107 The Thirty-Six Volumes of the Heavenly Tome—The Yellow Turban Quest

The administrative orders brought by the special envoy from the Xiliang government did not shake the stability of Xiaobai Village. After Zhan Xiaobai and his companions saw off the inspector's envoy and the accompanying armored cavalry, the village returned to calm. They proceeded steadily with internal construction, working tirelessly to build wooden huts, recruit NPC farmers, and expand the cultivated land.

In March, during the five-day planting period, the number of NPC villagers in Xiaobai Village swelled to over 300. Combined with the 100 or so farmers from Wutong Village, they cultivated 327 mu of farmland at a rate of 0.2 mu per person per day. They also dug irrigation ditches to draw water from the nearby stream, maximizing potential yields.

Zhan Xiaobai had considered improving the plow to increase farming speed, but the results were negligible. A basic wooden plow provided a 5% speed boost; after the carpenter upgraded it to an intermediate wooden plow, it became 7%. A high-level wooden plow offered 10%, but it was not yet researchable. The only way to drastically increase plowing speed was to obtain oxen, which would boost efficiency by 100%, effectively doubling the grain output.

Li Asan mentioned he knew of some Qiang and Di tribes that possessed oxen. Zhan Xiaobai was delighted and wanted Li Asan to go immediately, but upon hearing the price—5 to 10 guan for one ox—he realized it was not cost-effective. Zhan Xiaobai had to give up and make do with the intermediate plows.

During these five days of planting, over 20 other player villages across the Three Kingdoms were upgraded. Since upgrading a village was far more difficult than founding one, the rankings shifted significantly. Aside from Xiaobai Village (Wuwei) and Silence Village (Xuchang) maintaining their first and second positions, the third spot was claimed by Han-Tang Prosperity (Luoyang), with Xiaoye Village (Chengdu) taking fourth. Of the top 20 villages, 10 were located in the Central Plains, with the rest scattered across other regions, making the Central Plains the most fiercely contested area for player villages.

As more villages upgraded, the process for obtaining blueprints was revealed: trading raw materials with NPC villages was the only viable method discovered so far. Suddenly, the price of raw materials everywhere skyrocketed; they were no longer trash to be discarded at will.

...

Following the brief peace at the beginning of March, just as every village was planning its construction for the next month, a sudden event shattered the game's tranquility. All players across the entire system were forced to receive the following audio message:

"System Announcement for the China Region: Player 'Hengxing Badao' (Rampant Bandit), while the Great Wise Teacher Zhang Jiao was preaching, stole the thirty-six scrolls of the Heavenly Book: 'Taiping Qingling Shu,' which contains the contacts for the thirty-six regional commanders. This has triggered the prologue to the end-of-Eastern-Han historical plot mission—the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

1. Each of the thirty-six scrolls of the 'Taiping Qingling Shu' contains a Taiping Dao 'Divine-level' skill that any character class can learn. Furthermore, each scroll hides a historical plot mission; completing it will yield generous rewards.

2. Every time a player completes a scroll's mission, they learn one of the divine skills, and the historical timeline of the late Eastern Han Dynasty automatically advances by one month. Once all thirty-six scrolls are completed, the timeline advances by three years, culminating in the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in March 184 AD. If the missions within the scrolls are not completed, the game progress will proceed normally to March 184 AD, at which point the Yellow Turban Rebellion will break out automatically. These rules take effect from March 6, 180 AD, in-game time.

3. Player 'Hengxing Badao' has incurred the immense wrath of the Great Wise Teacher Zhang Jiao. This Heavenly Book cannot be dropped or traded. Any player carrying this divine treasure will automatically drop one scroll upon each death. Players carrying this item cannot log off and will respawn randomly in villages across the world until the Heavenly Book is dropped."

...

Hengxing Badao was fleeing in a panic through the wilderness, smiling bitterly. He never imagined that his intermediate-level basic theft skill could actually steal a Heavenly Book from Zhang Jiao, the game’s super-boss. The probability of success must have been less than one in a billion.

It was an accident. He had been wandering the outskirts of Jizhou when he saw a pavilion set up by NPCs and sat down to rest. Inside were an old tea seller and a dozen barefoot, shirtless NPC farmers and travelers. Among them was a man dressed in simple, coarse clothes with a bundle on his back, looking like an ordinary farmer, who was talking to the others. The NPCs looked at him with worshipful eyes, ignoring the player completely.

Hengxing Badao didn't care what they were saying. As an 18th-level Thief-class player, his "Petty Theft" skill had become a habit. The NPC with the bundle seemed like an easy target, so he didn't hesitate. He walked past the man, feigning indifference, and activated his skill.

Haha, success!

He grabbed the bundle and slipped away. It wasn't until he reached a secluded spot two miles away that he opened it.

The moment the bundle was opened, the game's first super-plot mission was triggered. The system announcement made him the undisputed No. 1 on the Thief-class leaderboard, an object of worship for countless thieves. But this No. 1 spot was not easy to hold. Enraged, Zhang Jiao dispatched his disciple, Tang Zhou, to hunt down the thief and recover the stolen books.

Hengxing Badao was devastated. If he had known the man was the NPC Zhang Jiao, he wouldn't have dared to provoke this super-boss even if he were to die. He had stolen the thirty-six scrolls but had no time to open them. Sensing doom, he tried to hide.

It was too late. Tang Zhou, a 68th-level Taiping Daoist, moved like the wind, his feet barely touching the ground. In a few leaps, he caught up. Landing a few yards away, he laughed wildly: "Bold wretch! Hand over the Heavenly Book, and I might spare your life."

Seeing no escape, Hengxing Badao decided to go out swinging. Death just meant losing a level and one scroll; he still had thirty-five left. He shouted, "If you have the guts, kill me!"

Tang Zhou sneered and flicked a talisman. The moment it touched Hengxing Badao, he was engulfed in terrifying flames. With a scream, he respawned in a different location. A scroll dropped where he died.

Tang Zhou picked it up, his expression unreadable. The book contained not only his master's divine skills but also a shocking plan. He knew little of it; his master didn't fully trust him. Tang Zhou gritted his teeth, hid the scroll under a boulder, and returned to report to Zhang Jiao that he had failed to catch the thief.

Zhang Jiao replied coldly, "Keep hunting him!"

"Yes, Master!"

Tang Zhou withdrew, returned to the boulder, took the scroll, and dispatched his top NPC assassins to hunt Hengxing Badao, hoping to recover more scrolls from him.

Hengxing Badao respawned in a player village he didn't recognize. Weakened by his recent death, he moved slowly. The players around him stared in shock: "Hengxing Badao?"

He was confused—how did they recognize him so quickly?

Suddenly, the village erupted in chaos and excitement. "My god, Hengxing Badao is here! Kill him!" "It's the Yellow Turban plot mission, hurry!" "The Heavenly Book is mine!" "Brothers, kill everyone, seize the book, I'll reward you handsomely!" "Bah, keep your reward! A single scroll is worth hundreds of millions; your pocket change is worthless. Get lost!"

Within five seconds of respawning, Hengxing Badao was hacked to death by a swarm of players. The scroll he dropped was snatched up instantly. The village turned into a slaughterhouse as everyone fought each other.

Poor Hengxing Badao respawned in another village. He tried to act like a newbie, but was immediately identified. After another violent slaughter, he died again, dropping another scroll.

Once, twice, three times... Hengxing Badao became numb. He couldn't log off and kept respawning. Every time he appeared in a player-dense village, he was immediately killed. His level dropped with every death; after eighteen deaths, he was level 0.

He couldn't even cry. Was leveling up easy? The system was torturing him! He had made a small mistake, provoked a super-boss, and was paying a heavy price with no reward. After hitting level 0, he continued to die, respawning in villages across the world—Jiangnan, the Central Plains, the Qinling Mountains, Shu, Hanzhong... He suddenly realized: the system was using him to distribute the thirty-six scrolls to player villages everywhere! He had become a delivery boy.

The more he thought about it, the weirder it felt. How could his basic theft skill possibly steal from Zhang Jiao? Was the super-boss really that easy to approach? He couldn't fathom Zhang Jiao's intentions. He continued to be hacked to death, respawning over and over.

After thirty-two deaths, he reached the fourth-to-last—Xiaoye Village. He thought: Not bad, this village has style, if only I could see the beauty Xiaoye... *Splat!* (Dead).

Third-to-last—Prosperous Han-Tang Village. Heh, this place is grand, the village chief is quite majestic... *Splat!* (Dead).

Second-to-last—Silence Village. Wow, the village of the "Silent Sword," whom I admire so much. First time here... *Splat!* (Dead).

Last one—must be Xiaobai Village. So moving, Xiaobai Village! I actually reached the Xiliang Xiaobai Village. *Splat!*... Wait, I'm not dead?

Hengxing Badao was almost moved to tears. Why hadn't he died? Normally, he would have been hacked to pieces instantly. He looked around in surprise; there were no players nearby. He was in a quiet courtyard.

A young player nearby was focused on a jade stone and hadn't noticed him. Hengxing Badao liked to be alone and rarely interacted with villages, but he knew the jade stone meant this was the administrative courtyard. He stood up, dusted himself off, and walked toward the young player.

Just as he was about to speak, the young player sensed his approach, turned around, and looked surprised: "Hengxing Badao?"

Hengxing Badao was puzzled. "Why does everyone recognize me?"

The young player chuckled. "You have such a huge name floating over your head, it's hard not to! Hey, word is you stole Zhang Jiao's Heavenly Book five minutes ago? Is that true?"

Hengxing Badao looked at his own head and cursed inwardly: *The system is so despicable, no wonder everyone recognizes me.* He sighed, "Yes, it's true. But I've died thirty-five times, and I only have the last one left. One more death and I'll be free."

The young player smiled. "Then I suggest you hide immediately to avoid being discovered. If you're lucky, you might even get a chance to learn the skills in the book."

Hengxing Badao eyed him curiously. "I'm in a weakened state. You could kill me with one strike, why don't you? By the way, who are you? This should be Xiaobai Village, right? Is Xiaobai here? I might as well see my idol before I die."

The young player rolled his eyes. "Do I not look like Xiaobai?"

Hengxing Badao's eyes widened. He stared at Zhan Xiaobai for a long time before bursting into laughter. "You... you are Xiaobai. I always thought Xiaobai was a super handsome guy. Damn, you're only slightly better looking than me! I'm satisfied; dying is worth it."

Zhan Xiaobai smiled. "Alright, don't laugh your teeth out. There are plenty of guest rooms; find a place to hide. Stay as long as you like."

Hengxing Badao laughed. "Boss Xiaobai, you don't want the Heavenly Book? I might as well just give it to you."

Zhan Xiaobai shook his head with a smile. "Things that are too hot to handle are not for those without the fortune to keep them. My luck isn't that high; I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to hold onto it."

Hengxing Badao stopped laughing, genuinely surprised. He said with regret, "Those who want the book might not get it. Those who don't want it... might be forced to take it."

He took out his copper blade and held it to his own neck. "Boss Xiaobai, it's been an honor meeting you. Farewell!"

Zhan Xiaobai tried to stop him. "What are you doing? As long as you stay in this courtyard, I can keep you safe."

Hengxing Badao smiled bitterly. "The system says the level 50 Yellow Turban assassin will be here in three minutes to kill me and take the book. If I don't die thirty-six times today, the system won't let me go. I'd rather give the book to you than return it to the Yellow Turbans."

Hengxing Badao swung the blade, groaned, and turned into a beam of white light. He was dead. On the grass, a faint, glowing scroll dropped.