Xu Zhi's face was livid. Because of the little boy's shouting, more than ten people came back from the vicinity, including men, women, old and young. They all had weathered faces, carrying various rakes, sickles, and digging tools that they had brought to the ground.
"Mr. Thief, look at my qualifications. I am only twenty-four this year. I will definitely become an excellent thief."
The uncle, who looked in his forties, volunteered himself with excitement and made it clear his age.
"If my father is too old, Mr. Thief, look at me. I am very strong. I am still young. I am only seven years old. I can be cultivated into a talented person."
A dark child waved the pitiful muscles on his arms and tried hard to prove it to Xu Zhi.
The world is a bit crazy. Xu Zhi feels that his brain cells are not enough. Why do you all want to be thieves so much? He just took a set of clothes in the room. Or is this a paradise for thieves? Everyone aspires to be a thief.
.
"I was the first to discover Mr. Thief because I must have the best qualifications."
Xiao Pohai tried hard to argue that as the first person to discover Xu Zhi, his right to speak still has priority. The crowd of onlookers became excited, and everyone looked at Xu Zhi with burning eyes, eager for him to accept a disciple.
It's a pity that communication can only be one-way, otherwise Xu Zhi really has to ask why this place has such a custom. He walked around with a cold face. Wherever he walked, the crowds of people immediately moved out of the way.
It turns out that these villagers really respect thieves.
This was something that troubled him. Of course, he could run away in an instant and show them what a thief's speed was.
"No, the tax collectors from the Knights are here again to collect rent."
In the distance, someone was shouting, which immediately caused the crowd of onlookers to panic.
"Go and hide the potatoes at home."
"The bandits led by the knight will take whatever they see. Oh my god, there is very little food in the house."
"Will they be pulled directly from the soil? Those are not yet mature."
Except for a few children who were still staring at Xu Zhi, the remaining adults ran wildly towards the house. The little boy's parents came into the house, picked up a pile of potatoes, and went to the back of the house. They didn't know where to hide the potatoes.
"Knight collar?"
Xu Zhi's thoughts changed for a moment, and he heard the sound of horse hooves. Four strong men riding yellow geldings came galloping over. Their clothes were obviously much neater, and there were several pieces of glitter sewn on their clothes.
He was wearing bright silver armor and holding a long wooden spear in his hand.
Baskets were hung on the left and right sides of the yellow gelding. More than a hundred meters away, strong men started shouting.
"The Cavaliers collected taxes and quickly filled these eight baskets."
"The Cavaliers collected taxes and quickly filled these eight baskets."
…
After several calls, the strong men looked at the farmers hiding around with unkind expressions.
"Collecting taxes is for everyone's benefit. You must know that your peace is protected by the Knights."
"If you refuse to pay taxes, there is no chance that robbers will come to rob and kill you."
He shouted fiercely, pointing the long wooden gun in his hand at the farmers, and a strong man beside him began to call the names.
"Everyone who is not dead must pay a tax per head. No one should be left behind. Those who are not enough must be pulled out of the ground."
The farmers looked around, and some began to carry baskets of potatoes and wheat forward. Some farmers began to call their mothers to prepare, while others were whispering.
"That guy's name is Anduin. Last month he pretended to be a bandit and came to fight against the autumn wind."
"Being a robber once, and once a tax collector, it's a rotation that happens every month. No one can stand it."
"I really want to become a thief, so that we can have enough food without fighting, and we won't have to be farmers anymore."
"It would be wonderful if I could become a ranger. I could do chivalry and take care of all these guys."
After listening to it for a long time, Xu Zhi felt that he probably understood the weird theory of these farmers. This kind of thinking was very strange. In their concept, being a thief might be the best way out of being exploited, and it was the most suitable way for them. This is the era.
and ability issues, and the ability to think divergently is extremely limited.
"What is this, you bastard, how dare you use bad potatoes to make up for it."
The strong man named Anduin was obviously the leader of the group. After checking the quality of the ingredients, he swung his spear and hit the first farmer who turned in the food like a whip, instantly knocking the farmer to the ground.
Constantly wailing.
"Sir, I was wrong. Except for this, the others are all good potatoes. We harvested them from the fields and they are all edible."
The farmer endured the pain and took a bite of the green potatoes scattered on the ground. He closed his eyes and began to swallow.
"Eat more, you little pig that grew up eating chaff."
"Listen up, the things the knights receive must be the best and freshest, not these green potatoes."
He used a killing stick to teach these disobedient farmers, and the next tax collection was much more pleasant. Several farmers picked the potatoes in the baskets, looked at them carefully, and then sent them over with fear.
"Hey, half-breed, you're new here, haven't I seen you before?"
Anduin pointed his spear at Xu Zhi. He was not as rough as a farmer. He had dark hair, a well-proportioned figure, and a hint of whiteness in his pale yellow skin. His color made even women envious, but he was also wearing farmers' burlap clothes.
, which made him confused.
"Ah~ahhh~"
Xu Zhi pointed at his mouth. He only had the language skills of half a bucket of water. Xu Zhi thought it was a good idea to pretend to be mute. His performance instantly made many farmers look dim. What can a mute thief do and how can he teach his skills?
Many people were thinking far ahead, except for the little kid who looked confused at the beginning. It was clear that Mr. Thief had just begun to talk.
"It turns out you are a mute. You don't look like the people here. Do you want to follow us back to the Knights' Territory?"
Anduin glanced at Xu Zhi maliciously, walked around twice, and smacked his lips. Then he whispered to the three people who came to collect taxes, and some of them glanced at Xu Zhi from time to time.
"That boy has thin skin, tender flesh, and a rather perky butt. The lord may very well like this kind of thing."
"She's white, strong, and fleshy. I don't see any body hair. She's much better than your male favorites."
"The black hair is thick and thick. I heard that the pastor of the church also likes it. It has an exotic look."
…
The chat content of the four guys was quite unpleasant. Xu Zhi frowned as he listened. The value of the information these guys said was too low.
He was impatient and grabbed the spear from Anduin's hand. He picked it up, drew it twice, and smashed it three times. The four guys were instantly knocked to the ground by him, wailing non-stop.
These guys, who are not even capable of basic cultivators, if he gets serious, he can kill them all in one encounter.
"Knight leader, lead the way?"
He actually intended to let these guys take back the knighthood, but the other party's eyes and words were too explicit, which made him a little irritable. Using the place names he had just learned, he looked sideways at these four guys.
"Those who cannot lead the way will be beaten to death."
The other party may not understand what he said, but Xu Zhi's performance made them understand the meaning. He used a long wooden spear like a whip and beat him mercilessly. The four people were beaten until they cried for father and mother, and kowtowed for a while.
"The tax will not be collected today."
Regardless of whether the four people and the farmers could understand it, Xu Zhi untied the basket on the yellow gelding and threw it on the ground.
He jumped lightly and instantly jumped onto the horse's back. The yellow gelding was about to resist the jump, but Xu Zhi lifted it up in anger, thrust out its tiger claws, twisted its neck and pushed it down, leaving only the horse's hooves spinning in small steps.
This kind of horse that can do some farm work is the easiest to subdue. It only takes more than ten seconds for the yellow gelding to know what kind of person it is riding on its back, and it sneezes honestly to indicate that it will be obedient.
Under the gray clouds, the four yellow gelding horses moved further and further away, gradually turning into black dots on the horizon.
After a while, a farmer exclaimed: "This gentleman is a ranger. He can steal, fight, and eliminate violence. We don't have to pay taxes. Haha, we don't have to pay taxes this time."
"Why can't it be a knight? I saw him subdue the yellow gelding in an instant," the little boy asked unconvinced.
"There are no knights anymore. Depravity, decay, and violence. There are no real knights in this land anymore."
The little boy's parents looked into the distance, and looked at their rather young children with distressed expressions. In this land, their fate was destined to be farmers when they were born, and they would only be like this for the rest of their lives.