The low hills are dotted with a light coat of frost on a midwinter morning, and a fresh layer of frost once again falls beneath the bare trees as the north wind blows.
Halfway up the hill is a crumbling mountain temple, and the north wind whistles through the hall, lifting the ashes that are only warm.
In the small temple lay three dozen ragged, bony beggars.
A tall beggar by the fire opened his heavy eyes, rubbed his dishevelled and knotted hair, froze for a moment, looked around, surveyed the area and then looked down at his own body with disbelief in his eyes.
"Where is this place, and why have I become this ghostly?" Li Zheng's eyes were filled with panic as he murmured.
"'Prize system for encountering enemies' has been activated."
With the system in place, Li Zheng's panicked heart slowly calmed down.
"Niu Bao, Niu Bao, wake up, it's dawn, don't sleep, Niu Bao!"
A low, desperate wail came from the corner of the Mountain God Temple, attracting Li Zheng's attention and curiously turning his head to see what was going on.
With just a glance, Li Zheng understood that a beggar, who was far from the fire, had frozen to death on that cold winter night last night.
The wailing beggar, who had flung himself on top of the frozen beggar, sensed Li Zheng's sight and looked up at him with a strong look of hatred in his eyes.
Li Zheng suddenly saw his hate-filled eyes and was stunned, not understanding why the other party would hate him.
The system beep then sounded in his mind.
"Beggar Ma Dan'er has died because of how late he failed to squeeze in by the fire and died as a friend, he has hatred for you, (condition fulfilled, system determines that he has become your enemy). Reward: roast chicken, one."
"Include the first enemy, open the door, (condition fulfilled), reward: natural divine strength (talent)."
Li Zheng felt that his body became much stronger in an instant, his body was filled with power, and he felt that he could kill a cow with one punch.
Li Zheng picked up a broken brick in his hand and felt that his strength could crush it into powder, so he tried to squeeze it hard, and the broken brick was actually crushed into powder by him.
"He--"
I didn't expect that his strength was so strong?
Ma Dan'er was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head, and the hostility that had risen just now disappeared in fear.
Hearing the movement, Li Zheng swept his head up and gave Ma Dan'er a glance, looking at the stone powder floating down from between his fingers and smiled cheerfully.
"It seems that a soul traversing the other world is not an unacceptable thing."
This was just the beginning.
Li Zheng was full of anticipation for the rewards to come.
While looking at the beggars who woke up one after another, but were still unwilling to move, lying breathlessly on the ground, Li Zheng seemed to see a golden mountain.
They, all of them, were potential enemies.
As long as they became enemies, the system would give him rewards.
How to make them enemies?
"So hungry!"
Li Zheng heard an exclamation coming from somewhere, and it seemed to be contagious, causing Li Zheng to feel a strong sense of hunger along with it.
Li Zheng looked at a roast chicken wrapped in greasy paper in the system space and was thinking of finding an unoccupied place to fill his stomach when suddenly, something occurred to him and he then changed his mind.
Li Zheng stood up, scanned around and after finding that he had attracted the attention of all the beggars, Li Zheng slowly reached into his arms and took out an oil paper packet.
Li Zheng opened the knot and slowly unrolled the oil paper packet. As the packet continued to be unrolled, a stronger and stronger smell of roast chicken filled the whole mountain temple with the cold wind that passed through the hall.
All the beggars' eyes were like those of hungry wolves, staring at the oil paper packet in Li Zheng's hand, their eyes seemingly expecting something.
Finally, Li Zheng unveiled the greasy paper packet all over, revealing the orange and oily roast chicken inside.
"Beggar Liu Gen'er is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who have the roast chicken. Reward: steamed buns, ten."
"The beggar, Doggy Lefty, is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who have the roast chicken. Reward: cotton clothes, one set."
"Little Grass, the beggar, is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who have the roast chicken. Reward: chicken soup, one bowl."
"Beggar Little Fruit is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who have the roast chicken. Reward: copper coin, one hundred pieces."
...
"(In system record), the cumulative number of (your) enemies has reached ten, (condition met), reward: anti-chill secret art."
Anti-Cold Secret Art, after using this secret art, a diaphragm is formed under the surface of the body and heat no longer leaks out.
Once used, it is not afraid of the cold.
Li Zheng padded the oil paper, tore off a chicken leg, put it to his mouth, first took a sniff and said with an enchanted face, "It smells good."
Only then did he slowly, open his mouth, use his teeth to gently bite, tear hard, roll his tongue, and chew hard, exclaiming as he ate, "Delicious, delicious."
"The beggar's little stone child is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who are enjoying the roast chicken alone. Reward: cotton shoes, one pair."
"The beggar's little fisher is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who are enjoying the roast chicken alone. Reward: cotton hat, one."
...
"The cumulative number of enemies has reached twenty, reward: the Secret Art of Strong Eating."
Strong Food Secret Art, strengthens the body's digestive system.
Quickly digest food, transform it into nutrients and be absorbed by the body.
"So hungry, roast chicken, I want it!" A tall beggar closest to Li Zheng, who was so tall and strong and so close, couldn't resist first and grabbed the first hand.
With the first beggar who made a move, as if opening some kind of taboo, all the rest of the beggars, all of them became hostile towards Li Zheng, their bodies tensed up, ready to strike at any time.
"The beggar, Sanmao, is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who are enjoying the roast chicken alone. Reward: inferior jade pendant, one."
"Beggar Little Leaf is very hungry because he has no food and is jealous of you who are enjoying the roast chicken alone. Reward: copper hairpin, one."
...
"The cumulative number of enemies has reached thirty, reward: fighting proficiency."
"Combat Mastery" came just in time.
Li Zheng instantly judged the attack route of the tall beggar, turned his body, took a small step forward, and side stepped with a heavy knee kick, directly hitting the stomach of the first tall beggar to strike.
The first tall beggar instantly flew backwards three or four metres, knocking down several beggars and landing on the ground, covering his stomach and crying out in pain.
The miserable fate of the first tall beggar was like pouring a pot of ice water on their hot, fiery hostility.