Fate and Destiny

All the preparations for the land reclamation were completed. Li Banfeng and Ma Wu set up their own camps. Ma Wu slept next to the Land Block for one night, while Li Banfeng put the key in the tent and went back to his Portable Abode to sleep. They had been living like this for the past few days.

The next afternoon, exactly twenty-two hours had passed since Li Banfeng shed his blood. In two more hours, the assessment of the land reclamation would begin.

According to the rules, the two of them had to enter the venue in advance.

Ma Wu pointed to the bluish-green boundary of the Land Block and said, "Brother Li, once we enter the Land Block, we can't come out for three days. If you have anything else to do outside the Land Block, hurry up and take care of it."

Actually, there wasn't much to do. The two of them had enough food and water, and Li Banfeng also had plenty of supplies in his Portable Abode.

The only thing to do is to find a suitable place for Ma Wu.

"Brother, head south straight for the Orange Garden, set up camp and rest there."

The oranges there are edible. Besides eating oranges, don't do anything else. And absolutely do not waste anything in the orange grove.

"Come back here in three days. If the land reclamation is successful, the two of us brothers will tidy up this place. If it fails, we'll find another opportunity."

Ma Wu was stunned. "Brother Li, what do you mean by that? You want to clear this wasteland all by yourself?"

Li Banfeng really wanted to clear the land by himself.

If entering Portable Abode doesn't count as leaving the Land Block boundary, then clearing the land will become very simple for him, and leaving Ma Wu behind would only be a burden.

"Brother, I have ways to deal with those monsters. Don't forget, I was able to get rid of Bagworm Moth Madam back then."

I'll stay here to reclaim the land. If things go well, great; if not, I'll never be able to reclaim land within a hundred miles again.

But you weren't involved in this; you neither shed blood nor pioneered the cause. You'll have other opportunities later.

Li Banfeng was telling the truth. He genuinely liked this plot of land near the orange grove. If the land reclamation failed, Ma Wu would still have some hope.

Since Li Banfeng had put it this way, Ma Wu had no choice but to agree. He repeatedly instructed, "Brother Li, once you're inside the Land Block, hide yourself first. If you see anything unusual, try not to attack."

That's how Dabo Ensi advised my family when we were clearing land: within a mile radius, there are plenty of places to hide, and every fight we can avoid is a fight less.

You just mentioned Bagworm Moth Madam, and I must remind you again: if Bagworm Moth Madam comes, under no circumstances should you linger in battle.

They weren't sent by Local Earth God to test you; they are Wandering Monster, Strange Monsters that roam everywhere. Encountering them is simply bad luck.

Li Banfeng asked, "If I encounter Wandering Monster and cross the boundary line, will it not be considered a failed exploration?"

"Going beyond the boundary means failure." Ma Wu knew this was unfair, but that was the rule in New Town.

Ma Wu left all his equipment to Li Banfeng: "I'll give you the water and food, and I'll give you all my weapons and Spiritual Object. I'll just go to the Orange Garden to eat oranges."

Li Banfeng knew Ma Wu was thinking of him, but he didn't need these things. "Take the weapons, and take the Spiritual Object too. There might be bad guys in the Orange Garden."

Remember what I said: when you go to the Orange Garden, there are plenty of oranges to eat, but please don't waste any.

Ma Wu remembered Li Banfeng's instructions and headed south.

Li Banfeng entered the Land Block and quietly waited for the examination to begin.

At four o'clock, it was the time when Li Banfeng shed his blood yesterday.

A ball of green fire slowly emerged in the dark sky, seemingly looking down at Li Banfeng.

This is the Local Earth God.

Is he going to take action against me personally?

It was only a small area, not enough to warrant a major conflict, but Li Banfeng still gripped the key tightly and took precautions.

Two minutes later, the green flame disappeared.

The Local Earth God had no intention of fighting Li Banfeng; given his status and position, he shouldn't have made a move.

He just came to take a look and make sure that someone had actually come to clear the land.

It wasn't until 10 p. m. that the first outlier to come and explore the land finally appeared.

Click!

This strange creature walked out of the forest, stepping on dead leaves and branches. It was over three meters tall, with a huge head, a round body, a tuft of straight mane behind its head, and two sharp white teeth in its mouth.

It was a wild boar, and apart from its large size, it didn't seem to have any other distinguishing features.

The wild boar slowly stepped into the Land Block, cautiously guarding against the settlers' ambush. It walked from the edge of the Land Block all the way to the altar, but did not see the settlers.

"Damn it, another magic trick!"

"Hey, are you guys here to clear the land? If you are, come out and show yourselves. I'm just following orders. If you can fight, we'll have a couple of rounds; if not, we'll have a couple of drinks. I won't make things difficult for you."

This wild boar can speak human language. Judging from how polite he is, if we go out and meet him, have a drink, could we turn hostility into friendship and even make friends in the new land?

You're overthinking it. This wild boar isn't here to make friends; it's here to kill.

He received a bounty from the Local Earth God, specifically to kill pioneers. For each pioneer he killed, the Local Earth God would reward him with three months of cultivation. If he forced the pioneers to leave the Land Block, or if he killed all the pioneers, causing the reclamation to fail, the Local Earth God would reward him with an additional year of cultivation.

Reclaiming land is a test, not only of the pioneers, but also of the creatures that dare to risk their lives on the new land.

"I'm telling you, if you don't come out soon, I'm going to get angry. If I find you, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The wild boar moved from the offering table to another boundary, but still didn't see a single person.

He was angry.

His strength lies in fighting and killing, but he is not good at maneuvering and outwitting.

"You're not coming out, huh? Fine, I'll wait here. Make no noise whatsoever. The slightest sound won't escape my ears, and by then it'll be too late for you to cry!"

The wild boar lay down on the ground, waiting for the pioneers to appear.

It's freezing cold, let's see who gives up first!

Wild boars have the perseverance to clear land and test their skills!

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a quilt.

The Wife brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Li Banfeng.

While drinking tea, Li Banfeng complained to his Wife, "Do you know how cold it is outside? If it weren't for buying groceries for you, I wouldn't want to go out at all. Look how cold I've been these past few days."

Clang clang~

"My Little Slave, you've worked hard. I'll cook you a bowl of hot soup in a bit."

"You also need to boil a basin of bathwater for me later, give me a good wash, and also heat up a pot of wine and a couple of side dishes. What's the point of just making a bowl of soup?"

"Husband, everything else is fine, but let's postpone the bath. We don't have enough water at home."

Li Banfeng had been traveling in the new area for many days without replenishing his water supply. The two buckets of water he had left were barely enough for him to drink. His Wife was a steam-powered singer, and she also consumed a lot of water.

Wait a little longer. Once the land reclamation is successful, wells can be dug on the new land, which will replenish the water supply.

If the land reclamation fails, then the only option is to go to the Orange Garden and ask the old man for some water.

I don't know if Ma Wu made it to the Orange Garden.

Thirty li is not far for a cultivator at the first level. Ma Wu walked more than twenty li and could already vaguely see the tall orange trees.

He repeated Li Banfeng's instructions in his mind: once in the Orange Garden, he must not break the rules and must be moderate in everything he does.

Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a cry for help, "Please, kind passerby, help me out!"

Ma Wu's ears twitched, but he didn't stop.

He is Joy Cultivator, and many people believe that men who cultivate Joy Cultivator should cherish women.

That's wrong. Men who cultivate Joy Cultivator are not about Joy Cultivator women; on the contrary, they don't really appreciate women.

This is a new place, and no one can predict what might happen here, so it's best not to meddle.

"Sir, please save me, I beg you."

The cries for help came again, and Ma Wu was about to quicken his pace when he suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

If a woman is trapped in this wilderness and you just stand by and do nothing to help her, will you regret it for the rest of your life?

"You just need to give me a hand, I'll walk the rest of the way myself, I definitely won't be a burden to you."

Listen to the woman's voice again; she doesn't sound like a bad person.

Ma Wu turned his head and saw the woman calling for help amidst a clump of thorns.

The woman was dressed in red, with a yellow ribbon tied around her waist.

Her legs were entangled in a clump of thorns that ran from her ankles to her knees and were slowly climbing up her body.

The woman desperately gripped the thorns with both hands, and blood flowed down the sharp thorns onto the green vines.

Emerald Snake Vine, an oddity that is hard to define as either a snake or a vine.

This vine usually stays still on the tree, and even if someone pulls it off the tree, throws it on the ground, and cuts it with a knife, it will still not move.

But sometimes it suddenly moves. Whether it's a wild beast or a living person, as long as there is flesh and blood, the Emerald Snake Vine will coil around it, crush the flesh and blood, and then suck it clean.

The Emerald Snake Vine is very difficult to deal with. Its thorns are poisonous, and its vines are extremely tough. If Ma Wu tries to tear it apart, he and the woman could very well get entangled in the Emerald Snake Vine.

The Emerald Snake Vine was exceptionally thick, which filled Ma Wu with fear, but seeing the woman's pitiful tearful face, Ma Wu didn't want to just stand by and do nothing.

I saved her; it must have been fate that I met her.

Ma Wu used his charm technique on the Emerald Snake Vine.

As a cultivator at the first level, his charm technique wasn't particularly powerful, but it was enough for the Emerald Snake Vine.

In terms of pure strength, the Emerald Snake Vine is equivalent to a third-level martial arts practitioner.

However, when it comes to intelligence, the Emerald Snake Vine is quite simple.

With a single glance from Ma Wu, the Emerald Snake Vine took a liking to him, abandoned the woman, and turned to chase after Ma Wu.

Ma Wu shouted to the woman, "Run!"

The woman struggled to her feet and limped away.

Ma Wu looked at the woman's retreating figure, feeling a deep sense of reluctance.

She is so beautiful.

Although Ma Wu couldn't see her face clearly, he knew she was beautiful.

But when Ma Wu came to his senses, he found that the Emerald Snake Vine was gone.

This thing can burrow underground.

To be precise, its root system was originally underground, and it is now slowly surrounding Ma Wu with its massive root system.

Ma Wu dared not run around recklessly, lest he fall into the entanglement of the Emerald Snake Vine.

This thing isn't smart, it's not smart at all!

Ma Wu kept reminding himself.

There will be signs before it is unearthed; just look for those signs...

He could not see any signs.

He wasn't Travel Cultivator, so he didn't have a good sense of danger.

He was completely unaware that the Emerald Snake Vine was about to sprout from the ground behind him.

The woman in red suddenly ran back, grabbed Ma Wu, and limped forward desperately.

Ma Wu asked in astonishment, "What are you doing back here?"

The woman had her back to Ma Wu, her gentle voice carrying a hint of strength. "I've come back to save you!"

"I don't need you to save me!"

"You saved me, so I have to save you. This is destiny and fate."

Destiny and fate.

Ma Wu felt his heart pounding wildly.

It is absurd to expect a Joy Cultivator to learn to truly love someone.

But Ma Wu realized he had fallen in love with the woman in front of him.

The Emerald Snake Vine wasn't fast, and it couldn't leave its root system. Ma Wu and that woman had already gotten rid of the Emerald Snake Vine.

But Ma Wu continued to run after her; he was willing to run like that for the rest of his life.

The huge wild boar kept running back and forth across the Land Block.

It was very agitated. It had heard some noises and searched all night, but it still couldn't find any trace of the pioneers.

It even doubted that there were any pioneers on this land.

The Local Earth God lied to me.

No, you can't say you lied to me.

He was testing me.

If I can tell that there are no pioneers here, he will appreciate me greatly and give me a generous reward!

The wild boar wanted to leave the Land Block, and the moment it reached the boundary, it smelled a certain odor.

The taste of a person, a very fresh taste.

The smell isn't far away, less than a hundred meters.

The wild boar followed the scent and finally found traces left by Li Banfeng.

Not long ago, Li Banfeng urinated here and then returned to Portable Abode, leaving behind a truly fresh smell.

There really were pioneers!

It was my carelessness!

Where is he?

The wild boar looked at the surrounding traces. Li Banfeng's footprints suddenly disappeared. There were no trees in the Land Block. Since it was impossible for him to climb trees, it proved that he had burrowed underground.

This pioneer has the skill of burrowing underground!

The wild boar began to dig frantically where the footprints disappeared.

P. S.: Who exactly did Ma Wu meet? How could he fall in love so easily?