After the bandit den joined, Xiangshui Village's labor force and combat strength increased exponentially.
Under Mr. Qi's arrangement, the bandits were divided into three teams.
One team was assigned to patrol, and another continued to gather intelligence as before.
The third team worked alongside the villagers, planting crops, felling trees, and performing other labor.
In essence, all the hard work was shared.
As the first harvest season arrived, the village's granaries finally began to accumulate stores.
The sounds of laughter and joy in the village grew more frequent.
Everything was developing in a positive direction.
Originally, the bandits had planned to take over the village once their poison was cured.
But gradually,
As they interacted with the villagers, they suddenly felt...
Perhaps staying here wouldn't be so bad?
...
That night.
All the villagers were asleep.
Three tall figures sneaked out of their houses.
These three were the bandit leaders: the eldest, the second eldest, and the third eldest, Scarface.
Under Mr. Qi's treatment, everyone's epidemic had been cured.
The three found a secluded spot outside the village and sat facing each other.
The eldest leader possessed a more imposing bandit aura and immense brute strength.
He spoke first, "Tell me, what are the brothers thinking?"
The second leader, more like a calculating businessman than a bandit,
Narrowed his eyes, stroked his mustache, and said leisurely,
"I was originally a horse dealer. As long as I can eat, I can go anywhere."
Scarface, recalling the information he had gathered over the past few days, said,
"I've asked the brothers. Some want to stay, while others wish to occupy this place."
As for the poison on their bodies...
They believed that by threatening the lives of the Xiangshui Village villagers, Mr. Qi would surely provide the antidote.
The eldest leader pondered, "This Xiangshui Village is indeed good. Third brother, what about you? What are your own thoughts?"
"Me?"
Scarface blinked, "I'll listen to Big Brother and Second Brother!"
The eldest leader slapped his thigh, "Alright, then we'll stay here for now!"
Scarface: "Huh?"
The second leader smiled, "Good. I see that Xiangshui Village is developing very well.
Mr. Qi is also up to par in terms of character and strength, and he won't mistreat the brothers in the future."
Scarface looked at his elder brothers, "Hey, hey, hey? You guys used to..."
You didn't say this before!
Given their personalities, they would either rob the village outright or scheme against it upon arrival.
Why now...??
The second leader chuckled, "Isn't it good to have a good life without scheming?"
The eldest leader scratched his head, "My family used to be butchers. I don't have many grand ideas.
As long as the brothers can eat and aren't starving, that's enough.
With Mr. Qi here, if anyone gets sick, there's someone to treat them."
If they didn't have to wander around, didn't have to live on the edge,
And could live a stable life.
That would be quite good too.
Farming themselves, saving some grain, and maybe getting married later...
This must be what their parents meant by a life with hope.
Scarface looked at his two elder brothers and mumbled, "...Alright then."
"Since we're staying, we need to think about how Xiangshui Village will develop in the future."
To survive in this chaotic era, they needed some combat strength.
Besides their own bandit den, they knew of several other bandit dens nearby.
They had even robbed two of them in the past.
After all, they had horses and could move quickly.
...
"Ooh (〃'▽'〃), the bandits have been conquered by Mr. Qi's personal charm!"
"Alas, if it weren't for the chaotic times, everyone could have a good life."
The viewers in the live stream, listening to the conversation between the three, couldn't help but feel happy for Mr. Qi.
His efforts were worthwhile, weren't they?
They were not in vain.
Thinking of his future path to emperorship, they couldn't help but feel excited.
History had seen so many emperors from all sorts of backgrounds.
But never had there been a Qilin himself!
"Scarface: Now that we've surrendered, we need to lure in the others who haven't."
"Scarface: To all the bandits, you've been warned, come quickly."
"A wise ruler of a new era is about to rise!"
...
The next day.
The three bandit leaders had just entered Mr. Qi's room when, before they could speak,
The latter, as if he had anticipated their arrival, put down the herbs in his hand.
He smiled and asked, "Have you made up your minds?"
The three bandit leaders exchanged glances.
This man's mind was indeed sharp.
At the same time, their conviction grew stronger: following this man would definitely not be a disadvantage!
They would have a good life!
Afterward, the three declared their allegiance to Mr. Qi and proposed to subdue the surrounding bandits for their own use.
This would strengthen Xiangshui Village's labor force and military strength.
With only their bandit den, it was far from enough to defend the entire Xiangshui Village.
The second leader said with a smile, "Mr. Qi's ambitions are surely not limited to just Xiangshui Village, are they?"
Mr. Qi smiled, "If the entire world were like Xiangshui Village, where people could live in peace, then I could rest."
"Your proposal is good, but Xiangshui Village currently doesn't have enough food. We'll have to wait a while longer."
"You can start preparing in the meantime."
After leaving Mr. Qi's room,
The three exchanged glances.
This Mr. Qi... he probably had a plan already set.
Just waiting for them to settle down and come to him on their own initiative, right?
...
Soon, the village began preparing winter supplies.
After winter, it would be time for a new round of planting.
Once Xiangshui Village had accumulated a certain amount of food, the bandits... no, the Xiangshui Village Guard began to move out.
One bandit den, two bandit dens...
Surrounding bandit dens were subdued one by one.
Xiangshui Village grew stronger and stronger.
The number of people farming and patrolling increased.
Because there was someone in the bandit den who had served in the army, the newly acquired personnel were now undergoing training under his leadership.
Before the third harvest season arrived.
The villagers began to worry.
They had experienced various calamities in the past, such as hailstorms, droughts, and locust plagues...
They suffered from them almost every two years.
Sometimes, even three or four times a year.
Life back then was truly bitter; they survived by eating tree bark and roots.
Fearing natural disasters, many villagers couldn't sleep at night.
They would get up and guard the fields.
Afraid that a natural disaster might strike at any moment.
Until—
They successfully welcomed the harvest season.
And stored the grain in the granaries.
At this point, satisfied smiles finally appeared on their sun-tanned faces.
However, at the same time, they encountered a new problem.
—Xiangshui Village's granaries were full.
...