Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Food was naturally not a matter of urgency at the moment.

Both men were still somewhat unsettled by the previous dangers they had faced.

No one knew whether the demon beast was dead or alive, if it harbored a grudge, or when it might come again.

Find another house?

With the world outside a frigid wasteland of snow reaching up to one’s chest, where could they find shelter in such a hurry, and moreover, moving might not guarantee safety.

It would be better to dig a deeper, more secure tunnel on the original site.

Once Chen had made the suggestion, both men set aside their fatigue and began working immediately.

...

The two emerged from the basement, combing through the surrounding ruins.

They collected anything that could still be of use and set it aside.

Bowls, pots, firewood...

All necessary for daily life.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to get through the coming days.

Chen’s gaze avoided the pile of vomit composed of corpses.

Even though he had killed quite a few people, he still couldn’t look directly at this mess without feeling nauseous.

"What do we do with these bodies?" Chen asked.

"Just throw them in the yard. They stink to high heaven. We can bury them with the dirt we dug up," Zhou Hong suggested, covering her nose.

She spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world!

In the dead of night, Chen had no choice but to steel himself and help Zhou carry the bodies.

The corpses were decomposed beyond recognition. Other than distinguishing male from female, it was impossible to tell who was who.

Fortunately, within a short time in the freezing cold, the bodies had almost frozen solid, stiff as boards. After wrapping their hands with torn cloth, they managed to move the bodies without getting too much of the viscous vomit on them.

After moving the bodies, Chen promptly slapped a Cleaning Talisman on both himself and Zhou Hong.

He couldn’t resist sniffing his hand afterward.

He wondered if it was just his imagination.

A strange smell seemed to linger at the tip of his nose.

"Let me smell!" Zhou Hong, knowing his temperament, giggled and grabbed his hand to sniff it, "Rest assured, it’s quite fragrant now, the smell’s gone!"

Chen huffed in feigned anger and shook off her hand.

"Really idle, get back to work!"

...

Three days later, noon.

Chen trudged through the thick snow that reached up to his chest, advancing with difficulty.

Though he could have used a Featherweight Talisman, to burn away a talisman now worth four low-grade Spirit Stones just to make his journey a little easier seemed too extravagant; he preferred to walk slowly on his own.

A walk that would normally take a mere fifteen minutes.

It took him nearly an hour, and even with his constitution, he was panting heavily and drenched in sweat.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Chen knocked on the door.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, are you there?"

The door opened after a short wait,

revealing a face prematurely aged with always a smile.

"Oh my, Fellow Daoist Chen, what brings you out in this weather? Is it that you’ve run out of talisman paper? Come in, come in quickly, it’s bitterly cold outside!" Zhang Yan turned and shouted back into the house:

"Shuniang, quick, make some tea, remember to use the good Spiritual Tea."

"Okay, Dad!" Zhang Shuniang showed her face before heading to the kitchen with brisk steps.

This fiery enthusiasm made Chen somewhat uncomfortable.

He shook the snow off his robe and stamped his feet before stepping inside, smiling as he said, "Indeed I do need to purchase some talisman paper..."

"Then you’ve come at just the right time. I’ve been keeping busy, and I’ve made quite a few good talismans. Let me show you!" Zhang’s smile grew warmer upon hearing this.

"Don’t rush!" Chen Li said with a hint of helplessness.

"Right, right! Look at me being so impatient, please have a seat, Chen!"

"It’s not convenient to come and go in this harsh winter, so this time I plan to buy four hundred and fifty at once. I just don’t know if you have enough stock on hand?" Chen Li took a seat and then spoke.

The number wasn’t really that large.

He was now at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, and his Spiritual Power had grown considerably since before.

When drawing Evil-Repelling Talismans, he could continuously draw three.

He could also continuously draw two Arrow-Evasion Talismans at a time.

Under normal circumstances, he would draw once at noon and again before going to sleep at night, managing to draw five talismans a day.

Four hundred and fifty talismans would only last for three months.

Moreover, in the time to come, he was about to start researching Featherweight Talismans, and with a lot of trial and error ahead, the consumption of talisman paper was bound to be significant.

"Don’t worry, I have enough stock this time!" Zhang Yan said hastily.

Chen Li hesitated over whether or not to ask Zhang Yan for advice on the intricacies of making Featherweight Talismans, but considering that the conversation would soon turn to the matter of food, he decided against it, prioritizing the bigger picture.

It was best not to stir up any trouble.

Zhang Shuniang quickly brought over some tea.

Chen Li thanked her, took a sip of the tea, set it down, and did not continue with small talk, but rather started talking about his recent experiences and the main purpose of his visit.

Zhang Yan’s complexion changed dramatically upon hearing this, losing his composure, he stood up and said.

"You actually encountered Demon Beasts... this is truly, truly... How did you manage to avoid them?"

Chen Li sighed and said, "Besides digging deep tunnels, what other choice did we have? Though we are unharmed, our house was destroyed by the Demon Beasts. Now my wife and I can only live underground, spending our days in darkness, but fortunately, it’s at least safe."

"Indeed, that’s a very prudent and effective method..." Zhang Yan’s eyes brightened, then after a moment’s thought, he said, "I do have some surplus food that I can share with you, but what about the price?"

"Whatever the purchase price was before, I’ll add fifty percent on top of it!"

"That’s a deal then," Zhang Yan agreed.

...

As long as it wasn’t about learning talismans, Zhang Yan’s attitude was always quite favorable.

He even helped with home delivery.

Upon Chen Li’s invitation, Zhang Yan also visited the partially completed tunnel, but soon began to get anxious and hurried home.

"This food will only last for half a month!" Zhou Hong counted the purchased food and said.

"We always have extra food stored for the winter; I’ll go ask the neighbors again tomorrow," Chen Li said.

...

For several days in a row.

Chen Li frequently visited the neighbors around him.

With the liberal spending of Spirit Stones, the process of buying food at high prices went very smoothly.

There’s not much need to elaborate.

In the meantime, the expansion of the tunnels didn’t stop, though it was no longer the desperate round-the-clock effort of the initial days.

After more than ten days, the whole project was finally complete.

The new underground dwelling went twenty meters deep into the earth.

An extension of a fifty-meter tunnel was added inside, with two exits. The first exit is needless to say, but the second one is located on another street, now hidden under thick snow.

In case of danger, they could quickly flee in that direction.

And the living quarters were still located directly below the original exit.

They had carved out a fifty-square-meter underground room, Chen Li and Zhou Hong together.

Since they still needed to cook, they had to stay close to the exit.

...

During this time, the Demon Beast had not appeared again, but Chen Li felt that such a powerful creature wouldn’t die so easily. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

After all, it was a Second Order Demon Beast, a formidable being comparable to one in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Perhaps it had learned its lesson and dared not come near this area again, or maybe it was holed up somewhere quietly licking its wounds.

Meanwhile, Chen Li finally had time to study new spells and talismans.