novelraw Chapter 107: What is a Spiritual Artifact Rice Cooker?
Chapter 107: What is a Spiritual Artifact Rice Cooker?
A moment later, Wang Yi arrived at the back of Huangni Village.
There was a small pond here, and by its edge were five women—the very singers, Dancing Girls, and musicians Yang Wanli had brought from Kaiyuan County.
Beside the five women were Jelena, Li Huaizheng, Hai Pei, Pei Xue, the Six-Eared Yellow Dog, and others.
Yang Qingniu and Yang Wanli were also there, both looking awkward. Yang Wanli said, "I am a man of Cultivation! I have renounced the pleasures of the flesh. How could I possibly peep on women bathing? This is slander! Pure slander!"
Yang Qingniu, however, muttered, "Dad, didn’t you say you’d scouted this area out? How’d we screw up?"
He then turned to Jelena and said, "Miss, I didn’t see nothin’. Oh, right, and there’s Lengzi! He saw it! That bastard can turn invisible. He ain’t loyal, he just ran off!"
Zhang Lengzi suddenly appeared and said, "Nonsense! I didn’t see nothin’ either! Don’t frame me!"
Li Huaizheng then said, "See no evil, speak no evil. The three of you have been utterly indecent!"
Just then, the group saw Wang Yi and hurried forward to greet him. After briefly getting a handle on the situation—it was clear that Yang Wanli, Yang Qingniu, and Zhang Lengzi had been caught peeping—he turned to Jelena and asked, "My dear girl, how do you think we should handle this?"
Jelena said, "It’s not a major incident, but it sets a bad precedent. I believe the three of them need to be punished in some way."
Wang Yi nodded. "More people means more problems. As the saying goes, you can’t have order without rules. We must establish some, or the villagers will lose their sense of reverence and inevitably cause trouble. This time, it was just Yang Wanli and the other two peeping, which is a minor offense. But next time, it could be brawling, or even robbery and murder. My dear girl, since you’re so capable, you should take on more responsibility. How about you establish some rules for the villagers and temporarily manage a garrison department?"
Jelena lifted the hem of her skirt in a curtsy and said, "I will do as you command, Father."
"Good. When Nangong Jin returns, I’ll speak with him and assign you some Feng Yuxius, Boykas, or Taisens to promote virtue, encourage good deeds, and rectify public morals..."
Based on his observations of the Octagonal Cage Soldiers on Mengbai Island, Wang Yi felt that the Feng Yuxius, Boykas, and Taisens weren’t actually suited for development into battlefield soldiers. They clearly prioritized personal martial prowess and rarely coordinated with each other. The Leonidas units, on the other hand, were masters of coordination with a strong sense of battle formations, making them the elite troops truly suited for team combat.
In other words, in a one-on-one fight, an elite Leonidas might not be able to defeat an elite Iron Knee Boyka or a Huajin Fengyu Cultivator. But in a hundred-on-hundred battle, it would likely be a complete slaughter.
This wasn’t to say the Feng Yuxius, Boykas, and Taisens weren’t strong. While they were unsuitable as soldiers for large-scale battlefield combat, they were very well-suited for forming a City Defense Army, a Garrison Army, or Patrol Teams.
As for Yang Wanli, Yang Qingniu, and Zhang Lengzi, Wang Yi announced their punishment publicly: "Yang Wanli, Yang Qingniu, and Zhang Lengzi peeped on women bathing. As this was a group offense with a negative influence, you are sentenced to seven days of labor in Huangni Village and forbidden from eating for one month. This sentence is to be carried out immediately and announced to all villages, so that everyone may bear witness!"
"What? A whole month without food?! Won’t we starve to death?"
Yang Wanli was horrified.
Li Huaizheng, Hai Pei, and the others also frowned upon hearing this. ’This punishment seems a bit too harsh,’ they thought.
In reality, however, while being forbidden to eat for a month sounded terrifying, it was nothing a single Fasting Pill couldn’t solve. Wang Yi could have even punished them by forbidding them from defecating or urinating for a month. It was all for show anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.
After the crowd dispersed, Wang Yi gave the three men a Fasting Pill each and said, "You three morons, did you really think it was a good idea to do this as a group? You were so careless, even the kids found out!"
"Got it, got it! I’ll be more careful from now on!"
"Don’t worry, Boss! I’ll never get caught again!"
"Boss, do we really have to work here for seven days?"
"Of course you do! You have to complete the full seven days!"
Though Wang Yi’s words were harsh, he still took out the [Inheritance Jade Talisman of the Five Elements Warriors] and handed it to Yang Qingniu. "Qingniu," he said, "you have the aptitude for Cultivation. This can help you become an Earth Warrior. Cultivate well from now on, and don’t disappoint me."
Yang Qingniu was overjoyed. He quickly accepted the Jade Talisman, and after a flash of golden light from his body, his class change was complete.
Wang Yi then chatted with Yang Wanli about Pei Zhi. Pei Zhi had already reported to Yang Wanli; he was now the second member of the Foreign Affairs Department. A man who could get along with anyone, he had already recruited quite a few people, researched Eggshell Village’s specialty products, and begun preparations to form a merchant caravan.
A moment later, Wang Yi found Hai Pei and gave him the [Junior Sword Immortal’s Inheritance Jade Talisman]. "I’m giving you an opportunity to become a Sword Immortal," he said. "Don’t disappoint me!"
Hai Pei was overwhelmed by the favor. "How could I be worthy? How could I possibly be worthy!" he exclaimed.
Wang Yi said, "Drink more wine, cultivate diligently, and from now on, you will be Eggshell Village’s Wine Sword Immortal!"
Hai Pei prostrated himself and said with determination, "I will not let you down, Boss!"
A short while later, Wang Yi found Pei Zhi again to seriously discuss the establishment of the merchant caravan and the creation of a market at Black Stone Mountain.
「Meanwhile」 At the foot of Black Stone Mountain, in the temporary encampment of the Red Tiger Camp, a single tent was heavily guarded.
Outside the tent stood soldiers from the Red Tiger Camp, Government Officials from Kaiyuan County Yamen, Government Officials from Qinghe County, and many black-robed Monk Soldiers.
Inside the tent were seven men: Red Tiger Camp Commander Lu Aqi, Vice Commander Yue Gang, Kaiyuan County Magistrate Qiao Meng and his Master Xu Liang’an, Qinghe County Magistrate Hu Dachun and his Master Lin Maoju, and finally, the Abbot of Jinbo Temple, Zhao Jinlong!
Zhao Jinlong was clearly displeased. His face was dark as he barked, "You are all prominent figures! How can you go back on your word? We had an agreement! Black Stone Mountain was supposed to be mine. From now on, I’d be the mountain bandit, and you’d be the government troops. We’d have a classic case of official-bandit collusion... oh, no, I mean, we’d work together seamlessly to swindle the Court out of its bandit-suppression funds and achieve a win-win situation! Why are you backing out now?"
Qiao Meng’s mouth twitched. "Master," he said, "times have changed. You’ve seen the Shanhai Pass watchtower on the mountain. The place has been occupied by a Divine Being. What can we do?"
"A Divine Being? Others might not know the truth, but don’t you? I don’t care about any of that. You have to give me an explanation for this, or you can return the gold and silver I gave you."
Zhao Jinlong spoke to Qiao Meng with narrowed eyes. Both of them were Players and could view each other’s information, but they had a tacit understanding not to expose one another.
At this point, Lu Aqi spoke up. "The Divine Being can move mountains and fly. He drives a Fire Dragon Vehicle. He is not someone we mortals can oppose. Master Poison Dragon, Black Stone Mountain has already been claimed by this Divine Being, so you should abandon any foolish ideas. As for returning the gold and silver, that is impossible..."
"What do you mean? Are you trying to stiff me on the payment?"
Zhao Jinlong glared at Lu Aqi. ’If I hadn’t just fought off the fourth wave of the void invasion and suffered heavy losses to my territory’s forces,’ he thought, ’I’d take this so-called Red Tiger Camp Commander-in-Chief head-on.’
Lu Aqi said calmly, "The Divine Being intends to build a shipyard, expand the docks, and create a marketplace here. I was thinking... the Four-sided Covenant could continue, with a slight modification. What do you all think about us also setting up a market or a post station here?"
The Qinghe County Magistrate quickly clasped his hands and flattered him, "My lord, you wish to do business with the Divine Being? A brilliant idea! I believe it is feasible and am willing to follow your lead completely."
Zhao Jinlong raised an eyebrow and thought about it seriously. "A market? A post station? Perhaps that could work!" he said.
Qiao Meng naturally had no objections. He had no great ambitions anyway; all he wanted was to live a comfortable and peaceful life.
Lu Aqi was delighted. "Then it’s settled! The covenant is amended, and from now on, we will coexist peacefully! By the way, there is one more thing I’d like to ask for your help with."
"What is it? Please tell us, my lord!"
"Have any of you heard of a Spiritual Artifact, the Rice Cooker? I need to find this item urgently. If any of you can help me find it, I will owe you a great favor and will surely reward you handsomely!"
"A Spiritual Artifact, the Rice Cooker?"
"What is a Spiritual Artifact Rice Cooker?"
"Well, forgive my ignorance..."
Qiao Meng rubbed his chin. ’A Spiritual Artifact, the Rice Cooker... that name sounds a lot like one of those ridiculous items you get from a Chaos Blind Box,’ he thought. Still, it was better to avoid trouble, so he played dumb and said nothing.
The others also had no idea what a Spiritual Artifact Rice Cooker was.
"In that case, I must trouble you all to put forth some effort on my behalf, post notices far and wide, and search among the common folk..."
Lu Aqi cupped his hands as he spoke, but he sighed inwardly. ’The task the Prince assigned me is too difficult,’ he thought. ’That Spiritual Artifact Rice Cooker must be an exceedingly rare treasure, but I have too little information. All I know is its name. Searching for it like this is like finding a needle in a haystack.’
A moment later, everyone departed. Lu Aqi took out the two bags of pills the Divine Being had given him and began to study them.
When the Divine Being had his men deliver these two bags of pills, they came with an explanation. One was called a Fasting Pill, and the other was called a Piyao Pill. The former allowed one to go thirty days without eating or drinking, while the latter allowed one to go thirty days without defecating or urinating.
However, the Divine Being hadn’t given him many—only ten of each pill!
Lu Aqi had already been studying them for a long time. Both types of pills had a fragrant aroma, but he still didn’t dare to swallow one rashly.
"Lu Gang," he said, "the Divine Being probably wouldn’t deceive us. Why don’t the two of us test them? I’ll try the not-eating-or-drinking one, and you can try the not-defecating-or-urinating one."
Lu Aqi picked up a pill, his expression still conflicted.
Lu Gang replied, "My lord, I have a question. If one doesn’t eat or drink, would one still need to... relieve oneself? And if one were to feast and drink heavily, how could they possibly not defecate or urinate?"
"So, what you’re saying is?"
"Perhaps we should report this to the Prince Mansion. There are experts in the Prince Mansion who can surely assess them! If they truly are miraculous elixirs, then we will have performed a great service."
"That is also a viable option!"
Lu Aqi nodded, then summoned a messenger and ordered him to ride with all possible speed to deliver the Fasting Pills and Piyao Pills to the King Dongsheng’s Prince Mansion.