Chapter 32: Recruiting Troops and Buying Horses

Standing before her was a man. He was skin and bones, his body covered in the marks of a brutal beating.

A mutter rose from the crowd below.

"Old Man Ding? How does he dare?"

"Right, what can an old man like him do? He should stop embarrassing himself."

"Overestimating his own strength. Let’s just watch."

...

Old Man Ding approached, holding the tomato that Gu Xi had just distributed.

"Although I probably shouldn't say this, I feel you are wasting food." Old Man Ding’s words caused everyone present to gasp.

Gu Xi found this rather interesting.

"Tell me more." She wasn't angry. She wasn't like those men who demanded total submission; she listened to anything that might be useful. She was curious to see what issues could possibly be found with the food provided by the system.

"First, its shape is too uniform. It doesn't look like something grown in nature. In its production, it is highly likely that chemicals—growth hormones—were used. Second, its roots are extremely short, suggesting it didn't grow from the soil at all. It is likely a synthetic product."

As soon as Old Man Ding finished speaking, the crowd erupted.

"What? This Lady Xi actually dared to trick us with synthetic trash?"

"Exactly! Isn't this just blatant bullying?"

"Are you not going to eat it? If you don't want it, give it to me!"

"Hey, who said I didn't want it? Give it back!"

The scene descended into chaos once again. Gu Xi found the crowd far too noisy. She fired two shots directly into the ceiling.

"Quiet!" Gu Xi commanded, restoring order. She then looked at Old Man Ding. He was a true talent. To possess such knowledge of agriculture while living in a place like this was no small feat. She felt a genuine sense of admiration.

"Very well. You're in." Gu Xi signaled for Wang Ming to bring Old Man Ding to the back.

"What? Selected just for giving a bit of advice? That old man is too lucky."

...

Just as Gu Xi finished demanding silence, Fang Daqiang muttered a protest. She noticed that the person leading the dissent was none other than Fang Daqiang. He had walked right into the line of fire.

"You. Come here." Gu Xi beckoned him.

Fang Daqiang thought he had been selected, too. Just as he was about to stand behind Wang Ming, Gu Xi grabbed him by the collar.

"Honestly, I'm speechless," she muttered, truly at a loss for words. "Introduce yourself. Tell me your name, your skills, and what you’re good for!" she emphasized.

The crowd below watched intently, some beginning to mentally calculate their own skills and potential value.

When asked, Fang Daqiang became visibly excited. "Me? I can eat, I'm strong, I hunt, and I can carry heavy loads. I have great stamina!" He rambled on, describing his abilities in a disjointed mess.

"Hunting, you say? How do you hunt?" Gu Xi pressed.

"I usually hunt alone, catching pigs, dogs, cows, or sheep. Oh, right! A few nights ago, I went hunting with my brother!" Fang Daqiang said, brimming with excitement.

Seeing her son unable to keep his mouth shut, the shrewish woman stood by, helpless. She hoped Gu Xi would find him useful enough to keep him fed for the rest of his life. She turned a blind eye to her son’s "self-introduction."

"Your brother hunts? What exactly do you hunt?" Gu Xi’s fists began to tighten.

"You don't know? Around here, if we hunt an outsider, we keep them for seven days to bleed them dry, and then we get a reward!" Fang Daqiang continued. "If we catch a boy, we turn him into meat for offerings. If we catch a girl, we get to keep her here to settle down and have children." He didn't see anything wrong with this at all.

"So, after you hunt these people, do you get your reward?"

"Not yet! Because I hunted the wrong one! The City Lord isn't here right now—can you do me a favor and make this girl my wife?"

Fang Daqiang acted like a complete fool. How could anyone be so arrogant? Gu Xi kept her composure.

"I'll grant you a reward," she replied calmly. "Go drink the City Lord's 'holy water' dry. Is that enough for you?"

At these words, Fang Daqiang trembled with excitement. He scrambled toward the bathtub where the City Lord lay dead, burying his face directly into the foul, blood-stained water and gulping it down greedily.

What kind of twisted place was this, to condone such a perverted ritual? Gu Xi would absolutely not tolerate this!

After finishing the blood, Fang Daqiang returned to Gu Xi. "I've finished the holy water! I feel filled with energy. Please, let me join your team! I want to keep hunting!"

Gu Xi sneered. With her free hand, she wiped the muzzle of her Winchester and disengaged the safety. She fired three shots directly into Fang Daqiang’s fat skull, splattering his brains everywhere. He collapsed instantly. The crowd screamed in terror.

Gu Xi turned her aim toward the shrew in the crowd and fired a burst of shots. The woman slumped to the ground. The crowd fell deathly silent, terrified that they would be the next target of her indiscriminate attack.

"He, Fang Daqiang, was suspected of kidnapping my friend! From now on, if anyone dares to touch the girl in their house who has a shaved head like mine, the consequences will be the same as his!" Gu Xi roared.

Even Wang Ming was stunned. He finally understood that Gu Xi’s actions were driven by Fang Daqiang’s hunting activities.

"And another thing: I will continue selecting people tomorrow. If I see any other suspicious activity tonight—like boiling soup or cooking meat—bring me your heads tomorrow morning," Gu Xi warned.

Wang Ming looked at her with pure adoration. He loved this kind of woman—fierce, capable, and full of conviction.

At her words, the crowd scattered in a panic. Once home, they locked their doors tightly and extinguished their stoves.

Gu Xi ordered Wang Ming to bind the remaining members of the guard and escort them to the basement cells.

"Are you sure you can bear to lock up your comrades?" Gu Xi probed, fearing that Wang Ming might turn on her while she slept. She was most wary of double agents.

"I only pledge loyalty to the strong. And you, my noble and beautiful Lady Xi, are the strongest ruler in my eyes." Wang Ming wasn't flattering her; he was speaking the truth. Gu Xi couldn't help but laugh.

"Enough, stop the chatter. Clean up, and let's head to the Fang household."

After preparing themselves, they left the City Lord’s residence. Gu Xi remembered that she had killed Fang Daqiang and the shrew, but according to Fang Daqiang’s description, there should still be another man in the Fang family—his brother.

If anything had happened to Wang Yiyi, she would never forgive that monster. And she would certainly not spare the foolish townspeople who had stood by and let all of this happen.