Chapter 9 Uninvited Guest (3)
The breathing sounds that entered his ear had a regular rhythm and it didn't seem fake. After confirming this, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and slowly took out his iron stick. He then softly opened the zip to the tent and slowly entered.
The interior of the tent was dim, and Xu Qing could faintly see Broken Ox lying there. He was in a very deep sleep. Clearly, his exertions in the day, in addition to being injured, caused him to be incomparably fatigued.
Besides, his mentality was that of an 'expert', and this caused Broken Ox to be unable to imagine in his wildest dreams that the cooperative youth during the day would dare to take the risk to enter his tent when all the other scavengers were present.
So at this moment, he had no idea that there was an uninvited guest in his tent.
Xu Qing stared at Broken Ox who was in a deep sleep. His cold gaze was as calm as the deep seas as he approached softly. When he finally arrived beside his target, Xu Qing didn't hesitate. The dagger in his right hand glinted with cold light as he sliced the neck of the utterly ignorant Broken Ox ruthlessly.
His strength was exceedingly great and the head of his target was almost cleanly separated from its body.
Fresh blood instantly gushed forth.
The intense pain caused the eyes of Broken Ox to snap open. When he saw Xu Qing's emotionless face, his expression became one of disbelief and dread. Just as he wanted to struggle, Xu Qing's left hand rapidly lifted and pressed down on his mouth, causing him to be unable to utter a single sound.
His struggle grew increasingly intense. Broken Ox's eyes were wide open as his entire body twitched madly.
However, Xu Qing's arm was as though it was made of steel, pressing down on his target with a strength death would envy. He also lifted his right leg and directly stomped on Broken Ox's stomach. Xu Qing's body adopted the posture of a bow, and he borrowed the stance to stabilize his strength, causing Broken Ox's struggle to be futile.
As blood continued gushing forth, Broken Ox was like a fish that was out of the water. Slowly, the look of despair flared intensely in his gaze; there was even a pleading expression.
However, what he saw was still Xu Qing's calm face. As for the sounds his body produced during the struggle, it was completely masked under the roars and mournful cries of the outside world.
Time slowly flowed and tens of breaths later, Broken Ox's struggles grew gradually weaker. Finally, his body trembled and completely relaxed into an immobile state. Only his eyes, which were still open, showed the terror and anger he felt before his death.
Xu Qing didn't release his grab immediately. He waited for a while more to confirm that the other party had really died before he released his hands. After wiping away the blood on his hands, he opened his leather pouch.
He then cautiously took out the snake head wrapped in a sackcloth and carefully used the poisonous fangs of the snake head to pierce Broken Ox's skin.
At the next instant, as the poison spread, green bubbles were generated from Broken Ox's corpse, and it slowly melted.
After the amount of time it took for an incense stick to burn out, the corpse completely dissolved into a puddle of blood that seeped into the mud.
Xu Qing silently watched everything. After that, he started to clean the scene up and cleared all of Broken Ox's belongings, creating an illusion that the other party had gone missing. Only then did he leave the tent.
The cold wind blew at his face, blowing some of the smell of blood that lingered on his body away. Xu Qing lifted his head and looked at the dark night. After that, he took a deep breath of cold air before slowly walking back to his sleeping bag.
The moment he lay down in the sleeping bag, his heart state finally felt more solid. This was the sense of safety generated from removing the concealed danger, and it allowed him to close his eyes in peace and fall asleep. However, he still held the iron stick in his hand securely; his grip wasn't relaxed at all.
The night was silent.
On the next morning, when rays of the sun streamed down and illuminated the land, Xu Qing opened his eyes. He then quietly climbed out of his sleeping bag and casually glanced in the direction of Broken Ox's tent.
At the next instant, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Broken Ox's tent had actually vanished.
Hence, Xu Qing's heart sank as he grew even warier.
Very soon, the other scavengers continuously exited their tents in the early morning and discovered this matter. All of them felt puzzled and some began searching the surroundings for clues.
However, because Broken Ox had vanished thoroughly and his tent also disappeared, everyone eventually came to the conclusion that Broken Ox had left halfway through the night due to his greed for the items in the city, or he left for some other reasons that he didn't want to make public.
In any case, in this forbidden zone, there were too many reasons why one would disappear.
This group was originally a team that was formed temporarily. Moreover, Broken Ox was a loner, so a short time later, these scavengers no longer cared about this matter. Some of them glanced at Xu Qing, but somehow, they felt that it was impossible for this matter to have a connection with him. Besides, they had no obligation to investigate, so they retracted all their conjectures.
Only the old man known as Captain Lei shot a glance filled with deep meaning at Xu Qing when he took Xu Qing's sleeping bag back. He then calmly spoke.
"Now, are you still willing to leave with me?"
This sentence was inundated with many meanings, so Xu Qing fell silent.
The old man didn't say anything more. He then called out to everyone to hurry since there was light from the sun.
Qing Xu stood dumbfoundedly for a moment at his original location. He instinctively turned his head to look at the ruined city. Ultimately, he turned back to stare at the back view of the old man. After thinking for a moment, he strode forward and his footsteps gradually grew more determined.
Six scavengers and a kid. Their shadows under the sunlight were lengthened…
Far away, the wind gusted, blowing away their sighs and rueful emotions as they continued with their journey.
"This is a calamity of the gods. The entire city was annihilated."
"There's one more forbidden zone in this world…"
"This cannot be counted as anything much. Have you guys heard about this story before? About seven to eight years ago, there was a major city in the northern region. The god opened its eyes and glanced over there. After that, that area, including the city, directly vanished in a bizarre manner. It was as though they had never existed before."
The sound of conversation grew weaker and weaker. Under the sunlight, together with the figures trekking on a long journey, the youth remained silent. He quietly listened and continued to walk.
Further and further into the distance.
-x-X-x-
The forbidden zone formed in this part of the eastern region of the Nanhuang Continent wasn't very big.
The ruins that Xu Qing's group had left were at the edges of the forbidden zone.
This was also why the scavengers were able to rush over to the city on the first day the sunlight came.
Therefore, when the sky was gradually turning dark, they were almost out of the forbidden zone's perimeters.
They had encountered some mutated beasts on the way, but the beasts were quickly taken care of by these scavengers.
Xu Qing came to an assessment after observing them.
He felt that if he were to make a move, amongst the six scavengers, he would have a chance against any of them other than Captain Lei.
"They aren't cultivators, but the viciousness when they fought, their grasp of timing, as well as their indifferent attitude toward death in critical moments allowed their killing prowess to be enhanced."
Xu Qing assessed these people and analyzed the situation. He reckoned that he could fight against any one of them in a one-on-one battle, other than Captain Lei.
In fact, it might not be impossible for him to take on two of them at once. But he probably couldn't handle three in one go.
Xu Qing became increasingly cautious after he made this judgment.
At the same time, he was also sharp enough to notice that as the distance from the external world grew closer, those scavengers' expressions became a lot more relaxed.
They even started to chat and joke with each other on the way.
Only the old man who was called Captain Lei didn't say a word along the way.
The others treated the old man with a lot of respect, and this made Xu Qing feel a little curious about his identity.
However, this curiosity didn't reduce his wariness. Even though they were almost out of the forbidden zone, Xu Qing continued to be on his guard. So, even when he was following these scavengers, he didn't get close to them completely.
Instead, he kept a suitable distance and followed cautiously as he listened to them talking.
When the sky was almost completely dark, Xu Qing paused in his footsteps as a sensation of warmth gushed over him. He then turned and stared at the desolate land behind him, before looking at the world in front of him.
Between heaven and earth, the place he was standing in seemed to have an invisible boundary.
Within the boundary was a rudimentary forbidden zone that had just been formed. It was extremely cold.
Outside the boundary was the normal world that was filled with vitality and warmth.
They finally walked out of the forbidden zone.
Although it was nighttime outside, the starry sky was dazzling and the bright moon hung high up in the sky.
Although the land outside also reeked of desolation, it was a far cry from the coldness in the forbidden zone. There'd also be occasional cries from ordinary birds and beasts.
Xu Qing even saw a rabbit in the bushes far away, and it was looking at them warily.
Everything here made Xu Qing feel a little in a daze.
At this moment, those scavengers' expressions became completely relaxed. Even Captain Lei's brows were no longer knitted.
"We're finally out. This trip is considered quite smooth. If it's possible, I wouldn't want to take another step into the forbidden zones."
"Don't go to the forbidden zones? If you want to survive in this damned world, if you want to live a better life, you must risk your life in the forbidden zones. Sooner or later, I'll buy a residency right in a Seven Blood Eyes' branch city!"
Now that they were out of the forbidden zone, these scavengers were clearly in a more relaxed mood and kept chatting with each other.
Xu Qing kept quiet but listened attentively. From the conversations he had heard on the way, he had gained a lot of information that he wouldn't have heard of in the past.
Take the Seven Blood Eyes for example. He had heard these scavengers mention them many times. They seemed to be a very powerful influence.
Also, the name Purple Earth had been mentioned by them many times.
"You only have such a small ambition? There are many Seven Blood Eyes' branch cities. Antler City, which is nearby, is one of them. However, the qualifications there can't be bought with just spirit coins. You still need the recommendation of a Seven Blood Eyes's disciple. Residency rights? My goal is to obtain the qualifications to enter the Seven Blood Eyes and become a Seven Blood Eyes's disciple!"
"If you go to the Seven Blood Eyes, you won't be able to survive for more than three days. Who doesn't know how to boast? Why don't you say that your goal is to head to the Wanggu Continent overseas? The place of origin for the human race can be found there."
When Xu Qing heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He had seen the name Wanggu on the bamboo slip.
"Wanggu? You think that I wouldn't go if I had the capability to ignore those forbidden creatures in the sea?"
Two of the scavengers seemed to have some verbal conflict and started arguing.
As Xu Qing perked his ears and was about to continue to listen to their conversation to obtain more information, the old man named Captain Lei threw a glance at them. He then spoke for the first time on the journey.
"It's not impossible if you want to go to the Wanggu Continent. There are four ways to do so, and you guys can give it some thought to see which method is suitable for you."
"Firstly, achieve Foundation Building by the age of 15 years old, becoming a rarely-seen heaven chosen. Secondly, pay 300,000 jun* worth of spirit coins and purchase a migration quota from Purple Earth, Seven Blood Eyes, or the Litu Sect*."
"Thirdly, make an outstanding contribution in alchemy for the human race. Fourthly, be taken in as a personal disciple by one of the great clans from Purple Earth, or by one of the Seven Blood Eyes's peak lords*, or the Litu Sect's sect master."
"Oh, there's a fifth way, which is to become a treasure-nurturer. Think about it. Which method is suitable for you?"
All the scavengers fell silent, especially when they heard the fifth method. Their expressions became very unnatural and their gazes revealed horror.
Xu Qing focused his gaze. He had heard of the term 'treasure-nurturers' before.
Back when he was in the slums, he had a few close companions with him who were taken away by some people dressed in luxurious clothes.
It was said that they wanted to nurture them into treasure-nurturers. Back then, the other children in the slums were very envious.
Therefore, he hesitated a moment before looking at Captain Lei and asking softly.
"May I ask... what are treasure-nurturers?"
Captain Lei's gaze landed on Xu Qing and he slowly spoke.
"Using one's body to nourish magic treasure and cultivate unique techniques, using one's flesh and blood to dilute the anomalous substances in magic treasures. This will help to ease the anomalous substances increment with each use of the magic treasure. While it allows the continuous usage of the magic treasures, the treasure-nurturers' bodies will gradually wear out and they'll die."
Xu Qing's eyes narrowed and he fell silent for a long while.
Everyone seemed to have lost interest in chatting because of the words 'treasure-nurturers'. They then continued to walk silently in the dark night.
It was until they had left a distance away from the forbidden zone and arrived at a stretch of plains that Captain Lei chose to set up camp.
Unlike how they had done things in the forbidden zone, when they set up camp in the external world, they not only set up tents but also started a campfire.
As the flames burned, the warmth grew stronger. These scavengers then sat around the campfire, each taking out their food to roast. Fragrance gradually permeated the air out as they cooked.
Xu Qing gulped when he saw their food. Meanwhile, he sat in the far distance and took out half a piece of tough meat jerky, putting it into his mouth and chewing it off with great effort.
Captain Lei, who was next to the campfire, looked over. He then got up and went over to where Xu Qing was.
As Xu Qing abruptly raised his head, Captain Lei tossed over a leather pouch. There were a few hot buns within.
Xu Qing's eyes widened the instant he saw these buns. He held in his urge and spoke up in a low voice.
"Thank you."
Captain Lei didn't say anything and returned to the side of the campfire. A scavenger next to him laughed and asked.
"Captain Lei, why are you treating this kid so well?"
"We're all pitiful people. Since we met each other, we are fated. If I can help, then I'll help a little."
There were three buns in the bag and they felt very warm to the touch.
Xu Qing hesitated for a moment. He saw that everyone next to the campfire was also eating the same buns. Therefore, he first pretended to take a bite while he continued to observe those scavengers. After noticing that they were all fine after a while, he continued to hold his impulse in for a very long time before he finally took a small bite, keeping the food in his mouth and waiting for a moment.
Only after ascertaining that it was fine did he slowly chew it thoroughly and swallow it slowly.
And after another long period of waiting and confirming again that it was fine, he completely relaxed and heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. He couldn't hold it in anymore and finished one of the buns in big bites.
Then, he hesitated for a moment and finished the second one as well.
Although he was still hungry, he still wrapped up the last bun and carefully placed it in his leather pouch, as if he was storing a precious treasure.
As it quickly got later into the night, the scavengers returned to their tents in succession. After that, Captain Lei acted the same as yesterday and passed a sleeping bag to Xu Qing. He then said a sentence before he left.
"This is a gift for you."
Xu Qing raised his head and looked at Captain Lei before he suddenly spoke.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why? Are you talking about the three buns and one sleeping bag... There's no reason for that. If you feel grateful, just get me some food in the future." Captain Lei turned and headed toward his tent.
"What do you like to eat?"
"Me?" Captain Lei stood next to his tent and thought about it.
"Snakes. Those things don't taste bad." After saying that, he entered his tent.
Xu Qing held onto the sleeping bag and looked at Captain Lei's tent for a very long time. He then nodded heavily in agreement before entering the sleeping bag and closing his eyes.
However, he didn't fall asleep immediately. Instead, he quietly circulated the Mountains and Seas Art with his eyes closed. This had already become a habit of his.
Even though it felt extremely chilly when cultivating, he didn't give up at all. He made use of all the time he had to work hard in his cultivation.
This was especially so after Captain Lei had mentioned the point of achieving Foundation Building before the age of 15. Although he couldn't compare with those heaven chosens mentioned in books, he still had some hope.
"I'm 14 this year..." Xu Qing mumbled and then continued cultivating.
Just like that, time slowly ticked on and very soon, five days passed.
Xu Qing followed these scavengers to cross over mountains and travel across plains.
Three people had left midway through the journey. This also verified Xu Qing's assessment previously that these people had grouped together on a temporary basis.
By the seventh day, after the two blade-wielding scavengers left as well, only Xu Qing and Captain Lei remained.
On this night, at the foot of a mountain, Captain Lei looked at Xu Qing. The latter took small bites of a bun next to the campfire while keeping some of the buns for later. After that, Captain Lei slowly spoke.
"Kid, we'll be able to reach our destination tomorrow at noon. That's the place I live at and it is also a campsite where scavengers gather."
Xu Qing looked up at the old man.
The old man gazed into the far distance and continued speaking.
"Scavenger campsites tend to be set up next to forbidden zones. Therefore, the area on that side of the mountain next to the campsite is also a forbidden zone.
"Compared to the rudimentary forbidden zone you were in previously, this one has existed for a very long time. Not only do ferocious beasts exist there, but there are also dangerous places, and the density of anomalous substances is extremely high. If an ordinary person doesn't come out from there after one day, they'll definitely die. Even I can only hang on for seven days at most there.
"However, that place produces seven-leaf grass in abundance. It is a necessary ingredient in refining white pills.
"White pills are the foundational alchemy pills that cultivators use to neutralize the anomalous substances in their bodies. Therefore, many outsiders come to this place. They care for their lives and aren't familiar with the terrain, so they rarely go pick the seven-leaf grass themselves. They usually tend to spend spirit coins to get the native scavengers to enter the forbidden zone and pick the grass."
After saying this, the old man looked at Xu Qing.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"You're saying that the native scavengers in the campsite are people who can do anything for the sake of money."
When Xu Qing heard about the white pill and its effects, he squinted his eyes and said this after some thought.
Captain Lei's gaze had a hint of surprise and he smiled.
"Your answer is partially correct. What I want to tell you is that the rule in scavenger campsites is simply the survival of the fittest. Strength is above everything else.
"However, it is still a place of residency at least. Moreover, it has a marketplace where one can purchase or sell living necessities. There'd even be merchant groups who would come occasionally. Therefore, the housing at the campsite is quite valuable.
"As such, not everyone can enter as they please. For an unfamiliar face to gain residency rights, they must go through a beast fight. This was a rule decided by the camp leader.
"And if you pass it successfully, I can allow you to stay at my place for a fee," said the old man slowly as he looked at Xu Qing.
-x-X-x-
The Nanhuang Continent was very vast.
If one gazed down from above, one could see that the Nanhuang Continent looked like an irregular oval-shaped chess board that was surrounded by seas.
It was separated by a boundless sea from the Wanggu Continent and appeared more like an island. However, its area was very vast, and many people wouldn't be able to finish traversing it even if they used their entire life.
It was just that the vast majority of the places there were difficult for the human race to enter. They were separated by the Truth Mountain Range that ran obliquely through the entire Nanhuang Continent.
Moreover, there was an extremely vast forbidden zone in the southwest region of the Truth Mountain Range.
That place occupied almost 70% of the Nanhuang Continent. Hence, only the northeast region of the Truth Mountain Range had suitable places for the human race to stay in.
But even so, the population of humans here wasn't small.
In the northeast region, the minor and major cities were as densely-packed as stars in the sky. There were sturdy ones and simple ones.
However, these cities were all built while avoiding the small-scaled forbidden zones that could be seen everywhere in the northeast region.
If there was a choice, no one would be willing to live in the surroundings of a forbidden zone. Staying there meant that one would constantly be in danger. Only outlaws would gather near there as a last resort; their eyes were red with jealousy as they licked the edge of their blades while struggling to survive.
Hence, scavenger camps were formed. In the surroundings of almost every forbidden zone, there would be such a campsite. From the perspective of the entire human race's territory, the location of the scavenger camps was very 'mixed'.
At this moment, such a campsite was perfectly reflected in Xu Qing's eyes as he stood on a mountain peak.
By staring from afar, the campsite wasn't considered very large. There were merely several hundreds of people living there.
Maybe it was due to the time being in the early morning, the smoke that arose from cooking was thick. Although this place wasn't as prosperous as a city, it was still very lively.
There were sounds of shouting, insults, peddlers' trade, and even unbridled laughter mixing together. These sounds were then transmitted to a very far distance.
For the valuable housing Captain Lei had been talking about, Xu Qing could see that ranging from the inner part of the campsite to the outer part, the structure of the houses grew increasingly simpler. The houses at the external perimeter were basically tents.
And at a distance not far away behind the campsite, there was a pitch-black jungle.
That place was shrouded by mist as though it was hiding some terrifying existence.
Even if the sky was filled with bright sunlight, the rays of the sun had no way to shine through there. It was as though there were gods and devils within, and they exuded cold intimidation in all directions.
It looked like the black-colored mutation spots on the human body. It was a shocking sight and at the same time, it was isolated from the other parts as well.
"How do you feel after seeing it?" On the mountain peak, Captain Lei asked.
"It's about the same as the slums." Xu Qing thought about it before answering honestly.
Captain Lei smiled and didn't reply. He then continued to walk forward.
Xu Qing retracted his gaze and followed behind Captain Lei. The two of them descended the mountain, and their distance to the campsite got nearer and nearer.
On their way there, they encountered people in small teams of twos and threes who had exited or entered the campsite. Their clothes were all similar, and they mainly wore leather coats of a deep-gray color.
Xu Qing noticed that after these people saw Captain Lei, they all revealed looks of reverence on their faces. The majority of their gazes also contained curiosity as they glanced at Xu Qing.
This made Xu Qing have even more guesses about Captain Lei's identity.
Just like this, when the sun was high in the sky, Xu Qing followed Captain Lei and entered the plains underneath the mountain. They then got to the scavenger campsite.
The campsite had no walls and the layout was very chaotic. Clouds of dust, withered leaves, and garbage could be seen everywhere, and there was a feeling of smog and miasma.
As Xu Qing went deeper, the sounds he heard from the mountain also grew clearer as they entered Xu Qing's ears.
What then entered his vision were numerous simple-looking buildings and a multitude of scavengers.
Some were like Broken Ox, muscular and incomparably sturdy, but there were also skinny scavengers who had sinister and venomous gazes. A portion of them were old people who were so advanced in age that they could barely open their eyes, yet no one dared to antagonize them.
Other than them, Xu Qing could see youths like him cowering in a corner and listlessly staring at the sky.
A portion of them were cripples.
All in all, there were plenty of people here. After Xu Qing saw them, his eyes narrowed slightly. He could sense spirit energy fluctuations from their auras.
There were people of all shapes and sizes. Some were trading, some were sparring, and some were lying on large rocks and basking in the sun.
Some had just hoisted their pants up as they walked out of the tents with brightly-colored feathers on top. Their expressions were one of lust being satisfied.
Xu Qing followed Captain Lei into the camp. From the perspective of an outsider, it was like walking into hell.
However, other than the vigilance in his heart, he didn't wear any strange expression. In fact, he even felt a faint familiarity.
"Indeed, it resembles the slums a lot." Xu Qing mused in his heart. His gaze swept past those tents with feathers hanging on them, and he saw the scantily-clad figures within.
In fact, in one of the tents, a young woman even walked out half-naked. She had a lazy expression on her face as she smiled and waved her hands at Xu Qing.
"Don't look randomly." Captain Lei swept his gaze at Xu Qing.
"I know what sort of place that is," answered Xu Qing as he retracted his gaze.
The wrinkles on Captain Lei's face squeezed together into a half-smile. He didn't say anything and continued to lead Xu Qing to the campsite until he arrived at his destination.
That place was a gigantic building constructed from wood at the center of the camp. It was ring-shaped and appeared to be a colosseum for fighting beasts.
On the way here, Xu Qing had been observing. In his mind, half of the map of this campsite had already formed.
This was his habit. Many times, familiarity with the surroundings could become an advantage to aid one in resolving a crisis.
At this moment, he lifted his head and looked at the colosseum-like building. He noticed that other than the gigantic field in the center, there were many crudely-built tall chairs arranged around the field.
Other than this, waves of roars from ferocious beasts could be heard from within the building.
There were also rows of wooden sheds in the surroundings of the building. A few scavengers with clean clothes were faintly smiling and chatting outside the sheds.
As Captain Lei arrived, a skinny middle-aged man soon walked out of the Beastfight Arena to greet him.
This man's clothes were clearly different from scavengers. He had a three-stroke beard, and spirit energy fluctuations could similarly be felt from his body. After he arrived, his face showed a perfunctory smile as he glanced at Xu Qing before looking back at Captain Lei.
"Newbie?"
"He already knows the rules," Captain Lei slowly spoke.
"What is his name?" asked the guy with the three-stroke beard* casually.
"He's just a brat, how would he have a name? Just call him Kid," answered Captain Lei calmly.
"Follow me then. Kid, your luck isn't bad. There are already a few people before you. You should be able to fight in one of the matches tomorrow."
The guy with the three-stroke beard laughed as he turned and walked toward the wooden sheds.
Now, Xu Qing looked at Captain Lei.
"Go. I will come and fetch you tomorrow." Captain Lei looked at Xu Qing with some anticipation in his eyes.
Xu Qing then cast a deep glance at Captain Lei before nodding. He didn't continue to speak and began to follow the guy with the three-stroke beard.
When they arrived before the wooden shed, the guy with the three-stroke beard gave a few instructions to the scavengers at the side before turning around to depart.
And as for Xu Qing, he was arranged to stay in one of the wooden sheds and was told that he couldn't leave here without getting permission.
The moment he stepped into this wooden shed, four pairs of eyes from different locations inside the house gathered on him.
These eyes belonged to four youths whose ages were similar to him. There were three guys and one girl.
Two of the youths seemed to be a few years older than him. At this moment, their eyes swept over Xu Qing and surveyed him, but they didn't care too much.
As for the girl, she was slightly younger than Xu Qing. She cowered in a corner and a large scar could be seen on her face.
She nervously stared at everything in her surroundings warily, including the three male youths, as well as Xu Qing who had just arrived.
As for the oldest youth here, he was originally a scavenger, but he changed to another campsite.
So, after seeing Xu Qing, his lips curled as he felt some disdain. He then shifted his gaze. His eyes were filled with invasive intent as he stared at the girl while licking his lips.
However, he who clearly hadn't obtained the residency right in this campsite didn't dare to be too impudent with his actions.
Xu Qing ignored them. He found a location near the door and sat down cross-legged with his eyes closed as he quietly meditated.
Time slowly passed. Maybe it was because Xu Qing's arrival was too quiet, gradually the three male youths in the shed neglected him and began to chat among themselves.
Two of the youths clearly had hints of flattering in their tone when they chatted with the oldest youth.
The content of their conversation was mostly about the martial training they had to go through this time around.
Through their conversations, Xu Qing knew that this campsite would regularly organize a session of martial training when they had accumulated enough people who wanted to obtain residency rights here.
The rules of the martial training were very simple.
Because the camp leader of this campsite reared many mutated ferocious beasts, the martial training that would allow one to obtain a residency right would simply be a beast fight. The combatants would draw lots and fight against the ferocious beasts they drew.
Either they lived, or they died to the monsters, becoming prey.
Those who were alive could bring back their battle spoils and gain residency rights.
Those who died would become food for raising the ferocious beasts.
And every martial training would be organized in this place named the Beastfight Arena.
At the same time, most of the scavengers here would purchase tickets to watch this bloody show, and while obtaining satisfaction from it, the camp leader would also start bets to make a profit.
In this cruel world, human lives were worthless.
If one wasn't qualified to enter the city and also couldn't enter the camp. They would have no choice but to live in the wilderness. Their risk of dying would then become even greater.
Naturally, going to the slums was a choice. But evidently, those who had chosen to join a scavenger campsite had their own reasons and stories.
Xu Qing sat at the side while he listened.
When their conversation steered to the god opening its eyes many days ago, one of the youth suddenly asked.
"When I came here, I heard people saying that you are the lucky sole survivor from that calamity?"
As these words rang out, Xu Qing slowly opened his eyes.
When he glanced over, he noticed that the youth wasn't talking about him but the little girl at the corner instead.
The girl's body trembled and she silently nodded.
Xu Qing's gaze landed on the little girl.
Everyone only heard about the story, but he had experienced everything. So, he deeply understood that those who could survive in the calamity and arrive here wouldn't be so simple or fragile even though their appearances indicated that they were so.
The little girl seemed to have noticed Xu Qing's gaze. She then lifted her head and looked at Xu Qing.
However, Xu Qing closed his eyes again and continued to meditate. He had to grasp all available time to cultivate. This was the only thing he could depend on to live a better life.
Just like this, a night passed.
The next morning, as the clamor and hooting of the outside world rang out, the door to the wooden shed was opened by someone.
Sunlight streamed in. The scavenger who opened the door stood in the doorway, and his figure caused his shadow to be cast into the house, enveloping the figure of the little girl in the corner. This man then coldly spoke.
"Pack up and leave with me. The good show you guys are putting up will be shown soon."
"I've waited long enough."
The scavenger youth was the first to rise. He smiled and walked over, greeting the person at the door.
The two other youths also hurriedly followed him. Xu Qing was the fourth person to go out, and the little girl was the last one.
The scavenger at the door was acquainted with that scavenger youth. After they chatted for a while, he ignored the others and led the youth to the Beastfight Arena.
The nearer they got, the louder the clamor. Hooting and cheering rose forth in waves, growing in intensity.
This lasted until the group of them stepped into the Beastfight Arena. The moment they did so, the commotion thoroughly erupted.
They could see that on the surrounding tall chairs inside the Beastfight Arena, there were currently over 100 people spectating. Males and females grouped together rowdily as they prepared themselves to watch a good show.
Their voices were very loud. Upon seeing this scene, the little girl's body evidently shivered and the two youths also had pale expressions.
The only exception was the scavenger youth whose eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared at the audience.
Next was Xu Qing. His expression didn't change much, and he started observing the environment of the fighting area inside the Beastfight Arena.
"The space isn't very large, so it's unsuitable for kiting. Since there is no cover, it is also unsuitable for hiding."
"The surrounding wooden fences are very tall, so it's unsuitable to draw the danger to the audience. But there are signs of a few gates, there should be tunnels there."
"So..either I borrow the cheers and shouts of the audience to frighten the beast, while I find an opportunity to act, but that might end up backfiring as it could cause the ferocious beast to rage, or I end things as swiftly as possible as that would be the most advantageous."
[1] image of how a three-stroke beard looks like: /ent/article/BAH277P500031H2L.html
-x-X-x-
While Xu Qing was observing the environment of the fighting area, the sounds of cheering from the crowd echoed out. The entrance, where Xu Qing and the others had walked into earlier, now let out a booming sound as a huge gate slammed down.
It smashed heavily against the ground surface, causing clouds of dust and soil to kick up.
This sound was like a bugle horn being blown and caused the surrounding scavengers to become even more excited.
Xu Qing also noticed that on that tall platform right in front of him, there was a middle-aged man clad in cotton clothes. A group of people followed him, and he sat in the highest seat.
Because the distance was very far, his appearance was somewhat blurry.
Evidently, the status of this person was extraordinary.
Despite the far distance, Xu Qing could sense that the spirit energy fluctuations from the other party were extremely dense, surpassing everyone he had ever seen before.
This caused Xu Qing to feel wary. At the same time, he had a guess in his heart. This person was probably the camp leader of this campsite.
This was because Xu Qing saw the guy with the three-stroke beard from yesterday bending beside him, carefully giving the latter a report.
As the camp leader sat down, the guy with the three-stroke beard stood on a tall platform and made a gesture to those below.
Very soon, at the boundary of the Beastfight Arena, a wooden gate was opened. Now, waves of roars from ferocious beasts sounded even clearer without the obstruction of the wooden gate.
And as the sounds echoed out, a group of scavengers emerged.
They were split into four teams of three, each carrying a large metal cage as they slowly walked out.
Inside each metal cage, a ferocious beast could be seen roaring and prancing around, as though they wanted to tear the cage into pieces.
Xu Qing rapidly glanced over and his gaze swept past the four metal cages.
He saw that there were two giant wolves, one larger and one smaller. However, both their teeth were extremely sharp. Their bodies were pitch black, and their gazes were blood-colored.
There were also large amounts of drool dripping from the corner of their mouths. As they stared at Xu Qing and the other four, they revealed savage expressions.
There was also a red-furred bear. Its thick arms were even larger than the thigh of an adult human. As for its expression, it was filled with violence as it continued to rattle the cage.
The small team of three scavengers carrying it evidently found it very strenuous to do so.
As for the ferocious beast in the last metal cage, its aura was clearly much weaker in comparison.
It was a gibbon.
Its body was covered in pustules, which looked like they would explode with a single touch. This was especially so since the gibbon seemed to be in very great pain. It kept slamming itself against the metal cage, causing a number of pustules to keep breaking. It was a shocking sight.
Their appearances sent the surrounding audience into another uproar.
In just a moment, the expressions of the two youths beside Xu Qing paled. That little girl also had intense terror in her eyes. As for that youth who was originally a scavenger, he was also much more nervous at this moment.
"Why are there only four creatures?" Xu Qing was astonished as he glanced at the tunnel inside the wooden gate.
At the moment he looked over, the four ferocious beasts in the cages who were struggling and roaring instantly fell silent. It was as though they were intimidated.
And at the same time, a gigantic metal cage twice the size of the previous cages was slowly carried out by six scavengers from the wooden gate.
As the gigantic metal cage appeared, the surrounding audience immediately exclaimed out loud.
"Giant-horn python!"
"This time around, the camp leader actually managed to capture a giant-horn python. But then again, in his eyes, this python can't be considered valuable at all."
"To these brats, whoever draws this python will surely die. Even if we encounter it in the wilderness, we will require two people to stake their lives before we can kill it."
The ferocious beast inside was actually a gigantic python.
The thickness of its body was comparable to the waist of a human adult, and the color of its body was a mix between gray and black. If one looked closely at the dark patterns, they looked like jagged mountain peaks.
At this moment, it lay motionless in the cage. Its large head then slowly lifted, and its yellow vertical pupils shone with sinister coldness as it looked outside.
Under its stare, regardless of the giant wolves or gibbon, they were all trembling.
Only the red bear let out a low roar after being provoked. It looked like it didn't mind retaliating, but its body was actually slowly retreating. It retreated until it reached the back end of its metal cage.
"Please don't let me draw it, please don't let me draw it…"
Behind Xu Qing, the two youths immediately shivered. When the two of them were praying in low voices, a sharp glint of light appeared in Xu Qing's eyes.
He knew about giant-horn pythons. When he was in the slum, someone had hunted one and dragged the corpse back.
At that time, he heard the experienced person saying that the strength of this python was very great. Once something was entangled by it, even giant logs of wood would be snapped. Besides, the python's skin was very thick.
However, its body was clumsy and its speed comparatively couldn't be considered fast.
In addition, its gallbladder contained very good medicinal potency. It would cleanse part of the taint in one's body. Also, the snake meat was very nutritious.
When Xu Qing thought about this, he recalled that Captain Lei had told him that he liked eating snakes.
Xu Qing had also caught plenty of snakes when he was younger. Hence, he couldn't help but lick his lips.
Also, the mutation point on his body grew darker and darker the more he cultivated. Yesterday during his cultivation, he faintly felt some piercing pain radiating from it.
,m Xu Qing was thinking that if he could eat the snake's gallbladder, much of the taint in the mutation point might be neutralized.
While he was staring at the giant-horn python, the lot-drawing started.
A scavenger arranged by the guy with the three-stroke beard carried five bamboo sticks with him as he walked over. Each of the bamboo sticks contained the names of the ferocious beast in this martial training session.
The oldest youth was the first to draw. When he saw the bamboo stick he drew, he clearly heaved a sigh of relief.
After that, it was the two other male youths and the little girl.
The expressions of the two youths were slightly bitter as they prayed while drawing the lots. However, the gaze of the little girl was filled with despair when she looked at the lot she drew.
The bamboo slip in her hand was none other than the one that corresponded with the giant-horn python. Hence, the last of the five bamboo sticks was the smaller wolf. This was also clearly the weakest ferocious beast among the five.
Xu Qing took that bamboo slip and frowned as he pondered.
Very soon, the scavenger departed. They, the combatants, were then arranged behind a corner barricade. As the cheering of the surrounding audience rang out, the first match began.
-x-X-x-
The person arranged to make an entrance was one of the two youths.
He walked out shivering. The ferocious beast set against him was none other than that muscular red bear.
The fighting process was very quick. That youth basically wasn't a match for the red bear. After barely clashing a few times, he was overpowered. Eventually, his body was directly torn apart while he was in despair.
As a result, fresh blood splattered in four directions, causing a commotion in the surroundings. There was also the sound of cursing that was filled with regret.
This scene caused the other youth to be so scared that his body shivered unceasingly. He, who was originally supposed to fight in the second round, suddenly shouted loudly that he wanted to give up the match.
Hence, under the booing from the crowd, Xu Qing saw the youth being brought away by the scavengers. As for the youth's ending, it was clear even without thinking about it.
The person arranged to go for the third match was the scavenger youth.
He had managed to draw the larger black wolf, but his experience as a scavenger made him much more ruthless compared to an ordinary person.
After a shocking life-and-death battle, he panted heavily and killed that wolf while suffering many injuries. He became the first case of success in martial training this time around.
The gate opened. After that, he clutched his chest and left freely.
The fourth match…was the little girl.
When the cage of the giant-horn python was unlocked, the girl shivered and gritted her teeth. She was about to walk past Xu Qing in despair to fight the battle.
But at this moment, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.
"Let us swap."
The girl started, but before she could react, Xu Qing already swapped the bamboo stick he had drawn with her.
The moment he took the bamboo stick with the python's name, he no longer bothered with the look of gratitude the girl showed him. He directly walked toward the giant-horn python.
As he entered, the surrounding scavengers immediately caused an uproar. Evidently, they had seen the sequence of matches earlier.
However, other than the gamblers who betted on him and the girl, the other spectators wouldn't care about things like this. They wouldn't care and neither would the camp leader. Everyone was free to choose their life or death.
In the Beastfight Arena, Xu Qing calmly moved toward the cage. At the same time, the giant-horn python within coldly stared at Xu Qing as it slowly crawled out.
When its thick and muscular body emerged from the metal cage, its scales caused an ear-piercing grinding sound as they brushed across the metal poles of the cage.
Its animalistic instinct felt that this youth before its eyes was different from the prey it usually met.
So, after it crawled out, this giant-horn python didn't attack immediately. Rather, it coiled its body outside the metal cage and lifted its head high warily, staring at Xu Qing who was continuously moving closer to it.
This scene caused the surrounding audience to be filled with excitement. The sounds of the commotion also reduced slightly.
Xu Qing's expression was as calm as ever, and he slowly moved nearer step by step. Maybe it was because he had entered the giant-horn python's attack range or maybe because it was provoked by his aura, the yellow vertical pupils of the giant-horn python flashed with a cold murderous intent, and its tail violently slammed against the ground, creating a loud bang.
As this explosive sound rang out, its body borrowed the pushing force from the tail and ferociously charged forward. After that, the gigantic snake maw opened wide in the air, revealing malicious sharp fangs and letting out a pungent smell to the air. Its head wooshed through the air, wanting to devour Xu Qing.
Seeing this scene, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and coldly watched the giant-horn python rapidly charging over. The instant the snake got near, his body dodged to the side. However, he didn't choose to counterattack using this opportunity or care about the large snake head that passed by him. His gaze only gleamed coldly like a hunter as he attentively observed the belly of this python.
From his observation, he saw the python missing its attack and letting out a low roar of annoyance. It then twisted its body, and its tail slammed the ground again, creating the ear-piercing whistling sound as it ferociously lunged at Xu Qing.
Its hunting instincts made the python forcibly turn at this moment. Its head flexed toward its tail, as though they were about to join together, forming a circle as it charged at Xu Qing, wanting to entangle him in its coil.
Xu Qing was silent. His gaze was still closely observing the belly of the giant-horn snake. When the snake's tail got close, his right hand suddenly clenched and punched out the instant the tail lashed over.
Bang!
Although his cultivation of the Mountains and Seas Art was only at the first level, the augmentation it provided Xu Qing's strength wasn't small. At this moment, when the snake's tail got blasted away, it folded backward directly, unable to coil toward its head. The giant-horn python clearly felt some pain, but it wasn't fatal, so it only caused its anger to surge greatly. Its eyes then turned red as its head rammed over, wanting to devour Xu Qing with a single bite.
Xu Qing focused his eyes as sharpness gleamed within, having found the spot he was looking for. At this moment, he strode over, choosing to advance instead of retreating and directly climbing onto the middle section of the giant-horn python's body.
After that, he exerted force and punched out ruthlessly with his right hand. One punch, two punches, three punches…
His punches blasted out!
The impact of Xu Qing's fists made the giant-horn python continuously retreat. Its roars grew even more intense as it attempted to coil around Xu Qing. However, the strength contained within Xu Qing's punches made it hard for it to coil around.
As for the belly part that was being pummeled, due to the scales there being weaker, after several punches, cracks actually appeared and blood seeped out. This was the first time it got injured.
After seeing this, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he didn't wait for the giant-horn python to change its posture.
His left hand immediately shot toward the dagger on his thigh. As the dagger glimmered coldly, he plunged it into the flesh of the giant-horn python in an incomparably ferocious manner.
It instantly broke through the flesh and stabbed inside ruthlessly.
As a result, blood splattered around. Amidst the mournful hisses of the giant-horn python, a shocking wound was torn through its belly, revealing a whole snake gallbladder.
This snake was very large and clearly showed signs of mutation. However, the gallbladder was very small, only the size of an egg.
Even so, Xu Qing didn't hesitate. His right hand stretched into the wound, and he grabbed the gallbladder before pulling it out forcefully. Under the sharp cries of the python, he forcibly took the gallbladder out.
Fresh blood then splattered on the sand and soil below.
Xu Qing ignored the blood stains, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes as he held the gallbladder. Glancing at the surrounding scavengers who had a variety of expressions, he directly placed the gallbladder in his mouth and swallowed it.
While he was calmly swallowing it, the giant-horn python whose gallbladder was forcibly removed was struggling madly from the pain. Its hisses grew increasingly mournful, and its body was whacking the ground heavily, causing clouds of sand and dust to kick up. It felt like the snake wanted to vent the intense pain it was feeling.
After that, its head knocked toward Xu Qing even more ferociously. Its blood-red eyes now showed a hint of craziness as it widened its maw to the extreme limits as though wanting to swallow Xu Qing completely.
However, Xu Qing only glared at it icily. The instant the snake got near, he suddenly leaped up and once again evaded the snake's head. He, who was now in mid-air, brandished his right hand, and the black-colored iron stick appeared.
When he lowered his head, killing intent flashed in his eyes. His body heavily landed, and he borrowed the momentum to increase his strength, speed, and body weight to plunge the iron stick ruthlessly with the greatest impact he could muster into the heart area of the python.
As a result, the snake scales in that area cracked under Xu Qing's monstrous strength, and he penetrated the snake's heart with a single blow.
An explosive sound echoed out. This giant-horn snake's body then trembled intensely like it no longer had the strength to support its body. After that, its head and tail heavily landed on the ground, and its mournful hiss abruptly stopped. Only the weak sounds of its tail thrashing on the ground could be heard.
A long time later, when the clouds of dust and soil had settled down, the scavengers spectating this battle were still badly shocked.
Many people stood up and stared at the scene in the Beastfight Arena with heavy expressions. At this moment, the youth was plucking his iron stick out from the snake's corpse.
If an adult killed the giant-horn python like this, it wouldn't cause them to have such expressions.
However, for a small and skinny kid to do all these… The kid had cleanly devoured the snake gallbladder after snatching it forcefully and killed it in a single blow the next moment with no changes to his cold expression…
In the camp, such a scene was very rarely seen.
The smaller wolf and red bear in the cage were evidently frightened as well, and they were both trembling.
This wasn't martial training but a hunt.
Under the stares of everyone, the youth put his iron stick away. One of his hands then grabbed onto the wounded part of the giant-horn python, and he walked toward the large gate of the Beastfight Arena.
Behind him, the fresh blood of the giant-horn python left a red trail behind. It was truly a shocking sight.
Standing next to the closed gate, Xu Qing turned his head and glanced at the high platform.
The guy with the three-stroke beard only came back to his senses after some time. After that, he felt some lingering fear as he immediately showed a hand gesture. Very soon later…the huge gate rumbled as it opened.
After Xu Qing exited, he saw Captain Lei with his arms crossed leaning against a wall. Clearly, Captain Lei had waited for a long time.
He smiled as he looked at Xu Qing.
"Can I stay at your place now?" Xu Qing dragged the snake corpse along as he inclined his head and looked at Captain Lei.
"You can." Captain Lei smiled.
Xu Qing nodded and tossed the snake corpse over.
"Since you like to eat snakes, this is my treat to you."
Captain Lei was stunned. After that, he laughed uproariously as he caught hold of the giant-horn python's corpse. As he laughed, he brought Xu Qing along and gradually walked away.
Meanwhile, only after they had walked far away did the audience inside the Beastfight Arena erupt forth with an explosive uproar.
Amidst the commotion, in a corner of the crowd, an old man wearing purple robes sat with an expressionless middle-aged man who seemed like a servant. The glabella of the middle-aged man had a five-point star totem.
Regardless of their clothes or demeanor, they were clearly out of place when they sat there. However, no one seemed to be able to see their existence.
Even the camp leader's vision couldn't detect their figures at all.
The old man had a rosy face, and there seemed to be lightning concealed in his gaze. It felt like everything could be destroyed if he unleashed it. All in all, his entire being was extremely extraordinary. At this moment, he sat there and stared at the departing back of Xu Qing as he couldn't help but laugh.
"This youth is pretty interesting."
-x-X-x-
At the scavenger campsite, Captain Lei walked in front while Xu Qing followed. The sunlight was currently streaming down, landing on them.
From afar, despite the sight of one being tall and one being short, one being old and one being young, there was actually a faint sense of harmony.
It was as though in this cruel world, such a sense of harmony was very hard to find.
Or maybe it was the python corpse in Captain Lei's hand that exuded a sense of threat, causing the passersby in the surroundings, who hadn't been to the Beastfight Arena, to not disturb them.
Xu Qing liked this feeling very much. Regardless of whether they were eating the snake later or enjoying the sunlight at this moment, both made him feel very warm.
He felt very comfortable and yearned for this.
Every time his gaze landed on the python corpse that Captain Lei held, he could feel more saliva in his mouth.
He was also fond of eating snakes.
Captain Lei's house was located in the center-ring region of the campsite.
Compared to the brick houses in the inner-ring region and the crude tents in the outer-ring region, the houses in the center-ring region were mostly constructed using stones and wood. In addition, three small houses would usually be built in a row together.
Although the space within each house wasn't that wide, Xu Qing could see that it was much better compared to the place he had lived in in the slums.
This was especially so considering the fact that Captain Lei's house still had a small courtyard. This was even rarer to come by.
At this moment, he pushed the bamboo gate leading to the courtyard open. Under Xu Qing's observation, Captain Lei walked to the secondary room in his house. He then casually pointed to the second tiny house and spoke.
"Kid, you can stay here from now on. You should first get yourself familiarized with the surroundings. I will call for you once the meal is cooked."
After speaking, Captain Lei began his preparation and the sound of meat being chopped rang out later.
Xu Qing gulped down his saliva. He first observed the tiny courtyard carefully before entering the second house. There was a bed, a quilt, a table and a chair there. Other than these things, there were no other objects.
The ground was very clean, there was also no dust on the table and chair. Evidently, they were often cleaned by someone. Even the quilt was washed until it was very clean. There was the smell of it being dried by the sun.
Everything made Xu Qing feel very satisfied.
He didn't like a large house. What he liked was a house where he could see everything in one glance, a small house where he could project everything in his mind.
This would make him feel safer.
Hence, after a meticulous check, Xu Qing looked at the clean bed. He pondered for a moment but didn't go over, choosing to directly sit on the ground instead.
He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, beginning today's cultivation.
During cultivation, as the spirit energy flowed into him, the sound of oil crackling could be heard from the house next door.
Very soon, waves of fragrance flowed through the tiny gaps of stone and wood on the wall and permeated his small house. This also whetted Xu Qing's appetite, causing him to feel a sense of hunger as his stomach produced grumbling noises.
It smelled very fragrant.
Xu Qing's throat involuntarily moved as he opened his eyes and glanced in the direction of the secondary room.
After living for so many years in the slums, he already couldn't remember when was the last time he smelled such fragrance.
Hence, he suppressed the hunger in his stomach and closed his eyes to calm himself down before continuing with his cultivation.
Just like this, time slowly passed. Very soon, the evening had arrived.
When the voice of Captain Lei rang out from outside, asking him to come and eat, Xu Qing who had just ended a day of cultivation immediately opened his eyes.
He stood up and swiftly exited the house. He then saw Captain Lei standing at the end room waving his hands to him.
Beside Captain Lei, Xu Qing saw that there were seven to eight different snake dishes placed on the dining table. Some were deep-fried, some were braised, some were steamed, and there was even snake soup.
Evidently, Captain Lei had extremely good cooking skills, and the dishes he prepared were excellent in their tastes, appearances, and smells.
Xu Qing's eyes couldn't turn away his gaze after he took a look. Looking at this, Captain Lei laughed and turned to pick up sets of chopsticks and bowls.
Xu Qing also moved closer and entered the end-room. The fragrance was even thicker here. However, he didn't sit down immediately. Rather, his gaze suddenly froze after he saw Captain Lei placing the sets of chopsticks and bowls.
There were three sets of chopsticks and bowls.
"There's someone else?" Although the fragrance was very tempting, the appearance of the three sets of chopsticks and bowls caused Xu Qing to cast the temptation aside.
He cautiously looked at Captain Lei and asked in a soft voice.
"You don't have to be nervous. This is a habit of mine. That…is for a person who would never come."
Captain Lei calmly spoke as recollection flashed in the depths of his eyes. However, that look of recollection soon disappeared, and he sat down on a chair.
Xu Qing nodded and sat down as well. He couldn't control his urges anymore and directly took a piece of deep-fried snake meat. He then put it into his mouth and began to chew.
It was very hot, but he was also extremely satisfied as he ate it. His mouth was full of grease.
After he finished eating one piece, he licked the grease above his mouth and his hand stretched out to grab the braised snake meat. But at this moment, Captain Lei coughed lightly.
"Use the chopsticks."
"Oh." Xu Qing clumsily took the chopsticks and after a period of getting used to it, he carried a piece of braised snake meat into his mouth and wolfed it down ravenously.
During the entire process of the meal, both didn't speak. It was just that their eating appearances were completely not a match.
Captain Lei chewed the meat slowly before he swallowed them, not looking like a scavenger. He only tried two to three pieces for every dish. As for Xu Qing, he was ravenously wolfing down the meat. His appetite far surpassed Captain Lei's.
Seeing how Xu Qing ate, Captain Lei couldn't help but speak.
"Why was it so different back then when I gave you the bun? You ate the bun small mouthful by mouthful."
Xu Qing forcefully swallowed the piece of snake meat in his mouth. He then lifted his head and looked at Captain Lei as he seriously answered.
"The buns belonged to you, but this snake meat belongs to me."
One was food others treated him to. The other was food he was treating others to.
The thinking process of this youth was very simple. Since this belonged to him, he naturally would eat it in a way that perfectly justified the fact.
Captain Lei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He then looked at Xu Qing who kept picking up pieces of snake meat to eat while also drinking the snake soup. However, he also noticed that the youth didn't eat from every snake dish. He only took meat from the dishes near him, and he also drank the snake soup with restraint.
He only ate the portion that belonged to him in such a way.
"Your python is extremely huge, so it is enough for us to eat for half a month. In addition, its skin and bones have some value as well. So…" Captain Lei casually spoke.
"I will pay you rent. You don't have to deduct the rent from these," Xu Qing suddenly said.
The snake meat was to repay Captain Lei for the buns and sleeping bag. The value of the snake skin and snake bones was to pay back Captain Lei for helping him conceal the matter about Broken Ox.
As for Captain Lei bringing him away from the ruins and to the campsite, that was a debt of gratitude.
Xu Qing felt that it was somewhat inappropriate if he tried to repay the debt by giving material objects. So, he remembered the favor in his heart instead.
Captain Lei cast a deep glance at Xu Qing and could see the seriousness in the youth's eyes as well as his personality of clearly separating grudges and kindness. Hence, he nodded. After he pondered, he spoke again.
"Kid, you probably had many guesses about my identity when we were on our way here."
Xu Qing didn't speak, but his eating action slowed slightly.
"The others call me Captain Lei. As for my name, it is not important. In the scavenger campsite, no one will use their real name."
Captain Lei picked up a piece of steamed snake meat and placed it into his mouth as he slowly chewed.
"As to why I have this title, it was because, in the scavenger camp, I met a few friends who were willing to share life-and-death with me.
"We form a small team, but the name of our small team is a little crude. It's known as Thunder.
"Usually, everyone will accept individual missions. If we encounter a mission with greater difficulty, our team will gather and complete it together. Including me, there are a total of four people. But the three of them are still out and have yet to return.
"After they return, I will introduce you to them. In the future, you can follow us and become a new member of Team Thunder. You will then be able to do missions to earn a living as well as cultivation resources."
Captain Lei seemed to be somewhat full. He put his chopsticks down and looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing wasn't surprised by the words 'cultivation resources'.
Even Xu Qing could somehow sense that Captain Lei was a rogue cultivator. After having interacted with each other for such a long time, even if Xu Qing was in the Body Refinement Realm*, Captain Lei would naturally be able to sense it through his observation.
"Sure." Xu Qing didn't hesitate as he nodded his head.
This caused him to breathe a sigh of relief in his heart. He who grew up in the slums deeply knew that it was impossible for someone to show kindness and offer help while wanting nothing in return. There was a reason for everything.
"You can continue eating. I'm already old and won't be able to digest the food if I eat too much."
Captain Lei coughed a few times and his face turned a little red. However, he soon recovered. He stood up and walked toward the outside as he spoke.
"The spirit energy in this world is like poison. If you keep cultivating so assiduously as you did on the way here, your body might not be able to last very long before the mutation overcomes it. Cultivation requires one to build a solid foundation. You must not be hasty."
Xu Qing fell silent and didn't speak.
The old man who walked to the door turned and looked at Xu Qing as he shook his head.
"However, by cultivating like this, you are also correct."
"The scavenger campsite lies beside a forbidden zone, and it is different from the one you were in previously. The items and objects within the forbidden zone cause many low-level rogue cultivators and fugitives to gather here.
"Since you are staying here, you will surely need to make a trip to the forbidden zone sooner or later. So, cultivating more is also good."
Captain Lei then left.
Xu Qing sat here alone until he finished all the snake meat. However, he didn't leave immediately. He first cleaned and put the tableware down before he returned to his small house.
Upon returning, he sat down cross-legged and continued to cultivate.
Xu Qing was very clear that if he didn't want to struggle whilst on death's door and bend his back to survive, leaving the right of his life and death in the hands of others, his own strength would be the root of everything.
This was especially so in the scavenger camp. There were plenty of rogue cultivators here, far more than the number he had seen in his six years in the slums. Not a single one of these people was a pushover.
If the slums were a nest for dogs, this place was a den for wolves.
If he didn't work hard, even before he mutated, he might have already died without a burial place because of a conflict or dispute.
As for the anomalous substances in his body, Xu Qing learned from the bamboo slip that contained the Mountains and Seas Art that alchemy pills might be able to neutralize them.
Although they could only treat the symptoms and not the root, the pills could still be used to cope with mutation. On the way here, he also learned the name of one of such pills from the conversations of the scavengers. The pill was named 'white pills'.
In the nearby forbidden zone, an important herb necessary for the concoction of white pills was produced there. So, there would surely be people selling white pills inside the campsite.
After thinking of this, Xu Qing touched the location of the purple crystal in his chest.
During this period, he clearly sensed that other than granting him a boost in recovery, it also provided a huge increase in his strength and speed.
This had something to do with him achieving the first level of the Mountains and Seas Art. However, Xu Qing felt that his first level seemed to be somewhat different from the introduction of the first level described on the bamboo slip, where he would gain a tiger's worth of strength upon reaching the first level.
"I think I can beat many tigers to death."
Xu Qing mused silently as he sensed the spirit energy in his body. On the way here, he had been assiduously cultivating and he was soon about to break through to the second level.
"Today, I will attempt to break through to the second level." Xu Qing's gaze revealed determination. He then closed his eyes and started his breathing exercise.
Very soon, spirit energy fluctuations flooded over from all directions. The spirit energy outside forbidden zones had much fewer anomalous substances in comparison to the spirit energy within forbidden zones, and so it could increase the cultivators' cultivation speed by quite a bit.
For this point, Xu Qing had discovered it yesterday when he was in the wooden shed of the Beastfight Arena.
At this moment, he relaxed his body and exerted force to absorb the spirit energy in conjunction with his breathing. There was also a weak flash of purple light from his chest that was covered by the leather coat.
Time flowed by. Gradually, light popping sounds echoed from Xu Qing's body, and his pores began to secrete black-colored impurities once again.
The flesh and blood of his entire body seemed to be nourished and became more tenacious. It was like there was a greater strength within them that was gradually bursting out.
And at the same time, in the darkness outside, the little girl whose bamboo stick got swapped by Xu Qing walked toward the courtyard Xu Qing was in.
She stood there and hesitated. It was like she wanted to knock on the gate but also felt some trepidation.
After a long time, she seemed to have gathered the courage and knocked lightly on the bamboo gate of the courtyard. It was just that the sound of such knocking was too weak. There was basically no way for it to be transmitted within.
The moment the little girl knocked on the gate, the popping sounds from Xu Qing's body also reached their most intense moment.
As a rumbling sound roared in his mind, Xu Qing opened his eyes. At this moment, purple light flashed in his eyes once again as joy appeared on his face. He then lowered his head and glanced at his arm. The second mutation point had appeared there.
The second level of Qi Condensation.
[1] The end-room seemed to be connected to the second house where Xu Qing is staying.
[2] Xu Qing is in the Qi Condensation Realm, but the raws used here was 炼体 'Body Refinement'. Might refer to the cultivation art Xu Qing practiced. The Mountains and Seas Art is said to be one that tempers and refine one's body. You can view the reference from Chapter 6 if you are interested.