Chapter 95: Returning to the Village

Zhan Xiaobai wanted to haggle over the exchange price to ease the economic pressure on Xiaobai Village. However, the NPC Village Chief Jiang Huai merely shook his head, refusing to make even the slightest concession.

This old fox knew perfectly well that Zhan Xiaobai was desperate for his item and had no fear that the deal would fall through. Sure enough, after stalling for over half an hour, Zhan Xiaobai was ultimately forced to accept the terms.

Once both sides reached an agreement, they signed a system-notarized exchange contract, which detailed the items to be traded. After Xiaobai Village delivered all the supplies listed in the contract to Jiang Village, Jiang Village handed over one copy of the "Intermediate Village Upgrade Blueprint" to Xiaobai Village.

After signing the contract, Zhan Xiaobai sighed bitterly, "Village Chief Jiang, I will do my best to gather the goods and deliver them to your village. This transaction has truly cleaned out my entire treasury."

The NPC old man, Jiang Huai, watched Zhan Xiaobai sign the document, his aged face beaming with joy. He picked up his copy of the black-and-white paper contract, blew on it, folded it, and tucked it into his robes.

"Heh, I believe the title of 'First Village Under Heaven' held by Xiaobai Village was not earned for nothing. A mere trifle of wealth will certainly not stump a village chief like you. When the moment comes for Xiaobai Village to upgrade, you will realize that it was worth every penny! Moreover, I believe there will be opportunities for long-term cooperation between our two villages."

Zhan Xiaobai knew that Jiang Village possessed many treasures and replied with a smile, "Oh? What other good things does Jiang Village have that you would be willing to trade? Although my village’s resources are modest, I am willing to be your first customer."

"There are naturally good things, but not now. Your village has already paid a high price this time and cannot afford to lose any more vitality. When your wealth and strength grow in the future, we shall speak of it then."

"Very well!"

Zhan Xiaobai had already secured what he wanted most and, wishing to waste no more time, rose to bid farewell.

Village Chief Jiang Huai escorted him to the front of the main hall, stroking his beard as he smiled, "I shall not see you out further! In the future, Village Chief Xiaobai, you may enter the village without needing to announce yourself."

The little beggar, Le Tian, had finished his meal and was playing around in the small courtyard. Seeing Zhan Xiaobai emerge, he was delighted. "My Lord, I’m full! We can hit the road now!"

Zhan Xiaobai nodded, took the little beggar with him, and the two led their post horses out of the village.

Outside the village, many players were still gathered. However, they were no longer asking to enter the village; instead, they were busy accepting various tasks from the militia leader, Jiang Hu, such as gathering herbs or hunting monsters, in order to trade for the weapons, equipment, medicine, and food they desired.

Once outside the village, they mounted their horses.

Zhan Xiaobai looked back at the well-fortified and somber Jiang Village. A thought suddenly arose in his mind—was he truly using Jiang Village's upgrade blueprint to seek higher-level development, or was Jiang Village using the blueprint to extract his resources and rapidly expand its own strength?

If he had to pay such a steep price for a single village, what about ten or a hundred villages? The resources gathered from numerous villages could easily forge a powerful NPC faction.

Zhan Xiaobai could not help but feel a chill.

Jiang Village’s strength was unfathomable—not in its armaments, but in its people. The mastermind behind this NPC family was far-sighted and possessed a wealth of technical talent. With such rapid construction and the ability to obtain massive amounts of raw materials from players, he feared no player-controlled village could match them. Was this the players using the NPCs, or the NPCs using the players?

The little beggar asked curiously, "My Lord, why have we stopped?"

Zhan Xiaobai shook his head, dismissed the thought, and spurred his horse onward.

Ten minutes later, they found the post road they had traveled on earlier and galloped toward Xiaobai Village.

Jiang Village was close to Wuwei, about 50 li away, but far from Xiaobai Village, about 100 li away.

By the afternoon, the silhouette of Hualing Village appeared in the distance. After passing Hualing Village came Daqi Village, and after another cup of tea's time, they were finally approaching Xiaobai Village.

The little beggar was very excited and shouted, "My Lord, what does Xiaobai Village look like?"

Zhan Xiaobai looked back at the excited boy on his horse and laughed, "Much like your attire—thatched cottages and picket fences. It may be a bit poor, but it has ambition."

The little beggar nodded vigorously. "Mm, I, Le, may not be good for much else, but I have backbone! Even if I exhaust my family's wealth, I want to learn a craft. My tailoring skills are top-notch."

As they neared the east gate, they saw a neat, low picket fence stretching for several miles.

Inside the village, over a dozen simple thatched houses, several modest workshops, and an administrative residence were faintly visible. The entire layout was spacious, orderly, fresh, and rustic. Inside each of the four wooden village gates stood a tall wooden watchtower, where NPC battle-hardened militiamen stood as straight as poles, peering into the distance to keep watch.

"Whoa!"

Zhan Xiaobai pulled on the reins, stopped at the east gate, and jumped off his horse. The little beggar followed him into the village, looking around with curiosity.

The east gate was the only open entrance to Xiaobai Village. Beside the road inside the gate was a market formed spontaneously by players, where many were currently trading. Passing players greeted him one after another.

"Ha! Boss Xiaobai is back from Wuwei!"

"Boss Xiaobai, what does Wuwei City look like?"

"Oh my, Boss Xiaobai, who is this scruffy little guy? He’s so cute!" A female player saw the NPC little beggar and asked in surprise, reaching out to pat his head.

The little beggar tilted his head away, looking disdainful. "Hmph! Cute my foot! I’m fifteen; I’m already a man!"

The head of the Yiqi Guild saw Zhan Xiaobai and shouted from afar, "Hey! Xiaobai, you’ve returned at the perfect time. I just hunted a fresh bear paw this morning and was thinking of selling it. How about I host a dinner at the tavern tonight? Let’s all get together for a feast to welcome you home! How about it?"

The players burst into laughter. "Good! Yiqi Yuntian, as long as you can afford it, what are we afraid of?" "Go to hell, I didn't invite you. With so many people, you’ll eat me out of house and home!"

"Sounds great! If Brother Yuntian is treating, I’ll definitely be there tonight!"

Zhan Xiaobai smiled and exchanged greetings with Yiqi Yuntian.

Returning to Xiaobai Village, the feeling was different—a sense of intimacy, where everything felt effortless. After returning his horse to the stables, Zhan Xiaobai took the little beggar to the administrative courtyard.

The administrative courtyard of Xiaobai Village was much smaller than the one in Jiang Village, containing only a few simple chairs.

Li Asan was just coming out of the pharmacy. Seeing Zhan Xiaobai, he was pleasantly surprised and hurried over. "My Lord, you’ve returned so soon!"

"Yes. How have things been in the village these past few days?"

"Everything is fine. Let me report the village situation to you first."

"No rush. First, send someone to fetch the elders. Also, get this little fellow settled; he is now a resident of our village."

Zhan Xiaobai brought the NPC little beggar over and handed him to Li Asan. Li Asan nodded and followed Zhan Xiaobai’s instructions, sending men to find the elders while he himself took the little beggar to get some food before finding him a place to stay in one of the residential cottages.