Chapter 25: A Surprise in the Wilderness

Returning to the City Lord’s mansion, Yang Tian found over a dozen officials busily at work. One after another, townsfolk arrived with their children—such a good opportunity could not be missed, lest they fail to benefit in time. The officials were carefully verifying and registering each family.

With nothing pressing to do, Yang Tian decided to head out and take a look around. Several hours passed, and the soldiers had already been dispatched throughout the city to promote the new policies. Yang Tian wanted to observe just how enthusiastic the people were.

Mounted on horseback, accompanied by two guards, he set off toward the southern part of the city. The Desolate City lay on the northern frontier of the Qin Kingdom. Anyone traveling from the Qin heartlands would enter through the southern gate. The city’s abandoned area was, in fact, the outer city. Originally, the design was the same as other cities in Qin: the outer city housed commoners, occupying seventy percent of the Desolate City’s area, while only officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants could reside within the inner walls.

But the city had been forsaken, never developing as planned. As the population dwindled, the people gradually moved entirely into the inner city, rendering the earlier restrictions unnecessary. Thus, the outer city remained desolate, overgrown with wild grass and trees, and inhabited by fierce beasts.

If the Desolate City was to prosper, its appearance was crucial—the environment could not be left to neglect. The new policies specifically included contributions for clearing the desolation of the outer city. When foreign merchants arrived, they needed to see signs of change.

As Yang Tian continued, he saw townsfolk busily sweeping rubbish from around their homes. The streets had become much cleaner. The farther he went toward the outskirts, the fresher the air became—gone was the former sight and stench of filth everywhere.

When the people saw Yang Tian, their faces were filled with respect; each one offered a bow and a greeting.

“Good day, My Lord!”

Partly, this was due to the authority Yang Tian had established. Partly, it was self-interest: through labor, they could earn rewards, bringing a glimmer of hope to their lives. They did not fear hardship—only having no outlet for their efforts.

Yang Tian was quite satisfied. The people of the Desolate City, at their core, still possessed the honest characteristics of the working class. If he could mobilize them to transform the city together, that would be enough.

Gradually, Yang Tian reached a deserted area. Gazing at the wild, overgrown expanse, it was hard to imagine this had once been a city. Grass truly was a remarkable species—requiring no care, thriving with just sunlight and rain, growing rampantly. Yet crops, however carefully tended, might not flourish, and a spell of bad weather could wipe out all previous effort.

Yang Tian went no farther but turned into the grasslands to take a look around. Perhaps he might find something of value in this wilderness.

His two guards had no idea what the young master intended, but their duty was simply to protect him, so they followed in silence.

“Was that a rabbit that just darted away?” Yang Tian asked after they had gone some distance into the grass. A gray blur had flashed by—it seemed to be a rabbit. The commotion of their horses had startled the many insects and birds in the undergrowth, though they had yet to encounter any wild beasts.

“Yes, young master, I’ll catch it at once,” one guard replied, preparing to chase it down. As a fourth-rank martial artist, he could easily capture even a swift wild rabbit.

“No need. Hand me the bow—I’ll do it myself,” said Yang Tian, his interest piqued. Though his former martial foundation had been ruined, he had trained in archery since childhood; the skills were ingrained in his very muscles.

He took the bow, testing its feel—familiar as ever. Advancing in the direction where the rabbit had fled, he saw it leap again, sensing danger.

He nocked an arrow and shot, but his first shot missed—muscle memory alone was not enough; he would need practice to regain his former mastery.

Pursuing the rabbit further, he fired several more arrows, all missing their mark. The two guards assumed the young master was merely playing—otherwise, he would never miss. Even without martial energy, his skills were formidable. In his prime, perfect aim was the bare minimum for him, and now he had embarked upon the path of literary cultivation.

After a short while, the rabbit vanished—likely having escaped into its warren. Yet Yang Tian did not give up. He activated the energy of literary brilliance in his eyes. Instantly, his gaze became piercingly clear, and he easily spotted the rabbit’s den.

A cunning rabbit may have three burrows, but before a cultivator, such tricks were useless. Yang Tian captured the entire rabbit family—over a dozen in total—alive.

“Don’t kill them. Take them back to raise,” he instructed.

On second thought, Yang Tian decided not to eat them just yet. Rabbits were prolific breeders, almost producing a litter every month, each time with several young. The townsfolk, living in hardship, were unable to keep livestock. Yang Tian planned to start a breeding farm—raising more rabbits would provide a good source of meat. Spicy rabbit stew, after all, was delicious. The children could also have more meat in their meals.

After a bit more wandering and collecting several nests of wild rabbits, Yang Tian prepared to return.

Suddenly, Yang Tian stopped dead, his eyes fixed intently on the ground. There was a plant that seemed familiar—about ten centimeters tall, with several uneven pinnate leaves and a stem showing signs of dryness.

Rubbing his eyes, Yang Tian leapt from his horse and eagerly knelt down for a closer inspection. His two guards looked on in confusion as their young master knelt, carefully digging around a clump of grass while muttering to himself.

Then, they saw him spring to his feet, holding a long, oval, yellowish object caked with dirt, his face alight with excitement as he exclaimed,

“Ha ha ha… Luck favors me! I’ve truly found a treasure in the wilderness!”

He looked almost crazed.

A treasure? That thing in the young master’s hand?

“Don’t just stand there—come over here and learn to recognize this, and help me search the area,” Yang Tian called, unable to contain his joy, beckoning the guards to join him in identifying the plant.

“Young master, what is this?”

“This is a treasure. In time, you’ll understand how important it is. Hurry, help me look for more!”

Yang Tian himself hadn’t expected to stumble upon potatoes by accident. He had been in this world for over a month and had seen no sign of potatoes in the Qin Kingdom. And yet, here they were. How they had arrived, or where their seeds had come from, was a mystery. Surely, they must exist elsewhere too, just not yet widely cultivated—or with their prodigious yields, they would never have remained undiscovered until now.

The two guards, unaware of the potato’s significance, followed his orders without question. After a short search, they found over a dozen more plants nearby, and Yang Tian dug up every potato he could find.

“Let’s go back,” he ordered, mounting his horse and galloping home.

Yang Tian planned to summon everyone at the mansion to join the search—relying on just three people would be far too slow. Eventually, the wilderness would be cleared; he could not allow these wild potatoes to be destroyed—not a single one.

For now, he would keep his discovery secret. Whether these potatoes could be successfully cultivated was still uncertain. But if they could, it would solve the Desolate City’s food shortages, and eventually become an important export, securing other resources as well.

It was an astonishing stroke of luck!

Yang Tian glanced at the plump gray rabbit, feeling grateful. It was his interest in the rabbit that had led him off his horse and into the dense grass, where he had noticed the potatoes.

He would see to it that rabbit lived a long and comfortable life.