Zhang Chen looked at the stone tablet in front of him, thoughts flashed through his mind. The temptation of acquiring skills and experience points through blood sacrifice was obvious to him.
"If only I could obtain some blood from large livestock to offer, there would surely be an even greater surprise. But even if I manage to hunt large prey, I have no way to transport it here. There are Sika Deer, antelope, and even wild horses around here. However, given my current physique, I have no way to carry them for long," Zhang Chen muttered, then began to prepare wild duck, making an earthy beggar’s duck dish.
After a binge of eating and drinking, Zhang Chen rolled up his sleeves and resumed digging tirelessly in the underground cave.
Today’s digging was for a better living tomorrow. With a Fox Spirit trailing behind him, he dared not relax even a bit, working diligently and cautiously without any slack.
Experience points appeared before him, continuously collected by Zhang Chen:
[Experience Points +16]
[Experience Points +5]
[Experience Points +17]
[Experience Points +3]
[Experience Points +3]
[Experience Points +51]
[Experience Points +41]
...
Zhang Chen dug happily, watching the screen of experience points increasing rapidly. His eyes revealed a hint of joy; these ever-growing experience points were his motivation to dig and his hope.
Until the afternoon, Zhang Chen climbed out of the cave to bask in the sun, his eyes squinting at the shifting sun. Looking at today’s harvest of experience points, he frowned: "Only three hundred experience points today?"
[Name: Zhang Chen]
[Skill 1 (Second Tier): Light of the True God (0/5000)]
[Skill 2 (Unranked): Dragon Qi (0/2000)]
[Points: 2750]
Zhang Chen frowned: "The deeper I dig, the slower the pace, because transporting dirt becomes more cumbersome, not to mention the soil gets colder, more solidly frozen. It seems like digging through it is no different from chiseling stone. No wonder the legendary Princess’s tomb is so well-frozen; it’s indeed hard to excavate."
Zhang Chen rubbed his hands; the reason the digging speed slowed was more because it was getting colder below. Before, Zhang Chen could endure while wrapped in animal hides for two hours before needing to bask, but now he couldn’t stand even half an hour before freezing and running out to warm himself.
Of course, he’s considered lighting a fire in the cave, but how much wood would it take to fill it?
Moreover, the cave space is small, and the amount of oxygen is insufficient, unless he opens a smoke vent on top of it.
"I’ll keep digging for now, no need to rush the idea of the fire."
Zhang Chen shook his head, brushed the dust off himself, then made his way to the creek, jumping in to wash the dirt off. But soon Zhang Chen frowned because he noticed the creek’s water level had dropped again.
Though he didn’t rely on farmland for survival, mountain prey depended on the river to sustain themselves. If the creek dries up, countless prey would migrate, leaving him with an empty stomach. This wasn’t good news for him.
"Not good!" Zhang Chen looked at the creek’s water level, then the big sun in the sky, estimating it hadn’t rained for a month. His heart sank: "Are we facing a drought?"
A drought is a fatal blow in any era, especially in underdeveloped ancient times. If it occurs, it leads to famine and even uprisings and foreign invasions.
Perhaps from the Dragon Qi’s sensing, Zhang Chen felt the moisture in Heaven and Earth diminishing, the sky void of clouds, a clear blue.
Thinking of all the old farmers crafting weapons, Zhang Chen’s heart felt heavy: "Just hope it rains soon, otherwise all conditions are ripe, chaos is imminent."
Zhang Chen didn’t remain idle. He returned to the cave, preparing to make more explosives to deal with unknown crises.
By dusk, Zhang Chen descended the mountain to inspect the traps, surprisingly capturing two rabbits.
Carrying the rabbits back, Zhang Chen saw the Fox Spirit waiting outside the door with eager anticipation. The Fox Spirit lay dejectedly at the entrance, seemingly abused. Upon seeing Zhang Chen, its eyes lit up, and it scurried inside the house excitedly.
Finding the Fox Spirit’s behavior odd, Zhang Chen said nothing more and entered the house to rest.
Deep
Zhang Chen slept soundly while next door, the scholar and the fox stared intently at the Scripture, their gaze filled with tension.
Fortunately, the Scripture didn’t glow that night, as they endured till dawn, unable to keep their eyes open, gradually falling into a sleepy stupor.
Next day
As Zhang Chen opened the door, he saw two strong young men with clubs at their waist standing outside.
Recognizing their origin, Zhang Chen slightly frowned, knowing they were Stewards from Landlord Li’s household.
Landlord Li owned this mountain forest, being a prominent local figure. It was said that his ancestors were courtiers during this dynasty. The land was also known for its tyrant reign. Even Wang Wu previously caught and skinned a Fox Spirit to make a fur collar to please Landlord Li.
The two before him were guards from Landlord Li’s household, responsible for monitoring this forest.
"Might I ask what the Stewards are here for?" Zhang Chen gave them a friendly smile.
"This year’s rent has increased by thirty percent and must be paid next month. Also, Landlord Li’s sixtieth birthday is next month, which all of you need to acknowledge to prevent making him unhappy. If Landlord Li is unhappy, it brings trouble to all of us, and life won’t be pleasant." The Steward grinned while looking at Zhang Chen.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s face fell: "Steward sir, this humble peasant scarcely earns anything from selling prey in a year. The rent rising to five taels of silver makes survival impossible for the likes of me!"
"I’m not here to discuss with you; I’m here to notify you. If you think it’s too high and don’t want to pay, that’s fine. Just switch professions and stop hunting; then we won’t bother you." The Steward glanced coldly at Zhang Chen, turned away indifferently as if Zhang Chen was insignificant.
Watching them leave, Zhang Chen silently calculated: "Five taels of silver for rent, one tael for poll tax, plus various other miscellaneous taxes, amounts to no less than seven taels a year. They don’t leave the people a way to live! It used to be three taels of silver annually, now it’s raised to five under this drought year. It’s pushing the people into rebellion!"
"What, pushing the people to rebel?" Zhang Chen paused and quickly fell silent, swiftly extinguishing the thought from his mind.