owlsbooks 054 Winter Peach
054 Winter Peach
[Sky Courtyard], inside the village committee office.
Lu Xiuxi and Li Hua were looking at a [construction blueprint].
Since the implementation of the points system, scrolls and drawings, which were rarely seen in the past, have suddenly appeared one after another.
Many players without skills or combat power donated their treasured but unusable items in exchange for [contribution points].
In just a few days, I obtained three [construction blueprints] and one [unknown scroll].
Even Zhang Guoqiang, who possesses the [Shiqi Ding], couldn't appraise that [scroll]; it must be a [Mysterious Grade] or higher. The player offered it up and received a large sum of [points].
When Lu Xiuxi and his companions first saw the three [construction blueprints], they were overjoyed. However, after reviewing the detailed attributes, they were all somewhat disappointed.
The three [blueprints] are [Schoolroom], [Market], and [Great Wall with Dung], all of which are unqualified.
The first two images show that [Xiangxu Room] is a village school built to enroll students. Compared to the primary school built by [Sky Academy], it has two more points of [literary style] and three more points of [popular support].
The [Marketplace] is a hub of shops, accompanied by a simplified planning map. It grants [Sky Courtyard] 4 points of [Commerce], 1 point of [Security], and 1 point of [Public Sentiment] to its territory panel. Lu Xiuxi plans to develop it into a "Commercial Street".
The last picture, "[Hugging the Great Wall with Dung]", left Lu Xiuxi and Li Hua speechless.
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"The Great Wall of Carrying Dung"
[Rank] Not Ranked
[Attribute] The wall of dung cannot be plastered. With this, Armament +15, Public Order +3, Public Morale -10.
[Description] In one place, the walls were plastered with dung, and millions of dung beetles swarmed around it, making it stand like the Great Wall. — "Xieduo"
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Even before the "Great Wall" was built, Li Hua almost vomited just thinking about the scene.
It's unknown where the original owner of the [blueprints] obtained this great treasure.
Lu Xiuxi exchanged some points for it, but he didn't intend to use the [Great Wall]; he'd just keep it.
It took Li Hua a while to recover. He stood far away from the [blueprints] and talked to Lu Xiuxi about Li Min.
Li Min wasn't at Sky Courtyard. The day before yesterday, she, Wang Bin, and the leveling team from Sky Courtyard went to Gan Dan City to transport back the 10,000 jin of millet stored in the city.
The journey there was easy, taking only two or three days. But the return trip was a bit more complicated.
There are two routes to take from Gandan to [Tenkuin].
First, cross from the west township to the east township, and then to Moshang Township; second, go straight to the north township and enter Moshang Township.
The former is a long journey, about seventy li, and carries little risk. The latter is a short journey, only thirty li, but requires passing through White Tiger Mountain.
After consulting with Dean Li, the group decided on the former option.
Judging by the time, the group should have arrived at Gan Dan.
I hope everything goes well.
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[Fanghu], on the island of Canghai.
Li Yu is carving a dog, a dog that has been petrified after eating a "cold peach".
The description of the Nankang Stone Dog says, "If you cut it open, you will find seeds." But it's a hard stone; how can you cut it open?
Li Yu then found the bronze longsword that had long been shelved and began to hammer, grind, and chisel at the stone dog.
After fiddling with it for a few moments, [Snake Princess] grabbed [Stone Dog] and started biting it repeatedly.
Then they saw that the dog's belly was wide open, revealing a peach pit.
It's grayish-brown and also made of stone.
Jiang Yaya spat out a mouthful of pebbles and then took another bite around the peach pit.
Dog and kernel separated.
Jiang Yaya handed the peach pit to Li Yu.
Its texture is natural and its warmth is like jade.
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'Winter Peach Seeds'
[Rank] Earth Grade.
[Attribute] Planted on the mountaintop, each season yields one [Winter Peach].
[Description] Yushan, Nankang...
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Li Yu, along with Snake Princess and Thirteen Ants, chose a small, relatively flat peak several tens of feet high and climbed up it.
[Ding Gu], carrying the bone horse, climbed several times, each time ending in broken bones. He had no choice but to give up, raising his skull to look up at the man, snake, and insect.
At the summit, Li Yu tossed the [Cold Peach Seeds] onto the rocks.
The peach pit slowly sank into the stone.
Before long, a peach sapling, as if carved from jade, broke through the stone.
It sprouts new shoots, dries out, and grows branches and leaves.
A biting chill emanated from the sapling, causing the tiny body of the [Thirteen Ants] to shiver.
She quickly jumped into Li Yu's palm, curled up into a ball, and used Li Yu's ring finger to shield herself, which made her feel warmer.
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'Winter Peach Wood'
[Rank] Earth Grade.
[Attribute] Planted on [Fine Fragments·Sea Island], one [Cold Peach] is obtained every ten days.
[Description] Yushan, Nankang...
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The Snake Princess's gaze was intense, fixed intently on the Cold Peach Wood. She didn't even respond when Li Yu called her down the mountain.
"These peaches will ripen in ten days, we can't rush them." Li Yu pulled [Snake Princess] down the mountain.
The food hasn't been cooked yet.
After finishing his meal, he went to the [Hidden Soldier Cave] to level up as usual. When the lamp oil ran out and he was tired from training, Li Yu went out to set up a fruit stall.
His fruit stall offers a wide variety of fruits of excellent quality, which has earned him the approval of many people. He only sold fruit for one day yesterday, but today some enthusiasts and indigenous people came to the "old spot" looking for him.
Li Yu rode his donkey leisurely over, and before he even reached the tree, he was surrounded. People were clamoring, "I want a melon," "A bunch of grapes," "Do you have any bananas?"
Before he could even dismount his donkey, all the fruits and melons were sold out. Li Yu had no choice but to find another secluded spot to "restock."
After several such attempts, he earned another dozen or so gold coins.
During this time, two groups of players came over.
A group of three to five people asked Li Yu about the source of his fruits and melons. Li Yu said they came from the northern countryside, and if they wanted large-scale wholesale, he could act as an intermediary. The group shook their heads and left.
A group of more than ten men demanded protection money, asking for two thousand coins. When Li Yu refused, they turned hostile and drew their knives.
Li Yu tore off the bronze spears from the donkey's back and stabbed them all to death.
After working for half a day, Li Yu was hungry, so he returned to [Xianlu].
[Snake Princess] Yaya is not here. Helpless, Li Yu ran to [Canghai Island], grabbed her tail, and pulled her back.
Cooking, eating, reading.
Before going to sleep, Li Yu took out the "Magpie Mirror" and drew a peach.
Soon after, a message arrived—(´･ω･`)?.
Li Yu was taken aback, recalling what he had just drawn.
Hmm, it doesn't look like a peach; it looks like something else.
So they went back.
—I've just gotten a new peach tree; I'll show it to you sometime.
After a long while, a response finally came.
Ok.
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On April 22, Xieji opened for business, attracting players and local residents alike.
The sounds of hawking, shouting, and crying created an extremely noisy environment.
The market was less than two miles long from east to west, and it took Li Yu more than half an hour to walk there.
He was covered in sweat, and had a few extra small items in his hands, which he had bought for Wang Rong, the little maid, and [Thirteen Ants].
Other than that, there was no other gain.
The [Mysterious Grade] mount has vanished without a trace.
Li Yu wasn't in a hurry, so he strolled around the market. He caught a few pickpockets and chatted casually with a few vendors and shopkeepers.
After noon, the people in the market began to disperse.
Just when Li Yu thought he would gain nothing today, an indigenous man led a skinny yellow cow into his line of sight.
The cattle herder rested in the area where livestock were sold, found an open space, and began to call out: "Neighbors and friends, come and take a look! A fine ox is for sale!"
The cry of "Spirit Ox!" drew a crowd. But the ox was so thin and bony that it was impossible to tell where the "spirit" was.
The ox-leader shouted as he showed the ox to everyone—
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"The Unknown Sick Cow"
[Rank] Unknown.
[Attribute] Unknown.
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He was showing people that the ox's rank was "unknown." Based on that, the ox was at least of the "yellow" rank. Calling it a "spirit ox" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Someone wanted to buy it, but seeing that the cow had the word "sick" on it and was so thin, they hesitated.
He asked the ox-leader, "How much is it worth?"
He said, "Two gold pieces."
The man who inquired about the price shook his head: "If it weren't for the word 'unknown,' your ox wouldn't even be worth two thousand coins. I'll give you one gold coin, shall I?"
The cowherd shook his head.
As the two haggled, just as Li Yu was about to speak, a player stumbled past him, hugged the sick ox, and cried out, "Father!!"
The sickly yellow ox slowly raised its head and licked the player's hand.
After licking for several dozen breaths, tears actually fell from her eyes.
The cattle handler, the buyer, and all the onlookers were stunned.