The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 3: Farming, Killing Rabbits, and Making Barbecue

After Li Xuanba thoughtfully closed the information panel, another interface popped up before him. It was identical to the interface of those farming mini-games Li Xuanba had seen before. “Ding” “System Notice: Congratulations on becoming a farmer! Start growing all kinds of vegetables and fruits right away!” "System Prompt: First, go to the store to buy seeds. Once you've bought them, open your backpack and plant the seeds in the field." As the system prompt sounded, Li Xuanba took a look at the interface. The interface was quite simple. Aside from six glowing plots of land, there was only a small warehouse and a small shop next to the fields, along with a spring beside the land—nothing else at all. It was extremely straightforward. But based on his estimation, everything else would likely only appear once his level went up! In the top-left corner of the interface, it showed he had an initial 600 copper coins, and the six plots of land totaled six mu—they were simply automatically divided into separate sections. When he opened the system store, the seeds available left Li Xuanba speechless. There were three types of seeds in total: white radish, wheat, and rice, each with a maturation time of six hours. White radishes? Wheat? Rice? What is this system trying to do? What am I supposed to eat? Just munch on raw radishes? Or wait twelve hours to eat steamed buns made with white flour and rice? Speechless, Li Xuanba spent all 600 copper coins in one go, buying enough seeds for two mu of each of the three crops, which he scattered directly across the six plots of land. He then closed the farm interface and turned to walk deep into the mountains. He didn’t have time right now to worry about how the farm would level up; he was starving, so it was best to find something to eat first. “System Notice: Host has planted Level 1 crops 6 times, earning 6 experience points.” He’d barely finished planting the seeds across the six mu of land when the system sent him another message, which made Li Xuanba chuckle. Was this system really going to have him do nothing but farm? “Gurgle!” “Rustle, rustle!” In this Tang Dynasty era, not only was the air quality excellent, but the flowers, grasses, and trees also thrived. Li Xuanba had walked for no more than five minutes, yet towering trees—so massive it would take three people to encircle them—were everywhere, and birds and beasts were too numerous to count. After walking a few steps, Li Xuanba finally found what he was looking for—a vine that could be used to cover his body. “Whoosh!” Relying on his strength, Li Xuanba didn’t bother breaking it off but simply pulled it out by the roots. He then wrapped it around himself, covering his private parts. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’ve got quite an eye for art, don’t I? This outfit turned out pretty well,” Li Xuanba said, admiring his bright green “new outfit” without the slightest hint of embarrassment. Once he was dressed, Li Xuanba bent down to pick up a handful of small pebbles, his eyes darting back and forth as he surveyed the birds and beasts darting about in the woods. As Li Xuanba scanned his surroundings, information about each animal appeared before his eyes; among them, adult wild rabbits were the most common. Name: Adult Wild Rabbit Gender: Male Level: Level 1 Species: Chinese Wild Rabbit Quality: White Game (Low-Grade Ingredient) Age: 1 year Status: None Danger Level: Low; can be tamed as a pet. As a gray wild rabbit darted right in front of him, a sharp gleam flashed in Li Xuanba’s eyes. He bent his right arm like a bow, and as the sound of his muscles straining filled the air, the pebble in his hand shot out like a sharp arrow. “Whoosh!” “Thud!” “Cough, cough… Missed! Missed!” He missed the hare, but instead struck a bottomless little hole beneath the large tree, leaving Li Xuanba feeling a bit embarrassed. As the gray hare fled, it shot Li Xuanba a glare, as if scornfully condemning him for accidentally hitting a “friend”! “Damn it! If you’ve got the guts, don’t run!” Seeing that even a rabbit dared to look down on him, Li Xuanba glared with his fierce eyes as a barrage of small pebbles flew from his hand. Whoosh! As Li Xuanba roamed about, the forest echoed with the sound of sharp arrows tearing through the air—but what was the result? Wherever Li Xuanba passed, withered branches and fallen leaves, small holes in the ground, and pockmarks in the trees—all were the results of his actions. “Damn! This body may be strong, but it’s hard to control!” After firing a hundred or so small stones, Li Xuanba didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. But while others hit the mark every time, he missed every single shot—that’s just too pathetic! “Whoosh!” “Thud!” “Wahahaha! You looked down on this young master, but now I’ve killed it!” Staring down at the gray wild rabbit lying in a pool of blood, Li Xuanba planted his hands on his hips and burst into a defiant laugh, showing not the slightest bit of shame that it had taken him over a hundred shots to finally hit a single rabbit. Half an hour later, despite Li Xuanba’s haphazard, “blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse” style of shooting, he had still managed to bring back four wild rabbits and two roe deer—proof that the Tang Dynasty was indeed a land of abundance. The lack of a fire didn’t faze Li Xuanba; striking flint to make fire wasn’t just theoretical knowledge. Combined with his current strength and stamina, a blazing campfire rose before him within a minute. Skinning the rabbits, gutting them, and roasting them over the campfire—Li Xuanba had mastered this routine quite well; after all, it didn’t require much skill. “Sizzle… sizzle… sizzle!” As the fat from the rabbit meat continuously dripped onto the embers, clusters of fiery red flames kept leaping up and vanishing, leaping up and vanishing. At the same time, a faint, appetizing aroma began to waft through the air, making Li Xuanba’s stomach growl even louder. “Wow! That smells so good!” Inhaling the aroma, Li Xuanba—who hadn’t eaten in who knows how long—began to swallow hard, his eyes fixed intently on the rabbit meat, which had already turned a golden brown. “Ding! Host detected preparing food. The Xiaoyao System’s Chef Branch has been activated.” “System Notice: Host has prepared 1 portion of edible Level 1 Roasted Rabbit Meat. Earned 1 experience point.” “System Notice: Host has prepared 1 portion of edible Level 1 Roasted Rabbit. Earned 1 experience point.” “System Notice: Host has prepared one edible Level 1 roasted pheasant. Earned 1 experience point.” After seeing that his experience points had risen to 12, Li Xuanba pursed his lips. This system really does want to turn him into a playboy who does nothing but eat, drink, and be merry—but hey, I like it! He flipped the now-cooked rabbit meat in his hand, ignoring the scorching heat, and tore off a golden-brown rabbit leg, devouring it in big bites. “Whoa! Delicious! So delicious!” Even though there was no salt nearby, Li Xuanba still ate with great relish—when you’ve been hungry for a long time, everything tastes good! “Burp! I’m so full! That feels good!” Half an hour later, Li Xuanba lay on the ground, belching contentedly and patting his belly with no regard for his appearance, surrounded by a floor littered with bones. Of the four rabbits, two had ended up in Li Xuanba’s stomach, and he’d also polished off the two roe deer, each weighing twenty jin. In this single meal, Li Xuanba had consumed nearly 50 jin of meat—not the 10 jin recorded in the historical accounts. The likely reason was that he had no idea how long he’d been starving.