Village Massacre

Five copper coins were not much, but for Jiang Ping An to take them out was a different matter.

Jiang Ping An was fourteen. His parents had died, and he could neither farm nor work, yet he was able to produce five copper coins.

This greatly surprised Li Min.

"I found the money my parents buried in the dirt." Jiang Ping An had already prepared an excuse.

"Keep that money for paying taxes," Li Min said.

He knew Jiang Ping An had not yet paid the land tax. If he failed to pay again next time, those bastards really would kill people.

"No, there's more at home."

Jiang Ping An set the five copper coins on the table, then went to the stove and took the four steamed buns from the pot.

"Four copper coins can buy eight steamed buns. I'll give you a rabbit leg too."

Li Min was not sure whether Jiang Ping An had any spare money left. If he did not, these might be the last few days of Jiang Ping An's life.

So Li Min handed him a dried rabbit leg.

"Thank you, Uncle Li." Jiang Ping An did not refuse. He had not eaten rabbit meat in a long time; usually, he only ate roasted grasshoppers.

Jiang Ping An hugged the food and happily returned home.

After getting home, he barred the wooden door and sat on the heated brick bed, eating steamed buns while studying the Treasure Accumulation Basin. From time to time, he tossed a few copper coins into it to test it.

But nothing happened.

A day passed just like that. Perhaps because he had copied copper coins yesterday, Jiang Ping An put the remaining six copper coins inside, and a flash of light swept through it.

"It's here!"

Jiang Ping An sprang up in an instant and stared excitedly into the Bronze Basin.

A large pile of copper coins appeared!

Jiang Ping An counted them. There were sixteen.

He had put in six, yet only ten had been duplicated.

Jiang Ping An guessed that the Treasure Accumulation Basin could only copy one kind of item at a time, and it could make tenfold copies.

The condition was that it could only copy things once per day.

Even so, Jiang Ping An was already more than satisfied.

Holding the Bronze Basin, he burst into tears. If he had discovered the Bronze Basin's secret sooner, his mother would not have worked herself to death, and his father would not have gone hunting in the mountains and been eaten by a fierce tiger.

After crying for a long time, Jiang Ping An wiped away his tears, put away the Bronze Basin, and headed for town.

With this Bronze Basin, he would never lack money again. There was nothing left at home now, so he went to town to buy some rice, flour, and seasonings.

Life was heading in a better direction.

"Brother PingAn, where are you going?"

Li YueYue, who was playing with mud, saw Jiang Ping An heading out of the village and asked in her childish voice.

"To town. I'll buy you Sugar-coated Haws when I come back." Jiang Ping An rubbed Tiger Girl's little head, his mood bright.

"Sugar-coated Haws!" Li YueYue's big eyes suddenly lit up.

She had eaten one before. It was sweet and sour, and absolutely delicious.

But she immediately shook her head. "Brother PingAn, you can't spend money carelessly."

Children in the countryside grew up early. Though she was only eight, she understood many things.

"Don't worry. Big brother isn't short on money anymore." Jiang Ping An smiled. Since his parents' deaths, Tiger Girl had become the person closest to him.

"Then... then if you buy them for me, Tiger Girl will be your wife." Li YueYue blinked and spoke innocently.

Jiang Ping An did not know whether to laugh or cry. What did this little girl even know about being a wife?

He set out for town and bought a little rice, flour, and seasoning. Of course, he did not forget to buy Sugar-coated Haws.

"Young man, are you out here alone? Don't go running around outside in the future. There are Bandits about now, always blocking roads and robbing travelers. Not long ago, Small Stream Village was wiped out by Bandits."

"The world is in chaos, Bandits run rampant, harsh governance is fiercer than a tiger, and the people cannot survive. Hard times indeed~"

Seeing how young Jiang Ping An was, the old man selling Sugar-coated Haws could not help giving him a few words of advice.

"Thank you for the reminder, sir."

Jiang Ping An did not take it to heart. Humming a mountain song, he returned to the village in his straw sandals.

The straw sandals rubbed painfully against his feet. Only after walking for more than an hour did he see the outline of the village.

"Once I have money, I'll buy those handsome boots. Maybe I can even live in town."

He began imagining his beautiful future, his heart filled with delight.

But as he approached the village, a foul stench rushed into his face.

"Whose family is slaughtering a pig?"

Jiang Ping An walked into the village and froze. The rice and flour in his hands fell to the ground, and his expression went blank.

Corpses. Corpses everywhere! Blood had dyed the village red, flames were burning, and the women's clothes were in disarray.

"H-how could this happen!"

Thinking of something, he ran frantically toward Li Min's home.

Inside the room, Li Min lay on the ground with a huge gash in his stomach, blood trickling endlessly from it.

"Uncle Li! What happened?"

Jiang Ping An turned pale with shock. He hurriedly dropped what he was holding and pressed down on the wound.

"Ban... Bandits... Help... help me take care of... Tiger Girl... in... in the well."

After saying that, Li Min's head drooped, and his breath vanished.

Jiang Ping An's heart trembled. He had seen Li Min that very morning, yet now they had been separated by life and death.

He rushed to the well. A wooden board covered it. He lifted the board and looked down.

Li YueYue sat trembling atop a wooden bucket. The sudden removal of the well cover gave her a fright.

When she saw it was Jiang Ping An, she burst into tears. "Brother PingAn! There are Bandits!"

Jiang Ping An pulled Tiger Girl up. When she saw that her father had died, she cried even harder.

"Why? Why does everyone bully us? Soldiers, Bandits—why do they all bully us!"

Li YueYue's shrill voice was like steel needles piercing through Jiang Ping An's heart, leaving him unable to breathe from the pain.

Jiang Ping An clenched his fists, his face full of unwillingness and fury.

That was right. Why did they have to be bullied? Why had the world become like this?

Why was the saying his parents had taught him—good would be rewarded and evil repaid—simply untrue?

Jiang Ping An could not understand. He did not know how to comfort Li YueYue, so he could only pick up the Sugar-coated Haws from the ground and hand them to her.

Li YueYue looked at the Sugar-coated Haws in her hand and clung tightly to him.

"Something seems to have happened to this village... There are still survivors."

A voice suddenly rang out from the sky. Jiang Ping An abruptly raised his head.

When he saw the sight above him, his eyes widened at once.

Several women in gorgeous Daoist robes floated in the air.

I-Immortals!!

Were these Immortals? They could actually fly!

Jiang Ping An was so stunned that he could not speak. Li YueYue was so frightened that she stopped crying as well.

One woman stepped forward and placed her hand on Jiang Ping An's head.

"Ordinary talent, and already too old. His path of cultivation will be limited."

She then placed her hand on Li YueYue's head. A moment later, her eyes widened.

"A natural Water Spiritual Root! Such powerful talent!"

The woman was overjoyed. "Little girl, would you like me to take you away to cultivate?"

"A-are you Immortals? Can you bring my father back to life?" Li YueYue asked timidly, half her face buried in Jiang Ping An's chest, her voice choked with sobs.

The woman shook her head. "We cannot revive the dead either. But if you cultivate, you will never have to worry about food or clothing again, and you will be able to wipe out every last murderer who killed your father."

Hearing that she could avenge her father, Li YueYue tightly gripped the Sugar-coated Haws. "I want to avenge my father!"

The woman gathered Li YueYue into her arms and smiled. "With your talent, once you step onto the path of cultivation, you will certainly be able to take revenge."

As she spoke, she rose into the air with the others, preparing to leave.

Li YueYue suddenly shouted, "You haven't taken Brother PingAn with you yet!"

"His talent is ordinary. The two of you do not belong to the same world," the woman said.

"No! I want to stay with Brother PingAn! I won't cultivate anymore! Put me down!"

Li YueYue struggled with all her strength. Jiang Ping An was now the person closest to her, and she did not want to leave him.