Immortal Dao Fruits, Cards to Help Me

Chapter 5 Conspiracy? A Gang Crime!
Wadang Fort is not large; the castle area is about one and a half times the size of a small town, but many surrounding villages are also subordinate to it.

Due to the special circumstances in Liaodong, there are no ordinary administrative institutions here; they are basically all built upon military units.

No county magistrate whatsoever!

It can be considered a form of militarized management—a model in which officials assist military commanders.

There is a garrison here—a military unit of the Great Shun Dynasty, with about five thousand men, and the commander of the garrison is in charge.

Each garrison has five subordinate posts, one of which is this Wadang Fort, headed by a commander of a thousand households.

The castle walls are only a little over four meters high, made of rammed earth. The castle itself isn't very big; a large part of it is still military camps. There are some shops and pedestrians, but there's not much shouting or hawking.

According to the forum, the permanent population of this earthen fort is around four to five thousand.

Because the head of the household here is quite a person, villagers from more than a dozen surrounding villages also come here to go to the market and trade.

—And then there are those officials who do nothing right, let's not even talk about them.

Chen Xiuxian pondered, "Looking at the forums, there are quite a few quests in Wadang Fortress, and they're all of high quality. There are even some quests involving alien races where I can learn some skills! Plus, the monster spawn points around here are pretty good. I should be able to stay here until I'm around level 10..."

……

Chen Xiuxian woke up very early in the morning.

He's used to staying up late, but now he gets bored at night. Luckily, he can "go online" to browse forums while he's asleep, which forces him to go to bed early.

I got up early, took a stack of toilet paper from my inventory, and went to the restroom.
You wouldn't need to do that in a game!
The players only eat and don't excrete, making them veritable Pixiu (a mythical creature believed to bring wealth and prosperity).

But isn't he wearing it now? He can eat and poop.

Go early to grab a spot!
As for toilet paper, it became popular in the mid-period of this dynasty, about three hundred years ago.

Perhaps due to significant improvements in papermaking technology, paper production increased and prices decreased.

People have high demands for quality of life, which is why toilet paper exists.

However, it was still a bit of a luxury for ordinary people, who usually used toilet sticks—that is, bamboo or wooden sticks.

In the wild, you can use whatever you have: tree branches, clods of earth, leaves.

How could Chen Xiuxian possibly adapt to this?
At first... sigh, never mind, let's not talk about it!
The first thing he did upon arriving at Wadang Fort was to buy a large stack of toilet paper and put it in his inventory.

That's good, at least I won't forget to bring tissues~
Just remember to replenish your inventory promptly when you run out, otherwise you'll find yourself empty when you open your inventory later!
……

"Oh! You're up, sir?" The innkeeper was quite enthusiastic.

After saying hello, Chen Xiuxian went straight out.

According to information I found on the forums these past two days, there is another way for players whose acquired attributes are not good and who have difficulty fighting monsters in the early stages to level up: doing some "official" tasks.

There are many such jobs in Wadang Town, such as writing letters for people, helping people with accounts, and doing odd jobs.

Fighting monsters isn't necessarily a bad idea, as the monsters near Wadang Fort are all low-level and not very dangerous.

As a garrison town, Wadang Fort was one of the fortresses in Liaodong that were relatively close to the edge. Further east and north, there were dense forests and large hilly mountain ranges.

After crossing a large uninhabited area, about 300 miles away, lies the territory of the wild boar people.

Therefore, Wadang Fort was one of the frontiers, and the villages that depended on it were all to its west or south.

Heading east from the north gate of Wadang Fort, you'll encounter monsters of all levels.

But this isn't a game after all!
Chen Xiuxian really didn't want to go out and kill monsters alone with a sharp dagger.

Who knows if some monster might wander out from the depths of the mountain forest and eat you without a second thought?

As for the serendipitous encounter I planned before entering the game, well, believe it or not, it's just a dozen miles outside of Wadang Fort.

But the danger was even greater, with a chance of survival out of six, it was a gamble with one's life!
Chen Xiuxian thought to himself that he should take it slow; a little more time wouldn't make a difference, and stability should be the priority.
He quickly found three jobs in Wadang Fortress by relying on various posts and tips he found on the forum, as well as his unremarkable appearance.

As mentioned before, this involves helping shops with accounting, inventory management at warehouses, and even slaughtering chickens!
Chen Xiuxian found a job killing chickens at Ping An Lou, one of only two restaurants in the fortress, through Kong Ergou, a waiter at Yue Lai Inn. He had to kill about a dozen chickens every day.

That's right, killing chickens is actually the best job for him!

Because you get 2 experience points for killing a chicken!
As for the thirty or forty copper coins a day, it's only enough for food, not even enough for lodging!
He did this for three days, and his experience points were about to reach 400, which would allow him to level up 2 times. He wondered: Should I rent a house?
I've learned quite a bit about this place in the last couple of days, and it really is a great starting area!

If I level up two more times, I'll feel more confident when I go out and fight monsters.

However, staying in a single room at a guesthouse every day is not very good for my wallet.

This isn't a game, after all. In a game, if things don't go your way, you can just log off and log back in during the day.

At most, it just means I won't get enough rest, which will affect my efficiency in gaining experience points.

But that's reality; Chen Xiuxian can't just sleep on the streets!
While he was looking for a place to rent in the castle, others were also inquiring about him.

This man is called Deng San, nicknamed Bald Rat.

You can tell just by hearing it that it's not a good name.

Because of his sparse hair on the top of his head, which he couldn't even tie into a bun, and because he wasn't exactly a respectable person, he got this nickname.

Bald Rat Deng San saw Chen Xiuxian outside Ping An Building. When he first saw him, he was stunned for a moment—"Wow, he's handsome!"

Then he suddenly remembered something and grinned! Deng San asked the waiter at Ping An Lou about Chen Xiuxian and learned that he was a hanger-on who was now staying at Yue Lai Inn, introduced by the waiter there.

So they went to ask the waiter at Yuelai Inn.

Kong Ergou simply told the truth, saying that Chen Xiuxian had come to the city a few days ago and had been staying here...

The bald-haired rat Deng San was overjoyed when he heard this!

He was from out of town, with no one to rely on. Although he wore only coarse clothes, he was remarkably handsome.
Moreover, his skin was fair and smooth, and he looked like he had never done any manual labor. He was also very polite and looked like a scholar...

Isn't this a lucky find?

He rubbed his hands excitedly and soon went to see someone, explaining the situation in detail.
Chen Xiuxian was unaware that someone was watching him. He had just looked at a house; the environment was so-so, but it was cheap. He agreed to pay tomorrow and move in.

In the evening, he ate two sesame seed cakes and a bowl of wontons, said goodbye to the old man who made the wontons, and returned to the inn.

One thing that deserves praise about Chen Xiuxian is his benevolence, his eloquence, and his ability to connect people.

The elderly men who run the stall selling wontons and sesame cakes all get along quite well.

In just a few days, when Chen Xiuxian went to eat wontons, the old man gave him several extra ones!

It was because of this advantage that, after returning to the inn, the waiter Kong Ergou took the initiative to find Chen Xiuxian.

"Guest sir."

"Hey, Brother Kong, didn't I tell you to just call me by my name?"

"Alright, Brother Xiuxian, not to be nosy, but I think there's something I need to remind you of."

Upon seeing his attitude, Chen Xiuxian quickly straightened up and said, "Please speak, I'm listening."

"This afternoon, that bald-haired rat Deng San came to me asking about you. He's a good-for-nothing who idles around all day. Be careful."

Chen Xiuxian quickly clasped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Kong. I will definitely pay attention."

Bald Rat Deng San?
Chen Xiuxian carefully recalled the posts he had read in the past two days. It seemed that some of them had been mentioned, but he had only glanced at them at the time and they were not important information, so he hadn't paid attention.

No, I need to find out about it tonight.

You know what, it's hard to fall asleep when you have something on your mind.

However, Chen Xiuxian adjusted his mindset and went online in time.

Deng San, the bald-haired rat, is one of the petty thugs in Wadang Fort...

There isn't much information. There are a few missions that involve this person, some just mention him, and some missions where the player beats up his gang.

But that was the end of it; the five or six thugs got a beating and then ran away.

Could it be that they see me as a stranger all alone here and want to try and squeeze some money out of me?
I haven't flaunted any money these past two days, have I?

It couldn't be because he saw me using toilet paper, could it?! Wait! Where did he see it?
Regardless, this matter must be guarded against.

Chen Xiuxian tidied up his belongings, preparing all sorts of pills and talismans. If a fight really broke out, his attributes would be too weak, and he would have no choice but to take medicine and use talismans!
……

The next day he washed his hair. It's a real hassle to wash long hair, mainly because it's hard to dry.

I was supposed to move this morning, but the landlord went back on his word, even though we had agreed on it!
"Uncle, if you think the rent is too low, we can discuss it?" Chen Xiuxian asked tentatively.

The old man waved his hands repeatedly, looking troubled: "No, no, it's not about the money. I can't rent the house anymore. You can look for another one."

There was nothing that could be done now, so Chen Xiuxian clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Then let's just drop it."

The old man seemed a little embarrassed and whispered, "Be careful when you're out and about."

Chen Xiuxian was taken aback upon hearing this, and then nodded slightly.

There's more to the story about this house!

Sure enough, when he looked for a place to live, someone quickly approached him.

"Hey buddy, looking to rent a place?" A somewhat rustic, thin man with shifty eyes and a slightly smiling expression approached.

"Indeed, my name is Chen Xiuxian. May I ask your guidance?"

"Haha, oh? I... I'm Deng San. I heard you were asking about renting a place, and it just so happens I have a place to rent..."

Chen Xiuxian remained expressionless, thinking to himself: As expected, they've arrived.

The house that was originally agreed upon was probably ruined by him. I just don't know if he's alone or with a group? Is he trying to swindle money or extort money?
Chen Xiuxian dealt with the bald rat for a while, and even went to see the house. You have to admit, the location and conditions were quite good, and the price was very cheap.

Wow! A windfall has fallen from the sky!

Moreover, while looking at houses, he actually ran into one of the good brothers of Bald Rat Deng San.

"Oh, Master Zhou, what a coincidence to run into you! What brings you here, taking the time to stroll around?"

Deng San hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to greet him. Although it seemed like he had a lot of money, his fawning demeanor did not appear to be fake.

(End of this chapter)