Evil and Kindness (1 / 2)

Three live sheep were a considerable asset to an ordinary household, but they amounted to little for a lineage in the County Town.

Moreover, once a lineage obtained a method that allowed ordinary people to enter the Mountain Range, the value it could create was far beyond what an ordinary person could gain alone.

Everyone understood such simple reasoning. Even Laitou did not think the price was high when he heard the terms. Instead, he felt some contempt for Zhao Er, thinking that Zhao Er did not recognize the value of what he had and did not know to ask for more at a time like this.

Despite his contempt, Laitou pricked up his ears, eagerly awaiting Zhao Er's answer.

"Fine. Tell me!"

After hearing Zhao Er's terms, the steward nodded without giving them much thought.

But Zhao Er was not so easily fobbed off. He merely looked at the steward with a smile, showing no intention of speaking.

"Hmph! Do you think the Wang Family would shortchange you over such a pittance? This is all you're getting. I don't have time to linger here!"

Seeing Zhao Er remain silent, the steward naturally understood what he meant. With a cold snort, he took two taels of loose silver from his sleeve and tossed them straight down in front of Zhao Er.

Three live sheep cost three taels of standard silver at market prices, yet the steward had only given him two. Worse, he had thrown it directly onto the ground, as though dispensing charity.

Looking at the loose silver on the ground, Zhao Er's expression remained unchanged. He merely nodded before saying:

"The method is simple. I practiced the Five Poisons Art. In those woods, as long as I don't encounter particularly powerful miasma, I can withstand it!"

"The Five Poisons Art can do that too?"

The steward's eyebrows twitched when he heard Zhao Er mention the Five Poisons Art. He then focused his gaze on Zhao Er's hands. Clearly, he knew of this unorthodox art.

After seeing the faint black tinge still lingering on Zhao Er's palms, he nodded slightly. Only then did he look at Zhao Er properly for the first time.

Someone who dared to practice a poison art, then dared to use it to venture into the outskirts of the Clear Radiance Mountains—whatever else might be said, the steward knew at once that Zhao Er was ruthless.

"I don't know whether it works for anyone else. Anyway, that's how I survived. You two, I have things to do. Take care; I won't see you out."

Zhao Er did not care whether they believed him. Once he had given his explanation, he sent his visitors packing.

"Mm. Let's go!"

This time, the steward asked no further questions. With those words, he turned and left.

"The Wang Family..."

Watching the two leave, Zhao Er bent down to pick up the loose silver, then bounced it in his hand.

Zhao Er himself did not know whether the Five Poisons Art could resist miasma. In any case, that was not what he relied on.

But he was not the least bit worried about being exposed. The Five Poisons Art was not so easy to practice, and the miasma in the Clear Radiance Mountains was even less straightforward.

Even if they really used human lives to test it, by that time, he would certainly have the power to protect himself. Then, who would be making trouble for whom was anyone's guess.

"Second Son, are you all right? How can that little bastard Zhao Zhiyuan be so rotten, even bringing someone to our house!"

Only after the two had left did his mother, Zhang Xuan'e, emerge from the house, still making sure to berate Laitou.

"I'm fine, Mother. Take this. Go buy a sheep later and slaughter it for meat. Remember to save some of the innards for bait."

Zhao Er smiled at his mother and handed her the two taels of silver.

At the mention of meat, the little girl Zhao Shan, who was following behind Zhang Xuan'e, lit up. She even swallowed involuntarily.

"Dazhu! Is Dazhu home? Oh—Zhao Er's home. Perfect..."

Just then, someone called loudly from outside the gate. As he called, he had already appeared outside the courtyard. Seeing Zhao Er standing inside, his eyes brightened, and his face filled with a smile. Then he raised the chicken and basket of eggs he was carrying.

"I heard you're going to practice martial arts. This chicken and this basket of eggs are a little token from everyone in the village. Eat them to build yourself up. You can't practice martial arts without eating well."

The visitor was the village chief of Zhao Family Village. He was about the same age as Zhao Dazhu, but he belonged to a senior generation in the village, and his words carried considerable weight.

"Grandpa Chief, I appreciate everyone's kindness, but life isn't easy for any of you. We can't accept these."

Looking at the chicken and eggs in the village chief's hands, Zhao Er was actually quite touched, but he had no intention of accepting them.

He knew very well how everyone in the village lived. The chicken had probably come from the village chief's own household, while that basket of eggs likely included contributions from most of the families in the village.

"If we're giving them to you, take them. The village has always hoped to produce a martial artist. You've been a bold lad since you were little, willing to venture out and get things done. Everyone has faith in you. Once you become a martial artist, we'll all share in your good fortune."

The village chief would not allow Zhao Er to refuse. He pushed the chicken and eggs straight into Zhao Er's hands, then turned and walked out through the courtyard gate, leaving Zhao Er standing there holding them.

In truth, the village chief was right. Having a martial artist emerge from the village really would benefit everyone.

For one thing, with a martial artist in the village, gang thugs would not dare bully the villagers at will. When the fields needed irrigation, they would only have to invoke the martial artist's name and no longer worry about losing out in the scramble for water.

That was why people like Laitou were actually a minority in the village.

"Since everyone gave them to you, accept them. Just don't forget them in the future."

Seeing Zhao Er standing in a daze, Zhang Xuan'e stepped forward and took the gifts from him. She understood the village chief's and villagers' feelings better than he did.

"Mm!"

Looking at the eggs in his mother's hands, Zhao Er had experienced both the evil and the warmth of this world in a single day. He had also come to understand just how the common folk at the bottom of this world survived in these chaotic times.

With animal innards that made better bait than fish guts, Zhao Er no longer needed to waste time catching fish in the river.

He did not need to handle the family's farmwork either, which meant he could spend more time cultivating.

Yet practicing the Five Poisons Art was simply too taxing on his body. Whether he struck his body's surface with poisonous sand or inhaled it for cultivation, it tested both his body and mind.

As a result, Zhao Er could only cultivate for about an hour each day, and that was with meat provided every day.

Thus, he scheduled his daily cultivation for the evening. That way, at least he could get a decent night's sleep afterward.

As for the daytime, Zhao Er had no intention of wasting it either. He could not practice the Five Poisons Art for long, but he could practice the Five Poisons Fist.

And so, Zhao Er repeatedly drilled the four moves of the Five Poisons Fist in the courtyard.

Centipede Shell Retraction, Scorpion Tail Sweep, Spider Entangling Hands, and Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue, together with Toad Force—Zhao Er practiced them over and over.

Although there were only four moves, each had different variations. Spirit Snake Flicking Tongue, for example, essentially involved striking with the palm in a particular way to hit an enemy's vulnerable spots directly. Once he developed Toad Force, his strikes would become faster and far more powerful.