Chapter 131: Great Master, Little Master, and Little Little Master

The subsequent operations went very smoothly. So smoothly that it was unbelievable.

In Xu Xi's vision, breaking through the border pass was just the first step; there were many more difficult challenges ahead.

However, ten days later, Xu Xi, who had held onto this vigilance and caution, stood atop the city walls of Pingshui County with a look of astonishment and uncertainty.

"Strange…"

"The defense of the counties within the Great Qian is so weak that I managed to take it down just like that?"

"Moreover, after I broke through that pass, no other border troops came to pursue us."

"What on earth…"

Xu Xi pondered.

Perhaps he had underestimated the level of turmoil within the Great Qian.

The Great Qian was likely preoccupied, busy suppressing other rebellions.

Only this could explain why the Qiuhuo Army had been sailing through so easily.

"This is actually a good thing."

Xu Xi smiled and turned to leave.

[ You successfully captured Pingshui County ]

[ When you arrived, Pingshui County could not even mount an effective defensive counterattack. You easily blasted open the city gates and led the massive "rebel army" inside ]

[ Some were terrified, feeling that you were bewitching people's hearts ]

[ Some were numb, feeling that it was merely a change in ruler ]

[ However, you are neither skilled at bewitching hearts nor do you have any intention of becoming a ruler ]

[ The reason your army is fierce and capable of sweeping through the county like a whirlwind is not due to anything else, but the starving people themselves ]

[ Those are fools who only seek to survive ]

[ No one is unafraid of death; everyone fears death. But if one cannot survive anyway, then whether one dies or not ceases to matter ]

[ In just ten days, your ranks have swelled once again ]

[ The starving people seeking to survive flooded the weak resistance of Pingshui County like a tide ]

[ In a luxurious residence, you found the county officials hiding together. They looked at you with terror, labeling you a rebellious faction that coerced and bewitched the common people ]

[ You feel this claim is inaccurate ]

[ The people of Qingniu Town, and others who joined the ranks, never actually thought of obtaining any guarantees of wealth and honor from you—nor could you provide them. They simply wanted to follow you to survive and fill their stomachs along the way ]

[ After capturing Pingshui County, the Qiuhuo Army was very excited ]

[ These "sinful people" exiled by the Great Qian suddenly burst into tears upon entering the county, weeping as they walked ]

[ Some proposed continuing the attack to strike other counties of the Great Qian ]

[ But you suppressed this suggestion ]

[ You have never forgotten that the main reason you taught the Fools Art and led the impoverished, starving people out of the border was to let more people live ]

[ The bitter winter grew colder, and the snow piled up thicker ]

[ Clearly, such weather was no longer suitable for continuing to fight ]

[ What people needed was rest, food, and to spend this winter in peace ]

[ Under your arrangement, the starving refugees moved into Pingshui County one after another, filling every vacant house. That was the only way to survive the bitter winter ]

[ Being crowded did not matter ]

[ Being stuffy was of no concern ]

[ As long as there was a room to shelter from the wind and snow, people would be extremely joyful ]

[ No one felt this treatment was inferior, because they were originally lowly lives destined to die. It was you who enabled them to live and possess a place to stay ]

[ The New Year was approaching ]

[ Some advised you to rest more, because you, the "leader" and the highly respected Grand Master Xu, were often busy until late at night ]

Knowing only how to fight was not enough.

When in Qingniu Town, the number of people Xu Xi needed to protect was small, and all he had to consider was how to get people fed.

The answer to getting fed was simple: just kill demons.

The coarse, tough demon meat could barely fill their stomachs.

The only thing Xu Xi had to do was constantly throw punches and swing his blade, then bring the dead demons back to Qingniu Town.

But now it was different.

The number of people in the Qiuhuo Army was too large; every aspect of their clothing, food, housing, and transportation, as well as the Cultivate of the Fools Art, required Xu Xi, the decision-maker, to make judgments.

It was not that Xu Xi wanted to be a decision-maker. It was that other than him, the people of the Qiuhuo Army could not trust anyone else.

"It's so tiring…"

Not knowing how long he had been busy, Xu Xi finally disengaged from the complicated administrative affairs and let out a long sigh.

The room was warm, with precious black charcoal burning.

For a Martial Artist in the Xiantian Realm, this kind of heating was actually unnecessary.

But he could not resist, as people kept stuffing it into Xu Xi's hands over and over again.

Xu Xi often wondered, if not for these foolishly cute actions, could he have peace of mind in refusing those administrative duties and not managing them?

However, in this world, there were never any "what ifs" or "supposes."

"Master, let me do it instead," a voice volunteered from beside him.

Wu Yingxue squeezed over.

After recuperating for this period, she had long since recovered her former vitality, staying by Xu Xi's side at all times, becoming his bodyguard while also doing her best to learn administrative affairs.

"Then, Yingxue, I will leave it to you."

Xu Xi had wanted to refuse, but thinking that there were other things that needed to be done today, he handed the administrative affairs over to her amidst the girl's happy expression.

"Yes, Master, I guarantee I will complete the task!"

[ The busy administrative affairs constantly squeezed your free time ]

[ Fortunately, you were not alone; Wu Yingxue was quite intelligent and shouldered a significant amount of pressure for you ]

[ The Heavenly Dao rewards diligence; your long-term Persistence in handling administrative affairs made your thinking slightly more agile, and your speed in processing written documents increased ]

[ You realized one thing ]

[ For the current Qiuhuo Army, having "Grand Master Xu" and "Little Master Wu" is sufficient ]

[ But in the time further ahead, if more refugees and starving people were absorbed, you and the young girl alone would be far from able to manage things properly ]

[ You need more "nodes" ]

[ You screened within the Qiuhuo Army and selected a group of people, including A-Niu, as the "nodes" you needed ]

[ Some were responsible for fighting, some for overall planning, and some for raising livestock; each had their own strengths and merits ]

[ You did not come up with any fancy official names or titles ]

[ Because they had already thought of them ]

"From today on, I am Little Mr. A Niu!"

Pingshui County, under the weight of wind and snow. An open space.

The honest man shouted in an incomparably excited tone.

At the same time, more people shouted beside him, "Little Mr. Gou Dan," "Little Mr. Mazi."

This scene was somewhat comical, leaving Xu Xi stunned.

But a moment later, he laughed out loud.

This naming method did not sound good; it felt amateurish, neither cool nor stylish.

But it was inexplicably—heart-stirring.

"The New Year is coming; a new year, a new atmosphere," listening to the cheers beside him, Xu Xi looked up at the sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cold sun, seeing more things.

The corners of his mouth lifted, inexplicably.