Breaking Through to Level 8, a Snow Disaster Descends
"Foreman Wang! Thank you all for your hard work these past few days. I'm very happy with the house, so I'll give you all the remaining money."
"Thank you, sir!"
Zhang Sheng's house had cost nearly three hundred strings of cash to build, far more than he had expected.
But the money hadn't been wasted. After all, the result was right there before him.
Although it had cost about a hundred strings more, Zhang Sheng could afford it, thanks to the lingzhi from last time.
Zhang Sheng hadn't expected the lingzhi to sell for a thousand strings of cash. Uncle Dashan had even stammered when he spoke at the time.
A thousand strings was a considerable fortune. Even many wealthy families in the county town might not have been able to produce that much.
Zhang Sheng clearly remembered how excited the old man at the apothecary had been the moment he saw the lingzhi, repeating over and over:
"There's hope! There's hope!"
Anyone who didn't know better might have thought the old man had lost his mind!
Once the old man had finally calmed down, he immediately offered a thousand strings of cash to buy the lingzhi.
His attitude was so resolute and his gaze so fierce that it seemed he wouldn't let them leave if they refused to sell.
Since the old man was willing to pay a thousand strings, Zhang Sheng and Uncle Dashan naturally had no reason not to sell. With both sides very satisfied,
the deal was made. The old man was so grateful that he invited them to a meal as thanks.
Zhang Sheng and Uncle Dashan declined, though. After all, it was only a transaction.
They didn't even know whether they would ever come back, so it was better to keep a little distance.
Just like that, a single lingzhi had greatly increased Zhang Sheng's wealth and solved his shortage of money for the house, with plenty left over.
Back to the present: after seeing Foreman Wang off, only Zhang Sheng and the others remained. He couldn't help finding it funny to see Uncle Dashan and the others still looking and touching all around.
"Uncle Dashan! Stop looking for now. There'll be plenty of time for that later. It's almost time to cook, anyway.
Why don't we cook here today? I'll have to start cooking for myself from now on anyway."
"Hehe! I've never seen such a beautiful house before. I got a little curious."
Zhang Sheng had already made up his mind while the house was being built: once the new house was finished, he would cook for himself.
After all, he now counted as having his own household and couldn't keep troubling Uncle Dashan and the others.
Uncle Dashan and the others had agreed, too. Given how Zhang Sheng had conducted himself during this time, it was hard to see him as a child anymore.
He could easily do many things that adults couldn't, so Uncle Dashan and the others felt quite at ease with him living alone.
Besides, they didn't live far away and could come over whenever something came up.
At noon, Uncle Dashan and the others had a hearty lunch at Zhang Sheng's new home.
The tables and chairs in the new house had all been newly made to Zhang Sheng's specifications, because people in the Sui and Tang periods still sat kneeling.
Zhang Sheng wasn't used to that, and it wasn't good for the body or mind, so he had chairs made instead. They were comfortable, attractive, and grand.
Even Uncle Dashan and the others thought the chairs were a good thing and wanted a few made for their own homes.
"Now this is a proper place to live! At most, the old one could only keep out the wind and rain.
"If only Uncle Dashan and the others would move in. It would be livelier, too."
Looking around his courtyard, Zhang Sheng found it rather empty and quiet, not as cozy as the little house.
What am I thinking? I finally got a new house after all that waiting, and now I'm thinking about living in the old one? Am I sick in the head?
If there aren't enough people, that's easy to fix. I can just hire some, can't I? I still have some money, anyway. Surely I'm not expected to clean such a big place myself.
If that doesn't work, I think slaves can still be bought and sold in this era. I can go take a look another day.
The day passed quickly. It was Zhang Sheng's first night in his new home, and he slept especially soundly.
He no longer had to worry that the house might suddenly be swept away by the wind one day. His old house really hadn't put him at ease.
Mornings at the start of winter were rather cold, but that couldn't stop Zhang Sheng's determination to grow stronger.
Strength was his assurance of survival in this world. Without it, he might still have been living in that dilapidated thatched hut.
Once Zhang Sheng entered a meditative state, he noticed that the Soul Power in his body was especially active today. He knew this was a sign that he was about to break through.
He carefully circulated his Soul Power as the energy outside constantly flowed into his body, circulating round and round.
Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out, and the energy between heaven and earth grew calm.
All the signs showed that Zhang Sheng had successfully broken through, and his strength had increased greatly.
"Haha! Level 8! In less than half a year, my Soul Power has risen a full six levels. That's unimaginable.
"Even on the Douluo Continent, it would be legendary, except for those lucky enough to have eaten Immortal Herbs."
The joy of a breakthrough was worth celebrating, but for now he could only celebrate alone. After all, there were many things he couldn't casually tell people.
"I'll celebrate alone, then! I happened to break through today, so I'll make myself some hot pot as a reward. Eating hot pot in winter is the most enjoyable thing there is."
Living alone was convenient. Whenever he wanted to eat something, he only had to make it himself, without needing to consider anyone else.
He had ingredients on hand, though because it was winter, there were no vegetables to pick in the fields. But Zhang Sheng had prepared some wild mountain mushrooms, enough for one person.
"Without chili peppers, though, it's still missing a bit of its soul. I'll look for some in the mountains later. Maybe there'll be wild mountain peppers or something."
The days passed, and the weather gradually grew colder. Even Zhang Sheng didn't much feel like going out and moving around.
Until a few days ago, Huzi had often come over to play, but now he no longer came. It really was a bit too cold.
"This temperature is a little unusual! Is it going to snow?"
Zhang Sheng was right. Snow began to drift down that evening, falling harder and harder until the earth was quickly dyed white.
Lying in bed and listening to the wind howl outside, Zhang Sheng felt especially peaceful. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Zhang Sheng opened the door and saw a thick layer of snow in the courtyard.
It was about half a meter deep, showing just how heavily it had snowed the night before. And with no sign of it stopping even now, there was no telling how deep it would get.
Since he couldn't cultivate outside, Zhang Sheng had to do it at home. After he finished, he heard a knock at the courtyard gate:
"Eldest Son of the Zhang Family! Are you up? Whew!"
"It's you, Uncle Dashan! What brings you here? Come in and get out of the cold. It's so cold out. Did you need something, Uncle Dashan?"
"I just came to check whether you're short of anything. Once winter comes, a lot of things become inconvenient."
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Dashan! I'm not short of anything here. If I need something, I'll come to you."
"That's good! If anything comes up, make sure you tell me. Don't act like a stranger with your Uncle Dashan."
Seeing that Zhang Sheng seemed to be living quite well, Uncle Dashan felt reassured. So, regardless of how heavily it was snowing, he set off for home again.
As he left, he kept muttering something. If Zhang Sheng's hearing hadn't been so sharp, he really wouldn't have heard him.
"Sigh! Who knows how many people will freeze to death again this year!"
Those words brought Zhang Sheng back to reality in an instant, and he suddenly realized that snowfall could be a disaster for some people.