Chapter 82: Departure

Under the leadership of bandit chiefs Pei Yuanshao, Cheng Jian, and Wang Laohu, the bandit group set off upstream toward Daqi Village in search of a shallow river crossing.

Zhan Xiaobai returned safely to the village, where numerous players quickly gathered around him, eagerly asking what had happened and why Pei Yuanshao had so easily led the bandits away.

Zhan Xiaobai smiled faintly, knowing that such confidential matters could not be revealed openly.

He addressed the players around him, saying, “I told Pei Yuanshao that there are several weak villages across the river, so he took the bandits to raid those instead. They won’t be coming near our village anymore. Everyone can now rest assured and focus on leveling up or handling your tasks. You’re dismissed. Jian Ba, Qiushui, come with me to the council hall.”

The players, naturally skeptical that the bandits would leave so easily, dispersed with lingering doubts and busied themselves with their own affairs.

Zhan Xiaobai returned to the administrative courtyard with Jian Ba and Qiushui, sending all the NPCs gathered there back to their respective posts. He also recalled Chunqiu Shaoxia and A Fei, who had been guarding the north and south gates. Only six remained in the hall—Zhan Xiaobai himself, Li A San, and four elders.

He explained the deal he had made with Pei Yuanshao—five hundred jin of grain in exchange for one month of safety for Xiaobai Village, during which the bandits would patrol the territory across the river.

The others present finally understood why Pei Yuanshao had voluntarily led the bandits away.

Jian Ba chuckled, “Our village still has some grain left, and the month-end harvest is coming soon. Compared to the losses we might have faced, 500 jin of grain isn’t much. Besides, it’s not just our village that has to pay tribute—other villages will also have to give up their grain. Pei Yuanshao’s strength as a Yellow Turban commander is something no current player can match.”

A Fei grinned, “Big brother, you’re incredible—no bloodshed, and you sent them off to cause trouble at Huba Village instead. That was brilliant! With Pei Yuanshao’s fierce Yellow Turban army around, Black Tiger and Shen Biao are going to have a real headache.”

Zhan Xiaobai smiled wryly.

“I did pay a price—500 jin of grain. Luckily, I just acquired some supplies from the Tiger Head Mountain stronghold a few days ago; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to send off this plague so easily. By the way, A Fei, tonight at eight o’clock, personally take some brothers and transport 500 jin of grain to the river crossing. Deliver it to Pei Yuanshao’s hands to ensure the village isn’t harassed by bandits during this period. Keep the operation secret—don’t let the other villages find out.”

“Don’t worry, big brother. The grain won’t be lost,” A Fei nodded and accepted the mission.

“Good.”

Zhan Xiaobai stood up to announce another matter.

He looked at everyone and said, “Huba Village just suffered a setback in their clash with us. The day after tomorrow is the grain harvest, and with the bandit threat hanging over them, I believe Black Tiger won’t dare stir up trouble with us right now. Moreover, I got precise intel from Pei Yuanshao himself: his bandit group controls this area. Other bandits dare not challenge him or invade villages here. So, we won’t face any major crises for the time being. I plan to make a trip to Wuwei City to submit the bandit suppression order. The village will temporarily be under your five responsibilities.”

“Going to Wuwei?” Jian Ba was surprised; he hadn’t expected Zhan Xiaobai to propose leaving at such a time when many village matters were still unsettled.

Li A San urged anxiously, “Lord, the grain harvest and planting season are imminent. Can’t you wait a few days? Without your guidance, I’m hesitant to make decisions on many affairs.”

Qiushui also advised, “If you leave now and something big happens in the village, what will we do? Can’t you wait a bit longer?”

Zhan Xiaobai shook his head. “No, I can’t wait. The most important thing for the village now is to upgrade from a small village to a medium one. The two greatest threats—the bandits and Huba Village—have passed for now, so I must act swiftly. To become a medium-sized village, the chief needs 30 reputation points. I currently have only 22, needing 8 more. I expect submitting the bandit suppression order in Wuwei will get me there. Although the round trip only takes a day, there might be delays, and I can’t predict how long I’ll be gone. Before I leave, I need to make arrangements to ensure the village remains stable.”

The others fell silent, listening carefully.

Zhan Xiaobai paused and continued, “Our brief clash with Huba Village didn’t completely subdue them. The key reason is they control an open-pit mine resource. We cannot keep being held hostage like this—we must have our own resources.”

He was resolute in overcoming this challenge.

“Now, I assign tasks: Shaoxia, A Fei, besides leveling up, focus these days on searching all wild resources within twenty li of the village. Try to control every exploitable resource—leveling spots, rare spawn points, various mines, forests, dense herb-gathering areas, NPCs, and so forth. Work together when encountering issues, and if necessary, don’t hesitate to use force. For resources jointly claimed by multiple villages, gather intel first; I will handle them when I return. If needed, we’ll seize them by force.”

“Yes, sir!”

Chunqiu Shaoxia and A Fei responded enthusiastically. Both were battle-hungry fighters, but Zhan Xiaobai had always restrained them from provoking neighboring villages. They were eager to find an excuse to fight and test their skills, so this was the perfect opportunity.

Zhan Xiaobai, unwilling to curb their impulses, went on to assign: “Jian Ba, you’re responsible for village construction and commercial trade—two crucial tasks. Coordinate all village work and, if necessary, assign special missions.”

Jian Ba nodded confidently; these were well within his expertise.

“Qiushui, you handle organization, defense, and public security.”

Qiushui acknowledged immediately.

“Li A San, you oversee all NPC management—supervise the carpenter’s workshop, blacksmith, martial arts hall, inn, tavern, poultry pens, courier station, and so on. In emergencies, you must follow orders from Elder Jian Ba.”

Zhan Xiaobai assigned this because Li A San was unfamiliar with player dynamics and could not always make the right judgment; some matters required player insight.

Li A San hesitated briefly. As vice chief, he questioned why he had to obey an elder, but he nodded in agreement—this was Zhan Xiaobai’s order.

Zhan Xiaobai considered for a moment, then said, “That’s the task division. While I’m away, you five will jointly decide all matters. By the way, I’m still unsure how loyal the strategist Gou Buli is. Only allow him to operate within the village—do not let him leave.”

Qiushui smiled, “Leave that to me. I’ll keep an eye on him, no worries.”

Zhan Xiaobai made one final round of the village, arranging key tasks for the carpenter, disabled veterans, Old He, and others, ensuring they followed Li A San and Jian Ba’s directions. He checked the village’s reserve funds—just over 3,000 copper coins. He took 1,100 coins and brought along a blueprint stolen from the mountain stronghold. He planned to see if the appraiser in Wuwei City could authenticate it.

Afterward, he arrived at the courier station at the village’s east gate.

The station’s horses were all gentle old steeds, requiring no special riding skills, so any player could easily use them. These courier horses were steady and reasonably fast. Since the roads were already established, there was no worry about getting lost.

(Riding skills required: Docile Courier Horse [no skill], Civilian Ordinary Horse [basic riding], Military Warhorse [advanced riding, basic horse control], Wild Ox [basic ox control], War Elephant [basic elephant control])

Riding horses also meant little risk of player robbery—after all, two legs cannot outrun four legs of a horse (unless the other rider also has a mount). Wild beasts are also hard-pressed to catch up. The only real worry is NPC bandits on horseback… that depends entirely on luck. If unlucky, avoidance is impossible.

The courier station’s horses were limited in number. Although Xiaobai Village had added a stable, increasing the total to 40 horses and raising rental fees accordingly, demand still outstripped supply. Wealthy merchant players preferred traveling between villages on horseback for trade.

Xiaobai Village mandated that three courier horses remain reserved for emergency use and not be rented out.

Zhan Xiaobai paid the expensive fee of 100 copper coins to the groom, bid farewell to the villagers, and set off for Wuwei City, 150 li away. Mounted on his horse, he took a deep breath. He did not know what challenges or characters awaited him, but it was time to see the great metropolis of the system for himself.