Chapter Twenty: The Bountiful Qilian Mountains

Lin Mu and Xiao Hu were heading towards the northwest of the village. This area was a series of undulating mountains filled with venomous insects, fierce beasts, and the songs of ten thousand birds. This was the Qilian Mountain Range.

Unlike the Yinglong Peak to the far north, the Qilian Mountain Range was a vast, unbroken expanse of one hundred thousand mountains, characterized by sheer cliffs, deep ravines, and treacherous peaks. However, it was exceptionally rich in resources, which was one of the primary reasons Lin Mu chose to establish his territory in the Yinglong Valley: an abundance of resources!

Another reason was that the Yinglong Valley was secluded and highly defensible.

Suppressing the emotions stirred by the heavy system notifications, Lin Mu knew he needed to level up. Once his level and martial prowess increased, any large-scale bandit camp would be nothing more than paper tigers, he reassured himself. Furthermore, he had Feng Zhong, a god-tier general. Although Feng Zhong was currently starting from scratch, his latent abilities were surely formidable.

The wild beasts near the village had evidently been cleared out by Feng Zhong; several beast dens were barren, containing only dilapidated nests. This ensured the village remained safe from beast attacks.

The Yinglong Valley seemed to have been untouched for years, allowing the wild beast population to thrive in the undisturbed environment. Now that the long-standing peace had been broken by Lin Mu’s arrival, the valley would surely see prosperity. While resource extraction might cause some damage, Lin Mu was not a sentimental or pedantic conservationist.

The largest river on the Yinglong Plain was the Yinglong River. Nearly a thousand meters wide, its current was steady and its volume abundant, teeming with fish. Its numerous tributaries branched out like the roots of a tree across the valley. Situated in the south, the Yinglong Valley enjoyed ample rainfall, fertile soil, and abundant sunshine, making it an ideal base for grain production—a key part of the blueprint Lin Mu had envisioned. However, he could not expand there yet as he lacked sufficient vessels.

In his previous life, the Yinglong Valley possessed no rare mineral deposits or legendary beasts; it was simply flat, safe, and free from the interference of major factions. Yet now, after establishing his territory, rare creatures like the Azure Cattle and Colorful Brocade Chickens had appeared. Could his arrival be changing the valley? Lin Mu was deeply puzzled. Hopefully, the history of the imperial dynasties beyond these mountains would remain unchanged.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the land was fractured by warlords, and war was rampant. With fields left uncultivated and natural disasters—droughts, floods, and warfare—plaguing the Great Han, the price of grain remained perpetually high. Having a sufficient reserve of grain would allow him to maneuver with ease, whether selling externally, sustaining his own people, or preparing for war.

Lin Mu had already mapped out his grand future; he only needed to realize it step by step.

...

Lin Mu and Zhang Xiao Hu chatted as they walked deep into the plains, where they expected to find some aggressive beast packs. After traveling for half a day, they grabbed a quick meal of dried rations and continued their advance. Soon, they reached a small, descending valley. As they drew closer, they heard the howling of wolves—a wolf pack was nearby.

It was a pack of Azure Wood Wolves. As they approached, they spotted one of the wolves wandering about. Lin Mu and Xiao Hu did not charge immediately. Lin Mu instructed Xiao Hu to lie in ambush among the rocks nearby while he went to lure a single wolf to kill.

Azure Wood Wolves were pack animals; a typical pack consisted of thousands, though this one was quite small, numbering only a few hundred. Even so, it was not something the two of them could face head-on.

They had to use strategy; after all, humans were smarter than beasts.

Lin Mu carefully concealed his presence and crept toward the lone wolf. When he was close enough, he threw a stone, which struck the wolf heavily. The enraged beast looked over, saw the culprit, and bared its fangs, charging straight at Lin Mu. Its low intelligence prevented it from calling for help.

Lin Mu retreated slowly, with the wolf in hot pursuit. Once he reached Xiao Hu’s ambush point, he turned and faced the beast. The wolf leaped, its sharp teeth glinting with a cold, pale light. Lin Mu rolled to the side, dodging the charge. Xiao Hu lunged out with his heavy blade, swinging it with the force of a mountain-splitting strike. The blade cut through the air, but upon striking the wolf, it only managed to slash the hide, leaving a bloody gash—a result far below Xiao Hu's expectations, as he had hoped to split the beast in two.

The Azure Wood Wolf had high defense, great speed, and a fierce, bloodthirsty temperament. By maintaining the right rhythm, Xiao Hu soon managed to decapitate the wolf, leaving blood pooling on the ground.

"Phew, finally killed it!" Despite his stoic nature, Xiao Hu was tense during his first encounter with a fierce beast. His hands trembled slightly, and his face was pale, but he had followed Lin Mu’s instructions perfectly.

"Well done, Xiao Hu. For your first hunt, you did great. Once you get used to the gore and the combat techniques, you’ll have no trouble standing on your own," Lin Mu praised.

"Yes, I will!" Xiao Hu replied firmly.

Lin Mu hadn't intervened; he wanted to temper Xiao Hu. Once the boy grew accustomed to the brutality of battle, his training would naturally translate into effective combat skills.

Afterward, using the same method, they lured over a dozen more wolves, with Xiao Hu dealing the finishing blows. Feeling that Xiao Hu was adapting, Lin Mu decided it was time to move on to group combat. They targeted a den housing about ten wolves.

The wolves had excellent senses and detected them long before they reached the den. Enraged by the intrusion, the pack snarled and charged. Xiao Hu hesitated, his grip on his blade whitening, but he did not retreat. Remembering Lin Mu’s words about the courage of a great warrior, he let out a fierce shout and charged alongside Lin Mu.

For Lin Mu, these were merely beasts. In his past life, he had slain legendary and demonic creatures, and even fought generals. With his current martial prowess of 14 points and a combat power of 1,500, dealing with these level 7 wolves was manageable. Wielding his iron spear steadily, he pierced and struck them down one by one. Soon, the den was cleared. Xiao Hu searched the nest, but found nothing but bones and weeds.

Seeing the disappointment on Xiao Hu's face, Lin Mu smiled. He remembered his own youth, when he had shared the same naive hope of finding treasures in every beast's den.

Lin Mu activated his Harvesting Skill: "System Notification: Harvesting successful. Obtained 1 unit of Coarse Wolf Meat, 1 piece of Common Wolf Hide. Harvesting Skill proficiency +0.1%."

Except for the hides, the rest was discarded. The meat was tough and unpalatable, and since they weren't desperately short on food, Lin Mu didn't want it taking up space in his inventory.

They continued to push through the small dens until they encountered the pack leader—the Alpha.

The Alpha was a level 10 beast with over a thousand combat power. Lin Mu faced it cautiously, warning Xiao Hu to be careful. Without a healer in their territory, injuries would take a long time to recover naturally.

Lin Mu took on the Alpha while Xiao Hu handled the guards. The Alpha’s fangs and claws were sharp, and it lunged with a ferocity born of vengeance. Lin Mu blocked with his spear, the metallic clanging ringing out as the claws raked across the shaft. The impact forced Lin Mu back, but he bit his lip and countered, thrusting his spear toward the Alpha's open maw—the wolf’s greatest weakness.

The Alpha dodged the fatal blow, swiping at Lin Mu’s throat. Its claws tore into Lin Mu's leather armor, but the armor held. Recognizing the wolf's intent, Lin Mu ignored the claws and drove his spear into the Alpha's abdomen, leaving a deep, bloody wound. The Alpha howled in pain, its momentum broken. Sensing it was outmatched, the wolf began to retreat.

Seeing this, Lin Mu knew it was the moment to strike. He swung his spear with the force of an army, striking the Alpha’s head and leaving it stunned. Before it could recover, Lin Mu thrust his spear through its skull, killing it instantly.

As the Alpha died, a warm sensation washed over him. He had leveled up!

"Ding! System Notification: Congratulations to player Lin Mu for killing the Azure Wood Wolf Alpha. You have gained 26% experience. Your level has increased, and you have gained 4 attribute points!"

He was now level 3. Given the three days of training and the slaughter of the Alpha and hundreds of wolves, the difficulty of leveling up in the Three Kingdoms world was clear. As usual, Lin Mu added his points to Martial Prowess, bringing it to 16 and increasing his combat power by 200.

"Haha! We finally took down these wretched beasts!" Xiao Hu cheered after finishing off the remaining guards.

"You performed well today. You are a qualified warrior now," Lin Mu said. Xiao Hu beamed, scratching his head in delight.

Lin Mu harvested the Alpha’s remains: "System Notification: Harvesting successful. Obtained 1 piece of Damaged Alpha Wolf Hide (69%), 10 units of Exquisite Wolf Meat. Harvesting Skill proficiency +6%."

The proficiency gain was significant; it seemed harvesting high-level beasts was the key to leveling the skill. The hide was slightly damaged, but at 69% integrity, it was good enough. Lin Mu wasn't a high-level general from his past life anymore—he didn't need to be so demanding.