As a transmigrator, Zhao Lin had awakened his own special ability upon arriving in this world.
It was a Nine Palace Diagram etched into his mind—a golden grid with black lines, three rows and three columns, making nine empty squares in total.
A rush of unfamiliar memories had come with it as well.
From those memories, Zhao Lin learned that the Nine Palace Diagram was actually called the Spirit Beast Scroll. It could absorb the Essence Souls of beasts, granting him one of their abilities.
The ability had to be a species' greatest strength, something that surpassed most other animals—its specialty.
For example, absorbing a dog's Essence Soul would grant him its keen sense of smell. Absorbing a snake's Essence Soul would grant its ability to track heat. And so on.
Animals without such special traits, like chickens, ducks, or geese, were useless for this purpose.
To test if this ability was real, the first thing Zhao Lin did once he could walk again was ask his older brother to take him to town to watch a butcher slaughter a pig.
As he watched the butcher plunge a sharp knife into the pig's chest, several silver wisps of light rose and converged in the air, forming the ghostly image of the pig as it had been in life.
Zhao Lin was stunned. He instinctively took a few steps back, afraid he might accidentally absorb the pig's Essence Soul.
This set Zhao Lin's mind racing with possibilities.
'The only common animal in the village with a special trait is the mutt, but a dog's sense of smell won't solve my current survival problems.'
'I'll put that aside for now.'
'I want the strength of a bear, the speed of a leopard…'
'But those fierce beasts are hidden deep in the mountains, and I can't hunt them myself.'
He mulled over the idea of following the village Hunters into the mountains to try his luck someday. When they killed a beast, he could seize the chance to absorb its Essence Soul.
It was a good idea, but the mountains were currently sealed by heavy snow, and the animals were hardly active.
Animals like black bears, snakes, and hedgehogs had long since found places to hibernate.
The Hunters were all stuck at home, so his plan had been on hold.
Now, hearing that Zhou Laowang's family was going to slaughter their ox, inspiration struck. Zhao Lin realized his chance to activate the Spirit Beast Scroll was here.
'What's an ox's specialty?'
'Of course! It's strength and stamina, which are on par with a bear or tiger!'
'If I had the strength of an ox, my chances of surviving this chaotic world would be much higher.'
At this thought, Zhao Lin put down his chopsticks. "Dad, when is Zhou Laowang's family slaughtering the ox?"
"Tomorrow morning. I heard they hired a butcher from town," his father answered.
"I'll go watch tomorrow..."
After dinner, the family went to bed early, well before dark.
In those days, people didn't understand thermodynamics, but they knew that lying in bed kept hunger at bay. Poor families always went to sleep early.
Zhao Lin lay on his bed in the outer room, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
His mind raced, wondering what he would do once he had the strength of an ox.
'I could do odd jobs in town like my brother, but the pay is too slow.'
'I heard there's a lumber camp up in the mountains hiring long-term laborers. The work is felling trees and hauling logs downhill. It's tough, but the silver coins are good.'
'The only problem is that the camp is too far. I'd have to live there, and I worry about who would take care of my parents if I left.'
'The county town also has two docks that need laborers to move cargo. That's another option.'
At this, Zhao Lin gave a self-deprecating smile. 'Other transmigrators get to go on world-conquering rampages, and here I am, figuring out the best way to sell my labor.'
'The real question is, just how strong will I get after absorbing the ox's Essence Soul?'
「The next morning.」
Zhao Lin got up, washed his face, and called out a goodbye to his parents before heading out.
Zhou Laowang lived in the neighboring East Village, just over a mountain ridge.
His family was well-known in East Village for being wealthy. They owned over twenty mu of land and had four sons, all of whom had reached marriageable age.
With the recent poor harvest, the ox wasn't as useful anymore, so they had to make the painful decision to slaughter it to scrape together money for their sons' brides.
By the time Zhao Lin reached East Village, the sky was just beginning to lighten. A crowd had already formed at the village entrance.
In an agrarian society, people held a special affection for oxen. That, combined with strict government regulations on killing them, meant that many people, despite living for decades, had never witnessed an ox being slaughtered before.
Zhao Lin waited for a moment before hearing the jingle of a bell. Zhou Laowang and his four sons appeared, leading an old yellow ox.
You could tell the old ox had been well cared for. It had a broad, powerful frame and was even a little plump.
As they approached, Zhou Laowang wiped his red-rimmed eyes and called out, "Excuse me, neighbors, please make some space."
The crowd shuffled back, their low-voiced discussions filling the air.
"What a pity. Such a fine ox."
"I watched that ox grow up. I even used to ride on its back. I can't believe it's come to this."
"What choice is there? Four bride prices..."
Zhou Laowang nodded to the crowd in thanks, then turned to the burly, bearded man beside him. "Butcher Zhang, if you please. Make sure it doesn't suffer."
Butcher Zhang slapped his chest confidently. "Don't you worry, Old Zhou. I promise, it won't feel a thing."
With that, he produced a black cloth and had someone help him blindfold the ox. Then, he pulled a small iron hammer from behind his back.
Zhao Lin understood. He'd once read that an ox's central nervous system was concentrated in the spot just behind and between its horns. A single strike there would knock it unconscious.
It was a more humane method of slaughter, as the ox wouldn't feel any pain.
The old yellow ox seemed to know its fate. It didn't run or struggle; large tears simply rolled from its eyes.
"This ox understands."
Butcher Zhang said with a note of praise. He took a deep breath and swung the hammer down with all his might.
The old yellow ox collapsed with a THUD.
Butcher Zhang pulled out a large knife and slit the ox's throat to bleed it. Zhou Laowang and his sons rushed forward with basins to catch the blood.
Zhao Lin paid no attention to any of that. His eyes were fixed on the fallen ox, unblinking.
A moment later, specks of silver light began to rise from the ox's carcass.
The specks of light converged, gradually taking shape until they formed a ghostly image of the ox hovering above the corpse.
This was the ox's Essence Soul.
The Spirit Beast Scroll in Zhao Lin's mind seemed to sense the Essence Soul. It began to ripple and tremble.
He no longer hesitated. With a sharp inhale, he drew the Essence Soul into his body through his nose.
BOOM!
The silver light exploded, and the Spirit Beast Scroll flared brightly.
Zhao Lin felt as if he'd been thrown into a wind tunnel, air blasting past him at high speed.
His muscles were constantly being squeezed and stimulated, and a tearing sensation spread from within him.
He grit his teeth, trying to endure it, but his body trembled uncontrollably…
After what felt like an eternity, the Spirit Beast Scroll flashed with silver light. In the first square, the image of the old yellow ox's head appeared.
'It worked?'
He took a deep breath, feeling his body surge with power.
Not far off, there was a bluestone slab used for threshing grain, weighing a good two or three hundred pounds. He walked over, got a firm grip, and heaved upward.
The bluestone slab rose into the air!
"Incredible!"
Zhao Lin set the stone down, his heart pounding with excitement, and gave his arm a powerful swing.
An average adult can lift their own body weight. Someone who trains regularly might manage thirty to fifty percent more.
Zhao Lin wasn't even an adult yet. Before today, he could have never lifted such a heavy stone.
What's more, he felt he had strength to spare. At full power, he could probably lift another hundred pounds.
Just then, a series of growls erupted from his stomach.
An intense, ravenous hunger washed over him like a storm. Every cell in his body seemed to scream for food.
He felt like he could push through the crowd and devour the entire ox raw.
Zhao Lin knew what was happening. The Spirit Beast Scroll had consumed a massive amount of energy to transform his body after absorbing the ox's Essence Soul.
He fought back the fiery, gnawing sensation in his stomach and sprinted for home.
"Mom! Is there anything to eat?"
Zhao Lin was pale and utterly exhausted by the time he got home.
He hadn't had a single full meal since he'd transmigrated, but he had never, ever felt a hunger this agonizing.
Mrs. Zhao was startled by his appearance and hurried into the kitchen, returning with two bran cakes.
Zhao Lin washed the cakes down with water.
The bran cakes, normally so hard to get down, now tasted as rich and delicious as egg-yolk pastries.
He smacked his lips. It was far from enough, but he felt much better than a moment ago.
"You're starving, aren't you?" Mrs. Zhao said gently. "I'll go make a proper meal right now."
"Mom, I'll help."
Zhao Lin himself didn't know how to cook, but thankfully, he had the memories of his body's previous owner and was surprisingly adept at farm work and chores.
As he passed through the main hall, Zhao Lin glanced inside and saw his father was gone. "Mom, where's Dad?"
"Your father couldn't sit still," Mrs. Zhao said as she started the fire in the stove. "He went out to gather some firewood."
"But his health is poor! Why is he out gathering firewood in this cold?"
"It's alright, gathering firewood isn't too tiring…"
Zhao Lin sighed silently. A powerful urge to change their circumstances welled up inside him.
For his own sake, and for his family's.
A short while later, his father returned with a bundle of firewood just as the meal was ready.