Second Patriarch: Rise Of The Liu Clan

Liu Zhu and Feng Jun made small talk for a bit before parting ways. Liu Zhu returned to his lodgings and read for a bit, while Feng Jun went to fill up the two vacancies left in Liu Zhu's squad. Liu Zhu would much rather spend his time familiarizing himself with the surrounding area or getting used to commanding people than reading, but decided that it was best to wait until Feng Jun introduced him to the other members before doing so. It'd be awkward to work with three people now and then have to take a step backwards and get two new people caught up afterwards. It was more efficient just to start when all of them were available

Feng Jun visited Liu Zhu later that day to inform him that the two new members would be coming over the next morning, and so Liu Zhu decided he'd start working with his squad the next afternoon. He wasn't familiar with the area, and he doubted most of his squad was, so the first order of business would be to survey the area so that they wouldn't be at a disadvantage come the day of the beast horde. In all likelihood they wouldn't stray very far from the village's makeshift walls while fighting, but it was much better to know something useless than to die because he got lost in the nearby forest during a beast horde.

Liu Zhu purchased a map of the area from a farmer and spent around an hour studying it before going to sleep. The map was originally a proposal for an irrigation system and wasn't targeted towards what Liu Zhu needed to know, but it wasn't useless. It showed sources of water, a few nearby landmarks, and the height of the area. There was no replacement for looking around firsthand, but hopefully this information would be able to give Liu Zhu a rough grasp of the area if he needed it. The next morning he woke up slightly after dawn and read for a couple of hours about the plants in the Northern Wastes before being interrupted by a knock on his door. He excitedly opened it, revealing two men who appeared to be in their late teens or early 20s. Both of them were at Early Flesh Tempering.

The two were the men Feng Jun had recruited for Liu Zhu's squad, and they more than lived up to his expectations. They politely exchanged greetings and after a short chat Liu Zhu got to the point. "I was planning to take the squad to look around the nearby forest this afternoon. We'll figure out the lay of the land and hopefully meld a bit better after we're done. Are the two of you free?" There was a short pause before one of them awkwardly shook their head. "Sorry, I have a prior engagement. I won't be available for most of the week." Before Liu Zhu could say anything the other person responded to say that they were free. Liu Zhu told him where to meet and made sure the other man knew it was alright if he was busy. Liu Zhu may have been in charge, but this wasn't the military. On top of that, the two of them were already doing him a favor just by working under him. He understood that they probably had a better opportunity lined up, and he didn't want to make them feel obligated to spend all their time preparing for the beast horde if they had better things to do.

After speaking to the two new squad members Liu Zhu visited Yin Bai and Yin Yuhan. He informed them of his plans, and they said they'd be fine with anything he wanted to do before the beast horde. Neither of them had acquaintances nor other matters to take care of in Wolfden Village, so they were free for the entire week. This was in stark contrast to the other man Liu Zhu had recruited, who complained repeatedly about having to go out into the middle of the woods despite saying his was willing to go. Liu Zhu simply sighed and ignored his grumbling, silently leaving. Liu Zhu figured that he was the kind of person who complained about things out loud to get rid of stress. He'd rather not have to deal with the man, but he couldn't be picky.

The five met just outside the village's steadily growing wall that afternoon. All of them arrived on time, and Liu Zhu began surveying the wilderness with them while making idle chat and trying to get to know them. As they explored they referenced the map Liu Zhu had purchased, scribbling landmarks and notes down on a second piece of paper meant for cartography when needed. Occasionally they'd run into vicious beasts wandering about, but even the strongest of them were only at Early Flesh Tempering. These were a few vicious beasts living nearby that had arrived long ahead of the beast horde, and they probably wouldn't become a problem for a few days.

Over the next several hours Liu Zhu got to know the members of his squad fairly well. Yin Bai was a hot-blooded young lad like himself, and he was in the Northern Wastes with his grandfather to earn funds for his cultivation. Most of his grandfather's thoughts were focused on his grandson, but he also mentioned a love for board games such as chess and backgammon. Despite the squad's subtle requests for Yin Yuhan to stop, he ended up giving them a half hour long lecture on chess tactics and the profoundness of "The E2 Opening". Liu Zhu was also experienced in these games due to his upbringing, but didn't dare to challenge him to a match given that he had over 60 years of experience. A privileged upbringing could bring about a lot of advantages, but it couldn't give him decades worth of chess skills. The man Feng Jun had sent to join Liu Zhu's squad was an avid hunter, and mostly kept to himself.

As Liu Zhu learned about his squad members, he also learned about the man he'd recruited at the bar. He didn't seem reliable, and directed several complaints towards Liu Zhu. Most of them were towards his age, which Liu Zhu had no power over. Luckily he seemed to read the mood, and after the rest of the squad started throwing him glares he wizened up. Besides that he wasn't that bad to deal with, and he started to fit into the squad as the day continued. Just as Liu Zhu began to notice this change, he also noticed something else: a gradual increase in the 'wildlife'. The rate at which vicious beasts showed up had began increasing, and the strongest of them had grown from Early Flesh Tempering to Late Flesh Tempering. Liu Zhu could escape as long as the beast's weren't as powerful as a Blood and Marrow Tempering cultivator, but after considering the safety of the rest of the group decided to turn back.

Liu Zhu's order to turn back relieved the group, as they'd grown a bit worried about the increased vicious beast presence. Liu Zhu claimed his strength was at Late Bone and Marrow Tempering, but most of him believed he was exaggerating and were ready to turn back if anything strong than a Flesh Tempering cultivator showed up. Just as the group was turning around, Liu Zhu had a bad feeling. He paused and looked around, catching the attention of the rest of the group, before noticing a shadowy figure in a nearby bush. After noticing the first his vigilance peaked, and he noticed several others.

Liu Zhu quickly noticed what was happening and yelled out. "There's a pack! Group up by me, we'll fight them off and then get back to the village!" He could've ordered an immediate retreat, but if several of the beasts were stronger than Flesh Tempering it'd be difficult for him to hold them all back himself. In that case Liu Zhu would probably be safe, but the beasts would pick off one of his retreating squad members before he could do anything. The safest option was for him to stay with the rest of his squad, where he could leverage his superior strength and protect them.

As the beasts suddenly appeared from the shadows most of the group formed up around Liu Zhu. He quickly examined the situation, trying to grasp where everyone was and how strong the beasts were. While he was doing this, he heard an obnoxious yell from behind him. "Thanks for covering my retreat! I'm not going to risk my skin for some snot-nosed brat like you!" Liu Zhu grit his teeth upon hearing this, but couldn't do much else. He hated traitors and cowards who ran without even trying to fight, but it was more important to focus on surviving. Still, despite his outward inaction, many thoughts did pass through his mind. These mainly consisted of things such as "F.u.c.k!" and "I'm going to punch that bastard later."

As the coward ran away, the rest of Liu Zhu's squad began their fight of four against many.