Chapter 144: The Chen Family and the Water Do Not Mix

“Um~~ Uh-uh-uh~”

In the back kitchen of the restaurant, the three shop owners, who had just regained consciousness, watched Mo Xiaobai and his group enter. They kept shaking their bodies and kept moaning from their mouths.

“What’s the commotion? If you keep making noise, we’ll throw you into a steamer!”

Bai Hualin, who had just taken the Yang family treasure blade from the County Commandant, put on a fierce expression and pointed the blade at the three men. “Don’t move! Whoever moves first gets steamed!”

“Um~”

Seeing the gleaming treasure blade, the three men’s voices gradually faded. They did not want to die and wanted to live two more years.

“That’s better. Being obedient is all that matters.”

Bai Hualin nodded in satisfaction, sheathed the treasure blade, and turned to look at Mo Xiaobai, who was tying up the soldiers on the other side.

Seeing Mo Xiaobai struggle for a long time to tie the soldiers in layers, Bai Hualin finally spoke: “Alright, now it’s time for us to go, right?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Mo Xiaobai nodded, turned around, and together with A-Dai, lifted Yang Zhi to carry him out of the restaurant. They untied the horses and headed north.

After walking for about seven or eight li, the Intellect Brain’s notification sounded: “Congratulations, Player, for successfully completing the Instance ‘Yang Zhi’s Calamity’. You have received the reward ‘Silver Instance Treasure Chest’.”

“The Instance countdown: 10, 9, 8…”

The ten-second countdown flashed by. The ground under their feet shook again, and with a “Boom,” the scenery transformed once more. The surrounding scene had not changed, but the three of them had exited the Instance Space and returned to the Lord Plane.

At the same time, Yang Zhi, who was placed on the horse by Mo Xiaobai, finally woke up.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw Mo Xiaobai and his two companions.

“Where am I?”

Yang Zhi’s memory was still stuck at the moment before he was knocked unconscious. He shook his head dizzily and then asked, “Did the three of you save this one?”

Seeing Yang Zhi wake up, Bai Hualin immediately nodded: “That’s right, Uncle Yang. It was us who saved you.”

“Where are the officials who were with me?”

“Don’t worry, we didn’t kill them. We just knocked them out and tied them up.”

Hearing that the officials were not dead, Yang Zhi sighed with relief.

Although Yang Zhi was a criminal, his heart was still with the Great Song. This time, he was willing to accept his punishment; otherwise, how could a few officials have guarded him?

Noticing Yang Zhi’s expression, Mo Xiaobai cleared his throat: “This place is not safe yet. If you have anything to say, we will talk after returning to my Territory.”

“Good.”

Bai Hualin and A-Dai knew what Mo Xiaobai meant. Although they were far from the Instance opening point, they could not guarantee there were no other Players nearby. Getting entangled with other Players would be a nuisance.

The four of them, some riding horses and some walking, traveled for another half hour before returning to Daming Village. At this time, apart from the Village Soldiers on night patrol, there were no other villagers seen outside.

Leading the group into the Baron’s Manor, Mo Xiaobai specially arranged for Yang Zhi and A-Dai to share a large Guest Room, then he took the three Silver Treasure Chests to rest in the back courtyard.

He had already given A-Dai the opportunity. If A-Dai could not persuade Yang Zhi, then it simply meant they were not meant to be together.

…

The next morning, Mo Xiaobai woke up early as usual. As he walked out of the back courtyard to check on the Refugees that refreshed in the morning, he saw A-Dai walking over with Yang Zhi.

The two exchanged a glance, and there was a hint of a smile in their eyes.

Mo Xiaobai congratulated him on successfully recruiting Yang Zhi, while A-Dai was grateful that Mo Xiaobai did not compete with him. If Mo Xiaobai had interfered, he would have had no advantage at all.

The two walked out of the manor together. A-Dai spoke immediately: “I have come to say goodbye. Also, I heard that you also withdrew from the Ling Shi Mines before the Instance. Do you need me to organize manpower to help you mine there?”

“Not urgent for now. We have mined a lot of Ling Shi in the early stages, and I still have some left. You should focus on developing your Mercenaries. Contact other Lords in the surroundings as much as possible. After all, Mercenaries need connections. You do not want to rely solely on the stable orders I provide, do you?”

“Yes, I know. But most Players are still in the early stages, so finding a Lord to cooperate with is difficult.”

“Take it step by step. Actually, you are already far ahead. Once everyone’s Territories rise to Village Level 3 or above, there will gradually be a demand for Mercenaries.”

Hearing Mo Xiaobai mention Village Level 3, A-Dai immediately asked: “Your village has long reached Level 3. Is the next step building a town? Do we need to help?”

“Rising from a Village to a Town is not that simple. Even I have to worry about Fame and Reputation. If you know of any tasks that increase Reputation, you can sell the information to me. You know my price, and I won’t let you suffer a loss.”

“We are already Allies. Why talk about selling? I will keep an eye out for this kind of information for you and notify you when I find something.” A-Dai nodded in agreement. Instead of trading with Mo Xiaobai, he hoped to consolidate their Alliance relationship.

He would definitely help with this task.

Seeing A-Dai and Yang Zhi off from Daming Village, Mo Xiaobai returned just in time to see the Refugees refreshing.

“Huh? They actually refreshed as Boatmen today?” Mo Xiaobai originally did not want to ask about Li Ji’s arrangements for these Refugees, but after a quick glance, he had to stop in his tracks.

The profession of Territory Citizen that never appeared in Daming Village before had finally refreshed!

A Boatman with A-class qualification!

“Having an A-class Boatman means the Three-Winged Shipyard can finally start work. This is a great happy thing.”

The happy thought flashed through his mind, and Mo Xiaobai immediately walked toward the A-class qualified Boatman “Chen Hao,” who was turning his head to look around: “May I ask if the gentleman is Master Chen, the famous shipbuilder?”

“This one is Chen Hao. Who are you?”

“I am the Lord of Daming Village, the owner of this Territory. Welcome you to settle in my Daming Village.” Mo Xiaobai smiled and then spoke: “Since the Master Artisan has come, my heart’s urgent trouble is finally solved.”

“My Lord, what do you mean by that?”

“Daming Village now has thousands of people, yet not a single person can help me supervise the construction of ships. Moreover, I have the Three-Winged Shipyard from the Spring and Autumn period in my hands. I only need a skilled craftsman like you to bring the warships of that era back to life.”

Mo Xiaobai explained a sentence. After hearing this, Chen Hao immediately showed a surprised expression: “Could it be the Three-Winged Warship of the ancient State of Wu?”

“That’s right, it is exactly the Warship of the State of Wu.”

“I did not expect a Lord to find such a treasure. It is truly… truly…” Chen Hao was stunned upon hearing this and immediately exclaimed, but he stopped halfway, and the excitement on his face was quickly replaced by melancholy.

“What is wrong, Master Artisan?”

“I dare not hide it from My Lord. As you know, I am surnamed Chen. This surname sounds like ‘sink’, which is a major taboo for Boatmen. I changed my surname to learn the trade for over ten years. I originally thought that once I had mastered the art of shipbuilding, I could return to my original surname and achieve great things. However, after wandering confusedly for four or five years, no ship merchant was willing to hire me to build ships.”

Chen Hao shook his head bitterly and brushed off his empty sleeves: “The Chen family does not mix with water. I am afraid I will never be able to build a ship in this lifetime.”

His surname is Chen, so he is taboo?

Mo Xiaobai heard these words and immediately realized.

Just now, he was too excited and did not notice this point.

In the coastal areas of the Planes, many places have this unwritten custom. Surnames like “Chen,” “Cheng,” “Chen,” or names with the sound of “sink,” are not allowed to engage in any work related to ships.

Building ships is not allowed, and sailing at sea is even more forbidden.

But as a Player from Water Blue Star, Mo Xiaobai was very clear. This custom itself had no reason, and there was no such “unlucky” fact.

So what if his surname was Chen?

Daming Village only had this one Boatman right now. Could he really be picky?

The only thing Mo Xiaobai was conflicted about was that although the Chen Hao before him had the qualifications, he had never overseen the construction of even a small fishing boat.

Carelessly letting him supervise the construction of a warship would surely lead to mistakes due to lack of experience.