There were 64 captives in all, and only one was a woman—the Third Boss. A woman who could thrive in Bandit Village was certainly no ordinary person.
Zhao Fu pondered for a moment, then said, "Wang Ergou, come here. Tell me who usually committed the most crimes, or point out anyone who was a leader."
Wang Ergou walked over to Zhao Fu, trembling and pale. The people from Dire Wolf Village glared at him, already realizing he was the traitor.
However, despite their anger, they didn't dare say anything. The power of life and death now lay in Wang Ergou's hands. Whoever he named as a leader or the worst offender would clearly die, and Wang Ergou couldn't bring himself to meet their glares.
To Zhao Fu's surprise, Wang Ergou suddenly dropped to his knees and pleaded, "My lord! The First Boss, who led the others in their crimes, is dead, and the Second Boss was poisoned. Please spare them all. I'll kowtow to you!"
After speaking, Wang Ergou knocked his head against the ground several times, then looked up at Zhao Fu with pleading eyes.
Zhao Fu fell into thought. First, he had to consider the bandits' loyalty. He had planned to kill some of their leaders, then have Bai Qi properly discipline the rest. But now Wang Ergou was begging him to spare them all. Zhao Fu turned and glanced over the people from Dire Wolf Village.
At last, Zhao Fu slowly asked, "Are you willing to pledge your loyalty?"
The people from Dire Wolf Village looked delighted. They immediately dropped to one knee and shouted in unison, "We swear to serve you faithfully until death, my lord!"
However, one person didn't kneel. She stood there, looking hesitant. It was the Third Boss.
Seeing this, Zhao Fu didn't want to spare a leader like her. Although she was quite beautiful, he wasn't particularly interested. He casually waved a hand and said, "Kill her. Bai Qi, I'll leave the rest to you. Make sure you discipline them properly!"
After speaking, Zhao Fu was about to lead his men back to Great Qin Village.
Several soldiers obeyed and stepped forward, ready to seize the Third Boss and cut off her head.
The Third Boss turned pale and hurriedly cried, "I'm willing to submit to you, but you have to promise not to touch my body!"
"Huh? Who's interested in her body?"
Zhao Fu stopped, looking puzzled. But he didn't want to explain. This woman had clearly managed to become the Third Boss through extraordinary means, so it would be better to kill her. He waved his hand again and ordered them to execute her.
"Wait! I can give you my first time, but you have to promise never to touch me again after that!" The Third Boss bit her red lip, steeled herself, and called out as she took a step back.
"Your first time?"
Zhao Fu was speechless. Did she really think he was some lecher? He waved his hand and told them to hurry up and kill her.
A dozen soldiers gripped their ironwood swords and obeyed, surrounding the Third Boss, ready to hack her to death.
Seeing this, the people from Dire Wolf Village hurriedly tried to persuade her. "Third Boss, you should just submit to him. This lord has an extraordinary bearing and is sure to achieve great things!"
Hearing this, the Third Boss clenched her hands and gritted her teeth. At last, she called out again, "Fine! I agree, but you have to promise me you'll only ask once a week. I can sign a Life and Death Contract with you."
"A Life and Death Contract?"
Zhao Fu was already speechless at what the others had said, but the mention of a Life and Death Contract left him puzzled. He had no idea what it was.
The Third Boss took out a piece of paper, bit her thumb, and pressed it against the paper. Then she had a soldier pass it to Zhao Fu.
Zhao Fu took it and looked it over.
[Life and Death Contract] Description: Links the lives of two people. If the master dies, the other person dies as well. If the other person dies, the master is unharmed. The master can determine whether the other person lives or dies.
"Notice! Do you accept Liu Mei's Life and Death Contract?"
So there was such a thing. He should keep a few on hand in the future, in case anyone betrayed him. Zhao Fu considered it and wasn't too worried about the Third Boss doing anything, so he selected "Accept."
The paper turned into points of Spirit Light and split in two. One part entered Zhao Fu's body, and the other entered Liu Mei's.
Now that everyone had surrendered, Zhao Fu could check their aptitudes. Most were F-grade, while a few were C-grade. He was surprised to find that Liu Mei had an S-grade aptitude, so he couldn't help looking at her a few more times. Seeing this, Bai Qi felt even more certain of his suspicions.
"All right! Everyone, return to the village," Zhao Fu ordered.
The people from Dire Wolf Village were relieved that the Third Boss wouldn't have to die. Bai Qi watched the scene with a stern expression, as if he understood something.
When they returned to Great Qin Village, the people from Dire Wolf Village were astonished to learn it was a Legendary village. They were somewhat reconciled to having lost to Zhao Fu.
Li Si was also relieved to see Zhao Fu and Bai Qi return safely.
Then Zhao Fu said, "Li Si, go arrange things for these people!"
Li Si looked at the people from Dire Wolf Village and nodded. Suddenly, Bai Qi stepped forward and whispered something in Li Si's ear. Li Si's face brightened. Zhao Fu found it a little strange, but didn't pay it much mind. He took a few soldiers and went to the southern part of Great Qin Village, where he took out the white City Heart and pressed it to the ground.
"Notice! Do you wish to use the City Heart?"
Zhao Fu selected yes. As when he had established Great Qin Village, waves of light spread out, and several basic buildings slowly appeared.
After entering the Village Chief Hall, Zhao Fu checked the attributes.
Village Name: Dire Wolf Village (Ordinary)
Level: Basic (0/5000)
Village Area: 1 square kilometer
Village Territory: 5 square kilometers
Residents: 0/300 Soldiers: 0/100
Public Sentiment: 0
Special Attributes: Crop yield in the territory +2%, crop growth time in the territory -2%.
Subordinate Villages Allowed: 0
These were the attributes of an ordinary village. They were worlds apart from Great Qin Village's and couldn't be compared. Dire Wolf Village's public sentiment was now 0, and its residents were also at 0, because Zhao Fu had moved all the original residents of Dire Wolf Village under Great Qin Village. Otherwise, the village's public sentiment would have been negative, causing the bandits to appear again.
Dire Wolf Village now had no Tailor, blacksmith, or apothecary, probably because they had all fled. However, each of the three families' houses had a Class Transfer Stele, allowing people to become one of those three professions, with a limit of one each.
When he reached the barracks, he found only one Class Transfer Stele there.
[Bandit]: F-grade unit. Description: One of the scourges that appear when public sentiment is negative. Unit Effect: Each person who completes the Class Transfer gains the skill [Bandit Sword Technique].
Zhao Fu had initially planned to destroy the Bandit Class Transfer Stele. The starting class was [Militiaman], but then he thought the profession might come in handy, so he decided to keep it.
He found an old man in Great Qin Village who had some management experience and appointed him as Dire Wolf Village's new village chief. He also left a few soldiers behind to guard the village for the time being. Once the population refreshed tomorrow, the village could gradually return to normal.
After taking care of these matters, Zhao Fu returned to Great Qin Village. He planned to discuss Li Family Village with Bai Qi and Li Si, but after only a few words, Li Si said meaningfully, "Your Highness, it's late. You've had a tiring day, so you should get some rest."
Hearing this, Zhao Fu found it a little odd, but it was indeed late, so he returned to his room. However, as soon as he opened the door, he froze. A mature, alluring woman was already lying naked on his bed.
Zhao Fu immediately turned around, shut the door, and shouted, "Li Si! Get out here!"