Chapter 227: Chapter 176: Bro, Work Hard, Keep It Up! You’re Supporting the Whole Company by Yourself

These Achievement Points were easy to come by, so their "purchasing power" wasn’t very strong. It felt a bit like "inflation."

There were plenty of good things in the system, but he couldn’t afford most of them for now.

Once Luo Feifei and the film crew left, the popularity of Li Family Village dropped by more than half. Although some tourists still came, drawn by its reputation, to visit the mountain village attractions and see the giant panda, it was nothing compared to before.

The previous surge in popularity had been so intense that they had hired a few extra security guards. Now, five of them were pulled aside, told to take off their security uniforms, and change into wildman costumes. They were to play the part of wildmen in a small, gently sloping patch of forest on the mountain next to the giant panda enclosure.

A large wooden sign was erected at the bottom of the slope. On it, Li Xiang had written two wild-looking words: Wildman Village.

The wildmen weren’t allowed to speak, only to "AWOO AWOO" or "OOH-HOO, OOH-HOO." They needed to interact with the tourists by jumping around or just lazing about on the spot. Those who played their parts well would get a bonus.

A crude "Throne of Royal Authority" was also set up in the Wildman Village. Tourists could sit on it to experience what it was like to be the Wildman King.

It wasn’t expensive—50 yuan a session to fully enjoy the adoration of the wildmen.

For example, the wildmen would lift the throne and carry it around the village, howling as they went. Or they would lift the "Wildman King" up, toss them into the air, and catch them. Photo opportunities were, of course, included.

As for the rest of the staff, two security guards were stationed by the giant panda, two more were in the gardens, and Lei Jiaming was on patrol.

Lei Xiaohui could finally cosplay as Hua Mulan and wander around the scenic area.

She felt like she had gained a little weight recently, so this was a good opportunity to walk it off. She aimed for twenty thousand steps a day.

’Well,’ she thought, ’this is both a job and a hike. The air is fresh, the view is great, and it’s way more comfortable than my old job at the garment factory on the outskirts of the big city, where I worked from 7 a.m. to midnight. The key thing is, the pay is better too.’

Her route went something like this: starting from the main entrance of the scenic area, she would pass through the picturesque gardens, the National Tea House, the milk tea shop, the coffee shop, and the National Style Tavern. Then, she would go through the "ancient tomb" set from the movie shoot. It was lit, but not too brightly, preserving the atmosphere from the filming.

A banner hung at the entrance of the tomb: "Filming Location for the Movie ’The Return of the Condor Heroes’."

The tomb had an entrance and an "exit" that served as an escape route. Coming out of the exit put you on the other side of the mountain. After a turn, you’d arrive at "Wildman Slope." A little farther on was the habitat of the giant panda, Tuantuan, and his mother. Occasionally, you could even spot the Little Red Fox. Going a bit further and making another turn would lead you into Li Family Village.

In the center of Li Family Village was an open space where some vendors sold things and chatted. These were the villagers’ food stalls and local specialty stands. Farther on was the village parking lot—the same open area where the ding wine feast was held during the New Year. The ancestral hall was not far from there.

Farther still was the mountain where the Mountain God Temple was located. Following the stone steps up would lead you to the summit, where you could burn a stick of incense and pay respects to the local Mountain God.

Lei Xiaohui was tall and wore her hair in a high ponytail. Because of the hot weather, she wasn’t wearing Metal Armor, but she was still dressed in the ancient-style costume of a Female General. The "Metal Armor Plates" were actually cloth patches with golden embroidery. After all, walking around in so many layers in this heat would give anyone a heat rash.

This outfit was just right—breathable, lightweight, and the soft fabric clung to her body, outlining her figure. Yet, it was still clearly recognizable as a Female General’s battle robe. She carried a Long Sword, which she would swing a few times now and then. Looking both beautiful and fierce, she attracted quite a bit of attention, and many tourists wanted to take a photo with her.

What everyone praised was that the photos were free.

At many other attractions, taking a picture with an "NPC" like her would cost twenty or thirty yuan. Worse, they often wouldn’t tell you about the fee until after the photo was taken, which was a total rip-off.

In addition, Zhao Xueqing’s tea ceremony performance and Yao Yao’s traditional dance were also exceptional.

Since the number of tourists had decreased and they weren’t as busy as before, the young women could find time to visit Li Xiang’s house. When they left their posts, their shops were left in the care of other girls.

For example, when Li Xiang went to plant rice seedlings, Yao Yao followed along to film.

Yao Yao operated a drone to follow Li Xiang, and the resulting videos were beautiful. The drone had a major advantage when it came to camera movement and perspective. For instance, it could fly high into the sky for a top-down view. It could also hover over the water’s surface, circle around, and move high or low, near or far, fast or slow, all at her command.

Planting rice seedlings was hard work, especially since there were leeches in the paddy fields. Rural people often rolled up their pant legs and went into the fields barefoot.

The reason for going barefoot was based on the accumulated experience of their ancestors.

Being barefoot made you more nimble, allowing for better control over the spacing and depth of the seedlings. Wearing boots, on the other hand, made your feet less precise and left large holes in the mud with every step.

As you moved backward barefoot, the space between your feet served as a natural guide, aligning with the edges of the seedling rows. This ensured the seedlings were planted at the traditional spacing, preventing any wasted land.

Then, dragging your feet backward along the mud would create a straight, shallow furrow, making the process even more precise.

Nowadays, large-scale planting is all done by machine, but for a small plot of land like Li Xiang’s—and since he was filming a video—it was definitely done by hand.

As he planted, he incorporated his Breathing Technique. It was both planting and Cultivation. Spiritual Power roiled on the surface of his legs, preventing any leeches from getting near. Any that tried were stunned and repelled.

Yao Yao had no Spiritual Power to protect her. After filming for a while, she wanted to come down and help Li Xiang—after all, two people were better than one. But as a result, she ended up with several leeches stuck to her calves.