Overwintering

Not long after Su Fan left the market town, several enormous flying boats came sweeping over from the distance.

Each flying boat was dozens of zhang long. A thin mist shrouded its exterior, and the aura of magic arrays flickered from time to time.

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

A large number of cultivators streamed out of the market town and began gathering toward the flying boat. Among them were children of cultivation Lineages, sect disciples, and quite a few Rogue Cultivators from around the market town.

Whenever an Immortal-Demon conflict broke out, the sects were quite generous when hiring Rogue Cultivators as cannon fodder.

They not only paid them enough spirit stones, but also allowed them to earn Merit Points on the battlefield and exchange them for various cultivation resources, just like the sect disciples.

For children of Lineages and sect disciples, this truly meant little. But for these miserable Rogue Cultivators, it was undoubtedly a rare opportunity.

Even though they knew perfectly well that they would be treated as cannon fodder, many Rogue Cultivators still went to enlist.

Su Fan shook his head. He had no idea how many of them would return alive.

In any case, he had no intention of joining the commotion. Why throw his life away? Wasn't it better to live well?

By the time he returned home, it was already afternoon. After eating a little, Su Fan began processing the Demonic Beast Meat.

He had originally planned to buy some smoked Demonic Beast Meat, but when he reached the market town, there was none to be found.

Since it was convenient to carry, more or less every cultivator going to Qin State to join the excitement would buy some.

Even though the price had already more than doubled, demand still far outstripped supply.

By the time Su Fan went, he could no longer buy any.

Besides, with smoked Demonic Beast Meat having more than doubled in price, he wasn't about to spend that kind of foolish money.

With no other choice, he could only think of a solution himself.

Su Fan cut the fresh Demonic Beast Meat into strips ten centimeters wide and gave them a simple wash with strong liquor.

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

He ladled it out to cool, then placed the Demonic Beast Meat in the soy sauce broth and soaked it for three days and three nights.

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

This soy-sauce meat could be kept for a long time. Whenever he wanted to eat it, he only needed to slice it, arrange the slices on a plate, and steam it. The flavor was absolutely incredible.

In his previous life, he had been from the north and had never grown accustomed to southern cured meat.

So he had made this kind of soy-sauce meat at home. Its texture and flavor were no worse than cured meat, and it lacked that cured taste he couldn't stand.

The next day, the shop delivered the water jars, crocks, and an entire cartload of vegetables.

Winter was almost here. The temperature was already very low, and frost had begun forming on the withered yellow vegetation in the early morning.

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

No one knew when the cold air from the Northern Frontier would move south.

Perhaps overnight, fierce, biting winds would begin to howl, filling the air with bone-piercing chill.

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

He had once watched people dig one at his grandmother's house in the countryside. It wasn't difficult.

Near the north room of the small courtyard, he dug a large, square pit, then used the "Fossilization Talisman" to petrify the inner walls and bottom.

He laid wooden planks over it, covered them with dried grass, and then buried everything under soil.

He placed wooden racks inside the vegetable cellar and set cabbages, radishes, and other overwintering vegetables on them. That way, he could eat fresh vegetables throughout the entire winter.

He also used large cabbages to make several huge crocks of pickled vegetables, and made several jars of pickles.

He bought quite a few cucumbers and large radishes, cut them into strips, and salted them to draw out the moisture.

He threaded them onto strings, then hung them in the courtyard to dry alongside cabbages, yardlong beans, kidney beans, and other vegetables.

When winter came, these dried vegetables could be stewed together with meat.

With heavy snow flying outside, he could set a steaming pot of dried-bean-curd pork belly stew on the heated brick bed, then pour himself a little liquor.

Su Fan didn't know how other cultivators lived.

But even if he became an immortal, he still intended to live a flavorful life.

During this time, he went to the market town once more to stock up. He bought a great deal of spirit rice and Demonic Beast Meat, as well as plenty of firewood for winter.

The price of spirit rice had risen again. It was said that rationing might be introduced later.

In winter, heavy snow would seal off the mountains nearby. No matter how desperate a Rogue Cultivator was, they wouldn't dare enter the mountains to hunt during this season.

Until the Immortal-Demon War ended, this situation would continue.

If he didn't properly prepare his overwintering supplies, he might not starve to death, but life would certainly be uncomfortable.

After two days of bustling about, he finally finished everything.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Su Fan walked around inside and outside the house.

The rice jar in the outer room was filled with crystal-clear spirit rice, while the firewood piled beside the stove was nearly stacked to the roof.

More than a dozen water jars and crocks stood against the courtyard wall, and all the strips of meat and dried vegetables hung in a ring around the small courtyard.

Now that he had finished preparing all these things, he could finally settle down and cultivate.

No matter how long this Immortal-Demon War lasted, he wouldn't have to worry about supply shortages during this winter.

At dawn, snowflakes began drifting outside.

It was the first snow of the winter.

Su Fan took a fire tong and added several pieces of Spirit Wood Charcoal to the brazier in the middle of the room.

The price of Spirit Wood Charcoal in the market town kept rising. He had no idea what the Immortal-Demon War had to do with this stuff.

There was nothing he could do about it. He still had to use it.

Ordinary charcoal produced smoke and dust, which affected cultivators' cultivation.

On such a freezing day, with no heating or air-conditioning, everything depended on this brazier in the room.

Don't assume that cultivators were immune to heat and cold. That only became true after Foundation Establishment.

Of course, if one spent eight hundred or a thousand spirit stones on a robe with a magic array sealed inside, there would be no need to suffer this hardship.

Even if he sold himself, he couldn't afford a robe like that.

Su Fan rubbed his hands and sat cross-legged on the meditation mat.

He took out a Qi Nurturing Pill, put it in his mouth, and began circulating the Primordial Chaos Technique.

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

At this rate, he would probably reach the perfection of the Qi Refining Third Layer in about a year.

This cultivation speed was already very fast.

If other Rogue Cultivators could cultivate this quickly, they would probably wake up laughing from their dreams.

The Game Panel naturally deserved a great deal of credit for his speed.

The Lightning Dao Body had also improved his aptitude, and he had the added benefit of taking Qi Nurturing Pills.

In any case, Su Fan was extremely satisfied.

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

[Name] Su Fan

[Remaining Lifespan] 36/92 years

[Realm] Qi Refining Third Layer: 9/100

[Techniques]

1. Primordial Chaos Technique (First Rank): 23/100.

2. Body Tempering Art (Second Rank): 45/200

3. Demonic Saint Body Art (First Rank): 100/100

[Spells]

1. Qi Gazing Art (Subtle): 85/800

2. Light Body Art (Subtle): 242/800

3. Spirit Concealment Art (Subtle): 72/800

4. Xingyi Quan (Grandmastery): 265/400

5. Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes (Grandmastery): 151/400

[Skills]

1. Green Lamp Talisman (Beginner): 35/100

[Divine Abilities] None

Both spells had reached the "Subtle" level. As for their effects, they had improved by at least one level.

The current "Qi Gazing Art" was already barely different from a mid-grade Spirit Eye Art.

The "Spirit Concealment Art" was even more impressive. Its effects were far stronger than those of the mid-grade Breath Concealment Art.

After reaching Grandmastery, the Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes and Xingyi Quan had increased greatly in power, but it was still merely a quantitative change.

It seemed that only when spells advanced to the "Subtle" realm would a fundamental qualitative change occur.

When he had first bought the magic sword, it had not felt very comfortable to use.

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

In a good mood, Su Fan adjusted his state of mind and began drawing talismans.

With his Spiritual Sense growing and his constant practice, he had now successfully drawn the "Green Lamp Talisman," with a success rate of roughly thirty percent.

At this success rate, he was currently losing money. He would need to reach fifty percent before he could see any profit.

Su Fan had never counted on the Green Lamp Talisman to earn spirit stones. He was only using it to practice and get started, thereby accumulating experience.

So for his next step, he had no intention of drawing the Green Lamp Talisman.

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

Thinking of that filthy thing from last time still made his heart tremble with lingering fear.

Today was the first time he was formally drawing the "Evil Exorcising Talisman."

Although he had studied the Evil Exorcising Talisman for several days and copied it many times on rice paper, he still had little confidence.

Su Fan held the Talisman Brush in his hand, his gaze deep and focused. His wrist moved like a snake, while the brush tip danced with light, nimble grace. Slender, exquisite crimson arcs spread across the Talisman Paper.

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

The ink was even, creating its own world within the space of a few inches.

When a complicated and mysterious pattern appeared on the Talisman Paper, its surface suddenly lit up, then dimmed again and returned to normal.

"Success..."

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

He hadn't expected to succeed on his first attempt. His luck was good at the start.

He opened the panel. It had already updated: Evil Exorcising Talisman (Beginner): 1/100.

Then he pressed on and continued drawing talismans.

Time trickled away. Su Fan remained deeply focused as he bent over the desk and wielded his brush, his entire being immersed in a state of complete self-forgetfulness.

In this state, he seemed to have divine aid. Of the next five sheets of Talisman Paper, he actually succeeded twice more.

Su Fan rubbed his somewhat aching temples and rose to go into the courtyard.

Looking at the snow filling the sky, he suddenly felt a little homesick again.

His father's legs were in poor condition, and every winter his old ailment would flare up.

At times like this, his mother would complain about him every day.

Now that he was gone, they probably didn't even know how heartbroken they ought to be.

"Ah... let's not think about it..."

Su Fan sighed. Just as he was about to turn and enter the house, he heard knocking outside.

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

"Little Brother Su, I managed to get a bottle of Spirit Wine today. Want to give it a try?"

Su Fan smiled, then opened the courtyard gate.

"Big Brother, when I saw the snow today, I knew you'd be coming..."

Xu Wen laughed heartily, stuffed the Spirit Wine into Su Fan's arms, and handed him two oil-paper packages as well.

"Take the wine inside. I'll go home and take a look first. I'll come over at noon, and the two of us brothers can have a drink..."

After saying this, he turned and went into the neighboring courtyard. He hadn't been home for several days, and who knew how much the two concubines inside were nagging him.

Su Fan returned to the house and set down the Spirit Wine and oil-paper packages.

Since it was still early, he also prepared several dishes.

One plate of northeastern pickled-cabbage and pork, one pot of dried-bean-stem stew with Demonic Beast Meat, one dish of steamed soy-sauce meat, and a small stir-fry of vegetables.

Together with the two packages of cooked food Xu Wen had brought, that made a complete spread.

Thanks to the great benefactor Yougui Bai for the tips and monthly tickets. Old Bu was deeply flattered. Thanks as well to Old Demon Is Also a Demon for the recommendation tickets all this time. Old Bu could only work hard at writing. I'm grateful for everyone's continued support and encouragement.