Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Recruitment ’Is this even human?’ The onlookers couldn’t help but have this thought float through their minds. ’Could he be a martial artist from the Main City?’ The more knowledgeable ones would think this. "Brother Lou Yi, you were incredible!" With Wu Biao’s excited shout revealing Lou Yi’s identity, the crowd gradually regained their senses. "Lou Yi, he’s not from our village, is he?" "Seems like he’s the son of Scholar Lou!" "I’ve heard of him, he killed over ten wolves by himself, I thought it was just a boast back then!" As the Blood Bull fell, the villagers from Gao Family Village and Cao Family Village stopped their commotion and returned to their original positions. Strangely, the torrential rain also quickly diminished, and the once gray sky brightened up again. "Brother Lou Yi is the helper we invited from Gao Family Village!" The old man from the Gao Family reacted quickly and, with Wu Biao’s prompting, immediately announced Lou Yi’s allegiance loudly. Hearing this, Scarface Cao’s expression turned sour. "Is he the man who killed two wolves by himself?" Meanwhile, Landlord Jia looked at Lou Yi with interest, seemingly unconcerned about the outcome of the bullfight. "Release our bull." At Scarface Cao’s signal, someone moved toward Lou Yi. "Hmm?" But under Lou Yi’s fierce glare, he immediately stopped and dared not move. At this moment, Lou Yi was drenched, his hair loose, his strong physique and muscular curves fully exposed. Combined with his recent dazzling achievement of toppling the Blood Bull, he radiated an extraordinary aura. "This bull is so dangerous, it cannot be released lightly." The old man from the Gao Family stated solemnly. Then he smiled, "Besides, it has already lost, what’s the use of pulling it up?" "Lost?!" Scarface Cao’s voice turned sharp. "Bullfighting! Bullfighting! Besides fighting bull against bull, man versus bull has been a rule since ancient times!" The old man from the Gao Family shouted loudly. "Yes, hundreds of years ago, our Gao Family Village had warriors capable of defeating bulls!" "Brother Lou Yi is a person we found from Gao Family Village, so naturally he represents our village’s stance!" The people from Gao Family Village clamored, while those from Cao Family Village argued loudly. Rascal Yang Er ran to Lou Yi’s side and whispered, "Brother, you’re so brave. Just now, Brother Biao went to talk to the old man from the Gao Family, if you help them win the last round, you could earn ten taels of silver!" Cao Family Village had already lost two bulls, leaving them with one. And if Gao Family Village counted Lou Yi as their third entry, they would need another round to determine the winner. "Alright!" Lou Yi initially didn’t want to get too involved in this mess, but since he had already taken action, he might as well see it through to the end. Besides, ten taels of silver was indeed quite a substantial sum. As for possibly offending Landlord Jia and perhaps not being able to go up the mountain to chop wood in the future, that’s a risk he had to take. Of course, Landlord Jia may not be that petty. "Landlord!" Seeing that things couldn’t proceed, Scarface Cao sought help from Landlord Jia. Landlord Jia pondered for a moment and said, "In Xinxiang, there has always been a precedent for people fighting bulls, I can’t prevent it." With Landlord Jia’s statement, Scarface Cao had no excuse to stop it further. Next. Cao Family Village brought out their last yellow bull, and Lou Yi stepped in to represent Gao Family Village. Afraid that the bull would rip his clothes, Lou Yi took off his shirt, revealing a sculpted body with every muscle perfectly proportioned, neither too bulky nor lacking in grace. His already heroic appearance made several women from both villages unable to resist widening their eyes. "Such a handsome young man..." "Knock him over!" The villagers of Cao Family Village still harbored hope and shouted loudly. On-site. The yellow bull mooed and charged at Lou Yi with open hooves. Lou Yi deftly sidestepped, dodging the bull’s first charge. As it stopped and turned its body, Lou Yi dashed forward like an arrow leaving the bow, seizing its horns with both hands again. "Rise!" This time, everyone could clearly see both front hooves of the yellow bull lift off the ground, not by much, just a few centimeters. But it was off the ground, showing how terrifying the power Lou Yi unleashed in that instant was! The bull in mid-air couldn’t regain its footing and was effortlessly toppled by Lou Yi, following in the footsteps of the Blood Bull. "Excellent!" "Amazing!" Soon after, the villagers of Gao Family Village erupted with deafening cheers and celebrations. "Well?" The old man from the Gao Family asked, staring at Scarface Cao. "Concede...defeat..." Scarface Cao replied, almost through gritted teeth. He glanced at Landlord Jia, only to find that Landlord Jia’s gaze was entirely focused on Lou Yi, as if he had spotted a rare treasure. "This young man’s strength is unparalleled for miles around!" Landlord Jia praised sincerely, and everyone who heard agreed, nodding. With the outcome settled, people quickly dispersed from the scene. "Thanks to young brother, if there’s anything in the future, feel free to come to me!" The old man from the Gao Family gratefully shook Lou Yi’s hand. And Lou Yi received a generous reward of ten taels of silver. Along with a few rascals who accompanied him, like Yang Er and Wu Biao, all wore smiling faces, indicating that Gao Family Village must have offered them considerable additional benefits too. After saying goodbye to the villagers of Gao Family Village, Lou Yi and his group were about to leave but were stopped by several blue-clad servants. "What advice does Landlord Jia have for me?" Lou Yi instinctively reached for the slingshot at his waist, asking warily. Most of the time, dealing with people is more challenging than dealing with bulls. Not to mention someone as influential as Landlord Jia in Xinxiang. "Brother Lou, please don’t misunderstand." The black-clad steward from the Jia Family approached, forcing a stiff smile onto his somber face, "Our Landlord is very impressed by brave warriors like you and wanted to ask if you’d be willing to join Jia Family Manor as a personal guard?" "A monthly salary of two taels, with room and board, and additional rewards at the end of the year." Previously, on the small mountain, Fatty Yang, on behalf of Jia Family Manor, had intended to recruit him, offering one tael of silver, which now had doubled. Lou Yi was a little tempted. He inquired about it, and the enrollment fee for the martial arts halls in Tai City Main City was about fifty taels of silver, equivalent to the income of a commoner for over ten years. If he went to work as a guard at Jia Family Manor, staying for a year or two, combined with the silver he had, wouldn’t that be enough? However, the fact that Jia Family Manor offered such a high price, did they really just want him to serve as a simple guard? Being from the same village, he had long heard that the business under Landlord Jia was not that straightforward. Steadfast and prudent, there was no need to take this risk. Thinking of this, Lou Yi politely declined: "Please convey my gratitude to Landlord Jia for his generosity, but I am rather lazy by nature, and I might not adapt well to the lifestyle at Jia Family Manor." Upon hearing Lou Yi’s response, the black-clad steward from the Jia Family frowned but didn’t give Lou Yi a hard time: "Everyone has their own aspirations, Jia Family Manor welcomes you anytime!" After this brief interlude, Lou Yi returned home with ten taels of silver. In the days that followed, he gained a bit more energy, upgrading his stone-throwing skill to a proficient level, further enhancing his observation, and his vision and hearing skills improved as well. He could now clearly hear the buzzing wings of a bee tens of steps away, as if it were right next to his ear. Of course, his stone throwing improved significantly. He could achieve more than an eighty percent accuracy rate within the one hundred to two hundred meter range. For distances over three hundred meters, he experienced a steep decline in accuracy. His level of proficiency had become greater than the legendary Divine Archers. [Name: Lou Yi] [Age: 19/55] [Realm: None] [Energy: 0] Since his stone throwing skills were adequate, Lou Yi planned to refocus his efforts on improving Lou’s Axe Skill. Stone throwing is a basic skill, similar to chopping trees or splitting wood, mainly enhancing sensory perceptions. On the other hand, advancing Lou’s Axe Skill would bring more profound improvements. But seeing the energy deficit of ten, Lou Yi felt a headache coming on. The accumulation of energy was still too slow, he needed to effectively mobilize Wu Biao, Yang Er, and those ruffians. Unbeknownst to him, his deed of toppling the mighty Blood Bull had quickly spread throughout Xinxiang. Especially the part about him standing against the giant blood bull and toppling it, which was rapidly spreading in the village. His fame now was not any less than that of Scholar Lou. ...