"Whew..."
Breathing out a mouthful of hot air, Tang Zhixue sat on the edge of his bed, savoring the taste. "The world's ended, and potatoes actually taste better?"
"Heh, I've got good days ahead!"
Tang Zhixue grinned. "I hope those potatoes sprout soon."
He spent the rest of his time joking around with others in the regional chat channel until he grew sleepy.
After renewing the Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra on the Shelter, Tang Zhixue fell into a deep sleep.
Of course, before going to bed, he had already used a Plant Vitality Crystal, providing fifty energy to the Dream Space.
When Tang Zhixue opened his eyes again, he found himself in the familiar Dream Space.
Today, instead of practicing Blazing Tiger Fist, he recreated his hunting knife and the two beasts' carcasses in the Dream Space.
Squelch!
Following the method for butchering prey, Tang Zhixue cut upward with his hunting knife from the inside of the tiger's paw, along the centerline of the inner limbs.
The next morning, Tang Zhixue woke from his deep sleep, still feeling somewhat dazed.
He had spent all of last night butchering the Thorn-Horned Mutant Tiger and the Mud-Armored Boar, and it had been deeply unpleasant.
"Looks like I can't keep repeating this kind of butchering practice in the future." Tang Zhixue shook his head with lingering dread. "It's too disgusting."
Yes, disgusting.
Anyone would be disgusted after looking at bloody messes all night, unless they were a pervert.
[Name: Tang Zhixue] [Level: First Tier] [Talents: Vitality Absorption, Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent] [Crafts: Bow and Arrow Crafting · Uninitiated (0/1), Prey Processing · Proficient (40/200)] [Skills: Blazing Tiger Fist · Proficient (1/200), Linked Pearl Archery · Master (11/1000), Pure Heaven and Earth Divine Mantra · Expert (34/500)]
In a single night, Prey Processing had already advanced to Proficient.
Though there were still some flaws, processing the Thorn-Horned Mutant Tiger and the Mud-Armored Boar would be no problem at all. After all, he had practiced on those two all night and was thoroughly familiar with them.
"Heaven and earth, in their natural order, disperse the foul qi. Within the cavern, profound emptiness; the Great Origin shines bright... swiftly, in accordance with the decree."
Once every day.
After breakfast, Tang Zhixue took his hunting knife and bow and arrows and headed out.
Compared with the cumbersome Iron Axe, the hunting knife was better suited to carrying on outings.
But today, just as he stepped outside, a panel filled with text quietly appeared before his eyes.
[Blue Star-Heavenly Stems Region Limited-Time Event-Beginning of Spring · Year's First Devouring!] [Starting today, an anomaly called Junweng will appear within the Silent White Fog until the event ends. Please take care to avoid it.] [Junweng: Nine feet tall, with a humanoid outline formed from interlocking Carpenter's Compasses, Iron Steelyards, Ink Line Reels, and Lu Ban Rulers. Its face has no features, only a central dividing line running down its entire body from top to bottom.] [Junweng is neither a living creature nor a ghost. It is more akin to an instinctive correction of "imbalance" by the yin and yang energies on the day of the Spring Equinox. It is active from noon that day, when yin and yang are evenly divided, until sunset, randomly appearing at any location deemed "imbalanced" to carry out its judgment of balance.] [Flowers with an odd number of petals, asymmetrical branches, leaf veins whose left and right sides differ by more than a hair; slight differences in feathers or fur coloration between the two sides, irregular calls, uneven strides while running; asymmetrical faces, emotional fluctuations (excessive joy, sorrow, or anger), breaths of uneven length, or even an inner fixation on something-all may attract Junweng.] [Note: Junweng has many duplicates. Do not count on getting lucky.]
???
Tang Zhixue backed up several steps into the Shelter. Right now, he really wanted to swear. With something like that around, how was he supposed to go outside?
He had a single eyelid on one eye and a double eyelid on the other. According to the description above, he was naturally capable of attracting the anomaly called Junweng.
"Fuck! What the hell is this?! It doesn't even say how long the event lasts!"
Yet the panel still did not disappear. Instead, its text changed to something else.
[As the saying goes: Misfortune is what fortune leans upon; fortune is where misfortune lies hidden.] [Starting today, a Biting Spring Granny will knock on your door late every night until the event ends.] [Never attempt to capture or harm her-anyone who harms her will be abandoned by all Solar Term Benevolent Spirits.] [Friendly reminder: Leave some food at your door. If Biting Spring Granny accepts it, she will leave something in return. The key is that you must have cooked the food yourself and eaten it that day, and both portions must have been cooked using the same piece of cookware.]
"Biting Spring Granny? Cooked food? Isn't that just leftovers? Or do I need to make two portions at once, eat one myself, and leave the other for Biting Spring Granny?"
Tang Zhixue sat on a stool, lost in thought. "Never attempt to capture or harm her... will be abandoned by all Solar Term Benevolent Spirits..."
"Solar Term Benevolent Spirits?"
Now that was rather interesting. There were twenty-four solar terms. Could it be that each solar term from now on would have a so-called Solar Term Benevolent Spirit to help everyone?
But in exchange, would some disgusting anomalies appear?
In any case, Tang Zhixue now kept feeling that this so-called Junweng was full of malice toward him.
Looking up at the carcasses of the Thorn-Horned Mutant Tiger and the Mud-Armored Boar, Tang Zhixue gritted his teeth, rose, and stepped out of the Shelter again.
If he wanted something in return from Biting Spring Granny, he needed to cook food. Would different foods earn different rewards, then?
If he was going to do it, he would do his best. That was what Tang Zhixue was thinking at that moment.
So no matter what, as long as he wanted a better reward, he had to go outside and process the two beasts' carcasses.
This time, however, he also brought a Supply Card.
[Item: Supply Card] [Level: First Tier] [Description: Tear open the card to obtain one barrel containing fifty liters of drinkable fresh water.]
Because he had Water-Gathering Grass, he had never used this Supply Card.
Tang Zhixue did not intend to look for a water source either. Once he found a suitable spot farther away, he would process the two carcasses right there.
Standing at the edge of the white fog, Tang Zhixue softly recited, "Heaven and earth, in their natural order, disperse the foul qi. Within the cavern, profound emptiness; the Great Origin shines bright... swiftly, in accordance with the decree."
Just as the white fog around him gradually dispersed, Tang Zhixue suddenly froze in place.
A figure stood not far ahead.
Nine feet tall, with a humanoid outline formed from interlocking Carpenter's Compasses, Iron Steelyards, Ink Line Reels, and Lu Ban Rulers. Its face had no features, only a central dividing line running down its entire body from top to bottom.
Junweng!
Never in his wildest dreams would Tang Zhixue have imagined that the damned anomaly would set its sights on him the moment he stepped outside.
Keeping his eyes fixed on Junweng, Tang Zhixue slowly backed away.
Perhaps because he was still standing within the Shelter's area of influence and had not stepped into the area shrouded in Silent White Fog, the Junweng anomaly merely stood there without moving.
There was, however, a mingled smell of ink line reels and tung oil from an old woodworking shop spreading through the surroundings.
Before you continue