Chapter 126: Water Distribution System
It was an illusion barrier. The moment Anji and Gu Ying entered the restricted zone, they were met by abundant fields and lively animals roaming freely.
"Oh? There are unusual visitors. They don’t look like refugees," a farmer who spotted them from afar claimed.
Feeling awkward, Anji and Gu Ying stood rooted to the spot. Thankfully, her brother and Bai Dajin could not see what was happening on this side of the barrier. Who would have thought that Yan Ping and the Mystical Qilin Sect had villagers inside their barrier? Through her understanding of her teacher, Anji had a feeling the territory outside these mountain ranges was in disarray because her teacher did not consider them part of her territory, even if the other murim sects deemed it her responsibility to care for the region assigned to her. Compared to the neglected care along the way here, the village was thriving inside the barrier. Most importantly, Anji saw signs of cultivation co-existing with non-cultivators here.
"I’m here as a student," Anji introduced herself but could not help marvelling at the tools. "Did you make this?"
Looking at the special sprinkler system the little girl was pointing at, the farmer laughed out loud.
"How can it be? I’m just a regular farmer who grew up here. Never left this village and was told not to climb the mountain where the sages live. It’s my first time meeting a young sage today. I have to tell my wife and children about this. One of the sages that live up that mountain created that water distributing system. I suppose you want to go there?"
Looking at the tallest and mistiest mountain that the farmer pointed at, Anji nodded. This place was so mysterious! However, her excitement at the possibility of coexistence between cultivators and non-cultivators grew as the farmer offered to give her a lift to the foot of the mountain.
Along the way, the farmer, who introduced himself as Chun, shared stories about how they lived in harmony without the cultivation ability. Many farmers were either descendants of the sage’s students who never left the mountain or former students with no aptitude for cultivating to greater heights.
"Do you not use money here? How do you trade and get other supplies that you need?"