The Mission (Seeking Recommendations!)

[Main Quest activated: Survival! (Newcomer Trial)]

[Quest objective: Survive in Da Qing Village for more than seven days! Complete the quest to receive one hundred minor merit points! Note: You must not leave the area within three li of Da Qing Village during those seven days. Violators will be executed!]

[Scene introduction: Great Xia Taihe Ninth Year. The Hu people have invaded from the north, leaving devastation in their wake. At this moment, a band of Hu cavalry has broken through the defensive line and reached the vicinity of Da Qing Village. They are about to attack the village. Survival or death—you must make a choice!]

[Side Quest: Kill the invading enemies! With a great enemy at the gates, you will receive fifty minor merit points for each Hu cavalryman you kill, one hundred minor merit points for each Tulu Warrior, and three hundred minor merit points for each Shaman Witch!]

[Quest scene: Small! Quest difficulty: Desolate!]

"Great Xia?!"

Kang Shou Li cried out. "Before Great Zhou came Great Shang, and before Great Shang came Great Xia! Have we gone back into history? How is that possible?"

Going back in time is impossible, but perhaps they created a small world, taking a piece of that great battle...?

Wu Ming's thoughts stirred. He looked at the others.

At the mention of the Hu invasion, Huang Ying and the others' expressions changed. Xiao Yu especially let out a quiet gasp. "Shaman Witch is a general term for the shamans and priests of the grasslands. They can use witchcraft! And Tulu Warriors are the strongest of the Hu tribes... We..."

It seemed she was gradually accepting the reality of their situation and had even begun thinking about the possibility of completing the quest.

"Hu cavalry are brutal. Wherever they pass, they leave scarcely a blade of grass standing! And their mounted archery is unmatched. I'm afraid it'd take the two of us working together just to bring down one of them!"

Qin Hu took two steps forward, making it abundantly clear that he wanted to team up with Wu Ming.

Just as I thought!

Wu Ming glanced around. Huang Ying looked expectant, and even Kang Shou Li had fallen silent.

In the face of disaster, submitting to the strong was instinct.

Their earlier displeasure was already buried beneath the dust, as if it had never happened.

Wu Ming only shook his head inwardly.

How could a group of people from all corners of the land, who didn't even trust one another, unite and face a powerful enemy together?

He hadn't expected much from these "teammates" to begin with. Now that he'd learned this was a survival quest, his heart had first tightened, then eased a little.

The danger was that the Main God Hall had judged them far weaker than the Hu cavalry, which was why it had given them a survival quest. There were no other requirements, but that only made things harder.

The relief came from the fact that there was no team rating, so he wouldn't be dragged down by useless teammates.

Still, for now, maintaining the appearance of unity and gathering everyone's strength was better than going it alone.

Wu Ming pointed toward the village in the distance. "Could that be Da Qing Village? Should we go over and find out what's happening..."

Suddenly, his expression froze.

The cooking smoke that had hung in the air began to rise again. A breeze rustled the leaves, and it was as if the whole world had suddenly come "alive."

[Ding! Main Quest started. Instant Quest issued!]

[Instant Quest: Arrival! You must reach Da Qing Village within the time it takes one incense stick to burn, or the quest will be considered a failure!]

An alert appeared in the Sea of Consciousness of Wu Ming and the others. A timer shaped like a sundial appeared alongside it, its pointer spinning rapidly.

Wu Ming and the others were stunned. The words "quest failure" gave them an intensely ominous feeling.

"Move!"

Qin Hu was the first to rush off. As a man of the gangs, he was highly practical and believed that might made right.

Whether this was a joke or a conspiracy, the other party could send information directly into his mind. Even if it was openly toying with him, he had no choice but to take it seriously!

"The Main Quest has no penalty for failure because anyone who fails will die... But now..."

Xiao Yu and Huang Ying exchanged glances. Watching Qin Hu's retreating figure, they could only smile bitterly at each other.

Huang Ying looked at Kang Shou Li with pleading eyes, and he immediately began to soften. "If Miss Huang doesn't mind..."

"If Young Master Kang is willing to lend a hand, I'll be so grateful. How could I possibly mind?"

Huang Ying took Kang Shou Li's arm with easy grace. Her soft, honeyed voice instantly filled him with confidence. "Don't worry, Miss Huang. With me here, no one will dare make things difficult for you!"

Though he was a spoiled young master, much like the former Wu Ming, and had indulged in wine and women, he had at least reached the second level of martial arts, the Skin and Flesh Realm. He was muscular, and carrying someone was no trouble for him.

"Looks like I'm the only one who can carry you!"

Wu Ming rubbed his nose, then grabbed Xiao Yu by the collar and strode forward. With a few leaps, he passed Kang Shou Li and raced after Qin Hu.

"Thank you, Big Brother Nameless!"

Though she was dangling by the collar like a little child, Xiao Yu wore a sweet smile.

Now that he was so close to her, Wu Ming could see that her breath was fragrant and her skin fair and smooth, more lovely than the finest porcelain doll.

"Miss Xiao Yu, you still haven't told me your full name!"

As he ran, Wu Ming's breathing remained even, and he still had the leisure to ask.

Xiao Yu's bright, mischievous eyes rolled. In Wu Ming's earlier tone, she said, "The jianghu is treacherous. I never leave a trace of my identity behind! Ow..."

She hadn't even finished speaking when Wu Ming flicked her on the forehead. She couldn't help yelping in pain.

The young woman had learned her lesson and immediately behaved herself. Still, at the very end, she muttered as if unwilling to give in, "If I'd brought my Treasure Pouch with me, I wouldn't have..."

Then, as if realizing she'd let something slip, she fell silent.

Wu Ming didn't take it to heart. From the way she spoke, he could tell she came from no ordinary background. But when he heard that the item she seemed to be referring to was an object of Daoist Arts, and that it had been excluded just like his own, a thoughtful look crossed his face.

One incense stick's worth of time was neither long nor short. For ordinary people—especially women like Huang Ying, who couldn't even truss a chicken—reaching Da Qing Village might have been impossible. But for Wu Ming and the others, who had trained in martial arts and had several levels of skill, it was no problem.

After passing the boundary marker bearing the words "Da Qing Village" and reaching the outskirts, Wu Ming received a message that the Instant Quest was complete.

Wu Ming slowly let out a breath, then set Xiao Yu down.

"Thank you, Big Brother Nameless. You're such a good person!"

Xiao Yu thanked him with a giggle, then glanced toward Kang Shou Li with an anxious expression. "Hurry up, time's almost up!"

At that moment, the sundial pointer in their minds had only a few dozen breaths left before reaching zero!

Watching the two of them, Wu Ming noticed the strain plain on Kang Shou Li's face. A glint flashed in his eyes. "At Kang Shou Li's speed, he could just barely make it. Should I..."

Qin Hu gave a feral grin, then suddenly stood up and blocked the way in front of the boundary marker.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yu asked warily.

"What am I doing?" Qin Hu sneered. "Naturally, I'm going to test whether this quest is real, or if it's simply a trick to fool us..."

As he spoke, he picked up several stones and made as if to take aim.

"Wait!"

Wu Ming suddenly spoke up.

"What? Isn't this something Brother Nameless wants to try, too?" Qin Hu said coldly. "I'm just making the method explicit..."

"That may be true, but there'll be plenty of chances to try it. There's no need to do it right now!"

Wu Ming shook his head.

Qin Hu stared at Wu Ming, a cold glint almost shining in his eyes. Then he suddenly laughed aloud. "Very well! I'll give Brother Nameless face today!"

"Pant, pant..."

With the two of them standing by and watching, Kang Shou Li finally crossed the boundary marker with Huang Ying just before time ran out. Relief showed on his face. "Thank you for saving me, Brother Nameless!"

"Hmph!"

Kang Shou Li in particular had seen Qin Hu's actions just now. His eyes practically spat fire.

"What's the matter? You unhappy? Want to try facing me? I've never liked spoiled young masters like you!"

Qin Hu gave a feral grin. His imposing gaze fixed on Kang Shou Li, making the man's scalp prickle. Kang Shou Li retreated again and again, nearly ducking behind Wu Ming.

This guy... does he think he can do whatever he wants now that he's in the New World?

Wu Ming watched coldly, and he had a pretty good idea of what was going through Qin Hu's mind.

This was where pretending to be easygoing paid off. Qin Hu's behavior was clearly driving the others to his side.

Of course, Qin Hu might have considered everyone here except Wu Ming a burden. But Wu Ming didn't see it that way. Everyone had their own strengths and their own value.

So he immediately played peacemaker. "Let's all calm down. Right now, we should be thinking about how to deal with the people here..."

He gestured around them.

Only then did Qin Hu and the others realize that their group was standing outside the village, unable to leave or stay unnoticed. The villagers had already spotted them, and several strong-looking men were rapidly gathering.

In troubled times, wherever people lived, they were always hardy and knew how to fortify their homes and defend themselves. Otherwise, the various powers would have swallowed them up without leaving so much as scraps.

"In my view, they're very wary of outsiders. They're just waiting for someone in charge to arrive..."

Wu Ming glanced at the villagers pointing at them nearby and lowered his voice. "Until then, we'd better get our stories straight! After all, if Da Qing Village turns against us and drives us out, then we'll truly have nowhere to turn, above or below!"

Under the weight of life and death, even Qin Hu had to bow his head and cooperate with Kang Shou Li, who felt he had just suffered a terrible humiliation.

"Ha ha... You honored guests have come from afar. This old man has been most discourteous!"

Sure enough, a few moments later, an elderly man with a ruddy face and white hair, yet full of vigor, came out with several young men following him. He clasped his hands in greeting. "This old man is Wang Qiao, and I humbly serve as the Village Chief here. May I ask your names and where you come from?"

The group exchanged glances, and Wu Ming stepped forward. "Greetings, sir. We are..."

After their hurried discussion, the five of them had at least managed to come up with a plausible story. According to Wu Ming, he and Kang Shou Li were young masters from noble families in another commandery. They had set out with their beloved concubines and maids, only to encounter Hu cavalry and be separated from their party. Only the five of them remained.

Huang Ying and Xiao Yu, of course, were presented as wives, concubines, and maids. Qin Hu, who didn't look the part, could only be passed off as a bodyguard.

"What? The Hu people?"

Village Chief Wang Qiao's expression changed. An uproar broke out behind him, and only after a moment did it subside. He then managed to say, "Please forgive our discourtesy, honored guests! The Hu threat has been growing worse, and our young men are like startled birds. We've made a poor impression. Please come inside for tea, and allow this old man to give you a proper welcome..."