Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"No one can be counted on; in this world, depending on the heavens, the earth, or others is not as reliable as depending on oneself!" Chen Li thought to himself.

It was evening when he left Zhang Yan’s home.

The setting sun dyed the sky a brilliant crimson, casting the shantytown in a blood-red hue.

A few loose cultivators with fierce expressions whispered among themselves by the roadside, occasionally glancing at passersby. Upon seeing Chen Li, they quickly looked away.

Having killed both people and demon beasts,

coupled with his sturdy physique that seemed built for battle and his agile movements,

a not-to-be-messed-with aura naturally emanated from him.

With the passing of winter, the shantytown had become even more dilapidated. Underfoot, the muddy ground was mixed with all sorts of trash: rags, broken ceramics, wood, and occasionally, one could even see scattered bones and the decomposing carcasses of small animals.

At the same time, his nose was constantly filled with the musty smell of wood, the rotten stench of corpses, and the offensive odor of urine and excrement.

Only by the roadside, where wildflowers of unknown names and lush woods grew, could one feel the breath of spring.

Passing by a residence, a woman was crying.

Chen Li sighed inwardly and quickly left.

Lately, hunger had forced many to take risks by hunting and gathering in the wilderness and forests, and many who left never returned.

Loose cultivators in the shantytown could generally be divided into three classes.

The first survived on hunting; these were mid to high-level cultivators who were accustomed to the edge of the blade, battle-hardened, and would sometimes even venture to hunt low-level demon beasts, occasionally dabbling in banditry.

The second class survived on their craft; Lin Gui, Zhang Yan, and Chen Li were all among these.

The third survived on gathering herbs; they were mostly low-level cultivators with no other means to make a living, relying on herb collecting to sustain themselves. This class was the most numerous and occupied the lowest stratum of the shantytown.

Presently, it was this lowest class that lived in the most difficult conditions.

Chen Li made his way home quickly.

...

Late at night, he tossed and turned, faintly hearing the roar of a beast.

He opened his eyes.

Staring at the dark ceiling above, he watched blankly for a long time.

Unable to suppress the restlessness in his heart, he silently got up and crawled out of the burrow.

He tracked along quietly, guided by faint noises, and finally cornered the demon beast that was returning from its hunt in the wilderness.

Casting Traction Skill, he slapped on an amulet.

Without even using the Scolding Skill, Chen Li drew his sword and charged straight ahead.

It was as if he wanted to release the unease and irritation in his heart by immersing himself in the fight.

The beast was a formidable one, capable of standing upright with huge sharp claws. Standing, it reached seven meters in height, taller than a typical two-story building. Its massive paws, covered in sharp claws, could crush like a small mountain; when they struck, they created a huge pit on the ground, exuding astonishing momentum.

However, within the range of the Traction Skill, it stumbled and swayed erratically.

Various forces were disrupting it.

Sometimes pulled forward, sometimes pushed back, occasionally its leg jerked, or its paw dragged off course.

Although these interfering forces seemed trivial against the demon beast’s immense strength, they greatly affected its movements, making it more clumsy. Meanwhile, under the Traction Skill, Chen Li moved as if he were in his element.

The demon beast roared in rage, its paws constantly striking and waving, but it was helpless against Chen Li.

After about ten seconds, Chen Li, feeling confident, stopped dodging.

His feet moved as if shrinking the earth beneath him. With a single leap, he covered several meters, narrowly avoiding the demon beast’s attack and maneuvering behind it. At the same time, he aimed his sword at the demon beast’s Achilles tendon, not daring to exert too much force, lest he break the sword.

The blade, wrapped in the mana from the Traction Skill, severed the demon beast’s tendon as easily as cutting through tofu.

With a "pop," the sound of the tendon snapping was clearly audible.

The demon beast howled in pain and lost its footing. Its colossal body toppled like a mountain, exposing its vulnerable throat.

While the beast was still in midair, not yet fully collapsed, its face showed a mix of confusion and agony.

Chen Li had already leaped up violently.

His figure was as quick as lightning!

The sword transformed into a startling swan!

He aimed for its throat, hacking down viciously with his sword!

The sword’s edge, wrapped in mana, instantly sliced open half of its neck.

Simultaneously, using the floating debris in midair for leverage, he quickly landed, not looking back as he sprinted forward to avoid a dying counterattack, running until he reached a safe distance before finally turning around.

...

It took a good while for the demon beast to completely expire.

He split open its bulging stomach.

Inside, there were five undigested human corpses.

By now, Chen Li had lost much of his fear of corpses.

He sighed, then unhesitatingly prodded and picked with his sword, finally finding a low-grade magical instrument and fifteen low-grade Spirit Stones, which was a bit of an unexpected joy.

Then he cut out the entire stomach of the demon beast and dragged it to one side.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Anyway, it wasn’t him who would eat it.

...

This demon beast was larger than the last one, with even more meat.

On the fourth trip, he finally drew the attention of people who were out and about, but they just watched from a distance, hesitating to come closer.

Chen Li shook his head, signaling Zhou Hong in the distant shadows not to come over.

He then altered his appearance.

The image of the meat seller appeared again, and he walked over.

"You want a share of the meat?"

The Loose Cultivator nodded, then quickly shook his head, stepping back with a guarded expression.

"You can have a share of the meat, just follow this trail of blood, and you’ll find a demon beast’s carcass. But don’t touch anything else, understand? Help keep an eye on it, and I’ll give you some meat later!" Chen Li pointed at the Loose Cultivator not far away, speaking with a fierce look.

"Understood, understood, thank you, Fellow Daoist!" The Loose Cultivator said with a happy face, hurriedly responding.

"Then go ahead!"

After Chen Li spoke, he watched the other party walk away, disappearing completely into the night before he diverted his gaze and continued on, carrying the heavy demon beast meat.

He called out to Zhou Hong on the way.

After all, it was no longer safe here.

After several twists and turns, feeling no one was following, they finally returned home.

When Chen Li returned to the wilderness, he thought the other party would have taken the meat and left or called more people to keep watch, but to his surprise, the Loose Cultivator was straightforwardly, and honest, still guarding beside the demon beast’s carcass. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?" Chen Li curiously asked him.

"Ah!" Hearing this, the Loose Cultivator’s face turned pale, his eyes panicked, and he quickly tightened his grip on the concealed magic artifact: "You... You’re such a character, how... how could you possibly..."

"Don’t move that magic artifact. If you do, I can still kill you first. Do you recognize me?"

"Aren’t you the one who sells meat in the market... I’ve bought your demon beast meat before!" The Loose Cultivator hastily put away the magic artifact, smiling nervously.

Suddenly struck by a thought, Chen Li asked, "What’s your name, what’s your level of Qi Cultivation, and are you interested in working for me?"

"Zhao... Zhao Lin! Qi Cultivation fifth level." Zhao Lin said excitedly: "I can really work for you? Of course, I’m willing!"

"Good, your Qi Cultivation is passable. Come to the market early tomorrow, and I’ll give you a task," said Chen Li.

He was currently in need of someone to help sell magic artifacts, talismans, and gather information.

With the situation as it was now, it was no longer safe for Zhou Hong to sell talismans.