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[Main Quest Activated: Survival! (Novice Trial)]

[Quest Objective: Survive for more than seven days in Da Qing Village! Quest completion reward: 100 Minor Merits! Note: Within the seven days, you must not leave the three-li radius of Da Qing Village. Violators will be eliminated!]

[Scene Introduction: Great Xia Taihe Ninth Year. The northern Hu people invade, bringing devastation to the land. At this moment, a squad of Hu cavalry breaks through the defense line and reaches the vicinity of Da Qing Village, about to attack it. Survival or death—you must make your choice!]

[Side Quest: Slay the invading enemies! With the enemy at hand, each Hu cavalryman killed rewards 50 Minor Merits, each Tulu Warrior killed rewards 100 Minor Merits, and killing a Shaman Witch rewards 300 Minor Merits!]

[This Quest Scene: Small! Quest Difficulty: Desolate!]

"Great Xia?!"

Kang Shou Li exclaimed: "Great Zhou came before Great Shang, and Great Shang came before Great Xia! Are we back in history? How is that possible?"

'Going back in history is impossible, but it's highly likely they've created a small world, cutting out a piece of that great battle, right?'

Wu Ming's heart stirred slightly, and he looked at the others.

After hearing the quest about the Hu invasion, Huang Ying and the others all changed expressions repeatedly. Xiao Yu, in particular, let out a low gasp: "A Shaman Witch is a combination of a steppe shaman and priest, capable of using witchcraft! And Tulu Warriors are the top-tier elites among the Hu tribes... We..."

It seemed this maiden was gradually accepting reality, even pondering the possibility of completing the quest.

"Hu cavalry are brutal—wherever they pass, they leave nothing behind! And with their unmatched archery from horseback, it'll probably take two of us working together to take one down!"

Qin Hu stepped forward, his intent to join forces with Wu Ming very obvious.

'Just as I thought!'

Wu Ming glanced over. Huang Ying showed anticipation, and even Kang Shou Li said nothing more.

In a disaster, submitting to the strong is instinct.

The earlier minor friction was like a speck of dust, quickly buried by these few.

Seeing this, Wu Ming shook his head inwardly.

A few people from all over, who didn't even trust each other—how could they unite as one to face a powerful enemy?

Thus, he had little expectation for these 'teammates' to begin with. Now that he heard it was a survival quest, his heart tightened at first, then relaxed a bit.

What made him tense was that the Main God Hall estimated their strength far below the Hu cavalry, hence the survival quest with no other requirements—but that only made it seem more difficult.

What relaxed him was that there was no unified evaluation, so he wouldn't be dragged down by useless teammates.

Still, for now, maintaining surface unity and pooling everyone's strength was better than going it alone.

Wu Ming thus pointed at the village in sight: "Da Qing Village—could that be it? Should we head over first to scout the situation..."

Suddenly, his expression froze.

Because the cooking smoke that had been hanging in mid-air began to rise again, curling upward. A gentle breeze brushed by, leaves rustled, and the whole world seemed to 'come alive' in an instant.

[Ding! Main Quest begins. Issuing Instant Quest!]

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

A message surfaced in the Sea of Consciousness of Wu Ming and the others, along with a timer shaped like a sundial, its pointer spinning rapidly.

Wu Ming and the others were stunned for a moment. The words 'quest failed' gave them an extremely ominous premonition.

"Go!"

Qin Hu was the first to dash out. As a gang member, he was highly pragmatic, believing that the bigger fist was the truth.

Now, whether this was a joke or a scheme, the mere fact that someone could send information directly into his mind meant that even if they were openly toying with him, he had to accept it!

"The main quest has no failure penalty, because those who fail will all die... But now..."

Xiao Yu and Huang Ying exchanged glances, watching Qin Hu's retreating back, and shared a bitter smile.

Huang Ying cast a pleading look, and Kang Shou Li's resolve softened: "If Miss Huang doesn't mind..."

"Young Master Kang is willing to make a move—this concubine is nothing but grateful. How could I possibly mind?"

Huang Ying gracefully took Kang Shou Li's arm, her voice soft and sweet, immediately filling him with heroic spirit: "Miss Huang, rest assured. With Kang here, no one will trouble you!"

Though he was a spoiled brat, on par with the old Wu Ming, and indulged in wine and women, he was still at the second level of martial arts, the Skin and Flesh Realm, with developed muscles—more than enough to carry someone.

"Looks like I'll have to give you a ride too."

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

"Thank you, Big Brother Nameless!"

Though she was being carried by the collar like a child, Xiao Yu's face wore a sweet smile.

Up close now, Wu Ming could even notice her breath fragrant as orchid, her skin fair and delicate, even finer than the finest porcelain doll.

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

As Wu Ming ran, his breath was long and steady, and he had the leisure to ask.

Xiao Yu's lively, mischievous eyes rolled, and she mimicked Wu Ming's earlier tone: "The martial world is treacherous—I never leave my details either! Ouch!"

Before she finished, her forehead took a tap from Wu Ming, and she cried out in pain.

The maiden, now knowing her place, quieted down considerably, though she muttered one last, seemingly unwilling, remark: "If my Treasure Pouch had come with me, I wouldn't..."

Suddenly, as if realizing she had slipped up, she stopped speaking.

Wu Ming, however, was unbothered. From her speech alone, he could tell this woman came from an extraordinary background. But when he heard that her suspected Daoist Art item, like his own, was also rejected, a flicker of deep thought crossed his face.

The span of one incense stick was neither long nor short. For ordinary people—especially a woman as frail as Huang Ying—running to Da Qing Village might be as hard as reaching the heavens. But for Wu Ming and the others, who had trained in martial arts and possessed several layers of skill, it posed no problem at all.

As they passed the boundary stone inscribed with Da Qing Village and reached the village entrance, the sound of an Instant Quest completion rang through Wu Ming's mind.

Letting out a slow breath, Wu Ming then set Xiao Yu down.

"Thank you, Nameless big brother! You're such a good person!"

Xiao Yu chirped her thanks, then turned her gaze toward Kang Shou Li, her face anxious: "Hurry up! The time's almost up!"

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

Watching the figures of These two and the obvious strain on Kang Shou Li's face, a Sharp Light flickered in Wu Ming's Eyes: "At Kang Shou Li's speed, he can just barely make it in time. Should I..."

Qin Hu, however, let out a Grinning sinisterly, suddenly stood up, and blocked the path before the boundary stone.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yu's face was full of vigilance.

"What am I doing?" Qin Hu sneered coldly. "Naturally, I'm testing whether this quest is real or fake—or maybe it's just tricking us..."

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

"Hold on!"

Wu Ming suddenly spoke up.

"Oh? Could it be that Brother Nameless wants to try the same thing?" Qin Hu said coldly. "I'm just making the method clear, That's all..."

"That may be so, but there will be plenty of chances to test it—no need to rush this moment!"

Wu Ming shook his head.

Qin Hu locked eyes with Wu Ming, a cold glint almost shooting from his gaze, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Fine! I'll give Brother Nameless face today!"

"Huff... huff..."

With the two of them standing by idly, Kang Shou Li finally crossed the boundary stone with Huang Ying just before time ran out, a look of relief on his face: "Thank you, Brother Nameless, for the rescue!"

"Hmph!"

Kang Shou Li, in particular, had seen Qin Hu's actions just now, and his eyes nearly blazed with fury.

"What? You're not convinced? Want to have a go with me? I've had my eye on pretty-boy nobles like you for a long time!"

Qin Hu Grinning sinisterly, his fierce gaze bearing down directly, making Kang Shou Li's scalp tingle as he stumbled backward, nearly shrinking behind Wu Ming.

"This guy... does he think he's come to a New World where he can do whatever he wants?"

Wu Ming watched coldly from the sidelines, beginning to grasp Qin Hu's mindset.

At this moment, the advantage of still wearing a peaceful mask became clear. Qin Hu's actions were obviously pushing the others toward Wu Ming's side.

Of course, Qin Hu probably saw everyone except Wu Ming as dead weight. But Wu Ming didn't see it that way—after all, each person had their own strengths and their own value.

So he immediately took on the role of peacemaker: "Everyone, let's keep it down. Right now, we need to think about how to make contact with the locals..."

He gestured around them.

Only then did Qin Hu and the others notice that their group, standing outside the village, neither advancing nor retreating, had already drawn the attention of the villagers. Some of the able-bodied men were even gathering quickly.

In a Chaotic World, no matter where the people lived, they were always tough and good at fortifying their settlements—otherwise, they'd have been swallowed up by various forces long ago, leaving not even scraps behind.

"From what I can see, they're very wary of outsiders. They're just waiting for someone in charge to come..."

Wu Ming glanced at the villagers pointing and whispering Not far away, then lowered his voice: "Before that, we need to get our story straight. After all... if we're treated as enemies by Da Qing Village and driven out, we'll truly have nowhere to turn!"

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

"Hehe... honored guests have come from afar, and this old man has been remiss in his welcome!"

Sure enough, after a moment, a ruddy-faced, white-haired but spirited old man came out to greet them, followed by a few young lads, clasping his hands in salute: "This old man is Wang Qiao, unworthily serving as Village Chief here. May I ask your names and where you hail from?"

The group exchanged glances, and it was Wu Ming who stepped forward: "Greetings, Elder. We are..."

After a hasty round of coordinated storytelling, the identities and backgrounds of Wu Ming's group of five were settled. According to Wu Ming, he and Kang Shou Li were young masters from other prefectures, traveling with a concubine and maidservant, when they unfortunately ran into Hu people cavalry and got separated from their main party, leaving only these few.

Huang Ying and Xiao Yu were naturally the wife, concubine, and maidservant types, while Qin Hu's rough appearance left him no choice but to be cast as the bodyguard.

"What? Hu people?"

Village Chief Wang Qiao's expression changed, and even the crowd behind him stirred in alarm before barely calming down. He then said, "My apologies, honored guests! The Hu scourge grows worse by the day, and our lads are like birds startled by a bowstring—you must forgive our rudeness. Please, come inside for tea, and let this old man offer you proper hospitality..."