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In the mountains, no distinction of days and years.
Two months' time had passed in the blink of an eye.
In the depths of the mountains, the small wooden cabin that Song Cheng and Tong Jia had built initially stood alone, but now, sixty-eight cottages had been erected around it.
Around the cottages, bamboo hedges and wooden stake fences wound around twice, turning the place into a secluded village hidden from the human world.
The people in the village were those who had been rescued from the foot of the mountain that day.
After Song Cheng had killed the bandits, the villagers did not dare to return to their own village, so they followed Song Cheng to this place instead.
Among the villagers, there were quite a few who wanted to make their way to the county town, but Song Cheng firmly refused.
For someone seeking longevity, lifespan was not an issue, danger was.
As long as one could stay in a safe place and develop peacefully, one should stay until the end of time.
Had this not been the world of "Endless Hell," Song Cheng thought he could have built a "Peach Blossom Spring" here and, hundreds of years later, should someone come across it by chance, he could also foretell with a phrase, "To avoid warfare, I led my wife and villagers to this remote hideaway, never to return."
Early in the morning...
Song Cheng walked through this newly built village.
The villagers, who had reformed their families, greeted him one after another.
"Lord Song."
"Old sister-in-law, why call me Lord Song? Just call me Brother Cheng."
"Good morning, Lord Song."
"Uncle, why join the excitement?"
"You're in good spirits, Lord Song."
"Big sister, didn't you stop calling me that before..."
This title, since the night Song Cheng killed the bandits, had changed from "Brother Cheng" to "Lord Song."
Song Cheng was also rather helpless.
The title "Lord Song" made him particularly uncomfortable.
Not to mention others, among those he rescued, there were many he was familiar with, even the previous "Sister-in-law Caihua," "Sister-in-law Baojin," and "Sister-in-law Chen."
Any of these old sisters-in-law could have been his mother, but now all were calling out "Lord Song."
He had tried to decline several times, yet some people still addressed him this way; he wasn't annoyed but just seriously corrected them.
On the other hand, some people had improved quite a bit.
"Brother Song, the farmland has been cleared, just waiting to be sown in early spring. We have also prepared enough grain seeds; they should be sufficient."
"Brother Cheng, the miscellaneous trees to the north have all been cleared away; the view has indeed become much more open."
Song Cheng was friendly with everyone, smiling and chattering with a nod.
After taking a few more steps, a beautiful young girl wrapped in a fur coat, suddenly walked over.
Song Cheng recognized her; it was the lady from Guan Xi.
He had heard the story of Guan Xi many times already.
The grain merchant who came from the county town was affiliated with a commerce chamber called "Ruyi Commerce Chamber."
Ruyi Commerce Chamber was in the midst of the younger generation's "Battle for the Seal." Whoever held the Palm Seal would be the chamber's leader.
Initially, the competition was not intense because the lady of the house handled the daily affairs while the elder son... was indulgent in pleasures and had no interest in taking charge. Both sides had an unspoken understanding.
However, at the beginning of last year, a move by the Dashang Dynasty plunged the two juniors of the Ruyi Commerce Chamber into madness.
The Dashang Dynasty wanted to construct a canal!
Connecting the roads of the north and south, joining countless rivers, not even sparing the small streams in each village.
As a result, all kinds of trade under Ruyi Commerce Chamber were expected to flourish, and the profits involved were beyond imagination.
Consequently, the elder son also became interested in wielding power.
Thus, a fierce struggle ensued between the two sides.
Without many abilities himself, the elder son was adept at nefarious schemes. Making money was beyond his skill, but causing trouble was something he was quite good at.
His strategy for ascending to power was to "make the lady's trades fail."
On one critical occasion transporting grain to the counties in the north, the lady sensed something amiss and decided to act by using Guan Xi to transport "grain in appearance, but chaff within," a decoy.
Guan Xi had a very good relationship with the lady, and her involvement naturally convinced the elder son, who then... made arrangements.
Indeed, Guan Xi was ambushed.
Meanwhile, the lady herself took another route with the real merchandise and should by now have settled the dust and taken control of the chamber.
It seems Guan Xi was here to persuade him to return.
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However, he did not know how to return.
Leave from Tang River Village?
Yune might not kill him, but does that mean she won't kill others?
Take the long way around to the front of the mountain, to the county town?
The long journey might pose even greater risks, and he did not intend to risk it before he had fully matured.
Moreover, now that the village was beginning to take shape, even if he wanted to move, the villagers would not agree to it lightly.
And actually, this environment was most suitable for peaceful cultivation.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and before Guan Xi could speak, Song Cheng apologetically said, "Wait a bit longer."
Guan Xi heaved a long sigh... but she was also helpless, after all, she knew that recklessly returning might lead to countless deaths.
...
...
Returning to the wooden house at the heart of the village.
Song Cheng grabbed a "meatball" from the plate on the table and tossed it into his mouth.
This was a creation of the host's young wife, who skillfully combined medicinal herbs with fish to make meatballs.
Song Cheng chewed a couple of times.
To be honest, the meatballs tasted quite novel the first time he ate them, but after eating more, they really didn't taste good.
He also wanted to eat something with salt, and even more so, he craved some rice or noodles...
But there was none.
Song Cheng sat in a wooden chair by the window and glanced at his strength: 18~31.
He looked at his panel:
[Stat Points: 403 points]
[Cultivation Technique]
White Snake Blade (Yellow Level, Grade D) (Perfection)
Mysterious Turtle Step (Yellow Level, Grade D) (Perfection) (Compatible with White Snake Blade)
[Skills]
Pagoda Visualization Method (Yellow Level, Grade D) (Perfection)
Both "White Snake Blade" and "Pagoda Visualization Method" had a "+" after them.
The former, after reaching Perfection with "Mysterious Turtle Step", doubled the probability of deducing "Yellow Level, Grade C" techniques to "2%", with each deduction costing "3 points".
The latter, the success rate was still "10%", and the cost for each deduction was also "3 points", which was strange.
Song Cheng's plan was to "accumulate points, for rapid ten consecutive deductions".
Now, he had 403 points, enough for 134 deductions.
He wanted to deduce "White Snake Blade" first, and once successful, having increased his combat capability, he would then deduce "Pagoda Visualization Method".
Even so, he still felt a twinge of pain looking at the points he had painstakingly collected over two months.
But he knew... "Reading cultivation techniques of the same level and consulting the approaches of other techniques could enhance the success rate of deductions." Although "Roaring Tiger Blade" conflicted with his own technique, it still provided him with a 1% chance, otherwise, Song Cheng would not have had "2%" right now.
'Forget it, in this world, cultivation techniques are extremely precious. To borrow someone else's would require too much effort and risk.
Moreover, I am deep in the mountains... a low chance is still a chance, it's not like I have none.'
Song Cheng was calm, feeling as if he was afflicted with a mild case of anhedonia.
At this moment, the wooden window beside him, held open by a rod, allowed a burst of warm air to suddenly blow in, lifting his hair, as if to signify that winter had passed and early spring had arrived.
The frozen soil became moist, and the snow that had accumulated in damp, shady areas began to thaw, while the stream behind the house widened by more than double.
Song Cheng was about to add points when he suddenly sniffed and furrowed his brow.
The smell of decay was getting stronger.
In deep winter, it was only occasional.
But entering spring, it suddenly intensified.
This odor, Song Cheng and the villagers had already investigated, but to no avail.
Some said the smell came from beneath the ground, others said it flowed out from deep within the caves of the forest.
Alert, Song Cheng scanned his surroundings once more, not seeing that shocking and horrifying "red".
After contemplating for a while, he muttered to himself, 'Forget it, I'll add the points first.'
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