The New Year Spirit

"In the past, we could barely scrape by hunting and gathering things from the mountains. But over the past two years, there have been more and more refugees, and there's only so much in the mountains to feed people... Life has been getting tighter and tighter for the hundreds of people in the fort!"

Huang Wulang made up his mind. His expression changed, and he said earnestly:

"I heard before that you had grain over there, Daoist priest. Never mind the refugees outside—even some of the people in our fort were itching to go work for you in exchange for a bite to eat!

"Now that you think so highly of our Huang Family Fort, Daoist priest, how could we possibly refuse? Besides, your abilities reach the heavens, Daoist priest. I, Wulang, trust you! The Huang Family Fort will do it! As for exactly how we should proceed, please instruct us, Daoist priest!"

"Simple."

Qing He Miao didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:

"You help find out the key details of their inner workings. I'll sneak in at night and deal with the ones who deserve to die, one by one. Once I've killed most of them, I'll destroy or open the stockade gate myself and let your people in. How about it? When do you think we can make a move?"

The plan was simple and brutal, as though he were asking a companion to hunt rabbits on the mountain behind the village.

As for whether Huang Wulang was harboring sinister intentions, he didn't particularly care.

If there was a problem, Huang Wulang could take it up with his system that let him travel between two worlds.

At worst, he could expand the scope of his "physical salvation" a little and deal with both sides at once.

As for experience points, there was never such a thing as too many.

"So hasty?"

Huang Wulang was genuinely shocked to hear it.

This young Daoist was either extraordinarily bold or extraordinarily full of himself!

He had thought the other man would have some ingenious plan that he and his people hadn't thought of.

Yet after his initial astonishment at such a nearly arrogant proposal, he found it absurd—but his heart also leaped, and he couldn't help feeling a surge of heroic spirit.

Whether he was a hero or a clueless bear who didn't know the height of heaven and the depth of earth, they would only know once he actually pulled it off!

What if he really succeeded?

His thoughts raced for a moment, and he gave an approximate time:

"Then... after New Year's Day should be suitable."

"Oh? Why does it need to take so long?"

Qing He Miao frowned.

New Year's Day was the New Year during the Tang dynasty.

"There's something you don't know, Daoist priest."

Huang Wulang wore a strange expression as he explained sincerely:

"If it's only a matter of finding out their strengths and weaknesses, we've lived alongside them in these mountains for many years and have eyes and ears both in the open and in secret. With a little effort, it won't be difficult.

"But with the weather freezing cold, the risks are much greater. If heavy snow seals off the mountains, even raiding becomes difficult. The reason they haven't come down the mountain to raid lately, and have only sent out scouts to keep watch, is precisely because New Year's Day is approaching and they're hunkering down for the winter."

Chapter 48: The New Year Spirit

Qing He Miao had come at just the right time.

By the time the bandits received the news and gathered their intelligence, they had already raided enough supplies ahead of time and were originally preparing to celebrate the New Year.

Besides, heating and insulation techniques weren't advanced in this era.

The bandits weren't beasts of burden, after all. In this godforsaken weather, even their underlings didn't want to work!

Likewise, it would be extremely inconvenient for Huang Wulang and the others to send troops out from the fort at this time.

In the cold, with slippery roads, men and horses would move slowly. If they were held up or caught in wind and snow, the consequences would be unthinkable.

So Huang Wulang guaranteed that as soon as the New Year had passed, they would strike first and catch the other side off guard!

"All right."

Qing He Miao pondered for a moment, then nodded his agreement.

He was a little annoyed that even fighting a "monster" had to be delayed until after the New Year, slowing his leveling progress somewhat.

But when it came to the specifics of marching and fighting, these people of ancient times were naturally more professional.

He had spent time at the bottom of society in his previous life and knew full well that professional work had to be left to professionals.

He absolutely couldn't just mess around.

As it happened, the New Year was also approaching in his main world, so the timing on both sides could be coordinated.

So he put aside his impatience and settled down to wait until after the New Year to act.

And so, the matter was tentatively settled.

Now that the two sides had agreed to cooperate, their relationship was naturally closer than before.

Huang Wulang was very cordial. He immediately ordered someone to clear out a relatively clean and tidy room for Qing He Miao to stay in at the fort.

That would make it convenient for them to discuss the details and keep in touch later.

That evening, the Huang Family Fort also held a banquet. Though it was hardly luxurious, it was a lavish spread for the mountains.

Huang Wulang personally kept him company and also invited several prominent members of the clan who held considerable standing and martial prowess.

The banquet consisted mostly of wild game from the mountains, filling the air with rich aromas. The long rough-hewn wooden table was laden with delicacies that would have earned who knew how many criminal charges in later times.

It was just that the flavor... was rather bland to Qing He Miao.

This gave him a slight thought, but he showed nothing on his face and merely sampled the food.

The fact was, creatures like powerful landlords rarely came across well in film and television.

Qing He Miao had never relaxed his suspicions of the Huang Family Fort.

Everything could wait until after they had successfully cooperated to wipe out the bandits.

Bringing such things up now would only create more complications.

Aside from that, while Qing He Miao wandered around the fort, he also saw some things from this era that were novelties to him.

There were a few horses that weren't especially magnificent but were quite sturdy, bows and crossbows on the watchtowers, and some simple blacksmithing furnaces and weapon racks.

But they were only interesting for their novelty.

Beyond that, the fort held little appeal.

Qing He Miao always insisted that no matter how late it was, he would never spend the night inside the Huang Family Fort.

Every day, he would return to the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Temple and go back to his home in the main world of The Outcast.

Huang Wulang tactfully said little about it.

He merely urged his father, who was far away in the county town, to hurry up and find out where this man came from.

Time flew, and the New Year arrived.

In the main world of The Outcast, with the old man of Qing He Miao's family still alive, the New Year was a matter of the highest importance.

His uncles, no matter how they were doing, all hurried back from other cities.

Naturally, they also brought back several male and female cousins of varying ages.

More than a dozen members of the extended family gathered at the old house, which at once became extraordinarily lively, buzzing with voices.

On New Year's Day, he was woken early in the morning by the sound of firecrackers and his family bustling about.

The morning was taken up with the elaborate and solemn task of paying New Year's greetings to every elder in the village they could see.

After that, they called the elders they couldn't see in person to offer their greetings.

The lines had been the same for decades, but in this era, they still sounded so heartwarming.

At noon, there was a lavish New Year's meal. The table was covered with chicken, duck, fish, and meat, cups were raised and exchanged, and the atmosphere was lively.

After the meal, the extended family, who had been busy all morning, finally stopped gathering together for a while.

Adults and children went off to do their own things.

Some, taking advantage of their tipsiness and the New Year holiday, lay down on the warmly heated kang. After a year of hard work, they enjoyed a good, rare afternoon nap.

Others called their friends together, shouting to gather a group, then went to the homes of their many aunts to set up tables and start playing mahjong and poker.

This kind of small-stakes gambling was quite popular in the village even on ordinary days.

In earlier years, some had even played pai gow.

Qing He Miao, however, didn't join those card games at this time.

He was sitting on the distinctly old-fashioned sofa in the living room, teasing a younger female cousin about his age.

It was completely different from the later sofa trend centered on foam and wooden frames.

Sofas in this era still adhered to the principle that bigger springs were beautiful and stronger was better.

Beneath the sofa cushions, which had long since sunk where people sat, the springs could be distinctly felt. As soon as one sat down, one could fully experience the "hardcore" support of a bygone era.

Qing He Miao toyed with a one-yuan coin and waved it before his cousin's curious eyes.

Then he closed his fingers around the coin, holding it in his palm. With a slight thought, he instantly stored it in the system's main-hand equipment slot.

When he opened his hand again, his palm was empty.

"Wow!"

His cousin's eyes widened, and she let out a soft cry of surprise. She immediately grabbed Qing He Miao's hand and examined it from every angle, even prying apart his fingers:

"Cousin, how did you do that?"

While she was still amazed, Qing He Miao merely curled a finger and lightly flicked her behind the ear, then gave a crisp snap of his fingers.

The next moment, as if it had appeared out of thin air, the coin was held securely between his index and middle fingers.

"That's amazing!"

His cousin's attention was immediately drawn to it.

Qing He Miao waved the coin before her eyes again, then closed his fist and opened his hand.

The coin vanished once more.

Finally, he clenched his fist, gently tapped his cousin on the forehead, and opened his hand. The coin lay safely in his palm again.

"Let me see! Let me see!"

His cousin eagerly snatched the coin from his palm. After examining it over and over, she grew even more excited and chattered away with questions:

"Cousin, how exactly did you do that? Teach me! Is there some kind of trick to it?"

That trick was good enough for a New Year's gala.

Qing He Miao only smiled without answering, letting her guess and plead as he enjoyed the simple pleasure of his little prank.

Just then, his cousin's father, one of Qing He Miao's uncles, came out of another room with his aunt, both dressed and ready. They stood at the doorway and called out: