Look, there's a humanoid NPC!

Liangshan Stronghold.

Zhang Tieniu, who had been ordered to scout the surrounding area, was the first to return and report.

"Stronghold chief!"

"How much have you learned about the forces bordering our Liangshan territory?" Qin Shujian asked gravely, looking at Zhang Tieniu.

Zhang Tieniu replied respectfully, "This time, I went to the Rubble Forest. Three bands of bandits are based there, each with seventy or eighty men under them.

"Individually, they aren't much weaker than our Liangshan Stronghold.

"But the three bands leave one another alone. They've divided the Rubble Forest into three sections, each occupying one.

"Their leaders are experts of at least Martial Entry tier four, possibly tier five."

Qin Shujian's expression remained unchanged.

According to Zhang Tieniu, the forces in the Rubble Forest were much like Liangshan Stronghold, all bands of outlaws.

Unlike Liangshan Stronghold, however, the bandit factions in the Rubble Forest each held their own territory, so their individual strength was not too different from his stronghold's.

But if the Rubble Forest were united, the old Liangshan Stronghold would never have stood a chance against it.

A glimpse was enough to reveal the bigger picture.

From the situation in the Rubble Forest alone, Qin Shujian could estimate the general strength of the forces in the other areas.

A day earlier, he would have made preparations for the trouble ahead.

Now, however, Qin Shujian had set that thought aside for the time being.

First, he had perfected the Body Tempering Scripture, making him equivalent to a Martial Entry tier-six expert within Liangshan territory.

Based on what Zhang Tieniu had said earlier, of these forces, only the Xining Rebels to the west might have experts beyond Martial Entry tier five. Even then, their strength might include a bonus from their faction.

Whether they could maintain that strength after leaving the Xining Rebels' territory remained unknown.

In other words—

With him in command, Liangshan Stronghold effectively had a Martial Entry tier-six expert guarding it.

Barring any major upheaval, he could more or less keep Liangshan Stronghold safe.

Besides, what truly deserved Qin Shujian's attention now—

Were the players who had descended into this world.

No one understood better than he did just how much potential players possessed.

Or just how quickly they could grow stronger.

If he did not find a way to resolve this problem, sooner or later, players would farm him, the minor boss of Liangshan Stronghold, killing him over and over.

Before Qin Shujian could dwell on it, Wang Tiezhu returned to report on his investigation of the players.

"A village has appeared twenty li east of Liangshan. Many of the otherworlders who descended from the sky have gathered there."

"A village?"

At those words, Qin Shujian's expression darkened slightly.

A village had suddenly appeared. He barely needed to think to know what that meant.

It was undoubtedly a Novice Village in the game.

Qin Shujian had never expected such a coincidence—a Novice Village right under his nose.

This was practically roasting him over an open fire.

"Do you know how strong that village is?"

"From what I saw, there are plenty of guards in the village. There were dozens out in the open alone. Without fighting them, I couldn't gauge their actual strength, but judging by their appearance, they probably aren't weak."

Wang Tiezhu answered truthfully.

Dozens of guards in plain sight, combined with those who might be hidden away, could easily put their total over a hundred.

That was by no means a weak force.

Although Wang Tiezhu did not understand what "otherworlders" meant,

The sudden appearance of such a force within Liangshan's territory was bound to have a considerable impact on Liangshan.

Qin Shujian looked thoughtful and remained silent for a while.

The appearance of a Novice Village meant that large numbers of players might gather there.

Liangshan Stronghold was rooted here, with virtually no possibility of relocating.

If they could not move away, then once the players grew stronger, Liangshan Stronghold would inevitably be their first target.

Strike first and gain the upper hand; strike late and suffer.

Since they would clash sooner or later, he had to seize the initiative.

Outside the Novice Village.

In an open stretch of rice paddies, numerous players chased the chickens and ducks wandering among the fields with their bare hands.

"Fuck, this game is way too hard!"

"They don't give us any weapons or skills at the start, and these chickens and ducks run so fast! At this rate, when are we ever going to reach Martial Entry tier one?"

In the rice paddies, quite a few players complained helplessly.

When they first entered the game, they had been thrilled by its lifelike realism.

But once that excitement faded, they were confronted with harsh reality.

New players received only a set of clothes at the start to spare them the indignity of going half-naked. They were not given so much as an extra copper coin, let alone a weapon.

Then, to level up, they needed a cultivation technique.

So they eagerly hurried to the martial arts school to learn one.

The martial arts school charged for its techniques, but the players were penniless. Where were they supposed to get the money?

They could only turn back and find other villagers, doing miscellaneous chores to earn some copper coins.

Once they saved enough money to learn a technique, the players discovered that learning it did not directly raise their level.

To level up, they could only cultivate one step at a time.

After six months or a year, they might advance.

Naturally, this situation drove the players to despair.

Fortunately, someone later discovered that they did not have to cultivate step by step. Killing monsters, just like in other games, could also build up their cultivation progress and indirectly raise their cultivation tier.

But for unarmed players, the only enemies they could handle were relatively harmless wild monsters.

And so—

That had led to the scene before them.

Suddenly, a player stopped and looked in a certain direction in the distance, his eyes lighting up.

"Look, there's a humanoid NPC!"

"What?"

"It really is a humanoid NPC, and he's carrying a saber! One look tells you he's no pushover."

Hearing this, the other players noticed him too and immediately began talking among themselves.

As they spoke, their gazes toward the NPC grew eager.

An NPC had suddenly appeared out in the wilderness.

And judging by his equipment and clothing, he clearly was not some nobody.

In the players' eyes, he was practically a walking quest board.

Watching the players swarm toward him, Qin Shujian frowned slightly. Rather than attack them outright, he said amiably, "Everyone, this... I would like to rest in the village up ahead. Please make way."

"Of course, of course!"

Hearing this, the other players willingly cleared a path.

As far as they were concerned, an NPC they could speak with was very likely capable of handing out quests.

If they soured their relationship over some trivial matter and lost the chance to receive a quest, they would be losing far more than they gained.

But although they made way, many players refused to give up and continued asking questions from the sidelines.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"If you're having any trouble, why not tell me about it? I'll see if I can help."

"Hello..."

"..."

Qin Shujian kept a smile on his lips as he walked toward the village, surrounded by players.