The next morning, Yi Yun rose early. He still had to gather herbs that day.
As he passed the training grounds, Yi Yun saw the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp gathered in a circle. A huge pot had been set up in their midst, and something was boiling inside. The aroma was overwhelming!
It was the smell of meat!
Yi Yun recognized the scent at once. He had been going hungry for several days.
Especially after the Purple Crystal had cleansed his marrow, Yi Yun discovered that his appetite had become astonishingly good. The coarse rice porridge he drank was practically digested the moment it reached his stomach, leaving nothing behind.
Yi Yun knew that this was because his body was growing stronger, and its need for energy was increasing as well.
He was still at the beginning of his martial arts journey and had no ability to absorb so-called Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi. His only source of energy was food.
But relying on the pitiful amount of rice porridge he usually ate to replenish the energy his body needed was obviously like using a cup of water to put out a cartload of burning firewood!
How could he build up his strength if he could not eat his fill?
The prodigies of the great clans ate Savage Beast Meat every day. It was food containing high-quality energy, and was worlds apart from the coarse grain porridge he ate!
Yi Yun knew that if he remained hungry for too long, it would inevitably have a serious impact on his body. He was currently at the stage of growing, just after undergoing a complete transformation, when his constitution was about to improve by leaps and bounds.
It was like bamboo reaching the time when it needed to shoot up a joint. If it lacked water then, it would fail to grow, and that would affect its entire life!
In fact, with Yi Yun's current ability, he could already enter the Warrior Reserve Camp with ease and enjoy better treatment. But before he had fully grown his wings, Yi Yun wanted to eliminate every possibility of exposing the Purple Crystal's secret. His transformation overnight was impossible to explain.
What was more, Yi Yun had a deep conflict with both the Warrior Reserve Camp and Lian Chengyu. He had no desire to enter the Warrior Reserve Camp at all.
"It should be wild beast meat. They must have gotten it while hunting."
Jiang Xiaorou said sourly from the side.
According to the customs of this world, ordinary people ate two meals a day. They rose at five in the morning and did not eat breakfast, having to wait until nine.
Only warriors and reserve warriors ate three meals a day. They could eat as soon as they rose because their training consumed a great deal of physical strength.
Since the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp had to train, they did not need to participate in productive labor. However, these reserve warriors occasionally went hunting.
Under the various dangerous threats of the Great Wilderness, these reserve warriors rarely managed to catch anything. Of course, they ate such scant prey themselves and would not give it to ordinary people. Their excuse was that they needed meat for training, and meat gave them strength. As for the impoverished commoners, they only did rough manual work that required little strength, so coarse grains were enough.
When Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou passed by, the burly men of the Warrior Reserve Camp noticed them. Zhao Tiezhu whistled, seemingly intending to show off. He deliberately took out a fine piece of meat still attached to the bone and began noisily chewing it in front of Yi Yun and Jiang Xiaorou.
"This venison is so fragrant! Hahaha!" Zhao Tiezhu said with a hearty laugh, his face full of smugness.
The meat had been roasted over a fire, seasoned with spices and salt. Its fat glistened, and its aroma filled the air!
Zhao Tiezhu's mouth was slick with grease. He kept licking his lips and fingers, as though he wanted to swallow his tongue as well.
Not only that, but from time to time he also pulled a sheepskin flask from his chest and took one or two precious sips.
It was wine!
In the Lian Clan, wine was an absolute luxury. There was barely enough grain to eat, so where could they find extra grain to brew wine?
But the members of the Warrior Reserve Camp received abundant grain. They used a small portion of it to brew wine, claiming that they had to rise early and cultivate during the bitter winters, so they needed wine to warm themselves.
They did not waste the distiller's grains left over from brewing, either. They distributed them to the lower-class poor. Although the distiller's grains had an intensely sour taste, they were still better than starving to death. Thus, the distiller's grains were never wasted.
Because of this, the Clan Elders did not oppose the Warrior Reserve Camp's secret winemaking.
"Hahaha! Drinking wine and eating meat—what a great pleasure in life!"
Zhao Tiezhu laughed loudly, deliberately imitating the heroic figures from those tales who lived life to the fullest.
Only at times like this could Zhao Tiezhu truly experience the joys of life and feel the immense benefits brought to him by his identity as a member of the Warrior Reserve Camp.
"These two little beggars are pitiful enough. I'll give them some leftover meat soup later."
The venison had been roasted. Where would there be any meat soup? Jiang Xiaorou knew Zhao Tiezhu was deliberately making fun of them. She snorted coldly and pulled Yi Yun by the hand, preparing to leave, but at that moment her stomach betrayed her with a growl.
They were too far away for Zhao Tiezhu to hear, but Yi Yun, standing right beside Jiang Xiaorou, heard it clearly. Jiang Xiaorou's face immediately flushed crimson with embarrassment.
Watching her from the side, Yi Yun found the little girl incredibly adorable. To Jiang Xiaorou, perhaps having her stomach growl was a humiliating thing that undermined her status as an elder sister.
"Sister Xiaorou, I'll get lots of delicacies from the mountains and seas for you in the future. I'll let you taste the best food in the world!"
Yi Yun looked into Jiang Xiaorou's eyes and spoke with utmost seriousness.
Jiang Xiaorou froze for a moment. She had not expected her little brother to say something like that out of nowhere. She merely took it as childish nonsense and did not take it to heart, but the fact that Yi Yun was thinking of her still made her very happy.
She affectionately rubbed Yi Yun's head and said in a coaxing tone, as if soothing a child, "Your sister will be waiting!"
Being coaxed and having his head rubbed by a Little Loli left Yi Yun speechless. But who could blame him when he was half a head shorter than this Little Loli?
"Sister Xiaorou, do you know about the Tai'a Divine Kingdom? And what is the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's warrior selection about?"
According to what Lian Chengyu had said, the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's warrior selection would take place in three months. Once someone was chosen, it seemed they would ascend to the heavens in a single step. That was why Lian Chengyu cultivated so desperately and had even paid any price to obtain a Savage Bone.
"The Tai'a Divine Kingdom..." Jiang Xiaorou's face revealed a trace of reminiscence. "The Tai'a Divine Kingdom is an ancient dynasty of humanity. It governs one hundred and eight prefectures, as well as twenty-four Savage Lands!"
"The place we are in is one of the twenty-four Savage Lands. It is called Yunhuang."
"The Tai'a Divine Kingdom is far too powerful. Experts are as common as clouds in its capital. Most of its Divine Kingdom Warriors come from the one hundred and eight prefectures. This is not because the warriors of the Savage Lands are weak, but because the twenty-four Savage Lands are vast and sparsely populated. Conducting a warrior selection requires an enormous amount of manpower and resources, making the examination far too costly. After all, during the initial selection, the Tai'a Divine Kingdom sends people to the clans to choose candidates. Otherwise, making those young warriors cross the Great Wilderness on foot would be no different from sending them to their deaths."
"This time, however, the Tai'a Divine Kingdom is conducting its warrior selection in Yunhuang. That is rather strange. But no matter what, this is an opportunity for the countless clans, large and small, in Yunhuang. Lian Chengyu has also seized this opportunity, hoping to soar into the heavens and escape this impoverished mountain village."
Jiang Xiaorou explained slowly. Yi Yun's heart jolted. "Sister, how do you know all this so clearly?"
Jiang Xiaorou's voice was still somewhat childish, but her knowledge and eloquence were nothing like those of a child.
"I heard all this from my birth mother. And when I was young, I also read quite a few strange tales and unusual records, so I know a little about these things. Yun'er, it seems you really have forgotten many things. I was the one who taught you to read."
"Uh..." Yi Yun rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. Indeed, how could children from poor families have the opportunity to learn to read? His ability to recognize words was all thanks to Jiang Xiaorou.
Since Jiang Xiaorou had been able to study when she was young, she must have been born into a wealthy family.
"Sister Xiaorou, Lian Chengyu said before that if he could become a Divine Kingdom Warrior, he could bring the entire clan to live in the cities. Is that true?"
"That will be difficult..." Jiang Xiaorou shook her head. "The Tai'a Divine Kingdom's warrior selection is divided into several stages. There is an initial selection and a second selection, with elimination at every level. Those with outstanding results are conferred the title of 'National Scholar.' That is an immense honor. The best among the National Scholars have a chance to enter the divine kingdom's imperial capital, enjoy the resources of the Divine Kingdom, and cultivate the 'Tai'a Sacred Law'!"
"To bring the clan to live in a city, he would probably have to pass the second selection and achieve good results. Lian Chengyu might not be at that level yet. And even if he reaches it in the future, given his character, he probably will not care about us."
"By the way, Yun'er, why are you asking about this? Don't tell me you still expect Lian Chengyu to let us live without worries after he becomes a Divine Kingdom Warrior?"
"I was just asking." Yi Yun rubbed his nose. Relying on Lian Chengyu would be no better than relying on a pig to climb a tree.
If that fellow came out of seclusion and saw that Yi Yun was still alive, he would probably try to kill him at the first opportunity!
But by then, Yi Yun should already have the means to protect himself. Who destroyed whom would not yet be certain!
"The Tai'a Divine Kingdom's warrior selection seems to be open to me as well. That could be a shortcut for Sister and me to live better lives!"
"And that 'Tai'a Sacred Law' should be a kind of Secret Manual for cultivation. Practicing martial arts in this world must require a Secret Manual. The Purple Crystal may be miraculous, but it can only transform me completely. If I don't enter the Tai'a Divine Kingdom, where else can I find a cultivation Secret Manual?" Yi Yun muttered to himself, having already made up his mind.
He could not leave the Lian Clan yet. Although his strength had improved somewhat, crossing the Great Wilderness alone would still be nothing but a fool's dream. Recuperating in the Lian Clan and increasing his strength before passing the Tai'a Divine Kingdom's warrior selection in one go was the best choice under the circumstances!
Before you continue