Wintering

Not long after Su Fan left the market town, several huge flying boats flew over from a distance.

Each flying boat was dozens of feet long, shrouded in a thin mist, and occasionally flickered with the aura of magic arrays.

As they passed over the market town, one flying boat descended.

A large number of cultivators poured out of the market town and began to gather around the flying boat. Among them were disciples of immortal cultivation families, sect disciples, and many rogue cultivators from around the market town.

Every time there was a conflict between immortals and demons, the sects were quite generous in hiring rogue cultivators as cannon fodder.

Not only did they provide sufficient spirit stones, but they could also earn merit points on the battlefield, just like sect disciples, to exchange for various cultivation resources.

This was nothing to the disciples of families and sects, but for these miserable rogue cultivators, it was undoubtedly a rare opportunity.

Even though they knew they would be used as cannon fodder, many rogue cultivators still went to enlist.

Su Fan shook his head, wondering how many of them would return alive.

He certainly wasn't going to join the commotion. Why risk his life when he could live well?

It was already afternoon when he returned home. After eating a meal, Su Fan began to process the demonic beast meat.

He had originally wanted to buy some smoked demonic beast meat, but when he got to the market town, there was none available.

Because it was convenient to carry, cultivators going to Qin State to join the fun would buy some.

Even though the price had more than doubled, it was still in short supply.

By the time Su Fan arrived, it was already sold out.

Moreover, with the price of smoked demonic beast meat more than doubling, he couldn't afford to waste money.

There was no other way, so he had to find his own solution.

Su Fan cut the fresh demonic beast meat into strips ten centimeters wide and simply washed them with strong liquor.

He poured soy sauce into the pot, added bay leaves, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings, brought it to a boil, and simmered it for a while.

He scooped it out to cool, then placed the demonic beast meat in the soy sauce broth to soak for three days and three nights.

Then, he took the meat out and hung it in the courtyard to air dry for seven days.

This kind of soy sauce meat could be stored for a long time. When he wanted to eat it, he would slice it, arrange it on a plate, and steam it. The taste was amazing.

In his previous life, he was from the north and couldn't get used to the cured meat from the south.

He used to make this soy sauce meat at home. The texture and taste were no worse than cured meat, and it didn't have that cured flavor he disliked.

The next day, the shop delivered the water缸, jars, and a large cart of vegetables.

Winter was fast approaching. The temperature was already very low, and frost had begun to form on the withered grass and trees in the early morning.

At this time of year, the weather could change in an instant.

One day, cold air from the northern frontier might move south.

Perhaps overnight, a biting cold wind would start blowing, making you feel a bone-chilling cold.

Su Fan began to prepare for winter. The first thing he did was dig a vegetable cellar.

He had seen people dig them at his grandmother's house in the countryside before, and it wasn't difficult.

He dug a square pit near the north house in the small courtyard and used a "Fossilization Talisman" to petrify the inner walls and bottom of the pit.

Then, he built a wooden board on top, covered it with dry grass, and then covered it with soil.

He placed wooden shelves in the cellar and arranged winter vegetables like Chinese cabbage and radishes on them, so he could eat fresh vegetables all winter.

He also used large Chinese cabbages to pickle several large vats of sauerkraut and made several jars of kimchi.

He bought a lot of cucumbers and large radishes, cut them into strips, and salted them.

He strung them with ropes and then dried them in the courtyard along with Chinese cabbage, string beans, kidney beans, and other vegetables.

In winter, these dried vegetables would be stewed with meat.

Outside, snow would be falling heavily. He would place a steaming pot of stewed dried beans with pork belly on the heated brick bed, and have some small wine.

Su Fan didn't know how other cultivators lived.

As for him, even if he became an immortal, he would still live a life full of flavor.

During this time, he went to the market town to purchase more spirit rice and demonic beast meat, and also bought a lot of firewood for the winter.

The price of spirit rice had increased again, and it was rumored that there might be purchase limits in the future.

In winter, when the nearby mountains were covered in heavy snow, even the most desperate rogue cultivators wouldn't dare to hunt in the mountains at this time.

As long as the immortal-demon war didn't end, this situation would continue.

If the winter provisions weren't prepared well, he might not starve to death, but life would certainly be uncomfortable.

It took him two days to finish these tasks.

Su Fan walked around the house, hands behind his back.

The rice jar in the outer room was filled with crystal-clear spirit rice, and the firewood piled by the stove was almost reaching the roof.

More than a dozen water jars and crocks were placed in the corner of the yard, and all the meat strips and dried vegetables were hung around the small courtyard.

After finishing these things, he could finally settle down and cultivate.

No matter how long this war between immortals and demons lasted, he wouldn't have to worry about a shortage of supplies this winter.

At the crack of dawn, snowflakes began to fall outside.

This was the first snow of the winter.

Su Fan picked up a pair of fire tongs and added a few pieces of Spirit Wood Charcoal to the brazier in the center of the room.

The price of Spirit Wood Charcoal in the Market Town kept rising. He had no idea what the war between immortals and demons had to do with it.

There was no choice, he still had to use it.

Regular charcoal produced smoke and dust, which affected cultivators' practice.

On such a cold day, with no heating or air conditioning, everything depended on this brazier.

Don't think cultivators were immune to cold and heat; that was only after reaching Foundation Establishment.

Of course, for a thousand or eight hundred Spirit Stones, one could buy a robe sealed with a Magic Array and avoid this suffering.

He'd have to sell himself to afford such a robe.

Su Fan rubbed his hands together and sat cross-legged on a futon.

He took out a Qi Nurturing Pill, swallowed it, and then began circulating the Primordial Chaos Technique.

After a month of summarizing, taking one Qi Nurturing Pill every three days, his proficiency in Qi Refining Third Layer increased by about eight points each month.

At this rate, it would take about a year to reach Qi Refining Third Layer perfection.

This cultivation speed was already very fast.

Other Rogue Cultivators with such fast cultivation speeds would probably wake up smiling in their dreams.

The reason for this speed was, of course, thanks to the game panel.

The Lightning Dao Body also improved his aptitude, plus he had taken the Qi Nurturing Pill.

Regardless, Su Fan was very satisfied.

After cultivating the Primordial Chaos Technique, he opened his status panel.

[Name] Su Fan
[Lifespan] 36/92 years
[Realm] Qi Refining Third Layer: 9/100
[Cultivation Methods]
1. Primordial Chaos Technique (Tier 1): 23/100
2. Body Tempering Art (Tier 2): 45/200
3. Demonic Saint Body Art (Tier 1): 100/100
[Spells]
1. Qi Gazing Art (Microscopic): 85/800
2. Light Body Art (Microscopic): 242/800
3. Spirit Concealment Art (Microscopic): 72/800
4. Xingyi Quan (Mastered): 265/400
5. Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes (Mastered): 151/400
[Skills]
1. Green Lamp Talisman (Beginner): 35/100
[Spiritual Powers] None

Both spells had reached "Microscopic," and their effects had improved by at least one level.

The current Qi Gazing Art was already comparable to a mid-grade Spirit Eye Art.

The Spirit Concealment Art was even more incredible, its effect far surpassing a mid-grade Breath Concealment Art.

The Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes and Xingyi Quan, after reaching Mastered, had greatly increased in power, but it was still just a quantitative change.

It seemed that spells only underwent a fundamental qualitative transformation when they advanced to the "Microscopic" realm.

When he first started using the Magic Sword he had just bought, it didn't feel quite right in his hand.

After practicing with it for a month, as his strength grew, he had now completely adapted to it.

In a good mood, Su Fan adjusted his mindset and began drawing talismans.

With the growth of his divine sense and constant practice, he had now successfully drawn the Green Lamp Talisman, with a success rate of about thirty percent.

This success rate was currently losing money; he wouldn't see a profit until it reached at least fifty percent.

Su Fan wasn't counting on the Green Lamp Talisman to earn Spirit Stones; he was just using it to practice and gain experience.

Therefore, he didn't plan to draw Green Lamp Talismans next either.

After careful consideration, Su Fan decided to study the "Evil Exorcising Talisman."

The memory of that dirty thing last time still made him feel lingering fear.

Today was his first time officially drawing an "Evil Exorcising Talisman."

Although he had studied the Evil Exorcising Talisman for several days and practiced tracing it on Xuan paper many times, he still wasn't very confident.

Su Fan held the talisman brush, his gaze steady, his wrist moving like a snake. The brush tip danced nimbly and lively as slender, graceful crimson arcs spread across the talisman paper.

It was like flowing clouds and water, smooth and natural.

The ink was even, creating a world within a small space.

As a complex and mystical pattern appeared on the talisman paper, the surface of the paper suddenly brightened, then dimmed, returning to normal.

"It's done..."

Su Fan let out a long breath, a smile appearing on his face.

He hadn't expected to succeed on his first try; his luck at the start was pretty good.

He opened his status panel, which had already updated: Evil Exorcising Talisman (Beginner): 1/100.

He decided to press on and continue drawing talismans.

Time ticked by, and Su Fan remained focused, hunched over his desk, brush in hand, completely immersed in a state of self-forgetfulness.

In this state, he felt divinely aided. He managed to successfully draw two more talismans on the next five sheets of paper.

Su Fan rubbed his slightly aching temples and got up to go into the courtyard.

Looking at the vast expanse of falling snow, he felt a pang of homesickness.

His father's legs weren't good, and his old ailments always flared up in winter.

At times like this, his mother would nag him daily.

If he were gone, they wouldn't know how heartbroken they would be.

"Sigh... I shouldn't think about it..."

Su Fan sighed. Just as he was about to turn back inside, he heard a knock at the door.

He walked over and asked, "Who is it...?"

"Brother Su, I got a bottle of spirit wine today. Want to try some...?"

Su Fan smiled and opened the courtyard gate.

"Brother Xu, seeing the snow today, I knew you'd be coming over..."

Xu Wen laughed heartily, stuffing the spirit wine into Su Fan's arms, and handed him two oil-paper-wrapped parcels.

"Take the wine inside. I'm going home to check on things. I'll come back at noon, and we'll have a drink, brother..."

He turned and went to the neighboring courtyard. He hadn't been home for a few days, and his two concubines inside must have been complaining about him.

Su Fan returned to his room and put down the spirit wine and the oil-paper-wrapped parcels.

Since it was still early, he prepared a few dishes.

One was Northeastern pickled cabbage with pork belly, another was dried beans stewed with demonic beast meat, a third was steamed pork with soy sauce, and he also made a small stir-fry of vegetables.

With the two packs of cooked food Xu Wen brought, everything was ready.

Thanks to the generous reward and monthly ticket from the great benefactor Gui Youbai, Old Bu feels deeply humbled. Thanks to Lao Yao Shi Shi Yao for the recommendation tickets all along. Old Bu can only work hard to write books and is grateful for everyone's continued support and encouragement.