[Minor Cloud Rain Technique +1]