Fearsome Farmer c1-60

by Lazy Bird

  “It’s Strength!”

  Li Siwen was suddenly enlightened!

  “The stronger one’s strength, the less the stamina consumed? This principle was probably correct, but it wasn’t comprehensive. At the least it has to distinguish between the tasks, for example, embroidery would not be true with this principle. Furthermore, like hoeing, the difference between five points and eight points of strength isn’t too great. This is because the upper limit of the strength required for hoeing was highly likely just three points. Hence, what decides the effect is stamina, the higher a person’s stamina, the larger the area of weeds hoed.”

  “Of course, if the difference in strength is too great, for example using a dozen points of strength to hoe weeds, together with excellent tools, that would be playing cheat.”

  “Similarly, if a person was felling trees, the upper limit of the strength required was likely to be eight, or even ten points. So, when I use five Strength Points to fell a tree, I was obliged to expend more stamina to balance it out. And if I have 10 Strength Points, perhaps the stamina expended to chop down a tree would be about one to two points.”

  “By this analogy, for the boorish Feudal Lord, Overseer Sun Tieshi, and those soldiers to fulfill the conditions for combat and killing, their Strength attributes, Stamina attributes, and Health attributes all needed to have relatively higher values. Whereas for hunters, Agility attributes and Stamina attributes would have to be extremely high.”

  “No wonder farmers are the lowest class, it’s because they are eliminated from the other occupations. Even lumberjacks, I reckon, would have at least eight or more Strength Points, Stamina Points at about 12. Otherwise, there’s no way to explain how they’re so capable. Perhaps my 15 points of stamina that I was conceited about is really nothing.”

  Once the principle worked, for one thing, it works for a hundred other things, that was it.

  Li Siwen nodded compliantly, feeling very grateful for this lumberjack’s points. So, what he really ought to add to next was actually Strength Points.

  “Don’t waste your effort, we’re most likely going to go hungry tonight. Let’s return.”

  The lumberjack pulled out his axe and informed him. At present, due to the gray clouds gathering above, it was already very dark in the forest. The militiaman and the other lumberjacks were already taking cover inside the logging hut. It seemed like they’d finally become aware of the severity of the situation.

  Li Siwen held the rusted axe and followed behind. He appeared to be cautious on the surface but he was repeatedly replaying that extremely strong strike at heart.

  Violent, effortless, swift, steady, accurate, it deserved to be called a Rushing Thunder Chop.

  chapter 13

  Perhaps within every qualified lumberjack, lived the soul of an amateur carpenter.

  Hence, this logging hut before him was made to be rather solid, and rather functional.

  It was built in the middle of three giant trees forming the shape of a triangle. Using the trunks of the three trees as support, it maintained a one meter tall gap from the ground, ensuring the logging hut’s ventilation and dryness at the maximum extent. In addition, this formation also helped in avoiding a portion of poisonous insects and snakes.

  The main body of the logging heart was formed by stacking up and tying sticks of round logs. They used no nails, but it appeared to be extremely sturdy.

  The roof was also a layer of round logs, covered with thick hay and laid with a layer of mud that was more than 10cm thick. Finally, items like rocks and tree barks piled on top, to prevent the mud from being washed away by the rainwater.

  To be blunt, this was of way better quality than the wooden house in the territory, and naturally would also be more comfortable.

  As expected, after Li Siwen walked in, he found that it was very dry and rather spacious inside. There was even a cooker made from piling up rocks with a heap of firewood beside it. Currently, a fire was lit there, and its design made it such that the smoke swiftly dissipated, only leaving behind warmth.

  The three lumberjacks were either seated or lying down to rest, while that militiaman was very conscientiously using a slab of whetstone to polish his long spear. There were actually a few hints of murderous intent present.

  Li Siwen squatted down in the corner by the door, looking like he was a newbie.

  No one spoke. Only until the militiaman finished polishing his long spear did he begin slowly, “Regardless of whether or not the Feudal Lord is able to return tonight, we have to make a trip back tomorrow morning. We have no choice even if there are wolves. Without eating, we’ll all be hungry tomorrow. Moreover, the village has been flooded, we have to go help. Only by keeping the village will we have hope.”

  “But we’ve—— never killed wolves before. We only, only know how to fell trees.” Amongst them, a lumberjack in his thirties protested softly.

  “Then can you find food?” The militiaman turned back and glowered at him.

  The lumberjack was instantly muted.

  “Perhaps the Feudal Lord would return early the next morning?” Another lumberjack asked with hope.

  The militiaman kept silent at this point. He did not want to think, or even imagine the consequences of the Feudal Lord not being able to return.

  “Ptui, cowards. Liu Er, Cao Da, you guys are just cowards. To me, a wolf’s head isn’t as hard as wood, if we can chop wood, why can’t we kill wolves? In any case, I want to eat. Even getting eaten by a wolf is better than starving to death!” The lumberjack who gave Li Siwen pointers earlier raged.

  “That’s right, we need to eat. Besides, we have six of us.” The last lumberjack said. His voice was very soft, but very determined.

  “Six? You’re referring to this little chick that only knows about farming?” The lumberjack called Cao Da showed a scornful smile as he pointed at Li Siwen. “I can fight 10 of him with one hand on mine.”

  “Exactly, I can send him flying with one kick.” The younger Liu Er was even more unbridled in his disdain.

  “Shut up all of you. He can fell a tree, perhaps his strength is lacking, but he has endurance, he’s already much better than those little chicks.” The militiaman spoke up. Clearly, he’d observed the process of Li Siwen’s tree chopping. As for the ‘endurance’ that he spoke of, it was probably the Stamina attribute.

  At this point, the militiaman looked towards Li Siwen.

  “Kid, that axe is temporarily yours. Sharpen it now, if you can land one strike on the gray wolves tomorrow, we take it that you earned everything.”

  Li Siwen quietly moved the whetstone, while the four other lumberjacks had all stopped talking, each closing their eyes to rest. These fellows fell trees all year round, they knew how to rest and preserve stamina more than the farmers. But the rumbling sounds from their stomachs were still very awkward.

  On the contrary, Li Siwen wasn’t hungry. Even up till the present moment, his Stamina Points had been slowly rising back up. The tens of kilograms of fish that he’d stuffed himself with previously were still taking effect. This was the benefit of high protein food.

  As he picked up the rusted axe and gently polished it, he hesitated a little about whether to tell these people about the big fishes or not. But he ultimately decided not to. This was because so long as they take the path by the wheat fields tomorrow, they’d definitely spot the big fishes in those ponds—provided they did not get eaten by the wild wolves tonight.

  It suddenly began to pour outside, thunder rumbling in the distance. The logging hut was in complete pitch darkness. The cascading sound of rain covered the sound of Li Siwen’s polish. Such a unique environment had him completely relaxed instead, nor did he stop polishing because of the darkness. Gradually, he closed his eyes, his mind completely tranquil, like he was enjoying a melodious serenade.

  At some point in time, Li Siwen seemed to gain a certain spark in his heart and he instinctively withdrew some Spirit Points to add to his soul.

  Th
is time, there wasn’t even any great reaction, just like a raindrop blending into the rainy night, drop and drop, sheets and sheets. He even somewhat forgot who he was, only feeling that he was a thread of rain, a cool breeze in this night rain, dancing with this darkness.

  “Pit pat, pit pat!”

  The patter of the rain went on and on, sounding outside of the logging hut, and also in sync with Li Siwen’s heart.

  This world, like a puddle with ripples, dim starlight could be seen.

  “Starlight?”

  Li Siwen was startled and abruptly woke up. He then realized that his surroundings were still pitch darkness. The four lumberjacks and that militiaman let out snores that differed in heaviness, but the rain outside had stopped.

  Where was the starlight?

  Only, when he opened up his Attribute Bar, was he suddenly taken aback. The 14 points of Spirit Points fully stored in the small yellow orb were all gone. There was only a change in the stat behind his Spirit attributes.

  “Spirit development —— 15%”

  Then he looked at stamina, already 15 points full. Then, he wasn’t dreaming earlier?

  But that kind of feeling of turning into a raindrop and dancing with the darkness gave him an endless aftertaste. It felt ten thousand times better than going on a date with his girlfriend.

  So right now, he actually had a kind of irrepressible urge. He wanted to go outside and not remain in this little hut with a narrow space and stale air. The outside was his world.

  Standing up quietly, he leaped down nimbly from several pieces of logs. Who knew that militiaman actually woke up on extreme vigilance. He immediately questioned in a low voice. “What are you going to do?”

  “I, I wanted to test whether the axe is sharp or not?” Li Siwen answered rather awkwardly. With this disruption, the feeling he had earlier shattered like a dream.

  “Idiot!”

  The militiaman cursed and no longer bothered with him.

  Li Siwen embarrassedly took a few steps and revealed a bitter smile. It seemed like he’d really been dreaming earlier, how was he able to see stars——

  An icy raindrop fell from the leaf and made him quiver. Taking a few more steps, facing him directly was a puddle. A hint of starlight stood out within it. What a striking similarity it had with the scene he had dreamed of earlier.

  In a twinkling, Li Siwen’s prior feeling that had shattered seemed to be pieced back together. He stared at the puddle. The puddle reflected the stars, pit pat, pit pat, the raindrops fell, the water surface was covered in ripples. Accompanying these ripples, everything in the surroundings suddenly became quiet, no, they faintly emerged in his heart.

  The big trees, the hut, the snores, the breeze, the weeds, the dewdrops, everything seemed just a breath away, well within reach.

  If it was said that all of these were within the waves of the ripple, then Li Siwen himself was right in the centre of this ripple. He didn’t dare move, afraid of disrupting and breaking this wonderful dream. Mm, he still thought this was a pleasant dream.

  Until rustles were heard and something approached in the dark. Li Siwen did not even think, turning back, his axe swung down.

  He wasn’t roused from the beautiful dream, but he saw a black snake as thick as a fist, and several meters long. Its body still maintained the meander of an attack posture but the head had fallen off.

  chapter 14

  It was almost dawn. The birds chirped in the woods and a layer of pale white morning mist permeated the air, making it look like the land of immortals.

  Li Siwen held an axe and stood in front of a big tree that had been cut down.

  “Hey, you’re still alive? Thank you for keeping watch.”

  Old Zhao, the logger, who had taught Li Siwen yesterday jumped out of the logging hut and looked around vigilantly. Holding his axe in one hand, he relieved himself in a clump of weeds. When he turned around, Li Siwen smiled shyly.

  “Don’t laugh, and don’t get too close. I won’t save you if we meet a gray wolf. It’ll be good if I can save just myself. Those beasts run fast and are so smart. They never ever appear when Lord is around. Once Lord leaves, they will show up immediately.”

  After saying that, the old logger took a look at the big tree that Li Siwen had cut down and whistled. “The fracture is good, but the force is too weak. Aren’t you going to sleep for a while? You won’t be able to when the sun comes out.”

  “I can still—”

  “Whatever! Damn, I’m starving.”

  Before Li Siwen could finish talking, the man rushed back into the logging hut cursing. It was wet outside and it was easy for his legs to ache after being chilled by the dew. Therefore, old experienced loggers like him preferred to work after the sun had risen.

  Li Siwen turned around and looked into the mist in the distance, but what he was actually seeing was the Attribute Bar.

  Name: Li Siwen (Durability 100%)

  Health: 10

  Stamina: 15

  Strength: 5

  Agility: 2

  Defense: 0

  Spirit: Grey (Development 15%)

  Talent: Spirit Vision Level 1. After Spirit Development reaches 15%, there is a certain chance to master it. It will increase 1 level with each 10% increase in Spirit Development. Effect: For three minutes after activation, at the center, there will be a secondary spirit force field that can sense most dangers and lock in most attacks within a ten-meter radius.

  Note 1: There will be no Spirit consumption for the first activation of Spirit Vision. The second activation requires three Spirit points, and the maximum limit is three minutes. The third activation requires five Spirit points, and the maximum limit is three minutes.

  Note 2: The number of activations per unit of time depends on the quality of the Spirit. Grey Spirit can activate the skill three times every six hours (including forced activation).

  Skills: Farming Level 1.

  Yellow orb: 2 Spirit Points (obtained from beheading the snake)

  “Not bad.”

  Li Siwen nodded in satisfaction. This Spirit Vision talent didn’t appear out of the blue. It was the result of his trials and tribulations in the woods last night.

  In other words, if he was afraid last night, wanted to be lazy, or treated it simply as a peculiar dream and thought no more of it, then he might not have this Spirit Vision. There was only a chance that he would have gotten it, it was not guaranteed.

  If he missed it this time, he might be able to get it when his Spirit Development reached 20%. But ultimately, the sooner he had it, the better.

  In addition to this Spirit Vision, he repeatedly observed the essence of the Rushing Thunder Chop and the way it struck when he was feeling exceptionally clear-headed the night before and modified it to suit his actions.

  Hence, with this understanding, he only used 5 Stamina points when he cut down this big tree early this morning.

  Also, although he had not slept all night, he didn’t feel tired at all. Even the recovery of his Stamina was much more efficient than usual.

  It had to be related to Spirit Development.

  “All attributes do not exist as a single entity but should work and affect each other. They belong to a whole. Therefore, my previous thought that 15 Stamina points were a lot was shallow and wrong.”

  Li Siwen thought about it, then extracted a little Vitality value from the green orb and increased his Strength from 5 to 6 points.

  In an instant, a warm current flowed through the body. He felt as though he had gained something. Especially when he held the iron axe and when he took steps on the ground, every action seemed to be easier and steadier.

  “Is this Strength?”

  There was a hint of excitement in Li Siwen’s eyes. The feeling of adding Stamina and Strength was completely different.

  The former made him healthier, gave him better endurance, and higher resistance. But it was not easily noticeable. Only when working long hours, in storms, and when faced with diseases
, would one realize the preciousness of Stamina.

  The latter was different. He could immediately feel the explosive, surging, strong impulse, and steely confidence.

  Specifically—

  Stamina represented health, resistance, prolonged endurance. It allowed him to remain smiling even when confronted with a cold or an epidemic.

  Strength represented the ability to break through, confront, suppress, and be steadfast. It gave him the confidence to dance with the wolves and talk with tigers.

  At this time Li Siwen chose another big tree. With just a first swing of his axe, he immediately felt a significant difference.

  He could feel that he was able to resist most of the force rebounded from the tree trunk and was effectively able to suppress the tremor of the axe. Then, he was able to gather a strong, explosive, and concentrated force, and send it through the axe to the tree, chopping it ferociously!

  This chop was worth three previous ones!

  And this was just the effect of a small increase in Strength.

  “Muscles and explosives are really men’s favorites!”

  Li Siwen sighed and gathered his thoughts. He constantly adjusted his breathing and the posture of his feet, adjusted the strength of his back muscles, the position of his hands, the height of the swing, the angle, etc. He tried to replicate as closely as possible the force of the Rushing Thunder Chop from last night. With just one chop of the axe, the whole tree trembled slightly.

  This was already close to 60% of the effect of the logger Old Zhao’s Rushing Thunder Chop. The only difference was the lack of sufficient Strength.

  Twenty minutes later, the big tree in front of Li Siwen fell to the ground. He only consumed 4 Stamina points and gained 0.5 points of Vitality.

  “Again!”

  Li Siwen took a short rest and chose a big tree because he urgently needed to increase his Strength to 7 even though this would make his stamina drop to two points, which would put him in the very dangerous red zone.