Chapter 131: The Great Sir, the Little Sir, the Tiny Sir

The subsequent actions went smoothly.

Smooth to the point of being unbelievable.

In Xu Xi’s plan, breaking through the border checkpoint was only the first step; there were more and greater challenges ahead.

However.

Xu Xi, who had been cautious and careful.

Ten days later, stood on the city wall of Pingshui County Town with a look of astonishment and doubt.

“Strange…”

“The defense forces of the counties inside the Great Qian Dynasty are so weak, and I just took them down like that?”

“Moreover, after I broke through that checkpoint, no other border troops came to pursue us.”

“What exactly…”

Xu Xi pondered.

Perhaps, he had underestimated the extent of the turmoil within the Great Qian Dynasty.

The current Great Qian Dynasty might be too busy to take care of itself, busy suppressing other rebellions.

Only this could explain the smooth sailing of the Army of Survival.

“This is a good thing.”

Xu Xi smiled and turned to leave.

…

[You have successfully captured Pingshui County]

[When you arrived, Pingshui County couldn’t even mount an effective defensive counterattack. You easily blasted open the city gates and led the vast “rebel army” inside]

[Some were terrified, thinking you were bewitching the people]

[Some were numb, thinking it was just a change of rulers]

[But, you are neither good at bewitching people nor interested in becoming a ruler]

[The bravery of your army, sweeping through the county town like a storm, relied not on anything else but the starving refugees themselves]

[They were fools who only wanted to survive]

[No one is unafraid of death, everyone fears death, but if survival itself is impossible, then death becomes irrelevant]

[In just ten days, your ranks swelled once more]

[The tide of starving refugees seeking survival overwhelmed the weak resistance of Pingshui County]

[In the luxurious mansion, you found the county officials hiding together, their eyes filled with terror, calling you a rebellious traitor]

[You denied this claim]

[You are not rebelling against the Great Qian Dynasty, nor for any other reason. Your actions are solely to ensure people have enough to eat, nothing more]

…

[After capturing Pingshui County Town, the Army of Survival was excited]

[Those who had once struggled on the brink of death experienced unprecedented joy for the first time, the joy of breaking free from shackles and realizing they too are “human”]

[Some proposed to continue the attack, to capture other counties of the Great Qian Dynasty]

[But you suppressed such talk]

[You never forgot that the main purpose of teaching the Fool’s Technique and leading the poor refugees out of the borderlands was to allow more people to survive]

[The winter grew colder, the snow piled higher]

[Clearly, such weather was no longer suitable for continuing the war]

[What people needed was rest, food, and a stable way to get through the winter]

[Under your arrangement, the starving refugees and displaced people moved into Pingshui County Town, filling the empty houses, the only way to survive the winter]

[Crowding didn’t matter]

[Stifling was of no concern]

[As long as there was a house to shelter from the wind and snow, people showed extreme joy]

[No one felt such treatment was lowly, because they were originally destined to die, and it was you who made them live and gave them a place to stay]

[The New Year was approaching]

[Some advised you to rest more, as you, the “leader,” the respected Great Master Xu, often worked late into the night]

…

Just knowing how to fight is not enough.

In Qingniu Town.

Xu Xi had few people to protect, and all he needed to consider was how to ensure they had enough to eat.

The answer to having enough to eat was simple: kill demons and monsters.

The rough and hard-to-chew meat of demons and monsters could barely fill their stomachs.

All Xu Xi had to do was keep punching and slashing, then bring the dead demons back to Qingniu Town.

But now it’s different.

The number of people in the Army of Survival is too large, and each person’s clothing, food, shelter, and the practice of the Fool’s Technique require Xu Xi, the decision-maker, to judge.

It’s not that Xu Xi wants to be the decision-maker.

But apart from him, the people of the Army of Survival trust no one else.

“It’s really tiring…”

After who knows how long of busy work, Xu Xi finally broke free from the complicated administrative affairs and let out a long sigh.

The room was warm, burning precious black charcoal.

For a martial artist at the Innate Realm.

This kind of heating is actually unnecessary.

But he couldn’t resist, as people kept giving it to Xu Xi over and over.

Xu Xi often wondered, if it weren’t for this kind of silly and adorable behavior, could he have justifiably refused to manage those administrative affairs.

However.

This world never has “what ifs” or “ifs.”

“Sir, let me take over,” a voluntary voice sounded beside him.

Wu Yingxue squeezed over.

After this period of recovery, she had regained her former vitality, staying by Xu Xi’s side at all times, becoming his bodyguard while also trying her best to learn about administrative affairs.

“Then, Yingxue, I leave it to you.”

Xu Xi originally wanted to refuse.

But thinking that there were other things to do today.

He handed over the administrative affairs to her with the girl’s happy expression.

“Yes, sir, I guarantee to complete the task!”

…

[Busy administrative affairs constantly squeeze your free time]

[Fortunately, you are not alone, Wu Yingxue is quite intelligent and has shared a lot of the pressure for you]

[Heaven rewards the diligent, your long-term persistence in handling administrative affairs has made your thinking somewhat sharper, and your speed in handling written documents has increased]

[You realize]

[The current Army of Survival, with “Great Master Xu” and “Little Master Wu” is enough]

[But in the future, if more displaced people and starving refugees are absorbed, just you and the girl are far from enough]

[You need more “nodes”]

[You screen within the Army of Survival, selecting a group of people including A Niu as the “nodes” you need]

[Some of them are responsible for fighting, some for planning, some for raising livestock, each with their own strengths]

[You did not give them fancy official names and titles]

[Because they had already thought of them]

“From today on, I am Little Little A Niu Master!”

In the snow-covered Pingshui County.

An open space.

A simple and honest man shouted with great excitement.

At the same time, more people around him shouted, “Little Little Gou Dan Master,” “Little Little Ma Zi Master.”

This scene was somewhat comical, making Xu Xi stunned.

But after a moment.

He laughed out loud.

This way of naming is not pleasant to hear, giving a sense of being unrefined, neither dashing nor cool.

But somehow—

It makes one’s heart surge.

“The New Year is coming, a new year with a new atmosphere,” listening to the cheers around him, Xu Xi looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly penetrating the cold sun, seeing more things.

The corner of his mouth inexplicably turned up.