Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 2: The Mysterious Well

"Lunar Serenity Well!"

"It contains three thousand units of water, granting Supernatural Power with each scoop."

"Well Owner: Xin Zhuo."

"Realm: Mortal."

"Moonlight: 10/100."

"Sacrificial Spirits: 0/15."

"Reciprocity: 0/50."

"Integrated Union: 0/50."

"Feeding: 0/30."

Inside the room, the burning of hemp core and tung oil emitted a pungent smell. The light was only enough to illuminate a small area, but it was sufficient to see the strange personal panels appearing in the well.

Xin Zhuo suppressed his excitement and spent two sticks of incense time to thoroughly study this well.

In simple terms, this water well was not like the system flow in fantasy novels, but more like a Magic Treasure that recognizes its master. It is charged by moonlight and shares the power of others, providing unknown abilities to the well owner.

Realm: As the name suggests, it is a type of realm.

Moonlight: The moonlight of the sun and moon.

Sacrificial Spirits: By drinking the water from the well, a subtle bond is formed with the well owner. There are only 15 slots available for sacrificial spirits. The person who becomes a sacrificial spirit will not experience any danger or discomfort, and they themselves will not even be aware of it. When the sacrificial spirits are full, all bonds with the original sacrificial spirits can be released and replaced.

Reciprocity: The well owner can permanently share everything the sacrificial spirits possess, including lifespan, cultivation base, martial skills, charm, temperament, and appearance. The sacrificial spirits are also unaware of this. The prerequisite is loyalty, remorse, debt, or any form of karma. When one of these conditions reaches half, the well owner can start sharing.

Integrated Union: The abilities provided by different sacrificial spirits can be combined using moonlight to create upgraded abilities. Of course, they can also be directly absorbed or discarded, but discarding also requires moonlight.

Feeding: When the sacrificial spirits' potential is exhausted and cannot be further improved, they can be fed Lunar Serenity Well water for further cultivation. Note: Each sacrificial spirit can only consume Lunar Serenity Well water three times in their lifetime, and the absorption rate varies from person to person.

In addition, once all the numerical operations are complete, the abilities of the Lunar Serenity Well can be upgraded. After the upgrade, the abilities provided to the well owner will be more abundant, but the chosen sacrificial spirits must also be strengthened simultaneously.

This well cannot immediately grant the well owner heaven-defying abilities, but through operation, it can obtain unknown magical powers.

Xin Zhuo, who had a sense of familiarity with this low-level dungeon-like operation, felt excited. In his previous life, he would spend three days and nights studying and strategizing without sleep or food.

His terrible mood suddenly brightened! His eyes became bright in the dim light.

The future didn't seem so bleak anymore. At the very least, he could acquire some strange abilities to protect himself from being easily harmed by others.

And if things went well, he might even be able to carve out a path and create a prosperous future.

Of course, the most urgent task is to find the sacrificial spirit. There is no choice but to use the five bandits under my command, temporarily shielding everyone in the world with the options of loyalty, apology, and debt.

No one would be loyal to a bandit leader for no reason, nor would they owe a debt to a bandit, let alone feel remorse towards a bandit leader.

It seems difficult to cultivate a sense of apology and debt in these five wicked bandit subordinates, as they simply do not possess these attributes.

However, loyalty is somewhat reliable. Otherwise, once their grandfather dies, these five people would have abandoned me long ago.

Find a way to establish a bond with them, then cultivate their loyalty, train them in martial arts, and finally have them repay me!

He thought for a moment and felt that it seemed possible to accomplish everything at once.

He got up and rummaged through the boxes and cabinets, finally taking out a tightly wrapped cloth package with three layers inside and three layers outside.

Pushing open the door, the moonlight was bright, and the mountain scenery was hazy.

In the kitchen diagonally opposite, the last three big cabbages of the mountain stronghold were being cooked by the fifth head of the Han family, Han Qiniang, and Little Brother Han Jiulang. They had already been cut into a large basin. Next to it were crushed coarse salt, a bowl of chili, and garlic.

However, the two siblings stood side by side in front of the door, staring straight at a certain spot in the courtyard, their faces filled with fear. "Boss, our well is gone, there's a ghost!"

For the bandits who were fierce and ruthless, who would rob and kill on the road without fear of heaven or earth, and who would not hesitate to risk their lives to bring down the emperor, they were still afraid of ghosts.

"Gone... let it be, we'll drink from the mountain stream in the future. The water from Nongfu Spring is a bit sweet, better than the stinky well water. Today, I'll cook the cabbage." Xin Zhuo explained half-heartedly and skillfully rolled up his sleeves.

"Uh..."

This carefree attitude of a bachelor was a bit difficult for the siblings to accept, and their fear of the disappearing well disappeared. "Zi Yue knows how to cook?"

"Zi Yue" was the bandits' "elegant title" for scholars.

Unable to carry a shoulder pole, unwilling to lift a hand, not bothering to pick up fallen chopsticks, and speaking nonsense, these were the common labels for most "Zi Yue".

"Of course! Grandfather once praised my cooking of cabbage!"

"Alright!" The siblings didn't bother with pleasantries and left their work, turning around and leaving.

Xin Zhuo's cooking skills from his past life were decent. His vinegar-stirred cabbage, spicy and sour cabbage, and cabbage and pork stew with vermicelli made the neighboring children drool. But that wasn't the focus here.

Mixing the cabbage with water from the Lunar Serenity Well, he stewed it all together, and then, to ensure the success of the bond in one go, he opened the last jar of sorghum lees that his grandfather had treasured and scooped a spoonful into the "Lunar Serenity Well".

After two sticks of incense, they gathered in the assembly hall.

All six members of the Fulong Stronghold, plus a little yellow dog, gathered together.

Xin Zhuo sat on the main seat, which was not quite intact and emitted a faint fishy smell, and his face was serious.

The five thieves looked at the bowl of grey and burnt-smelling stewed cabbage in front of them, lost in thought.

"Everyone!"

Xin Zhuo was the first to break the silence. "I have something to say!"

The five thieves raised their heads together, their faces showing no emotion. The words of "The Master" were always like an old lady's foot-binding cloth, long, smelly, and full of prejudice.

"The situation our stronghold is facing is extremely dire. Other bandits are besieging us, and the government is cracking down on us. If things go wrong, we may have nowhere to bury our bodies." Xin Zhuo tried to remain calm.

"Hehe..."

After waiting for a while with no further explanation, the thieves couldn't help but laugh weakly.

It goes without saying, why repeat the obvious? If you don't have a solution to the dilemma, it's better to recite an inspiring poem instead.

"Actually..."

Xin Zhuo stood up and sighed. Dealing with bandits required substance or mystification. Speaking honestly was not very useful. "I took a nap at noon, and my grandfather appeared in my dream. He scolded me for not having the ability to lead the stronghold and scolded all of you for not being loyal enough to me, wasting his years of care for you. If we continue like this, the stronghold will fall apart."

The thieves were stunned, and their faces finally showed subtle changes.

Those present were either refugees picked up halfway by the former leader or adopted from a young age, and their gratitude was as heavy as a mountain.

Speaking of the former leader, even if they didn't think highly of this new leader, who was full of sarcasm, they couldn't say a word against him.

After a long silence, the fourth-in-command, Bai Jian, sighed with a slender and delicate finger. "The new leader is somewhat annoying. People can hardly hold back their tears, feeling deeply ashamed. Since the former leader appeared in your dream, did he mention any way to get out of this predicament?"

"That's right!"

The thieves rallied slightly. The former leader was a hero of Fulong Mountain, and even the scholars of Qiugong Pavilion had to give him some face. When he was alive, he never had such worries.

"It seems like my grandfather mentioned it, but he didn't say it completely!"

"Uh... Oh?"

"He said that since I am the new leader, it is my duty to protect all of you and find a way out myself."

"Are you going to tell a story? Just you?"

"That's right! Just me!"

"How are you going to protect us?"

"With a secret technique!"

"Do you have it?"

"I do!"

The faces of the bandits turned pale.

In a world where martial arts reign supreme and everything else is considered inferior, with only a small number of top martial arts families, sects, and government monopolizing the higher-level martial arts, how precious are martial arts classics?

"Where?"

"Here!"

Xin Zhuo forcefully slammed the package on the table, "Exactly five books, all of them are masterpieces in martial arts, treasures that my grandfather cherished as if they were his life."

In order to survive and carve out a path, you must quickly become experts. Of course, with your intelligence and talent, it shouldn't be difficult."

These manuals are indeed my grandfather's collection, and they were hidden very secretly. Just now, I searched through my memories and specifically found them.

The content is bitter and difficult to understand, giving a sense of the kind of mysterious goods that were peddled in a previous life. At least he couldn't make sense of them, but the five bandits who were born and raised here might have a chance.

"Your judgment is reasonable, but... all of them?"

The eyes of the five bandits became fiery, staring fixedly at the package.

"All of them!" Xin Zhuo's tone was resolute.

"What is the price?" Cui Ying'er, the second-in-command, asked in a deep voice.

"Good question!" Xin Zhuo paced back and forth, speaking sincerely, "As a disciple, I have no hope of learning martial arts. My greatest hope, and also the price, is that all of you achieve martial arts Great Completion, carve out a path for yourselves, and in the future, remember the kindness between our ancestors and protect Fulong Village together. That's all!"

"Boss..."

"Righteousness!"

The bandits were very moved by this. In the world, there is no greater kindness than that of one's parents and teachers who pass on their skills.

The old boss was a true master, which was why Fulong Village, with only six or seven people, could rank first among the three bandit strongholds in the Fulong Mountains.

However, although the old boss was generous and would occasionally give them some guidance, he always looked down on the bandits and his own grandson, Xin Zhuo, for their lack of talent. He refused to teach them real martial arts. It was unexpected that he would be invited to a one-on-one fight and die from his injuries. He didn't even leave a will before he died. Xin Zhuo didn't mention it, who would have known that he still had such valuable manuals?

At this moment, the boss's righteous and selfless act of passing on his skills without being a teacher, how could they not be moved?

The time was right.

Xin Zhuo took the opportunity to lift up a jar of sorghum wine and poured a bowl for each person, then raised it high. "As bandits, we must have courage. The difficulties we face now are nothing. I want you all to become experts, surpassing the other two strongholds, fighting against nuns, killing bandits, capturing the governor's mansion in Fufeng, beheading the corrupt governor, and taking the governor's daughter as our stronghold wife. Plundering in all directions, no one in the world dares to compete with us! In summary, our journey is... the Star Sea! Let's do it!"

This sentence doesn't have much technological content, it's even a bit juvenile, and the Star Sea is not necessarily understood by all the bandits present. But with the combination of the manuals and brainwashing, the bandits couldn't help but be stirred up with some enthusiasm. They all raised their cups.

"The Star Sea!"

PS: Seeking investment, high returns, fierce, and wild.

(End of this chapter)