Chapter 54 Perfect
Hao Jiu couldn't help but exclaim, "Wu Zhui Ma's 'horse paddle' swimming style is really impressive!"
Of course, Xiang Yu was also a good swimmer. He swam steadily while wearing a full suit of armor. Just as Xiang Yu once said, he might not be able to swim across the Yangtze River, but he had no problem swimming across the Huai River.
Moreover, after actually swimming across the Huai River, Xiang Yu was full of confidence in swimming across the Yangtze River, believing that any problem that could be solved with physical strength was not a problem.
The Chu army on the opposite bank of the Huai River initially thought Xiang Yu had jumped into the river to commit suicide, but when they saw that Xiang Yu was about to swim over, the entire Chu army erupted in cheers.
Xiang Han exclaimed with relief, thankful that he had carried out Xiang Yu's order to cut the pontoon bridge. If he had held the pontoon bridge to the death in order to help Xiang Yu, Xiang Yu probably wouldn't have had a chance to swim across the river.
Zhang Ning and Zhao Yu were already prepared to meet Xiang Yu on the south bank, with military tents, charcoal fires, bath towels, and everything else readily available.
Soon, Xiang Yu and his horse, Wuzhui, came ashore together. A group of people surrounded them and wiped their bodies, while cheers rose and fell among the Chu army.
Meanwhile, the Han army on the north bank also left Guantangpu, a place of sorrow, and headed to Mohekou to set up camp.
After changing his clothes, Xiang Yu went to the camp where the wounded soldiers were being housed.
The Chu army suffered few casualties in this battle, but a considerable number were wounded. On the battlefield, swords and spears are indiscriminate, and how many could be like Xiang Yu, who fought in sixty or seventy battles throughout his life with almost no injuries?
"King Xiang..." An old soldier struggled to get up and bow when he saw Xiang Yu arrive, but Xiang Yu helped him up.
"Don't move, rest well. I just came to check on everyone." Xiang Yu said, then took out a healing pill from his pocket.
"My dear Overlord, you'd better use it sparingly! There are so many people here. Just keep them alive, don't try to perform any instant healing or anything like that." Hao Jiu looked pained; that was 10 points of energy... Right, how much energy did he have left?
"Then what should I do?" Xiang Yu frowned.
"How about we cut off a little bit, dissolve it in hot water, and share it with everyone?" Hao Jiu herself felt it was a bit too much after saying it. "Then we'll use half a piece, uh no, a third of it, yes, a third is enough."
"Alright, let's do it this way, but what if it doesn't work?" Xiang Yu thought Hao Jiu's method was good, but it was really a bit stingy. There should be a limit to saving money.
"Then add a little more... Hmm? Then put the rest in!" Hao Jiu finally opened his system panel, his voice instantly becoming firm. How did the energy increase so much!
To be honest, Hao Jiu had forgotten about the energy thing these past two days, because he remembered that when he had 100 energy points, the instructions said that if his energy was below the safe level, he couldn't buy any items.
Although the energy will slowly increase after binding to a host, it is obviously not possible to exceed 100 points in just a few days, so checking the balance multiple times is not very useful.
Even if he has more energy in the future, Hao Jiu does not plan to delegate the right to purchase goods to the host, so as to prevent the host from spending money recklessly.
In fact, systems that directly provide energy to the host for use are practically non-existent. Although some hosts can purchase items and props independently in the system's shop, they do not use energy points, but rather a secondary currency issued by the system itself. In fact, the shop is a secondary shop, and the products sold there are added by the system.
The advantages of this setup are obvious: the system can plan and guide the host according to its own ideas. This applies not only to the store, but also to tasks and lotteries. Everything the host can obtain is arranged by the system, which is the responsibility and fun of an intelligent system.
For example, 99% of the time you win a lottery, you get stinky tofu, forcing the host to sell stinky tofu to make a living.
Of course, Hao Jiu had no intention of making fun of Xiang Yu. To defeat a powerful enemy, they had to work together. He would discuss everything with Xiang Yu as much as possible. After all, he didn't have the lottery or secondary shop functions, nor did he have energy points to buy items.
"Oh, I see. Dionysus wants to test the effectiveness of this healing medicine, right? Let's do as Dionysus says." Xiang Yu secretly examined himself; how could Dionysus be a miser?
“That’s right, that’s what I meant.” Hao Jiu remembered that Xiang Yu had already given most of his healing medicine to Yu Ji, so even if Xiang Yu used up all the medicine he had, it would only be one pill.
Well, it should be said that it was less than one pill; Xiang Yu even took a little bit from this healing medicine.
"Someone, boil some hot water," Xiang Yu ordered, and then went to visit the wounded soldiers one by one to find out the extent of their injuries.
Hao Jiu stared at the energy values on the system panel, lost in thought. Why were there so many?
As far as Hao Jiu knows, after binding to a host, the host can provide energy to the system, but the amount of energy provided is not fixed. Simply put, it is related to three factors.
The first factor is the host's talent and aptitude. Providing more than 0.1 energy per day is considered ordinary, more than 1 energy is considered good, more than 5 energy is excellent, more than 10 energy is considered outstanding, and more than 15 energy is considered perfect.
The second factor is intimacy, which is a hidden attribute that can increase energy supply by up to 100%.
Generally speaking, the longer the system and the host are bound, the higher the intimacy level. However, there are also cases where the intimacy level is very high right after binding, or where the intimacy level is not high even after a long time of binding.
In addition, intimacy is not static; it's roughly similar to the relationship between two people. It's possible for best friends to become strangers or even enemies, but it can also be artificially increased through certain interactive methods.
For example, when the host completes a task assigned by the system, the system rewards the host. In this interactive process, the intimacy between the system and the host will increase.
The third factor is the host's upgrade. Each upgrade results in a qualitative leap in the energy provided by the host to the system. However, there are no records of the upgrade method in Hao Jiu's system database.
However, it is certain that upgrading is not as easy as leveling up a game character; it is more likely to be like rebirth at the maximum level in some online games.
Of course, these are all just Hao Jiu's guesses. What the real upgrade looks like, we'll probably find out after completing the newbie tasks and shedding the newbie label.
In short, these three factors affect how much energy the host provides, and Hao Jiu, after some analysis, first ruled out the third factor, as it was unlikely that Xiang Yu would be promoted in such a short time.
As for the second factor, intimacy, Hao Jiu estimated that he saved Yu Ji's life, and Xiang Yu should be very grateful to him, so the intimacy level must be quite high.
Even if the intimacy level is off the charts, it only increases by 100%, which is equivalent to doubling it. If it was 1 before, it will now be 2, which is not much higher.
Therefore, Hao Jiu's final conclusion was that Xiang Yu's host's talent and aptitude were likely extremely high.
Because Hao Jiu has been bound to Xiang Yu for less than two days, he now has a total of 70 energy points!
Even if you remove the original 10 points and the bonus from full intimacy, Xiang Yu's talent and aptitude are still extremely perfect!
Hao Jiu wanted to give Xiang Yu a big kiss. This was truly a stroke of luck! The time-manipulation tool hadn't been wasted; they'd made a fortune!
Chapter 55 The God of Stinginess
There is no doubt that a host with perfect talent is extremely rare.
Hao Jiu's first host was the ultimate perfectionist, which is quite incredible luck.
Looking back now, Hao Jiu almost tied herself to someone else. If it weren't for the timing of Farewell My Concubine, Hao Jiu might have ended up tying herself to Modu in the Xiongnu.
Because Xiang Yu was in a really difficult situation, not only was he surrounded, but his mortal enemy Liu Ji also had a system, and it was quite powerful.
It can be said that Hao Jiu took a great risk and made a great decision in choosing Xiang Yu as her host, and now this courage and determination has finally paid off.
Hao Jiu was a programmer before his death, and his logical reasoning ability was not bad. By checking the energy level at night, he could roughly determine Xiang Yu's talent value, which meant he could calculate how much energy Xiang Yu provided to him each day.
Of course, the most perfect host must have at least 15 points per day, plus a 100% intimacy bonus, which adds up to 30 points per day, totaling around 900 points per month. It seems that the good things in the God's Shop are not out of reach after all.
But the prerequisite is that Xiang Yu must survive the Chu-Han Contention and defeat Liu Ji, who possesses the Black Dragon System; otherwise, it's all just a mirage.
There are a total of forty-eight commanderies in the country, and Xiang Yu now only has a little over two: Kuaiji Commandery, Zhang Commandery, and a small part of Jiujiang Commandery. Even though Xiang Yu has won several battles in succession at Gaixia and the Huai River, the situation is still grim.
Therefore, the only thing that could truly help Xiang Yu turn defeat into victory was his 'strongest system'. Every bit of energy had to be used wisely, and every effort had to be made to conserve it and avoid any waste!
At this moment, someone had already boiled a large pot of water as Xiang Yu had instructed. Xiang Yu used his sword to cut off about a third of the healing medicine and threw it into the pot. After stirring it for a while until the medicine dissolved, he ladled out some more to give to the wounded soldiers he had selected in advance.
This soldier's injuries were not the most serious, but they were not minor either. He had a two-inch-long gash in his abdomen, and even after emergency treatment by the military doctor, the bleeding could not be completely stopped. Whether he would survive was up to fate.
"Here, drink this bowl of hot soup." Xiang Yu blew on it and then handed it to the old soldier.
"Thank you, King Xiang..." The old soldier's eyes were filled with tears. What an honor this was, even though he knew that the so-called hot soup was not some kind of magic medicine, but just a pot of boiling water.
Glug glug... The veteran drank it all down in one gulp.
Hao Jiu and Xiang Yu stared intently at the wound. It seemed that the bleeding had slowed down, but it was far from healing and was still oozing blood little by little.
"Perhaps another bowl will stop the bleeding, but to ensure it's not life-threatening, it'll probably need at least three bowls. And if you want an immediate recovery, it might need three more bowls," Hao Jiu guessed.
"This pot of water can probably be divided into ten bowls, which means that even if we put all the remaining divine medicine into the pot, it can only save the lives of ten people?" Xiang Yu's expression was solemn.
"That's about it. One healing pill can save ten lives, or help five recover quickly," Hao Jiu said, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness. His black horse had lost a patch of skin, and Xiang Yu had given it a whole pill...
"Not enough, not enough! There are more than ten people with similar injuries to this brother, and some are even more seriously injured. In the past, I would have been helpless and could only watch them die. But now that I have the divine medicine, how can I not save them? God of Wine, could you give me some more of the divine medicine?"
Hao Jiu's lips twitched violently. It seemed it was time to discipline Xiang Yu. "I say, Overlord, it's not that I don't want to give it, it's just that I've consumed too much divine power these past two days, and I'm afraid I'll need a few more days to recover."
Moreover, this miraculous medicine was meant for you, and it's only enough for you. But now you've not only given it to Yu Ji and the black horse, but you even want to use it to treat all the wounded soldiers in the army. Isn't that going too far?
"Overlord, I know you are benevolent, but you are not a god. You cannot save everyone. Do you know that people starve to death every moment? Life and death are preordained, and sacrifice is inevitable. Let's save this divine medicine for those who are truly important."
"I don't want to save everyone, I only want to save these soldiers who risked their lives for me. I won't ask you for anything more. Yu Ji still has the divine medicine. One pill is enough to bring the dead back to life. Leaving her three should be enough. I can't let Yu Ji get hurt again. With those five pills, I can definitely save these soldiers' lives!"
Thinking of this, Xiang Yu got up and was about to walk out of the tent, feeling a little unhappy. This was not the God of Wine, but the God of Stinginess!
"I don't think so. The Tu Yi camp is quite a distance from here. Even if you bring the miraculous medicine, those seriously wounded soldiers are probably already dead."
Hao Jiu was having a headache. Even if he didn't give Xiang Yu the divine medicine, Yu Ji still had eight pills. It was no wonder Xiang Yu wouldn't listen to him.
More importantly, Hao Jiu can now sense that Xiang Yu seems somewhat dissatisfied with not allowing the rescue of wounded soldiers, and their intimacy level may have decreased.
Since intimacy level is related to energy harvest, it's best to avoid conflicts with Xiang Yu. Therefore, Hao Jiu needs to find another way to save these medicines.
Xiang Yu stopped in his tracks. "God of Wine, do you have any other way to cure them?"
"Yes, of course, but I can't guarantee I can save them." Hao Jiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he was really going all out to save on healing medicine.
"God of Wine, tell us quickly!" Xiang Yu had long regarded Hao Jiu as a true god. He could reverse time and revive Yu Ji—what else could he be but a true god? Even a god of wine is a god!
"Your soldiers have all suffered external injuries. You can have the army doctor wash and disinfect the wounds with salt water first, and then suture them with needle and thread. This might save their lives. I just don't know if your army has needles, thread and salt." These were the only two methods Hao Jiu could think of. Unfortunately, he had not studied medicine in modern times and did not know anything about prescriptions.
"If you don't have it, send someone to look for it. This matter cannot be delayed." Although Xiang Yu found it a bit unbelievable that the wound was treated with salt water and stitches, he still placed great hope in it.
Soon, the army doctor was brought over. Xiang Yu explained the treatment method to the doctor, who was somewhat skeptical, but he had to obey Xiang Yu's orders.
Finding needles and thread among tens of thousands of people isn't too difficult, but salt is an essential item for marching; without salt, one has no strength.
The only thing lacking was anesthetic, but fortunately, these soldiers had amazing tolerance for pain, and they endured both saline wound washing and stitches without anesthesia.
The results were unexpectedly good, which gave the military doctor a lot of confidence. The wound, which was originally bleeding uncontrollably, really improved a lot after it was stitched up.
Xiang Yu then ordered two more pots of water to be boiled, and dissolved the remaining medicine in the water. With the stitched wounds and a bowl of medicinal soup, the lives of these soldiers could barely be saved.
Even if a full recovery cannot be guaranteed, it shouldn't be a big problem to hold on until Xiang Yu retrieves the healing medicine.
Despite his growing gratitude towards Hao Jiu, Xiang Yu still embarked on his journey to the Tu Yi camp, intending to retrieve some more healing medicine for the seriously wounded soldiers to help them recover.
Upon arriving at the Tu Yi camp, Xiang Yu went straight to Yu Ji's bedchamber and retrieved five healing pills, instructing Yu Ji that if her injuries were not too severe, she should only take one-third of them.
Yu Ji originally only wanted to keep one, but Xiang Yu insisted that she keep three, so Yu Ji kept them, since Xiang Yu would come to her for more if he didn't have enough.
In fact, after learning of the great battle that had taken place at Guantangpu, the Han army at Tuyi Bridge decisively launched another attack while Xiang Yu was away, and Huan Chu had less than a thousand cavalrymen under his command.
Fortunately, Xiang Yu was prepared and had ordered oil to be poured on the south end of the bridge beforehand. When Huan Chu saw that things were not going well, he set the bridge on fire, which caused the enemy to return empty-handed.
After giving Xiang Guan some instructions, Xiang Yu led Huan Chu back to the main camp on the south bank of Guantangpu. He then took out a healing medicine, dissolved it in water, and gave it to those with more serious injuries before he was finally at ease.
It was already dark, but Xiang Yu still returned to the Tu Yi camp, not to sleep with Yu Ji, but to prepare for the plan he had previously made with Hao Jiu.
This time, Liu Ji must taste the pain of losing an arm...