Da Bao's Origins

"Village Chief, what did you need me for?" Chu Danqing found the village chief, who was wrapping things up in the depression, and asked.

The village chief quickly led Chu Danqing to an empty spot nearby before saying, "Chu, you've been in Xianghua Village for three days now, haven't you?"

"Yes, three days." Chu Danqing was puzzled. Why bring that up all of a sudden?

"And you risked your life to rid us of the White Dragon Fish. On behalf of everyone in Xianghua Village, I cannot thank you enough."

"But you should not involve yourself in what comes next, Chu."

"I'll prepare something for you tonight. Leave the village at dawn tomorrow."

"Take this as a token of our gratitude." With that, the village chief took out a necklace and handed it to Chu Danqing.

The necklace was strung together from wolf fangs. They were clearly the fangs of the two wolves Chu Danqing had killed before.

Chu Danqing did not take it. Instead, he pushed it back.

"Village Chief, I can't leave." Chu Danqing naturally understood what the village chief meant.

The Cave God of Fallen Blossom Cave wanted him as a sacrifice. The village chief was unwilling to let that happen, so he wanted Chu Danqing to flee at once.

As long as he left the bounds of Xianghua Village, the Cave God would be unable to do anything to Chu Danqing.

The problem was that, counting today, he had only been here for four days. He still had three days left before reaching the seven-day survival requirement.

Once he left Xianghua Village, he would truly lose every advantage.

He had borrowed Xianghua Village's momentum and gained so many benefits. He could not simply walk away.

If he left, ten girls in the bloom of youth would die.

"An Otherworldly Being and evil god like the Cave God can never be trusted."

"It forces you once today; tomorrow, it will push its luck and demand even more."

"We must make the Cave God retreat in the face of difficulty. Only then will there be no next time." Chu Danqing's tone was stern. In the past, he might have hung high what did not concern him, but this was no longer the case.

"Th-this..." Chu Danqing's retort angered the village chief. He immediately said, "You have no idea how terrifying the Cave God is."

"When does the Cave God want the sacrifice?" Chu Danqing directly asked for the time.

"This time, it gave us five days." The village chief let out a deep sigh. "That is already exceptionally merciful. It originally demanded three days."

"Five days?" Chu Danqing's eyes flickered. "In three days, I'll go as the sacrifice. The time I go that day must be decided by me!"

"What???" The village chief was frightened by Chu Danqing's words. "No, no. Chu, you don't understand. Once you go, there will be no return."

"Some people escaped alive from the White Dragon Fish's jaws, but everyone offered to the Cave God as a sacrifice died without exception."

Compared to the Cave God, the White Dragon Fish did not even count as a minor lackey.

"What if I make Fallen Blossom Cave collapse?" Chu Danqing said.

At that moment, he thought of a better solution: gunpowder.

As for why he had not chosen to make it earlier, naturally, it was because... he had forgotten.

Besides, he might not have been able to gather the materials anyway.

Prestige was important.

Before the White Dragon Fish died, Chu Danqing had merely been the village chief's family's benefactor. Wanting to obtain enough gunpowder materials and make the entire village cooperate with him in manufacturing it was simply unrealistic.

Now, things were different. His prestige and reputation were sufficient.

In the killing of the White Dragon Fish, he had acted as the bait. His contribution was absolutely among the top three.

Then he had voluntarily offered himself as the Cave God's sacrifice and gone to the back mountain.

With the village chief coordinating matters in the middle, he had heaven's timing, earth's advantage, and human harmony all in his grasp. The great momentum was on his side.

The village chief fell silent. The temptation of Chu Danqing's words far surpassed that of killing the White Dragon Fish back then.

"Xianghua Village has wronged you, Chu." In the end, the village chief agreed. "What do you need us to do?"

"I need saltpeter, charcoal, sulfur, and iron sand. Saltpeter should make up ninety percent; charcoal and sulfur together, ten percent. As for iron sand, however much you can get is fine."

"And I need every man, woman, old person, and child in the village to cooperate with me." Chu Danqing directly stated his requirements.

Chu Danqing did not know whether this world had gunpowder, but he would use it first and talk later.

Without a shred of hesitation, the village chief said, "All right. I'll gather everything for you tomorrow."

"But please accept this token of goodwill, Chu." As he spoke, the village chief stuffed the necklace into Chu Danqing's hand.

This time, Chu Danqing did not refuse.

It was another piece of equipment. However, it was not of Excellent quality, only Normal quality.

Wolf Fang Necklace

Type: Equipment · Necklace

Quality: Normal

Durability: 100/100

Wolf Howl (Active): Consumes 1 Energy Point to summon a wolf soul's howl, stunning enemies within 1 meter of the user for 1 second. Cooldown: 30 minutes

Equipment Requirement: 5 Spirit

(Note: Actual duration may fluctuate based on enemy attributes, equipment, status, and other factors.)

It had no attribute bonuses, yet came with a skill of its own.

"All right, I'll take it." Since it had received Dimension Paradise's recognition, Chu Danqing naturally accepted it. Then he asked, "Village Chief, how was this made?"

"My daughter-in-law begged her father-in-law to make it."

Chu Danqing could not help asking, "Can you teach me?"

"This is my in-law's ancestral craft. I'm afraid... that won't be possible." The village chief truly had no way around it.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing did not press the matter.

In ancient times, it was common for people to clutch their worn broom close and treasure it.

All he could say was that Xianghua Village truly had quite a few capable people.

There was Jiang the Butcher, who could cook food that permanently increased attributes, and now there was the village chief's in-law, who could forge equipment.

If Chu Danqing had not followed the village chief's path at the beginning and had instead pursued people like these villagers, he might have obtained the corresponding skills.

But he did not regret it. After all, regret was useless.

"Village Chief, I still have some questions. I'd like to ask you to clear them up for me." Chu Danqing changed the subject.

"Just ask, Chu. We're all family now. There's no need to be so reserved." The moment Chu Danqing had been willing to go as the sacrifice, the village chief had already considered him one of their own.

"What is going on with Da Bao?" Chu Danqing did not beat around the bush. "When he gets angry, his strength increases, and injuries from being caught by the White Dragon Fish heal overnight."

A series of inhuman displays all pointed to his difference.

Yet the village chief did not speak immediately. He looked around before lowering his voice. "Half of the Cave God's bloodline flows through him."

Chu Danqing could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

He had considered extraordinary talent, and he had considered heavenly treasures.

But he had never imagined the answer would be this.

"The Cave God eats people. Why would It be interested in humans?" Chu Danqing spotted the blind spot. Just as a person would not have improper thoughts about a chicken cutlet.

"It wouldn't. That is why Da Bao's mother went mad." The village chief said it lightly.

In that instant, Chu Danqing understood something: people all had two sides.

The people of Xianghua Village were no exception.

He had no way of knowing what exactly had happened during that time, but he knew the result.

Xianghua Village had gained a Village Guardian.

No wonder the entire village had raised Da Bao together. They were all beneficiaries.

Before Chu Danqing could speak again, a villager hurried over in a panic. "Village Chief, this is bad! Da Bao suddenly passed out."