In the blink of an eye, another six days had passed.
During this time, Li Yuan "took a two-day leave" to explore the depths of the Third Layer Mountain in Xiao Mo Mountain.
His exploration range expanded from the original "half-day journey" to "one and a half day's journey."
Although he walked slowly to prevent getting lost, he still managed to greatly expand his exploration range.
This exploration made him sigh with emotion:
People...always need to get out and walk around more.
If you don't walk, how would you know that the distance is actually meaningless?
After trekking through the deep mountains and old forests, Li Yuan suddenly found that seclusion was extremely meaningless.
In a barren mountain with no lights, no electricity, no phones or internet, scraping by meal after meal and even using leaves for the bathroom, what could you do? Make babies all day?
What's there to do in the mountains? Brew pine flower wine, boil spring water for tea. But first, you need to buy yeast and tea leaves, and you still need to eat...
Besides, there are many wild animals and poisonous insects in the mountains; Sister Yan definitely couldn't handle them. And if he went out exploring, he couldn't always carry Sister Yan like a trinket, right?
"Peach Blossom Spring" mentioned "claiming their ancestors escaped the chaos during the Qin dynasty, bringing their family and villagers to this secluded place, never going out again, thus isolating themselves from the outside world."
It wasn't just bringing a wife but also villagers, meaning the county people all went into the mountains together.
That must be nice.
But for such a large-scale relocation, at least two conditions must be met, right?
First, you must have great influence and say in this county;
Second, most people in the county must think like you, willingly isolating themselves.
But he met neither of these conditions.
Li Yuan sighed quietly in his heart.
The idea is good, but reality is cruel.
His "seclusion" idea cooled off for now.
However, he still decided to continue surveying Xiao Mo Mountain.
Familiarizing himself with the terrain meant leaving an escape route.
If the Red Lotus Thieves attacked the county, he and Sister Yan would have a place to escape to.
Moreover, if he could understand where Xiao Mo Mountain led to, whether it was villages, towns, or county towns, he could make follow-up arrangements.
If the place wasn't chaotic, he and Sister Yan could move there as refugees.
However,
If Shanbao County stabilized, he still planned to return.
Then he would add some injuries to himself, roll in the mud a few times, starve for three days and nights, and say he got lost in the mountains and just escaped death today.
Afterward, he would heal his injuries, save money, and find connections to move near the well-policed Silver Creek, then hunt, make money, and see if he could acquire a new cultivation skill.
...
At this time, Li Yuan was holding Lady Yan.
After the young couple rejoiced, both felt a bit worried.
Li Yuan shared these plans with Yan Yu.
Yan Yu didn't know what to say; after a long while, she said with a hint of sorrow, "Brother Yuan, speaking of retreats, I actually have some news."
After a brief pause, Yan Yu said, "It seems the troops defeated the Red Lotus Thieves..."
"So quickly?" Li Yuan was stunned and asked, "Where did you hear that?"
"The county soldiers dismantled their camps, including both regular and newly conscripted soldiers.
With such a big commotion, the county has long spread the news...
Aunt Wang originally thought her man wouldn't have to go to war, but he still had to go.
I persuaded her that this was just chasing a victory, and nothing would happen.
But the result, who knows?
Victory or not isn't up to us, but if Uncle Wang dies, Aunt Wang will collapse." Yan Yu was affected by Aunt Wang's emotions during the day and appeared somewhat melancholic.
"Brother Yuan, why do you think, since they've already won, does the County Magistrate still need to send out troops?"
"It's exactly because we've won that they need to send out troops," Li Yuan said, "Whether or not to split the credit is secondary; if they're accused of passively exterminating bandits, the County Magistrate's hat might be gone; if they get accused of colluding with bandits, the County Magistrate's head might roll."
"Is it really that casual?" Yan Yu was dumbfounded.
Li Yuan didn't know what the situation was, but recalling past historical events, he said, "The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away; who knows what is going on? Besides, they always need to kill a few corrupt officials to assuage the public's grievances, right?"
"Ah???" Yan Yu was wide-eyed, "This is no different from the women in our workshop arguing and scheming, right?"
"There's a huge difference; your arguments don't kill anyone, but here... many people will die." Li Yuan said casually.
"Oh..." Yan Yu responded softly; she suddenly felt her man was very capable, understanding even such matters.
Thinking about the affairs between officials, a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes, and those matters of high authority suddenly got pulled into the dust.
"Oh, right. Since the Red Lotus Thieves have been defeated. Then, you should prepare to come back..." Lady Yan added.
Li Yuan said, "Let's see."
As they chatted, Li Yuan glanced at the sky.
The sky was pitch black, but the bright moon had risen past mid-heaven.
"I should go."
"Be careful on the road."
...
Before dawn, Li Yuan returned to the mountain again.
In the afternoon, that tiger came for food again.
After this period of nurturing, it had already become quite well-behaved.
Even when Li Yuan was eating, it wouldn't cross the boundary but just lay on the ground licking its tongue.
When Li Yuan threw food, it would pounce like lightning and run away to eat.
Today's food was a whole roe deer.
Li Yuan roasted it for a long time; when the skin turned golden brown and the meat fragrant, he began dividing it.
He ate half, and threw the other half far away to the tiger.
The tiger pounced like a whirlwind as usual, grabbing half the roe deer.
But surprisingly, today it didn't run away but started eating right at the boundary.
Evidently, in its mind, Li Yuan was no longer a threat who would steal its food or attack it.
Li Yuan was momentarily stunned, then felt a sense of inexplicable achievement.
Though seemingly useless, it at least counted as achieving a small goal.
He and the tiger ate chunks of roe deer meat together; though separated by a distance, the initial hostility had significantly diminished.
As Li Yuan ate, he suddenly blinked.
On his panel, a new line of information appeared under the "Skills" section:
[Skill: Basic Beast Taming (1/10)]
Li Yuan felt a bit incredulous, re-checking several times before confirming it was real.
Woah! Woah wow!
A new skill!!
This accidental success actually led to the development of a new skill!!
This was true hard work and sweat.
His daily hard work wasn't in vain.
Heaven rewards diligence; even Heaven acknowledged him.
Li Yuan glanced at the "95 points" of extra points.
"Alright, alright! Then while the iron is hot, make another effort!"
"Add points!"
He furiously clicked the "+" next to "Basic Beast Taming (1/10)" 10 times.
Memories of tireless toil surged forth.
He was naturally fond of animals, and he saw them as friends. To interact better with his friends, he began observing them, wanting the animal friends to understand and obey his instructions. Hence, he started extensive practice and real-world tests.
Eventually, he succeeded. He could discern animals' thoughts through subtle motions to better direct them.
Li Yuan observed "Intermediate Beast Taming (1/20)," then looked at the unchanged overall strength, clearly another "soft power." He continued clicking 20 times.
New memories surged again.
Long, rigorous training endowed him with a special skill: he could not only understand animals' thoughts through subtle movements but also partially comprehend their language through their sounds.
Moreover, he could emit similar sounds to clearly express his intentions and achieve basic, simple communication.
Li Yuan exhaled, feeling the new knowledge in his mind, obtained through painstaking efforts.
He looked at the tiger and called out, "Howl... woo... (Is it delicious?)"
The tiger suddenly raised its head, stared at Li Yuan for a moment, then picked up the roasted roe deer and ran away.
Li Yuan shouted, "Roar! (Stop)"
The tiger quickened pace and ran faster.
Li Yuan felt uneasy.
"In that case, keep adding points!"
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