Sacrifice to the Heavenly Stele

"Finally, there's some hope for these days."

Taking a string of raw pork from an old soldier wearing a standard cotton uniform, Jiang Che sighed inwardly. He then glanced around, and seeing no one paying attention, quickly tucked the meat into his chest.

This was his stepping stone!

Jiang Che had transmigrated more than half a month ago. He had been a young man on Earth, full of all sorts of vices, but upon opening his eyes, he found himself in another world as a lowly and endangered auxiliary soldier.

Not only did he do the dirtiest and most tiring work in the barracks, with anyone able to step on him, but after a month of training, he would be sent to the border to escort grain.

From his memories and the accounts of those around him, Jiang Che knew that it was rare for even one-third of the auxiliary soldiers sent to the border to survive their two-year service.

Fortunately, Jiang Che had the benefits of a transmigrator.

Sacrificing to the Heavenly Stele.

Equivalent sacrifice.

As long as he could pay a sufficient price for the sacrifice, he could theoretically set any goal.

But that was only theoretical.

Because if he failed to complete a sacrifice, he couldn't perform another one.

Therefore, Jiang Che, based on his own conditions and abilities, had set a most basic goal.

[Sacrifice Goal: Enhance Physical Body.]

[Sacrifice Cost: Two pounds of blood, ten pounds of bones, twenty pounds of meat.]

However, although he had some silver from selling off his belongings, he had no connections. Auxiliary soldiers in training were forbidden from leaving the camp to prevent desertion.

He had initially held onto a sliver of hope, but after personally witnessing a soldier being stripped naked and hung on the camp gate to freeze to death in the dead of winter the next day, he abandoned any thoughts of secretly escaping.

Later, after some inquiries, he managed to get acquainted with a squad leader in the mess hall. He exchanged silver, at a price 30% higher than the market rate, for the sacrificial items bit by bit.

Compared to other meats, pork was the easiest to obtain and relatively cheaper.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Stele sacrifice did not specify what kind of meat to use. After careful consideration, he had chosen pork.

Today was the last two pounds of pork; his sacrifice cost was about to be completed.

As for using the corpse of an auxiliary soldier as a sacrifice... he didn't even have the opportunity to come into contact with it.

"How many pounds tomorrow?"

Gou Buyi, the old soldier in the black cotton robe, asked, tilting his chin.

"Brother Gou, the brothers in the camp are all out of money. Let's pause this for a few days. When they start craving it again, I'll figure something out," Jiang Che replied in a low voice.

He wasn't stupid. He certainly wouldn't tell the truth; he could only try his best to dispel any suspicion from the other party. Otherwise, an auxiliary soldier constantly buying meat would surely arouse suspicion and covetousness.

But he was truly out of options. In a few days, the auxiliary barracks would be heading to the border to their deaths, and he had to seize every moment to strengthen himself.

Because it would be even harder to obtain meat during the journey.

Also, he was running out of money and couldn't afford to buy more meat from the other party.

"Alright, no problem. Come find me again when you want to buy meat. It's tough work at the border. If you don't find ways to get some meat now, it'll be even harder later."

Gou Buyi said indifferently, patting Jiang Che's shoulder with a smile before leaving.

Watching the other man's receding back, Jiang Che quickly lowered his head and returned to the gathering point to continue working.

He had met Gou Buyi during a break from work, and with guards around, he couldn't find an opportunity to try the sacrifice immediately. He could only wait until night.

Chopping wood, carrying water, washing clothes...

Most of the auxiliary soldiers around were numbly doing their work, and no one paid attention to what Jiang Che was doing or who he met. They only knew... exhaustion.

Training in the morning, chopping wood at noon, carrying water at night. They only received one dry and one watery meal a day, and they had to face the impending dangers of the border. It was not just physically tiring, but mentally exhausting as well.

"Dong dong dong"

With three gong strikes, a flicker of light finally appeared in the eyes of the numb auxiliary soldiers.

It was mealtime!

Joining the long queue to receive a bowl of unpalatable coarse grain rice, Jiang Che ate expressionlessly, just like everyone else. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he looked up and saw several men in military robes walking directly towards their area.

It seemed they were heading for him.

Indeed, the scar-faced man leading them sized him up and said plainly:

"Jiang Che, right? Come with me."

Jiang Che didn't move. Many auxiliary soldiers around turned their gazes towards them, but most were merely curious or gloating. Their weary lives as auxiliary soldiers made them anticipate these rare moments of amusement.

"What, I can't get you to move?" Seeing Jiang Che not budge, the scar-faced man's expression darkened, his gaze fixed on him like knives, full of ferocity.

"Sir, what do you need me for?"

Jiang Che wasn't foolish. He could tell at a glance that the newcomers meant trouble. Following them might lead to unforeseen circumstances. With so many people watching now, it might at least deter them a little.

The scar-faced man stepped forward, threw an arm around Jiang Che's shoulder, and whispered, "If you don't want what you're hiding on you to be exposed, then come with me honestly, and I'll guarantee your life. Otherwise..."

As he spoke, the men behind him prepared to step forward and restrain Jiang Che's body.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Jiang Che struggled forcefully and shouted loudly.

As expected, the commotion quickly attracted a crowd. Of course, the soldiers specifically guarding the auxiliary troops pushed through the crowd and shouted:

"Those who gather to cause trouble will be killed without mercy!"

Seeing that Jiang Che's exclamation had attracted the soldiers, Scarface shot him a vicious glare.

"Wu Dabala, stop!"

The commander overseeing the Auxiliary Barracks clearly recognized Scarface and called out his name.

Breaking free from the man's grip, Jiang Che immediately retreated a few steps to create distance.

"What crime did this man commit? Why are you arresting him?"

Scarface forced a smile and cupped his hands, saying:

"Deputy Commander Liu, it's like this... Recently, there have been frequent thefts in the cookhouse, and a lot of pork has been stolen. My brothers and I have been watching for several days before finally catching this kid. We're taking him back to interrogate him."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che finally understood why they had come and who had sent them.

Gou Buyi!

"Is that so?"

Commander Liu looked at Jiang Che with disbelief. He couldn't fathom how this skinny, decent-looking young man would dare to steal meat in the military camp.

"No, absolutely not. Commander Liu, they are framing me."

"Do you have proof?"

Commander Liu's gaze shifted back to Scarface.

"Yes, this kid still has the meat on him right now. It's in his embrace," Wu Dabala said, pointing at Jiang Che.

"Do you have it?"

"No."

Jiang Che shook his head firmly.

"If you have it or not, I'll know as soon as I search!"

Wu Dabala said sternly.

"You think you can just search if you say so? Wu Dabala, do you think this military camp is your family's?" Commander Liu's expression soured. Logically, a mere auxiliary soldier wasn't worth him intervening.

But this Wu Dabala was truly inconsiderate, calling him Deputy Commander Liu repeatedly and coming to his barracks to arrest and search someone without even a greeting, and it was someone under his command.

It was practically slapping him in the face!

"Deputy Commander Liu... I... I really saw this kid hiding the meat with my own eyes." Wu Dabala's smile froze. He hadn't expected Deputy Commander Liu to suddenly speak up for Jiang Che.

"What if he doesn't have it?"

"Then I'll apologize. What do you think?" At this point, Scarface had no choice but to push forward, as backing down would only make things worse.

"What's your name?"

Commander Liu turned to Jiang Che again.

"Reporting to the commander, my name is Jiang Che."

"You say you didn't hide it, and he says you did. Do you dare to take off your clothes and prove it?"

Jiang Che nodded:

"I dare!"

Commander Liu wasn't asking if he could, but if he dared. Moreover, the other party's intervention was largely due to his position as Deputy Commander of the Auxiliary Barracks, so he had no right to refuse.

As he spoke, Jiang Che quickly took off his upper garment and even shook it. Even so, the cold wind piercing his body caused goosebumps to erupt.

On the other side, Scarface's eyes widened in disbelief, muttering:

"Impossible, it's impossible..."

He even wanted to step forward and check himself.

But this time, Commander Liu directly blocked him, staring him in the eye:

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"I... I..."

Unable to offer a defense, Wu Dabala shot Jiang Che another fierce glare, unable to comprehend where the meat was hidden. It should have been in his embrace, and he couldn't hide several pounds of meat on his lower body either.

"I was mistaken. My apologies, Deputy Commander Liu."

Scarface came to his senses, lowered his head, and cupped his hands.

"Bring two jars of strong liquor tomorrow night as an apology."

"Yes."

With that, Wu Dabala, his face grim, turned and left with his men. Commander Liu merely glanced at Jiang Che and turned away indifferently, neither of them paying much attention to the feelings of a mere auxiliary soldier.

That year, Jiang Che was nineteen, standing like a nobody!