Chapter 6

This night was destined to be a sleepless one.

Zhang Fei and his father, Zhang Hu, discussed matters in the room all night, no one knew what they were talking about. Anyway, no servant was allowed to approach the room, and they were threatened with severe punishment if anyone dared to get close.

Gao Shun and Liu Ming were in different guest rooms. This guy adhered to the Gao family's teachings, so he did not accept the maids Zhang Fei wanted to send him. However, at that moment, he was silently looking at the ceiling, and no one knew what he was thinking.

As for Liu Ming, he was even more restless. He was very conflicted, after all, he was unsure what the words he spoke at the banquet would bring to his future.

The next day, Liu Ming had only slept for three hours when Gao Shun pulled him up at around six in the morning.

"Master..." Liu Ming looked at Gao Shun with a lack of energy.

"From now on, don't overthink things, just sleep well... and from now on, we will get up at this time. In the morning, I will teach you spear techniques, at noon, I will teach you reading and writing, in the afternoon, I will teach you archery, and in the evening, whether you review or not is up to you." Gao Shun could tell that Liu Ming hadn't slept well, so he said to him with a mix of sternness and kindness.

"Yes!" Liu Ming replied in a soldier's manner, but he was actually quite puzzled by Gao Shun's tone, which was similar to his father's.

Gao Shun was quite satisfied with Liu Ming's attitude. Liu Ming's voice was loud and steady, and his posture was upright, just like a standard soldier, though his voice was still a bit immature.

Gao Shun was also curious about where Liu Ming had learned this. The old village chief didn't seem to have taught him, right?

Thinking about the young village chief's 'ambitions,' Gao Shun suddenly didn't find his performance so strange.

"Today, I just want to give you a general idea of when you should get up in the future. After all, we are guests here, and practicing martial arts in someone else's courtyard is not appropriate.

However, it's still more than an hour before breakfast, and you haven't exercised much before, so let's just practice a bit in the courtyard for now." Gao Shun said with a smile.

This place was also Zhang Fei's training ground, with training tools like stone locks. Even if nothing else, it was enough to practice physical strength.

After about two hours, Liu Ming was already starving.

Just then, a servant came to inform them that breakfast was ready and invited the two to the hall for the meal. Gao Shun agreed and led Liu Ming to the hall where they had dinner the previous night, guided by the servant.

The two were considered honored guests of the Zhang family, so they were seated in the main seats. Zhang Fei sat in the main seat facing the door, while Gao Shun and Liu Ming sat on either side of the first row below. Gao Shun, being the elder, sat on the left, and Liu Ming, being the younger, sat on the right.

The breakfast was rich, with plenty of fish and meat, which was meant to provide enough energy for a day's labor. Of course, even in ordinary households, breakfast would be more substantial than dinner, but it wouldn't be as lavish as in the Zhang family.

The meal took about half an hour to finish. In an era where seasoning was scarce and cooking methods were limited to roasting and boiling, with millet porridge as the staple food, Liu Ming didn't have much of an appetite.

"Are the two of you leaving today?" Zhang Fei asked first after the meal.

"The village chief is the village chief, and it's not right to be away from the village for a long time, right?" Gao Shun answered for Liu Ming.

"That's true... In that case, I can't force you to stay. If you have time in the future, please come and stay for a few days, and we can have a good reunion." Zhang Fei didn't seem to want to retain them.

To be honest, at that moment, Liu Ming felt quite disappointed, thinking that Zhang Fei didn't see much potential in him.

However, the next moment, Zhang Fei suddenly clapped his hands, and soon a few servants carried in several chests.

"The Zhang family doesn't have much, but we have plenty of meat and money. Recently, we opened a winery, so we won't lack wine for long... Well, to cut a long story short... This silver is a small gift from the Zhang family. To be honest, I really admire your ideals, but the Zhang family is large and influential, so I have to consider things carefully.

I hope this silver can help you achieve your ideals. To be honest, I'm also very curious to see what great things you can accomplish with this money." Zhang Fei said with a smile to Liu Ming.

Although Liu Ming was happy at that moment, his enthusiasm wasn't very high.

They say, "It's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general." Not being able to recruit a top general like Zhang Fei, even a mountain of silver wouldn't be very tempting.

"Oh, do you think it's too little?" Zhang Fei, observing Liu Ming's expression, noticed his dissatisfaction.

"Not at all, but Uncle Zhang, such a generous gift makes Liu Ming feel unworthy!" Liu Ming immediately bowed in apology, knowing that even if he felt uncomfortable, he couldn't show it.

"You call me uncle, and I decide how much I should give my nephew as a gift! If you keep being polite, it's not giving me, Uncle Zhang, any face!" Zhang Fei laughed heartily, cutting off Liu Ming's attempts to be polite.

Since it's a gift from an uncle to a nephew, not accepting it would be a sign of disrespect.

"Alright, I'll accept it. I'll use this money to do something great in the future, so Uncle Zhang won't feel that spending this money was a waste!" Liu Ming replied with determination.

"Good... I'm looking forward to it! By the way, there are four horses outside, they are for you. When you leave, a servant will lead them to you." Zhang Fei smiled and added.

"Yide, this gift..." Gao Shun couldn't sit still, as horses were expensive and hard to obtain.

Especially since Zhang Fei mentioned that these were warhorses! It would cost a lot for an ordinary person to get one, let alone four at once.

"Gao Laogeo, don't be so polite. I said it's a gift for my nephew, and if you keep talking, it's not giving me, Old Zhang, any face!" Zhang Fei glared at Gao Shun.

"Alright, I'll thank you, Brother Zhang!" Gao Shun shook his head and bowed in gratitude.

After some polite exchanges, Liu Ming, led by Gao Shun, bid farewell to Zhang Fei.

The four horses were indeed excellent warhorses, but at this stage, their main role was to pull two large carts to transport the chests Zhang Fei had given them back to the village.

As for riding, Gao Shun had no problem, but Liu Ming had a big issue, as there were no stirrups in this era. Getting on and off the horse was a big problem, let alone riding steadily.

"Village chief, don't be anxious... Yide is a businessman, he wouldn't get so excited and bet everything on one night of debate, especially not on a fourteen-year-old boy.

His meaning is clear, he wants to see what you can accomplish with this money. If he thinks you have the potential, he will still help you." On the way, Gao Shun, seeing that Liu Ming was in low spirits, explained to him.

"Really!?" Liu Ming looked up, his spirits lifted.

"Of course, in this era, being a businessman is not easy. One wrong move can lead to ruin. If Zhang Fei acted carelessly, how could the Zhang family have achieved its current prosperity?" Gao Shun nodded and said.

"Master, in the future, you can call me Ming'er, no need to be so formal." Liu Ming, filled with joy, then realized something and looked up at Gao Shun.

"I'll call you that when you're learning under me. But in daily life, I must call you village chief, and when necessary, I'll call you 'lord.' Whether you can reach that level depends on your performance. In some ways, I'm also waiting for the right price, just like Zhang Fei." Gao Shun smiled and said frankly.

"I won't let you down, Master!" Liu Ming said firmly.

Back in the village, Liu Ming had the servants help him carry the chests back to his room. When he opened them, he saw a gleam of copper. Opening the other chests, he found they were filled with strings of wuzhu coins.

He didn't know the purchasing power of wuzhu coins, at least not yet. But just looking at the amount, he felt it was enough for him to live a comfortable life. However, if he wanted to do something great, it might still be a bit short.

System, system! Why hasn't the faction line been activated yet?!

But at that moment, the system's cold yet pleasant voice sounded: "Player has obtained a total of 250 strings of wuzhu coins. Villager support rate exceeds 50%, meeting the minimum activation criteria. Faction line, activation begins..."

At that moment, Liu Ming understood a truth: To play the game of dominance, you need both money and people!