Fairy, Please Forgive Me, I Never Meant to Impersonate Your Husband - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Liuyan, Wooden Fort Overseer Office

As soon as Wu Yuan appeared, Hei Niqiu—who was leading a patrol nearby—approached him.

This armed courier, who had once stabbed an iron-shelled beetle’s weak spot with his spear, had initially only been at the early stage of the Tendon-Tempering Realm. But now, he had rapidly advanced to the late stage.

Thanks to managing the warehouse and recently taking charge of two hundred slave spearmen, Hei Niqiu now carried an air of authority.

“Boss, the number of monsters emerging from the Demon Insect Hills has increased, and their directions have become erratic. We’ve had to push our patrol range forward by a hundred paces,” Hei Niqiu reported with a bow.

“It must be due to the gathering of people. Demon insects are highly sensitive to human blood qi. With so many gathered here, combined with the attraction caused by establishing the relay station earlier, it’s inevitable that more would come,” Wu Yuan replied.

“Yes. Fortunately, no large groups of high-level monsters have attacked continuously—most arrive scattered. Now, with the support of two hundred spearmen patrolling the Demon Insect Hills, the pressure has lessened significantly. These spearmen have excellent foundations, but without identity tokens, they can’t absorb blood essence from slain demon insects, wasting a chance to quickly boost their cultivation.”

“We’ll solve that problem later.”

Wu Yuan smiled faintly, then added meaningfully, “Observe these slave soldiers carefully. Reward the diligent and loyal ones with better treatment—either help them quickly develop cultivation through techniques or elixirs. When deploying them, minimize casualties. Keep an eye out for talent—they’ll be valuable assets to the station.”

“Understood. Over the past two days, only two spearmen died due to panic. I’ll be extra cautious.”

“Casualties are unavoidable.” Wu Yuan sighed. “If any have families, report them to the newly established ‘Wooden Fort Overseer Office.’ They’ll provide compensation.”

“Yes, Boss!”

Wu Yuan dismissed Hei Niqiu and strolled toward the cliff entrance.

Just two to three hundred meters away, a wooden fort capable of housing thousands was rapidly rising against the eastern cliff face.

The fort had three walls, each over ten meters high, built by embedding whole logs into stone—impossible without pole-driving tools of Yuan-grade weapon quality.

The western wall, parallel to the cliff, was already complete, while the northern and southern walls were under vigorous construction.

Among the overseers stood a striking woman in plain robes, elegant and beautiful.

When she spotted Wu Yuan, her face lit up, and she hurried over, followed closely by a towering, muscular man with a long-handled axe.

The woman was named Liuyan, and the burly man was her brother, Liu Gan (a name that sounded like “dare to die”). Wu Yuan had discovered them while initially gathering slaves.

At first, Wu Yuan had been drawn to the brother—a mountain of a man with obvious combat potential. If trained, he could become a battlefield commander.

As for the sister, though she appeared disheveled at first glance, Wu Yuan’s sharp eyes detected a well-concealed, alluring figure beneath her tattered clothes—much like Caiyu’s initial disguise.

Subsequent events proved him right.

But what truly impressed him wasn’t just her beauty—it was her competence.

After he casually mentioned building a wooden fort in the canyon, she proposed numerous practical suggestions—from layout and security to sanitation, drainage, and waterproofing. This ultimately led to Wu Yuan establishing the Wooden Fort Overseer Office and appointing her as its acting head.

In just two days, Liuyan set up the office’s management framework, and construction progressed rapidly.

At this rate, in three or four days, a fully functional fort capable of housing thousands would be complete. Though crude in some details, it would provide shelter and basic protection.

“Has the population count been completed?”

Wu Yuan wasn’t here for romance—though he had placed a stunning woman in a high position, he wasn’t the type to prioritize beauty over ambition. Especially not when his ambitions were still unsecured.

“All registered. Most are able-bodied men and young women. We’ve issued temporary red-copper identity tokens. Aside from the six hundred spearmen (replenishing losses), the fort originally held fewer than two thousand, but today over a hundred escaped slaves arrived. The current population slightly exceeds two thousand.”

Liuyan’s voice carried a pleasant, husky tone.

“And the Overseer Office’s structure?”

“Forty people selected—sixteen women, twenty-four men—proportional to the fort’s gender ratio. All capable and respected.”

Wu Yuan nodded. He wouldn’t interfere with personnel choices for now. As long as he controlled the six hundred spearmen, even if issues arose, they wouldn’t escalate.

Besides, Liuyan handled appointments cautiously, reporting them to the relay station for potential adjustments.

“Master! The walls will be complete in two days. After that, we won’t need so many pack beasts. How should we handle them?”

Wu Yuan frowned.

Aside from slaves, another living concern was the pack beasts and horses.

The slave caravan had brought two thousand pack beasts and five hundred horses.

The former were Cap-Horned Beasts—amphibious, ten-meter-long, three-meter-tall creatures capable of carrying ten thousand jin of cargo over long distances. Hardy and low-maintenance, their only flaw was skittishness.

The latter were Flatland Horses—larger than Arabian horses, with black-scaled hooves, also called Blackscale Horses. Rumored to originate from the border city Flatland City, they were cost-effective for mountainous terrain.

Of the original two thousand Cap-Horned Beasts and five hundred horses, seven hundred had died or fled in chaos. Wu Yuan ended up with roughly a thousand—seven hundred beasts and three hundred horses.

Even so, this was a massive number for the relay station.

The Cap-Horned Beasts, in particular, required vast space. Even packed tightly, they needed three to four hundred mu of land.

Currently, half aided the logging team, while others helped with spirit wood and quarrying. The remaining three hundred beasts and three hundred horses were corralled in a makeshift pen in the canyon, guarded by multiple sentries.

Wu Yuan still hadn’t found a permanent solution.

Just then, a scout rushed from the southern cliff entrance: “A group of over a hundred people with thirty-plus yellow rhino carts is approaching from ten miles away!”

Wu Yuan’s eyes brightened—Chen Yong must be returning.

When Chen Yong and his team arrived, they were stunned by the relay station’s transformation.

At first, he feared a hostile takeover—only a major force could spur such construction.

But his worries were unfounded. The changes stemmed from rapid development under Wu Yuan’s leadership.

Setting aside his team’s shock, Chen Yong’s trip to Qingqiao Town had gone smoothly.

He first registered the relay station’s completion at the Courier Office. The office verified it via a specialized artifact map—though not as precise as satellite imagery, it confirmed the presence of structural formations at Redleaf Cliff.

Approval granted, Chen Yong obtained the stamped certification.

Next, he sold monster materials at a familiar trading firm for 2,300 silver coins. Per Wu Yuan’s orders, he used 100 to repay his debts.

He then purchased three months’ worth of supplies for two thousand people (380 silver), thirty-eight yellow rhino carts (375 silver), and 100 jin of Spirit-Tracing Liquid—a special fluid for formation inscriptions, costing 500 silver after securing a purchase permit.

Lastly, following Wu Yuan’s instructions, he discreetly bought 10,000 self-made travel passes leaked by the Imperial Road Office.

The standard price for the 23,000-li journey from Returning Wind Town to Redleaf Cliff was 23 copper coins per pass. The self-made versions cost only 3 copper each, with bulk discounts. Chen Yong spent 300 silver on the lot.

Now, he handed Wu Yuan a money pouch and two sacks—one large, one small.

*“Remaining funds: 645 silver. Ten thousand self-made passes and the station certification. Please verify, Boss.”*

Wu Yuan glanced inside. The large sack held neatly bundled passes, the small one contained documents, and the pouch held six gold and forty-five silver coins.

Satisfied, he willed the items into his private storage.

“Well done, Chen Yong.”

He smiled approvingly. “Much has changed since you left. Huang Tie will brief you. As for the hundred newcomers, explain how you recruited them.”

“Yes. It involved visiting an elder in my clan—a near-three-hundred-year-old former soldier and ex-official. He questioned me about your methods, but I revealed little, only praising your foresight and the station’s rapid upgrades. He seemed impressed and aided in acquiring the Spirit-Tracing Liquid and recruiting laborers—especially the latter. That’s how I brought back another hundred. Unfortunately, only twenty percent are skilled, and all are at the early Muscle-Training Realm.”

“No matter.” Wu Yuan waved dismissively. “Skills can be taught. Take them to Caiyu for registration. I’ll assign their roles later.”

“Thank you, Boss.”

Six or Seven Days Later…

Wu Yuan checked the relay station’s status screen:

Rank: Spirit-Source Tier [Lacking] Lv. 1 (Space Reinforcement Lv. 1)

Owner: Li Xinyuan

Core: Spirit-Taming Stone Tiger [Rare], Upgrade Pool [Rare], Space Crystal [Rare], Space Spirit Tree [Lacking], Core Formation Diagram [Lacking].

Facilities:

Lv. 1 Spirit-Taming Tower [Enhanced].

Lv. 1 Inn [Enhanced].

Lv. 1 Courtyard [Enhanced].

20 Storage Sheds [Enhanced].

Constructed Buildings:

Lv. 1 Spirit-Source Pool [Enhanced].

Lv. 1 Spirit Well [Enhanced].

Lv. 1 Spirit Field [Enhanced].

Lv. 1 Space Warehouse

Defensive Formations:

Lv. 1 Stone Barrier

Lv. 1 Protective Dome

Lv. 1 Spatial Maze

Offensive Formations:

Lv. 1 Earth Prison

Lv. 1 Terrain Net

Lv. 1 Spatial Kiss

Divine Skills:

Lv. 1 [Stone Tiger’s Pressure]: (Omitted).

Lv. 1 [Tiger Spirit Strike]: (Omitted).

Lv. 1 [Spatial Membrane]: (Omitted).

Resource Reserves:

Hardgold Wood: 512 units

Blue-Steel Stone: 740 units

Lv. 1 Spirit Soil: 1,020 units

Spirit-Tracing Liquid: 100 jin

Spirit Energy Reserves: 537/12,000

(Due to lacking Space Spirit Tree and Core Formation Diagram, daily gain is only 27 points.)

Available Constructions: None

Upgrade Requirements:

1,000 Spirit Energy

10 jin Spirit-Tracing Liquid

100 units Hardgold Wood

100 units Blue-Steel Stone

200 units Lv. 1 Spirit Soil