Chapter 2

Chapter 2: First Blood

Lin Maoxian glanced at the attributes of the other four men. Aside from the fact that they all possessed the same skill, their other stats varied slightly, likely due to differences in their individual physical conditions.

While Lin Maoxian was inspecting the Yellow Turban Soldiers, the old man kneeling on the ground begged loudly, "Good soldiers, please spare this old man's life! I am merely a common herb gatherer; I beg you to show mercy and let me go."

The leader, Li San, let out a sinister laugh. "A common herb gatherer? Who told you to go where you shouldn't and learn what you shouldn't? If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. When you get to the 'other side,' don't hold a grudge against us brothers." With that, he raised his broadsword, preparing to strike.

Seeing the brute about to cut him down, the old man waved his hands frantically. "Wait, wait, wait... Good soldiers, I really am just a gatherer. I didn't go anywhere I shouldn't have, nor did I learn any secrets. I truly know nothing! Please, spare my life!"

"That's not for us to say. We were only ordered to send you 'down there.' Whether you know anything or not is none of our concern." Ignoring the old man's cries, he raised his blade again to deliver the killing blow.

Hidden to the side, Lin Maoxian felt a stir in his heart upon hearing their exchange; perhaps there was more to this than met the eye. Unsure how many more Yellow Turban Soldiers were nearby, Lin Maoxian immediately activated the A-rank skills Copper Skin and Iron Bone. As he did, a notification from the space appeared: Adventurer's base Strength and Stamina have temporarily reached 25 points (actual value 27). Please select one of the following options as a temporary extreme-value reward.

Reward 1: Strength +3.

Reward 2: All Strength-based checks +5.

Reward 3: Increase crushing damage caused by Strength attribute gaps by 100% (a 10-point gap causes a crushing effect with 100% bonus damage; a 20-point gap grants 200%, and so on).

"Select Reward 1." After checking the Yellow Turban Soldiers' stats earlier, Lin Maoxian realized none of their attributes exceeded 10. By choosing Strength +3, he could trigger a double crushing effect, resulting in a 200% damage bonus.

Looking at his current 32 points of Strength, Lin Maoxian knew time was short. He didn't waste words on pleasantries; he charged into the fray and, before the men could react, threw a punch directly at Li San.

With a thunderous "BANG!", the others only saw a blur as a figure appeared before Li San and struck him in the chest. Li San was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground without even a sound—he was clearly dead on impact.

After sending Li San flying, Lin Maoxian received a notification: Adventurer dealt crushing damage to Yellow Turban Soldier Li San. Target lost (32-8)*3\*2 = 144 HP. Yellow Turban Soldier Li San has died.

Adventurer killed a target in a one-on-one duel. Condition met. Adventurer completed achievement 'First Blood'.

Adventurer obtained the Black Iron title 'First Blood'. Title effect: Strength +2 (stacks with all damage and checks).

Adventurer completed achievement 'First Blood' and gained 2 Contribution points. You must accumulate 10 achievements to receive the next Contribution point.

Looking at the prompt, he realized the title was easy to obtain, which explained why its effect was so modest—just +2 Strength. However, the 2 Contribution points were a pleasant surprise. As for the requirement of 10 achievements for more points, that would take a long time.

He immediately equipped the 'First Blood' title. Seeing his Strength rise by 2, he turned his attention back to the damage calculation. He realized the 2 points must have been the defense bonus from Li San's equipment, yet he had still killed him in one blow. Seeing how effective high stats were against low ones, Lin Maoxian confirmed his strategy of balanced leveling was correct; he just needed to max out a few stats before moving on to others.

Taking advantage of the group's shock, Lin Maoxian punched the other two men.

Two loud "BANGS!" echoed, and the two men collapsed, motionless. The noise snapped the remaining two out of their stupor; they let out shouts and turned to flee toward the woods.

Lin Maoxian wouldn't let them escape. He gave chase, and with the massive gap in Agility, he caught up in just a few strides.

Without a word, he punched them each in turn, finishing them off. Upon receiving the notification that he had killed five people, Lin Maoxian immediately deactivated his skills. In that brief moment, he had consumed 40 points of energy—a quarter of his total. If he didn't stop, he would be in trouble if an emergency arose.

Lin Maoxian turned back to the old man. Seeing a white light hovering over Li San's corpse, he realized it was loot and used the space's built-in 1-meter range pickup function to store the items. Only then did he address the old man. "Old man, it's safe now. Get up."

The old man, still in shock from the sudden turn of events, was roused by Lin Maoxian's voice and scrambled to his feet. "Thank you for saving my life, benefactor! If not for your intervention, I would surely be a ghost under their blades."

Lin Maoxian put on a righteous air. "To see injustice and act is the duty of our kind. Please, do not stand on ceremony."

Seeing his benefactor's noble demeanor, the old man sighed in admiration. "It is because of people like you that I have been spared!"

"This is no time for talk. Where are you headed? Let me escort you part of the way." Lin Maoxian didn't want to linger; who knew if a larger force of Yellow Turban Soldiers might arrive? Getting himself trapped would be a disaster.

"My name is Sun, benefactor. You may call me Old Man Sun. I am a physician at a clinic in Pingyang County. I came out to gather herbs and ran into this trouble. I intend to return to Pingyang County immediately." Old Man Sun explained his background and his desire to return to the county.

"What a coincidence. I am also headed to Pingyang County. Since our destinations are the same, I shall escort you. It is not safe here; if more soldiers arrive, it will be difficult to handle. Let us go." Lin Maoxian stepped forward to help the old man up.

Hearing that more soldiers might arrive, Old Man Sun agreed immediately. "Yes, yes, let us leave at once. It would be disastrous if more bandits appeared."

Lin Maoxian supported Old Man Sun and left the area quickly.

After walking for a while, Lin Maoxian asked, "Old Sun, can you tell me how you came to be surrounded by those soldiers?"

"Sigh!" Old Man Sun sighed. "There is nothing to hide. I am a physician in Pingyang County. My son is ill and requires a specific herb found only on Dilong Mountain, not far from here. With the Yellow Turban Soldiers gathering outside the city, no other herb gatherers dared to leave. I had no choice but to go myself. Heaven blessed me, and I found the herbs, but I never expected those five men to jump out and claim I knew secrets I shouldn't. They wanted to kill me. I found a gap and ran, but I lacked the stamina and was caught. You know the rest, benefactor."

Lin Maoxian asked, "Is Dilong Mountain far from where this happened?"

"It is about two miles to the left of where we were, benefactor."

Lin Maoxian pondered this. Dilong Mountain was only about a kilometer away. But why would Yellow Turban Soldiers be on the mountain while they were gathering outside the city? Was it a strategic location? Did they want to keep their presence there a secret, even to the point of killing a common herb gatherer? If he had the chance, he would have to investigate.

Lin Maoxian asked about the situation with the soldiers and the city garrison, but Old Man Sun knew little. He had been too preoccupied with his son's illness to pay attention to anything else; he had only heard about the potential siege from a customer at his shop.

Seeing he couldn't learn more, Lin Maoxian stopped asking and helped the old man toward Pingyang County.

Since the main force of the Yellow Turban Soldiers was gathered twenty miles away, they reached the walls of Pingyang without incident.

"Who goes there? Stop immediately, or be killed without mercy!" As they approached the city, a soldier's voice rang out from the battlements.

Old Man Sun hurriedly shouted back, "It is I, Old Man Sun! I left this morning to gather herbs; we have met before!"

The soldier on the wall recognized him. "It really is Old Man Sun. But who is that young man with you? The Yellow Turban bandits are about to attack; no strangers are allowed into the city to prevent internal sabotage."

Lin Maoxian spoke up loudly, "Officer, I am here because I saw the imperial recruitment notice. I wish to join the army and serve the court."

"So you are here to join the army? Very well. Both of you, get into the basket, and we will hoist you up." The soldier lowered a large basket.