Chapter Twenty-Two: Hidden Mission

  This old man is still quite reasonable, Yang Tian secretly smiled, if he really wanted to attack, Yang Tian didn't think this less-than-three-meter-high fence could stop himself.

  "Old man, please rest assured, we have no malicious intentions! We are also subjects of the Great Han." Yang Tian shouted loudly.

  The old man looked at the appearance and clothing of several people, indeed not like foreigners, but the vigilance in his heart did not decrease. He said: "Are you also Han Chinese? Then how did you get here? You know that this place is isolated from the world, and the only way to get here... is by sea."

  Yang Tian smiled and said, "Old man, you're worrying too much. You should know that this Peach Garden is not just your village, we are neighbors! If you don't believe me, send someone with me to take a look."

  "Are there still villages of the Great Han Dynasty here? How come I didn't discover them before? ...However, I did hear that some Hans have appeared in the north recently, it seems to be true." The old man was still somewhat puzzled.

  "Old fellow! Aren't we tired of talking like this? I'd rather have a good chat with the neighbors!" said Yang Tian.

  The old man couldn't see anything suspicious, and besides, the other side only had four people. Even if there was a problem, he estimated that his side could handle it. So he let someone open the door.

  As they walked out of the village, the old man smiled and said, "This is indeed an impoliteness on my part. We are also being harassed by the alien tribe here, please don't mind, young master!"

  Yang Tian said as he walked: "Don't be polite, old man! In this poor mountain and evil water, being vigilant is a guarantee of survival! Moreover, I also came rashly to disturb you without giving you a heads up, so please forgive me for the disturbance!"

  The old man smiled and said: "Where is it! Since we are neighbors, we should naturally move around more! I don't know where the young man's village is?"

  Yang Tiandao said, "Not far, not far, just over thirty miles north, walking along the riverbank will get you there quickly. Xiaoyang Guang is the village chief, what should I call you, old man?"

  The old man smiled and said, "I am Du Chaoyuan. Our entire village was originally from Wu County, but the imperial court is corrupt and the local officials are lawless, oppressing good people at will. I had no choice but to bring the whole village with me to drift across the ocean and find a deserted island to continue our lives. Who would have thought that we encountered a storm along the way and were swept into this place? It's fortunate that we met you, but unfortunately, there are many barbarians roaming around here, making it difficult for us to feel at ease. Fortunately, they mostly act alone in small groups, so they can't do much harm to us."

  Yang Tian only then knew why such a village appeared here. In "Tian Xia", NPCs have their own system, they all have their own past, even if there are no players, they will still operate on their own.

  Looking at the crowd in the village, which was not too many, most of them looked at Yang Tian and others with a scrutinizing gaze, seemingly still not very trusting. Yang Tian just smiled and didn't mind.

  After walking for a while in the village, Yang Tian and Du Chaoyuan chatted quite congenially.

  The villagers in this village are basically all wearing cloth clothes, which makes Yang Tian a bit curious. After all, in his own territory, apart from the one piece of cloth clothes that comes with the system refresh, most people wear animal skins. Animal skin is not leather armor, it does not have any defensive power bonus for the villagers. Only when there are sericulture or cotton seeds in the village, or when they buy fabric elsewhere, can the tailor shop make cloth clothes.

  Yang Tian curiously asked, "Old Du, I see that your village is quite wealthy! Most people are wearing cloth clothes, unlike our village where many people still wear animal hides. They look like a group of savages!"

  Du Chaoyuan hesitated for a moment, and then seemed to have made up his mind. "To be honest with you, brother," he said, "our village doesn't actually have the ability to produce cloth. The clothes our villagers wear are all bought from outside."

  "What? Can't there be merchants passing through here? I've been here for over ten days, but I haven't found any merchant ships?" Yang Tian was very excited. If there really were merchant ships passing through here, wouldn't that mean he could go to the system city right now?

  "There are no merchants. However, there is a secret passage leading to the outside world that our villagers often use to exchange goods with the outside world..." Du Chaoyuan's brow furrowed as he spoke.

  Yang Tian suppressed the excitement in his heart and said, "This is a good thing! Why are you worried, old man?"

  Du Chaoyuan sighed and said, "This is indeed a good thing, but recently there have been some changes. Inside this secret path, for some reason, some strange animals appeared, extremely fierce. As soon as the villagers get close, they will be attacked. We can no longer pass through that secret path."

  As soon as Du Chaoyuan's voice fell, Yang Tian heard the system prompt sound in his ear:

  Congratulations, you have triggered a hidden quest: The only passage connecting Tianhe Village to the outside world is blocked. Hopefully, brave warriors can help open up the passage. Quest reward: Tianhe Village will surrender to Baiyun Village and become an affiliated village of Baiyun Village. Completion conditions: Eliminate all monsters in the secret passage within one month. If the quest is not completed, Tianhe Village will be forced to join the Shanyue faction and unite with other factions to attack Baiyun Village. Will you accept?

  Yang Tian was hesitant, whether to accept or not. What kind of monster was in the secret passage, he had no idea. If there was something terrible, it might not be something he could handle. But the temptation of a village surrendering was indeed too great, this village was at least a second-level village. That is to say, in the village, there were at least five or six people who possessed occupational skills. And, after having an affiliated village, his other plan could also be implemented.

  In the end, Yang Tian couldn't resist the temptation. The hidden task had encountered a situation where if he didn't accept it, he would be struck by lightning. Moreover, looking at this situation, if he didn't accept it, Tianhe Village would eventually join the Shan Yue camp, which was not much different from failing the task. Most importantly, this secret passage was also urgently needed by him at present. Even if it wasn't for this task, opening a passage to the outside world was also imperative, and his food crisis might still be solved through this passage. Yang Tian didn't think he could manufacture a large ship suitable for crossing the ocean in the short term.

  Yang Tian immediately said: "Old man, don't worry, I have some people under me who can resolve the crisis in your village!"

  Du Chaoyuan was overjoyed and said, "This is great! If you can help me open up this passage, I will let the villagers live in peace. I will lead all the old and young of the village to surrender to you!"

  It was you who said that! Yang Tian smiled and said, "Sir, you're being too polite! Saving people from danger is what we should do, sir, no need to be courteous."

  Du Chaoyuan smiled and didn't say anything else.

  Yang Tian's heart was slightly panicked: he must not take his polite words seriously! Although saving people in distress is indeed the duty of our generation, there are benefits to be gained and oneself is also a welcome guest.

  No matter what Yang Tian is thinking in his heart now, things have been settled anyway.