Chapter 94: Capturing the Buffalo

At this moment, a quarter of the section along the village-protecting river near the southern gate had been excavated; the eastern and western gate sections had yet to begin (Yanhuang Village is located north of the Han River). Judging by the current progress, the entire protective river would be completed before nightfall tomorrow. Upon completion, suspension bridges would be installed on the three stone gates, lowered during the day and raised at night, greatly enhancing the village’s security.

As the sun rose in the east, villagers who had risen early finished their work and, along with those just waking, began making fires to cook their meals. Zhao Ming and four other swordsmen emerged from the barracks to rest briefly before breakfast. Since the barracks and training grounds were crowded with players learning new skills during the day, Zhao Ming and the others could only train in the barracks during the early morning hours when most players were offline.

After training from dawn until morning, Zhao Ming and two other swordsmen had mastered the swordsmanship skill, slightly improving their attack, accuracy, and upgrade attributes. The remaining two swordsmen had only just begun to grasp the basics and required one more session to fully master the skill.

Seeing Zhao Ming and his companions leave the barracks, Li Zhan felt he should learn swordsmanship as well. Having not yet acquired any skills, Li Zhan had intentionally held back his level advancement; his experience had already reached 941%, enough to level up four or five times consecutively.

As Li Zhan approached the barracks, Zhao Ming and the others greeted him warmly. Li Zhan nodded and entered the training ground inside the barracks.

The training ground was a 50-meter square area paved with yellow sand. To the south was the camp gate, to the north the main barracks, and to the east and west high walls enclosed the area. Twenty simple wooden dummies stood at the base of the walls, each accompanied by a weapon rack holding twenty wooden swords for players and soldiers to train with.

The wooden swords had zero attack power, and like the dummies, were indestructible, so there was no need to worry about damage. Li Zhan casually pulled a wooden sword from the rack, swung it a few times, and found it comfortable. He then practiced chopping, lifting, and stabbing against one of the wooden dummies.

After breakfast, villagers immediately returned to their work. At this time, wandering players continued to log in, filling the market with bustling activity and a constant chorus of shouting. Those who had learned skills eagerly rushed to leveling spots to battle monsters, while those without skills flocked to the barracks and training grounds to register with two villagers responsible for skill enrollment.

Noticing Li Zhan in the barracks, many players came forward to greet him, and he responded to each one. Afterwards, Li Zhan continued training alongside the other players.

By now, the sun was fully up, and the air grew stiflingly hot. The training ground was packed with players, and even standing still felt like waves of heat washing over them. Li Zhan felt sweat trickling down his body, soaking his coarse linen clothes, making him uncomfortable.

Fortunately, this discomfort did not last long. Just as Li Zhan hesitated, considering whether to leave the barracks and continue training later when the air cooled, a crisp system notification sounded in his ear: he had learned the swordsmanship skill.

Overjoyed, Li Zhan quickly exited the sweltering barracks. As soon as he left, players waiting in line hurried in to fill his spot. Walking along, Li Zhan fanned himself with his linen tunic and opened his character status panel to review his attributes:

Player Name: Li Zhan
Civilization: China
Title or Position: Village Chief [Yanhuang]
Level: 10
Attributes:
— Potential: +8
— Constitution: 140 [+5]
— Strength: 162 [+7]
— Intelligence: 70 [-2]
— Agility: 23 [+2]
— Reputation: 8
— Command: 7
— Attack: 11 + 0
— Defense: Armor 3 + 0 / Shield 0 + 0
— Accuracy: 4
Skills:
— Intermediate Boxing 17%
— Beginner Throwing 59% (bonus to throwing weapons: Attack +4, Accuracy +)
— Beginner Swordsmanship 1% (bonus to sword and blade weapons: Attack +5, Accuracy +5, Accuracy +2)

After reviewing his stats, Li Zhan clicked “Level Up” twice, raising his level to 12 with 582% experience remaining. Level 12 unlocked the bow skill, but seeing the crowded training grounds, he decided to wait until nighttime to learn it.

Leaving the barracks, Li Zhan began his routine inspection of the village. Many farmers had chosen to cultivate fields outside the village, leaving ample empty land in the village center for further development. The five builders were divided by Zheng Jun into two groups: one expanded the dyeing sheds, sheltering dozens of clothing workers under cover from the sun; the other built wooden houses for players outside the village, mainly near the west and east gates.

Li Zhan walked from the square past the dyeing sheds, market, cooperative workshop, and residential area to the military shipyard. The first arrow ship had been completed and was moored at the dock. Wang Hui and three craftsmen were busy constructing the second arrow ship in the workshop.

Climbing aboard the arrow ship to examine it, Li Zhan nodded slightly, satisfied with the only military offensive vessel in Yanhuang Village. The arrow ship’s capacity was similar to that of a civilian cargo ship but boasted better armor and accuracy, and most importantly, the ability to attack other ships.

After his inspection, Li Zhan descended from the shipyard and returned to the village center. Along the stone road leading from the shipyard to the village center, many players who failed to rent stalls in the market had set up street vendors. As more players settled in Yanhuang Village, these street stalls proliferated. Only when the market was upgraded to medium size would the shortage of formal market booths ease.

Seeing Li Zhan pass by, many players stood up from behind their stalls, greeting him and advertising their goods:

“Hey, Chief Li, looking well today! What brings you to my humble stall? Take a look: deer hides, wild boar meat, wild vegetables, mushrooms—you name it. If you’re interested, I guarantee the best prices!”

“Chief Li, your noble aura marks you as a hero of our age! I have all sorts of sundries to help you unite China under your rule! Don’t miss this chance!”

“Chief Li, I wish you endless luck with the ladies, one after another, never-ending! To keep your virility strong, I’ve got several deer antlers just for you. With these, even the coldest beauties won’t resist your charm!” They laughed and joked.

At a tea stall near the west gate, Li Zhan stopped to quench his thirst. When he went to pay, the player running the stall refused the money, saying the water used was drawn from the village well, and it was an honor to serve the village chief—even if he drank a bucket, he couldn’t ask for a single copper coin.

Just then, Ruo Yan approached from newly cultivated farmland. After reaching Li Zhan, she said:

“We don’t have enough oxen for plowing. Each farmer has contracted two to three acres, and because of the fast grain harvest, plowing is more frequent. Judging by the current situation, we need to triple the number of oxen to sixteen to barely meet the villagers’ needs.”

Since the tribe had upgraded to a village, daily work had become more complex. Ruo Yan now managed clothing production and often helped Li Zhan inspect villagers’ work, solving routine problems. Her meticulous nature often caught details Li Zhan overlooked, such as the ox shortage.

Buying oxen from Danyang City was fast but costly—two gold coins per ox. Also, since wooden plows were not yet widespread, oxen unfamiliar with plowing required training before use. It might be more economical to buy wild bulls, but sourcing them was another matter.

After pondering, Li Zhan said to Ruo Yan:

“Write a notice and post it prominently on the three stone gates, offering to buy wild bulls from players. Pay 120 copper coins per bull, as many as they bring.”

Ruo Yan nodded and returned to the dyeing shed in the village center, cutting three cotton cloth strips, each one meter wide and two meters long. She wrote the buying notice in dye and posted them on the gateposts of the three stone gates.

As soon as the notices were posted, a crowd of players gathered at each gate, eyes fixed on the “120 copper coins” price. No one noticed their feet being trampled. For players now, the price was irresistible. Someone shouted, “What are you waiting for? Form teams and go catch wild bulls!” With a roar, the crowd scattered like a breached dam, eagerly hunting for the golden-glinting wild bulls.

However, by the villagers’ lunchtime, no wild bulls had been found. Wild bulls were herd animals—not appearing alone, but always in groups. This was why players formed teams: to avoid being ambushed by a group of wild bulls and dying before claiming the reward.

While villagers ate lunch, Lei Long, as agreed, arrived at Yanhuang Village with two fishermen, taking delivery of the 200 red village clothes he had pre-ordered. Since the purchase quantity reached 200, Li Zhan sold the clothes to Lei Long at a bulk discount (different from honor merchants), reducing the price by 25 copper coins per piece, rounding off to a total of 580 gold coins.

Considering the two villages (tribes) were allied against common enemies, Yanhuang Village was not short of gold, whereas the Lei Ming Tribe, about to enter the feudal era, was low on funds. Li Zhan insisted on accepting 200 gold coins now and would collect the remaining 380 gold later when Lei Ming Tribe’s finances improved.

After the transaction, per Lei Long’s request, Li Zhan gave him a tour of Yanhuang Village. It was Lei Long’s first visit. Seeing the automatic irrigation system, player settlements, clothing production lines, and cultivated fields, Lei Long praised the village and admired Li Zhan even more.

After Lei Long left, the villagers had long finished lunch and were busy at their posts. Since oxen were insufficient, many farmers couldn’t wait and took up hoes to work manually. Li Zhan watched anxiously, thinking that if players still hadn’t found wild bulls in ten minutes, they would have to hire a cargo ship to Danyang to buy some for training.

At that moment, a commotion arose at the east gate. Li Zhan stood at the village hall entrance and looked toward the noise source. A group of players was pushing and pulling, escorting a wild bull toward him. The players wore tattered clothes stained with blood, as if freshly emerged from a fierce battle.

Nearby players, seeing the wild bull, crowded around to ask where it came from, but the group refused to say the word “wild bull,” only clamoring for others to clear the way.

“Move aside! Don’t block our road to fortune!”
“Don’t care if someone dies, this wild bull’s fierce!”

Li Zhan, delighted at the discovery, hurried down the steps to meet them. The group shoved the wild bull before him. Li Zhan called for Li He, one of his militia, to take the bull away, then handed 120 copper coins to the group leader.

After Li He led away the bull, the players remained, showing no intention to hunt more. Puzzled and noticing their injuries, Li Zhan put an arm around the leader’s shoulder as they walked back inside the hall.

Once indoors, he asked the leader:

“Why aren’t you going after more wild bulls? Did you encounter difficulties?”

The leader looked around to ensure no outsiders were near, then grimaced:

“Chief Li, you don’t know—the wild bulls are not only numerous, but there’s a cave nearby inhabited by the Red-Haired Bandits. When they saw us, they charged immediately. We were caught between the bandits and the bulls, forced to retreat in chaos. Otherwise, with our skills, we wouldn’t have ended up so beaten.”

Li Zhan was surprised:

“A bandit cave? How far is it from here?”

The leader replied:

“About three to four kilometers outside the east gate, beneath a cliff.”

In “Empire Rising,” protective measures for villages gradually loosened as the number of wandering players increased. Yanhuang Village now had over five hundred wandering players, with more than a hundred settled around the outskirts. The protection, which initially only spawned wild boars and dogs, had expanded to include tigers, leopards, and numerous hostile NPCs. The Red-Haired Bandits were a prime example.

Li Zhan frequently checked official game guides and player forums, so he was familiar with such concentrated NPC groups but hadn’t expected them so close to Yanhuang Village. After a moment’s shock, he decided to lead his soldiers and rally some players for a probing attack to gauge the bandits’ strength and hopefully capture more wild bulls.

His call to arms was met with eager responses. To players, these bandits were like mini-bosses, granting significant experience and possibly valuable loot. Thus, whether to level up, join the excitement, or scavenge gear, over two hundred players gathered in the village square before the hall. Zhao Ming and his five swordsmen, along with Zhang Feng and five bowmen, stood flanking Li Zhan. Besides his eleven soldiers, the players were mostly level 10 to 15. Though impressive in number, this force was hollow beneath the surface.

Despite the players’ bravado, Li Zhan felt a lack of confidence. After consideration, he thought it prudent to have Jin Xue bring seven battle wolves to support the assault.

Just after ordering a bowman to fetch Jin Xue, Zheng Jun, who was directing villagers digging the protective river outside the west gate, came running, breathless:

“Chief! There’s a group of NPCs at the west gate teahouse quarreling with the player who runs the shop!”

Since upgrading to a village, Yanhuang Tribe had attracted various NPCs besides players. Merchants inspected the market for opportunities and often rented shops; all thirty market stalls were occupied, five by NPCs who posted public quests at the inn, offering rewards upon completion.

Annoyed by NPC trouble at this critical moment, Li Zhan thought it best to check the situation while waiting for Jin Xue to arrive.

Note:
Player Squad Leader: The system automatically designates the leader of a player group of up to thirteen members as the squad leader.