Zhan Zhao tugged at Zhan Yun's sleeve and urged her anxiously.
"Little sister, why are you just standing there? Being able to serve our lord is a blessing!"
Zhan Yun's bright eyes shimmered. Her cheeks flushed red as she gazed shyly at Liu Hao.
After a moment, she softly spoke three words.
"I… I am willing."
"Good!"
Liu Hao was overjoyed inside, though he pretended to refuse several times.
After all, being a lord meant knowing how to act.
Historically, figures like Cao Cao and Liu Bei were masters of performance.
"My lord, if you refuse to accept Yun'er, she may truly take her own life!"
Zhan Yun's eyes glistened with tears as she knelt on the ground. Old Zhan was equally determined.
Seeing their sincerity, Liu Hao finally reached out and helped her up by the arm.
"Miss Zhan Yun, I will treat you well."
And so the matter was settled.
Zhan Huan assisted Liu Hao in managing the refugees.
Zhan Zhao became one of Liu Hao's chief bodyguards, standing alongside Dian Wei.
As for Zhan Yun, she became Liu Hao's personal and beautiful cook.
Cao Zhengchun had stood silently to the side the entire time, watching everything unfold. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes.
The lord truly knows how to win people's hearts.
The land responsibility system he had proposed was something Cao Zhengchun had never heard of before.
But the more he thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed.
It perfectly used the refugees' labor to produce grain for the Liu estate.
Zhan Yun was a beauty.
Zhan Zhao was a formidable warrior.
By showing kindness to the Zhan family and their fellow villagers, Liu Hao had bound them completely to his side.
Such a strategy achieved multiple goals at once.
Truly impressive.
With his sharp eyesight, Cao Zhengchun could also clearly see the change in Liu Hao's demeanor after cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.
Cao Zhengchun felt both excited and deeply respectful.
The glory of the lord meant the glory of the servant.
The disgrace of the lord meant death for the servant.
The stronger and more capable the lord became, the happier a loyal servant would be.
Before long, the refugees smelled the aroma of porridge drifting out from the estate.
Many of them swallowed repeatedly.
Their gratitude toward Liu Hao deepened even further.
Even Liu Hao himself almost began to drool.
He secretly used his skill to look again at Zhan Zhao's attributes and felt extremely pleased.
Zhan Zhao
Strength: 90
Intelligence: 66
Politics: 41
Leadership: 67
Special Skill: Imperial Cat
Chance to detect an enemy's weakness and deliver a devastating strike.
It was exactly as Liu Hao remembered from historical stories.
Whenever Zhan Zhao found a flaw in an enemy's defense, he would strike like thunder and lightning, giving the opponent no chance to retaliate.
Once the refugees had joined his household and begun eating, Liu Hao finally heard the system's cold notification in his mind.
System Notification:
Congratulations!
Mission Completed — Refugees Successfully Settled.
Reward:
King-tier Treasure
One Jar of Hundred Blossom Immortal Wine.
Liu Hao soon found an opportunity to return to the inner residence.
The secret of the Overlord System was something he never intended to reveal to anyone.
Inside his mind, a storage space had appeared.
Within it was a wooden box.
"So this is the Hundred Blossom Immortal Wine?"
Curious, Liu Hao communicated with the system and retrieved the wooden box.
It felt extremely light in his hands.
The box was tightly sealed and decorated with intricate carvings.
Even without opening it, Liu Hao could smell a pure and refreshing fragrance leaking faintly from within.
When he opened the box, the intoxicating scent grew stronger.
It was as if countless floral fragrances had blended together.
Just one breath made him feel relaxed, as though he had stepped into a heavenly paradise.
Inside the box rested a crystal bottle.
Within the bottle flowed amber-colored liquid.
"As expected of a King-tier treasure."
"Just this small jar of wine could make women across the world fight over it."
Suddenly, Liu Hao thought of a way to make money.
"Hehe… the Empress Dowager He in the palace is also a woman. She should be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine right now."
"I wonder how much she would pay for this Hundred Blossom Immortal Wine."
With that thought, he carefully closed the wooden box and returned it to the system's storage.
Even after it disappeared, the fragrance still lingered in the room, refreshing his mind.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A gentle knock sounded from the door.
Cao Zhengchun's voice came quietly from outside.
"My lord, have you rested? This old servant has something to report."
Liu Hao opened the door.
"Uncle Cao, how are the refugees being settled?"
"Please rest assured, my lord. The Zhan family is already organizing everything."
As Cao Zhengchun spoke, he felt deep admiration.
The lord had truly grown up.
Not only had he developed a powerful physique through cultivation, but he also clearly knew what he wanted to achieve.
Since that was the case…
There was no longer any reason to hide that item passed down from the family ancestor.
Liu Hao watched as Cao Zhengchun carefully closed the doors and windows, glancing around cautiously.
He could not help but feel amused.
"Uncle Cao, if you have something to say, just say it."
Cao Zhengchun knelt and carefully pulled a sealed silk scroll from his wide sleeve.
"My lord, this is a cultivation technique passed down from our ancestor. Please examine it."
He respectfully offered the scroll with both hands.
"It is not that this old servant failed to present it earlier."
"The previous master once ordered that the technique recorded on this scroll is extremely overbearing."
"Our ancestor obtained it from the palace of Qin Shi Huang himself."
"But even he failed to cultivate it successfully."
"Only those with extraordinary talent may attempt it."
"When the lord reached adulthood, if he still showed no talent, then this divine technique would remain forever out of reach."
Seeing Liu Hao take the scroll, Cao Zhengchun added in a low voice,
"The former master also warned that this scroll is tied to the fate of the Yellow Emperor. It must never be shown lightly."
"If the lord lacks the talent to master it, this servant must pass the secret to the next generation of loyal guards and wait another thirty years to observe the talents of your descendants."
Hearing this, Liu Hao suddenly understood.
There was an old saying:
Mud cannot be molded into a wall.
If he had not obtained the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to transform his body, Cao Zhengchun probably would never have entrusted this technique to him.
Liu Hao grew increasingly curious.
What kind of secret technique required such caution?
The silk scroll clearly looked ancient, its color slightly yellowed with age.
Yet the material was strangely resilient.
Faint images of several five-clawed golden dragons coiled across its surface, lifelike and majestic.
"My lord is wise and capable. Please examine it carefully."
Cao Zhengchun respectfully withdrew.
"Let's see what ancient secret lies within."
Liu Hao eagerly opened the scroll.
But the moment he did—
He froze.
The scroll was completely blank.
Not a single word.
"What the—"
For a moment, Liu Hao thought he had been tricked.
But that was impossible.
Cao Zhengchun's loyalty was unquestionable.
So where was the problem?
Liu Hao frowned and examined the scroll again and again.
Still nothing.
Then suddenly, the system's cold voice sounded in his mind.
System Notification:
Congratulations!
You have obtained the Supreme Divine Technique:
The Yellow Emperor's Secret Art.
All Attributes +1.