Chen Li returned home and neatly arranged the things he had bought.
Then he poured himself a cup of boiled water and sat cozily in his chair, taking a satisfying sip of air and feeling utterly relaxed.
Days without the pressure of life were truly the best.
It wasn't long before he could faintly hear the voices of his female neighbor and her man next door.
His heart stirred with the thought of stepping out for a chat.
However, after shifting in his seat, he thought better of it and sat back down.
Better not.
He wasn't so petty. He had long stopped caring about the woman's cutting and sarcastic comments and didn't lower himself to argue with women.
...
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside the door.
'Who could be looking for me now!'
He set down his teacup, unfazed, checked the Willow Leaf Dart at his waist, and calmly got up to open the door.
Sometimes people just can't resist mentioning someone, for just as he thought of his female neighbor, she automatically showed up at his doorstep.
"Oh, you're actually at home." She craned her neck to peer inside, and managed to be annoying the moment she spoke, "Haven't seen you open the door for days, I thought something happened to you."
Chen Li was taken aback by her words.
"I've been in seclusion making talismans these past few days..." Chen Li said with a nonchalant smile.
"Hehe, can't enjoy yourself anymore, can you? Alright, stop putting on a brave front."
Can you let me finish!
Chen Li opened his mouth to say something...
"Here, I've brought you something good to nourish your body. This is genuine Demon Beast Meat. My man, Wang, Sun, and I set traps and laid in ambush for three days and nights before finally killing it."
With a laugh, she handed over the meat she was carrying.
"This... this is too precious." Chen Li hesitated before repeatedly declining.
Chen Li knew about Demon Beast Meat; even the most common one was almost as pricey as Low-grade Spirit Rice.
"Precious? We've got a good haul this time, and I'm afraid it won't fetch much at the market. Just remember to give us a few Guiding Talismans next time," said the female neighbor, her fatigue mingled with the joy and satisfaction of her haul, generously.
"Then... alright," Chen Li accepted the meat from her.
Rejecting someone's shared kindness clearly wasn't proper. Sigh, I'll find a chance to repay her later.
As he watched the female neighbor walk away, he closed the door, weighing the chunk of meat in his hand, estimating it to be around ten pounds. He walked into the kitchen, placed the meat on the chopping board, and picked up the kitchen knife, chopping down with force.
"Chop!"
"Chop!"
"Chop!"
"Chop!"
...
The muscle fibers of the demon beast were very tough, like rubber, though thankfully not to the point that they were resistant to blades.
As Chen Li hacked away, the meat was quickly chopped into small pieces and then placed into a pottery jar, sprinkled with salt to pickle.
The weather was getting hotter by the day, and if not dealt with, the meat would go bad quickly.
It wouldn't last more than a couple of days.
After finishing all this, Chen Li washed his hands and poured another cup of boiled water, sitting back down in his chair.
He found that the once tasty boiled water now tasted bland and flavorless.
"Forget it, practice swordsmanship, swordsmanship!"
...
The swordsmanship books Chen Li had bought were undoubtedly much simpler compared to the "Feign Death Escape Skill," which he still hadn't figured out to this day.
The first small part is about the practice of the technique and some basic moves, while the latter half is about combat strategies and some tips and countermeasures that need to be heeded during battle.
Accompanying various true experiences of coming back from the brink of death and defeating various formidable adversaries, it reads like a personal memoir and could almost be treated as a story.
If the author isn't boasting about themselves, clearly, this was a rather powerful mortal swordsman.
Perhaps in the eyes of some cultivators, the swordsmanship of mortals is hardly worth a glance.
But Chen Li still valued it highly; cultivation hopeless, and living in a dangerous world.
Now, he wanted to learn any skill that could protect himself.
The more skills, the better; having one more might save his life at a critical moment, and besides, even ordinary skills, once mastered to a high level, could yield extraordinary effects.
Take "Spiritual Power Finger Snap" for example
It had already become his killer move, second only to the Willow Leaf Dart, and even seemed set to surpass it.
Having the game panel, with such skills that have short cooldowns and don't consume spiritual power, as long as he got the basics, practicing would be much faster than drawing talismans.
...
At noon, Chen Li's sword practice was still stiff and awkward, moving clumsily, executing each move mechanically.
It was unbearable to watch.
However, in just one afternoon, his swordsmanship had become fluid and natural, his body as nimble as a spry cheetah; each of his movements was filled with strength, and with every thrust of his sword, the air hissed.
He was like a seasoned swordsman who had practiced for over a decade.
At that moment, there was a "clang" sound.
His arm, finally exhausted, could no longer hold the sword, and it fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"Hiss!"
At this moment, Chen Li felt his entire body aching and weak, his bare upper body was as though drenched in water, soaking wet.
Feeling the unnatural twitches of the muscles all over his body, he staggered to the table and took small sips from a clay pot filled with salted water.
"How did this training become so intense?" Chen Li wondered silently.
At first, it was okay, his body, at the third level of Qi cultivation, seemed more than capable.
But as the skill reached the proficient level
And after practicing for a considerable time to form a rudimentary muscle memory
The intensity became entirely different; every move required strength throughout the body, fingers, arms, chest, waist, legs, buttocks, down to the toes, every part exerting force.
The physical exertion of each movement was several times that of before.
"It does train the body quite well," Chen Li looked disdainfully at the eight-pack abs that were obscured by his belly:
"I wonder what it would be like to master this swordsmanship?"
He was becoming increasingly interested in this mortal swordsmanship.
...
Days went by, life was mundane yet fulfilling.
Every five days, he would go to the marketplace to sell talismans; he would earn up to three low-grade spirit stones and at least two; deducting the cost of buying 'talisman paper' and 'blood ink' from the talisman shop, the profit was still substantial.
His life was getting more and more comfortable.
Meanwhile, his body grew stronger day by day, and his appetite improved as well.
His originally slightly chubby figure was now beginning to look sturdy, his eyes bright and spirited.
As he actively sought out information about the outside world these past days, he gradually collected some intel about this region.
First: This place was at the far western edge of the Longevity Sect, beyond which lay the endless forests of the Barbaric Wilderness.
Second: Besides the Longevity Sect, there were a few other sects and factions scattered around, who were rumored to have been at peace with each other for decades.
Third, there weren't many mortals here. A thousand miles without a soul, which was almost the norm.
As for them, the low-level loose cultivators, they depended on this marketplace like rootless duckweed, most of them making a living off the various resources from the boundless forest.
This further solidified his resolve to leave this place once he had enough money.
Newly developed areas like this seemed far from safe, no matter how he looked at it.