Chapter 11: The Grain-eating Bird Disaster!

In the public fields of Gucheng, a Cloud Flying Boat hovered amidst the low clouds.

A burly man stood at the bow of the boat. He wore light green official robes embroidered with clouds and wheat sheaves, a copper seal with a silver ribbon tied at his waist, and a bamboo box cage placed by his feet.

The box cage appeared to be only about one meter square, but at this moment, black birds were continuously flying out from it, heading straight for the farmlands below.

Standing by the box cage were two other middle-aged men wearing the same official robes but with a copper seal and a green ribbon at their waists.

These three individuals were the chief officer of the Gucheng Minister of Agriculture Supervision, Chen Shijie, of the Ninth Grade.

And his deputies, in charge of the registered fields and the Jun Shu, Gao Linong, and Tang Wanchun, of the Secondary Ninth Rank.

Standing behind these three was another person with an iron ruler at his waist, a Wenfang Clerk sent by Gucheng County Venerable Li Wenzheng, responsible for recording the entire monthly review, a thorough clerk.

Once the black birds in the box cage had flown out, the Wenfang Clerk began dutifully, cupping his hands and asking, "May I ask, Mr. Chen, what kind of birds are these?"

Chen Shijie turned around, cupped his hands in return, and replied, "These birds are called 'grain-eating birds,' also known as 'vultures.' They are common in the north and were specially transported here from my hometown for the purpose of assessing the local Minister of Agriculture officers."

The Wenfang Clerk asked again, "What is the content of the Minor Heat assessment?"

Chen Shijie said, "During the Minor Heat season, Primordial Rice tends to mature, and grain-eating birds particularly favor Primordial Rice. This assessment is to see how the Minister of Agriculture officers handle such natural enemies of farmland."

The Wenfang Clerk, seemingly unfamiliar with these grain-eating birds, cautiously asked, "Similar to a locust plague?"

"Not so exaggerated, after all, it's just an ordinary assessment."

The Wenfang Clerk took out paper and pen from his waist and asked again, "Mr. Chen, please provide a detailed scoring criteria."

Chen Shijie pointed to the box cage and said, "The public fields of Gucheng have been altered to the Great Heat season, where the scorching heat will accelerate the consumption of the officers' Primordial Energy. After one shichen (two hours), the grain-eating birds will return to the cage. Then, Mr. Gao, Mr. Tang, and I will score the officers below."

"The scores will depend on the extent of damage to the farmland each officer is responsible for."

"If the damage to the Primordial Rice is less than ten percent, they will receive an A rating."

"If the damage is less than twenty percent, they will receive a B rating."

"If the damage is less than fifty percent, they will receive a C rating."

"If more than half is damaged, there will be no score for this assessment, and they will be penalized to replant, using cultivation techniques to accelerate growth. If they can make up for the loss, they can be re-evaluated with a C rating."

The Wenfang Clerk quickly noted this down with paper and pen, then cupped his hands to salute, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, for the explanation. I will not disturb the three invigilators further."

With that, he turned and entered the cabin, waiting for the results to be finalized before having Chen Shijie approve them and report back to the county government.

......

Below the public fields of Gucheng, chaos had already erupted.

No one had expected the exam question to come from the sky, and so suddenly!

The dense flock of birds hovered over the fields each Minister of Agriculture officer was responsible for.

However, these birds only hovered and did not make any movements yet. This was Chen Shijie giving the officers time to react.

Those who reacted quickly below had already begun casting spells rapidly.

Cloud Covering, Wind Raising, Thunder Striking, Rain Bringing—it was bustling with activity.

Everyone wanted to drive away these uninvited guests as soon as possible.

"My god, I recognize these. These are northern vultures, which feed exclusively on grain and are extremely difficult to drive away!"

"Damn examiners, we don't have such birds in the south; how can they use this as an exam question?"

"Chen Shijie is a northerner; is this damn thing something he specially brought over?!"

"The Minor Heat assessment tests natural disasters; how are vultures not considered a natural disaster?"

"Ah! My newly spiked Primordial Rice! Get away, you rotten birds!"

"..."

Amidst the chaos, cursing, and crying, the once-quiet examination grounds of the public fields turned into scenes of wailing and howling.

Zhao Xing was the first to recognize these grain-eating birds because he was very familiar with them!

In his past life, when he transitioned to the Minister of Agriculture, he had encountered this question, and various types of 'natural disasters' frequently appeared in his territory; this critter was among the most troublesome.

Of course, compared to a 'locust plague,' it was much less severe. Locusts were devastating, chewing everything down to the roots.

"What kind of bird is this? Why doesn't the wind blow them away, the rain deter them, or even thunder scare them? Mr. Zhao, Qian Dong, how should we deal with this... Mr. Zhao?"

Chen Ziyu looked down to find Zhao Xing's figure, only to see that Zhao Xing had already run to the haystack area.

Only his voice was left coming from the wind, "Don't freeze, go figure out solutions in the areas you are responsible for. If there's no other way, chase them away yourself. Protect as much as you can!"

Hearing Zhao Xing's voice, Qian Dong and Chen Ziyu quickly sprang into action as well.

At this moment, there was no time to worry about anything else; time was of the essence.

At this time, Zhao Xing was very grateful he hadn't slacked off in his practice of Grassman Skill in recent days.

Because, as of now, the Grassman Puppet was the most efficient solution.

[You created a Grassman Puppet (Restorative Walking)]

[Grassman Puppet (Restorative Walking)]

[Proficiency: 854/9999]

[Effect: Follows orders, moves repeatedly.]

[Grass and Trees are Soldiers Skill proficiency +1]

.....

[You created a Grassman Puppet (Restorative Walking)]

[Grassman Puppet (Restorative Walking)]

[Proficiency: 864/9999]

[Effect: Follows orders, moves repeatedly.]

[Grass and Trees are Soldiers Skill proficiency +2]

....

The proficiency cap for initial-stage spells was 9999. Every 1000 points in proficiency advanced it to a higher level, known as the 'Magic First Transformation,' which meant its power rose to another level.

Given that Zhao Xing had learned from the Liu's Technique of Weaving, the proficiency gained for the Grassman was very high, but it had not yet reached the 'First Transformation' level.

However, what mattered now was quantity, not quality.

"Faster, faster, a little faster..."

Zhao Xing's hand movements became almost a blur. Ever since he took the Tao Embryo Pill, his Primordial Energy had been increasing daily, and his physical condition had improved significantly. Soon, the haystack in front of him was visibly shrinking, while Grassmen began to rush toward their destination.

One, two, ten, fifteen...

Within fifteen minutes, the hovering black birds descended and began devouring the Primordial Rice.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing's expression changed.

His responsibility field was five mu (approx. 0.82 acres), about half the size of a football field. Now, these Grassmen were still insufficient in number.

"Cloud Covering!"

Golden light flashed from his fingers, shooting toward the sky above his field. Low clouds descended, shrouding the area.

At this moment, Zhao Xing was no longer the person he had been a month ago. His Cloud Covering range now almost enveloped the entire five mu of land.

The effect of the clouds slightly hindered the grain-eating birds, but only slightly.

"Thunder Striking!"

Zhao Xing cast another spell, turning the clouds from white to gray, with the sound of thunder rumbling and purple lightning flickering.

"Boom~"

The falling grain-eating birds scattered once again, flying higher.

Yet, they still refused to leave, circling above, seemingly looking for an opportunity to descend, or waiting for the thunder to cease.

Zhao Xing didn't hesitate any longer and immediately sped up his actions because he knew this could only delay things briefly, not indefinitely.

The Minor Heat assessment aimed to select outstanding individuals from over five hundred people, so the duration would certainly not be short.

Only about twenty people could achieve an A rating.

"The best score I had before was a lower B, mostly higher C or mid-C, just barely passing. There are not many assessment opportunities left, and each one is crucial for me."

Thinking of this, Zhao Xing groaned when he realized his hands met with empty space. The haystack in front of him had already been exhausted.

He immediately rushed to another haystack, grabbing the grass to weave, but at this moment, several figures suddenly arrived at the same haystack, scrambling for 'materials' with him.

Besides Zhao Xing, there were other officers who had realized how effective the Grassman Skill was.

"Get lost, I saw this first!"

"What do you mean it's yours? This is public property..."

"Are you leaving or not?!" Zhao Xing picked up a stone and hurled it fiercely at the other person, his face showing malice, his eyes fierce. His deeply ingrained demeanor as a seasoned player from his past life revealed itself unconsciously.

"You- You are unreasonable..." The person was startled and quickly dodged, just about to curse angrily. However, upon seeing Zhao Xing's fierce expression and the sickle in his hand, he realized this wasn't someone to mess with and had no choice but to run away.

Seeing this, others dared not approach. There were plenty of haystacks around; it wasn't worth it to clash with such a ruthless person over there.

Zhao Xing then resumed weaving Grassmen.