After the deal was concluded, life in the village began to settle down. Yu Ziqing cooked during the day, spent the rest of his time learning from Old Yang, and practiced boxing with Er Han at night. His body grew stronger by the day, and his store of knowledge slowly increased as well. His days were packed and fulfilling.
To be honest, Yu Ziqing reckoned that if he had possessed this much drive back then, he absolutely could have scored over seven hundred.
A week passed peacefully. Tonight, he did not go practice boxing. After most people had gone to rest, a small activity began in the cave-dwelling shrine hall in the village.
The Molten Millet Cake, which should have been eaten before the trade, finally had time to be tasted.
But things were different from what Yu Ziqing had imagined. Only more than forty people were qualified to eat the Yellow Millet Cake that could burn a person to death, and Yu Ziqing was the only one among the new villagers.
Er Han changed into a clean set of clothes and solemnly carried the Yellow Millet Cake out of the cave that could roast a person alive.
The Village Chief braced both hands on his cane, his back straight as he watched Er Han place the Yellow Millet Cake on the altar. He spoke softly to Yu Ziqing beside him.
"Many years ago, before there was a village here, a group of commoners on the Wasteland, nearly starved to death amid the chaos caused by battles between cultivators, found this place under the leadership of the first Village Chief and discovered Jinlan Ore.
"At that time, the first Village Chief recognized the Jinlan Ore. He knew it was something those cultivators needed and that it was extremely valuable.
"He established a village here, mined Jinlan Ore, and traded with the cultivators outside in exchange for things that could keep the villagers alive."
The Village Chief sighed lightly, his tone somewhat complicated.
"It must have been difficult to keep the trades going..." Yu Ziqing knew there had to be countless stories behind it.
In any world, a group of powerless ordinary people occupying a precious resource was a disaster waiting to happen.
"Yes, it was extremely difficult. Human nature is greedy, and cultivators are greedier still. The first Village Chief knew this very clearly. He knew that blood would sooner or later be spilled in the village.
"But no one in the village could practice Qi Refining. He found another way to grow stronger: constantly strengthening their bones and bodies, so that when bloody conflict finally began, the cultivators' blood and corpses would be buried in the village.
"On top of that, those cultivators discovered that this place was dangerous and filled with toxins to them.
"Furthermore, they occupied this place for a time, only to discover that ordinary people from outside could not survive long in the dangerous mines. The amount they could mine was pitifully small.
"Under all these factors, the trade continued normally.
"Because only we can mine Jinlan Ore properly."
Yu Ziqing shook his head, smiling with a hint of mockery. Sure enough, nothing in this world was new. The village still existed simply because the cultivators paid the least and gained the most—the cost-performance ratio was high.
Since the Village Chief was saying all this now, Yu Ziqing knew that the village's absurdly powerful commoners absolutely had a direct connection to this Molten Millet Cake.
"The Yellow Millet Cake is the village's secret. Only each successive Village Chief knows how to make it, and only those who practice boxing can eat it. Everyone else will certainly die if they consume it. Moreover, the quantity is limited. Every year, only those who have made great contributions are qualified."
The Village Chief did not explain how it was made. After first completing the ancestral worship, he lifted the lid of the stone pot.
Scalding steam condensed without dispersing. In only a few breaths, it made the surroundings resemble a furnace. Hot and cold alternated, transforming into howling winds.
After waiting for a short while, the steam suddenly reversed and rushed back, all of it sinking into the stone pot. Only the Yellow Millet Cake, which looked like fresh magma, continued to glow.
The Village Chief held a pair of metal chopsticks in one hand and dug out a piece about the size of a fist. Then he shouted.
"Er Han."
Er Han wore a solemn expression as he stepped forward and opened his mouth.
The Yellow Millet Cake was like viscous magma. It writhed as it slid from the chopsticks and dropped straight into his mouth.
His throat moved once, and the fist-sized piece was forcibly swallowed whole.
After swallowing it, Er Han said nothing. He walked to the side and began practicing his boxing forms. As he practiced, his skin turned bright red, while rolling black qi gushed from every pore and all seven apertures.
The billowing black smoke roared as it transformed into a smoke pillar a zhang thick. Tumbling, it surged toward the Back Mountain.
Everyone was used to the sight and quietly waited.
"Er Han mined the most ore this year, killed the most insects, and ranked first in guarding the village.
"Next, the person with the greatest contribution is Yu Ziqing. Does anyone disagree?"
The Village Chief swept his gaze around. Everyone nodded in unison, fully convinced. Leaving aside whether his cooking tasted good, the mere fact that he could help the village make use of its existing resources, store more food, and reduce its dependence on outsiders meant that no one could say he did not deserve it.
If Yu Ziqing had not arrived so recently, first place should have belonged to him.
The Village Chief used the chopsticks to pick out a tiny piece about the size of a thumbnail and shouted.
"Yu Ziqing."
Yu Ziqing stepped forward, still somewhat nervous. This thing really won't kill me, will it?
The small piece had barely entered his mouth, before he could feel any heat, when it seemed to gain a will of its own and wormed its way into his throat.
It reached his stomach in less than a breath, and he immediately sensed a ball of flame burning in his abdomen, growing hotter and hotter.
"Go practice your boxing!" the Village Chief urged hastily.
As he began practicing the boxing forms, Yu Ziqing immediately sensed the ball of fire in his abdomen growing hotter, yet he no longer felt as uncomfortable.
Faint wisps of black smoke seeped from every pore of his body. Drifting together into a mass, they surged toward the smoke pillar gushing from Er Han and flew with it toward the Back Mountain.
Yu Ziqing calmed his mind and steadied his breath, focusing entirely on practicing his boxing. Once he completed a set, the scalding ball of fire in his abdomen happened to dissipate, and the light smoke rising from his body vanished completely as well.
He drew a light breath and felt a kind of ease and clarity from within outward. His body seemed to have grown a little stronger, too.
He looked at the people behind him who were still practicing boxing. Black smoke rose from their bodies in varying amounts, but not one of them was as outrageous as Er Han.
Yu Ziqing raised his head. The smoke pillars that had gathered above surged toward the Back Mountain. From far away, he could vaguely see that after traveling horizontally for a distance, the pillars plunged headfirst toward the ground.
At the Back Mountain, massive pillars of black smoke fell from the sky and struck the huge Black Stone. Yet it was like water dripping into the sea: not even a ripple of impact appeared, and all of it sank into the Black Stone.
The countless footprints of varying depths covering the surface of the Black Stone slowly smoothed out as the black smoke poured into it.
Elsewhere, Old Yang poked his head out of the Earth Den and watched the black smoke pillars fly across the sky, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"The person who created this body-nourishing method was truly a genius. He borrowed power from that unknown place, then returned it all after one year. Once that power was gone, the results of body cultivation remained completely intact. Even the power was washed away, making subsequent body cultivation slightly easier by comparison than it had been a year ago.
"Even so, relying purely on body cultivation afterward will take increasingly more time. But there is ultimately still progress, making it far easier than the miserable body cultivators who can only find advancement growing more and more difficult.
"It truly is a pity that the first Village Chief never left this place..."
Old Yang watched for a while. Inspired by this free-rider body-nourishing method, he seemed to realize something, then crawled back into the Earth Den and lay there, apparently lost in thought.
When Yu Ziqing returned, Old Yang opened his eyes.
"Take me to see your Village Chief."
"Hm?"
"Just take me there. Don't worry."
Yu Ziqing had no idea what was going on, but he could only take Old Yang to find the Village Chief. The Village Chief clearly knew something, so there was no need to hide or skirt around the matter.
When they met the Village Chief, before Yu Ziqing could even speak, the Village Chief immediately sent Er Han to guard the entrance. He personally led Yu Ziqing and Old Yang into the depths of the Mountain Kiln.
After the three of them sat down, Old Yang spoke first, uttering human words.
"Greetings, Village Chief. I want to make a deal with you."
The Village Chief's expression remained calm, without the slightest trace of surprise.
"Please speak, Elder."
"I want a little of that thing in your Back Mountain, as well as the method for refining the Yellow Millet Cake."
Seeing the Village Chief's expression, Old Yang immediately lowered his demand before he could speak.
"If the method of making it is inconvenient, then supplying a portion of Yellow Millet Cake every year will do. Enough for Yu Ziqing to use."
Yu Ziqing was somewhat surprised. Was Old Yang asking for this for his sake?
"Old Yang..."
"When an elder is speaking, don't interrupt." Old Yang snapped, cutting off Yu Ziqing.
Yu Ziqing obediently shut his mouth and stood beside them like a wooden statue. He knew Old Yang was not the sort of person who cared about seniority and proper order, but it was still better for him to keep quiet and listen.
The Village Chief glanced at Yu Ziqing, a trace of a smile appearing on his face, then shook his head.
"Elder, you are mistaken. Young Master Yu is now one of our villagers, and he has learned the boxing method as well. Naturally, his annual allowance will not be lacking. You are worrying needlessly."
Old Yang remained unmoved and continued.
"A portion of that thing from the Back Mountain, about the size of a fist, along with the Yellow Millet Cake Yu Ziqing needs. In exchange, I can try to improve your boxing method. I will also provide the raw materials you need each year, and I will not take any Jinlan Ore.
"Now, the only people you trade with are Great Qian. Great Qian is also the only place that can provide the raw materials you need. Several months ago, the Wasteland underwent a mutation. From now on, you may not be able to guarantee the supplies you require every year.
"I can give you an additional portion of raw materials, and they will not have undergone any special processing. You will be able to preserve them for a long time."
At those final words, the Village Chief's expression changed slightly.
The raw materials required for the Yellow Millet Cake were indeed currently supplied only by Great Qian. Moreover, once those materials arrived here, they would spoil within seven days at most. He had to begin making the next year's Yellow Millet Cake immediately.
For the days following the completion of a trade, he was busy with this very task.
Old Yang's words immediately shook the Village Chief. If there was a chance to escape being throttled at the neck, he would not let it pass.
"Fine. I can give you the Black Stone, and one additional piece. That will count as the trade.
"But Young Master Yu's annual allowance will not count as part of the trade.
"He is one of our villagers. If he is one for a single day, he will be one forever. Every year's Yellow Millet Cake, whether he is in the village or not, will always include his share."
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