On the way home that night, Li Xing and Old Turner walked side by side, since they were headed in the same direction.
Little Jerry, who was riding on Old Turner's back, kept whispering in his ear.
He talked about how delicious Big Brother Li Xing's cooking was, how many fish he had caught that day with Big Brother Li Xing's help, and how delicious the dishes Big Brother Li Xing had described were, among other things.
In short, he couldn't go three sentences without mentioning his Big Brother Li Xing.
As a result, Old Turner looked at Li Xing with a hint of resentment.
But Old Turner had eaten more salt than Little Jerry had eaten rice. How could he possibly let the little fellow keep him stuck on that topic?
So Old Turner asked Little Jerry:
"Jerry! Tell Dad, what was it you started to say to Sister Lucy just now, then stopped? It's all right, tell Dad. Your Big Brother Li Xing won't mind."
As he spoke, Old Turner shot Li Xing a glare, as though warning him.
Seeing that Li Xing didn't react, Little Jerry happily repeated what his big brother had said.
"Big Brother Li Xing asked me if Sister Lucy's cooking was that bad. I told him I didn't know if it was bad or not, but it definitely wasn't as tasty as Big Brother Li Xing's cooking!"
"That's all?" Old Turner asked doubtfully.
"That's all! Big Brother Li Xing and I mostly talked about food."
Hearing Little Jerry's account from behind him, Old Turner looked at Li Xing, who was meeting his gaze. Grinning, he said, "Kid, you were smart enough to dodge that one!"
"Brother Turner! Aren't you just teasing me?"
After replying, Li Xing changed the subject and asked,
"Brother Turner, wasn't there supposed to be a town meeting tonight? How did it end up with everyone investigating the rumors about Lucy and me?"
Hearing Li Xing's question, Old Turner scratched his head a little awkwardly and said,
"It's nothing much, really. Some people in town saw you going in and out of Lucy's house and got curious about your relationship with her.
"But Lucy's denial drew the attention of a lot of townspeople.
"You probably don't know this, but Lucy's marriage is something most people in town worry about. She isn't that young anymore, after all. It would be heartbreaking if she couldn't get married because she was doing the good deed of caring for orphans.
"So everyone hopes a good man will marry Lucy. That would also fulfill a wish for the townspeople who watched her grow up."
"And then you saw me, a newcomer to town, getting along so well with Lucy, and figured the two of us were in love?" Li Xing asked, speechless.
Old Turner, however, voiced exactly what he thought without hesitation.
"That's exactly what I thought at the time!"
Li Xing: ...
This proved that in a society seriously lacking in entertainment, people would unconsciously treat those around them as entertainment, to the point of doing things that left others unsure whether to laugh or cry.
After learning that these idle townspeople, with nothing better to do, were making up rumors about him and Lucy, Li Xing became even more determined to rehearse the stories from before his transmigration as stage plays.
After that topic ended, Old Turner told Li Xing the general contents of the meeting, and the two parted at the fork in the road in front of Li Xing's cabin.
Watching Little Jerry wave goodbye, Li Xing gave him a brief wave in return, then turned and walked toward his cabin.
By the time Li Xing lay down on the wooden bed in the cabin, it was already late at night.
Li Xing was somewhat tired after the day's affairs.
He went straight to bed and fell into a deep sleep!
As his sleep grew deeper,
Li Xing entered a peculiar dream.
He had turned into a wild boar, and before him were the heroes of the dark faction from the Chenghai 3C map.
Li Xing was dreaming without realizing it. As though programmed to do so, he hesitated over which character to choose.
Finally, after much consideration, Li Xing made up his mind and chose the Blademaster, a hero of the Orcs!
Li Xing went over and stood in the energy circle beneath the Blademaster statue.
The moment he entered, he transformed into the Blademaster. He then descended in front of the light faction's fountain area.
He saw the Ancients of War of all sizes around him looking at him in surprise, their faces grim and bitter.
Their gazes seemed to say, "Well, would you look at that? Even you, Blademaster, with your thick brows, big eyes, and sharp teeth, have defected and embraced the light?"
He paid no attention to the strange looks around him. In the dream, Li Xing had forgotten that he had transmigrated and was simply enjoying the fun of role-playing.
Strangely, though, Li Xing, who had become the Blademaster in the dream, didn't push towers or build up troops. He only challenged his opponent to fights, wildly killing and bullying the other side's hero in the PK arena.
In short, he bullied the dark faction's hero, the Lich, in every possible way, taking advantage of the Lich's low health and few traps.
As time passed, everyone gained levels and equipment became widespread. But even after winning multiple PK matches, Li Xing still put the ultimate outcome of the battle out of his mind.
By the time the morning sun interrupted Li Xing's sleep, the battle in the dream still hadn't been decided.
He woke and got up to welcome the new day.
After getting up and doing some morning exercises, Li Xing discovered that his sword swings came noticeably more naturally than before. It felt as though memories buried deep in his mind and body had awakened. He felt he could even list the differences in the angles and force needed to chop plants and animals.
It was as though he had gone from randomly hacking shit up yesterday to, after one night's sleep, having enough experience to explain the different ways to cut a person and the effects of each.
This experience he had gained out of nowhere made him both happy and afraid.
After all, he had no memory of practicing swordsmanship at all. All he had were the fantasies from playing a game in his dream?! That was all!
"Holy shit! Have I dreamed since I transmigrated?"
Indeed, Li Xing had never dreamed during the several nights since he had transmigrated. Last night had been his first dream since coming here.
"Could it be..."
With that, Li Xing sat down on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
As time passed, Li Xing's guess was confirmed.
Looking at the two doubles before him, identical to himself, Li Xing was struck speechless.
After coming to his senses, Li Xing looked at them and muttered to himself,
"Isn't this cheat way too overpowered?!"
After further exploration and meditation, Li Xing discovered that his cheat did indeed have limitations.
When Li Xing first used the skill, he had mistakenly thought he had obtained the complete skill set of the Blademaster hero from the world of "Chenghai 3C"!
But Li Xing discovered that he had misjudged it.
He had only fully mastered the Blademaster's innate passive skill, "Critical Strike," along with a slightly proficient Wind Walk and a beginner-level Mirror Image.
He called Mirror Image beginner-level because he still remembered using the skill to create at least five doubles before leaving the dream, but now he could only create the most basic two.
Moreover, Li Xing discovered that he hadn't even learned or mastered the Blademaster's most distinctive skill, "Blade Storm."
This discrepancy sent Li Xing's mood plunging. His delight had barely lasted any time before he felt a touch of dejection.
"What's going on? Don't tell me this golden finger was sent to me half-finished.
"Or did I miss some opportunity?"
But he hadn't been down for long when he looked at the two doubles before him, realized something, and exclaimed,
"No, I finally managed to use Mirror Image. How could I not go do something with it?!"
With that, Li Xing took the lead and brought his two doubles to the open ground on the eastern side of the highland. Each armed with a tool hammer, they began building the residence he wanted!
And so, the three of them, including the original, naturally divided up the work as though their minds were linked.
One double gathered stone, the other handled the timber, and the original built the house's frame.
Just like that, time passed.
The moment the house's frame was completed, the doubles vanished.
But the hunger transmitted from the doubles after using Void Construction nearly overwhelmed Li Xing.
In the blink of an eye, Li Xing's figure disappeared from the highland.
Now invisible, Li Xing raced toward the edge of the highland.
With a wind-swift leap, he dropped from the six- or seven-meter-high ground and landed in front of his cabin.
He rushed through the door and opened the food cupboard where he stored his bread.
He began gnawing and chewing on the bread nonstop.
As he tore into the dry bread, Li Xing also picked up his water flask and poured water into his mouth. After taking a few gulps, he grabbed several more pieces of bread, tore them apart, and soaked them in a bowl. He continued gnawing on the bread in his hand.
Only as he kept eating did his hunger ease a little.
"Damn, after the doubles disappear, all their sensations, fatigue, and exertion are shared with me. Doesn't that make them extensions of my own body?!"
He recalled that during construction, the doubles could actively use the martial techniques and professional skills he had learned, but they couldn't use Wind Walk or Mirror Image like he could.
Come to think of it, though, if the doubles really could use Mirror Image, there would be no difference between them and the original.
Once he understood how the skill affected him, Li Xing began making breakfast.
After quickly finishing breakfast, Li Xing sat at the dining table and pondered.
"Speaking of which, could all these Blademaster skills I have really be related to my dream?"
But Li Xing didn't spend long pondering how he had obtained his golden finger before the joy of gaining the skills swept those thoughts aside.