C5 Wang Dali

Liu Feng clutched five pink banknotes in his hand, sporting a smug, mischievous grin.

But then, unexpectedly...

They vanished, just like that, into thin air.

My money! Liu Feng cried out, frantically tapping at the system interface.

["Payment of 500 yuan received from Host. Thank you for your patronage. Wishing you a pleasant life."]

The system, sounding like the customer service of a second-tier online store, issued an automated response and then went silent. Liu Feng, on the verge of tears, gazed at the pot of fish soup in his hands. Truth be told, the soup looked quite tempting.

[Food Name]

Master Pao's Secret Yellow Croaker Soup

[Food Effect]

Restores 100 points of physical strength and provides a +1 fishing level bonus for three hours.

[Price]

200 gold coins

Liu Feng let out a sigh. The effects were pretty decent: a full 100 points of physical strength replenished and a fishing buff to boot. It was definitely useful, especially since Liu Feng had a fishing task to tackle and his own fishing level was too low to complete it. With this soup, he might just have a shot at finishing the task.

He fished out a pair of chopsticks and a spoon from beneath the stove, gave them a quick rinse in a bucket of water, and dug into the meal. The fish soup was genuinely delicious, offering some consolation for the sting of losing 500 yuan.

[Physical Strength] 100/100

Back to full health!

Grabbing a meter-long log, he drove it into the ground, and one by one, the fence posts stood erect.

Three hours later, a simple fence enclosed the acre of system land.

Exhausted, Liu Feng sprawled on his scooter, looking as spent as a yellow croaker that had been caught, pickled, and fried.

"Liu Feng, where are you?!"

A booming voice jolted Liu Feng.

What? Who's trespassing on my humble farm without so much as a heads-up?

The voice was strong and piercing, not the kind you'd associate with a friendly visitor.

A bead of sweat formed on Liu Feng's brow as he racked his brain, trying to remember who he might have crossed in his 24 years to warrant this pursuit.

Pushing through the overgrown grass, Liu Feng propped himself up on the motorcycle's engine and looked up in alarm.

What's this?

As a kid watching tales of the Three Kingdoms and the Water Margin, Liu Feng always thought characters like Zhang Fei and Li Kui were purely fictional. But now, confronted by a burly figure with piercing eyes, he realized the old tales didn't lie.

"Are you Liu Feng?"

"...I..."

Caught off guard, Liu Feng hesitated to confirm his identity. But then again, who else could it be on this dilapidated farm?

"You've got to be Brother Liu Feng. With those good looks, it has to be you!" The man with the round eyes was quick to assert Liu Feng's identity.

Liu Feng inhaled sharply, unsure of the stranger's intentions. It felt like a scene straight out of a fable, with him as the unsuspecting monk in a den of spirits.

"I'm Wang Dali. Town Mayor Lu sent me to check if you need any help around here."

Wang Dali slapped Liu Feng's shoulder in a chummy manner, as if they were old friends.

"Oh, thank goodness," Liu Feng exhaled, relieved that the visit wasn't sinister. "So, you're Wang Dali? Nice to meet you."

"Hey, just call me Dali. Everyone does, short or full name."

"Alright, Dali. I'm Liu Feng."

Upon closer inspection, Wang Dali was indeed an imposing figure, standing at nearly 1.9 meters with a muscular build that was hard to miss. His constant smile was disarming, making it impossible to feel any animosity towards him.

"How old are you to be this tall?" Liu Feng had to crane his neck to meet his gaze.

"20. I've always been the sturdy type. Heh, you must be older than me, Mr. Liu. I'll call you Mr. Liu Feng."

"Sure, that's fine."

"Mr. Liu Feng, you're a graduate student, right? The mayor mentioned that. Does that mean you're like a scientist, all impressive and stuff?"

"Well, I am a grad student, but I've got a ways to go before I'm anything like a scientist."

"I've never been sharp-witted, always envied the brains on folks like you. So, Mr. Liu, what brings you to this vast place?"

Liu Feng was at a loss for words. This Wang Dali had a knack for making himself right at home, striking up a conversation as if they were long-time acquaintances.

"This place is overrun with weeds, Mr. Liu. You planning on clearing them out? I'll lend a hand," he said, making his way inside.

"Hey! Hold up!"

I couldn't let him just wander around; this was the system's land.

Hmm, but I had finished the fence. If the system was right, the land should be invisible to everyone else.

Wang Dali charged into the system's territory, bent over, and yanked out weeds by the handful.

Liu Feng's forehead was slick with sweat. This guy didn't even need a sickle; he was uprooting weeds with his bare hands...

From Liu Feng's perspective, Wang Dali was just bending over and grabbing at thin air within the system's land.

The concealment was flawless.

"Props to the system," Liu Feng thought, mentally giving it a thumbs up.

"Okay, Dali, that's enough. Did you finish all your work before coming here?"

"All done! Heh, I may not be good at much, but I've got plenty of strength. My thirty acres aren't enough to keep me busy."

Thirty acres... not enough...

Dali was like a human-shaped, self-propelled combine harvester.

Watching Dali work, Liu Feng's thoughts drifted. With the system, he only needed to plant an acre to reap a hundredfold. But that acre was hidden from view, so he needed to plant something else as a cover.

Otherwise, if someone stumbled upon his farm and saw nothing but weeds, it might be overlooked for a day or two, but it wasn't a long-term solution.

"Host, the system's skill tree has a skill that can address this issue," the system reminded him.

Really? That's handy.

"Show me."

[Skill Name]: Basic Concealment

[Skill Description]: The system can generate a virtual illusion over the host's land, excluding the system's land, to mimic the growth of real crops.

[Unlock Conditions]: None

[Price]: 2,500 gold coins

Basic Concealment was a great skill, but where would I get the gold coins now? Liu Feng checked his inventory.

[Gold Coins]: 430

Only 430 left, and he had to spend nearly a hundred every night just to keep things running!

Man, I'm broke... When other people get their hands on a system, it's like they're cheating at life, rolling in so much cash they don't know what to do with it, snagging the girl of their dreams, and hitting the high point of their existence. But me?

What have I accomplished since I got the system? I'm puttering around on a Light Cavalry 125, hacking away at firewood, fishing daily, barely scraping by meal to meal, wearing threadbare clothes, shivering through the nights, just struggling to get by.

It's all about the contrast, isn't it?