Gegeda conked out after making nine Eggshell Houses. The creature sat on the ground, patting its belly with its wings and staring expectantly at Wang Yi.
Wang Yi immediately realized it was hungry.
'Good heavens, at this size, how much does it eat in one meal? Can I even afford to raise it? The Little Combat Chickens can forage for themselves, but this super-sized one can't?'
Wang Yi grew worried. He couldn't just make Gegeda work without feeding it. Since he had acquired this Territory Guardian Beast, he had a responsibility to raise it.
However, once Gegeda started eating, Wang Yi's expression turned grim.
As expected, it had a massive appetite. It ate Golden Roasted Chicken, it ate five-spice ham—its stomach was like a bottomless pit.
Wang Yi called over a dozen members of the Production Team to help. After a long flurry of activity, two of the more than ten tons of stockpiled five-spice ham were gone. Only then did Gegeda reluctantly stop eating, get up, and lead the 15 Little Combat Chickens off to play.
'This can't go on. Gegeda eats two tons of meat a day—it's going to eat me into bankruptcy! I have to solve its food problem as soon as possible...'
Wang Yi couldn't help but frown. Having a powerful Territory Guardian Beast was also a huge headache.
'How am I going to get large quantities of meat? At this point, it looks like I can only rely on luck...'
After thinking it over, Wang Yi decided he had to go explore the map. His territory's resources were currently limited, and normal development couldn't support Gegeda. Only by finding Treasure Chests in the wild and getting rich quick could he possibly solve his current predicament.
With this in mind, Wang Yi wasted no more time. He asked Man Datou for the Rock Giant Scorpion and set off to explore the map once again.
He didn't take the Crossbow Machine Carriage because its movement was limited by terrain. The Rock Giant Scorpion could climb mountains, go up slopes, and navigate through forests, making it much more convenient for exploring the wilderness.
And with Gegeda, the Territory Guardian Beast, on guard, Wang Yi no longer had to worry about his territory being ambushed.
...
Over at Lu Family Stronghold, Pang Damao had been working hard from morning until afternoon. The sun was already slanting west before he finally got a chance to eat.
His hands were covered in bloody blisters, but the food rationed to him was just a bowl of plain congee and half a bowl of white rice.
'Damn it! This Lu Family Stronghold is no place for a human being. The villagers from Pottery Village are no good either. We're all doing hard labor, so what's the big idea bullying me, an outsider...?'
Pang Damao was filled with resentment. He had just shoveled down two mouthfuls of rice when he saw Lu Junsheng pass by with a squad of men, apparently on their way out.
"General!"
Pang Damao quickly ran over, a fawning expression on his face. "Oh, Lord General, your bright silver armor is so... so majestic! You look even more impressive than the Changshan Zhao Panlong from the operas!"
Lu Junsheng stopped in his tracks and glanced sideways at him. "Oh? You know of Zhao Panlong?"
"Of course!" Pang Damao slapped his thigh. "Don't let my current sorry state fool you. I'm an educated man! The ancient Grand General Zhao Panlong is my idol. I've even seen the opera about him."
Pang Damao was deliberately sucking up. He continued, "But those opera actors are all for show. How could they compare to you, General? You just have to stand there, and without saying a word, you command respect. One look and it's clear you're a true Grand General!"
He then lowered his voice and said, "If you ask me, for Lord Red Yan to have a father like you... that's a blessing earned over eight lifetimes!"
Lu Junsheng roared with laughter. "You're not bad, kid. What was your name again?"
"Replying to the General, this humble one is Pang Damao. You were the one who led me into the stronghold the day before yesterday!"
"Right, right, Pang Damao! I remember now!"
Pang Damao struck while the iron was hot, immediately dropping to his knees. "Lord General, I was thinking, when your lordship patrols the lands, you must need an attendant to feed your horse and run errands, right? I may not be strong, but I have sharp eyes, quick legs, and a tight lip! To be able to follow you, General, would be the honor of three lifetimes!"
Pang Damao watched Lu Junsheng's expression, but thought to himself, 'This bullshit General better say yes already! If I have to keep driving piles, my arms are going to break. And with that damn foreman tormenting me, I'm not going to survive much longer!'
But Lu Junsheng was quite pleased by Pang Damao's flattery. "You're a clever kid. I like you. You want to follow me, is that it? Granted! Go, get a set of Wood Armor and hurry up and join the squad. You'll come with me to investigate the General's Tomb!"
Pang Damao was overjoyed. He kowtowed twice and then hurried off to get his Wood Armor. As he walked past the foreman, he didn't forget to snort contemptuously at him.
"Bootlicker!"
The foreman spat on the ground, but there was nothing he could do about Pang Damao.
And just like that, Pang Damao became one of Lu Junsheng's Personal Guards. He followed him out of Lu Family Stronghold and wandered around the wilderness for over two hours before finally finding an overgrown grave three li north of Pottery Village.
The grave looked ancient, completely overgrown with weeds. The headstone had toppled over, and though there were characters carved on it, they were so weathered and eroded that they were nearly impossible to make out.
"This should be the place—the General's Tomb! Hongyan said this is a Secret Realm instance that will reveal its wonders soon. We're just scouting it out today. Men, clear away these weeds and rubble! Make an open space!"
Lu Junsheng shouted, and the crowd of "Personal Guards" immediately got to work.
Pang Damao, however, was feeling quite relaxed. No one was paying attention to him. He ducked into the tall weeds, gradually moving away from the group. When he felt he was far enough, he took off running.
'So long! I'm heading back and I'm never coming here again!'
Pang Damao felt like he had regained his freedom and ran as fast as he could. However, by the time he returned to Wang Yi's territory, night had already fallen, and the members of the Production Team had long since gotten off work.
At the gate to the small courtyard of the "Immortal Temple," however, two people were still standing: Boss Li, the director of the Giant Scorpion Sandfield, and Tie Qiang, an employee from the sandfield.
The two of them were craning their necks, peering into the warehouse courtyard. Boss Li said, "Sir, if it's possible, please continue giving us the five-spice ham!"
Originally, the people at the sandfield thought that being issued five-spice ham was a punishment from the Immortal Master and that it surely wouldn't be as tasty as the roasted chicken. But after receiving the five-spice ham, they discovered they were wrong.
The five-spice ham was delicious, even better than the roasted chicken. Everyone who tried it had nothing but praise for it.
A short while later, Wang Yi appeared and handed out exactly what they wanted: five-spice ham sausages.
When Pang Damao saw Wang Yi, he burst into tears, ran forward, and fell to his knees, shouting, "Immortal Master, I finally get to see your esteemed self again!"
Wang Yi was already in a foul mood. His map exploration had yielded nothing, Gegeda's food problem was still unsolved, and a crisis was looming.
But Gegeda wasn't just eating for free. It had already produced 21 Eggshell Houses of various colors and sizes, the largest of which was over ten meters tall. Yang Qingniu and the others had already moved into them, all marveling that they were much better than the houses in Stone Village.
"It's Da Mao. I thought you'd been killed. Haven't seen you for two days. Tell me, where have you been?"
Seeing Pang Damao, Wang Yi let out a sigh of relief. 'Good,' he thought, 'at least the guy's not dead.'
"I was captured and forced into labor! I was bullied! I beg you, Master, to seek justice for me!"
With snot and tears streaming down his face, Pang Damao proceeded to recount in great detail his experiences and what he had seen at Lu Family Stronghold. He also handed over the Protective Talisman that Lu Junsheng had given him.
Wang Yi's expression grew more and more serious as he listened patiently. When Pang Damao finished, however, he handed the Protective Talisman back to him and said, "Da Mao, you have to go back."