Chapter 47: The Territory Transforms

They left the city and headed back to Daming Village.

When they came, only Mo Xiaobai and Dong Yiyi traveled light, but this time the group returning was quite large.

Four old Chinese medicine doctors, three herb farmers, plus Cheng Liya, and a large, fat Golden Retriever, ten people and two pets set off together to travel toward Daming Village.

“Master, Great God.”

“Have a safe journey!”

As the group of ten stepped onto the mountain path, a black-maned horse from the main road far away stopped with a sharp whinny. A woman with a white veil on her face sat on the horse and whispered softly, staring in the direction where Mo Xiaobai and the others had left.

“Just wait, I will finish the Ranger Trials.”

“When the time comes, I will see you all at Daming Village!”

The girl smirked, flicked her long whip, and the black-maned horse beneath her neighed before galloping away, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

…

After traveling for several days in a row, Mo Xiaobai finally led everyone back into the borders of Daming Village.

By now, the territory had changed greatly again since Mo Xiaobai had left.

The most obvious change was at the Village Gate of the valley entrance. Before, the gate had only looked like a reinforced fence to Mo Xiaobai, but now it had the look of a true mountain pass.

The Stockade Wall had been widened and raised significantly, with the top now manned by Village Soldiers. Four arrow towers stood on either end, each guarded by two Archers on duty.

The total number of Soldiers inside and outside the Stockade Wall was now no less than 20.

“Welcome everyone to my Daming Village.”

“Please come in!”

Looking at the territory that changed daily, Mo Xiaobai felt proud and immediately gestured with his right hand to the people beside him.

“Baron, please go first.”

The few old doctors nodded with smiles and followed Mo Xiaobai into the territory.

“My Lord!”

As soon as he entered the village, Mo Xiaobai saw Liu Han hurriedly climb down from the Stockade Wall and come to stand before him.

“I welcome my Lord back to the village.”

“Do not worry about these empty formalities, Uncle Liu, go get back to work. You must ensure the defense at the village gate is secure.”

“Yes!”

Liu Han put his fists together in a salute and replied, then took two quick steps backward before climbing back up onto the Stockade Wall.

“Environment truly shapes people. Liu Han is still Liu Han, but the look of a former farmer is gone, replaced by a tougher demeanor.”

“He Chun is quite good at training soldiers. I will go see that kid in a moment.”

Very satisfied with the soldiers at the village gate, Mo Xiaobai became even more eager to know what changes had happened inside the territory during this time. Especially the changes that could not be seen from the territory data.

From the valley entrance into the heart of the territory, Li Ji had come to meet them upon hearing the news.

“Ji, I bow before my Lord.”

“Maogong need not worry about such formalities. Since I was away these past few days, you have worked very hard on all matters.”

Mo Xiaobai helped Li Ji up, who was about to bow, then turned and smiled. “Let me introduce you to this person. This is Cheng Liya, the gourmet chef I invited. From now on, he will stay by my side. These few elders here are well-known medical figures from Juancheng. Our Daming Village’s medical clinic will rely entirely on them. And over here, these three are experienced hands for planting medicinal gardens. It cost me a lot of money just to borrow them for three months.”

“There is also a dog… uh, cough, Maogong, please do not worry about that. For now, please arrange their lodging. Mengde does not need separate arrangements; he will stay with me in the Baron’s Manor.”

Mo Xiaobai first gave a string of instructions to Li Ji, then turned to Cheng Liya and the others. “Maogong is the Deputy Village Head of my Daming Village. He is talented in both civil and military affairs and is my right hand. Everyone, please follow him to rest. After traveling for so many days, you must rest well. Mengde, just follow me.”

Arranging for everyone to rest first was a decision Mo Xiaobai made after some thought.

As for not arranging anything for Dong’s girl, it was simply because Second Miss Dong did not need his help at all. As soon as she returned to the village, she and her yellow-and-white companion had run off, and who knew where they were now playing hide-and-seek.

After arranging everyone comfortably, Mo Xiaobai took Cheng Liya to his own manor. Unlike the previous Lord’s Manor, the current Baron’s Manor was also a luxurious upgrade version.

Before, it was just a simple stone house, maybe a bit flat and nice-looking. But now it was different. The residence had been upgraded to a tiled house. The two manor doors, painted in bright cinnabar red, looked much more imposing than before. The stairs in front of the manor gate were no longer wooden; they looked smooth as jade, and Mo Xiaobai did not know what special stone material they were made of.

“My Lord.”

Mo Xiaobai had been standing still at the door of his home for a long time, so Cheng Liya spoke up softly.

“Oh, right, come in with me.”

Mo Xiaobai realized he had lost his composure and waved with a smile. “Before I left, the manor was not like this. I was only gone for a few days, but the changes are truly huge.”

Taking Cheng Liya into his Baron’s Manor, Mo Xiaobai realized the entire manor had changed more than just a little bit; it looked as if it had been completely demolished and rebuilt.

The previous Lord’s Manor, if spoken of nicely, was a manor; if spoken of bluntly, it was just a stone slab house.

But now?

Three courtyards were arranged in staggered rows, with two observation pavilions on either side. A green, shaded corridor surrounded the inside of the residence, with flowers and grass all around, filling the air with fragrance.

Mo Xiaobai was not even sure how many rooms were now inside the residence.

“Uh, I am not very familiar with this place either. There seem to be many empty rooms in the front courtyard. Mengde, pick whichever one you like and stay there.”

He was not even familiar with his own home, and Mo Xiaobai felt a bit strange after saying that.

So he shook his head, left Cheng Liya in the front courtyard, and went straight to the inner residential courtyard of the manor.

It was only when he arrived at the inner courtyard that Mo Xiaobai found a sense of familiarity. At least his bedroom had not been changed by the Intellect Brain; it was mostly still the same as before, just with some new furniture and decorations.

“The changes to the Baron’s Manor are this big, so the changes to the territory must not be small either.”

“Let’s go out and see.”

After walking around his own manor and satisfying his vanity greatly, Mo Xiaobai strolled out of the manor, with the Militia Training Ground as his first target.

“Hah!”

“Hah! Hah~~”

As soon as he walked near the Drill Ground, Mo Xiaobai heard the shouts of training coming from inside. Without thinking, he was about to step in, when a rough voice came from the entrance of the Drill Ground:

“Stop, intruders!”

Outside the Drill Ground, four upright Village Soldiers stood guard, each holding a long spear. One of the four spoke.

“Not letting me in?”

“The General has ordered that no one may enter this Military Camp without permission!”

Mo Xiaobai laughed immediately upon hearing this, pointed at himself and said, “Oh? Not even me? Don’t you know who I am?”

“Please do not make things difficult for us, My Lord. I must report this to the General.”

“You know me but still won’t let me in? Tsk tsk, you kid have a bright future.” Mo Xiaobai poked the soldier who had spoken, then waved his hand. “Let He Chun come out. I haven’t seen him for a few days, and his attitude seems bigger than mine.”

“Yes!”

The speaking Village Soldier put his fists together in a salute, immediately turned around, and walked into the barracks. The other three remained at their posts, staring straight ahead without looking sideways.

A moment later, the sound of training did not stop inside the camp, but the hurried footsteps grew closer. Mo Xiaobai looked inside and just saw He Chun running over in a panic.

“My Lord!”

He Chun reached Mo Xiaobai and immediately put his fists together in a salute.

“Hmm, Jianli, you have become quite sturdy after training the Village Soldiers these past few days.” Mo Xiaobai smiled and walked over to He Chun, patting his shoulder. “That young soldier just now was good. Training him will make him a solid backbone of my Military Camp.”

He Chun gave a forced smile, followed Mo Xiaobai behind into the military camp, but when he glanced at the Village Soldier who had spoken before, he glared fiercely at him, as if wanting to kick him again.

Being glared at by his own officer, the Village Soldier who had spoken earlier looked innocent and confused.

Did you not give that order, General?

How can you blame me!