Chapter 9

After breakfast, Gao Shun began to train Liu Ming in spear techniques. Upon discovering that Liu Ming already knew the basic spear techniques and had a solid foundation, Gao Shun directly instructed him to practice the basic spear techniques one hundred times before noon.

The basic spear techniques mainly include: thrusting, stabbing, striking, thrusting, entangling, circling, blocking, seizing, pouncing, pointing, deflecting, and flower dancing. Performing these once was not difficult, and one hundred repetitions were also relatively easy, with the only trouble being the monotony.

However, Liu Ming knew that all advanced spear techniques were built on the basics. No matter how varied the spear techniques were, they were ultimately derivatives of the basic techniques. Therefore, he did not slack off and diligently wielded the wooden spear, which Gao Shun had given him, saying it was the one he used when he was young.

During Liu Ming's training, Gao Shun did not supervise him but went up the mountain to hunt. He was a hunter in the village, and his main source of income was from hunting. He also had five acres of thin land, but it had already been rented out to other villagers.

During his training, Liu Ming did not just stand idly by. He secretly opened the interface to check his attributes and found that a progress bar had appeared next to his martial prowess. After inquiring with the system, he learned that when the progress bar reached 100%, his martial prowess would increase by one point.

For this reason, Liu Ming had no reason not to work hard. He even planned to study late into the night to improve his intelligence and political attributes.

What made him happiest was that, according to the system, when he had a master, the growth rate of his attributes would increase based on the master's specific situation.

Gao Shun was skilled in leadership, so the growth rate of his leadership attribute increased by 150%; his martial prowess was second, with the growth rate increasing by 100%; his intelligence was third, with the growth rate increasing by 20%; and his political skills were the weakest, with the growth rate increasing by 5%, which had a bit of the meaning of "soldiers not interfering in politics."

As a result, after three hours of training, including the morning physical training, Liu Ming's martial prowess directly increased by one point, reaching 16 points. However, he also knew that the further he progressed, the slower the growth rate would be, and the more experience he would need.

During this time, he also selected the village chief's residence and spent 29 units of currency to recruit 29 villagers. According to the system, they would arrive in the village in about three hours.

By noon, Gao Shun had returned home 30 minutes earlier and saw Liu Ming still training, drenched in sweat. He nodded in satisfaction.

He then approached and asked, "How many times have you practiced?"

Liu Ming finished his last repetition, took a breath, and replied, "120 times!"

Gao Shun was surprised and asked, "Why did you continue training after reaching 100 times?"

"Master, isn't more practice always better?" Liu Ming smiled.

"Ha ha, with such a mindset, you will surely achieve great things in the future." Gao Shun nodded in satisfaction, truly moved by Liu Ming's attitude.

At this moment, a villager named Liu Dog Egg arrived at Gao Shun's house, panting and shouting, "Village Chief, a family outside the village wants to join us. We can't make the decision, so please come and help!"

"Alright, I'll go!" Liu Ming immediately responded, knowing that the villagers produced by the system had arrived, and he asked for leave from Gao Shun.

"You were supposed to rest this afternoon anyway, and this is the village chief's responsibility. Go ahead." Gao Shun did not stop him, as Liu Ming was the village chief and he was a villager.

About five minutes later, Liu Ming arrived at the village entrance and found many people gathered there.

"Move aside!" Liu Ming shouted, and the villagers made way for him.

When he reached the front of the crowd, he saw a group of ragged people standing at the village entrance. There were men, women, and children of all ages, and he counted exactly 29 people. He was puzzled because in the games he had played, the recruited villagers were usually strong men, not the elderly, women, and children.

"Where are you from, fellow villagers?" Liu Ming asked casually.

"Is this the village chief?" An old man, clearly the head of the family, stepped forward and asked.

"I am the village chief of Liu Family Village, Liu Ming!" Liu Ming nodded in confirmation.

"Young and capable... We are from Yanmen in Bingzhou. Our village was attacked by the Hu people, and everyone scattered. The county magistrate of Yanmen did not want to take us in, so we had to leave our homes. We traveled east, but no one was willing to take us in.

Before we knew it, we arrived at your village entrance. I am not trying to take advantage of my age, but I hope the village chief can have mercy on us and take us in. We will be loyal to the village and work hard to integrate into Liu Family Village." The old man shed tears as he spoke.

Liu Ming was moved and almost agreed without hesitation.

"Village Chief, can we talk privately?" Liu Dog Egg immediately pulled on Liu Ming's sleeve.

Liu Dog Egg was one of the elders of Liu Family Village, and his ancestors were once servants of Liu Ming's family, so he had always supported Liu Ming's family. Based on this relationship, Liu Ming would give him face.

"What is it?" Liu Ming asked in a low voice as they moved aside.

"Twenty-nine mouths to feed, and we won't have any food until next year's harvest. Most of them are the elderly, women, and children, and only about eleven can actually work.

Moreover, they are a clan, and they might form a power base, even challenging your position as village chief. Other villages didn't take them for the same reason. Our village doesn't have much surplus grain, and we can't afford to support them!" Liu Dog Egg said what he had been hesitant to say.

Liu Ming's resolve wavered. He wasn't sure if they were the villagers produced by the system. If they weren't, he would have to consider whether to take them in.

He opened the system and asked, "System, are they the villagers produced by the village chief's residence?"

The system quickly answered, "Yes, they are. It's not realistic for all the displaced people to be strong men. Most strong men are often recruited by wealthy families as guards. If a large number of strong men appeared, it would be unrealistic. However, since they exist, their existence has a special significance, which the host can explore."

The system had indeed evolved, becoming more realistic, which completely contradicted the common sense of the "carry" genre. It felt more like a game in a different world!

Since their identity was confirmed, Liu Ming had no reason not to take them in. After all, one coin per person, and where would he get that money back if he didn't take them in?

He calmly told Liu Dog Egg, "I have a plan and won't let them be a burden to us!"

Seeing Liu Ming's firm attitude, Liu Dog Egg couldn't say anything. He knew that Liu Ming's family had several chests full of money, and if they were taken out, it would be enough to support these people for a year. If they were given as a loan, it might not be a loss.

Soon, Liu Ming announced his decision to take them in. Upon learning that Liu Family Village was willing to take them in, the 29 people immediately knelt down and bowed three times before Liu Ming, and then they were helped to stand up by others.

At that moment, Liu Ming felt a great sense of accomplishment.

After confirming their acceptance, Liu Ming took out 10 coins and asked the villagers to help the 29 new arrivals build huts during their free time. With the money, the villagers were happy to help, and the 29 new arrivals, grateful for the opportunity, immediately went into the mountains to cut wood in the scorching sun.

The able-bodied men among the 29 new arrivals also joined in the construction of the houses. The women, under Liu Ming's arrangement, set up pots to cook dinner for the villagers.

Liu Ming and the old man chatted, mainly about the 29 new arrivals.

After a conversation, Liu Ming exclaimed, "Long live the emperor!"

The old man's name was Wang La, and he was once a county magistrate. He later retired to the village due to dissatisfaction with the corrupt court. He looked old but was only 46 years old. He could be a very capable administrative assistant and could even be directly appointed to a future academy.

His two legitimate sons and four illegitimate sons, including six nephews, had all read books and even practiced martial arts from a young age. They could join the military or become scholars at the academy without any problems. More importantly, they also knew how to farm and could be farmers without any issues.

His four daughters-in-law, three daughters, and five nieces were among the best at needlework in the village, skilled in farming, weaving, and embroidery. Influenced by Wang La, his three daughters were also proficient in music and dance.

His three sons-in-law, the eldest son-in-law was a poor scholar from the village, whom Wang La had recognized and taken as a son-in-law; the second son-in-law was a local blacksmith with a family tradition of excellent craftsmanship; the father of the eldest son-in-law was an old carpenter who had once read books but later became a carpenter, and he was also quite successful.

His three grandchildren, the eldest grandson, Wang Gao, was 15 years old, the same age as Liu Ming. He was exceptionally strong, and no one in the surrounding villages, even adults, could match his strength. He was a bit slow, and according to Liu Ming's evaluation, he was like Xu Chu, a tiger-like fool. The eldest illegitimate grandson, Wang Xing, was 10 years old and could recite the Analects of Confucius and understand its meaning. The nephew, Zhang Shun, was a descendant of Nie Yi, who had changed his surname to Zhang to avoid trouble. He was 8 years old, interested in military affairs, and had started training under his father, who had died during the migration.

The 29 people came from a clan and had many talents. However, they did not want to separate, and other village chiefs were worried that they would affect their rule over the village, so no one had taken them in.

Officially, that was the reason, but in reality, Liu Ming knew that these so-called "backgrounds" were set by the system.

There was no denying that the system's output was indeed excellent!

………………分割线………………

⑴ In ancient times, people only ate two meals a day: breakfast between 7-9 AM, which was more substantial to cope with the day's labor, called "big meal"; and dinner between 3-4 PM, which was lighter because there was not much to do in the afternoon, called "small meal." Of course, this was the situation for the common people, while the upper-class scholars and officials had three meals a day.