Volume One, Chapter Six: The Three Chests

After circling the city walls once, Lin Yi still hadn't decided where to place the farmland. He thought to himself, “If I put it inside the walls, it might interfere with the future layout of the city, which wouldn’t be good. But if it’s outside, monsters could destroy it from time to time, and it would be impossible to defend.”

Frustrated and out of options, Lin Yi decided not to overthink it. Resolutely, he placed the farmland horizontally to the southeast of the castle. Given that the radius of the level-one castle was ten meters, placing it vertically would have intruded into the castle’s space itself.

Gazing at the two plots, each eight meters long and five meters wide, Lin Yi’s spirits lifted. He took out a hoe and some seeds from his smartwatch backpack.

Laughing heartily, he said, “Back in the day, I was the expert at harvesting rice in my family. Since I went to university and am now twenty, working the fields should be no problem.”

What saddened him was that this place was an endless plain, with not a single trickling stream or river in sight. How wonderful it would be if a brook flowed nearby, allowing him to cultivate rice, such an important crop.

Lin Yi carefully examined the seeds he had painstakingly purchased. On the surface, they looked no different from ordinary ones. Yet he knew not to be deceived by appearances—these seemingly ordinary seeds surely held hidden secrets and were far from commonplace.

Fortunately, the two plots had already been meticulously tilled, greatly facilitating his sowing efforts.

With practiced movements, he busied himself and, in just half an hour, completed the sowing. One plot was entirely sown with wheat, while the other was carefully divided into ten rows. Each row corresponded to a different crop variety: vividly colored, plump, juicy tomatoes; slender, crisp green beans; golden, full, large-grained corn; lush, nutritious greens; tightly wrapped, firm cabbages; as well as sweet, starchy sweet potatoes and potatoes, among others.

Looking upon the fruits of his labor, Lin Yi smiled with satisfaction as if gazing upon his own children. Little did he know, every move he made was being quietly observed from behind by Huang Tian, who had just returned.

Seeing his king working the fields as if he were one of their own tribesmen, Huang Tian imagined Lin Yi as a ruler who loved his people like his own children. He felt fortunate to have followed such a king and resolved to protect him at all costs.

Lin Yi was unaware of Huang Tian’s thoughts until he turned and saw him standing a short distance away.

Smiling, wiping the sweat from his face, Lin Yi greeted him, “You’re back. Any harvest?”

Huang Tian remained silent, his deep eyes fixed ahead as if pondering something important. Suddenly, he slowly raised his right hand and extended three long, strong fingers.

Seeing this, Lin Yi’s eyes widened in confusion. “What? Three? How could it be three?” His voice was filled with disbelief and surprise.

At that moment, a faint smile appeared on Huang Tian’s lips. He nodded firmly and said, “Your Majesty, yes, it’s exactly three.” Those simple words carried an undeniable weight.

Receiving the confirmation, Lin Yi stared at Huang Tian in disbelief, wondering if he was joking. After all, he had spent a long time searching for just one.

Then he noticed a glaring bloodstain on Huang Tian’s otherwise clean clothes.

Gazing at the blood, Lin Yi seemed to suddenly understand everything. His expression darkened, and his voice turned cold: “Huang Tian, didn’t you follow my orders? Did you go beyond the 100-meter boundary?”

Startled by the reprimand, Huang Tian quickly came to his senses. Without hesitation, he knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and spoke with a trembling voice.

“Your Majesty, please forgive me! I believed that as long as this castle remained standing, with my ability to resurrect endlessly, even if I faced danger, my life would be safe.”

“So... that’s why you risked going further...” Huang Tian’s words were cut off sharply by Lin Yi.

“Silence! Orders are laws. As a soldier, your primary duty is to obey them.”

“Huang Tian, your unauthorized action was a grave mistake, not something that can be excused as mere ‘misjudgment.’”

“However, considering your past merits and the fact that the castle remains unharmed, I will pardon you this time.”

“But if there’s a next time, there will be no mercy!”

Hearing this, Huang Tian felt as though granted a great pardon. He quickly rose, clasped his hands respectfully, and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity. I will remember this and strictly follow your orders in the future, never making the same mistake again!”

Looking at Huang Tian, Lin Yi sighed softly, his face showing a trace of helplessness.

Reviving Huang Tian was no easy feat and must have come at a significant cost.

After all, the cycle of life and death is a universal truth; it’s not so easily broken.

Nevertheless, the hardships Huang Tian must have endured to revive were likely unimaginable.

Reflecting on this, Lin Yi realized he had merely intended to teach Huang Tian a lesson.

Waving his hand, Lin Yi said, “Enough of that. Let’s stop worrying and quickly see if the treasure chest you found has any medicine to treat your wounds.”

With that, Lin Yi turned and strode toward the castle not far away.

Hearing this, warmth surged through Huang Tian’s heart, his eyes glistening slightly with moisture.

He promptly replied, “Yes, Your Majesty!” and followed closely behind Lin Yi as they hurried toward the castle.

The castle was just a few meters away from their position. Lin Yi was eager to see what treasures Huang Tian had brought back.

Soon, they came upon three chests stacked together: one wooden, one bronze, and one silver.

Lin Yi approached and picked up the wooden chest, shaking it gently. A faint clinking sound came from within. Opening it, he found several bottles of low-grade healing potions and 100 gold coins.

A trace of excitement flickered across Huang Tian’s face as he inwardly rejoiced. Lin Yi, standing beside him, smiled warmly.

“Here, take this bottle and drink it,” he said.

Without hesitation, Huang Tian respectfully accepted, “Yes, Your Majesty!” He reached out and took the potion glowing with a mysterious light from Lin Yi’s hand.

After Huang Tian secured the potion, Lin Yi turned his gaze to the two unopened chests, pondering briefly.

Then, decisively, he looked back at Huang Tian and issued a command.

“You’ll open the remaining two chests. After all, these treasures are what you worked hard to find, so it’s only fitting you open them.”

With that, Lin Yi gave Huang Tian no chance to refuse. “This is an order.”