Traveling through ancient times to survive

As spring passed, things outside the mountain became increasingly unstable. More and more people fled here. People in the valley would go down the mountain from time to time to investigate and brought back a lot of bad news.

Several more cities were trampled by the barbarians, leaving empty cities and rivers of blood wherever they passed. However, the emperor was frightened and wanted to negotiate with the barbarians.

In order to appease the anger of the barbarians, the foolish old emperor sent his beloved princess to marry an imperial prince. Countless rare treasures served as the princess's dowry, stretching for more than ten miles with no end in sight. In addition to the rich treasures, the six prefectures in the north also became the princess's dowry.

The emperor wanted to save his reputation by saying that this was to show off the vast territory of our dynasty and the princess's wealth, but the people who knew about it all laughed at him and said that it was more like compensation to the barbarians than a dowry.

The emperor's generosity temporarily fed the barbarians, and they stopped their northward expedition.

However, how could a greedy wolf let go of the fat meat right in front of its mouth? Smart people knew that the court's move was just a temporary solution. When the barbarians digested the meat, it would be time to tear up the peace talks and provoke war again.

The princess took away almost half of the gold, silver and jewelry in the treasury. How could the extravagant emperor tolerate the empty treasury? So the court stepped up to collect a new round of taxes. The people, who had not yet recovered from the successive natural disasters, ushered in even more miserable days.

People everywhere were living in misery, people with lofty ideals rose up in rebellion, uprisings broke out, and with the constant banditry, the superficial peace was torn apart, and the world was in complete chaos.

The people who could not make a living either sold their children or fled into the mountains. It was not that they had not heard about the monsters rampant in the mountains recently, but a harsh government was more ferocious than a tiger, and they would die if they did not leave. They were unwilling to stay at the foot of the mountain and be bullied by others.

The valley gradually received many refugees who fled into the mountains. Looking at the quiet and peaceful valley, they shed tears of excitement.

These newcomers cherished the life they had with food and drink without oppression more than anyone else. After learning that they could practice martial arts, the hope in their eyes became even brighter, and they practiced with all their might.

The natives of the valley saw the newcomers' desperate posture, and they felt a sense of crisis and began to practice harder. The newcomers thought that this was not going to work. They were already lagging behind the old people. How could they not work harder to live up to the good intentions of the old people? So the whole valley began to roll in madly.

The valley was filled with an atmosphere of progress, and Zhao Qing was happy to see it. She couldn't be lazy and had to practice for at least eight hours a day.

God helps those who work hard. Zhao Qing successfully broke through to the fourth level and spent another half a month to master the first control skill of the gold system.

Now, the metal that has been combed by the energy in Zhao Qing's body can enhance its properties. The specific amount of enhancement depends on the material and size of the metal. Not only that, Zhao Qing can also control the metal remotely and change the shape of the metal at will.

After many experiments, Zhao Qing discovered that controlling the golden needles as thin as cow hair to engage in long-range combat was the correct way to use this ability.

In order to accurately estimate the combat effectiveness of the manipulator of the golden needle, Zhao Qing called Xiaolu out as a sparring partner.

Little Green suffered a lot of damage and came back crying, with the whole vine covered with invisible holes.

Zhao Qing was very satisfied. The golden needle easily penetrated the defense of the fourth-level alien plant, which was harder than steel plate. It was worthy of the material that cost 200 points. Combined with the baptism of energy in Zhao Qing's body, its properties were not inferior to those of composite materials known for their hardness.

Due to the shortage of materials, Zhao Qing only made about one hundred, but these are enough for the time being.

After testing, Zhao Qing could control 100 golden needles at a time if he only controlled them, without taking them back or changing the trajectory of the attack. However, Zhao Qing could only control 10 needles at a time if he wanted to control them in a more detailed way, and the control distance could not exceed 500 meters.

After fully mastering the new attack method, Zhao Qing found Li Heng. Looking at the gentle boy in front of him, Zhao Qing sighed in his heart.

"Li Heng, this isn't your real name, is it? Your real identity is the orphan of the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion?"

The smile on Li Heng's face froze, his body tensed up for a moment, and he quickly thought about how to cover it up. However, when he saw Zhao Qing's calm face, Li Heng knew there was no point in hiding it any longer, so he relaxed and smiled bitterly.

"Sister Zhao Qing is really perceptive. Let me introduce myself again. My real name is Li Xu, with the courtesy name Hengzhi. The name is not deceptive. I am the third son of the Marquis of Zhenbei. I was weak since childhood, so I turned to study literature. On the day of the accident, my parents tried their best to replace me. Uncle Wu is the leader of my family's secret guards. He is indeed a descendant of the Li family in Dashan Village. He was abducted and brought into my family when he was a child. By the way, I want to know when I revealed my flaws?"

"In fact, I knew you were not a simple person the first time I saw you. Your temperament is not like that of an ordinary scholar. I guess even my father knows that you and Uncle Li are not simple people. You must have been in trouble and hid here. But we were not familiar with each other at that time, so I didn't bother to pay attention. And I really guessed your identity when the four of us went down the mountain last time. You were not in the right mood when you mentioned that the entire family of Zhenbei Marquis was executed."

"So I was discovered the first time we met? Is my disguise so bad?" Li Heng forced a smile, "And even if I'm not in the right mood, how can you be sure that I'm the orphan of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion? Isn't it because I admire their family?"

Zhao Qing said innocently: "I'm not sure, but you admit it, don't you?"

Li Heng was choked and shook his head: "No, you already have a conclusion in your mind. Why are you here to expose me now?"

Zhao Qing chuckled: "Of course I want to report you for a reward! If the emperor knew that there were still fish that slipped through the net in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, how much reward do you think he would give to the reporter? I'm so poor, I've been envious for a long time."

Li Heng showed a relaxed smile, he clenched his fists together and stretched them towards Zhao Qing.

"Come on, tie me up and take me to the authorities."

Zhao Qing asked with some doubt: "Do you trust me so much? Aren't you afraid that I will cheat you?"

Li Heng still smiled and nodded: "Yes, if you lie to me, I will admit it."

Zhao Qing's daughter shook her head. What kind of naive friend is this? A fool who has to help count money after being sold. You are lucky to meet me.

"Since you trust me so much, I will reluctantly help you, my little brother, to get revenge!"

Li Heng looked at Zhao Qing deeply, and there seemed to be a flash of light in his eyes. Without waiting for Zhao Qing to identify, he shook his head firmly.

"No, I will disappoint you, Boss. I want to do it myself."