Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Li Yu woke up and stretched.

I studied very hard last night, and my [Intelligence] level rose to 30, jumping to 44th place on the "Intelligence Ranking".

The results are impressive, but they're quite mentally taxing. He's still full of "historical principles" and "righteousness."

Shaking his head, Li Yu got up and took [Snake Princess] for a stroll along the small pond.

Although it's a pond in a [Blessed Land of Immortals], the water and lotus flowers inside are all mortal things. However, due to the influence of the [Blessed Land of Immortals], the growth of fish and other creatures is still somewhat enhanced.

Li Yu pondered that he didn't know how late he would be busy with this "village building" project today. If he had any free time, he would definitely go to the South River to catch some fish fry and release them into the pond.

In a month or so, you can take them out and make fish soup.

After walking a few more steps, Li Yu saw a small banyan tree not far away, as well as a wooden stick about five feet long that he had stuck in the ground as a marker.

Now, two-thirds of the sticks are buried in the soil. Black ants can be seen passing by from time to time, carrying grains of millet or petals on their heads.

Li Yu walked over, bent down, and began to observe carefully.

The dozens of [Black Steeds] outside the nest seemed to sense the darkening of the sky and all raised their heads. When they saw the "Giant Lord's" face looming over them, they all stopped in their tracks.

Then, after setting down the petals and millet grains, the [Black Steeds] swung their big black rear ends—

"Yes, yes!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Is it greeting me?

Li Yu, not understanding the [ant language], waved his hand in response. As a result, the "yes, yes, yes" sounds grew louder and showed no sign of stopping.

Li Yu scratched his head.

What does that mean?

[Thirteen Ants] jumped out from behind the mound, holding a rope in his hand, with a [Sound-Echoing Insect] sticking out its tongue attached to the rope.

"My lord, they say you've stepped on [Xuan Jiu Ba Wu]!" [Thirteen Ants] stood at Li Yu's feet, flapped their phoenix wings, and shouted with their heads raised.

Xuanjiu 85?

Li Yu was taken aback, then realized—had he stepped on an ant?

As soon as I lifted my foot, I saw a [Black Steed] lying on the ground in a sorry state, with the fat worm under its big black butt exposed.

Won't I get trampled to death?

Just as Li Yu was about to check, [Xuan Jiu Ba Wu] moved his legs, got up, and stuffed the fat worm back under his buttocks. Then he shook his big black buttocks at him—"Yes, yes..."

There was a long string of "yes, yes," which Li Yu naturally didn't understand, so he turned to look at [Thirteen Ants]. [Thirteen Ants] shook his head: "It's all foul language, you shouldn't listen to it, my lord."

Li Yu was speechless. This little thing had a terrible temper and even swore!

Seeing that it was still wagging its tail there, Li Yu picked up a small stone and pressed it down.

The "yes, yes" sounds stopped immediately.

Not only did [Xuanjiu Bawu] fall silent, but the other dozens of [Xuanju] also stopped playing "pair" (a game of tag).

Li Yu was satisfied. He stretched out his palm and gestured to the [Thirteen Ants] at his feet, saying, "When you hit five 'pairs' on it, it will serve as a warning to others."

[Thirteen Ants] was taken aback and asked, "How do you 'correct' it?"

The [Xuanju] clan uses "pairs" to measure time, including hours, years, months, and days. With just a gesture from Li Yu, [Thirteen Ants] truly had no idea how long these "five pairs of time" referred to.

Li Yu didn't speak, but gave her a look, letting her figure it out herself. Then, satisfied, he led [Snake Princess] away to set up the cauldron, cook, and boil porridge.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast, Li Yu left [Fanghu].

Pushing open the door and stepping out of the courtyard, Li Yu saw many residents of Chenwangli chatting and laughing as they walked out of the village.

Upon seeing Li Yu, some acquaintances greeted him with smiles, saying, "Greetings, Dean Li."

Li Yu chuckled to himself; these indigenous people were quite trendy.

As they walked and chatted, before they even reached the village entrance, Li Yu heard several mooing sounds from an old cow.

At a glance, several oxcarts were parked on the bank of the "village protection river." Chen Lizheng and Wang Zhang were talking with Magistrate Liang and his entourage. Xiong Ba and Wang Bin were accompanying them.

When Li Yu walked away, Magistrate Liang took two steps to greet him.

"Greetings, County Magistrate." Li Yu quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

Magistrate Liang waved his hand, and his servants brought up a jade bottle and a suit of scale armor.

----------

Python Gallbladder Antidote Pills ×10

[Rank] Yellow.

[Attributes] Each dose increases Constitution, Agility, and Spirit by 2. This is ineffective if any single attribute is ≥50 points.

[Description] Made from the bile of a python, cinnamon twigs, saposhnikovia root, silkworm pupae, angelica pubescens root, arisaema cum bile, aconite root, and tangerine peel.

----------

"Corpse-Devouring Python Armor"

[Rank] Mysterious.

[Properties] Hardness 53, Texture 76, Toughness 89.

[Description] They drink my blood, eat my flesh, and even wear my scales?

----------

Magistrate Liang said that he had just arrived when the elixirs and scales were being made, so he brought them along the way.

Li Yu thanked him and placed the items with Xiong Ba. Then, guided by Wang Zhang, he greeted the others.

After another round of pleasantries, Li Yu and Wang Zhang boarded the oxcart of Magistrate Liang.

The carriage had a canopy on the roof and a small table inside. Li Yu and his two companions sat down and still felt there was plenty of space.

With a flick of the whip, the blue ox moved steadily forward.

The fruit platter on the table was filled with jujubes, chestnuts, water chestnuts, mulberries and other fruits. As the oxcart swayed gently, not a single fruit fell out.

If this vehicle were compared to those of later times, it would be a high-end motorhome. The only vehicle that could be considered a level above it at the end of the Han Dynasty was the "painted-wheels, four-view, open-canopy, seven-fragrance carriage" mentioned briefly by Cao, a married woman.

Li Yu was overjoyed to have obtained the elixir and the scales. He then casually praised the elegant carriage, the skillful driver, and the magistrate Liang's far-sighted and noble sentiments, making the other man extremely happy. By the time the oxcart reached the tethering pavilion, the magistrate Liang had already changed his address to Li Yu as "my nephew" along with Wang Zhang's.

The three of them got off the carriage in front of the pavilion.

Before Magistrate Liang and Wang Zhang could react, they were surrounded by hundreds of players shouting "Dean Li."

The oxcarts that followed, as well as the village elders, patrolmen, and pavilion chiefs who came out from the [ox-tethering pavilion], were all kept outside. This startled them.

Li Yu raised his hand, and the noise from the players gradually subsided. He said, "These two gentlemen are Magistrate Liang of Gansu County and the renowned scholar Wang, invited to our village-building ceremony. Brothers, please do not neglect them!"

Players' response—

"I wouldn't dare!"

"No way."

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Wang Daru, good morning!"

Liang and Wang responded with smiles.

Li Yu then said, "Find some tables, chairs, and benches so that you elders may rest for a while."

Several players who had previously touted the "good mortise and tenon structure" heard this and quickly came over, saying they would provide tables and chairs for free.

After everything was settled, Li Yu inquired about the "site selection" process. Two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, were elected by the group to report to Li Yu.

The man's name was Lu Xiuxi, and the woman's name was Li Hua; they were both old acquaintances from the [dream]. Though they lacked great talent, they were content with managing the mundane affairs of a "courtyard."

The two suggested three locations: one near a leveling spot, one near the official road, and one near the Giant Python Pavilion.

The first two are not far from [Shuanniuting], close to the Nanhe River, and easily accessible. The area is either rich in wild resources near the mountains and forests, or has a lot of barren land waiting to be cultivated.

But as soon as they spoke, several local officials from [Zhuniutun] and [Gujingyi] refused.

The last location contains both wasteland and forest. When the Corpse-Eating Python was present, the land was uncultivated and wild animals fled.

Now that the giant python has been killed, the risk of clearing the land has been eliminated, and wild animals such as deer, rabbits, foxes, and ferrets have gradually returned, making this place an excellent hunting ground once again.

The indigenous people naturally didn't want to give up.

One or two out of ten belong to [Black Dragon Village], the rest are counted in [Chen Wang Village].

The village head of [Heilongli] wanted to take away half of the mountain forest. Although Village Head Chen spoke tactfully, he had no intention of giving up.

The players were not about to give up, so they started arguing with these local officials and clerks.

After arguing for a while, Li Yu lost his patience and said directly to the local inhabitants of Moshang Township, "We will not take any of these three places. We only ask that you elders properly settle my 100,000 extraordinary people."

The indigenous people were speechless.

Li Yu turned to Magistrate Liang and asked him to make a decision.

After another round of heated debate, Magistrate Liang made the final decision, setting the "third place." He allocated about half of the mountain forest to the two villages of [Black Dragon] and [Chen Wang], and exchanged a considerable amount of wasteland for [Sky Courtyard].

Although both sides had their grievances, they ultimately agreed.

Li Yu waved his hand, and the group headed towards the Giant Python Pavilion.

………………

Half an hour later, two miles north of the Giant Python Pavilion, Li Yu stood on an open space.

More than a thousand indigenous people and tens of thousands of players gathered densely, surrounding the area twenty feet away.

Those in front craned their necks, full of anticipation; those in the back, unable to see anything, were anxiously scratching their heads.

As a result, people came up with all sorts of ways to get around: stepping on stones, climbing trees, riding on the backs of cows, sitting on the roofs of vehicles, and rock climbing mountains.

At a glance, the crowds were thronging, forming a vast sea that stretched in all directions.

Despite such fervent anticipation, Li Yu secretly shook his head.

He thought, "We'll see it soon—"

After the [blueprint] was used, only a short [stone tablet] stood alone, and the [territory] panel was also completely bare.

I don't know how to feel about it.

With this wicked sense of humor, Li Yu used the [Village Building Blueprint: Han's Gathering].

The next second, a three-foot-tall stone tablet appeared.

The onlookers waited a moment, but there was nothing else besides the monument.

They were all greatly disappointed.

--------

[Street Bomb Monument]

[Belongs to] Li Yu

[Status] Unnamed

--------

Li Yu renamed it [Sky Academy].

"[System]: Player Li Yu has moved into [Sky Courtyard], and [Sky Courtyard] has activated [Territory Trait: White Steed Gathers in the Cold Valley]."

Huh?