I Was Just Being Kind

Approaching the entrance to the dugout, Yu Ziqing paused, then turned back and sat down opposite Old Yang, carefully choosing his words.

From the very first day he met Old Yang, Yu Ziqing knew that Old Yang's claim of being just an ordinary school teacher was utter nonsense. Everyone wore a mask when they were out and about.

Old Yang had indeed taught him a great deal, from the official dialect and writing to all sorts of knowledge.

Given this world's context, how could someone with such insight and learning be merely an ordinary school teacher?

Trust between people could be very solid at times, and very fragile at others. When everyone could trust each other, digging into private matters that people didn't want to reveal was just plain foolish.

Yu Ziqing was self-aware, so after Old Yang had initially brushed off questions about his name, he never pressed further, always addressing him respectfully as "Old Sir."

If someone was unwilling to even reveal their name, it either meant their identity was sensitive and revealing it would lead to a swift death.

Or, it meant they had too many enemies, and revealing it would also lead to a swift death.

But now, he was increasingly discovering that Old Yang's knowledge base and the scope of his expertise were borderline absurd.

Could a method to break apart a portion of the animal husbandry evil method be something an ordinary person would know?

Could a method to create Spirit-Confusing Medicine using Jinlan Mushrooms as raw materials also be known by an ordinary person?

Coupled with the fact that Old Yang was unwilling to casually invent a fake name and unwilling to lie about this matter, this subtle pride led Yu Ziqing to a deduction.

His identity was sensitive, and he likely had many enemies. He was probably from Da Gan, held a not-low status, and somehow ended up in this predicament.

Yu Ziqing even had a bold conjecture: Old Yang was deliberately captured to evade his enemies.

Then, he encountered Yu Ziqing, a transmigrator, and taught him language, writing, and knowledge.

If Yu Ziqing had no special abilities, then Old Yang would be the standard fallen elder from a story, carried around by the protagonist.

Of course, all of this was Yu Ziqing's own speculation. If Old Yang didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't ask. What he needed now was to consult about something else.

"Old Yang, I think I might need your guidance."

Old Yang lifted his eyelids and said directly.

"Don't worry, I've met the Village Chief here. As long as you don't break the rules he's set, the people here won't harm you. Also, remember what I told you: do not cultivate any cultivation methods other than the body-nurturing method."

"Old Yang, when did you start speaking in riddles? Knowing only the 'what' but not the 'why' can sometimes lead to misjudgments. Isn't it better to speak clearly?"

Old Yang tilted his head back and looked outside, falling silent for a moment.

"The moment a secret is spoken, it is no longer a secret. When some things are spoken, they become equivalent to exposure. Even some words, some names, some seemingly innocuous phrases, can become a beacon that locks onto you simply by being uttered.

Outside, I wouldn't even say these things.

Only at the Jinlan Mine do I dare to speak them. This world is far more dangerous than you imagine, and true powerhouses are far more terrifying than you imagine.

The mine is filled with anomalous power permeating heaven and earth, which creates strong obstructions. These obstructions are both external and internal.

Therefore, cultivating Qi Refining here is tantamount to seeking death. Cultivators who practice Qi Refining, upon entering here and absorbing the anomalous power, will destroy their own foundations.

Under normal circumstances, no one from outside would come to the Jinlan Mine, but that might not be the case now.

A few months ago, in the northwest of the Wasteland, the Great Sun Descended, causing a disaster far beyond anyone's imagination. If we calculate the time, the first wave of people arriving in the Wasteland should be here by now. The second wave, with various factions converging, should also be around the same time.

Eat more here, nourish your body, and then head south quickly."

Yu Ziqing was somewhat surprised. He had actually just wanted to ask about some matters concerning the Jinlan Mine to be prepared.

He never expected Old Yang to drop the pretense and just lay it all out.

He was indeed hiding.

What kind of person are you? I just casually said, "Don't speak in riddles," and you actually stopped being cryptic. That's no fun at all.

Two hours later, Yu Ziqing emerged from the dugout, his eyes still filled with a bit of confusion.

Old Yang had unusually said a great deal, about how to head south after leaving, where to go, and so on. Yet, Yu Ziqing increasingly felt as if Old Yang was making his final arrangements, as if he was afraid he wouldn't have another chance to say these things later.

Calculating the time, it was almost time to prepare dinner. Yu Ziqing went to the underground mushroom forest, laboriously swinging his axe to chop Jinlan Mushrooms, and also using a small knife to scrape off some raw materials for Spirit-Confusing Medicine.

If he had nothing else to do in the evening, he could try to refine medicine first.

When the other aunties in the kitchen had finished their gathering efficiently and left the cave, Yu Ziqing was still chopping.

Deep in the mushroom forest, a hungry ghost, as withered as a dried corpse, quietly poked half its head out from behind a Jinlan Mushroom, stealing a fearful glance before hiding back, only to peek out again a moment later.

Yu Ziqing sensed it, glanced over, and ignored it, continuing his chopping.

After he painstakingly chopped down one mushroom, he realized he couldn't carry the entire thing back by himself.

In the end, he had to shamelessly go back and find an auntie. After promising to teach her his secret soup-making technique, the auntie then carried the Jinlan Mushroom back for him.

The next day, Yu Ziqing went down to the dugout again and found that next to the Jinlan Mushroom he had chopped yesterday, there was already a freshly chopped one. The cut surface clearly indicated it had just been harvested.

Yu Ziqing was puzzled. The village had a clear division of labor, and everyone was busy. It wasn't easy to get someone to help with his work, and no one would kindly do it for him. Moreover, here, no one would want others to do their work for them.

Having their own work to do was very important to the people here.

Looking around, Yu Ziqing glanced towards the depths of the mushroom forest. The hungry ghost was still poking out half its head, watching from afar with a hint of fear in its eyes.

"Did you do this?"

As soon as he spoke, the hungry ghost seemed startled and swiftly fled into the darkness, disappearing.

Yu Ziqing couldn't help but chuckle.

This guy, after nearly being killed last time, not only didn't stay far away but was now helping him with work.

What was he thinking?

This wasn't something that could be explained by mere reason; it definitely had self-awareness, and quite a bit of intelligence at that.

Yu Ziqing ignored it. As long as it didn't cause trouble, anything was negotiable.

Life in the village was peaceful, and work went smoothly. Yu Ziqing only needed to help the aunties in the kitchen prepare the morning and evening meals; he didn't have to worry about anything else.

After eating his fill every day, Yu Ziqing's body, which had been severely depleted from prolonged starvation, began to slowly recover.

What's more, he made such exquisite dishes with the Jinlan Mushrooms that within just a few days, he became the kitchen's star chef. He didn't even have to do chores like scrubbing pots and washing dishes anymore.

After teaching quite a few recipes, Yu Ziqing started contemplating how to extract oil from the Jinlan Mushrooms...

If he wanted to offload some of the truly strenuous physical labor, there were plenty of ways to get the exceptionally strong and quick-learning aunties to help.

By dinnertime, the routine logging work still needed to be done. Yu Ziqing looked at the small amount of thick soup left in the pot. After a moment of hesitation, he took a wooden bowl, scooped some soup into it, and carried the bowl down into the mushroom cave.

Upon reaching the mushroom forest, as expected, in the area he was heading towards, he saw a Jinlan Mushroom slowly toppling over from a distance.

The gaunt hungry ghost, in a state of panic, fled into the darkness of the depths.

"Don't rush off," Yu Ziqing called out from afar.

The hungry ghost paused, looked back, and a hint of fear immediately flashed in its eyes. It quickly scrambled up the stone wall, hiding behind a protruding rock, blending in with its surroundings as if instantly invisible, and disappearing.

Yu Ziqing shook his head; he was getting used to it.

This hungry ghost was punctual every day, cutting down a Jinlan Mushroom just as he was about to arrive.

Even though he had said it wasn't necessary, the hungry ghost ignored him, stubbornly insisting on doing this. Every time it finished cutting, it would hide far away.

Yu Ziqing walked deeper into the mushroom forest, placed the wooden bowl with the little bit of thick soup on the ground, and spoke to himself.

"I don't like being helped for no reason. It's your choice to help, but I won't feel indebted to you because of it.

This is simply me showing some kindness; it has nothing to do with you helping me. You must understand this point.

There's some thick soup here, which I'm giving to you.

Remember to take it when no one else is around."

Seeing no sign of the hungry ghost, Yu Ziqing didn't force the issue. He placed the wooden bowl down and went to call people to carry away the Jinlan Mushroom.

When the mushroom forest fell silent again, with only faint bioluminescence illuminating parts of it, a hungry ghost suddenly appeared on the nearby stone wall.

It cautiously climbed down the stone wall, circled the wooden bowl a few times with longing in its eyes, but then, that longing turned into pain.

It opened its mouth and let out a silent wail. At that moment, one could see that deep within its mouth, the structure was not human. The throat area was a solid, seamless piece, like a complete iron plate, sealed shut.

It was utterly incapable of eating anything, not even able to drink a drop of water.

The hungry ghost circled the wooden bowl a few times, but it understood that this was Yu Ziqing's kindness. Perhaps Yu Ziqing didn't know it couldn't eat or drink...

It looked at the wooden bowl, hesitated for a moment, and then picked it up, preparing to take it back, treating it as an ordinary gift, which was still immensely meaningful to it.

However, the moment it lifted the wooden bowl, it felt as if struck by lightning, freezing in place, its eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

Its hands trembled slightly. Seeing the thick soup in the bowl begin to shake as well, it quickly placed the bowl back on the ground, afraid of spilling the soup.

It knelt down, its trembling hands touching the wooden bowl again. The next moment, its eyes began to tremble, wanting to cry but having no tears left.

A moment later, it calmed down. Only then did it reverently pick up the wooden bowl and open its mouth wide.

Deep within its sealed throat, a vortex-like pattern had appeared. At the center of the recessed pattern was a tiny hole, no bigger than a needle's eye.

It held the wooden bowl, extended its tongue, and cautiously licked a few drops of the thick soup. Then, it tilted its head back and closed its eyes.

It drank it.

It was like sweet rain.

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