Underworld entries, starting with ghost stories.

Deep in the Yanyin Mountains, Wu Qing led a group of soldiers to dig mud and transport manure. He also gathered many local people and taught them how to fertilize, saying that "manure is used like medicine."

These mountains are not the fertile fields outside. Although they can be cultivated, they will be difficult to produce anything without proper planning.

The Song Dynasty made even greater progress in enhancing soil fertility compared to the Tang Dynasty, with specialized books even dedicated to explaining how to fertilize and improve soil productivity.

This is knowledge that ordinary people at the bottom of society do not yet have much of in this era.

The people here not only have to feed themselves, but also the soldiers in the village.

Even so, they were unwilling to go out and become tenant farmers on fertile fields or laborers for the government.

Oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger; this is a perfect example.

Dou Xianniang stood on the slope, watching the clerk teach the people how to plow and cultivate the land, and explaining to everyone how to effectively make plowing tools.

He selected relatively strong young men from among these people, sent them to train as soldiers, and also had them come to help the people on ordinary days.

More importantly, he agreed on a certain amount of grain tax with the people of each field and personally drafted the agreement. Any excess would belong to the people themselves, and the mountain stronghold would only purchase it and would never forcibly collect it.

Compared to other taxes, rents, and levies levied elsewhere, the grain tax he set was remarkably benevolent.

"Young Miss, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!" Wu Qing walked up the slope.

"The people here are at peace, which is a great thing for the village." Dou Xianniang raised her sleeve without any hesitation and used her own bright red arrow sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Don't get your clothes dirty, Miss," Wu Qing said with a smile, avoiding him.

"I'm not some real young lady!" Dou Xianniang laughed. "My Dou family has been farmers for generations. My grandfather's generation became skilled in martial arts, and my father's martial arts improved even further, but he was still just a village head in the village, in charge of two or three hundred people."

"By my generation, my father had witnessed the reign of a tyrannical ruler and knew that the world was bound to fall into chaos. He only taught me martial arts, but not farming. He said that in times of peace, farmers suffer, but in times of chaos, farmers suffer even more."

Wu Qing sighed, "Only someone like Duke Jiande, who came from the fields, would think about the suffering of the common people. Those heroes from aristocratic families would only see this as an opportunity to make a name for themselves."

The two walked forward together.

Dou Xianniang would occasionally turn her head to look at Wu Qing.

Wu Qing asked in surprise, "Why are you looking at me like that, Miss?"

Dou Xianniang laughed and said, "Qing-ge'er, do you know that I originally thought you were a scion of a fallen noble family?"

"After all, these days, ordinary people can't read many words. When I first met you, you were starving, but I could tell that you used to be fair-skinned and tender, and had never done any physical labor."

Wu Qing asked doubtfully, "Miss, you said 'originally thought,' does that mean you don't think so now?"

Dou Xianniang said, "Young masters from noble families would never know how to use manure as fertilizer like you, much less treat these common people as uncles and aunts and treat them as equals like you do."

"They are high and mighty, always thinking that their luxurious life is something they are born to deserve. They think they are born more noble than others, and that the common people deserve to suffer."

"Even if some people are aware of the people's plight, the casually revealed sense of charity shows that they are different from ordinary people."

She paused, looked at Wu Qing, and continued, "But you are different. You don't think those nobles and dignitaries are noble, and you don't think these refugees and fugitives are lowly."

"You are willing to use your knowledge to help them improve their farmland. You will be grateful to them for helping to protect the village, cultivate the land and pay taxes, and you will not feel that it is something you deserve."

She laughed and said, "I've never seen anyone like you before, and I don't know which school of thought you've studied. Perhaps only the ancient Mohists would look like you?"

Wu Qing let out an "Ah".

He himself didn't think it was anything special, but he never expected that Dou Xianniang would see it so differently from others.

Therefore, it's not without reason that transmigrators easily stand out when they arrive in another world.

Wu Qing said, "I was never from a prestigious family. I had a good childhood only because my parents spoiled me."

"It is a matter of course for children to learn to read and write in my family, and knowledge should be used in areas that concern people's livelihoods."

Dou Xianniang sighed, "However, for the vast majority of scholars in the world, knowledge is used for romance and poetry. They read the books of sages and learn the words of sages. They talk about grand principles every day, but they can't even distinguish the five grains."

"I could tell from your instruction that everyone truly admires you. Your insights have indeed been a great help to them."

Wu Qing raised his head.

Dou Xianniang's words made him suddenly wonder if he could do more.

Even if Li Erfeng was a rare wise and capable ruler, so what?

The Tang Dynasty was glorious for a time, but it was first nearly wiped out by Wu Zetian, and then plunged into chaos by Li Longji. After that, Chang'an fell six times and the emperor fled nine times.

After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty could hardly be considered a unified regime, and the subsequent Yuan Dynasty saw its territory fall into foreign hands.

After a long and difficult period, the Han people finally achieved liberation during the Ming Dynasty, only to be overtaken by the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which followed more than a century of humiliation.

Ultimately, I am the one who transmigrated. Even if I didn't learn much when I was in school, I am working hard to learn thanks to this "previous life connection".

I have no reason to do worse than Li Erfeng.

At that moment, the thought only flashed through his mind.

After all, even in another world, in those online novels where everyone is like a dragon, few people would have the courage to be enemies with Li Erfeng at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

Li Erfeng's achievements were truly too brilliant, and his skills were not the kind that could be honed through hard work. He displayed amazing talent at a young age, and to be his enemy was like throwing an egg against a rock.

But in the days that followed, this thought grew stronger and stronger, like a poisonous dragon, until even he himself could not suppress it.

As long as I achieve great things, as a time traveler who understands history, I can be even better than him... This thought vanished in an instant, like a flash of lightning.

The nascent venomous dragon was thus suppressed in the subconscious, failing to grow stronger, yet it was no longer nothing.

Right now, I'm just a sprout that has just broken through the soil; it's not the right time... it's not the right time...

Wu Qing suppressed the fleeting thought and continued walking forward with Dou Xianniang.

"Speaking of which, the children in the mountains admire you a lot too," Dou Xianniang said with a smile, pointing to a group of children playing in the distance.

They walked toward the group of children, and saw one of the boys riding a bamboo horse. He pointed at the many scarecrows in front of him and suddenly shouted, "Damn it, I forgot to bring my feather fan!"

Then he waved his hand behind him, fanning himself dramatically with his fingers: "Quickly, bring me my feather fan."

A girl ran over and gave him a fan.

The boy pointed forward again with his fan: "Give me a rinse."

Boys and girls rode their bamboo horses, laughing and joking as they raced off, creating a lively scene.

[Infectivity +1]

Holy crap! So that's how the infection rate has increased these past few days?