Wang Yi didn't give Yang Wanli a hard time. He simply asked a few questions before letting him leave.
However, Wang Yi was still very wary of Huangni Village.
'After surviving the first wave of monster invasions, a Player Lord gets at least one Chaos Blind Box and a random building. If the neighboring village really is a player's territory, I can't afford to ignore it... This world doesn't have any kind of protection mechanism. I don't want to harm anyone, but I must be on guard.'
With this in mind, Wang Yi decided to send someone to scout out Huangni Village. It would be best to get a clear picture of the Player Lord's situation there.
'I can't risk going myself. Man Datou has to stay as my bodyguard, so he can't go either. So, who should I send?'
Glancing around, Wang Yi's eyes fell on Pang Damao.
The man had his hands tucked into his sleeves and his eyes were darting all over the place. He had a shifty air about him, looking like the type to cut corners and play tricks, but he also seemed quite sharp.
'He's the one!'
Having made his decision, Wang Yi beckoned to Pang Damao. "Hey, you, the one with his hands in his sleeves. Come over here."
Pang Damao flinched and instinctively wanted to run. But then his eyes darted around, and figuring he hadn't done anything wrong, he approached Wang Yi with a fawning smile and immediately knelt. "Immortal Master, you called for me? Do you have an order for me?"
Wang Yi said, "I have a mission for you. Go to Huangni Village and gather intelligence. I want to know if anything strange has happened there in the last two days. Also, the village chief—focus on him. I want all the information you can get on him. Go now, and come back quickly. If you bring back information that I find satisfactory, there's a roast chicken in it for you!"
"You got it! I'm great at this sort of thing. I'm a fast runner—a natural-born scout!"
Pang Damao's eyes lit up. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned, strode away, and set off.
...
Three li east of Stone Village sat another small mountain village, this one named Huangni Village.
Huangni Village was bustling today. A large crowd of villagers had gathered around the small village square, their eyes fixed hungrily on a large Iron Pot in the center.
Crispy-skinned chicken was stewing inside the Iron Pot. A tall, middle-aged man stirred the contents with a wooden pole as tall as himself. The aroma of chicken soup wafted out, causing many of the onlookers to drool.
"Hahaha! A great fire to stew the chicken, a great Iron Pot to forge our band! In a bit, I'll let you dogs have a fine meal. Tonight, you're coming with me to do some plundering. We'll hit the neighboring Stone Village first!"
The middle-aged man yelled. He was Ma Changgui, the chief of Huangni Village, and also the Chaos Lord Ma Changgui.
Ma Changgui was also a Player who had transmigrated from Earth Star. A high-school dropout, he had become a street tough who loved to show off and was obsessed with his image. He was thirty years old and worked as a construction foreman in a small county town, where he had a criminal record from numerous armed brawls over labor disputes and competing for projects.
Two days prior, a drunk Ma Changgui had climbed a tower crane to protest for an unpaid project fee, lost his footing, fell, and subsequently transmigrated.
In the landing room, Ma Changgui had chosen the identity of the Huangni Village chief.
The identity itself wasn't great, but it came with Martial Arts. He knew Fierce Tiger Fist and could supposedly fight a hundred men at once!
Ma Changgui worshiped power and loved having Martial Arts. He was even more thrilled after arriving in the game because the original village chief held a deep-seated, fearsome authority in Huangni Village. He was the undisputed top dog, and no one dared to defy him!
'I've got Martial Arts, I've got followers, my starter Chaos Blind Box gave me a big Iron Pot, I got the [Mountain Bandit Camp] after surviving the crispy-skinned chicken invasion, and I even drew the Lord Talent called [Plundering]. With all this, how the hell can I not go all out and become a bandit king?'
Just as Ma Changgui was fantasizing about his glorious future, a scrawny man in a blue shirt stepped forward. "Chief, are we really going to become Mountain Bandits? I... I think we should reconsider. I've heard the county town has soldiers specifically for crushing bandits. If we get caught, they'll chop off our heads!"
Ma Changgui's eyes blazed with fury. He snatched up the wooden stirring pole and brought it down on the man's head. A single strike was enough to split his scalp, sending blood flying as the man fell stiffly to the ground.
The crowd gasped in horror, but Ma Changgui's rage was not sated. He continued to beat the man with the wooden pole, cursing with each blow. "Fuck! So you're the one with the big mouth, are you? You dare defy my decision? I'll kill you, you blind, stupid dog!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The heavy pole crashed down again and again, striking the man's head and face. Blood splattered everywhere. In less than a minute, the man stopped moving.
"He's been beaten to death!"
"Ah, Li the Second has been killed!"
"The chief is a murderer!"
"The chief is even more vicious than before..."
Cries of alarm erupted from the crowd. Many villagers stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the scene before them. Several women and children were so frightened they burst into tears on the spot.
Seeing that the man in blue was no longer breathing, Ma Changgui didn't seem to care. He tossed the wooden pole aside, wiped his hands, and glared viciously at the crowd. "What's all the noise? Listen up! From this day forward, my name is Ma Changgui. I, Ma Changgui, am your king! Obey me, and you'll eat meat. Defy me, and I'll beat you to death!"
The surrounding villagers stared at Ma Changgui in terror. No one dared to make another peep.
Ma Changgui finally nodded in satisfaction. "You dogs should feel honored to be with me," he added. "I, Master Ma, am a chosen Player. I have many tricks up my sleeve and I'm powerful. Just stick with me and you'll all be living the high life."
"Yes, yes, of course! We'll listen to Master Ma! Whatever Master Ma tells us to do, we'll do it!"
A bald villager stepped forward, bowing and scraping to curry favor.
Ma Changgui glanced at him and nodded. "Not bad, kid. What was your name again?"
"Master Ma, it's me, Gouzi! Zhang Gouzi!"
"Zhang Gouzi. Good, good, good. Today's your lucky day. Master Ma is about to grant you a great opportunity!"
Ma Changgui pointed at the crowd. "All you dogs, watch closely! Master Ma is about to show you the methods of an Immortal."
With that, Ma Changgui slung an arm around Zhang Gouzi's neck and dragged him into a wooden hut behind the square.
The hut had appeared out of nowhere, and the villagers were all rather wary of it. It was, in fact, the [Mountain Bandit Camp] that Ma Changgui had constructed.
The Mountain Bandit Camp was a barracks-type building with a single function: to change a person's class to Mountain Bandit. To be specific, by sending someone inside and consuming 10 Gold Coins and 10 points of Chaos Energy, they could be converted into a Mountain Bandit. They would receive a Mountain Bandit outfit, a large saber, and the [Green Forest Saber Technique].
Unfortunately, Ma Changgui didn't have many Gold Coins, so for the time being, he could only convert one of his followers.
After sending Zhang Gouzi into the Mountain Bandit Camp, Ma Changgui interfaced with the system. With a quick command, the camp flashed with light. A moment later, Zhang Gouzi walked out, looking completely stunned.
The current Zhang Gouzi's appearance was completely transformed. His head was wrapped in a green cloth, he now had stubbly sideburns, and he was wearing a vest made of Beast Skins, black pants, and a pair of Beast Hide Boots. On his shoulder, he carried a gleaming, large cleaver.
All the villagers were dumbstruck.
Zhang Gouzi himself was still bewildered. He looked himself over, swung the large cleaver, and exclaimed, "Well, I'll be! What happened? Did an Immortal grant me Enlightenment? I... I'm a Mountain Bandit now! And I know the Green Forest Saber Technique!"
Ma Changgui roared with laughter. "See that? That's my power! Those who follow me shall prosper, and those who oppose me shall perish! The obedient end up like Zhang Gouzi. The disobedient end up like Li the Second. Anyone have a problem with that?"
"N-No problem at all!"
"We'll listen to whatever the chief says!"
"We'll do whatever Master Ma says!"
"Whatever Master Ma tells us to do, we'll do it."
The villagers all scrambled to their knees, shouting their compliance. No one dared to defy Ma Changgui.
Ma Changgui was extremely pleased with himself. He felt he had come to the right place. In a world without laws or morals to hold him back, he could finally let loose and build his own empire.
"Good, good, good! Get ready to eat! Eat your fill, and then we're all going to Stone Village to plunder their money, plunder their food, and plunder their people!"
"Plunder their money, plunder their food, and plunder their people!"
The villagers roared in unison.
Far in the distance, perched in a tall phoenix tree, Pang Damao stared in shock at the scene in the small square. His eyes were wide, and his heart pounded like a drum.