Chapter 1 The Beginning

The forest was deserted, so Zhou Jing practiced the Basic Tempering Method again.

Although he didn't know if there was anything extraordinary in the current world, he didn't need to try his luck to find it. The practice method of the Martial Artist system in the main world was perfect as his main cultivation.

Zhou Jing used the No. 4 Apostle's body to start practicing, and soon got information about the exercise. The Martial Artist system did not have too much power conflict with the current plane.

He was rich in Star Realm Points, so he directly turned on the cultivation acceleration for [Basic Tempering Method] and [Zhongping Spear Technique].

In addition, the panel also showed that he had triggered the achievement of [Newcomer], which was a repetitive achievement that could be obtained every time he entered a new Star Realm.

The reward was 100 Star Realm Points and a skill version of "Language Rapid Analysis". He was no stranger to both of them and stored them in the warehouse.

After doing all this, Zhou Jing walked out of the forest unhurriedly.

The location he specified for projection, according to the information from the main world, should be a stable place. There was a village nearby, and he planned to use this as a starting point to find out the changes in this world.

"The last time the main world intersected with this Star Realm, it was still a troubled time. Later, a mighty man descended from the sky and completed the unification, establishing the Great Xia Dynasty. At the end of the intersection period, this dynasty had only been established for a short time and was thriving. Now, the second intersection, I don't know how many years have passed here, and what is the scene of this dynasty..."

Zhou Jing thought as he walked along the dirt road.

After about half an hour, a large earth wall surrounded by hundreds of green trees came into view, with wisps of smoke rising from within. It was a village...

Several dirt roads extended from the village in all directions. Occasionally, donkey carts and peddlers came and went, and it was not lacking in popularity.

Outside the village were large fields, and many sallow-faced and thin farmers were working in the fields with their shirts off.

There was a stone tablet by the road with the words "Wu Family Village" engraved on it.

Zhou Jing didn't understand the language of this world, but in the information given in the Explorer course, the place names were annotated in the main world's common language and the words of this plane. He had done his homework earlier, and now he happened to recognize the character ren, confirming that it was the village he had designated for projection.

"Looks quite prosperous, let's go in and take a look."

He raised his eyebrows and walked along the road towards the village.

The closer he got to the village, the more villagers and passers-by there were. More and more people noticed Zhou Jing and couldn't help but cast curious glances.

Even the farmers working in the nearby fields stopped their work and straightened up to look at Zhou Jing, who was swaggering down the road, from a distance, not daring to approach.

It wasn't that Zhou Jing's behavior was out of line, but that his appearance was different. Such a burly and brave man was really rare, more than a head taller than ordinary people.

His messy hair was like a lion's mane, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, masculine and mighty, with a tiger-like gaze between his glances. He was wearing a yellow short coat, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his forearms were muscular, and his fan-like hands had distinct joints. He wore a black belt around his waist, his legs were wrapped in leggings, splattered with mud, and he was covered in dust. He carried a crooked tree branch like a stick on his shoulder, walking with a dragon-like stride, causing pedestrians to avoid him, as if a beast was descending from the mountain, a lion or tiger was coming out of the forest!

Although he attracted attention, no one stopped him along the way. Zhou Jing walked into the village, glanced around, and found that the village was really not small, but the layout was clear at a glance.

In the very center of the village was a large village surrounded by high walls, which looked like the local landlord's residence, covering a large area. Around it were circles of simple thatched huts and tile houses, mostly the residences of farmers.

In addition, there were many inns, restaurants, teahouses and other shops in the village for travelers to rest. This Wu Family Village was probably located at a fork in a transportation route, so there were many outsiders in the village and the business was not bad.

"According to the information, the Great Xia Dynasty had tens of millions of people when it was founded. Now, if there are no accidents, it is probably over 100 million. The population is much larger than the Beast World, and the land area is dozens or hundreds of times larger than the Terra Empire. The Beast World has a primitive civilization, while the Great Xia Dynasty in the d19 plane is a relatively mature agricultural civilization. This Wu Family Village, whether in terms of area or number of households, is dozens of times larger than Frostwood Village, and can almost be considered a small county town..."

Zhou Jing secretly made a comparison.

He looked around and saw a tea shed at the entrance of the village, so he strode over.

From the moment Zhou Jing entered the village, the tea man at this tea shed had noticed him early on and was a little scared. Now that he realized Zhou Jing was approaching, he hurried to meet him with a smile on his face.

"Guest, would you like a bowl of tea soup?"

Zhou Jing was a newcomer and didn't understand the language here, so naturally he didn't understand. However, he was prepared and immediately used the "Language Rapid Analysis" that he had just received as a reward for the [Newcomer] achievement.

[Discovered unknown language, [Language Rapid Analysis] has been used]

[You have acquired the skill [Great Xia Dynasty Mandarin]]

[Mastery level: lv2-]

Zhou Jing didn't sit down. He stood outside the tea shed with his stick on his shoulder, and without using any polite words, he directly asked:

"Old man, I have lived in the mountains for a long time and don't hear about worldly affairs. I came out of the mountains today and have some things to ask. What dynasty is it now? Is it still Great Xia?"

The tea man was startled and almost wanted to cover Zhou Jing's mouth, but after sizing up the difference in their physiques, he still gave in and said tremblingly, "Oh, guest, be careful what you say. Of course, the world belongs to the imperial court now, who else would there be?"

Zhou Jing had a long conversation with the tea man who had a bitter face and roughly understood the current situation.

The current Great Xia Dynasty had continued for 160 years. It had been over a hundred years since the last intersection with the main world. It had fought several battles with the surrounding foreign tribes, with victories and defeats, and expanded its territory slightly, causing the map of the main world to be a little outdated, with errors in the border areas.

However, the area he had designated for projection was a prosperous place in the Central Plains of the Great Xia Dynasty, far from the border, so the map of the main world was still valid, and the general direction was definitely not a problem. At most, there would be some small errors, such as some small villages disappearing or rising in the past hundred years. This was unavoidable.

Zhou Jing kept it in mind, thought for a while, and then asked about the state of the world.

After all, the No. 4 Apostle had "lofty aspirations". Since he had a plan to rebel, he planned to first understand the current environment of the people's livelihood before making plans.

Hearing this, the tea man smiled bitterly:

"The world now...sigh, it's good enough to be able to eat a mouthful of food. How dare we, the common people, speak recklessly?"

Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows and grabbed the tea man's arm: "Old man, tell me in detail."

The tea man was unwilling, but he didn't dare to disobey this big man who looked like he was not to be trifled with at a glance, so he had to stammer, which aroused his own suffering, and he sighed from time to time.

After listening, Zhou Jing extracted some information in his mind and roughly understood the situation, which was not surprising.

He had at least received compulsory education and taken history classes. The Great Xia Dynasty had been in power for 160 years, and the current situation was not new. It was nothing more than the common problems of the late feudal dynasty.

The emperor was昏庸 (hūn yōng, muddle-headed and incompetent), treacherous officials were in power, land was being annexed, and the people were not living well...all that was missing was natural and man-made disasters!

'Fortunately, at least the uprising is in accordance with the will of heaven and is not a complete disaster to the world...'

Zhou Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The apostle's life goal was not mandatory. If it was too contrary to his own wishes, he wouldn't be happy. If it was a peaceful and prosperous age, rebelling would be a bit too much.

Fortunately, it was a dark and chaotic world, so there was no psychological pressure to cause trouble.

At this time, Zhou Jing's heart moved and he asked, "Old man, I saw the stone tablet at the entrance of the village saying that this is Wu Family Village. I'm a newcomer and don't know the rules here. Please tell me about it."

Seeing that the big man was no longer entangled in the imperial court's affairs, the tea man breathed a sigh of relief and answered in a low voice:

"This Wu Family Village is a large household here, raising five or six hundred Zhuang Ke (retainers), and thousands of acres of land around here belong to the Wu family. Most of the farmers in this village are tenant farmers of the village, relying on the Wu family to earn a living.

The old master of the Wu family is named Wu Changgui. He is the village owner here. He has four sons. The eldest son studies, the second and third sons practice martial arts, and the fourth son is still young. They are all outstanding people. He also has a daughter who is said to be married into a wealthy family in the prefectural capital. I don't know the specifics.

There are no other rules here. As long as you are not a criminal, you can come and go as you please. If you are short of money, you can also stay in the village. The old master is kind and generous and often provides assistance."

Zhou Jing nodded and suddenly asked, "Then old man, has this Wu Family Village ever done anything evil?"

The tea man's face changed immediately. He quickly glanced to the left and right, and then said unhappily, "Go! You idle person, are you buying tea soup or not? If you're not buying, don't talk to me!"

After saying that, he stopped speaking, turned around and went back to the tea shed, brewing tea by himself.

Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows, thought for a while, and didn't bother with the tea man. He carried his tree branch and stick and wandered around the village, looking left and right. His strong muscles were always attracting attention.

As he wandered, he considered how to act next.

'Gathering information and practicing martial arts are all important...but the real priority is to make money! I'm penniless now. If I don't get some money, I can't even afford a meal.'

Zhou Jing secretly pondered.

Working to earn money? That was possible, but it would probably be a bit of a waste of time, and it didn't seem like this village was short of workers.

Stealing? Doing so would probably lower the synchronization rate with the No. 4 Apostle's personality.

Perhaps he could stay in Wu Family Village and show off his extraordinary skills to get some money...However, with "Chen Feng's" violent personality, it was probably not suitable to live under someone else's roof.

After thinking for a while, considering the social atmosphere and cultural background of the Great Xia Dynasty, Zhou Jing made a decision.

First, he would rely on himself and try street performing!

Performing acrobatics was not suitable for him. This apostle only knew one set of Zhongping Spear Technique, and it was only at the beginner level.

Although Zhou Jing remembered knife skills, he could use them, but the No. 4 Apostle didn't have muscle memory, and he was afraid that it would be a bit awkward to perform, and his knife skills were all about adapting to actual combat, with no fancy moves.

"I might as well sell my strength and make use of my 26 points of physique."

Zhou Jing had a plan in mind, so he immediately left the village.

He searched for a while and found an oval boulder that was almost as tall as a person. Under the curious gazes of the children, he pushed the stone all the way back to the village and stopped on a busy street.

Zhou Jing patted the boulder, put down his face, and shouted loudly:

"As the old saying goes, rely on friends when you're out and about. Folks, I'm passing through this precious land and have run out of travel expenses, so I have to sell my skills here. I hope those with money will give money, and those without money will give support!"

Entertainment activities were limited in the feudal era, and street performers were common. Even in such villages, the villagers were used to it.

As soon as they heard there was something fun to watch, pedestrians stopped to watch curiously.

In the teahouses and taverns along the street, many customers also turned their heads to look over.

As soon as they saw Zhou Jing's appearance, many people's hearts skipped a beat, and they secretly exclaimed what a strong and powerful man he was, and they immediately became interested.

Zhou Jing shouted a few more times, and more and more onlookers gathered, and the village quickly became lively.

At the same time, a group of three people entered the village and walked down the street.

The first one was a middle-aged man with two thin mustaches on his lips and a goatee under his chin, wearing a long robe and holding a folding fan, looking like a refined scholar.

Next to him were a man and a woman. The man was a strong young man, tall and straight, like a green pine, with wide shoulders and a narrow waist, and long arms. He carried two long objects wrapped in linen on his back.

The woman was a heroic young girl with eyebrows and eyes that were vaguely similar to the young man, like a pair of siblings. Her long hair was tied around her waist, and a short knife was tied to her waist.

They didn't look like ordinary people.

"This Wu Family Village is quite prosperous, and the village owner here is kind and generous...Master, should we pay a visit?"

The young man looked at the middle-aged scholar and asked in a low voice.

The middle-aged scholar shook his folding fan: "No need. This is not our territory. A rash visit may cause trouble."

The young man scratched his head: "A friend of mine was helped by Old Master Wu a few years ago. There shouldn't be any problems."

The middle-aged scholar pointed at him with his folding fan and said helplessly:

"People's hearts are separated by their bellies. Which of these local tycoons doesn't have some relationship with the government officials? If they suddenly decide to take us in and hand us over to the government, what can we do? We are going to the prefectural capital to handle affairs this time, so try not to reveal our whereabouts."

At this time, the heroic girl snorted coldly and echoed, "Master is right. What good people can these local magnates who have built up such a large business be? Helping passing heroes is just to gain a good reputation and make good connections. Don't think that they will just let you take advantage of them."

"Okay, okay, then we can always find a tavern to rest, right?"

The young man said awkwardly.

"Yes, but eat less wine." The middle-aged scholar said with a smile.

Just then, a burst of noise reached the ears of the three people.

The young man stretched his neck and looked. He said in surprise, "Master, sister, there's someone performing ahead!"

The heroic girl's expression changed slightly, as if she was quite interested, but she didn't move. She turned to look at the middle-aged scholar.

Seeing this, the middle-aged scholar snapped his folding fan shut and said with a smile, "It doesn't hurt to take a look."

The three followed the noise and came to the performance area. At this time, it was already surrounded by people, with a space left in the middle.

A big man was shouting, and it was Zhou Jing.

Seeing Zhou Jing's fierce and brave appearance clearly, the three of them were all shocked.

The young man's eyes shone with excitement: "What a man! He doesn't look like an ordinary person at all!"

The middle-aged scholar also looked surprised and muttered in a low voice, "This man has a fierce aura. Could he be a strongman from some mountain寨 (zhài, mountain stronghold)?"

"What is he going to perform?" The heroic girl saw that there were no other instruments in the field, only a boulder nearly as tall as a person, and couldn't help but become curious.

At this time, there were also idlers in the crowd who were teasing and shouted at Zhou Jing with a smile:

"Hey, man, you've been shouting for a long time, but you don't have any costumes or weapons. What are you performing?"

Zhou Jing patted the stone beside him and laughed: "I don't have any special skills, but I have a lot of strength. Let's see if I can lift this boulder."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd burst into an uproar.

This stone was very large. It looked like it couldn't be lifted without four or five people. The first reaction of the crowd was disbelief.

The heroic girl was also skeptical.

The middle-aged scholar had a "I've seen through everything" smile and joked:

"So he's selling his strength. This is usually a trick. That stone is probably a specially made prop that looks heavy but is actually hollow. When he lifts it up, he might take out some大力丸 (dà lì wán, strength pills) to sell."

"I see." The heroic girl realized.

However, at this time, Zhou Jing raised his hand to stop the commotion and said loudly:

"Everyone doesn't want to believe it. I have no proof. Whoever can lift this boulder can come up and try it. The truth will be clear!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an idle man who didn't believe it stepped out of the crowd. He spat two mouthfuls of saliva into his palm, then squatted down and grabbed the boulder to try to lift it.

However, the idle man used all his strength, but the stone didn't move at all. However, the man used too much force, and a loud fart burst out of his pocket, causing everyone to laugh, and he was so ashamed that he quickly buried his head and burrowed into the crowd.

Someone took the lead, and six or seven more villagers came forward to try, but all failed and returned.

At this time, the young man couldn't resist the urge and stepped out of the crowd, cupping his fists towards Zhou Jing: "Good man, please forgive me, I would also like to try."

Zhou Jing glanced at him and said casually, "Just do as you please."

The young man didn't hesitate. He squatted down and grabbed the stone and exerted force, his face gradually turning purple and veins popping out on his forehead.

The boulder shook slightly and was actually lifted a few inches by him.

But then the man couldn't hold on any longer and quickly withdrew his hand. The stone fell back to the ground with a bang.

Seeing this scene, the surrounding villagers couldn't help but be slightly moved and whispered.

"Someone can actually lift it."

"Although it was only lifted a few inches, it's still amazing strength."

Zhou Jing was a little surprised and couldn't help but look at him with new eyes.

He had deliberately chosen a stone that even the strongest man among mortals could not lift. This young man's strength was really not small.

He was probably not an ordinary person.

Over here, the young man took two breaths, adjusted his breathing, cupped his fists towards Zhou Jing, and retreated back to his two companions.

"Brother, you're really strong." The heroic girl praised.

"It's a pity I couldn't lift it." The young man sighed, "It's too heavy. I estimate that there aren't many people in this world who can completely lift it."

Seeing this, the middle-aged scholar was surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Is this thing really a stone?"

"It's the real deal." The young man nodded.

Just as the three were secretly surprised, Zhou Jing felt that the time was right and shouted loudly:

"Everyone has tried it, so you know this is a real stone. If I can lift it, I hope everyone will be generous with their money."

Hearing this, the surrounding people responded one after another, and there were also busybodies who laughed and jeered.

"I want to see how you lift it!"

"If you can't lift it, will you pay us back?"

Zhou Jing didn't answer. He grinned and, in full view of the public, squatted down with his knees bent and grabbed the bottom sides of the boulder with both hands.

Just as everyone was holding their breath and concentrating, a tiger-like roar exploded.

"Lift!"

The entire boulder rose into the air.

Under the stunned gaze of everyone, the stone flew straight up several meters.

—It wasn't just lifted up, it was thrown into the sky!

Reaching the highest point, the stone that had flown up several meters suddenly fell back.

Zhou Jing held his hands up to the sky, caught the boulder that was nearly as tall as a person, and a circle of smoke and dust bloomed under his feet, but his whole body was steady and didn't even shake.

The shocked expressions on everyone's faces instantly froze.

*ka cha!*

The middle-aged scholar directly snapped his folding fan in half, and his eyeballs almost flew out.

The young man opened his mouth wide, and his jaw almost dislocated.

The heroic girl gasped and her scalp went numb.

The three looked at Zhou Jing as if they were looking at a ghost or god!

The whole place was only quiet for a second, and then a thunderous cheer rang out.

"Good!!"

Everyone's faces were flushed, and they clapped their hands vigorously, cheering excitedly.

At the same time, the middle-aged scholar and the other two couldn't help but look at each other, and they all saw the shock in each other's eyes.

The young man had personally tried the weight of the boulder and couldn't believe it the most at this time. He was extremely horrified:

"What a skill! Even the 'Heavenly King', who is known as the number one expert in the Green Forest, doesn't have such divine power! If I were to fight him, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to last ten rounds!"

"Is this still a human?" The heroic girl's expression was like she had seen a ghost.

On the other hand, the middle-aged scholar, who had been calm all along, was now as if he was drunk, his face flushed with excitement, and he was extremely excited:

"I never thought that I would encounter such a hero in this small place. How can I not make friends with him?! If I can invite him to join us and gather together, we can fight all over the southern Green Forest without an opponent!!"

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