Zhang Chen looked at the stone tablet before him, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. A Blood Sacrifice could grant skills and Experience Points—the temptation was self-evident.
"If I could get the blood of some large livestock as an offering, there would surely be even greater surprises. But even if I hunted large prey, I'd have no way to move it here. There are Sika Deer, antelope, and even wild horses nearby, but with my current build, I simply don't have the strength to carry them very far." After muttering to himself, Zhang Chen began preparing the wild duck and made a beggar's duck.
After stuffing himself to the brim and eating his fill, Zhang Chen rolled up his sleeves and returned to the underground cave to dig diligently.
Today's digging was for a better life tomorrow. With a Fox Spirit chasing after him, Zhang Chen did not dare slack off in the slightest. He was diligent and conscientious, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Experience Points appeared one after another before him, and Zhang Chen continually collected them:
Experience Points +16
Experience Points +5
Experience Points +17
Experience Points +3
Experience Points +3
Experience Points +51
Experience Points +41
Zhang Chen dug with gusto. Looking at the interface as his Experience Points soared without cease, a flicker of delight appeared in his eyes. Those ever-growing Experience Points were his motivation to dig, his hope.
He dug until afternoon before crawling out of the cave to bask in the sun. Looking at the slanting sun and then at the Experience Points he had gained today, Zhang Chen could not help but frown. "I only gained three hundred Experience Points today?"
Name: Zhang Chen 1 Skill (Second Tier): Light of the Righteous God (0/5000) 2 Skill (Unranked): Dragon Qi (0/2000) Points: 2750
Zhang Chen furrowed his brow. "The deeper I dig, the slower it gets. Transporting the dirt is becoming more troublesome, and the soil is getting colder and more tightly frozen. Digging it is no different from chiseling stone. No wonder the Emperor's Daughter's tomb is frozen so solidly. It truly won't be easy to dig it open."
Zhang Chen rubbed his hands together. The digging had slowed not only because of the work, but because it was getting colder and colder below. Previously, wrapped in animal hides, he could work for two hours before coming out to warm himself in the sun. Now, after only half an hour, the cold had become unbearable, forcing him to run outside to bask in the sunlight.
Of course, it was not as though he had never considered lighting a fire inside the cave. But how much firewood would that take?
Moreover, the cave was narrow and there was simply not enough oxygen. Unless he dug through the ceiling of the cave and made a chimney.
"I'll keep digging for now. There's no need to rush into thinking about heating it with fire."
Zhang Chen shook his head, dusted the dirt from his body, and made his way to the stream. He jumped in and washed the mud from himself clean. Yet his brows soon knitted together, because he discovered that the water level in the stream had dropped again.
Though he did not live off farmland, the mountain's prey depended on river water to survive. Once the stream dried up, who knew how many animals would migrate away? Then he would have nothing to eat. That was certainly not good news for him.
"This is bad!" Zhang Chen looked at the stream's water level, then at the blazing sun overhead. After a rough calculation, he realized it had not rained for a month, and his heart sank. "Could a drought be coming?"
A drought was a fatal blow in any era, especially in the underdeveloped ancient times. Once a drought struck, what followed would be masses fleeing famine, bands of rebels rising everywhere, and foreign enemies invading.
Perhaps it was the perception brought by Dragon Qi, but Zhang Chen felt that the moisture in heaven and earth was constantly dwindling. Even the sky was cloudless for ten thousand miles, a sheet of unbroken blue.
Then he thought of those old farmers forging weapons, and bitterness rose in Zhang Chen's heart. "I can only hope rain falls soon. Otherwise, with every condition ripe, chaos will be right before us."
Zhang Chen did not rest. Instead, he returned to the karst cave and prepared to make more explosives to deal with the greater unknown dangers ahead.
By the time he finished, it was already evening. Zhang Chen went down the mountain and checked his traps, only to find that he had caught another two rabbits.
Carrying the rabbits home, Zhang Chen spotted the Fox Spirit from afar, standing outside the gate and craning her neck in anticipation. The Fox Spirit lay listlessly before the gate, as though she had been thoroughly ravaged. But when she saw Zhang Chen, her eyes immediately lit up, and she scampered back into the house.
Zhang Chen found the Fox Spirit's behavior somewhat strange, but he said nothing and simply entered the house to rest.
That night.
Zhang Chen slept soundly, while the scholar next door and the fox stared fixedly at the scripture scroll, their eyes filled with tension.
Fortunately, the scripture scroll did not shine that night. One man and one fox stayed awake until dawn, then finally could no longer hold their eyelids open and drifted into an exhausted sleep.
The next day.
The moment Zhang Chen opened the door, he saw two burly young men standing outside, clubs tucked at their waists.
Zhang Chen's brows drew together slightly when he saw them. He recognized their origins—they were stewards from Rich Man Li's household.
Rich Man Li was the owner of this stretch of forest, a prominent local family. It was said that an ancestor of his had once served as a Vice Minister in the current dynasty, making his family a tyrant in these woods. Wang Wu had even wanted to skin the Fox Spirit for a fur collar in order to curry favor with Rich Man Li.
The two men before him were guards from Rich Man Li's household, specifically responsible for watching over this forest.
"May I ask what business the two stewards have?" Zhang Chen asked, putting on an honest smile.
"This year's rent has gone up by thirty percent, and it must be paid next month. Also, in the middle of next month, Rich Man Li will be celebrating his sixtieth birthday. You people will need to show some appreciation, so as not to make the master unhappy. If the master is unhappy, all of us will suffer along with him. No one will have an easy time." The steward looked at Zhang Chen with smiling eyes.
Zhang Chen's face immediately fell. "Sir Steward, how much game can a commoner like me sell in a year? The rent has risen to five taels of silver. I simply won't be able to survive!"
"We're not here to discuss it with you. We're here to inform you. If you think it's too much and don't want to pay, that's fine. As long as you change professions and stop hunting, we naturally won't be able to control you." The steward gave Zhang Chen a cold look, then turned and left arrogantly, as though Zhang Chen did not even exist in his eyes.
Watching the two men depart, Zhang Chen calculated silently. "Five taels of silver for rent, one tael for the head tax, plus all those other miscellaneous levies—it'll take no less than seven taels a year. They're leaving the common people no way to live! It used to be only three taels a year, but now it has risen to five. Add in a drought year, when the people can't survive... they're forcing the people to rebel!"
"Eh, forcing the people to rebel?" Zhang Chen suddenly froze, then swiftly fell silent and snuffed out that thought in his mind.
Thank you to reader "Ancient Moon Spring and Autumn Warring States Period" for the 100-point reward.
Thank you to reader "Fate Also Dark Heart" for the 100-point reward.
Thank you, both of you.
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