Chapter 454: Back to the Prefecture

As the weakest person among the 3,936,884,329 entrants who were lucky enough to enter the Heavenly Shrine, Yan Liqiang made a wise decision to give up on the idea of creating a human after he learned how much energy it would take to activate the seal of life for it. Based on Fu Guang’s explanation, he would have to spend a few centuries doing nothing but infusing energy into the Heavenly Stone every single day with his current ability if he wanted to create a human. Even with that, it wasn’t guaranteed that he would be able to activate the seal of life for a human. This completely defeated the purpose for Yan Liqiang, even if he could create a competent warrior.

Therefore, the Heavenly Stone’s function of creating a human became completely useless to Yan Liqiang and instantly destroyed many of his plans and strategies which revolved around this.

Yan Liqiang didn’t doubt Fu Guang when he mentioned that the value of a person’s body was beyond a person’s imagination. As an ordinary human being who possessed a body that was worth an entire galaxy, one still had to bear the responsibilities and obligations of owning it. In order to survive and live, one still had to work, eat, and even kill if necessary.

God had always been fair. Perhaps it was because the human body was too perfect and precious that He had to tie humans to the ground and allow them to be controlled by simple emotions and desires. This led people to be power-hungry and start killing each other, thus ultimately destroying themselves. Fu Guang stated that this was the rule of heaven — there’d always be a tiger and a hundred thousand ants on a mountain, but never the opposite.

Yan Liqiang comforted himself by telling himself that the Heavenly Stone was still capable of creating other life forms aside from a human. After the brief disappointment, Yan Liqiang sorted out his emotions, then exited the Heavenly Shrine and left Mount Jade Dragon…

On the 13th night of the fifth lunar month in the 14th year of the Yuanping reign, Yan Liqiang had completed his six-month cultivation period and quietly returned to his home in Liuhe Town.

The Yan Residence was lively again with Yan Liqiang’s return.

…

“Look, Young Lord, the stone yard is over there. The stones that were used for the fortress walls of the town were all brought from outside and reshaped as required by the stone factory for convenience. The excavation of the trench around the fortress walls of Liuhe Town has been completed. These stones will be used as the foundation of the fortress…”

On the next dawn after Yan Liqiang’s return, he followed Steward Lu Wenbin to conduct a patrol on the construction progress of Liuhe Town after he had his breakfast.

At that time, the sun had just risen but the construction site outside Liuhe Town was already operating in full swing. The whole parameter of Liuhe Town had become a large construction site. The scene in front of Yan Liqiang’s eyes reminded him of a bustling real estate construction site from his previous life. The day had barely begun, but over a thousand people had started their work on the vast construction site. The site echoed with clanking noises and the rhythmic ‘heave-hos’ from the workers exerting forces…

Lu Wenbin brought along another steward and a bookkeeper with him while Yan Liqiang had Hu Haihe and Yu Qing by his side. It had been six months since they last saw Yan Liqiang. He returned slightly late yesterday, but the two attendants woke up early in the morning and followed Yan Liqiang closely while waiting for his orders.

There were no major events at Liuhe Town and Yan Liqiang didn’t need any escorts, especially when he was only checking on the progress of the construction site. Just when he was about to dismiss Yu Qing, her eyes reddened as she asked if Yan Liqiang didn’t want her anymore. Yan Liqiang was shocked by her reaction and quickly reassured her. The little girl finally smiled after some reassuring words from Yan Liqiang, then continued sticking close to him with a satisfied expression on her face.

Yellow sand covered the construction ground, and it was not easy to walk on as certain areas were muddy. Since Yan Liqiang didn’t mind it, the others didn’t either. Lu Wenbin led Yan Liqiang around the construction site of Liuhe Town’s fortress while giving him an update on the progress.

“How deep is the foundation of this fortress?” Yan Liqiang asked while walking.

“The foundation of the fortress is four feet deep and six feet wide. The base is filled with three-ingredients mortar while the upper part is made of stone materials. The fortress is so sturdy that not even a chariot can knock it down. The fortress of the Lu Residence was built the same way. According to Old Master Lu, it can last even two centuries…!”

“Where are the stones delivered from?”

“The stones are obtained from nearby stone quarries at Mount Big Bend in Qinghe County. Most of the stones in those quarries are being supplied to us here. We used to transport the stones with two-wheeled bullock carts, but thanks to you, Young Lord, the stones are now being transported by four-wheeled bullock carts. The drivers and the stone quarries commented that the four-wheeled carts are much more convenient than the two-wheeled bullock carts. Not only is the capacity larger, but it is convenient for them to stop or rest at any time. Loading and unloading are also easier compared to before…” Lu Wenbin halted in his footsteps while speaking to let a four-wheeled bullock cart loaded with stones to pass in front of them.

It had been six months since he last saw Lu Wenbin, and he had changed a lot too. The most obvious change was that he had become thinner. Lu Wenbin was a little bit plump before, but now he had slimmed down a lot and his face was tanned. Not only did his body size change, but there was a change in his temperament too. Six months ago, Lu Wenbin had the aura of a scholar. Now, he looked more capable with the sideburns on both sides of his face and a few strands of silver hair that were never there before.

Yan Liqiang asked Lu Wenbin a few questions and noticed that he was very well informed on all matters at the construction site, including the material cost, process, expenses, financial transactions, and the artisans’ skillset. Many helpers, workers, and supervisors at the construction site seemed to know Lu Wenbin. Some of them even came forward to greet him or ask some questions. Not to mention, Lu Wenbin was also able to call out their names without any difficulties and resolve most issues in just the blink of an eye. It was evident that Lu Wenbin had indeed deeply involved himself in the construction project and had been working hard for the past six months. The man had always been smart but now, he was even more capable with the effort and training that he had put in for the past six months. Yan Liqiang secretly nodded in approval at his achievement.

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The few of them walked around the construction site. Not far away from the stone quarry, Yan Liqiang spotted an old man with white hair and a beard. Dressed in tight-fitting clothes, he was instructing a group of young and strong laborers from Liuhe Town on how to mix the mortar that would be used for filling the foundation.

The old man was extremely energetic. Yan Liqiang could clearly hear his powerful voice even from afar, “Dashun, there is not enough limestone powder here, go inform the cement warehouse to deliver more cement powder, this item cannot get low…”

“Ergouzai, do not shovel too much sand into the three-ingredients mortar. Otherwise, the mortar can easily fall apart once it dries up…”

“Shitou, make sure the clay is finely ground by the miller, the fewer clumps, the better. If I see any clumps on the clay again, I will beat you up. Don’t you even know how to usher a donkey? When the miller completes one rotation, you need to flip over the clay once!”

Yan Liqiang was a bit shocked by the old man. He walked toward him and greeted him, “Good morning Sixth Great Uncle. You are here too!”

When Sixth Great Uncle saw everyone around him suddenly stop working and was looking past him nervously, he turned around on the mound he was standing on while instructing the others. As soon as he did, he noticed Yan Liqiang approaching him with a smile.

“Ah, it’s a mess here. Don’t come over here, Young Lord, you will soil your shoes!” Sixth Great Uncle immediately shouted when he saw Yan Liqiang walking toward him.

“Young Lord is here, Young Lord is here!” Everyone in the town shouted excitedly when they saw Yan Liqiang.

“Hahaha, don’t worry. If Sixth Great Uncle and our fellow townsfolk can be here, so can I!”

“These old bones have nothing to do, so I wish to contribute to our fellow townsfolk before I get buried in the ground. Hohoho, every time I come here, it brings joy to me to see our Liuhe Town getting a fortress that can shelter us from natural disasters and protect our people from harm…” Sixth Great Uncle chuckled.

“Hahaha, please don’t overwork yourself!”

“No, no, I am only here to oversee the progress and give verbal instructions only. It is not tiring at all. Over the days of walking and looking around the construction site, I can eat an extra bowl of rice every day…”

“You are indeed are hale and hearty despite your age!” Yan Liqiang laughed and turned around to tell Lu Wenbin, “When it becomes hot in the afternoon, remember to send some herbal tea to the construction site. Ensure that the three meal portions of the day is sufficient and that meat is provided daily. We have to make sure that everyone is not only full, but also well-fed. Do not let the fellow townspeople and workers who come to help starve or get a heatstroke!”

“Yes Young Lord, I will arrange this!” Lu Wenbin nodded.

After talking to Sixth Great Uncle and walking for another hundred meters, Yan Liqiang suddenly recalled something when he saw Sixth Great Uncle and his people mixing something on the ground. “Is that the three-ingredients mortar that is going to be poured into the foundation as you mentioned earlier, Steward Lu?”

“That’s right, the three-ingredients mortar is construction material made from a mixture of sand, clay, and limestone powder mixed with water. With more water, it will form a paste that can be conveniently poured into the gaps in between the stones and harden once it dries up. With less water, it will become concrete that will be needed for stacking the bricks of the fortress later!”

“You are now the expert!” Yan Liqiang laughed.

“No, no, it’s just that I’ve seen a lot of it and came to understand more about it!”

“Once the work in Liuhe Town is complete, I will speak to Old Master Lu so that you don’t have to go back to the Lu Residence as a steward. I have a profitable business that I would like for you to manage. You will be the manager and you will receive thirty percent of the shares. In the future, you are allowed to run the business independently and easily earn ten or twenty thousand taels of silver annually!”

Lu Wenbin’s heart raced in excitement after hearing Yan Liqiang’s offer. He felt his mouth go dry and he was slightly dazed, but he suppressed his excitement and humbly said, “I am afraid my capability is not up to standard… I might end up disappointing you, Young Lord!”

“Hahaha, there is no need to be modest around me. I know you can do it. Consider that settled!” Yan Liqiang smiled as he gave Lu Wenbin a pat on the shoulder.

After making a round in Liuhe Town, Yan Liqiang went to the archery academy. Compared to the Liuhe Town’s fortress, the archery academy was a smaller project so it was already close to completion