It's been an exhausting day, and Lin Yi no longer had the energy to persuade a group of stubborn villagers. So, he decided to let them wait for four hours.

When Nan Yi and the others set up six tents, Lin Yi's roasted chicken was also ready.

The villagers were already starving, and the tempting aroma of roasted chicken was a lethal blow.

Just then, a group of girls carrying heavy wooden barrels hurried over.

They were there to bring food for the 200 brave men.

Their meal was just wild vegetable soup and two sweet potatoes. Compared to Lin Yi's delicious roasted chicken, it was worlds apart.

Sharp-eyed cook Luoluo noticed Lin Yi and the others weren't dressed like ordinary people, and they were eating roasted chicken. She couldn't help but approach them, but as soon as she got close enough to see Lin Yi's handsome face, an elder stopped her.

"Step back, they are bad people, do not go near them."

The villagers quickly pulled Luoluo back, preventing her from getting close to Lin Yi and the others.

At that moment, Lin Yi happened to glance and saw Luoluo's elegant and pure face.

'My goodness, to think there is such a stunning beauty in this poor mountain region, no wonder those mountain bandits come and never want to leave. There's a reason for everything.'

As Lin Yi watched Luoluo being pulled away, the roasted chicken in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

"Miss, would you like to come and enjoy some roasted chicken?" Lin Yi called out loudly, irritating the villagers who angrily grabbed shovels.

"See, I told you they are not good people, now their true nature is showing."

The elder was so angry his face turned ashen, prompting the brave men to step forward.

In this standoff, Lin Yi grew tired; he could only sigh deeply.

"Alright, fine, since you don't appreciate it, just keep waiting. Old man, we cooked the meal for you, you don't eat, you don't taste our roasted chicken, so we'll just go to sleep."

After saying that, Lin Yi and his companions took shelter in their tents to rest.

It was a bit cold at night and there were mosquitoes; the villagers could only desperately watch the untouched rice and had to swallow the hard-to-swallow wild vegetable soup and feed the mosquitoes through the night.

Lin Yi and his companions had tents, so they didn't have to worry about mosquitoes and soon fell asleep, snoring loudly.

Unbeknownst to them, in the early hours before dawn, the elders cautiously approached the tents and found that Lin Yi and the others were still asleep and not dead. The old hens were also still lively.

"Boss, boss, this thing called rice doesn't have poison, can we eat it?" one villager was excited, having reached the big pot.

The elder nodded, and even before he could speak, the villagers swarmed towards the two large pots.

Lin Yi was awoken by the noisy sounds outside, and through the curtain, saw the villagers frantically grabbing the rice and the remaining half of a roasted chicken.

'Ah, you people are really something, not eating when the food is hot, and only wanting it when it's cold.'

Thinking thus, Lin Yi got up and also woke up Nan Yi and the others.

"Everyone get up, time to work, cook for the villagers."

They had already slept for three hours, so getting up now, they were full of energy.

The elder, seeing Lin Yi awake, loudly called for the villagers to stop, but the villagers, with their minds full of food, couldn't hear the elder's cries.

"Ah, what a disgrace, we called them bad people, saying they were bullying us, but looking at it now, we seem like the bad ones, stealing their rice and wild chickens."

Lin Yi slowly walked to the big pot and at a glance, saw the pots were empty.

The villagers, seeing Lin Yi, no longer felt resistance but instead kept praising how delicious the rice was, chewy, soft, sweet and tasty.

A late cold meal finally put down the villagers' guard, and Lin Yi had to strike while the iron was hot.

"Don't worry everyone, I am Lin Yi from You Country, the Great General in charge of national defense. I will not harm you. You are the citizens of You Country, it is my duty to ensure your safety."

Lin Yi introduced himself solemnly for the first time, but it barely made any ripples.

"Who is Lin Yi? What Great General? Even the local officials recently can't manage us, what has the Great General got to do with us?"

Hearing the villagers' disdainful words, Lin Yi felt frustrated. It was the first time he experienced a sense of powerlessness from being in a high position.

However, the villagers had a point. What they needed was tangible benefits—visible and touchable food. Those who could provide these were considered good officials.

To that end, Lin Yi had Nan Yi and others start cooking, while he checked the situation in Shiku Village with the elders.

He planned to take action to help Shiku Village improve their plight and give the villagers a better life.

"I know there are a bunch of wild chickens behind the mountain, send some people to catch them, they're just behind here."

[Ding Ding Ding, host successfully purchased 100 hens and a bag of feed, paying 8000 Heavenly Bead Coins. The items have been dispatched to the back of the mountain.]

He also included feed to prevent the hens from scattering too much, making it difficult for villagers to catch them.

The well-fed villagers no longer doubted Lin Yi, and spontaneously organized 20 people to catch the wild chickens.

The villagers hadn't had a good meal in a long time, so everyone cooperated actively, some catching chickens, others gathering firewood, and some making fire.

It was just a distance of 100 meters, yet after half an hour, not a single person returned.

Lin Yi sensed something was amiss and immediately sent Nan Er to check.

Nan Er ran over swiftly, and was shocked by the scene in front of him, so he yelled.

"Bad news, Lord Lin, there are mountain bandits, the villagers have been tied up!"

Upon hearing this, everyone abruptly stopped what they were doing, grabbed their tools, and ran towards the back mountain.

An elder suddenly stopped Lin Yi, his face grim as he asked: "Tell me, are you colluding with the mountain bandits, then scatter our people to capture us all in one go?"

At such a critical moment, the elder still didn't trust Lin Yi, which made Lin Yi quite frustrated.

"You are really confused. What benefit do I gain from capturing all of you? I have no time to argue with you, saving people is urgent."

After saying that, Lin Yi executed his Wave Riding Micro Steps, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the mountain bandits.

There were about twenty mountain bandits, each one burly and their swords gleaming brightly.

The villagers were tied up to one side while the bandits joyfully grabbed the chickens, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Suddenly surrounded by a group of people, they instantly fell silent.

"Hey, scum of Shiku Village, we meet again. Last time we let you off because you said the village resources were poor. We didn't expect you to deceive us. These hundred big and fat hens are enough to feed us for days, hahaha."

"Right, call out your pretty cook. It's been a long time since we have seen a woman. Hahaha."

The bandits laughed unrestrainedly and arrogantly while the villagers were seething with anger, yet they dared not make any rash moves since they still had companions in the bandits' hands.

The night grew dark; the bandits could hardly see that a few more people had joined the crowd, now having hostages and 100 chickens.

"What do we do? Ah," a villager fretted. The elder could only sigh helplessly.

"Ah, we can only delay them for now, let them eat and drink first."

Lin Yi called the Southern Combat Team, and issued an Anesthesia Gun to each member.

"Old man, have the villagers step back two meters, keep quiet, leave this to us."

The old man's eyes widened in disbelief: "Just with you guys? Do you know how strong they are?"

...Chapter ends...

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