Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 5: The Black-Hearted Taoist Priest

The crowd quickly dispersed, but saw a middle-aged Taoist priest with a green robe and long beard, with an elegant face, handsome but solemn expression, walking towards them with upright steps. As he looked around, his eyes swept across those Taoist priests who were engaged in pyrotechnics like lightning.

The pyrotechnicians who had been so arrogant before now lowered their heads guiltily and did not dare to look him in the eye.

Although Wang Chongyang had no expression on his face at this moment, he was sighing in his heart.

He had heard about the many deeds of these Taoist fire workers in the mountains, but he deliberately ignored them in order to nurture the evil spirit in them. This was also a way of training soldiers.

But now it seems that it still doesn't work.

After all, he is not Marshal Yue, and he cannot turn decay into magic.

These Taoist fire workers still behave like hooligans and bullies, always bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

When such people go to the battlefield, they will be like many Song soldiers at this time. They will flee before the enemy arrives.

Continuing the training doesn't seem to be of much benefit except for adding more bandits and bullies to oppress the people.

"Master! These guys are dishonest. Not only did they break the rules, they also messed up today's schedule. I'm afraid the construction period will be delayed. Several of our brothers were injured by their sneak attacks. I'm afraid they won't be able to work for three to five days."

“But Master, please don’t bother with these guys. Just drive them down the mountain and let them fend for themselves!” The leading Taoist priest, the pyrotechnician, was still quite courageous. He actually stood up at this moment and started to confuse right and wrong.

He is not stupid, but rather a little clever.

In actuality, the Quanzhen Sect at this time could do without a few Taoist children, but it could not do without these serious Taoist fire workers who could get things done.

As for the half sentence that seemed to be a plea for mercy to Qiu Chuji and the others, it actually required a direct characterization.

If Qiu Chuji, Wang Chuyi and Liu Chuxuan were no longer disciples of Quanzhen Sect, then the sudden death of three guys in the deep mountains and old forests would be nothing unusual, right?

Even a wandering ghost cannot plead for himself!
When Wang Chuji opened his mouth to complain, Qiu Chuji held him back.

"Grandmaster! I have a way to shorten the construction period and complete the main construction of Chongyang Palace as soon as possible while ensuring quality and quantity."

Being able to cause trouble and not being afraid of it is not a skill.

Being able to resolve trouble once it has occurred is a real skill.

If Qiu Chuji wants to win Wang Chongyang's attention, he cannot just be a reckless person who does things based on courage.

Wang Chongyang had come with the purpose of testing Qiu Chuji, so upon hearing this, he said, "Tell me the story!"

"If you don't speak well, I will accuse you of several crimes and punish you severely."

Qiu Chuji said, "Some time ago, I discovered that although this place is quite open, it is after all on a steep cliff, so it is inevitable that there is not enough space for maneuvering. So many craftsmen and porters are crowded together, and it seems that they are working very hard, but in fact, their efficiency is not very high."

"Why not divide it into three groups and work in shifts day and night? This will not only save manpower and material resources, but also shorten the construction period."

"Haha! What a joke! How dare you, a little brat, talk nonsense here?"

"Not to mention that no one can see at night, how dangerous it is to force the work, even if we light a torch, how many hidden dangers can there be? How much wood and lamp oil will it consume?"

"There is also a shortage of building materials on the mountain. Porters have to carry them up from the foot of the mountain. We have to divide ourselves into three groups. How can we use the bricks, stones and tiles we carry up the mountain every day?" The leader of the pyrotechnicians immediately started to sarcastically speak out.

Even the porters who had originally supported Qiu Chuji changed their expressions.

They get one day's wages for one day's work. Everyone carries things up the mountain together, and it is difficult to detect if someone occasionally slacks off or takes a break. Once the manpower is spread thin and the construction period is shortened, they will suffer a loss.

Qiu Chuji just sneered: "Just listen to what I have to say."

"From now on, the daily wages will of course be calculated, but a threshold can be set. If you exceed this threshold, you will get more if you do more."

"From now on, everyone should eat the same size of steamed buns as they are capable of. Don't let those who work drink the liquid stuff while those who don't work chew the dry stuff."

As soon as these words were spoken, some porters who understood what was said showed joy on their faces.

Who doesn't like to make more money? When the construction of Chongyang Palace is finished soon, I can get the money and go down the mountain, and find other work quickly... If I think about it this way, it will definitely be worth it.

"That sounds good, but who's going to pay for it?"

"You?" The leader of the pyrotechnicians felt something was wrong, but he didn't react immediately to figure out what was wrong.

"There's no need for me to pay. As long as there are fewer parasites living on the mountain, the money will naturally be saved." Qiu Chuji's words flew out and directly pinched the eggs of the pyrotechnicians.

These ruffians recruited from all over the place were kept in the mountains. In addition to the hidden purpose of training troops, their ostensible role was to keep an eye on the porters and craftsmen while they worked, to prevent them from cheating and collecting wages every day without advancing the progress of the project.

But if we implement a three-shift system, we won’t need so many people to keep watch.

Moreover, the more work you do, the more you get. As long as you find a few people to set up checkpoints and register at key locations, the porters and craftsmen will work proactively and actively, and there is no need for anyone to keep an eye on them.

"As for the problem of difficulty in starting work at night, that is also very simple."

"Don't do heavy or dangerous work at night. Some carpentry and masonry work can still be done, and those who work at night can have a meat meal." Qiu Chuji put forward a solution to another problem.

As soon as these words came out, the eyes of many craftsmen lit up.

It is rare to eat meat these days. Although there are many wild animals in Mount Zhongnan, how can they be hunted easily?
Qiu Chuji's words really touched the hearts of the craftsmen.

"That's right! Try it for a few days. If it works, then we'll follow this method in the future." Wang Chongyang considered it and didn't feel there was any obvious problem with Qiu Chuji's method.

Although the craftsmen and porters worked harder, they were paid more, so they were willing to do the work.

The only ones who lost might be those pyrotechnicians who originally held a certain amount of power.

But over these days, Wang Chongyang had accumulated enough disappointment in them and had long been on the verge of taking action. Now was the perfect time to make up his mind.

“Master…” The pyrotechnicians wanted to plead for mercy, but Wang Chongyang ignored them.

Wang Chongyang continued to ask Qiu Chuji: "How old are you this year?"

Qiu Chuji shook his head: "I can't remember clearly, about sixteen or seventeen, maybe a little older."

This is true. Children from poor families are not so pretentious. Their parents raised them until they were about seven or eight years old and then left them one after another.

The world is in a bad state, and several brothers and sisters are displaced.

Qiu Chuji followed his fellow villagers who were fleeing to the vicinity of Mount Zhongnan. It happened that the Quanzhen Sect was recruiting Taoist children. In order to have something to eat, Qiu Chuji followed the Taoists up the mountain. He studied Buddhist scriptures for a period of time and learned to recognize a few words.

Because of long-term malnutrition, he was a little thin and it was difficult to determine his exact age from his appearance.

"Then are you willing to be my Taoist child?" Wang Chongyang asked again.

The word "willing" was just on the tip of my tongue, but it was suddenly stuck.

Qiu Chuji did not hear wrongly. What Wang Chongyang wanted to accept was a Taoist boy, not a disciple.

This is not possible!

A Taoist boy is a Taoist boy, and a disciple is a disciple.

Although the former has the relationship of master and apprentice in reality, they are not in name only.

The gap between them is quite big.

Can the Great Master Xuandu be compared with the Golden Horn and Silver Horn?

Qiu Chuji immediately said, "I heard that the Grandmaster only has one disciple!"

Wang Chongyang didn't react when he heard this, so the leader of the Fireworkers seized the opportunity and shouted, "How dare you! The Grand Master has his own judgment, how can you question it?"

(End of this chapter)