The journey was very hard, but Zhou Yuan was able to profit from it.
After three days of traveling, his running ability finally became a skill, allowing him to generate income while running.
You have mastered the art of walking and acquired a life skill.
【Strong Walk, Lv1 (1/10)】
【Effect: Strength is generated from the waist and the force is applied to the feet. Walking builds endurance, while running increases speed.】
The most direct impact of the emergence of the skill "Stride" is that Zhou Yuan's movement speed has become faster, and its greater value is that it has the function of cultivating endurance.
At this time, Zhou Yuan already possessed three life skills: food supplement, recuperation, and walking, and two attack skills: splitting Huashan with force and spear stabbing.
But he was still not satisfied. On the way, he collected a lot of small dead branches, broke them into finger-length pieces and practiced throwing them.
"Shitou, stop throwing branches at me. If you have nothing to do, collect some firewood so you don't have to look for it at the next station."
"Uncle Dahuang, just bear with it. It won't hurt if a small branch hits you. Just think of it as me playing a joke on you."
"Qiaoxi Captain, are you practicing your eyesight and want to learn how to shoot?
I tell you, once you learn the bow and arrow, you can't return home. Those who can draw the bow and shoot the arrow are elite soldiers. Before they are old and weak, the military camp will not let them go no matter what. "
The leading officers were surprisingly easy to talk to when they were in the wild and did not beat or scold the servants at will.
Generally, when something happens, they will inform the team leaders of each village and ask them to go down and solve the problem.
Zhou Yuan could see that they were worried about the villagers causing trouble, so they intended to let the villagers resolve the management conflicts themselves.
Therefore, these officers usually got along very well with Zhou Yuan, and after getting to know each other, they often gathered together to chat.
"I am young and strong, and I am the leader of a group of young men, so I can't avoid being a regular soldier.
It would be better to learn some skills and become a well-paid archer."
"I see. The army values bravery and archery. If you can draw a strong bow and shoot accurately, you will surely be promoted by your superiors."
"But let me warn you, there are many people who want to advance in life by being good at shooting and being brave.
Bravery relies on passion, while shooting depends on talent. It is difficult to surpass the comrades around you through hard training alone."
"Thank you for telling me. I won't force it. I'll just give it a try."
Martial arts can boost one's courage, and courage can enhance one's temperament. The officers looked at the heroic young man in front of them, and suddenly felt that this young man would never come back.
Those who have great ambitions but are of low status may die on the battlefield, or waste their youth and struggle to improve themselves.
"Hurry up! Dusk is approaching, and the dew is heavy and it's hard to sleep in the wild. It's better to reach the post station as soon as possible."
The group chatted and laughed, trying to cheer themselves up in the midst of hardship. Most of them talked about their farmland at home, while a few expressed their aspirations for the military.
Only the officers knew that without courage and vigor, military service would be worse than corvee labor.
After all, the military tent is full of fighting men, and in the end, they have to use their fists to speak. The weaker they are, the more miserable they will be, and the stronger they are, the more powerful they will be.
Zhou Yuan walked to the side of the team, looking at the bustling villagers, knowing that these people were the ones he was most likely to win over.
Auxiliary soldiers serve for three years, and regular soldiers serve for ten years. Even if these villagers are all auxiliary soldiers and not regular soldiers, they still have to serve in the army for three years.
These people are his fellow villagers. As long as he becomes the strongest among them, they will spontaneously gather around him, obey his orders and serve him.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Before nightfall, Zhou Yuan and his group finally arrived at the next post station.
However, the gate of the post station was closed and there were no lights, so the officers had to go forward and knock on the door.
"Why are you here so late? Come in. We're out of food, but we do have hot water. You can just make do with what you have."
An old postman opened the gate and led the servants into the courtyard.
"Why are you alone? Where are the other postmen?"
"The other postmen have already run away. I am too old to run away. I might as well eat this official ration until I die."
After the old postman let everyone into the courtyard, he turned around, closed the gate, and moved a thick wooden stake to prop up the wooden door.
"Our post station doesn't keep any lights on at night and closes the gate at dusk. Once you enter the yard, don't leave.
There are blind bears roaming around in this area. Although they are not as fierce as the big brown bears in the north, they are still very ferocious.
Have your strong men guard the night. If a few old or young people are taken away, it will be a big trouble."
"With so many of us, no bear, unless it's truly blind, would dare to come looking for food."
"Hey, you're wrong, it's easier to find food when there are more people.
Those blind bears are very cunning, often appearing in groups of five or six, pouncing on one and carrying it away. If you dare to chase them, they will ambush you halfway."
The old postman's words sent a chill down the officer's spine. This post station was built in the wilderness for transit purposes. If they were to be attacked by wild beasts, there would be nowhere to hide.
"Wild beasts injuring people and disrupting the post station—this is such a serious matter, and your county government won't do anything about it?"
"How can we control them? They run away when the soldiers arrive, and come back when they leave. It would be a waste of effort to block the mountains and roads. It would be more practical to just block the doors and windows."
"Okay, let's try not to go out at night and block up the doors and windows."
The post station had limited rooms, and a hundred or so people could barely fit in by sleeping on straw mats on the floor, but more than twenty wheelbarrows had to be parked in the yard.
The villagers were not stupid and they listened to the advice and moved the sundries and dry food loaded on the wheelbarrows into the house.
"I've said everything I can. Be careful at night. Don't blame me if you hurt anyone."
The old postman staggered back to his room, leaving a group of villagers at a loss.
"Shitou, what should we do? We might not be afraid of those beasts during the day, but it's hard to say at night."
The men of Qiaoxi Village subconsciously handed the decision-making power to Zhou Yuan, letting Zhou Yuan, the nominal leader, make a decision for everyone.
Zhou Yuan waved his hand to signal them to be quiet, and then turned to the officers to ask questions.
"Dacha, can you lend me your iron spear? Wild beasts don't pick and choose when they're looking for food. We can't all sleep, so we have to leave a few brave ones to keep watch."
"Okay, take it if you want. If it can really hurt the beast, I'll even give it to you."
In an area where wild beasts roam, the officers did not have the courage to stand guard at night, but they still had the courage to lend out two swords and guns.
With their help, Zhou Yuan not only obtained an iron spear, but also organized a night watch team armed with whistle sticks and hatchets.
The other strong men were also prepared. As soon as the order was given, they would pick up the weapons at hand and drive away the beasts.
The cold moon and the brilliant stars emit a ray of light, making the night no longer chaotic and dark.
Zhou Yuan and the man on night duty hid in a large room, staring intently at the courtyard through the window.
Around midnight, the man on duty was feeling sleepy and kept yawning and crying.
"Here they come, there are six bears."
"Where is it? Why didn't we see it?"
"Ring the gong and wake everyone up. If we can't scare them away, we'll fight to the death tonight."
Zhou Yuan’s vision was different from that of the young men. He saw six health bars quickly approaching the wall of the post station.
There were blood words on two of the health bars.
【Level 3 Forest Crescent Bear】
"There are actually levels. They should provide experience."