Chapter 14

With those words, Lord Han turned and left; after walking a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Fang Yue.

"Follow me."

"Oh, oh… alright."

Fang Yue quickly got up and followed.

This time, Lord Han took Fang Yue around nearly the entire Gu Yue Cun before stopping before a large courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, many youths stood in neat postures on the muddy ground after the rain, chanting "one-two, one-two" as they punched, drenched in sweat.

At the courtyard entrance, a group of people stood in line, waiting by the gate.

Fang Yue was surprised to see Shi Wuliao among those waiting in line.

Shi Wuliao clearly spotted Fang Yue and opened his mouth to speak, but immediately fell silent upon seeing Lord Han beside him.

During the two hours Fang Yue had been AFK in his game, Shi Wuliao had done plenty of homework—he knew how high Lord Han's status was in this village, how a single word could decide the life or death of refugees like him.

Fang Yue sent Shi Wuliao a message via the friend system, then turned his gaze to Lord Han.

"This is the Guard Team, responsible for the village's safety and daily patrols. If you want to train in martial arts, you must join the village's Guard Team and contribute to defending Gu Yue Cun—are you willing?"

Lord Han explained, then silently watched Fang Yue.

Of course I'm willing.

Fang Yue nodded eagerly, heart pounding with excitement.

Finally, I'm going to train in martial arts!

Time to level up my stats and grow stronger.

Fang Yue had read forum posts—most players entered the village as refugees, unable to even find decent work, let alone train in martial arts.

Villagers' goodwill toward refugees was extremely low; disdain and hostility were the norm.

Most people worked tirelessly for villagers, took on tasks, and raised goodwill before ever getting a chance to approach the Guard Team.

Some encountered special villagers and learned other skills or gained alternate opportunities—things Fang Yue could only envy.

Regardless, compared to others who struggled to find any chance to train, Fang Yue had it handed to him outright.

When you have connections above you, you can do whatever you want.

"Then good, come in with me."

Fang Yue followed Lord Han straight into the courtyard, walking boldly.

This sight made Shi Wuliao's eyes turn red.

Fuck! Why don't I have this kind of fortune!

Others also fixed their envious, jealous, resentful gazes on Fang Yue.

In this world, without some skill to rely on, you could die at any moment for no reason at all.

So training in martial arts was the dream of most people.

But the Guard Team isn't a charity—it demands high standards; without favors, you can't even get through the door.

After arriving in the village, Shi Wuliao originally followed the guy who claimed to have ties with the village's herbalist.

But he soon found that the herbalist demanded all sorts of conditions—and outright rejected him, calling him stupid and forgetful.

Of course! You throw me a thick book full of herb properties and expect me to memorize it all? Who the hell would want to learn that!

So Shi Wuliao gave up on the herbalist path; after asking around, he learned the Guard Team taught martial arts and came to line up for a shot at luck.

Maybe he had some extraordinary talent and the Guard Team would notice him.

Now, he thought Fang Yue was the one truly gifted…

Leaving Shi Wuliao's thoughts aside.

The youths training at night in the courtyard all stopped their movements upon seeing Lord Han; the instructor in charge hurriedly bowed respectfully.

"Lord Han, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to recommend someone to join the Guard Team. Carry on with your training."

"Yes!"

The instructor glanced at Fang Yue, thought nothing of it, and soon the courtyard echoed again with the youths chanting "one-two, one-two."

Beyond the courtyard, walking inward, one could see a large house.

He pushed open the door.

"Lord Han? How come you're here…"

The middle-aged man inside immediately stood up.

"Sit down. I'll be brief—then I'll leave."

"Speak."

"This kid's name is Xiao Ye. I want him to join the Guard Team and train under you."

"…Lord Han, I checked his background earlier—I couldn't trace it. He's probably another refugee."

"I don't care about his origins. I want you to teach him martial arts."

"Yes, Lord Han's command—I, Chen Mu, will obey. You once saved my life…"

"Don't mention the past. I'm entrusting this kid to you—teach him well."

"Understood."

Lord Han left.

Fang Yue chatted with Chen Mu and gradually understood the Guard Team's situation.

The Guard Team of Gu Yue Cun was the village's core force, with three Captains total.

Chen Mu was First Team Captain and also Chief Captain, usually stationed within the village.

Second Team Captain Hua Wuye usually handled daytime patrols.

The Third Team Captain was the very Lin Ling that Fang Yue had encountered before, the one in charge of Di He security.

The three of them had shifting duties, not fixed ones, and as captains, when there were no anomalies to deal with, they generally didn't need to handle trivial matters, so their days were quite leisurely.

"Lord Han has done me a great kindness. He entrusted you to me, so even though you're a bit older in age, I will train you with everything I have."

"What I cultivate is Blade Technique. If it were anyone else, I'd only teach them the basics of martial arts and send them off. But in your case, I'll teach you my Blade Technique — though you'll have to meet its minimum requirements first."

After a pause, Chen Mu asked, "By the way, how much do you know about Martial Dao?"

"Not a thing!" Fang Yue declared boldly.

"... Alright then, let's step outside first."

Fang Yue followed Chen Mu out, and the moment he looked up he saw the youths in the yard gathered in a circle, chattering away about something, pointing and gesturing every now and then.

"What's going on?"

Chen Mu asked in a low voice.

The youths were so startled they scrambled back to their spots and resumed practicing their punches.

The youths dispersed, leaving only the Instructor and... a muscular, burly man.

This burly man — Fang Yue recognized him — was none other than that player who claimed his talent was Innate Divine Strength. He seemed to remember the name was Niu Niu Da Niu...

"Ye Ge! You're here too!"

Niu Niu had a booming voice, and the moment he spotted Fang Yue his face lit up with excitement.

Fang Yue gave a response, and the Instructor walked over at that moment.

"Chief Captain Chen, this man has Innate Divine Strength — he hasn't learned a single martial art, yet he already has 3 points of Control Power! I believe he's moldable talent."

"Then take him in."

"Yes!"

The Instructor looked at Niu Niu: "From now on you're a reserve member of our Guard Team. You'll need to report in at the Guard Team every day. Don't worry, you won't be shorted on any of the benefits you're due."

"Thank you, big brother Instructor!"

Niu Niu was pulled aside by the Instructor. Fang Yue watched with his own eyes as Niu Niu, after receiving the Instructor's instructions, began throwing punch after punch at a large boulder in a frenzy, until his fingers were covered in blood.

This terrifying? Is this how you teach fist techniques? Does it even work?

Fang Yue secretly sent a message to Niu Niu, and Niu Niu replied right away.

"Ye Ge, how could it possibly work that fast? That skinny monkey who came to the village with us — a Hunter took a liking to him, and from the moment he entered the village he's been running laps around the village. He ran for almost 2 hours, until he was dehydrated and weak, and only then did his Control Power go up by 0.1. I reckon mine will be about the same."

So that's how it is — pretty much matches the intel he'd seen on the forum.

(End of chapter)