Hah, Kidney Deficiency!

"If any villager leaves in the future, I'll have them take you out of here."

With that, the Village Chief shook his head and spoke.

"Thank you, Village Chief!"

Hearing this, Wang Ping breathed a sigh of relief inside.

It seemed the Village Chief had believed his story—his identity and background were barely settled for now.

Truth be told, Wang Ping really wanted to say he'd like to stay here long-term.

After all, he knew absolutely nothing about this world yet.

If he left this village, he'd be wandering the streets.

Honestly, it was extremely dangerous.

Still, letting him stay for a while was already generous of this village; he had no right to ask for more.

"Big brother, what's in your bag? It smells so good."

Just then, a ten-year-old girl in hemp clothes with a braid mustered her courage, ran over, tugged at Wang Ping's sleeve, and stared at him with pure, big eyes. Her voice was crisp and pleasant.

Once this ten-year-old girl ran over, the other children hanging back seemed to find their backbone, all crowding around and staring at Wang Ping with eager, longing eyes.

Some of them even gulped, swallowing saliva.

"..."

Meeting the children's gazes, Wang Ping's expression froze.

The contents of the Life Simulator were still vivid in his mind.

If he gave them that food, the outcome would be absolutely miserable.

After all, the Village Chief had dropped dead just from eating it—let alone giving it to kids.

"This is food from my hometown. It's convenient to eat, smells good, and tastes great, but it's poisonous and harmful to the body. Kids can't eat it."

Wang Ping's mind raced, and he finally chose to tell the truth.

"Poisonous? That's scary."

"Are people outside this dumb? Eating poisonous stuff?"

"Grandpa said never to touch anything tasty if it's poisonous."

"Eating poison messes with martial arts training. I'm not eating that."

As Wang Ping told the truth, the children all showed disappointed looks and then scattered.

At that, Wang Ping breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are people from your hometown all this crazy?"

The Village Chief also looked at Wang Ping, his expression somewhat odd.

"..." Wang Ping opened his mouth but didn't know how to answer.

"No wonder you're so weak. It seems it's not just from indulging in lust, but also because of this food."

Seeing Wang Ping's awkwardness, the Village Chief shook his head and spoke.

"Young man, don't wallow in lust, and don't indulge in so-called delicacies. Learn to cherish your own body."

"You're right, Village Chief. I won't do it again."

Wang Ping felt a bit embarrassed, putting on a humble, teachable expression.

Being directly called out for having his body drained by lust was really awkward.

But honestly, modern people had so many terrible habits that he couldn't argue back.

"Village Chief, do you think I can still practice martial arts now?"

Then, Wang Ping asked with a hopeful look.

"The kidneys are the foundation of innate vitality. Your foundation is severely depleted, which greatly impacts martial arts training. Plus, you're too old—it's too late to start. Even if you force it with medicinal baths, you'll never achieve much. At best, you'll just strengthen your body."

The Village Chief glanced at Wang Ping and delivered the final verdict.

"..."

Wang Ping was speechless.

Still, he wasn't completely hopeless.

After all, he had the Chat Group and the Life Simulator.

There was still a chance for martial arts in the future.

The seniors in the Chat Group probably weren't in much better shape than him before they transmigrated, and now they'd all stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Especially big shot Cai Yonglong—he was thriving.

"Of course, don't lose heart. Martial arts has its merits, and being an ordinary person has its own. Different lives—there's no saying which is better or worse."

"Sometimes, living out your days in peace might be better than entering the cultivation world and fighting for your life every day."

Seeing Wang Ping's silence, the Village Chief offered words of comfort.

"The Village Chief is right, but this experience has shown me the importance of martial training, so I'll still work hard at it. I've also heard of people who started martial arts in middle age, got lucky with precious medicinal herbs, and ended up achieving great things."

Wang Ping first nodded humbly, then spoke seriously.

"This brush with death was indeed a lesson. Having strength at your side makes traveling the martial world safer. As for those precious herbs you mentioned, that all depends on your luck. If your fortune is good, you might obtain some that replenish your innate foundation and improve your aptitude—then perhaps you'll accomplish something in the future."

The Village Chief nodded, acknowledging Wang Ping's words.

Of course, he didn't really believe Wang Ping would get his hands on such herbs.

After all, those heavenly treasures were things you could only encounter by chance, never seek out.

"Alright, you'll stay here. And while you're at it, help me look after another child."

As he spoke, the Village Chief stopped in front of a very simple courtyard.

Wang Ping looked over and saw four chickens and three ducks inside the yard.

Besides them, a little yellow dog was rolling on the ground, tussling with a large goose.

"A child?"

Wang Ping looked at the Village Chief with some confusion.

"Yes. His name is Chi Feng. His parents died in a hunting accident. With their sudden passing, he was overcome with grief, became withdrawn and silent, and spends all day holed up in his room."

The Village Chief nodded and explained.

"You're an outsider, so you must be a literate man. I hope you can help guide this child."

Wang Ping was a bit surprised that the Village Chief could tell he was educated.

Still, he didn't ask further. He just nodded and said, "Since the Village Chief has entrusted me with this, I'll do my best."

"Good."

The Village Chief nodded, pushed open the fence, and led Wang Ping inside.

When Wang Ping and the Village Chief entered the crude wooden house, they saw a thin child, about eight years old, sitting on a chair staring blankly into space, lost in thought.

Even as Wang Ping and the Village Chief walked in, Chi Feng only glanced at them. He didn't greet them, just lowered his head and continued staring off.

"Chi Feng, Grandpa brought a guest home. He'll stay here for a while and can tell you about the outside world."

Seeing Chi Feng like this, the Village Chief sighed inwardly, then put on a kind smile and walked over to ruffle the boy's hair.

That finally got a reaction out of Chi Feng.

But he quickly lowered his head again and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't want to know about the outside world. I just want my parents to come back."

Hearing this, the Village Chief gave a bitter smile.

This kid was too stubborn. No matter how they tried to persuade him, nothing worked.

Still, losing both parents so suddenly was a devastating blow for a child. It was understandable that he couldn't move past it.