Chapter 15: It Does Not Seem Human Upon Observation

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Swift and decisive? That description was actually a generous understatement by several magnitudes.

According to the servants of the Wang residence, this benefactor hardly seemed human, as if worldly norms and etiquette simply did not apply to him.

For instance, no matter when or where, they had never seen this benefactor walk properly. He was either running or preparing to sprint.

Indeed, he barreled through everything as if only straight lines existed in his vision—charging through flower beds and vaulting over fences like a nimble acrobat.

One female servant even claimed to have experienced a terrifying moment when he barged in without a greeting late one night, only to scare the poor girl half to death before silently climbing out a window and disappearing—merely to save a little time by passing through the master’s quarters at the back.

Moreover, this man cared nothing for his appearance. Returning late at night covered in blood, he neither washed up nor changed clothes; he wouldn’t even use the prepared guest room. After wandering the mansion long enough, he would just pick a nearby room at random, lie down on the bed, and sleep soundly.

No, “soundly” was too mild a phrase—he was dead to the world, utterly unreachable.

It took six or seven girls, summoned by Hong’er, to finally bathe and change him. The girls were exhausted, but the benefactor showed no reaction. If he had even the slightest breath, the girls would have felt as if they were tending to a corpse.

“Eh, Hong’er, why’ve you brought the chicken soup back again?” the cook asked in surprise.

“Um… Young Master Ling said he wanted to sleep a bit longer, so I warmed up the soup first. He’ll drink it when he wakes up,” Hong’er replied, blushing.

“Young Master Ling? Didn’t you say this soup was for the benefactor this morning?” The cook was puzzled.

Hong’er had come early before dawn to wake the cook and beg for ingredients to make this old hen chicken soup, supposedly to help the benefactor recover his strength. The cook had teased her about it, so why was it now for Young Master Ling?

“Could it be that the boy doesn’t like you and refuses to drink it?” the cook said, shocked. Hong’er was known as the most beautiful and charming maid there. What kind of man could disdain her?

“No, no,” Hong’er quickly waved her hands. “It’s just that I was late… the benefactor has already left.”

“Well, the mansion hasn’t even had breakfast yet and he’s gone? Has he become some immortal who doesn’t need food?”

Soon, the servants had yet another strange tale about Su Yao…

Though Su Yao was unaware of the servants’ gossip, he knew for sure he was no immortal—for less than half an hour into the journey, his stomach was already growling in protest.

“Pfft—so hard, can this even be eaten?”

Biting into a millet flatbread while riding a horse, he nearly chipped a tooth.

He had once been curious about the local specialty’s name while at the market, but now he finally understood.

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Those market versions must have been some heavily modified imitations; the real thing was a whole different level!

True to its name, this bread was as hard as armor. If someone claimed it could even stop an arrow, Su Yao wouldn’t be surprised.

“Looks like this is your first time eating our army’s ration, Sir Captain,” Cheng Lian said, pulling out his own ration. They had all been dragged out early without breakfast and had to eat on the road. Many were complaining, but seeing the captain suffer made them feel somewhat better.

“Military life is so harsh…”

“Harsh? Not really. We eat this every day. But I guess, given your privileged background, you’re used to fine food, so this coarse grain is tough to swallow,” Cheng Lian said with a grin, biting his flatbread and washing it down with water.

Privileged background? This NPC sure knew how to talk.

Speaking of which, the game’s taste system must have been introduced to promote some kind of educational meaning—making them appreciate the hardships of the past.

Su Yao sneered and, imitating Cheng Lian, finally managed to swallow a bite after a fierce struggle with the dry bread.

Hard, tough, bitter, with just a hint of salt.

Honestly, after that bite, he wanted to log off and order takeout immediately.

“Hahaha, Captain, don’t torture yourself. Why not head back? I saw that maid from the Wang family bring you a bowl of hot soup. I could smell that old hen chicken from a distance.”

“No need.”

Su Yao grimaced and took another bite.

“If you all can eat it, so can I. Since I’m your captain, I should share both the hardships and the joys, living and dying together.”

“Whoa,” Cheng Lian shook his head. “I’ll be watching with interest then.”

The art of leadership—both grand and subtle.

Sharing hardships and joys, living and dying together—this was the hardest to truly embody. Nearly every new commander vowed this upon taking office.

But the soldiers’ eyes were sharp. They had seen many commanders cling to old methods, promising solidarity, but none ever truly followed through.

Only the old General Dong had achieved sharing the joys by being generous and lavish with rewards. As for sharing the hardships?

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You just listen to the officers’ words; why take them seriously?

“Don’t underestimate the resilience of the hardcore players,” Su Yao said through gritted teeth.

“???” Cheng Lian was confused. What was a hardcore player?

【Sharing hardships and joys—Activated

Description: Your example has inspired the entire army, increasing the morale boost by 50% for all direct units.】

In the Three Kingdoms world, troop morale was crucial. When morale fell too low, units became difficult to command—suffering even minor losses could cause them to rout. Conversely, high morale troops followed orders like extensions of the commander’s will and gained significant combat bonuses. Even units with identical stats performed vastly differently depending on their morale.

Su Yao understood this well. Upon receiving his ten-man squad and noting their poor morale, he immediately sought ways to improve it.

How to raise troop morale?

The simplest and most effective method was winning battles—victory on the battlefield solved all problems.

Next most important was ensuring timely and full payment of monthly army wages. A indebted army suffered severe morale penalties and risked forced disbandment—something to be avoided at all costs.

Then came improving food and living conditions—more varied meals, better lodging, adequate rest—all directly affected daily morale.

Finally, there was a more mysterious factor: combat motivation. Soldiers defending their homeland naturally had higher base morale than invaders. It was also rumored that higher education levels might raise base morale, though this was unconfirmed and possibly not implemented in the official game.

After considering all this, Su Yao realized his only option was to activate every possible buff and then focus on winning battles. As long as his men didn’t rout on the spot, he could charge forward and carve through enemies!

Fortunately, he had just received a side quest from the old village chief that morning.

The chief feared that surrounding villages near Wang family village had been attacked by Xiongnu raiders and asked Su Yao to patrol and rescue captured villagers.

This mission was far clearer than before. He was given a rough map of Taiyuan Commandery and was told the reward upfront:

“All those abducted are Wang family kin. If you can rescue them, please bring them here. As for the goods stolen by the barbarians, we will give you one-third as a reward to support your army.”

He could train his troops and raise morale, make money, level up, and even had the mission area marked on his map—only the automatic pathfinding was missing.

If he didn’t act now, the only conclusion was that this generation of players was no good.