Fearsome Farmer c1-60 Read online
Page 9
In addition, he was also looking forward to slaughtering a few more elite gray wolves.
Who said farmers can’t kill wolves? We’re the new age Dongguo1 farmers.
Of course, he had to do it low key. Today was the golden twenty-four hours. The boorish Feudal Lord might be rushing back desperately. By tomorrow night, that was still the silver forty-eight hours. If the boorish Feudal Lord didn’t appear by then, it would be possible that something went wrong.
Hence, the loggers Old Zhao, Old Chen, Cao Da had taken action too quickly. Although Li Siwen’s analysis seemed logical, they based it on the worst-case scenario where the boorish Feudal Lord had the worst luck.
Under ordinary circumstances, a powerful Feudal Lord with a Strength of 30 would not die so easily. The delay in his return was probably because of the heavy rain.
But it was just right. If their presence +1, his presence would -1.
chapter 17
Around 2 PM was the hottest time of the day.
It was bearable in the shade, but stepping out of the shade was like getting onto a barbecue grill. The heat waves that were like spicy noodles sprinkled with ghost pepper made Li Siwen practically sizzle from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. The only thing lacking was the fragrant smell of cooking.
Everyone still came out to work under the strict requirements of the militiaman Song Hu. The militiaman Song Hu carried a spear and patrolled the area about 200 meters around the logging hut. His expression was dark. The conflict between him and the four loggers was just like this weather, a bit short of becoming a fiery hot mess like Mars. Logger Old Zhao and the others were still obedient for now, thanks to their lingering awe of the boorish Feudal Lord.
But by tomorrow, if the muddleheaded Feudal Lord still could not return, conflict would be inevitable.
Under those circumstances, Li Siwen kept an even lower profile.
None of the four loggers left the shade.
Old Chen was making what he called a trap.
Cao Da was making a straw rope.
Old Zhao was strengthening the fence as much as possible.
Liu Er and Li Siwen chopped trees in the patrol area. Since they had to keep watch for two nights, the militiaman Song Hu told them they just had to cut one or two trees each.
However, within a radius of 200 meters in the patrol area, they had cut almost all trees down. If they wanted to cut down more trees, they would have to leave Song Hu’s patrol area.
Hence, Liu Er unwillingly chopped down a small tree, then ran back to the shade of the tree as though he were fleeing from something.
Li Siwen couldn’t do that. He carried his iron axe and went over 200 meters away. He didn’t have to be so reckless, but he had his own plans. Why not get more Vitality Points before the boorish Feudal Lord returned?
Even if the boorish Feudal Lord could not come back, there was nothing wrong with getting more Vitality Points. It does not clash with his aim of reducing his presence here.
In addition, he chose a place with a wide view, south of the logging hut. If the gray wolves come, they could only come from the north. Even if they detoured and went round either side, there would be other people who would sound the warning. They wouldn’t be able to sneak attack Li Siwen from behind.
The sun was bright now and they could see well. Once the gray wolves appear, Li Siwen would have enough reaction time to activate his Spirit Vision. Since he could kill one elite gray wolf, he could kill another one.
After all, his Strength was now 9 points. It was already the standard as that of a logger.
“Woo!”
The sound from the swing of his axe cutting through air was somewhat mournful. The tree trembled, and sawdust flew. The dull thud of the axe’s impact was curt and powerful, which showed that the force did not diverge. The center of gravity of felling did not shift. The cut was effective and excellent.
“The axe has gotten lighter.”
Li Siwen skillfully pulled out the axe from the trunk of the tree. 9 points of Strength was just amazing. One chop of the axe could cut about 10 CM into the trunk. When he had 5 Strength, just making a 3 or 4 CM cut took all his strength.
One chop of the axe followed by another. It was methodical and effective. After only a few dozen chops from the axe, he cut the trunk of the tree through by a third. This result was comparable to even the strongest logger Old Zhao.
However, Old Zhao definitely didn’t have 15 Stamina.
After wiping the sweat off his face, Li Siwen stopped to rest. At the same time, he re-wrapped the axe handle with rags to prevent slipping.
The afternoon was too hot. The heat would drain extra Stamina. Dehydration would also drain Stamina.
This was why people like Old Zhao would find excuses not to cut down trees. When the weather was good, cutting a tree would only consume 1 point of Stamina. Under such heat, it would require at least 3 to 5 points.
In addition, food intake, salt supply, and changes in a mood all affected work efficiency.
“That’s why people who only focus on the numbers and don’t pay attention to the changes in the environment are just being unreasonable!”
Li Siwen made light of things in his mind but did not forget to observe the surroundings vigilantly. After he was sure that he was safe, he took the water gourd from his waist, took two sips, and put it away again. He was very thirsty now, but not yet at his limit. Although the water gourd was still two-thirds full, he had to take into consideration the fact that it might not rain that night.
It took over 50 minutes to cut down a big tree. Li Siwen took three breaks, each time for about ten minutes. He tried to conserve his Stamina, but he still consumed 2 points.
Considering that he had no other specific data, he estimated that his work efficiency at the moment was felling two water bucket-thick trees in 100 minutes, consuming a total of 5 points of Stamina.
“Extract!”
Extracting 1 Vitality Point from the green orb, he added it to Strength, making Strength 10 points. This was already more than the average Strength of a logger.
Li Siwen had added points based on environmental changes and the current situation.
Now that he had 15 Stamina, he had an advantage over others in that he could work more. That meant he could get more Vitality Points, endure hunger better, and eat more.
Since they planned to guard the logging hut, they would not need to escape. Hence, he did not have to add to Agility yet.
If there was combat, his Spirit Vision could make up for his shortcomings in close combat. Any gray wolf which dared to approach him wouldn’t be able to dodge his attack. In this case, Strength was important as it could increase the damage caused.
From 2 PM to 5 PM, the weather was always extremely hot and humid. The few clouds in the sky seemed to have been nailed there. They didn’t move at all.
Regardless of the direction, the sun was scorching.
The militiaman Song Hu stopped patrolling a long time ago, and the others had stopped working. Li Siwen cut down two more trees and stopped obediently after adding one more point to Strength.
The weather is too hot. Under ordinary circumstances, felling the two enormous trees would consume at most 3 points of Stamina with his Strength at 10 points. However, he was shocked that he had used up 7 points. The excess Stamina was lost because of the heat.
But fortunately, he had basically achieved his current goal. That was to make his Strength 11 points—stronger than the strongest logger, Old Zhao.
If the boorish Feudal Lord and his party were really delayed because of the heavy rain, they would definitely be back before this evening.
Otherwise, something really bad must have happened. At that time, even though there was still a chance that the boorish Feudal Lord would return, Li Siwen could no longer keep a low profile. He had already provoked the wolves and made an enemy of them. If there were no more trees to take shade under, it would be foolish rather than clever to continue hiding.r />
chapter 18
The sun had finally set, and the entire world did not become cooler; Instead, the heat became more oppressive. It was like a huge stagnant puddle, the gray clouds in the sky were like the upturned belly of suffocated fish. It exuded a wave of despair.
The earth was scorching, the tree trunks were hot, the weeds were hot, even the people’s eyeballs were hot.
Li Siwen had finished the water in his water gourd long ago. He could have made it last longer. But to prevent Liu Er, who was already deranged from thirst, from snatching it away and affecting his plan, he simply preempted it.
Everyone tried to suppress the anger in their hearts and the hunger. They were waiting. Waiting for the return of the boorish Feudal Lord and also waiting for heavy rain and their ultimate destiny.
The threat of those gray wolves seemed to be far away.
They heard the faint rolling of thunder. Almost mad with thirst, the people who had been almost driven mad by the heat raised their heads and looked at the darkened sky, hoping that the cool rain would fall.
Now, everything else was unimportant bullshit. All they needed was water and cool temperatures.
Li Siwen was the only one who had remained seated in the logging hut. Even if his body was soaked with sweat, he didn’t move. Next to him was his sharpened iron axe. He was not waiting for the rain nor the gray wolf. It was the boorish Feudal Lord he was waiting for. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes occasionally. He had to act; he had to have some initiative.
That was if the boorish Feudal Lord had still not returned.
“Rumble!”
The sound of thunder approached and the weather seemed to be cooler. The wind blew and Li Siwen closed his eyes. Regardless of the humid surroundings, he was trying to recreate the strange state of mind similar to the previous night. He knew now that adding points to Spirit and Spirit Development were not random occurrences. A peaceful atmosphere was necessary. Otherwise, there would be a lot of undesirable side effects such as vomiting, dizziness, and headaches.
He was now trying to increase his Spirit Development to 19%. There were still six more Spirit points needed in the yellow orb.
If the boorish Feudal Lord did not return, these four Spirit points would be what he needed to start something.
“Crackle!”
There was a sudden loud peal of thunder and a gust of wind came from nowhere, tearing and roaring fiercely. Most of the branches they fixed onto the fence in the day were blown away. Among the flying sand and rocks, they could see nothing.
Suddenly, Li Siwen heard a muffled grunt. The sound was so small that it was barely noticeable in the violent wind and the rumble of thunder. If he had not been trying to keep his calm, he might not have been able to hear it.
With just a thought, Li Siwen activated his Spirit Vision without a word.
In an instant, a secondary spirit force field spread out. He could see the blades of grass, leaves, stones, and sense the fresh scent of blood in the wind.
He could even vaguely see the trajectory of the wind.
Something was wrong with the wind!
A gray shadow suddenly rushed in from an angle and leaped onto the logging hut. What awaited it was the Rushing Thunder Chop.
The gray shadow didn’t even have time to howl before its head was split directly in half. The tremendous impact flung its body far out.
There was a whine and another gray shadow pounced at lightning speed. Li Siwen held the axe in both hands and sent it flying with the same simple chop. Then, he hurried away from the entrance of the logging hut. The next moment, logger Old Zhao rushed up, bloodied. Even his axe was missing. Something had left bite marks on one of his arms, but it was not critical.
After he climbed up, the figure of the militiaman Song Hu also rushed over. But he was much more powerful. Wielding a spear, he forced two gray wolves back, before jumping onto the logging hut as well.
Then that was all.
Old Chen, who had the potential to become an inept advisor, the old wily fox Cao Da, and the impatient young man Liu Er, all became the source of screams, which were then replaced by the sounds of tearing and chewing.
The wind gradually ceased, the thunder stopped, and heavy rain didn’t fall. Instead, the sky became much brighter, and Li Siwen finally saw the scene that made him shudder.
In the evening light, a giant green wolf at least three meters tall, surrounded by a dozen gray wolves, approached them with slow steps like a king. In its eyes was an intelligent light that hinted at the ability to analyze things like a human.
At this moment Li Siwen, Old Zhao, and Song Hu felt like their hearts were being firmly grasped by an invisible claw. Their legs trembled and they sweat profusely. They had completely lost their fighting spirit.
Even Li Siwen’s talent, Spirit Vision, was completely shattered. It couldn’t bear this level of crushing might.
For a moment, he even imagined that he had touched the soul of the green wolf. It seemed to look at a delicate snack. The pleasure, the pride, and the teasing all seemed so real.
Li Siwen had no will to resist at all.
It was at this moment that he realized how weak he was in this world, and how dangerous and terrifying this world was! What he thought was his ace would not even make a splash.
It was also at this moment that the earth trembled suddenly. An extremely violent aura rolled in like a hurricane in the dark sky, instantly tearing the green wolf’s invisible suppression apart.
Li Siwen and the other two men slumped on the ground. They could only stare at the boorish Feudal Lord, who was engulfed by raging flames. He held a three to four meters huge mace, which had tongues of flame, in his hand. He was like a heavy tank, which rumbled as he rushed out from the darkness, out from the forest. In an instant he was head-to-head with the huge green wolf!
The green wolf howled and the Feudal Lord roared. Both sides stopped attacking after the first strike. When the Overseer Sun Tieshi and two senior soldiers rushed out, the green wolf finally howled and quickly retreated. Its gaze was heavy with implied meaning before it left.
When all the gray wolves had retreated, the flame-covered Feudal Lord sat down with a huff. The flames on him mysteriously disappeared. It left him panting, and he did not look good.
Taking it all in, Li Siwen quietly threw the axe aside and returned to being a meek farmer. He quietly warned himself not to activate the Spirit Vision so casually in the future.
There was no doubt that this invisible secondary Spirit force field was not invincible. Anyone who was strong enough could sense and crush it forcibly.
Old Zhao was in the worst condition at the moment. The aura of the green wolf injured and suppressed him. Furthermore, he was worried that the boorish Feudal Lord would blame him. He was so scared he peed his pants.
The militiaman Song Hu was in the best condition. He was rushing out, his excitement beyond words.
To be honest, Li Siwen now understood why Song Hu was so loyal to and had such confidence in the boorish Feudal Lord. The boorish Feudal Lord was really very powerful.
Fortunately, in the past one day and night, although Li Siwen occasionally coincidentally killed a gray wolf in full view, he was still very low key. Especially since he had four loggers who helped to draw the wolf’s attention and block its line of sight. Otherwise, it would be time for him to come clean.
However, looking at the pathetic state of the boorish Feudal Lord, not only did he not bring back his prey, he even lost two of the elite soldiers that he had previously recruited. Three mercenaries, four hunters, and five militiamen had died. It was obvious he had failed miserably. Therefore, faced with what was left in the territory, the boorish Feudal Lord probably didn’t have the mood to probe.
chapter 19
“You two, get out here now!”
The militiaman Song Hu growled. Next to him was the Feudal Lord being supported by the Overseer Sun Tieshi. He looked extremely weak.
Behind
them were two highly alert soldiers.
Li Siwen hurriedly helped Old Zhao, who had little strength left and jumped out of the logging hut. At this moment, the boorish Feudal Lord had priority.
“Wait!”
The boorish Feudal Lord suddenly spoke. His eyes were still sharp in the dark. After sweeping his gaze across the unremarkable Li Siwen shivering like a quail, it fell on Old Zhao.
“How many wolves did you kill?”
“I, I don’t know, the wind is too strong. I just swung my axe with it.” Old Zhao replied while he trembled. He was absolutely telling the truth. The gust of wind earlier arrived without rhyme or reason, churning up sand and rocks, and there was no visibility. It was most likely some kind of magic cast by the green wolf. He could be considered skillful to hack wildly and not be too scared to even move.
However, at this moment, although he was covered with blood, his face was not excessively pale. In contrast, the only bloodstain on Li Siwen’s body was from rubbing against Old Zhao.
“He’s a warrior!” It impressed the boorish Feudal Lord. He turned his head and said to Overseer Sun Tieshi, “Treat his wounds.”
“But Lord, what about your injury?”
Overseer Sun Tieshi was quite torn.
“I won’t die. You can treat me again tomorrow. If he doesn’t receive treatment, I’m afraid he will die tomorrow morning.” The boorish Feudal Lord said this in a very calm and collected tone. It sent Old Zhao into a frenzy, wishing he could declare his loyalty immediately.
Overseer Sun Tieshi could only follow his orders. After helping the boorish Feudal Lord into the logging hut, he walked to Old Zhao, stared at him for a moment, then suddenly looked at Li Siwen.
“I know you, you’re the lazy farmer. Can you tell me how you escaped when your companions were eaten by the wolf? Don’t try to pull one over my head, I can guess the truth. If this were any other time, I would take your head off. But now, you have succeeded again. The territory has undergone major changes and every pair of hands is precious, even that of a lazy man. Tomorrow, you will continue to weed!”