Chapter 5
[Black Snake Breathing Technique Proficiency +3]
[Black Snake Breathing Technique Proficiency +2]
…
[Black Snake Breathing Technique: Level 1 (233/1000)]
With the positive feedback from the proficiency panel, Levi silently cultivated the breathing technique day after day.
Other than the necessary rest time such as eating and sleeping, he spent the rest of his time cultivating. It could be said that as long as he didn’t die from cultivating, he would cultivate to his death.
As a result, the other servants rarely saw Levi’s figure in the castle. Occasionally, they would see the lord twisting his body in a strange manner or wearing heavy armor and holding a shield, constantly defending against the storm-like attacks of the Serpent Vulture Knight.
“Our lord is so young, but he’s so hardworking. This really makes me feel inferior.”
Seeing that Levi was training harder than them, the militiamen felt embarrassed to slack off. After all, there was no such thing as a boss working hard while his employees slacked off. If they did that, they would be fired sooner or later.
The militiamen were forced to start fighting.
“What is it? The lord is still training? Then I can’t sleep either. This way, when the lord sees that I’m still working hard after training, he might give me an extra piece of bread the next morning.”
Although the militiamen were working harder and harder, with Levi serving as a foil, no matter how hard they worked, they could not compare to the tirelessly robotic lord.
Seeing how hardworking Levi was, Fred was very pleased. When Levi was cultivating, he was responsible for handling all the matters in the territory with the butler. He did not let these trivial matters delay the lord’s cultivation time.
However, some disputes between the residents of the territory still required Levi to personally step forward to administer justice. This way, he would not lose his dignity and authority as a lord. In his previous life, he was a lawyer, and this was the only thing he could do professionally after transmigrating.
Just like that, the moon of the northern wind left in a hurry.
The coldest winter month of the year (December) had quietly arrived.
This meant that for the northern regions like Black Water Valley, the cold wave would be even more turbulent, and the blizzard would be even more violent!
Many of the wooden houses of the serfs had been in disrepair for a long time and were destroyed by the wind and snow in the cold wind. The mountains were sealed by the heavy snow. In such a cold winter, it was naturally difficult to rebuild them.
The kind-hearted lord, Levi, asked Sir Fred to temporarily settle these serfs in the castle and found them a job in the castle. The young girls or women were arranged by Levi to be maids, responsible for taking care of Levi and Sir Fred’s daily life.
He also selected a portion of young and middle-aged men and incorporated them into the militia. This way, the number of militia under his command reached an unprecedented number… fifty people.
These militiamen were all led by Sir Fred, who taught them basic combat skills. After training, they were responsible for repairing the castle buildings, doing some heavy labor, and grazing and farming. They were not full-time soldiers. With the current level of the Black Water Valley, they could not afford to support full-time soldiers.
The elderly and children were responsible for some relatively light physical labor. Everyone could contribute their own strength to the territory and get their share of food according to their work: A piece of gray bread and a bowl of red bean soup.
Gray bread was a little better than black bread, but it was not as fragrant and soft as white bread.
In fact, with the productivity of Black Water Valley, the exquisite white bread was barely enough for Levi and Sir Fred to eat. The powerful body functions of knights were bound to be accompanied by a huge amount of calories.
Levi’s daily food requirement was five to eight times that of a normal person. Most of the energy was used by the breathing technique to strengthen his body, and a small portion was converted into excrement. However, it was this small portion that made Levi have to poop three times a day.
On the other hand, Sir Fred had already passed the rapid growth period of his breathing technique. As an official knight, his appetite was only three times that of an ordinary person when he did not deliberately circulate his breathing technique.
Levi’s generosity made the serfs in the territory very grateful to him. They were grateful to this young, kind, and handsome lord for his gift.
As for Levi himself, he was completely immersed in cultivating the breathing technique.
He felt a sense of accomplishment every day as he watched the proficiency of the Black Snake Breathing Technique increase visibly.
At the same time, he was also constantly on guard against the arrival of wandering knights or bandit groups wandering in the wilderness.
After all, for those “homeless dogs”, a weak lord like Levi was undoubtedly a good target to rob.
Of course, with Sir Fred around, Li Wei did not have to worry about ordinary enemies.
As the right-hand man of the Black Snake Knight, although Sir Fred rarely fought, the name, “Serpent Vulture Knight” was still a deterrent in the surrounding areas.
When Li Wei was not cultivating, he would occasionally check on the training results of Sir Fred’s militia. From the beginning, they were just a bunch of useless people, but now, they had barely formed the ability to fight. With the guidance of the knight, their progress was visible to the naked eye.
In the future, they would also become an important force to protect themselves and their territory.
To be honest, the population of Levi’s territory was still too small, and the production rate was also the lowest among the barons.
After all, he had basically left the family with nothing and returned to the Black Water Valley with nothing.
For the weak Levi, this was a helpless move.
Time passed by in cultivation.
The coldest month of winter in the north of the kingdom had finally passed.
Year 1004 of the Holy Brilliance Calendar, the first day of the first month (January).
This day was the birthday of the Heavenly Father, and also the new year of the Emerald Kingdom.
Coincidentally, it was also Levi’s birthday.
Baron of Black Water Valley, Earl of Tulip Hill, and Master of Stormy Hill, Levi Schneider was thirteen years old.
The cold wind was still blowing in the Black Water Valley. Inside the castle, Levi had completed a strange and twisted breathing technique. He stretched his 1.8-meter-tall body and stood on the second floor of the castle in a jovial posture, looking at the residents below with a deep gaze.
His entire temperament was completely different from a month ago. Beneath his sunny and handsome face, there was a gloomy temperament like a snake. His muscles were full and round, the lines were deep, and he was strong and powerful. He was as perfect as an ancient Greece statue.
Seeing Levi like this, one could not help but sigh, was this what a 13-year-old looked like?
He looked at the sky full of snow and ice, feeling exceptionally comfortable.
It was a new year. The castle was decorated with lanterns and streamers. The young and freckled maids were busy with their work. Their little faces were red from the cold wind. They giggled and prepared for the new year and birthday banquet of the lord.
The soldiers also drank hard liquor and chatted with Sir Fred. They thanked the knight and the lord for their gifts in the past year and sent their New Year and birthday wishes to the lord.
The other serfs sent delicious ham, cheese, dried fruits, fruit wine, and other agricultural products to the castle to express their gratitude to Levi.
Compared to the lords in this world, Levi, who had transmigrated from the modern world, had a much better attitude and respect toward these people.
Therefore, although the serfs living in Black Water Valley were poor, they were content.
At least here, they could occasionally feel the dignity of being born as humans. They could also receive the protection of the lord and Sir Fred. They still had basic security.
Of course, this was not the only reason why Levi was happy.
Most importantly, his Black Snake Breathing Technique had finally broken through to the second level after nearly two months of crazy, day-and-night experience.