A Jade Stone Hidden Beneath One's Buttocks

Chapter 30: A Jade Stone Hidden Beneath One's Buttocks

"Big brother, come on, let's go up the mountain together and look for jade!" The moment Zhuzi saw Zi Jian, he grabbed him and turned to leave without giving him a chance to refuse.

"Hey, hey, wait! What's going on..." Zi Jian struggled a couple of times, but couldn't break free of Zhuzi's brute strength and was dragged away.

"I'll take them to the place where we found jade yesterday," Zhuzi said. "Everyone, spread out and have a look. Maybe we'll find a few more pieces."

Then he lowered his voice. "Big brother, make sure you search hard. One piece of jade is worth half a year of work right now." Zhuzi knew well enough to favor those who were good to him.

Although Zi Jian had all the silver the Prefect had awarded him, he still felt it wasn't enough. At Zhuzi's words, he grew excited at once and turned back to holler a few times toward home. By the time Zi Bofeng came outside, throwing on his clothes, the group had already set off up the mountain.

From far away, Xitui could be seen racing ahead, running back and forth in wild delight. Nourished by the Monster Raising Art, its energy and spirit were clearly much better than those of the other dogs.

Before long, the group had gone around Big Blue Rock and disappeared from sight.

Zi Bofeng saw Yan Lao Wu standing opposite, arms folded as he watched everyone head up the mountain. He asked in confusion, "Old sir, why didn't you go?"

Yan Lao Wu watched them with envy, but shook his head. "I've long since washed my hands of the trade. Searching for jade to support the family is something we have to leave to the younger generation now!"

If you wanted to go, then just go. What a stubborn old man. Zi Bofeng grumbled inwardly, too lazy to stand around sighing with him, and turned back toward home.

Zi Bofeng wasn't the only one who'd heard Zi Jian's shouting. Yan Wu Shi and Little Stone had heard it too. Zi Bofeng had only just reached the doorway when the opposite door creaked open. Little Stone came out, rubbing his eyes with both hands, with Yan Wu Shi beside him, her head wrapped in a floral cloth. Zi Bofeng remembered that his father had secretly tucked that cloth into his shirt when he returned from Meng City last time. His eyes were sharp as a thief's; he'd spotted it long ago, but still had to pretend he hadn't. It was no easy thing.

At first, Yan Wu Shi hadn't dared to wear it. Now she was finally wearing it out for the first time.

Seeing Yan Lao Wu standing not far away, she lowered her head, blushing, and softly called, "Fifth Master..." Then she slipped into Zi Bofeng's home and began tidying the courtyard like its mistress, preparing breakfast for Zi Bofeng and Little Stone.

Little Stone also called, "Fifth..." Then he lowered his head and dozed off. Only after a long while did he lift his head and call, "Master..."

Yan Lao Wu waited a long while, until he had finally heard Little Stone's greeting. He sighed, reached out his rough, broad palm, and rubbed Little Stone's head. When Little Stone lowered his head and dozed off again, Yan Lao Wu sighed once more and left.

Watching from the side, Zi Bofeng couldn't help laughing. There was no need to ask: Little Stone had been secretly reading picture books again last night. Zi Bofeng had never imagined the few picture books he'd written could have such power. Both Little Stone and Little Fox had been utterly captivated by them. He'd forgotten that this world had no entertainment to speak of, and the villagers had heard their worn-out stories hundreds of times. For Little Stone and the others, these picture books were as captivating as the computer games Zi Bofeng was obsessed with.

More than half the adult men in the village had gone up the mountain. Zi Bofeng also gave the Private School a holiday, letting the children stay home and help with farm work, while he went up the mountain to see Uncle Blue Rock.

"Uncle Blue Rock, now that we're able to find jade again, does that mean the earth veins are filling up once more?" Zi Bofeng asked as he practiced writing on Uncle Blue Rock's body.

"Look below. Smile." Uncle Blue Rock's reply was still terse, complete with an emoticon.

Zi Bofeng lowered his head and bent down. Only then did he notice that a crack had appeared beneath Big Blue Rock at some point. He peered inside and was immediately startled.

Under Big Blue Rock, jade stones densely covered the mountainside like scales. Anyone with trypophobia would have been scared shitless at a single glance.

After letting Zi Bofeng look, Big Blue Rock shifted its bottom again, covering the jade stones.

Zi Bofeng understood at once. This was actually where the spiritual energy of the entire Lower Yan Village territory gathered. In other words, eight tenths of the spiritual energy in Lower Yan Village was currently being breathed out by Uncle Blue Rock.

If jade could be found elsewhere, how could there be none in the place where spiritual energy was most abundant? It wasn't that there was none; Uncle Blue Rock had hidden it.

"Step by step. Keep a low profile and conceal your strength." Uncle Blue Rock's spiritual energy formed eight more characters, admonishing Zi Bofeng.

Zi Bofeng nodded repeatedly. Uncle Blue Rock apparently knew about the jade appearing on the mountain. Perhaps Uncle Blue Rock had deliberately let spiritual energy condense into jade, so the villagers could benefit a little. Otherwise, Zi Bofeng had no idea how to develop a Lower Yan Village that was now lifeless and stagnant.

Zi Bofeng thought that if he weren't afraid of startling his father, he would have to show him his little treasury and see if he still thought that bit of silver was a treasure. Then he thought, This really hasn't been easy. Poor as it is, Lower Yan Village finally has a little money that can be put to use. Could I start putting some of my earlier ideas into practice?

But after thinking it over, Zi Bofeng suddenly felt something was wrong.

"Uncle Blue Rock, I remember that you have to reach the fifth realm, the 'Body Moistening Realm,' before you can merge with the earth veins and control them to condense jade, right?" Zi Bofeng carefully considered the Monster Raising Art. He'd also asked Uncle Blue Rock before, and it had said that it hadn't truly gained its own innate spell, so its fourth layer, "Opening Wisdom," wasn't yet complete. How could it cross the threshold of completing the fourth layer and directly reach the fifth?

"That's my natural gift," Uncle Blue Rock replied.

Even Uncle Blue Rock didn't quite understand why this was so. In theory, since it hadn't completed "Opening Wisdom," it shouldn't be able to cast any spells. Yet it could answer Zi Bofeng's voice with a thunderous roar that shook heaven and earth.

When Zi Bofeng asked, Uncle Blue Rock had only said that it was its natural gift.

Zi Bofeng could only fill in the blanks himself. He thought perhaps Big Blue Rock was originally part of the mountain and the land, a node guarding the entire earth vein, which was why it had been able to influence this land from birth.

Zi Bofeng didn't know if his guess was true, but it was the only way he could make sense of it.

With such an advantage, there was no way Zi Bofeng wouldn't make good use of it. A thousand ideas spun through his head, and he could hardly wait to spread his wings and make grand plans. He hurriedly finished his morning lessons, then raced down the mountain to start making plans.

By sunset, the people who'd set out early that morning to search for jade had all returned. Dozens of them had gone out, and they'd found three more fine pieces of jade. Xitui had found one, which Zhuzi took. The other two had been found by villagers.

Besides that, they'd brought back other spoils: several pheasants hung at their waists, and two muntjacs were slung over the shoulders of burly young men.

Although there was little meat to go around, everyone was laughing and talking, brimming with hope and anticipation.

In the past, a family would find only five or six pieces of jade over the course of many years. Finding three pieces in a single day was already a stroke of incredible luck.

For the people of Lower Yan Village, everything else was unreal; jade was what mattered. Lower Yan Village had been born because of jade, and existed because of jade.

Yan Lao Wu had been waiting at the foot of the mountain for a long time. When he heard the good news, he burst into laughter and started urging everyone to go celebrate with wine. But they all said they had to head up the mountain again tomorrow to keep searching, and couldn't waste time.

A few experienced hunters quickly skinned the muntjacs by the stream. Dozens of others gathered outside Zi Bofeng's house and spent a while discussing where they should search tomorrow. Once the muntjac meat had been divided, everyone took a piece and went home.

Zi Jian came inside, a pheasant hanging from his waist and a piece of muntjac meat in his hand, beaming with delight. Zhuzi followed behind him. He'd found another piece of fine jade that day, and was on a roll. Zhuzi comforted Xitui, the hero of the search, who had already dashed into the house to nurse the puppies. Then he excitedly chatted with Zi Jian for a while, talking about finding a few more pieces and going to the city to find a doctor to treat his mother.

Zi Bofeng brought them water and prepared some thin porridge for Xitui. He gently rubbed its head and used the Monster Raising Art on it several times before going out.

When Zhuzi saw Zi Bofeng come out, he took his leave. Only then did Yan Wu Shi come out of Zi Jian's room. She hadn't left Zi Bofeng's home earlier and had been hiding in the room, anxiously worried someone would see her.

Like a wife welcoming her husband home, she handed Zi Jian a towel, brought over a stool, and passed him a palm fan. Then she took the pheasant and muntjac meat and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Watching this from the side-room doorway, Zi Bofeng was filled with all sorts of feelings. His father and Auntie's relationship had to be brought up sooner or later. Having to live in fear like this every day was exhausting—even Zi Bofeng was tired of it.

His father sat in the courtyard, a towel draped around his neck, fanning himself and drinking water. In the kitchen opposite, Auntie was bustling about by the stove, occasionally wiping the sweat from her brow. Zi Bofeng felt that perhaps being able to go on like this forever would itself be a kind of happiness.

I really hope this happiness can last forever!

Little Stone seemed moved by the scene too. He came over and leaned against Zi Bofeng's waist. Zi Bofeng put an arm around his shoulders, but felt something furry. Looking down, he saw Little Stone grinning mischievously as he hugged two fluffy puppies. Zi Bofeng was instantly furious. "Little Stone, didn't I tell you not to touch the puppies yet? Xitui, bite him! Bite him!" Honestly, give Little Stone an inch and he'd take a mile.

"Big brother, look, their eyes are open!" Little Stone wasn't scared. He held up the puppies for Zi Bofeng to see.

"Huh?" Zi Bofeng froze. The two puppies had indeed opened their eyes. Their glossy black eyes looked around timidly and curiously.

Could the Monster Raising Art have worked?

Looking more closely, these two puppies were clearly a size larger than the others. Apparently, the Monster Raising Art hadn't worked on all the puppies. In other words, not all of them were necessarily going to survive, and their constitutions varied. The few times he'd used the art had brought about a huge change in these two, turning quantity into quality.

"These two puppies grew the fastest. One for you, and one for me," Little Stone said, proudly taking credit.

"What about Qiu'er?" Zi Bofeng teased him.

"Th-then... Qiu'er..." Little Stone immediately fell into a dilemma.

Even Xitui couldn't bear to watch Little Stone's conflicted expression. It stretched its head over and licked the two puppies that had just opened their eyes, then gave Little Stone's face a wash in the process—making his already filthy, black little face even dirtier.

"Let's give the third puppy to open its eyes to Qiu'er," Little Stone finally decided.

Good thing he hadn't forgotten his big brother just because he had a sweetheart. Zi Bofeng was quite pleased.