Ruthlessness is the hallmark of a great man.

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After walking several miles ahead, Yang Tang finally caught sight of Dukang Village. He quickened his pace to the edge of the village, only to be startled when a woodcutter returning from gathering firewood looked at him as if he were some monster and fled at full speed.

"Oh no!"

Yang Tang hurried along the path by the village outskirts toward the river. Glancing down at the water from the bridge, he realized that he no longer appeared as a modern man but had transformed into a graceful young man from ancient times.

"This scared me to death! Now it makes sense why the woodcutter looked at me with such bewilderment. Since I appear as someone from the past, his reaction is understandable."

Puzzled but undeterred, Yang Tang retraced his steps back to the village edge, where he soon encountered a hunter.

The hunter looked at him in surprise and asked, "May I ask, young brother, where do you come from?"

Yang Tang was somewhat confused and cautious, opting not to speak but simply pointed back the way he had come.

"From the northwest?" The hunter's expression darkened. "There are bandits in the northwest forests causing havoc. For quite some time now, no one has passed through from that direction. Young brother, you actually—"

Only then did Yang Tang understand the earlier woodcutter’s fearful expression. "Sir, I am Yang Tang. To be honest, I have been traveling far and wide in a daze, but I have not encountered any bandits as you described."

"Really, no bandits?" The hunter seemed skeptical.

Yang Tang nodded confidently.

"Then you are truly fortunate."

"Is there a place to stay in the village?" Yang Tang inquired.

The hunter hesitated before answering, "Young brother, my family name is He. I’m a man who eats enough to feed his family. If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to stay at my place for a few days. I can still afford to entertain guests."

"In that case, thank you very much, Uncle He!"

"No need for formalities. Just call me Old He."

So Yang Tang followed Old He back to his home. Upon entering, he suddenly realized that as one who enters this dream, he had now fully merged into this dream world—his physical attributes had become tangible and would revert to normal once he left the dream.

Hmm? How do I check my tangible physical attributes?

Just silently recall your attributes!

Yang Tang did so.

Instantly, a character status panel, reminiscent of the one from the game "Tale of Wuxia," popped up about a foot in front of his eyes.

Startled, Yang Tang glanced at Old He, who was bustling about boiling water, yet the man seemed oblivious to the status panel hovering so close. This reassured Yang Tang somewhat.

On the panel, three talents were listed: "Agile and Intelligent," "Reincarnated Prodigy," and "I’m Rich." The first two seemed plausible, but the last talent puzzled Yang Tang. "I haven’t even started making money yet—when was I ever rich?"

His eyes drifted down to the money section, and he was stunned.

56,273,109 copper coins.

Whoa, how did I end up with so much money?

Wait, dark gold coins!

Yang Tang estimated that in this dream, the exchange rate among gold, silver, and copper coins was roughly 1 dark gold coin to 100 silver to 10,000 copper. In his past life during the Southern Song Dynasty, the ratio was about 1 tael of gold to 10 taels of silver to 10,000 copper coins, with one tael of silver equivalent to 1,000 copper coins. Comparing the two, the values were roughly equivalent.

However, Yang Tang’s current problem was that the dark gold coins were too flashy in appearance. They could only be used directly in stores where the money would be deducted outright; otherwise, showing them would attract unwanted attention, making spending difficult.

As for his martial arts, combat skills, comprehension, lightness skill, hard skill, and soft skill, they all barely reached values in the teens or twenties. His health and internal energy were meager—just over 330 health points and a little more than 200 internal energy, even less than some low-ranked goons at the start of the game "Tale of Wuxia."

The only consolation was that at dinner, when Yang Tang subtly inquired with Old He, he learned that the event where Gu Yuexuan and the nameless young hero teamed up to capture Qiu Ba had not yet occurred in Dukang Village.

Ah, so the story of "Tale of Wuxia" hasn’t officially begun yet. If that’s the case, I have plenty of room to maneuver!

The next day, with a crafty heart, Yang Tang borrowed a bow and arrows from Old He. Relying on his skill in aiming and sniping, after a few hunts, he managed to collect over a dozen tiger penises and more than twenty snake gallbladders. He also dug a pit at least four meters deep near the hunting grounds.

Yang Tang remembered from playing the game that tiger penis boosts health, and snake gallbladder increases internal energy. He tried swallowing one of each raw and sure enough, his health rose by ten points and internal energy by five.

Next, he sought out Li Langzhong in the village, paying him to buy a thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum and a Nine-Turn Revival Pill, then sold all the meat he had hunted to him.

After consuming the thousand-year Polygonum multiflorum, which added 200 internal energy points, Yang Tang used direct currency deduction to convert over two hundred dark gold coins into copper coins—roughly over two million in copper money.

With everything prepared, Yang Tang glanced at the time. Since noon had passed, he headed to the village entrance, took the left path to the riverside, and indeed encountered the old beggar Hong Yueqing, who was clumsily practicing boxing there.

Yang Tang approached and struck up a conversation. Hong Yueqing immediately asked him for money—twice. The first time was 500 copper coins, the second time 1,000. Patiently, Yang Tang gave him both times, then sat aside to meditate on the Golden Goose Skill while watching a Go prodigy play. By the time the sun leaned westward, his Golden Goose Skill had reached the third level.

Soon, the prodigy and the elderly Go players left, and Hong Yueqing finished for the day and prepared to return to the village to beg for food.

Seeing this, Yang Tang approached once more. Hong Yueqing eagerly requested money a third time.

"Here!" Yang Tang gave him another 2,000 copper coins.

Hong Yueqing tucked the money into his cloth pouch and chuckled, "Young man—"

Yang Tang pretended to complain, "Enough! I’ve given you all my belongings. What more do you want? Don’t be too greedy!"

"Heh, young man, don’t get so impatient. The old beggar was merely testing you just now. Not bad, not bad. You have a kind heart!"

"Testing me!?" Yang Tang feigned surprise.

"Heh heh, I am Hong Yueqing, nicknamed Old Ghost Qing, the highest-ranking beggar, and the oldest in the guild. Since you treat the old beggar kindly, ask for anything you want, and Old Beggar will grant it!"

As he spoke, a blank panel appeared before Yang Tang with four options:

1. I want to learn peerless martial arts.

2. I want to gain extraordinary wisdom.

3. I want to obtain a treasure that can defeat any enemy.

4. I just want you to return my money!

Having played "Tale of Wuxia," Yang Tang knew well that option one offered three martial arts paths to choose from: the Lone Lonely Sword, Buddha’s Palm, and Dog-Beating Staff Technique. Option two granted 20 points of comprehension. Option three gave five worthless mud pills. Option four returned 5,000 copper coins.

At first glance, option one seemed the most advantageous, but it wasn’t so. Each martial art had high prerequisites: Lone Lonely Sword required 150 in martial arts skill, Buddha’s Palm needed health over 3,000, and Dog-Beating Staff Technique required stick skills above 80. So far, Yang Tang’s highest single attribute was only 26 in comprehension.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yang Tang chose option two. Immediately, he felt a surge of enlightenment, gaining 20 points in comprehension. Checking his status panel, his comprehension had indeed risen to 46.

Yang Tang bowed to the old beggar. "Thank you, senior!"

"No need to be polite!" Hong Yueqing waved dismissively and strode towards the village entrance. However, when he had turned his back and was about twenty feet away, his old wounds suddenly flared up.

Hong Yueqing shuddered violently, as if struck by lightning. He struggled to turn back to see who was attacking him, but Yang Tang had already appeared before him, standing coldly at a distance of twenty feet with a detached smile.

With a heavy thud, Hong Yueqing collapsed, his body convulsing as blood spread.

Yang Tang did not rush forward, fearing that the old beggar—who surely had secret martial arts manuals—might unleash a deadly strike in his final moments. Instead, he stood still and activated his eagle eye.

After waiting on the deserted path for about half an incense stick’s time, Yang Tang confirmed that Hong Yueqing had died. He then approached and rummaged through the beggar’s cloth pouch, finding three martial arts manuals, over seven thousand copper coins, and a thousand-year Polygonum multiflorum.

"I never expected this old beggar to be hiding such rare treasures!"

Yang Tang packed the items into his waist pouch and then retrieved a hemp sack he had bought in the village from the fourth storage compartment of his nameless ring. He placed the beggar’s corpse inside and temporarily stored it in the same compartment.

He covered the bloodstains on the roadside with loose soil, then quickly left the scene. At the northern hunting ground, he buried the sack in the tree pit, covered it thoroughly with earth, scattered some weeds, and swept the branches to leave no traces.

That night, a gentle drizzle washed away the last traces of Hong Yueqing in this world. The next morning, anyone passing the village’s left path found no bloodstains.

At breakfast, Yang Tang took out 10,000 copper coins to thank Old He for his hospitality. Though Old He initially refused the money several times, Yang Tang insisted he accept it, and the man finally relented.

"Old He, there’s one more thing I need your help with."

"Brother Yang, no need for formalities between us. Speak freely."

"I need a large supply of tiger penises and snake gallbladders. I’m willing to pay double the market price!" Saying this, Yang Tang offered another 10,000 copper coins as a deposit.

"Ah!?" Old He was surprised by the request but chose not to ask further. He carefully pocketed the money. "Brother Yang, I’ll do my best to find them, but I can’t guarantee the quantity."

"Just gather whatever you can, but keep it quiet. Don’t let this get around."

"I understand."

After breakfast, Yang Tang strolled through the village but saw no unfamiliar faces, indicating the main storyline had yet to begin. By noon, he returned to Old He’s place, skipped lunch, and swallowed the thousand-year Polygonum multiflorum from the old beggar as a meal.

His health and internal energy each surged by two thousand points!

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