Chapter 20: The Abundant Qilian Mountains

Lin Mu and Xiaohu were heading toward the northwest of the village. This area consisted of rolling mountain ranges filled with venomous insects, fierce beasts, and the cries of countless birds; this was the [Qilian Mountains].

Unlike the Yinglong Peak at the northernmost point, the Qilian Mountains were a continuous expanse of hundreds of thousands of mountains, characterized by steep cliffs, layered rocks, and vast waters. Though the terrain was treacherous with dangerous peaks and precipitous walls, its resources were incredibly abundant. This abundance was one of the primary reasons Lin Mu had chosen to establish his territory in the Yinglong Valley.

Another reason was that the Yinglong Valley was extremely secluded and enclosed.

Suppressing the heavy emotions brought on by the system prompts, Lin Mu focused on what he needed now: leveling up. He comforted himself with the thought that once his level increased and his martial power rose, even large-scale bandit strongholds would be nothing more than "clay chickens and pottery dogs."

Moreover, the god-tier general Feng Zhong was present. Although he was starting from zero, his capabilities were expected to be ferocious.

The beasts near the village seemed to have been cleared out by Feng Zhong; several beast camps were bare, containing nothing but dilapidated nests. This served to ensure the village remained safe from beast attacks.

For years, the Yinglong Valley seemed untouched by humans. In such a peaceful environment, the reproduction of beasts could be terrifying. However, that long-standing peace had been broken, and Lin Mu's arrival brought prosperity to the valley. While resource extraction might cause harm, Lin Mu was not a resentful or pedantic defender of nature.

The largest river on the Yinglong Plain was the Yinglong River, nearly a thousand meters wide. The current was not overly turbulent, but the water flow was abundant and the fishing was rich. The river also had many tributaries that branched out across the valley like tree roots.

Located in the south, the Yinglong Valley received ample rainfall, possessed fertile soil, and enjoyed sufficient sunlight, making it an excellent base for grain cultivation—exactly the blueprint Lin Mu envisioned.

However, he could not move there just yet, as he did not have many boats.

In his previous life, this Yinglong Valley did not possess any particularly rare minerals or rare spirit beasts; it was simply flat terrain, free from the interference of large factions, making it relatively safe. But now, after Lin Mu established his territory, rare creatures like the Azure Ox and the Colorful Brocade Chicken had appeared. *Will my presence change the Yinglong Valley?* Lin Mu wondered.

*However, the history of the dynasties outside should not change...*

During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, warlords carved up the land, wars broke out everywhere, and farming was neglected. Natural and man-made disasters—droughts, floods, and wars—were frequent, causing grain prices to remain high. If one had sufficient grain reserves, one could handle foreign trade, domestic self-sufficiency, and war guarantees with ease and maneuverability.

Lin Mu had already drawn his grand future blueprint; all that remained was to realize it step by step.

...

Lin Mu and Zhang Xiaohu chatted casually as they walked deeper into the plains, where more ferocious beast colonies were expected to be.

After walking for most of the day, Lin Mu and Xiaohu ate some dry rations and jerky before continuing their advance.

Before long, they reached a small valley where the terrain steadily descended.

As they approached, they occasionally heard the howling of wolves, suggesting a wolf pack was nearby.

It was a colony of Azure Wood Wolves. As Lin Mu and Xiaohu entered, they spotted a single Azure Wood Wolf wandering about.

Upon seeing the wolf, they did not rush in immediately. Lin Mu instructed Xiaohu to lie in ambush among some scattered rocks by the side of the valley, while he would go to lure one Azure Wood Wolf to kill.

Azure Wood Wolves were social animals. A typical pack might consist of several thousand, but this particular pack was quite small, numbering perhaps a few hundred.

Even so, the smallest pack was not something Lin Mu and Xiaohu could face head-on.

They had to use tactics; after all, humans are smarter than beasts.

Lin Mu carefully concealed his presence and slowly approached the wandering wolf. Once he felt close enough, he threw a stone. The stone struck the wolf heavily, and the enraged beast immediately looked over. Seeing the culprit, it bared its teeth and charged straight at Lin Mu. Being of low intelligence, it did not call for its pack.

Lin Mu ran back slowly, with the Azure Wood Wolf in hot pursuit.

Upon reaching Xiaohu's ambush point, Lin Mu turned around abruptly to confront the wolf.

Using its momentum, the Azure Wood Wolf lunged forward, its sharp fangs gleaming with a predatory light.

Lin Mu did not meet the charge head-on; instead, he rolled to the side, dodging the wolf's ferocity. Xiaohu rushed out with his great saber, swinging it down with the force of a mountain-splitting blow. The saber sliced through the air with a whistling sound, striking the wolf's body. However, it only managed to tear the skin and leave a bloody gash, falling far short of Xiaohu's expectation of splitting the beast in two.

The Azure Wood Wolf had high defense, was fast, and was notoriously fierce and bloodthirsty. One simply had to master the timing. Soon, Xiaohu managed to decapitate the wolf with a single strike, blood spilling across the ground.

"Phew, finally killed it!" Facing a ferocious beast for the first time, the taciturn youth Xiaohu was quite nervous. His hands gripping the saber trembled slightly, and his face was somewhat pale. However, following Lin Mu's instructions, he had done his part.

"Well done, Xiaohu! Your first hunt, and you did excellently. Once you become familiar with the blood and combat techniques, you will have no problem standing on your own," Lin Mu praised.

"Yes, I will!" Xiaohu replied firmly.

In truth, Lin Mu had not exerted himself during the fight; he wanted to train Xiaohu. Once Xiaohu grew accustomed to the gore of combat, his trained techniques would naturally manifest, allowing him to handle ordinary beasts without issue.

Afterward, Lin Mu used the same method to lure in over ten Azure Wood Wolves, leaving Xiaohu to do most of the killing. This allowed Xiaohu to become familiar with the cruelty of battle and gradually master his combat skills. Lin Mu planned to eventually fight the wolves alongside Xiaohu, and he was preparing for group combat.

Azure Wood Wolf colonies did not all cluster in one massive group; they lived like families in their own dens. Lin Mu and Xiaohu prepared to raid a den containing about ten wolves.

The Azure Wood Wolves had excellent senses. Before Lin Mu and Xiaohu could get within twenty meters of the den, the pack had already detected them.

The pack was furious at the humans intruding on their territory. They roared and charged out, intent on tearing the invaders apart to satisfy their hunger.

With red eyes and bared teeth, the charging wolves were like a rushing flood. Xiaohu felt a moment of intimidation, his hands turning white against the saber, but he did not retreat. He charged forward bravely. The Lord had said that a brave general should charge forward and be invincible. "Aaaah!" Xiaohu let out a roar and charged alongside Lin Mu.

To Lin Mu, these were merely somewhat fierce beasts. In his past life, he had killed countless spirit beasts and demon beasts, and even as a general, he had slain many. These were mere wild animals. Now, with 14 points in Martial Power and a combat strength of 1500, dealing with these Level 7 wolves was no problem.

With steady swings of his iron spear, he picked off the wolves one by one, either skewering or stabbing them. Soon, the two had cleared the den. Xiaohu checked inside the den briefly, but found nothing but weeds and bones. He had thought there might be some heavenly treasures inside.

Seeing Xiaohu return in disappointment, Lin Mu smiled slightly. He knew Xiaohu was a novice on his first adventure. Just like in his past life, after a battle, one would naturally check the dens of beasts and spirit beasts for treasures. However, ordinary beast dens usually contained nothing, leaving one with nothing but empty expectations and disappointment. Remembering his own past, Lin Mu smiled to himself.

Hunting monsters for treasure was a highly attractive prospect, and cleaning up the battlefield for loot was equally satisfying.

Lin Mu used his Gathering Skill

"—System Prompt: Gathering successful. Obtained 1 unit of Astringent Wolf Meat, 1 Ordinary Wolf Skin. Gathering Skill proficiency +0.1%."

Aside from the skin, which had some value, the rest of the wolf carcasses were discarded. This ordinary wolf meat was astringent and tough to chew; since they weren't short on food, Lin Mu didn't want it taking up space in his inventory.

Afterward, Lin Mu and Xiaohu slowly pushed through one den after another until they encountered the pack's Wolf King!

The Wolf King was a Level 10 beast with a combat strength of over a thousand. Lin Mu met the Wolf King's gaze with caution, instructing Xiaohu to be careful. There were no healers in the territory yet, and medicine was scarce; any injury would have to heal naturally over time.

Lin Mu took on the Wolf King personally, ordering Xiaohu to clear out the Wolf King's guard wolves to provide cover.

The Wolf King's teeth were sharper, and its claws were lethal weapons. It lunged fiercely, intending to tear apart the human who was slaughtering its kin to avenge its subordinates.

Facing the ferocious pounce, Lin Mu blocked horizontally with his iron spear. *Clang, clang!* The Wolf King's claws scraped against the iron. The massive momentum forced Lin Mu back several steps. Gritting his teeth, Lin Mu charged forward, thrusting the sharp spearhead toward the Wolf King's open mouth. The mouth was one of the wolf's weaknesses; a successful thrust there was usually fatal.

*Awoo!* As if sensing Lin Mu's intent, the Wolf King tilted its head slightly to dodge the lethal blow and lunged forward, attempting to bite Lin Mu's throat. Simultaneously, its sharp claws raked against Lin Mu's leather armor with a *skritch-skritch* sound. Lin Mu's expression did not change; he seemed to have anticipated the move. He ignored the claws, knowing his armor provided high defense that the Wolf King could not breach.

Lin Mu retracted his spear to build momentum for a strike, pressing the sharp tip against the Wolf King's abdomen and slicing hard. This was another weakness. A bloody gash opened up, and blood sprayed out uncontrollably. The Wolf King let out a pained howl. Lin Mu's iron spear had neutralized its attempt to bite his throat, and the Wolf King was now at a disadvantage. The intelligent wolf realized it was no match for the human and began to show signs of retreat.

Seeing this, Lin Mu knew the beast was afraid. In battle, the brave prevail in narrow encounters. Since it intended to retreat, this was the moment to press the advantage. Lin Mu swung his spear in a wide arc, delivering a heavy blow to the Wolf King's head. The impact left the wolf dazed and disoriented. Lin Mu did not relent; with a fierce thrust, he drove the spear directly through its skull, killing it instantly.

As the Wolf King died, Lin Mu felt a warmth wash over him. He had leveled up!

Finally, after killing so many wolves, he had leveled up!

*Ding!*

"—System Prompt: Congratulations to player Lin Mu. You have killed the Azure Wood Wolf King and obtained 26% experience. Your level has increased. You have gained 4 Base Attributes!"

Lin Mu was now Level 3. After three days of training in the barracks and killing the Wolf King and hundreds of ordinary wolves, he had only gained one level. This showed just how difficult leveling up was in this Three Kingdoms world.

As usual, Lin Mu put all his attribute points into Martial Power. His Martial Power rose to 16, and his combat strength increased by 200 points. If he faced the Wolf King again, it would be much easier.

"Finally killed those damn wolf pups!" Xiaohu also finished clearing the other wolves and walked over, cheering.

"You performed well today. You are now a qualified warrior!" Xiaohu was overjoyed by the praise, his face flushed with excitement as he scratched his head.

The Wolf King's fur was quite good, and its meat should be edible; gathering it to serve as food was a viable option.

Activating his Gathering Skill, in less than three seconds, Lin Mu heard the system prompt

"—System Prompt: Gathering skill triggered successfully. Gathering successful. Obtained 1 Damaged Azure Wood Wolf King Skin (69% integrity), 10 units of Exquisite Wolf Meat. Gathering Skill proficiency +6%."

The proficiency gain was significant. It seemed that gathering high-level beasts or spirit beasts was the key to increasing Gathering Skill proficiency. He had gathered so many ordinary Azure Wood Wolves, yet the total proficiency gained was only 4%, and he had only obtained "Astringent Wolf Meat" and "Ordinary Wolf Skin." He would discard the astringent meat, but the ordinary skins could be given to the women and girls at the tailor shop to practice on, making ordinary clothing for the citizens.

Collected leather had an integrity rating; the more complete it was, the higher its value. Because Lin Mu had fought a fierce battle to kill the Wolf King, the skin was somewhat damaged, with an integrity of only 69%. It was a bit short of 100%, but it didn't matter; he wasn't a Heaven-tier general from his past life, so he wouldn't set his expectations too high.

(End of Chapter)