A Wild Boar Teaches You a Lesson
Option C was as absurd as ever.
Little C, if you kept being this unreliable, sooner or later you'd be put on the blacklist.
Option A: don't touch things he didn't understand.
It sounded safe and suited his style of playing it safe to the bitter end.
But this token was connected to the killers who had slaughtered Sunset Glow Village.
Why had they slaughtered the village?
Had they done it on a whim? Or had someone, something, or some affair in the village been worth their intervention?
Lu Ping had escaped the first day of the month, but would the fifteenth still come for him?
If it was a blessing, it wasn't a calamity; if it was a calamity, there was no escaping it.
Taking the token meant gaining more information.
An information advantage was part of one's combat strength, just like when he had killed Zhao Tiezhu in an instant.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[The moment you tucked the token into your robes, a faint chill seeped from its surface into your palm and rushed through your meridians into your body...]
[Heavy Tomato User activated.]
[The chill was instantly broken down and devoured, vanishing without a trace.]
[You looked around once more, found a short blade that felt comfortable in your hand, and tucked it into your belt.]
[You quickly left the warehouse using the agility of Mid-stage Body Tempering.]
[Your footsteps made no sound as you retraced your path along the base of the wall, without alerting anyone.]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Climb over the low wall behind the mountain. The safest option, but slow, and a hidden sentry on the mountain might spot you.]
[B: Take the drainage ditch on the east side. Narrow and foul-smelling, but completely outside the patrols' sight. You vaguely remembered that the Black Tiger Gang's drainage system led to a river channel outside.]
[C: Walk out through the front gate and tell the gang members on guard, "I quit. Here's my resignation letter. Please complete the handover within three business days."]
Option C, were you here to crack jokes?
Complete the handover within three business days.
Lu Ping gave a dry laugh in his mind.
He hadn't even gotten to quit with that much dignity in his previous life. His boss had hounded him to hand over every project he was working on before leaving, dragging it out for two months.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You crouched down, lifted the iron grate half-hidden by weeds in the corner of the rear courtyard, and pulled hard. Half an iron bar broke off in your hand.]
[The entrance to the drainage ditch was exposed.]
[A strong, fishy stench poured from the pitch-black opening and rushed straight up your nose.]
[You crawled inside.]
[Filthy water rose above your ankles. It was thick and icy, and there was no telling how many days' worth of slop and bloody water were mixed in.]
[Heavy Tomato User activated.]
[You were immune to all pathogens and toxins that might be present in the ditch water.]
[Your body felt no discomfort whatsoever. Only your nose protested.]
[You crawled through the narrow channel for about half a quarter-hour.]
[After two turns, the channel walls changed from brick and stone to rammed earth, then from rammed earth to a natural fissure in the rock.]
[Ahead, a faint breeze brushed your sweat-dampened forehead.]
[The exit.]
[You climbed out of the drainage ditch and landed in a dry riverbed.]
[In the distance, lights were appearing in the direction of the Black Tiger Gang. They soon joined into a sea of fire, darting about everywhere like fire dragons.]
[The Black Tiger Gang went into full lockdown.]
[The host was detected to have left the Black Tiger Gang. The automatic resignation process was initiated.]
[Time until automatic resignation: 364 days.]
The red countdown lit up again.
A familiar number, a familiar sense of pressure.
[You followed the dry riverbed north for three li before finding a crevice among some jumbled rocks and squeezing inside.]
[You avoided the main road and entered the mountains to the north.]
[Your goal was clear.]
[Travel around the mountains, avoid the Black Tiger Gang's territory, and head toward the Greenwood Sect, the lowest-tier cultivation sect in your memories.]
[You had banknotes, low-grade Spirit Stones, and a token of unknown origin.]
[You also had a short blade at your waist.]
[You believed that, at the Middle Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, you at least had the basic ability to protect yourself.]
Lu Ping's eyelid twitched when he saw that.
The word "believed" was generally not a good sign. The simulator would most likely teach him a lesson next.
[On the second day, you found a narrow path left by hunters.]
[The path led to a mountain ridge. The ground was dry, and your travel speed would increase by thirty percent.]
[But there were animal hoofprints beside the path.]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Detour into the low-lying woods. Slow, but you would leave fewer traces.]
[B: Take the ridge path. Prioritize speed and leave the Black Tiger Gang's territory as quickly as possible.]
[C: Stand at the crossroads and put up a job advertisement, seeking a local guide. Social insurance and housing fund benefits negotiable.]
Option A had complicated terrain, and without a map, it was risky.
Option B prioritized speed and seemed to be the best choice.
Option C?
Was there an option C?
Lu Ping hesitated, then decided to play it safe.
[You chose A.]
[You detoured into the low-lying woods.]
[Rotting leaves covered the tops of your feet, and dampness crept into your trouser legs.]
[The Heavy Tomato User trait remained active.]
[Venomous mosquito bites: ineffective.]
[Miasma in the rotting leaves: ineffective.]
[You traveled very slowly, but left no obvious footprints.]
[On the third day, you encountered a wild boar.]
[It stood nearly a zhang tall at the shoulder, with outward-curving tusks and a ring of stiff black bristles along its back.]
[Each step its hooves took in the mud left a pit half a cun deep.]
[Faint Spiritual Qi flowed within its body.]
[It was no ordinary wild boar.]
[It was a mountain beast touched by Spiritual Qi.]
[It stared at you and began pawing the ground, sending dirt flying two zhang away.]
[You realized it already had enough distance to charge.]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Climb a tree immediately and wait for the wild boar to leave.]
[B: Rely on your cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Body Tempering Realm to take it head-on and test your current combat strength.]
[C: Pull out your résumé and apply to establish an employment relationship with the wild boar.]
Lu Ping looked at option B and nodded.
A nineteen-year-old at the Middle Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
He had just killed the second-in-command of the Black Tiger Gang, the largest local gang, and made off with its money.
In a normal wish-fulfillment novel, this was where the protagonist entered the mountains, casually hunted some game, ate roast meat, and leveled up.
After leaving the mountains, he'd jump three levels in a row!
His, Lu Ping's, path to ruling this world was about to begin with this wild boar!
Just do it!
So Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You turned and dashed toward the nearest old tree.]
[You used the trunk to push yourself up and climbed onto a branch two zhang high in three moves.]
[The wild boar charged.]
[It didn't stop.]
[It slammed into the tree.]
[The tree snapped.]
Lu Ping stared at the line, his face twitching.
Wonderful.
The survival tip about climbing trees didn't work against mountain beasts in the cultivation world.
Knowledge updated.
[You briefly contemplated life while you were in midair.]
[You crashed into a thicket.]
[There were poisonous thorns in the thicket, which pierced your arms and back.]
[The Heavy Tomato User trait activated.]
[You were immune to the poison.]
[You rolled twice, scrambled to your feet, and ran.]
[The wild boar chased you for a full hour.]
[It snapped seven small trees and crushed two mountain rocks underfoot before a foul-smelling swamp finally blocked its path.]
[You lay in the muck on the far side of the swamp, half your body sunk into it.]