Chapter 24: Freedom of Rice, Freedom of Pickles

Xiong Yan spent his days lecturing the group and his nights chatting with Chu Xuan, leading a truly fulfilling life.

As time passed, Chu Xuan’s activities grew increasingly frequent. Beyond Peng Bing, Chu Xuan often took along Old Wang, the chief instructor; Lin Er, the seemingly harmless young Taoist; Daoist Changkong, who had already crossed the century mark; and Ning Fan, a former soldier.

Xiong Yan never asked what they were doing when they went out. Regardless, whenever they returned, the quality of food in the courtyard would improve significantly. The first time, the group went from having enough porridge to having enough solid rice. As Jiang Ju put it, they had achieved "freedom of rice, pickles, and preserved vegetables." Later, each return brought more meat. Though the flavor left something to be desired, no one complained.

By the tenth day after entering the Void Realm, Ye Fan, Chu Feng, and Lou Cheng were called out. When they returned that evening, they seemed normal enough, laughing and chatting with the others, though they claimed to have no appetite at dinner, merely drinking two bowls of porridge to fill their stomachs.

Thereafter, two or three people who had never killed before were called out by Chu Xuan each day, returning with varied reactions. Some, like Ye Fan and Chu Feng, adapted quickly after their first kill and even began to join Chu Xuan’s operations voluntarily. Others, like Lu Zhou and Huang Zixing, refused to eat meat for days afterward, their faces pale as they struggled to adapt. As for those like Bai Mo, there were some who felt nothing but excitement and thrill after taking a life.

On the fifteenth day, the entire group, including Xiong Yan, set out together to witness the local practice of "overthrowing the local despots and dividing the land" in the villages of the Ming Dynasty.

At night, Xiong Yan and Chu Xuan sat opposite each other by a campfire. Beside them were skewers of authentic pork, though the seasonings were scarce: plenty of salt, no chili, only star anise, and no cumin.

"I started by killing a water bandit and seizing his wealth."

"Mm, and then?" Xiong Yan asked nonchalantly as he turned the skewers.

"Then, six more water bandits arrived, so I took Peng Bing and eliminated them as well."

"Following that, I had Peng Bing intentionally carry their heads into the village. He became a hero cheered on by the villagers, and at the same time, he caught the attention of the local landlords and gentry."

Hearing this, Xiong Yan knew the fate of those landlords and gentry. They must have assumed Peng Bing was the one who killed the bandits and would surely have volunteered information about him to the remaining bandits. Chu Xuan would have witnessed their every move. If Chu Xuan required evidence, their actions served as the most direct proof of their collusion with the bandits. If he didn't care for evidence, they were doomed anyway.

Once Chu Xuan set his sights on those landlords and gentry, their days were numbered. Xiong Yan flipped his skewers, sprinkling more salt. The fat sizzled over the flames, releasing an appetizing aroma.

"Next, the water bandits sent out a force of a hundred men. Among them were thirty full-time bandits, all professionally trained and armed with wooden shields and broadswords."

Xiong Yan sniffed. "Unless one is a transcendent, even powerhouses like Xiang Yu, Lu Bu, or Li Cunxiao would have to run if faced with thirty well-trained, shield-bearing bandits without the aid of a fine steed, armor, or a powerful bow."

These were no mere mob; they were professional, full-time bandits. Even if you were Xiang Yu, without armor or weapons, you wouldn't stand a chance. If you ran too slowly, you wouldn't get away. That is the foundation of equality in the material world. Ordinary people cannot fight ten strong men, and even grand chancellors or ministers who hold supreme power—men who could decide the fate of thousands with a single thought—would still lose in a fight against ten such men. Even Xiang Yu or Lu Bu, lacking armor and weapons, would face great risk if confronted by ten armed, armored, and well-coordinated men. Even with armor and weapons, they would not dare to charge head-on into a hundred elite armored soldiers.

Thinking this, Xiong Yan smacked his lips and began to eat. Although he said nothing, Chu Xuan judged his thoughts by his expression, clearly recalling in his mind the mocking look Xiong Yan had worn. He couldn't tell if Xiong Yan was mocking the water bandits for their overconfidence, the landlords for their ignorance, or something else entirely.

"Then, I called on Ning Fan, Elder Changkong, Lin Er, and Old Wang. I took the gunpowder I had collected during my spare time, refined it into granules, and prepared a small batch of explosives."

Good heavens. That was truly unsportsmanlike—using explosives against a classical feudal army! Though, the water bandits, while full-time, were certainly not on par with a true professional army, and the explosives in Chu Xuan’s hands were far more potent than standard black powder.

"After that battle, half of the bandits' mobile force was wiped out. I took the opportunity to kill a landlord and immediately redistributed the land, securing the support of the people."

"And then you took Chu Feng, Ye Fan, and Lou Cheng out to gain some experience?"

"There had to be a day for it," Chu Xuan said calmly.

"For the past few days, I've taken them out to hunt down stragglers. Even when the bandits retreated to their stronghold, I would head over and toss a bomb near it every day."

"So, in just a few days, most of the bandits fled. Then I had Peng Bing make a grand show of mobilizing the village's able-bodied men to attack the stronghold."

Hearing this, Xiong Yan picked up fresh skewers and began to grill them slowly.

"And then the gentry sent their private guards, disguised as bandits, to pincer you alongside the real ones? Only for you to counter-ambush them and wipe them all out at once?"

"Something like that."

"So, are you the Lord of the Void Realm now? Did you receive any prompt?"

"Yes. A message suddenly appeared in my mind, stating that I must maintain control for at least seven days to establish effective rule and become the Lord of the Void Realm. It also said that the better this realm develops, the greater my rewards will be."

Xiong Yan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "There are a few milestones you should pay attention to: everyone has food to eat, everyone has books to read, everyone has their own..."