Wang Yi arrived in his Crossbow Machine Carriage. He sized up Yang Wanli, noticing that while the old man's clothes were tattered, they were clean, and his hair was neatly combed. Unlike the other villagers, he looked like a man of some standing.
Zhang Dashan hurried over to Wang Yi and pointed at Yang Wanli. "This is my father-in-law, and he's also the chief of Stone Village. My father-in-law is a Physician who knows his way around herbal medicine. He spent some time in the county town when he was young, so he's not like the rest of us. He can read, diagnose illnesses, and knows a thing or two."
'He can read, and he knows a thing or two?'
Wang Yi gave Yang Wanli another look.
Yang Wanli narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you? Are you the one putting our villagers to work?"
"Father, hurry and kneel! This is an Immortal!"
At that moment, Yang Qingniu dropped to his knees with a THUD before Wang Yi. He kowtowed and said, "Immortal Master, please show mercy! Grant me roasted chicken, and I'll work!"
A short distance away, Pang Damao was kowtowing to Man Datou, crying out, "Spare me, master! Spare my life...!"
Wang Yi wore a gentle smile as he said to Yang Wanli, "I am a great Chaos Lord, destined to light the flame of civilization and lead you all to full bellies and prosperous lives."
Everyone around them was dumbfounded.
"What's that mean?"
"I don't get it!"
"I don't get it, but it sounds impressive!"
"Father, do you understand?"
The corner of Yang Wanli's mouth twitched. He recalled that the chief of Huangni Village—the one who'd led the raid on their grain—had also called himself some kind of lord. In response to his eldest daughter's question, he suddenly bowed to Wang Yi. "So you are a Lord. My apologies for not giving you a proper welcome!"
Wang Yi nodded. "Since you're here, you can work with the others this afternoon. There will be more food for dinner!"
"This..."
Yang Wanli's brow furrowed with suspicion.
In truth, he had no idea what a Chaos Lord was; he was just forcing himself to appear calm.
'This man before me is too strange!'
'In these times of famine, how could anyone be willing to give roasted chicken to a crowd of strangers?'
'Even the Emperor wouldn't be this generous.'
'And it's roasted chicken!'
'What's his angle?'
'Does he really just want the villagers to move rocks and gather firewood?'
'Impossible!'
'Absolutely impossible!'
'There's no one in the world this kind!'
'There has to be a catch!'
'And what about that bizarre courtyard, and that strange, square structure within it!'
'None of this makes any sense.'
'Things this strange must be the work of evil. Could this Chaos Lord be a Demon?'
'What is he planning?'
'To rob us and kill us?'
'Stone Village has no wealth to speak of, so that means he's here to kill us!'
'I see now. He's fattening us up for the slaughter!'
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Yang Wanli broke out in a cold sweat.
'That must be it!'
'It's not just roasted chicken, it's our last meal! We can't eat it!'
While Yang Wanli was consumed by anxiety, Yang Qingniu had no such worries. He kowtowed respectfully to Wang Yi and said, "Thank you, my Lord!"
Wang Yi nodded and went to speak with Zhang Dashan. He needed people to go to the riverbank to butcher the Sand River Giant Crab's carcass and bring back the meat.
Seeing Wang Yi walk away, Yang Wanli quickly pulled his son to his feet and whispered, "Son, you can't eat that! It's our last meal! It might even be poisoned. That fellow calling himself a Chaos Lord is definitely after our lives. Quick, go get Qingxiu and the others. We have to run!"
"Run? Why would I run? If I can have a few more meals of roasted chicken, who cares if he takes my life? Is my life worth more than roasted chicken?"
"You... you fool!"
Yang Wanli cursed, then turned to the surrounding villagers and whispered urgently, "Everyone, stop eating! Stop! We need to run, now! That Lord is definitely a Demon who knows evil arts. If we wait, we'll all die here! The roasted chicken is probably poisoned—the kind that paralyzes you so you can't even try to escape!"
No one paid him any mind.
They just kept their heads down, devouring the meat and slurping the soup, their hearts filled with bliss.
Yang Qingxiu ran over and held out half a chicken to Yang Wanli. "Father, here, eat this. Don't worry, it's fine!"
"Sis, give your big brother a bite! Just one bite!"
Yang Qingniu was practically drooling with anticipation.
Pang Damao sidled over too, his eyes darting about. Yang Qingxiu was the kindest person in the village, and he also hoped to beg a piece of chicken from her.
Just as Yang Qingxiu was about to hand the chicken to Yang Qingniu, Yang Wanli snatched it away. He tore off a piece of breast meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and declared, "I have some knowledge of herbs. I'll test it for poison! Believe me, something has definitely been added to this chicken!"
As he spoke, Yang Wanli felt the rich, savory flavor of the roasted chicken seep deep between his teeth.
'Delicious! So delicious! So damn delicious!'
'How can anything be this delicious?'
'Damn it, just one more bite!'
Yang Qingniu could only watch, stunned, as his father took bite after bite, piece after piece, until the entire half-chicken was gone. He looked like he wanted to crunch up the very bones, and when he was done, he didn't forget to suck his fingers clean.
"Father, you were supposed to leave some for me..."
Yang Qingniu was on the verge of tears.
Yang Wanli's old face flushed red, but he immediately adopted a self-righteous tone. "There's something wrong with this chicken! How could it possibly taste this good? It's not like I never had roasted chicken in my youth, but it was nothing compared to this. They must have added something to it! I don't know what, but there's definitely something wrong! Everyone, listen to me! Stop eating and run!"
"Pfft!"
"Run? My ass!"
"If we finish our work this afternoon, we get another half a chicken!"
"And the vegetable soup is delicious, too..."
A wave of scornful looks washed over him from the crowd.
Yang Wanli suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering the real issue. He yelled, "That's right! Villagers, our grain was stolen by the people from Huangni Village! Quick, grab your tools and follow me! We have to get it back, or we'll all starve!"
"Who wants to eat rice husks when we've got roasted chicken!"
"I've got work this afternoon. The foreman said if we don't work, we don't get chicken!"
"Who's the foreman?"
"Zhang Dashan!"
"I don't have time either..."
The villagers all waved their hands in dismissal.
Yang Wanli sighed, momentarily at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Wang Yi was getting ready to lead Zhang Dashan and the others to the riverbank.
'Yang Wanli isn't bad,' Wang Yi mused. 'He's a Physician and he's literate. He could be considered a talented individual. My territory is short on talent right now... this old man could be useful! How can I get him to swear fealty?'
Just then, Zhang Xiaohu ran up to Wang Yi. "My Lord, I want to report someone! My grandpa is over there spouting nonsense and disrespecting you. He actually suspects the roasted chicken is poisoned and is trying to rally people to go fight the next village over!"
"Reporting your own grandfather! Attaboy, you've got a bright future ahead of you!"
Wang Yi let out a laugh. After a moment's thought, he said to Man Datou, who was standing beside him, "Bring that old man over here."
"Yes, sir!"
Man Datou was swift. In no time, he was hauling Yang Wanli before Wang Yi.
The color drained from Yang Wanli's face.
'Is this Demon going to kill me?'
His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and his body swayed. He felt like he was about to collapse.
Wang Yi studied Yang Wanli carefully. "Old Village Chief, the villagers work for me, and I pay them with roasted chicken. Do you have a problem with that?"
Yang Wanli stammered for a moment. Then, as if he were a man walking to his own execution, he threw caution to the wind, lifted his chin, and said, "The Imperial Court has issued proclamations. Isn't imposing private corvée labor against the law?"
"Private corvée labor? You call this corvée labor?" Wang Yi retorted. "I, a benevolent Lord, am recruiting you for work and paying you with amazing Golden Roasted Chicken, and you're *still* not happy? Do you have any idea what a good deed is? Do you know a blessing when you see one?"
"Hmph! Even if... even if it isn't corvée labor, don't get cocky! I've already seen through your scheme. You're using roasted chicken to lure us in so you can take our lives! I... I'll risk it all, but I will not let you succeed!"
Yang Wanli stuck out his neck, looking for all the world like a martyr about to meet his end.
"Are you suffering from some kind of persecution complex? What would I want with your lives?"
Wang Yi waved a hand dismissively. "I also heard you were trying to organize a raid on the neighboring village. What's that about? Tell me."
"Well... the village chief of Huangni Village calls himself a raiding lord. He stole our grain. I was calling on people to take it back. Is that so wrong?"
"A raiding lord?" Hearing this, a thought struck Wang Yi. 'Could the chief of Huangni Village also be a Player?'