Death

"Wonderful!"

"Big Brother, you're the best!"

Seeing that her big brother was not joking, Lu Qingyu excitedly kissed Lu Qingfeng on the cheek, then bounced up and down on the spot, clearly overjoyed.

Perhaps her thoughts were not that complicated at this moment.

She simply wanted to cultivate like her big brother and second brother. None of the other girls in Blackwood Village could cultivate, and after learning to cultivate, she could also go to Huangzhi Mountain to rescue her second brother—

That alone was enough to make Lu Qingyu so excited that she could not sleep for days and nights!

"Big Brother!"

"I want to learn to read tonight!"

Lu Qingyu looked at Lu Qingfeng, waiting for her big brother's affirmative answer.

"No problem. As long as you don't complain about hardship." Lu Qingfeng nodded.

"I won't! I'm not Second Brother!"

Lu Qingyu's face lit up with joy.

Seeing this, Lu Qingfeng said helplessly, "Qingyu, help Big Brother up first."

"Huh?"

"Oh!"

Seeing that her big brother really had not gotten up after so long, Lu Qingyu hurried over to support him.

Lu Qingfeng struggled to his feet and leaned on Lu Qingyu as he staggered around, moving his numb legs.

Gurgle!

Then his stomach betrayed him and growled as a powerful wave of hunger struck.

"Big Brother, it's not mealtime yet."

Lu Qingyu looked up at the sky. Seeing that it was not dark yet, she pointed at Lu Qingfeng's stomach and called out.

"Big Brother knows."

Lu Qingfeng was helpless.

Cultivation during the Postnatal stage was a process of Essence Refinement into Qi. Before reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, one could not absorb the free spiritual energy between heaven and earth or perform Qi Entry into the Body. The only way to replenish the energy consumed by cultivation was through eating.

After all, Internal Breath did not arise from nothing. It was refined from the body's essence and energy.

Lu Qingfeng had already been frail, and his daily food intake had only been enough to keep his bodily functions barely running. Now that he had begun cultivating, even though he had yet to comprehend Qi Sensation and produce Internal Breath, the amount of stamina he expended was still enormous.

The saying that "the poor study letters while the rich practice martial arts" was vividly reflected here.

"One coarse-grain cake a day isn't enough to support my cultivation of the Blazing Sun Scripture!"

Lu Qingfeng was so hungry that his head spun and his vision swam.

With no other choice, he hurriedly took half a coarse-grain cake from his robes and swallowed it in two or three bites. It was his ration for the evening, but he could only borrow from it in advance.

"Do you want to eat yours now?"

After finishing, Lu Qingfeng held the remaining half of the coarse-grain cake out to Lu Qingyu.

"No. If I eat it now, I'll be hungry at night." Lu Qingyu shook her head.

"All right. I'll keep it for you for now." Lu Qingfeng stuffed the half cake into his robes.

Lu Qingyu swallowed, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh no, we didn't gather wild vegetables this afternoon!"

There was no meat in the household year-round, so wild vegetables were their only dish.

Normally, they spent the morning working the five mu of dry fields and gathered wild vegetables in the afternoon. But the afternoon was nearly over. Thinking that there would be no wild vegetables to eat that evening, Lu Qingyu grew somewhat dejected.

"We won't eat wild vegetables today. We'll eat something else."

Seeing Qingyu's eyes light up at once, Lu Qingfeng could not help smiling.

"The household's grain won't last until the autumn harvest even if we pinch and scrape. Now that Qingshan has entered the Return to Truth Sect, his appetite will definitely increase greatly."

The grain Lu Qingfeng had stored would barely be enough to supply Lu Qingshan, that great glutton. Now that there was one more person to feed, it probably would not last even a month.

When that time came, they would not just be unable to cultivate—it would be uncertain whether they could survive at all.

That was why he had thought of medicinal herbs!

The Elementary Guide to Alchemy recorded forty-six basic medicinal herbs. Some could stave off hunger, while others could cultivate one's foundation and replenish qi. The villagers of Blackwood Village might know three or five herbs for treating colds and fevers based on life experience.

But they absolutely could not know them as thoroughly as they were recorded in the Elementary Guide to Alchemy.

Lu Qingfeng had already mastered the Elementary Guide to Alchemy. Although he had yet to put it into practice, the information on all forty-six medicinal herbs was firmly etched in his mind.

The Elementary Guide to Alchemy contained not only methods for processing these herbs, but also detailed information on each one. To process medicinal herbs, one had to understand their basic information first.

Based on that information, it was not difficult for Lu Qingfeng to find these wild medicinal herbs in reality.

"Among the forty-six medicinal herbs, Atractylodes, Licorice Root, Goji Berry, Solomon's Seal, and the others are all extremely common herbs for cultivating the foundation and replenishing qi. They're necessary ingredients for refining the Yellow Dragon Pill. Taking them individually will definitely be less effective than taking the Yellow Dragon Pill, but at this stage, they can solve our urgent need!"

Licorice Root had a sweet taste. After being processed, it could be eaten directly. Consumed in small amounts, it was not only beneficial to the body but also a decent sweet treat. Lu Qingyu would definitely like it.

"Let's go!"

"Big Brother will take you herb gathering!"

Lu Qingfeng rose to his feet, gripping a woodcutter's knife in his left hand and a Blackwood hoe in his right, and headed toward the rear of the terraced fields.

"Gather herbs?"

Lu Qingyu did not understand. With a puzzled expression, she followed behind Lu Qingfeng.

To the west of the terraced fields were large stretches of undeveloped mountain slopes.

Atractylodes and Licorice Root were both common, while those in Blackwood Village who understood herbal medicine were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. They should not be too difficult to find.

Sure enough.

Before entering the depths of the mountain forest, Lu Qingfeng found three clumps of Atractylodes and two stalks of Licorice Root on the outskirts.

"That's enough."

Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Qingfeng prepared to return.

According to the methods in the Elementary Guide to Alchemy, he only needed to remove the impurities from the Licorice Root, wash it, soak it in water until it was eighty percent permeated, then take it out, moisten it thoroughly, slice it, and dry it.

The Atractylodes had to be sliced and stir-fried with fine Crouching Dragon's Hearth powder until the surface was covered in an earthen color, after which the excess soil was sifted away.

That was all it took to process the two medicinal herbs.

With this.

Tomorrow, he could use the processed Licorice Root and Atractylodes to replenish the energy consumed by cultivation.

"Can these be eaten?"

After watching Lu Qingfeng work for quite some time, Lu Qingyu could not help asking.

"Of course. This one is sweet." Lu Qingfeng raised the two stalks of Licorice Root in his hand.

"Sweet!"

Lu Qingyu's eyes lit up again.

"We can prepare more Licorice Root and Atractylodes over the next few days and bring them to Qingshan when we go to Huangzhi Mountain the day after tomorrow."

Lu Qingfeng brought Lu Qingyu, who was thinking eagerly about tasting the Licorice Root, back to Blackwood House and pondered silently.

For now, he did not have the ability to contend with the Return to Truth Sect or flee Blackwood Village with Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingyu. He could only use this method to prevent Lu Qingshan from suffering some unspeakable misfortune due to bodily depletion before he succeeded in cultivation.

After processing the Atractylodes and Licorice Root.

Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingyu each ate a stalk of Licorice Root.

"It really is sweet."

Lu Qingyu broke off half of the coarse-grain cake meant for dinner and handed it to Lu Qingfeng. "Big Brother, eat a little more, or you'll be too hungry to sleep at night."

"No need. You eat it yourself."

Before Lu Qingfeng could finish speaking, Lu Qingyu repeated her old trick and stuffed the coarse-grain cake directly into his mouth.

"I'm still young. It's fine if I eat a little less."

Lu Qingyu took a sip of water, tidied up the table, and sat upright. "Big Brother, hurry up and teach me to read!"

"Little ones need to eat more."

Lu Qingfeng shook his head, fetched a charcoal pencil and some tree bark, and taught Qingyu to recognize characters.

Night fell.

Lu Qingfeng lay on the bed and logged into the Primordial World.

Because the player has not eaten for an extended period, they have died. Please choose resurrection/reincarnation.

Lu Qingfeng floated dazedly in the Chaos space, where there was neither sky nor earth. Before him hovered a system prompt flashing with crimson characters.

That was right.

He had died.

He had starved to death.

"From the time I logged out of the game last night to the time I logged back in, at most eight shichen had passed. Yet in the Primordial World, three months and one day had gone by?!"

"The time difference is more than a hundredfold!"

"No."

"If there's a time difference between the game and reality, then although I spent several shichen in the game last night, not much time actually passed in reality. That means I logged out of the game approximately eleven shichen ago."

"In other words, the time difference is a hundredfold."

Lu Qingfeng pulled up the death record and discovered that three months had already passed in the Primordial World.

Because his physical body had been staying inside the Bluestone Talisman without eating, it had starved to death more than two months ago. The First Layer of the Embryonic Breath Realm still left him with a mortal body. Without eating or taking a Grain-Repelling Pill, he naturally could not endure three full months.

What Lu Qingfeng now faced was the choice between resurrection and reincarnation.

"No wonder I felt that time had passed exceptionally slowly last night."

Lu Qingfeng finally understood where that strange feeling had come from. He also understood why he had felt so energetic after waking that morning.

With enough sleep, his essence, energy, and spirit were naturally abundant!

"According to the various information about the Primordial World, when other players enter the game, reality and game time progress in sync. My case is an exception, which should be caused by being in a different world or by transmigration."

That was also why Lu Qingfeng had logged out directly the previous night without thinking of the difference in the flow of time.

For ordinary players, the ratio between reality and the game was one to one.

For Lu Qingfeng, it was one to a hundred.

This should have been caused by being in a different world, just as he could not choose to enter the game with his true body.

"A hundredfold time difference!"

"If I could enter the game with my true body..."

At this thought, Lu Qingfeng shook his head. One should not be insatiably greedy.

A time difference of one to a hundred, even if it existed only on the level of his soul and consciousness, already brought Lu Qingfeng countless benefits.

Although at present, a minor accident had occurred.

"Resurrection takes effect immediately. I'm only Level 1 right now, so losing a level would cost me very little. But my foundation would be damaged, my cultivation aptitude would decline, and my future development would be affected."

"If I reincarnate, sixteen years in the game would only be two months for me in reality."

Lu Qingfeng thought it over and chose resurrection.

Two months could see too many things happen. He could not afford to gamble.

As for his foundation in the game, at worst, after resolving the crisis in reality, he could spend two months reincarnating when he had time and make up for the loss.

The player's current level is 0. Resurrection requires 1 Lower-Grade Spirit Stone. Would you like to resurrect?

"..."

"I choose reincarnation!"

Please choose: reincarnate on the current map/random map

"Current map."

Lu Qingfeng was more familiar with Black Sand Town, so he naturally wanted to remain there.

The player has chosen to reincarnate on the current map. Please wait—

Reincarnation successful. Growth Progress: 1/16.

Just like during his first login, he had to live until the age of sixteen before he could continue playing. Ordinary players would have to wait sixteen years in reality. With Lu Qingfeng's hundredfold time difference, however, he only needed a short two months.

Name: Lu Qingfeng

Title: None

Cultivation: None

Level: Level 0 (0/1)

Lifespan: 1/68

Root Bone: 1

Merit: Unknown

Karmic Power: Unknown

Cultivation Method: Yellow Court Scripture, First Layer (Not Initiated)
Traits: Evolving Method (First Layer); Dominion over All Arts (First Layer); Karmic Power Erasure (First Layer); Blazing Sun Scripture, First Layer (Initiated), Deduction in Progress

Arts: None

Divine Ability: None

Equipment: None

Alchemy: Elementary Guide to Alchemy (Not Initiated), Deduction in Progress

This time, he had truly returned to square one. Fortunately, the Yellow Court Scripture remained, and he had not lost his proficiency in the Blazing Sun Scripture or the Elementary Guide to Alchemy.

His level and cultivation had not been high to begin with, so there was nothing worth regretting.

The only price Lu Qingfeng had to pay was two months in reality.

"These two months require utmost caution."

Different-Realm Licorice Root—any resemblance is purely coincidental