Martial Arts: Start by Obtaining the Wild World

Chapter 168 0167: Is this a case of trying to cover up one’s own guilt?

Two days later, Cheng Zongyang walked into the cabin, rubbing his sore shoulder joints, sat on the bench, and spent five points to recover.

Then he called up his own attribute interface, took a look, and sighed slightly.

-

Name: Cheng Zongyang
Age: 16 (years old)

Lifespan: 16/100 (-117 days)
Realm: Sixth level (open meridians)

Points: 43436
Skills: Archery (12359/20000, Expertise); Pharmacy (535/3000, Intermediate);

Exercise:

Turtle Breathing and Breath Holding Method (139/12000)

Martial arts:

Basic knife skills (1375/7000, perfect)
Wind Walker (6782/7000, perfect)
Vajra Palm (2452/7000, perfect)
Phantom Blade (1/100, not yet started)

-

“Damn it!”

Cheng Zongyang looked at the last phantom knife and his mentality almost collapsed.

In two days, there was only a pitiful amount of progress, which made him want to curse.

He chose the ninth move of the basic sword technique, Whirlwind Slash, as his method of practicing the Phantom Sword.

But the speed really couldn't be improved. He didn't even know if this progress was just a consolation.

"Forget it, I'll take my time." Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly. This kind of practice mode can only be adapted slowly.

Then he took the prepared things, put them in a backpack, and left the wilderness.

When Cheng Zongyang returned to Tianduan Village, which was almost completed, he nodded slightly. The main reason was that it took time to make rammed earth blocks. The earth blocks used now were collected from the ruins of several villages.

"Master Cheng is back!"

A sharp-eyed gang member noticed Cheng Zongyang's figure and shouted excitedly in the direction of the shed.

The county residents who were working also came to greet them.

Cheng Zongyang smiled in response and walked towards the shed.

At the shed, Li Xian and Xiao Bing, who were in charge of supervision, hurried out.

"Greetings, sir!" The two men came forward and bowed at the same time.

"Sir, you are back." Li Xian said with a smile, "My uncle has been talking about you all the time."

Cheng Zongyang smiled, continued walking forward, and said, "I'm not your aunt, there's no point in nagging me. Where's your uncle?"

Li Xian smiled and hurriedly followed. Xiao Bing beside him also followed silently.

Li Xian looked hesitant and helpless. When he saw Cheng Zongyang stop and turn around, he responded, "My uncle is preparing to dig a hole."

Cheng Zongyang noticed that Li Xian's expression was a little strange, but when he heard this, his eyes showed a hint of suspicion: "Digging a hole? Digging what hole?"

Li Xian said hesitantly, "He is planning to dig a hole on a road in the north to block the road to prevent anyone from coming from the north again."

Cheng Zongyang thought he had misheard and asked again uncertainly: "What did you just say? Digging a pit on the official road in the north?"

Li Xian nodded with some hesitation.

Cheng Zongyang stared at Li Xian for a long time, then looked at Xiao Bing beside him. Seeing Xiao Bing's eyes full of excitement, he was speechless.

Did this guy's brain get left outside after his trip?
How stupid does one have to be to come up with this method of digging a pit to stop people coming from the north? Isn't it just a way of trying to cover up one's own guilt?
"Ask your uncle to come to my place." Cheng Zongyang said with a serious face.

He had worked so hard to create this situation, and he would never allow anyone to do anything stupid to affect the current situation!
Seeing that Cheng Zongyang looked unhappy, Li Xian agreed with trepidation. After following him into the city, he immediately rushed to the county government office.

Although he disagreed, it was useless to say it. Now that Cheng Zongyang was back, he was relieved.

In the current county, the only person who can stop his uncle is Cheng Zongyang.

When Cheng Zongyang returned to his residence, Zhang Chuqi immediately asked the maid to make tea. He followed Cheng Zongyang and quickly reported:

"Master, during the few days you were away, the medicine powders in the warehouse have been prepared. According to your previous instructions, they have all been sent to the warehouse in the backyard."

Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly and asked as he walked, "Did Li Lu do anything after I left?"

Zhang Chuqi heard this and immediately said, "Zhao Laoqi came to report that Li Lu has been preparing manpower recently and seems to be preparing to dig up the official road in the north."

Cheng Zongyang's eyes flashed.

Zhao Laoqi is his man. Although he usually seems to follow Li Lu's arrangements, don't forget that he was the first to know Zhao Laoqi! He was also the one who arranged for Zhao Laoqi to find Li Lu.

Similarly, one of Zhao Laoqi's responsibilities is to secretly monitor Li Lu's actions.

Since he decided to farm outside and build a new village, anyone who dares to ruin his plan before the summer grain is harvested will die!

Li Lu's behavior now is undoubtedly telling the foreign tribes in the north that there is a problem in Yufeng County.

He didn't think that Li Lu hadn't thought of this, but if he did so, he had to ask clearly.

"I see. You go down first. When Li Lu comes, bring him to see me directly."

"Yes, young master!" Zhang Chuqi bowed.

Li Lu arrived very quickly. Less than a quarter of an hour after Cheng Zongyang sat down, he heard Li Lu's hearty and loud laughter coming from the front yard.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zongyang smiled.

"Brother Cheng, you're finally back." Li Lu came to the door of the main hall and asked warmly, "Did anything happen on the way?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, everything is going well. Sit down."

Cheng Zongyang waved his hand.

Soon, the maid came in with two cups of tea.

After sitting down, Cheng Zongyang took out 25 packets of body-tempering powder and said:

"The exchange amount for the things I sent over this time is 25 units of Body Tempering Powder. This is the most I can get. If used well, it should be able to help Brother cultivate to the peak of the eighth level, and it is possible to even enter the seventh level."

According to Li Lu's previous qualifications, these twenty-five portions of Body Tempering Powder could probably only help him reach the peak of the eighth level.

If you want to continue to advance, you will probably need stronger Qi and blood replenishing medicine, such as Qi and Blood Pills.

But the cost of this thing is far higher than the Body Tempering Powder, so it is impossible to give it to Li Lu.

But Li Lu was open-minded about this transaction. He thought that the things he picked up could be exchanged for 25 pieces of Body Tempering Powder, which was a big profit! He said without hesitation:
"It's okay. I've made a profit by getting so much Body Tempering Powder in exchange. Besides, your master has to make a certain profit if he sells it. It's okay." As for the more than 10,000 taels of silver...

Li Lu turned to look at Cheng Zongyang and asked tentatively: "Brother, how many doses of the medicine bath powder can you make out of the medicine you brought back last time?"

Cheng Zongyang thought for a moment and said slowly, "All the powder I asked you to give me before I left has been ground. I will try to prepare it in the next few days. I will take whatever I can get. I haven't calculated the exact amount.

Yes, I also brought back something this time. It's very valuable. My master said that if you are willing, you can use it, but if not, cancel it."

Li Lu's eyes flickered as he heard this and he asked curiously, "What is it?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled faintly: "It is a prescription. It can solve the current food shortage problem in the county.

The recipe is called Wu Gu Nei Bu Wan, and one pill can allow an average person to go three days without eating. "Brother, do you think this is a good thing?"

Hearing the introduction of this thing, Li Lu's eyes lit up, and he asked in shock: "This is the recipe? What are the conditions from your master?"

What the county lacks most now is food. If we can have this kind of medicine, it will solve the food shortage problem in the county.

Cheng Zongyang shook his head slightly and said, "It's not about exchanging money now, but about signing a cooperation agreement first. After we solve the problem, we need to fulfill our promise later, otherwise it will be considered a breach of contract, and they will deal with it later. And we have to sign this agreement willingly, without any reluctance."

As he spoke, Cheng Zongyang took out a piece of parchment from the backpack beside him, placed it in front of Li Lu and said, "This is the cooperation agreement my master sent over. You can take a look at it."

Li Lu took it and read it carefully.

As a result, the more he looked down, the uglier his expression became.

Finally, he said with a somewhat unswerving expression: "Why is it always about the soul returning to the wilderness? What does it mean? Are you cursing people?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled and slowly said the words he had prepared:

“In fact, we also know what the so-called agreement and the so-called oath are. But now there is no government guarantee, and this agreement depends only on our personal moral integrity.

"Returning to the wilderness is just a statement of oath, which is equivalent to swearing that one will not die a good death. Brother, do you think this oath is useful?"

Li Lu also thought it made sense. If this oath was useful, countless people would have died. He nodded and said:
"That's fine. We've cooperated for many times, so we naturally have credibility. Since your master wants to draft a cooperation agreement this time, it means that the importance of this recipe is indeed different."

But he also had a doubt in his mind. Cheng Zongyang was also involved in the county's affairs, so why should he be asked to sign?

As he thought about it, his expression became a little hesitant, as if he was struggling.

Cheng Zongyang had been paying attention to Li Lu's facial expression, and seemed to guess what he was thinking from his tangled and hesitant look, so he said:

“The reason why this recipe was taken out is that my master knew that the interests of the county were related to me, so he spent a high price to buy this recipe from the aristocratic family.

But the subsequent responsibilities require you to sign.

It's like I have provided the connection and you come to sign the agreement, which means both parties have contributed. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten this prescription for nothing.

As long as we cooperate with each other within three years according to the agreement and send him money or medicinal materials of corresponding value, and it does not violate the terms of the contract, why should we think so much?"

After listening to Cheng Zongyang's words, Li Lu finally understood what he meant.

This means that there is division of labor.

Just as Cheng Zongyang said, as long as you abide by the agreement to repay the money, there is no need to think about it, unless you don't want to pay it back.

"Repay 30,000 taels of silver or goods of equivalent value within two years. This should be no problem." Li Lu gritted his teeth and agreed.

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang took out the blood ink.

Finally, Cheng Zongyang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Lu successfully write his name on the animal skin and press his fingerprints.

This means that if Li Lu does anything to betray him within two years, he will be very sorry.

If the dog you raise ever turns into a wolf and devours its owner, it will be courting death.

After finishing it, Cheng Zongyang said, "I will send a message to my master to send the recipe. You will return the bird later."

"No problem." Li Lu smiled and said, "That bird is very smart."

Cheng Zongyang was thinking about something else at this time. After taking a sip of tea, he asked casually:

"As soon as I came back, I heard that you were going to dig on the northern official road?"

Li Lu nodded and said, "I plan to destroy the official road, making it difficult for people heading south to move, so that they can change their route, which can reduce the danger to Yufeng County.

But after thinking about it, he decided not to dig a hole or anything like that, as the traces would be too obvious and not realistic. Instead, he decided to destroy the mountain to make it look like a landslide.

Landslides and rocks blocked the road, and when the foreigners from the north saw the state of the official road, they had to take a detour unless they climbed over on foot. "

Cheng Zongyang finally understood.

This method can indeed effectively prevent people from the north from moving south, but it is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution.

Cheng Zongyang asked, "What if they took a detour? They were riding horses, so it wouldn't take them long to take a detour. In this case, it's possible that they entered through the East Gate or other gates."

Li Lu said: "I would like to block all the roads, but it is obviously impossible. But this can also slow down their time, right?"

Cheng Zongyang shook his head: "Brother, listen to me and don't move. Also, if they come again, don't do anything except respond to the whereabouts of the previous few people."

"Why is this happening? Are we going to offer all the food to us?" Li Lu asked anxiously.

"Yes." Cheng Zongyang said: "With the Five Grains Pill, our demand for food is no longer that strong. But we can't just hand over the food at will.

They haven't come yet, but they will come eventually. We can do a rehearsal. Assuming they come, they should bring more people than the six last time.

They would certainly investigate and question us, then leave it alone, and then ask us to pay the grain. So we paid, but not more.

Brother, hide the food you brought back last time and don't touch it. We can just gather the rest, about 3,000 to 4,000 kilograms, and let them take it away."

Li Lu still frowned and didn't say anything.

Cheng Zongyang continued, "We must not let them discover the situation outside the west of the city. But we can't keep on guarding against their continuous arrival. If we kill one group, there will always be another, and it will never end.

So, let's just follow their wishes this time. When they have food and leave, they won't send anyone else. By then, our farmland, food, and our new village will be safe."

For Cheng Zongyang, as long as he can survive this summer harvest, the subsequent things will be easy.

But he was just talking to Li Lu about paying for the food. Want to take his things? You have to see if you have the luck to do so!
After listening to this, Li Lu finally understood Cheng Zongyang's plan.

Borrow food to avoid disaster!

Rather than seeking short-term satisfaction and having people come continuously in the future, it is better to meet the requirements this time and thus cut off the possibility of more people coming in the future.

Li Lu sighed and said, "If I have to pay 5,000 kilograms, then what I brought back would be the same as nothing."

Cheng Zongyang smiled:

"That's not important. What's important is that you have to go out again and prepare to collect more medicinal herbs. The five thousand kilograms of food you brought back may have to be used with medicinal herbs to make internal tonic pills. But the medicinal herbs are limited, and it is estimated that not much can be made, so you have to continue looking for medicinal herbs."

(End of this chapter)