Golden Blood (Part Two)

Wang Wu froze at the words, then sucked in a sharp breath. "Really?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. That Blacksmith Cui even secretly skimmed off some materials to forge me a saber." Afraid Wang Wu would not believe him, Zhang Chen walked over to a basket and took out the saber.

"Hisss~~~" Wang Wu sucked in several breaths. "How could he dare?"

Wang Wu felt his scalp prickle as a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.

Zhang Chen fell silent. He put the blade back, then looked at Wang Wu. "They came knocking at his door. What right did he have to refuse? If he had refused, the grass on his grave would probably be ready to cut and feed to roe deer."

Hearing this, Wang Wu's expression turned grave, his voice filled with solemnity. "I'm afraid something huge is about to happen."

Wang Wu could not help lowering his voice by several degrees.

"A heaven-shaking matter," Zhang Chen replied softly.

"Should we report it to the authorities?" Wang Wu asked after a moment of silence.

"No!" Zhang Chen shook his head without a second thought. "If the authorities come, our entire village will be implicated. Our whole village is bound by mutual responsibility—if one person rebels or commits a crime, the entire village will be exiled. I don't care; exile is exile. Wherever I go, I can survive. But my Little Sister still needs someone to look after her! Besides, if they can forge swords, armor, and even find iron ore, they must be people of great abilities. They surely have spies in the authorities as well. If word reaches them and they retaliate—if they lose their minds and kill everyone to silence them—the entire village could be slaughtered."

Zhang Chen hurriedly shook his head and rejected Wang Wu's suggestion. Reporting it to the authorities would bring no benefits, only enormous trouble.

There was no reward for informing. They would only arrest the informant first. Given the authorities' usual ways, they would never release you without skinning you alive and stripping your family fortune clean.

In later times, people still had to make a statement when calling the police, let alone in this world.

For matters like this, less trouble was better than more.

"What you say makes sense. But if it's exposed, and the authorities investigate, we'll still be doomed." Wang Wu's face twisted into a bitter melon as he looked at Zhang Chen, groaning endlessly.

"We'll delay it for as long as we can. Besides, the authorities may not necessarily uncover anything about those people. If they find no information, won't we get through this safely? And if that group can keep it hidden until the eve of rebellion, then once they revolt and chaos engulfs the world, who will have the time to investigate where the ironware came from?" Zhang Chen comforted Wang Wu.

They absolutely could not report this to the authorities. Once they did, even the person who reported it would suffer. If they did not die, they would at least be stripped of a layer of skin.

"Damn it, how did we run into something like this for no reason at all?" Wang Wu cursed in a low voice, then rose to stew meat soup for Zhang Chen.

The meat soup was a mixed stew: the roe deer's five viscera and six bowels, pork belly, lean meat, head, and hooves were all simmered together in a huge pot until tender enough to fall from the bone. A bowl was served straight before Zhang Chen, making his stomach rumble like thunder as he dug in with gusto. He ate three huge bowls before finally drifting off to sleep in a haze.

Wang Wu cleared the table. Looking at the sleeping Zhang Chen, he let out a soft sigh, then shut the door and went outside.

Late at night

Zhang Chen felt the blazing heat within his body grow even fiercer. That powerful flame intensified a thousandfold, scorching his mind into a muddle. He slept in a daze until midnight, then groggily climbed from bed and plunged straight into the water vat in the courtyard. A wave of coolness washed over him, easing some of the burning sensation.

Next door

The Fox Spirit, who had been anxiously on edge, pushed open her window and saw Zhang Chen sleeping soundly in the vat in the courtyard. Surprise appeared in her eyes. "What is this brute doing, making such a fuss in the middle of the night? Why has he gone to sleep in that huge vat? Still, with this brute standing guard outside, I don't need to worry tonight."

The Fox Spirit did not notice the changes within Zhang Chen's body. She shut the window, relaxed, and fell into a deep sleep, her snores drifting outside.

At first light the next day, Zhang Chen was awakened by the glaring sunlight. Seeing himself soaking in the large vat, he recalled what had happened yesterday and hurriedly climbed out. The scorching heat inside his body had still not faded, but after a night's sleep, his blood-forming ability had strengthened and the blood within him had been replenished. His dizziness had improved.

"Hungry! I'm starving to death!" Zhang Chen climbed out of the vat and rushed into the house. Seeing the meat soup left from last night, he did not even bother heating it before scooping it up and wolfing it down.

When Wang Wu entered the courtyard, he happened to see Zhang Chen devouring meat.

"Uncle Wang, you're here. Come have some with me," Zhang Chen called out at once when he saw Wang Wu arrive.

"I've already eaten. I was only worried something might happen to you, so I came to check on you. Seeing that you're fine puts my mind at ease. Rest well at home today. I'll go into the mountains to hunt and check the traps for you," Wang Wu said.

"No need to trouble yourself, Uncle. I'm much better now. I was just about to go up the mountain and move around a little. I can't keep lying at home recuperating," Zhang Chen quickly replied.

He still needed to go into the mountains and drink blood at the first opportunity. If Wang Wu killed the prey, it would be troublesome. Who knew whether his third skill could devour the blood of dead animals?

Besides, he truly was much better now. Other than the lingering effects of blood loss and the scorching pain within his body, there was nothing else wrong with him.

Wang Wu looked Zhang Chen up and down. Seeing that he was indeed much improved, with nothing but a somewhat pale face, he finally left in satisfaction.

After sending Wang Wu away, Zhang Chen let out a breath of relief. Once he had finished the meat and soothed his hunger, he finally had time to sense his own skills.

Zhang Chen sensed the state of his bloodline's recovery, then suddenly froze. His eyes filled with astonishment. In his perception, a speck of dazzling golden light flickered within his blood. Though it was only the size of dust, roughly one-tenth the size of a millet grain, it carried a vast and majestic feeling, as though it illuminated all ten directions of heaven and earth.

"What is that?" Zhang Chen "looked" at the speck of golden light in his blood, shock appearing in his eyes. The golden light traveled through his entire body along with the circulation of his blood. It did not remain in any one organ, but swam through his body like a fish.

Zhang Chen's countless blood vessels were like the Yangtze River and great rivers, his heart like a vast, boundless sea, while that speck of golden light was like a fish constantly darting through rivers, lakes, and seas.

"What's going on?" Zhang Chen stared at that speck of golden light. It differed from the Light of the Righteous God. The Light of the Righteous God was a pure light, containing resplendent Divine Might, while this speck of golden light carried a faintly wicked feeling, as if blood-colored radiance flowed within it.

Thanks to boss "Youyou" for the reward of 1,500 coins. Thanks to boss "203 on South First Street" for the reward of 100 coins. Thanks to boss "World of Emotions" for the reward of 100 coins. Thanks to boss "Xiuyan" for the reward of 100 coins.