Chapter 22

Beijiao Bear, though not a close descendant, had received much of her kindness during his childhood. Now that Zhixin had passed away due to illness and had no family or friends by her side, he took on the role of a nephew to keep vigil for her. On one hand, it was to repay the kindness she had shown him and the other villagers in the past, and on the other hand, to prevent her from becoming a wandering ghost without any offerings after her death.

The funeral customs in Beijiao Village were very similar to those in the world Xu Dong had experienced. A memorial hall was set up, and the family members kept vigil for three days before the body was buried. The difference was that during the vigil, the family members were not allowed to talk or eat, only to drink water. It was said that after a person's death, their spirit was very fragile and could easily be stimulated by even the slightest sound or the smell of food, causing it to completely dissipate and lose the chance to be reborn.

Beijiao Bear needed to keep vigil for three days, and it would take another day to bury Zhixin's body, meaning he had at least three more days of work ahead. Xu Dong was also anxious, as the divine power fruit, in essence, was no different from apples or bananas and would spoil if left for too long, likely losing some of its effects.

Xu Dong had no other choice but to worry. The only good news was that there were still nearly twenty days left before the main quest ended, and the most difficult problem had already been solved. The remaining time should be enough to solve the last issue.

Main Quest: The Prosperity of Beijiao Village

Quest Description: Due to its unique geography and resources, Beijiao Village was once one of the most prosperous villages under the jurisdiction of Blood Helmet City. Unfortunately, all of that has become a thing of the past. Please restore the prosperity of Beijiao Village.

Quest Hint: Prepare enough money, prepare enough people!

This information still lingered in his mind. To restore the prosperity of Beijiao Village, which was already rich in resources, the first key was to eliminate the human threats to the village, which Xu Dong had not only accomplished but done perfectly. The second key was to prepare enough money and people. The divine power fruit could solve the money problem, but the people problem... that was a real headache!

However, Xu Dong had long been prepared for this. The next morning, he asked for directions to Nanjiao Village, packed some dry rations, and set off in a hurry.

Xu Dong learned that the current Central Continent was somewhat like China during the slave era, with a feudal system in place. The Da Chen royal family first granted land to the great heroes who had achieved military success, also known as marshals. Each marshal governed a province, and within that province, the land was further divided and granted based on merit, forming various city-states.

From the royal family to the city lords, they often had absolute control over their own territories, but the control over the granted territories was relatively weak. Of course, this was also a flaw of the feudal system.

Blood Helmet City was one of the city-states in the Beihua Province. The city lord of Blood Helmet City might be a capable and ambitious ruler, but in the larger context, it was difficult for him to effectively manage the villages under his jurisdiction. Therefore, the village chief, the highest administrative official of a village, could often easily be bought through transactions.

The reason Xu Dong wanted to understand the characteristics of this era was to confirm one point: the prosperity or decline of a village was the responsibility of the village chief, not the city lord.

In other words, even if Xu Dong poached all the villagers from Nanjiao Village and persuaded them to move to Beijiao Village, as long as the tribute taxes were paid on time, the city lord of Blood Helmet City would not interfere.

After solving the problem of the mountain guard dogs, when faced with the issue of the village's population, Xu Dong immediately thought of the former village chief of Beijiao Village, the one who had gone to the flood disaster area to oversee the reconstruction of the village. He had no strange thoughts about this old man; rather, he was interested in the villagers of Nanjiao Village, whose houses had been flooded.

Xu Dong's intuition told him that the key to completing the quest lay with the villagers of Nanjiao Village.

The Central Continent was vast and sparsely populated, and the most direct reflection of this was that it took a whole half day to travel from Beijiao Village to Nanjiao Village at a normal walking pace. Xu Dong set out around six in the morning and didn't enter the territory of Nanjiao Village until noon. How did Xu Dong know he had arrived?

Because after crossing a stone arch bridge, the ground became noticeably wet. This dampness, as if it had been drizzling for days, had not turned the ground into mud, but it was almost muddy. Strangely, according to Xu Dong's understanding, the flood season usually occurred during the summer when rainfall was concentrated, or in the transition between spring and summer when melting snow caused river levels to rise. He had never heard of a flood season in autumn.

After crossing the stone arch bridge and walking along the wet road, the scene was particularly shocking: debris from flood-destroyed thatched houses, fragments of household furniture, and dead livestock... The environment was terrible, and the air was filled with a musty smell, indicating the severity of the flood disaster.

Soon, Xu Dong suddenly heard a wailing cry and the sounds of men fighting. He stopped to listen, but the dog, Fadao, had already quickly darted off to one side. Xu Dong smiled wryly; this puppy was naturally restless and couldn't stand being alone, so he had to follow quickly.

Soon, a group of people appeared before Xu Dong. Strictly speaking, there were four adult men, a teenager, and a middle-aged woman. Three men with red armbands were beating another man, who appeared to be the teenager's father. The teenager, trying to help his father, rushed forward to join the fight but was slapped hard and thrown to the ground, covered in mud.

Xu Dong saw the teenager fall to the ground.

At that moment, Fadao suddenly barked fiercely at the group. The puppy was truly intelligent, and its expression was easily readable, making one think of a hot-blooded youth who, upon seeing injustice, would shout and charge forward. The barking made the three men with red armbands stop and look in the direction of the sound.

When their eyes focused on Fadao, their eyes glowed green, like hungry wolves who had only eaten vegetables for two or three months suddenly seeing a plump, tender lamb, almost drooling. They immediately stopped beating the man, who was almost unconscious, and ran toward Xu Dong.

The leader, who was particularly eager, shouted as he ran, "You damn brat, I knew my puppy had to be with you, you little thief!"

What?!

Xu Dong was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. These three men must have been starving, and they were trying to frame him to justify taking Fadao, which they would then cook and eat.

While Xu Dong was stunned, the three men had already surrounded him. They clearly weren't good people, looking rough and standing in a casual, thug-like manner, reminiscent of Hong Kong gangsters from the 1980s and 1990s, lacking only the word "evil" on their foreheads.

Seeing the situation, Xu Dong immediately picked up Fadao. He wasn't worried about Fadao being taken but feared that the puppy might suddenly attack out of anger, which could lead to unnecessary trouble, especially if it bit the wrong places, causing a deadly grudge.

The leader, a man in his thirties, was particularly strong. He stared greedily at Fadao, swallowing hard, and the sound of his throat could be heard. He pointed at Fadao and shouted menacingly, "You better give this puppy back, or we'll show you why flowers are so red!"

Xu Dong pursed his lips, trying not to laugh, "Excuse me, who are you, and why are you accusing me?"

Another tall, thin man couldn't wait to speak, "Accusing you? We're the self-defense team of Nanjiao Village. Hand over the puppy, or we'll beat you so badly your mother won't recognize you!"

This tall, thin man didn't want to waste time and reached out to grab Fadao. However, before his fingers even touched Fadao's fur, the puppy suddenly bit down, its sharp teeth piercing the skin and sinking into the flesh. Blood gushed from the man's hand, and he let out a piercing scream.

Fadao wasn't an ordinary guard dog but a mutated one that had consumed a divine power fruit. Despite its small size, its bite was incredibly powerful, as evidenced by its ability to sever the tail of a yellow-striped saber-toothed tiger. The tall, thin man was unlucky, and the bite not only caused severe external injuries but also damaged his tendons and bones. If not treated promptly, his hand would be permanently damaged.

Fadao released its bite, and the tall, thin man screamed in pain, clutching his hand and retreating.

Seeing this, his two companions were enraged. The self-defense team of Nanjiao Village was used to bullying others and had never suffered such a loss!

The leader's eyes flashed with viciousness, and he suddenly pulled out a shiny knife, holding it with both hands and lunging at Xu Dong, shouting, "What a big dog's courage, trying to kill someone?!"

Xu Dong, who was no longer the same as when he first arrived, his expression turned cold. He quickly reached out, grabbing the man's wrist like a flexible iron clamp, and pushed him. The man stumbled and, in his momentum, stabbed the knife into the arm of another man who was about to hit Xu Dong with a stick. The stick flew out of the man's hand and, by bad luck, hit the injured man's temple, knocking him out cold.

Blood flowed freely, and a piercing scream echoed.

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