Gate of God

by Stayrr

This is a strange and inexplicable world…Mountains, water, stones, flowers, grass, trees, wood, the Sun, moonlight, stars… All creation under the Heavens and Earths are sources of energy. In this world, there are all the classics from his previous world, but there is a new addition: The Law of Dao. Fang Zhengzhi was conflicted. I can obtain power from reading books? Should I read T

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Gate of God

This is a strange and inexplicable world…Mountains, water, stones, flowers, grass, trees, wood, the Sun, moonlight, stars… All creation under the Heavens and Earths are sources of energy. In this world, there are all the classics from his previous world, but there is a new addition: The Law of Dao. Fang Zhengzhi was conflicted. I can obtain power from reading books? Should I read Tao Te Ching first? Or should I read The Art of Becoming Invisible? What about the Analects of Confucius or… The Golden Lotus? With The Law Of Dao as his foundation, can Fang Zhengzhi master the Dao of All Creation and open the gate of God?

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Chapter 1: Strange World

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Faint smoke and a thin layer of mist enveloped a small mountain town made from stone at the foot of the Cang Ling Mountain. As dawn broke, a light golden ray of light shone on the ground. It shone on a small courtyard in the village, almost as if it was wrapping it up in a thin golden fabric...

"God damn it... which damned idiot stole my Fire Plume Chicken!"

An untimely scream broke the silence at dawn in this courtyard. It frightened a few of the lush green feathered, golden crowned birds.

Fire Plume Chicken?

It was still a chicken!

'Fang Zhengzhi' curled his lips and shook the Fire Plume Chicken roasting on the rack. He glanced at the clear river water next to him, then slowly retrieved a few rough yellow bags. He opened them, revealing red, white, grey... powders of various colors.

These were all good stuff. The village was not particular about food and didn't have much in terms of seasoning. Other than oil and salt, they did not have anything else. As such, Fang Zhengzhi had no choice but to risk his life to try seasoning made from various plants.

Eating...

Was one of the joys of life! However, ever since he came to this godforsaken place, other than buns, he only had vegetables and steamed rolls. He couldn't even find a dumpling.

In order to ensure that he continues growing, Fang Zhengzhi decided to eat something more substantial. Even though he was only six, he had the maturity of a 20 year old, and this made things rather unbearable for him.

"Splash!"

Fang Zhengzhi smelt the aroma wafting from the meat and forcefully swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Then, he raised his head to look at the rising sun light up the sky, his youthful face sinking deep into thought.

Being an ancient historian was a good profession. One could study the ancient annals, be adept in the ancient language, understand astronomy, geography, constellations, fate. Occasionally, when looking through some books, one could even learn about medicine in the ancient times.

Yet...

It wasn't of much use.

The previous Fang Zhengzhi was still struggling after losing his job. Having been through hundreds of trials and tribulations, he had managed to travel to an ancient world. He thought that he could rise to fame here. Without considering anything else, just with his research into the ancient culture, he should have a chance to enter the imperial exam and become a scholar right?

Who would have thought...

Having been here for more than a month, he realized that there was no imperial examination. They had no eight-legged essay, no classics! It was a completely different world where even animals looked different.

Fire Plume Chicken? Didn't it just have an especially long red feather on its tail? Even if it laid red eggs, it is still just a chicken!

Fang Zhengzhi greedily sniffed in all the aroma of the roasted meat, then began seasoning the Fire Plume Chicke. He put some 'chili' and some 'cumin' and 'honey'...

"I found you, you chicken thief!"

A feminine voice scared Fang Zhengzhi so much he dared not straighten up. He remained hunched, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. Getting caught was not a good situation to be in.

What now?

With such small arms and short legs, there was no way he could run. When he realized this, Fang Zhengzhi turned his neck in despair.

He wanted to see who had caught him.

After suffering a beating, at least he can find a chance to exact revenge. For example, he could use a stone to smash her window, or throw a few eggs at her...

After seeing who it was, Fang Zhengzhi's eyes lit up.

The person was a stranger, someone he had never seen before. The important point here was that she was about his age, probably about five plus, her white and tender face was adorned with features as exquisite as a doll. She wore a skirt with three white flowers on it. She had a jade green flower in her hair and golden thread shoes on her feet.

At such a young age, one could already sense her perfection and aura transcended society. She was bound to become a beauty capable of wrecking an entire nation.

Except...

What was with her smile, her arms akimbo and her condescending expression?

Fang Zhengzhi was extremely unhappy, where did this little bugger come from? What was she doing dressing up this way in such a poor, desolate location?

The more important thing was that she dared to look down on him?

Even though he was also a little kid, his mental age was over 20! Notwithstanding anything else, he could easily beat anyone in knowledge.

"Where did you come from little brat, scram! This is my chicken!" Fang Zhengzhi pointed at the roasted chicken exasperatingly.

"Little thief, who are you calling a little brat?" Lolita's smile stiffened and her tiny fists were clenched.

Fang Zhengzhi saw Lolita clench her fists tightly.

Oh... is she looking for a fight?

Fang Zhengzhi laughed coldly. Even though he did not have much experience in this area, it would be a huge joke if he couldn't defeat a five year old girl.

"If you still don't scram, I will whack you!" Fang Zhengzhi felt that he needed to show this little girl the stern side of him, thus, he grit his teeth and glared at her.

It was a pity that with his infant like features, he looked like he was simply making a funny face.

"Whack me?! Okay... 'Chi Guyan' accepts your challenge, I would like to see what you have to offer!" Upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi's statement, she stiffened, an expression of excitement breaking out over her face.

"Oh?" Fang Zhengzhi didn't manage to react. Shouldn't Lolita be scared to tears and run away?

What did she mean by what I had to offer.

Ugh...

Before Fang Zhengzhi could clear his thoughts, he felt a figure lunge at him. Shortly after, he felt a gust of wind next to him which blew his hair in all directions.

What the heck? Almost subconciously, Fang Zhengzhi moved away from the rock he was sitting on and rolled to the side...

"Boom!"

A loud sound echoed out from behind him.

When Fang Zhengzhi looked behind, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The green rock that he was sitting on was the size of a bucket. Now, there was a huge cavity in the middle of the rock, just above it was Lolita's fist, still in mid air.

"F*ck... me!"

Fang Zhengzhi was completely stunned.

What could possibly be more shocking than a five year old girl splitting a bucket sized rock with her bare hands? Furthermore, more importantly, Lolita still looked fresh, her palms not even red.

Reckless girl? The reincarnation of God?

Fang Zhengzhi's brain exploded in an instant. He could not wrap his head around many things, was this world really that ridiculous? There weren't any extraordinary people in the village. They were hard working, working from sunrise to sunset, but there was nothing special? At most there were a few groups of men who went hunting.

The only difference between this world and the previous world was that everyone here was stronger and the beasts have morphed into various species. However, wasn't this rather normal for a low technology society?

All this while, Fang Zhengzhi had thought that he was living in a peaceful generation...

In the blink of an eye, he felt that his world had been turned upside down, yet, this was not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was that Lolita turned her sights on him again. Her eyes glimmered as if she had just found a new toy.

Again? No way...

What do I do if I can't beat her?

Run!

Even though the five year old girl may not be very smart, however, this was also the age where they did not know how to control their strength. Explaining to her the importance of using the appropriate force for the appropriate occasion didn't seem like a smart choice.

There was no need to say anything else. He turned and ran, disregarding his Fire Plume Chicken, all he hoped for was that his short legs could run a little faster...

"Humph, useless chicken thief!" Lolita miraculously didn't chase Fang Zhengzhi. Instead, she turned back to look at the aromatic roasted Fire Plume Chicken.

"The mountains will not change, the rivers will not stop flowing, I will be back!" Fang Zhengzhi felt that he could not give up his stature completely.

Even if he ran, he had to do so openly, and he had to leave sufficient reason to keep the person waiting in the same area for him.

Lolita did not even look at Fang Zhengzhi, her big eyes staring at the succulent roasted Fire Plume Chicken.

Then, she could not resist but bend over and sniff the chicken. Then, she opened her mouth and took a bite off the chicken wing. A surprised expression broke out on her face. She savored every bite of that delicious chicken.

Then...

Fang Zhengzhi returned.

He appeared behind Lolita like a gust of wind, a snicker curling on the edges of his lips as he raised a foot!

He aimed it right at the girl's butt.

Then he viciously...

Kicked her!

How could Lolita, still obsessed with her chicken, be able to react in time?

"Plonk!" Lolita lurched forward and then fell into the clear river head first.

"The weather is great today, the sun is bright, birds are chirping and the aroma of flowers fill the air. More importantly... it's great for a bath!" Fang Zhengzhi took the chicken in his hand, turned and sprinted away.

"Thief, that's my chicken!" Lolita's voice could be heard from the river.

"You think too much, this is my chicken!" Fang Zhengzhi corrected her, not turning back.

"Damn!" Lolita leapt from the river, her agility like a snow leopard, however, she was still misty eyes. One could not tell if it was water or tears...

"Kaboom!"

"Chia!"

A loud but cohesive sound could be heard from afar.

"Ah! Oh my god! Miss... missus, what happened to you!" A lady, about 35 years old and wearing a traditional dress, screamed in horror as she ran over.

Behind the lady was a cloud of smoke. That was a group of soldiers in shining armor. THeir armor had a crimson triangle emblazoned on it, signifying their standing. They were 300 strong and all rode black snow-able dragon stallions.

These animals looked like horses, and they had the ferocity of a wild beast. However, they were larger than horses and grew jet black fur. They were enveloped by white scales and it was said that they were the descendants of the dragons.

The leader of the troop was someone wearing a black armor decorated with clouds. He was bulky, had dark skin and looked to be in his forties.

Looking at him gave people the shivers, the smell of fresh blood radiating from him.

"I deserve to die!" The hulking man dismounted and kneeled on the ground. He was uncharacteristically respectful as he scanned the roasting rack and the few seasoning bags like a hawk.

"What... is in that direction?" Lolita did not pay anymore attention to the lady or the man, instead pointing her tiny finger in the direction that Fang Zhengzhi had ran off in.

"Replying missus, that is the Southern Mountain Village!" The hulking man replied without hesitation.

"Southern Mountain Village? Okay then, we will go to the Southern Mountain Village." Lolita replied then walked towards the sedan adorned with jewels just behind the man.

"Missus, we still have to go to a few more cities on this trip? For a small village like the Southern Mountain Village..." The lady immediately reminded Lolita of this. However, upon seeing the expression on the missus's face, she shut up immediately.

"Each village has its own uniqueness, we should not discriminate this way!" Lolita glanced at the lady and leapt into the sedan.

In the instant that Lolita leapt into the sedan, the water on her body seemed to be frozen in the air, falling to the ground only after the girl entered the sedan.

"Missus is wise, I am ashamed not to have thought of that!" Seeing the puddle of water she left behind, the hulking man knelt on the floor, the respect on his face growing every minute.

However, the lady was still confused, she murmured to herself, "Big Dao road, small Dao road... how does that link to the existence of countless lifeforms? And what link has this to going to the Southern Mountain Village?"

Even though she was confused, she still knew what to say as a servant.

"Missus is wiser than us, you were able to read since three and understand the workings of the world. Now, I believe that no one will dare to bully you!" As she spoke, she grew prouder and prouder.

Yet, Lolita who had entered the sedan shivered.

No one dares to bully me?

"Yue Er, you don't have to come on board, walk!"

"Ah? Walk!" The lady's face became bitter. She looked at the winding mountainous road to the Southern Mountain Village and her expression quickly morphed to one of pain.

"May I ask what special set up missus would like on this trip?" When the hulking man stood up, he glanced again at the wooden rack by the river bank.

"Add another preliminary exam!" Lolita's voice could be heard from inside.

"Preliminary exam? What is the age restriction?"

"Mm... six to eight."

"Yes ma'am!"

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Chapter 2: Conspiracy

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

How big could the Fire Plume Chicken be? It could feed a family of three for two meals if eaten sparingly.

As such, Fang Zhengzhi's meal was extremely filling, and his tummy was full from it. He kept burping as he wiped off the oil from the corners of his mouth.

He found a rock and rested there. He then cremated the rest of the bones, then surveyed his surroundings with his large black eyes. After ensuring that he wasn't being followed, he hummed a tune as he strolled towards the city like an adult.

"The mountain road here winds endlessly, and the rivers... ay?" The moment they reached the entrance to the village, they heard conversations breaking out sporadically.

"My god, the people from the Divine Monkey Palace have come to the Southern Mountain Village!"

"God is looking over us! This is something that has never happened before, is the Southern Mountain Village about to produce a prodigy with great morality and sense of justice?

Monkey God Temple? [1]

People wondered if they had any links to the Monkey God in Journey to The West.

Fang Zhengzhi ignored the intense chatter about him. He raised his hand to wipe away the grease on his mouth and walked in the direction of his home...

The Southern Mountain Village got its name because it was just south of Cang Ling Mountain. It was a palm sized area, with only about a hundred families. In the grand scheme of things, it was a speck of dust on a vast beach.

The entrance to the courtyard had a pile of firewood that the owner had harvested from the forest. Fang Zhengzhi occasionally had the thought that a spark would be able to send the courtyard 'into the skies'.

"Dry wood, and a strong fire..."

Fang Zhengzhi continued to hum and he quickly went around the gate of the courtyard. He turned to one of the side paths, walked about 10m and saw a green ceramic roofed building built from rock and sand.

This was Fang Zhengzhi's home in this world.

"Village elder, is it okay if we settle on this namelist for the imperial exam?

"No that is not possible, village elder!"

The moment Fang Zhengzhi pushed open the wooden door, he heard the voices of two ladies.

Fang Zhengzhi was very familiar with these two voices. He could easily tell that the first voice was coming from the lady owner of the courtyard beside them. She was about 25-26 years old, slightly plump and loved to wear a red scarf.

As neighbours, he was extremely familiar with the layout of her house. In order to improve the 'friendship' between neighbours, he had just gone over this morning.

The second voice was from Fang Zhengzhi's mum in this world, "Qin Xuelian". She had great figure, and she lived up to her name, looking like the snow lotus from heaven. [1]

How does someone like her marry someone like his dad?

It was pure coincidence.

It was said that his dad had 'accidentally' seen his mother naked. Then, being an 'honest man', he began to tell everyone that he had already seen everything there was to see about Qin Xuelian. Since that was the case, wouldn't it be unfair to her future husband? He would have to live with such a guilty conscience, Yunyun...

He had perpetrated the story for a full three years. Every village within a ten mile radius knew about this. As a result, his mother needed to reconsider the impact to her reputation.

Even though Fang Zhengzhi felt that his father's 'honesty' was extremely shameless, he had to give props to his dad for being so persistent and spreading the story for three years.

"Determined, he was very determined!"

Qin Xuelian's looks were transcendent, her figure was slender, however, her clothes were clearly worn. The only new piece of fabric was the patch on her shorts.

"Mum!" Fan Zhengzhi shouted in the voice of a child when he entered the room. He didn't like such a high pitched, childlike voice, but he was a child now.

If he had the gruff voice of a thirty year old man, he believed even the gods would be shocked.

"Ah darling, you're back, are you thirsty, have some water..." Upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi's voice, Qin Xuelian set everything aside and brought him a cup of water.

Fang Zhengzhi did not push it away either. Having eaten the Fire Plume Chicken, he was extremely thirsty and he gulped down the water.

After putting down the cup and burping did Fang Zhengzhi realize that there was a guest in the house.

This was an aged man with a long white beard and a long cigarette in his hand.

Fang Zhengzhi recognized him as the village elder of the Southern Mountain Village!

He was the leader of this utopia. He was the king here.

The best example of his power was that all the game that the villagers brought back was to be rationed out by him.

"Ms Fang, I still have to go and visit the other families, let's just settle with what Mrs Li has said! This time, when the Divine Constabulary comes to our village, we must settle their food, drinks, and accommodation. Mrs Li has also agreed to donate four 'Fire Plume Chickens', and provided us a huge stone house, thus, her child must be given priority on the list."

The village elder raised his huge hand and thumped his chest, then he put the cigarette in his mouth, took a deep puff and blew out a huge ring of smoke.

"Isn't it just a Fire Plume Chicken? I can just go and borrow one now?" Qin Xuelian adjusted Fang Zhengzhi's collar and and her clothes as she prepared to go out.

Fang Zhengzhi was curious, his mother had a huge ego, and would never ask for help from the neighbors unless it was absolutely necessary, why was she being so insistent? Now she wants to go out to borrow Fire Plume Chickens?

"Ms Xuelian wants to go borrowing Fire Plume Chickens? Hahaha, did I hear that correctly? There are only so few Fire Plume Chickens in the village. Now that the Divine Constabulary is coming to town, everyone is offering them up, where can you find any to borrow?"

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was feeling confused, the plump Mrs Li's mouth twitched and laughed. She laughed so hard so that the fats on her body began to tremble.

"This..." Qin Xuelian stopped in her tracks and frowned.

"Sister Xuelian, listen to me, the Southern Mountain Village has over a hundred families, and not every family can participate in the exam. The village elder's arrangement is also for the good of the village. Think about it, the Divine Constabulary's examination is to test the power of the village. If we don't produce good results, we may not even be able to set up our own 'school' here!" Mrs Li advised once again.

Exam, selection, school...

When he thought about the exam that was mentioned when he entered the room, Fang Zhengzhi's eyes lit up as he finally understood.

The Divine Constabulary was here to hold an exam and selection. Since not everyone in the village could participate, the village elder was the key person to butter up to.

Except...

Since the village elder was the key person, what was Mrs Li doing in our home? It would seem that she wasn't too assured, and the only plausible explanation there was they were co conspirators!

They ganged up together to bully my mum? That was intolerable, Fang Zhengzhi did not like bullies, and he was the type to fight back if shoved!

"Mrs Li, you can say that my family is unable to give any Fire Plume Chickens, but how can you say that my son cannot produce good results?" Qin Xuelian was okay with admitting that she was poor, but she would not accept anyone telling her that her son couldn't make it."

"Okay, stop arguing, this matter is settled! The Li family has contributed significantly to the village over the past few years. They have given up more of their game and it is only right that one of the slots for the exam be reserved for the Li Family. As for the preliminary examination... even though Zhengzhi is also of age, he is still slightly younger, and the Li's kid is a month older, let's give it to the Lis." The village elder kept the cigarette and walked outside.

How much difference would a month make?

Any discerning person could tell that the village elder was biased.

Fang Zhengzhi's eyes glimmered as a thought flashed past his mind, then, he 'innocently' voiced his opinion.

"Mom, since the village elder and Mrs Li have said that we must produce results at the imperial exams, why don't we have an internal selection test first?"

[1] This actually refers to the Divine Constabulary, however, due to the similarity between the Divine Constabulary and the Monkey God Temple in mandarin, the MC mistook the Divine Constabulary for the Monkey God Temple.

[2] Mt Tianshan is also known as heaven, or snow mountain, in the Xin Jiang region.

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Chapter 3: Law of Dao

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Fang Zhengzhi's voice was not loud, but it caused the village elder, who was at the exit, to halt. Fang Zhengzhi's question was the one that he feared the most.

If this was a question raised by an adult, the village elder would have to think about it's implications. Under any normal circumstance, when faced with such a situation, they would have held a competition before deciding on the namelist. However, this was different, the people coming were from the Divine Constabulary and this chance was extremely rare.

He felt the silver inside his pocket and his face paled and flushed at the same time. In the end, he grit his teeth and stepped forward, preparing to just exit without addressing the question. He was keenly aware that this was his only chance for him to get such a bribe/

Mrs Li's expression was more normal. After all, she had given the silvers to the 'biggest customer', and she was not afraid that the village elder would go back on his word.

"Aiya, what does a kid know? Where would we find the time to arrange a preliminary test? Your time would be better spent if your mother taught you a few more hunting techniques. This would ensure that you won't be skilless in the future..." Mrs Li tried to blow him off.

"Hunting?" Fang Zhengzhi did not even let Qin Xuelian say anything. He immediately looked at Mrs Li innocently, "Mrs Li, I heard that you know everything about the mountains, then do you know which snake has the longest lifespan?"

"Which snake has the longest life span?" Mrs Li stiffened as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi, still looking at her naively, "Zhengzhi ah, this mountain has so many species of snakes, there is the Three Eyed Snake, the Lesser Snake, the Silver Clawed Snake... silly boy, who will know which snake has the longest lifespan?"

Outside the door, the village elder, who was preparing to leave, heard Fang Zhengzhi's question. He sighed internally, This kid was really silly, why was he caring so much about the lifespan of snakes? He should care more about the species and their attacks.

"A pity, I wanted to tell you all the answer." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh? You know?" Mrs Li was slightly amazed.

The village elder was also amazed, a six year old kid knows which snake has the longest lifespan? That's not very possible, even the oldest hunters in the village could not be certain.

"Mm, it is the 'Snake' that doesn't wear out [1, don't you all know that?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the two people as if he was talking to idiots.

"The 'Snake' that doesn't wear out?!" Mrs Li was stunned when she saw a six year old kid look at her with those eyes. In that moment, her whole body started shivering.

This little kid was scolding her? How could it be? How could a six year old kid think of such a way to chide others? No way, this must be something Qin Xuelian taught him.

"You..."

"Don't say anymore, let's go!" The village elder was also trying to hold back his tongue. He could tell that whilst Fang Zhengzhi was insulting Mrs Li, he was also insulting the village elder.

Was he going to exert his dominance as village elder? Bicker with a six year old?

The village elder still cared about his reputation. He had a guilty conscience, but when he thought about that man from the Fang family who never spoke...

He didn't wait for Mrs Li to say anything, he just dragged her along and left.

Mrs Li had wanted to say more, but if she were to speak whilst being dragged out by the village elder, wouldn't she be proving that she indeed could not stop talking?

In that moment, she bit back her tongue.

After repeating this process a few times, Mrs Li was able to gain some distance between herself and the house.

Qin Xuelian looked at the village elder and Mrs Li 'fleeing', and then she glanced at the 'innocent' Fang Zhengzhi. She was slightly amazed at where Fang Zhengzhi had learnt such a question, but her focus was still on the national exam name list.

Because...

She really couldn't just roll over and accept it.

She grit her teeth and prepared to go chasing after them. Then, a coughing sound could be heard coming from inside the house.

"Don't chase them..." a sigh could be heard from inside the house.

"They are obviously bullying people! Mrs Li must have bribed him! The four Fire Plume Chickens are not the point. Even though we are poor, I do not care about that. The Southern Mountain Village has not had visitors in decades. Now that the Divine Constabulary is here and holding a national exam for all six to eight year olds, Zheng Er is right, there needs to be a preliminary selection. How can the namelist be decided by the village elder? If we go according to age, Huzi from the Li Family is not even in line. I cannot let Zheng Er fall behind, this chance is so rare!"

Qin Xuelian bit her lip as she stretched out her arm to grab Fang Zhengzhi's hand.

Fang Zhengzhi sighed internally, chiding himself for being too young. His words did not carry any weight. In an instant, he felt his arm being gripped by Qin Xuelian and his mouth twitched.

If you want to have a discussion, go ahead, why grab me so tightly?

"It hurts..." Fang Zhengzhi could not extract his hand, he could only moan in protest.

"Aish, Zheng Er ah, my heart hurts too. Previously, when the Blue Fire Wolf had come down from Cang Ling Mountain, if not for your dad protecting the village and losing his arm in the process, the village would have been destroyed. Back then, everybody hailed your dad as a hero, but before long, they began bullying us again. They give us less rations, poor housing, and are even trying to cut us off from the national exam!"

When Qin Xuelian talked about the arm, she was clearly agitated and grabbed Zhengzhi's arm even tighter.

Fang Zhengzhi began to swear, the veins in his arm popping out, his expression revealing a worry way past his years.

His own mother, pretty, patient, gentle, virtuous, why is she is so naive and innocent? It is no wonder that after his father spread stories about her, she married him after a few years. Didn't I just say my arm hurt?

"Don't say anymore, it is not good for the child to hear such things. Zheng Er is still little and he still has a long way to go. The fact that the Divine Constabulary is here shows that they have taken notice of the Southern Mountain Village. If they really set up a school here, then there is hope for the future of the Southern Mountain Village!" Dad's voice boomed.

"Hope? The hope is all for the others. Seeing the village elder's attitude, even if the Divine Constabulary sets up a school here, Zheng Er would never be recruited!"

Qin Xuelian was fuming, and she gripped Fang Zhengzhi's hand tighter, almost lifting him off the ground.

Mother, my mother, please don't be so 'rough'! Fang Zhengzhi was on the verge of tears. How could a mother bear to do this to her son?

"Mother! Hand, my hand hurts..." Fan Zhengzhi felt that if he didn't voice out, his hand would be ruined.

"Aiya, what happened to you? Who caused your hand to become like that?" Qin Xuelian looked down and saw a bruise on Fang Zhengzhi's arm. She immediately thought that someone had bullied him just now.

This hit a nerve and Qin Xuelian begun to sob.

"Zheng Er ah, you are my only hope, you must remember that this world respects "Dao of all creation'. Don't just think that the Li Family is strong now, but they are barbaric and uncouth!"

"What is the Dao of all creation?" Fang Zhengzhi blinked as he looked up at his mother with curiosity.

Fang Zhengzhi was the type who liked to live a carefree and leisurely life. However, the family was really poor, and meals were hard to come by. If she continued to live a carefree life, then they would only be bullied more and more.

Carefree was carefree, but being carefree and bullied everyday made you a complete idiot.

"The Dao of all creation is... haha, actually I am not sure either, but I know that the Dao of all creation originates from the "Law of Dao". So, Zheng Er, if you want to be strong, you must be educated and literate!"

Educated and literate?! Is the key not cultivation?

Fang Zhengzhi became more and more curious, what is the relationship between getting stronger and being literate?

"Mother, have you read the "Law of Dao?" Fang Zhengzhi regretted this the moment he asked it. His mother was illiterate, how could she have read the "Law of Dao"?

"Haha, that's a good question, even though I have never read it, but when I was younger, when I passed by the city's schools, I eavesdropped on a few lines. However, I am illiterate and can't remember much, let me recall..."

Qin Xuelian smiled cryptically, then cleared her throat. She put her right hand behind her back, raised her head, and pretended to be like a professor as she "imparted knowledge" to Fang Zhengzhi.

"Ahem, one of the chapters starts this way... yes, The Dao,which can be told, is not the true Dao; The Name,which can be named, is not the true Name... what's next? I forgot..."

Fang Zhengzhi was shocked when he realized that his mother knew the Dao of all creation, his eyes widened.

The Dao,which can be told, is not the true Dao;

The Dao of all creation? Isn't this the Dao De Jing from his previous life?

"Zheng Er, please don't worry, I may have forgotten this chapter, but I remember another. The Emperors of the past created the Art of Invisibility. There are 4320 laws. This is further split into 8 segements of the Bagua, each segment has three Qi, for a total of 24 Qi. Qi is made up of Earth, Heaven and Human factors, for a total of 72 factors..."

Fang Zhengzhi's heart rate increased, isn't this the "Art of Invisibility"?

"And then... hang on, I will tell you another, ahem..."

Qin Xuelian smiled awkwardly, then seeing Fang Zhengzhi's blushing and stunned expression, confidence built up on her face. It would seem that her son was stunned by her knowledge?

Being able to show off her "skills" in front of her son made Qin Xuelian contented. She cleared her throat and continued.

"Confucius said, isn't it pleasant to practice what you've learnt? Isn't it great when friends from afar come to visit? Isn't part of being a gentleman not blaming someone for not recognizing you?"

Fang Zhangzhi heard his mother stumble through the sentences and he couldn't react in time. It was almost as if he was walking on a cloud, isn't this the "Confucian Analects"?

How could this world have the teachings of Confucius and Mencius? They even had the classics? Was this a coincidence?

Furthermore, what is the link between the Law of Dao and the Dao of all Creation?

Hang on...

If his mother did not recall wrongly, this world did not have the classics, and did not have the annals because all of them were amalgamated in the Law of Dao!

As a history researcher and graduate, Fang Zhengzhi did not dare say that he memorized the entire Law of Dao, but he did know it pretty well.

He was going to be successful! Not even god could stop him now!

"Erm erm..."

Fang Zhengzhi recited a passage of the Tao Te Ching in his head, then, he raised his hand in the sky and shouted, "Dao of all Creation, come to me!"

In an instant, the sky was still as blue as before, the ground just as it was. The only thing that changed was Qin Xuelian's expression. She was stunned.

Fang Zhengzhi blushed...

What was going on? Was there something wrong with the scene? What went wrong?

Qin Xuelian was stunned. When she looked at Fang Zhengzhi again, she recalled how her son had just chided the village elder and Mrs Li with a question. Her expression darkened, "Come here quickly! Could Zheng Er be... possessed?"

[1] The mandarin word for snake has a similar pronunciation as the mandarin word for tongue. In this case, the MC is leveraging the word snake to relate it to a mandarin phrase which means a tongue that does not wear out. He is insulting Mrs Li for talking too much rubbish.

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Chapter 4: It's Lonely At The Top

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Possessed?!"

Some fear still lingered in Fang Zhengzhi's heart. After a herculean effort, he finally managed to pin this "crime" onto Mr Youfang, who passed by Southern Mountain Village several days ago. That's how he managed to escape from the house.

However, this raised some alarms in his heart. He was only six years old, there were times where he should keep a low profile. If he was really deemed as possessed...

Thinking back on what he saw long ago: drinking talisman water; crucified; burned and buried alive….Fang Zhengzhi heart felt an icy chill. Though he was not sure whether this world had such "torture".

The smart move was to be cautious.

After strolling around within the flow of the crowd, he somehow ended up in the village square. Gazing upon the compact crowd, Fang Zhengzhi was taken aback.

The square, which was normally used to distribute the hunted quarry, was currently surrounded by lively villagers. On the west side, there was a one meter high stage made from lumber. The large stage was carpeted with bright red cloths.

In the middle of the carpet, three wooden chairs covered with premium hide and pelts were in a triangular arrangement.

The one in the centre was a redwood chair with a carved beast head. On top of the chair was a fur pelt with silvery fine hair on the sides and fiery red fur in the middle.

This pelt was the first thing Fang Zhengzhi focused on. He was immediately entranced by it. Those pitch black eyes shone with brilliance. He had never seen such a skin before. Not only did he not see this before, he was quite sure, from the quality, that this did not belong to the Southern Mountain Village.

"That is an amazing thing. If I had this pelt, my family will turn rich overnight. Should I take it and run?" When this thought flashed across in his mind, he quickly rejected it.

With his short legs, it was possible that he would be caught even before he had a chance to run. At that moment, his little bottom would definitely split open from the spanking.

As he was thinking about this, a shadow veiled his face.

"Fang Zhengzhi!" A stocky kid wearing a pair of open-crotch pants was glaring straight at him. The kid was holding a chicken drumstick with one hand and wiping his oily mouth with the other.

Blocked by a six year old little brat. Furthermore, he looked as reckless as a bull. Fang Zhengzhi had a hard time accepting this situation .

Adults are hard to deal with but same aged brats was definitely no problem. He could easily outsmart the kid.

"What's up?" Fang Zhengzhi lazily replied.

"Heard from my mom that you were not happy that I qualified for the kid's test? Saying that you want to test me? This Little Lord would like to ask you, do you dare to go head to head with me!" The little brat waved his sturdy arm as he yelled, showcasing his strength to Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi lips twitched. This Li Huer was his neighbour Aunt Li's precious baby boy. Although not as smart, he did not had the same amount of meat intake. The brat's physical strength would definitely overpower him.

"Aren't you preparing for the kid's test? Aren't you scared that any injuries might affect your results?" Fang Zhengzhi advised with concern

Li Huer paused. His mind wobbling as he inwardly agreed. It would be real bad if he was injured. Hence, he heeded Fang Zhengzhi's advice.

"Instead of fighting, we can compete in something else!

"You definitely won't beat me in running…" Fang Zhengzhi lead on with a mask of worry.

"Who said I can't outrun you. Let's race now if you dare!" Lin Huer was obviously not convinced.

"Alright. Can you see that piece of hide on the stage over there? Let's see who can steal it first," Fang Zhengzhi pointed at the brightly coloured hide in the middle of the stage.

"Fine!" Li Huer instantly started nodding his head like chicken pecking on rice, turning towards the stage.

He was truly a ignorant until the point of bravery. Fang Zhengzhi's heart went out to him. After that, just as Li Huer was prepared to charge like a madman, he opened his mouth once again.

"Wait a minute!"

"What's the matter? Chickening out so early?" Li Huer stopped his feet and looked back at Fang Zhengzhi with a face of doubt.

"Nope. Hand over the drumstick before you go, in case you have difficulty climbing up later," Fang Zhengzhi once again advised.

Li Huer's eyeball tumbled in their sockets as he thought that by giving the drumstick to Fang Zhengzhi, he would definitely lose later on!

"Oh, okay!" Li Huer unhesitantly agreed. He never thought of the much serious problem of whether he would still get his drumstick back after giving it to Fang Zhengzhi.

After that, the drumstick reached Fang Zhengzhi's hands. Right after this, Li Huer was hysterical like a little piglet released from its cage, making a mad dash for the stage.

Those movements, madness, boldness had absolutely no trace of hesitation…

Let it be known that Li Huer's speed was surprisingly fast. Those villagers that surrounded the stage did not even had time to react before he slid past and went up the stage. Without even a gasp for air, he straight away grabbed the pelt on the chair and open it up to show Fang Zhengzhi with a victorious grin.

However, it's self-evident what was going to happen next.

Just as Li Huer was draping the pelt and laughing out loud, a few of the villagers were starting to react.

An open-crotch pants offered no protection against a harsh palm.

Those few villagers had the same movements, madness and boldness that showed absolutely no hesitation…

The crisp slap connected with Li Huer's small bottom.

"Ouch! Oh...Ah…" The continuous shrill of his voice clearly translated his current mood.

"Aih, it's lonely at the top." Fang Zhengzhi raised his head to soak in the rays from the sun and started munching on the drumstick in hisbhands…

The official tests had started among the cries of Li Huer's cries of agony.

The sounds of gongs and drums signaled the arrival of a few hundred soldiers clad in shiny armor. They were riding on large creatures with fine black fur covering their entire bodies and their four limbs wrapped in white scales, appearing in the square smoothly and orderly.

Almost half of the square was instantly occupied.

Those thunderous steps shocked the villagers so much that they unconsciously stepped back.

"Aren't they riding on Snow Tredding Dragon Stallions?!"

"Tsk tsk...they definitely are! Only the Divine Constabulary are capable of raising Snow Tredding Dragon Stallions. Rumour has it that they can eat several kilograms of meat in a single meal."

"So much? Won't my pockets be eaten dry with just a few meals?"

"You? Haha...You are not even worth one Snow Tredding Dragon Stallion!"

Groups of villagers in shabby clothes gathered on either sides of the army, whispering and pointing at those soldiers. There were much discussion.

"Quick, look. They are carrying something. What could it be?"

"God knows. Since this is cargo from the Divine Constabulary, it must be something priceless!"

There were some noise and all of the villagers' attention shifted the front of the troops. There was a mysterious object being carried by eight burly soldiers.

A satin-like gold cloth material that was placed on the top that concealed the mysterious object. It was shimmering under the sun.

Fang Zhengzhi naturally noticed this as well. From his perspective, his eyes could see that the object carried by the eight soldiers was about two meters high but he could not estimate it's width.

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Chapter 5: Fleeting Like A Snowflake

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

With the unyielding march of the eight soldiers, that golden drapery occasionally flapped in the wind. This allowed Fang Zhengzhi a peek inside the darkness. Other than the darkness, there was a certain gold sparkle that flickered from within.

It was uncertain whether it was just a reflection of the golden drapery.

"Everyone quiet down!"

At this moment, the revered Village Chief appeared from the crowd with a smile as he stroked his beard while holding a smoking pipe.

"Southern Mountain Village Chief Meng Bai welcomes honourable guests from the Divine Constabulary!"

"En, I'm on a tight schedule. If everyone's here, then let's quickly get started!" A large man wearing a Black Ripple Armour with a no-nonsense face stepped out from behind the mysterious object. He was greeted the Village Chief with an impatient wave.

"Yes, yes. This old man will make it quick. I humbly invite General Li to take a seat in the stage," Chief Meng Bai said without letting down his smile a single inch.

"Fine." General Li nodded his head and looked at those eight soldiers by his side.

"Put that thing up there."

"Yes, sir!" the eight soldiers responded simultaneously. Then, with a single effortless leap, they landed firmly on the stage.

This scene gave Fang Zhengzhi a mild shock. This world was indeed different. Eight soldiers were able to clear a one meter high stage while carrying a large weight?

The villagers on the ground was also flabbergasted by the eight soldiers feat.

"They are indeed men from the Divine Constabulary!"

"But of course. Can't you see the red triangular marks on their armour? If I'm not wrong, those are from the 'Red Pinion Squad'!"

"Red Pinion Squad?! Rumour is that you have to at least successfully 'Access Dao'. Accessing Dao meant that they would be among the men in the big-league that controlled the Dao of All Creation!"

Hearing this villager's explanation, the others instantly gave envious looks at those eight soldiers on stage.

At this moment, Village Chief Meng Bai gave a grin and clumsily climbed the side of the stage to get on top. He faced the villagers engaged in heated discussion, waved his smoking pipe and cleared his throat.

"Folks! With the honoured ones from Divine Constabulary here, good fortune awaits us in the Southern Mountain Village. At the Divine Constabulary, lovely flowers in full bloom carpet their grounds. The Divine Constabulary is the hope of the Southern Mountain Village. The Divine Constabulary is amazing. The Divine Constabulary…"

Listening to the "refined speech" that Village Chief Meng Dai was straining his voice to deliver, Fang Zhengzhi finally came to an understanding why Southern Mountain Village was so poor...

Please. Even if it was ass-kissing, couldn't he made it more subtle? Why not use metaphors? As a last resort, even a fable would be more appropriate.

On the stage, General Li was fidgety as he sat on the chair on the left. His hands was incessantly tapping the handle of the chair. He was trying his utmost to put up with the Village Chief as he stared at him shooting spit from his mouth.

As a general of an army, he appreciated the frankness of villagers but not this kind of blatant ass kissing.

The other soldiers were currently poised straight in the original position like javelins stuck in the ground. The only thing was that their face more or less showed some irritation.

Village Chief Meng Bai's voice reverberated throughout the village square. Fortunately, Meng Bai lived for many decades. Although his cultural refinement was low, he could at least notice minute details of the crowd.

After free playing on the stage for more than ten minutes, he finally puffed from his smoking pipe and exhaled a light cloud of smoke.

"Alright. Let us begin the first round of testing. Those selected please form up two. On the left will be the kid's test and on the right will be the official test. Let's line up one by one and take turns for the assessment!"

Just as he finished, there were already a few dozen people walking out from the crowd. The two lines began the form within the chaos.

The number of participants for this round of testing was just over forty. After splitting into the kid's test and official test, there were only about twenty in each line.

Although it was a messy scene, the lines were formed pretty quickly…

The General Li on the stage and the other soldiers all let out a sigh.

Fang Zhengzhi was curious after listening to Village Chief Meng Bai's instructions. Assessment? What methods of assessment did this world use?

By squeezing through the gaps in the crowd, he managed to squeeze to the front. He then saw a familiar body. At this moment, Li Huer was held by a large fellow as he queued. That man was wearing a beast hide; glossy bronze skin and arms pulsing with veins.

In the front of the line, a few soldiers were making some preparation.

That fellow was the old man of Li Huer. The Deputy Captain of the Southern Mountain Village Hunting Squad, Li Zhuangshi.

Li Huer eye's were roaming around while wearing a intimidating face. He immediately saw the Fang Zhengzhi who was at the front of the crowd. He was just given a harsh spanking yet he saw Fang Zhengzhi still holding that drumstick. His mood started to boil. He stood in line but he was continuously hand signing and mouthing words at Fang Zhengzhi.

From reading his lips, he seemed like he was saying, "When I done with this test, you're finished!"

Fang Zhengzhi calmly stared at Li Huer. Then he put the drumstick in his mouth, tore and chomped on the meat, smearing his mouth with grease.

Li Huer instantly exploded.

His slightly tanned cheeks was red from suppressing his rage. He swung out his arms ready to leave the queue.

Suddenly, a open hand struck his bottom.

"Behave! If you little brat dare to fool around again, I will break your legs!"

Li Zhuangshi had no where to put his face today. His own son played "Robber" in front of the whole village. If not for the fact that Li Huer was only six, the villagers would have sent him for at least 30 harsh paddlings instead just a little spanking.

The first subject of assessment piqued Fang Zhengzhi's curiosity.

Because...

After the soldiers were done with preparations, they realised it was actually for blood drawing! This just felt like a body check from his previous life. What could be the use for this?

As Fang Zhengzhi was trying to figure this out, the villagers around started speaking.

"If our Southern Mountain Village could produce a "Xuan Heavenly Dao Body", that would be a miracle!"

"Xuan Heavenly Dao Body?! How can that be? Don't mention our village. I don't even think the whole of the Northern Lands have a second Xuan Heavenly Dao Body. This test by the Divine Constabulary is mainly to sieve out anyone from the 'Demon Race' that sneaked inside...

Fang Zhengzhi was once again moved by the wonders of this world. There was actually a Demon Race? What's the Xuan Heavenly Dao Body all about? Did he have it? Flailing his arms, it seemed unlikely that he had such luck.

He gave up after that…

Six year olds getting their arms pulled by the soldiers to draw blood was definitely not a gentle gesture. As a result, this more or less scared these children out of their wits. One by one, they started bawling.

The square suddenly got a lot noisier

When it's Li Huer's turn, the same could not be said about him.

Li Huer just exposed his arm and stared down unflinchingly at the long drawing tube that was in the soldier's hands. He did not mind the blood that was drained from his arm with a hard face of fearlessness.

After the blood was drawn, Li Huer once again tried to intimidate Fang Zhengzhi with his side glare.

The meaning behind was obvious. Did you see that? This little lord was born fearless. I would never cry!

Fang Zhengzhi's lips slightly curled and he opened his mouth.

His crow-black eyes blinked and looked at the totally oblivious Li Huer with an extremely confused look.

"Why did Big Brother Huer not cry? The other big brothers all cried except for you. Is it because you see the people at the Divine Constabulary as one of a kind idiots?"

Although Fang Zhengzhi voice at the front of the crowd was not that loud, it clearly caught the ear of the Li Zhuangshi that was still in the queue.

After drawing his blood, his eyes swept over the kids that were vigorously crying. Then he looked that the Li Huer by his side who was currently blinking blindly and puffing up his mouth.

His heart rate immediately shot up.

The words from a six year old child had no intentions. Although not crying would be complimented as bravery to familiar people, the people from the Divine Constabulary was anything but.

What if those people misunderstood?

This possibility might not be high but it was not impossible. If they really misunderstood, the repercussions would be enormous!

Thinking about this, Li Zhuangshi blinked at Li Huer signalling for him to cry…

Li Huer was currently smugly puffing out his cheeks, showing off his bravado and fearlessness to Fang Zhengzhi. He totally did not notice the look his father threw him.

Li Zhuangshi was getting uneasy. Looking around at the soldiers drawing blood, he saw some weird looks.

He raised his hand and struck hard across Li Huer's cheeks.

"Slap!" Sweet and crisp for the ears.

Li Huer's expression instantly froze, the arrogant expression did not even have time to disappear. He raised his head at Li Zhuangshi dumbfounded. He really did not understand what did he do wrong?

From Li Huer's dumbfounded expression, it was clear that Li Zhuangshi's heart was cold as steel.

If others saw this expression, they would immediately assume he's a clear idiot.

With no hesitation to quickly achieve the desired effect, he raised his right hand high up and struck down again a second time.

"Slap!" This time it was even heavier.

The resounding slap echoed throughout the whole square.

"Cry! Are you dumb?" After the slap, he was desperate for Li Huer to fulfil his wish.

Li Huer tried to stifle his cries. However, the burning pain was too much for him to bear.

"Wa!"

The pitiful screams that pierced the heavens finally came out.

Fang Zhengzhi let out a light sigh. He slightly raise his head to the skies with a trace of deep sorrow.

"Life is always fleeting like a snowflake…"

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Chapter 6: Off Game

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

The process of drawing blood completed amongst the cries of the children. After that, a meticulous and systematic check by the soldiers, the results were announced.

There were no anomalies.

All forty plus Southern Mountain Village candidates had no Demons. What about the Xuan Heavenly Dao Body? There were no such luck. Everyone was rejected.

Fang Zhengzhi remembered someone saying that there was not a second Xuan Heavenly Dao Body in the whole of the Northern Lands.

Wait a minute. A second one? Fang Zhengzhi suddenly realised the hidden meaning. Who was the first person? Just as he was about to ask, he realised everyone was already fixated on the second part of the tests.

The orderly soldiers hustled to carry a row of three legged black cauldrons in front of the stage.

Under the supervision of the soldiers, the candidates started to lift the cauldrons.

Looks like it was a competition of strength or was there some other passing criteria? Fang Zhengzhi gathered his thoughts and tried to figure out in his heart.

Out of nowhere, he heard the sound of crying…

One look and he saw that it was Li Huer once again. Fang Zhengzhi was puzzled. He did not mess with him just now so what was happening?

He figured it out after taking a closer look. The Li Huer who carried high hopes crumpled in front of the twenty-five kilogram three legged black cauldron.

Could it because of the slap that he endured? Or was he just off his game?

Fang Zhengzhi faintly remembered Li Huer once lifted one Great Jade Rock. Twenty-five kilogram was definitely not a problem or was it? Could he really be just off his game?

A slap from Li Zhuangshi answered Fang Zhengzhi's queries.

"Scram! You good for nothing brat!"

After throwing that slap, a kick connected with Li Huer's butt. His whole body rolled into the crowd like a football.

After that, Li Zhuangshi's eyes suddenly was filled with sharp determination. Almost as if to recover all the face he lost today, he gave a loud roar and strided towards the two hundred and fifty kilogram large cauldron.

"Heh! Ri...rise for me!"

The veins bulged on the his powerful arms; the muscles on his back swelled. Without much struggle, the two hundred and fifty kilogram big black cauldron responded to the command and rised.

"That's more like it!"

"Deputy Captain Li really helped the Southern Mountain Village to earn some recognition!"

"Two hundred and fifty kilograms! That is such an immense strength!"

The villagers swiftly broke into a cheer.

The Village Chief on the stage finally smiled at the large cauldron being lifted sky-high. That wrinkled old face lightened as if the sun was right below him.

"What's the name of the person?" General Li opened his mouth upon seeing this scene.

"Replying General. This is the Deputy Captain of the Southern Mountain Village's Hunting Squad. His name is Li Zhangshi!" Chief Meng Bai respectfully replied immediately after hearing this.

"Not bad. He has the raw strength. He haven't even access Dao yet he managed to lift two hundred and fifty kilogram. He has great potential. He passed this round!" General nodded. To be able to lift the two hundred and fifty kilogram of black cauldron proved that his physical strength was definitely not lacking.

"Passed?!" Elation burst from Chief Meng Bai's face after he heard this.

Someone from this village passed? This was the greatest happiness under the heavens. Futhermore, it's the Divine Constabulary? If the people from the Divine Constabulary really took a fancy, then they would definitely be committed to grooming him. By then, even the whole of the Southern Mountain Village might benefit from some of the glory.

"He might have passed this round but the next round will be up his performance in that round!" General Li patiently explained after realising that Chief Meng Bai misunderstood the situation.

"Yes, yes, of course. General Li is right. Performance. Let's see his performance in the next round. Haha…" Chief Meng Bai bobbed his head up and down yet there was no way he could hide that smile on his face.

It's the Divine Constabulary. Just the thought itself was exciting!

The some of the villagers below the stage also heard the news. They, too, became abnormally fired up, feeling as if they were the ones that passed the round.

At that moment, the crowd became boisterous.

"Mrs Li, your man sure is amazing!"

"The Li Family sure have it now. The people from Divine Constabulary has taken a fancy on you. In the future, your status would rocket up!"

"Definitely. This is the Divine Constabulary we are talking about!"

The group of women surrounding Mrs. Li was chattering away, sending their congratulations. Some even proposed having their daughters to be betrothed to Li Huer.

This immediately caused Mrs. Li's smile to blossom. The fuming mood that was caused by her son's incapabilities vanished into the clouds.

"Huer is still young, still young…" Mrs. Li maintained with a smile. She was so ecstatic that her mouth just could not close.

Following this, Southern Mountain Village occasionally had some that passed too. However, they all only lifted the two hundred kilogram large black cauldron but it was pass albeit barely.

In the end, the official test had three qualifiers. Meanwhile, the kid's test was going strong. Quite a few seven and eight year-olds forced out all their brawns, lifting the small black cauldrons over their heads one by one. This really surprised the General Li who was sitting in his chair.

"The children in your village are not half bad!"

"General Li, you are too flattering. Our villagers have lived in the Southern Mountains for generations and hunted for a living. We may not have much but we do have hardiness!" Chief Meng Bai was extremely delighted today because his eight year old grandson managed to successfully join the qualifier queue. His heart was swimming in honey.

As more people passed, the square got steadily more enthusiastic. Many villagers were going to the family members of those who passed to express their congratulations.

Fang Zhengzhi held the half eaten drumstick, standing in the crowd leisurely looking on. He did not see his own mother, Qin Xuelian. Obviously, she was still fuming at home.

There was nothing he could do about that.

There was snag in his plans. The legendary incantation was not particularly easy to use. After meditation with the "Law of Dao", the Dao of All Creation did not successfully assimilate into his body. This meant that he was still just another average little brat.

The physical assessment in the second round did not take up much time. The test for more than forty people was completed swiftly. Three adults and five children managed to move on to the next round.

Seeing the eight qualifiers lined up, General Li finally stood up from his seat.

Chief Meng Bai saw and immediately waved his pipe, signalling everyone to be quiet.

"Ahem. Here at the Southern Mountain Village today, I was pleasantly surprised. I never thought there would so many exceptional talents in this place. Well then, the next round will be the last round and the most important one. Regardless whether you pass or not, this general hopes that all of you can persevere down this path."

After his speech, the crowd became completely silent. Everyone was holding their breath, pumped up for the start of the last round.

"Before this round starts, I want to say something. I believe that everyone knows, our Great Xia Dynasty revere the Dao of All Creation. So today I shall demonstrate the power of the Dao of All Creation!"

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Chapter 7: Dao of All Creation

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

As General Li was talking, two soldiers swiftly brought a gigantic jade rock in front of him.

Everyone looked on silently. Not one person dared to make a noise.

The Dao of All Creation.

It was exhilarating just to think about it. That was a power that only possessed by great people. Everyone who controlled the Dao of All Creation was immortalised in the record books by the dynasty. They became man among men, enjoying great rewards from the dynasty.

Fang Zhengzhi's gaze was locked onto General Li. He also would like to know what was this Dao of All Creation about.

"Release!"

With a light exhale, General Li got into action. His eyes lit up, right foot stepped forward forcefully, and directly struck the jade rock with his open palm.

"Boom!"

With a loud blast, the whole rock erupted into countless small debris.

All the villagers was all stunned by this scene. In their hearts, a person who could lift hundreds of kilogram of the black cauldron was already extremely impressive. To break apart a giant rock with bare hand was something that they dare not think about.

Yet, Fang Zhengzhi was slightly disappointed.

"This is the Dao of All Creation? Shouldn't this be just called...Cleaving Huashan[1] Redux- Bare Palm Smashes Large Rock?" Fang Zhengzhi saw the broken pieces of the jade rock feeling a bit cheated.

He still remembered the runaway Lolita at the village entrance was also using the same move.

What general of the Divine Constabulary had such standards? Thumbs down!

As Fang Zhengzhi was deep in thought with a pout, those jade rock gravel split further and further into even smaller pieces.

This time shock shone through his eyes.

It was still moving? Could it be that the power of that palm strike was still propagating? Fang Zhengzhi was baffled. According to reality, shouldn't it be over when the strike landed?

However…

"Eh?! This...Does it have to be this exaggerated?"

Fang Zhengzhi did not even have time to figure out the cause behind this when those gravel undergoing the continuous breakdown was turned into a pile of dust!

If it was just one palm breaking apart a jade rock, Fang Zhengzhi would not have been this dumbfounded. He would have just thought that this world's martial arts power was slightly higher. After all, his previous life's hero novels commonly featured such feats.

What about a palm strike that turned rock into dust? Wasn't this a bit too fantastical?

No matter how the power was exerted, it should not be possible to reduce the rock to such an extent. What was left on the stage was pure rock dust without a single gravel in sight. How did he controlled it to such an extent?

Could this be the legendary Bone Crunching Soft Palm? But this only crunched bones.

"Assemble!"

Just when Fang Zhengzhi was muddled with questions, General Li aggressively shifted his leg back and lightly huffed at the jade rock dust. At the same time, he swiftly took back his outstretched palm.

Fang Zhengzhi was puzzled. The boulder was struck into dust, yet what was this General Li trying to do?

Assemble?

What did that meant?

The confusion was fleeting. Soon, Fang Zhengzhi's jaws dropped. It was big enough to fit his small fist inside it. There's was no way he was wrapping his head around this inexplicable scene.

Because…

The gravel that was once broken down into dust seemed like it was given life. It was steadily fusing together. Those rock dust was actually moving by themselves like a magic show. From dust to gravel, and from gravel to palm-sized pebbles.

Finally…

"Clack!" With this light click, it was reformed into the gigantic jade rock!

"Fuck...What the hell is this?!"

Fang Zhengzhi was panicked for a moment. A palm strike to the rock split it into dust just gave his small heart a little jump. It was at most a confirmation that this world's martial arts power was higher than he expected.

It might be because of some kind of peerless martial arts style or a secret art that was passed down through generations.

But a rock that broke into dust was reassembled back? This was totally going against the any form of common sense!

Even if he was sent back to his previous life, with even the most advanced technology, he would have no way of sticking back all the dust to form a rock. Furthermore, it was exactly the same rock from before!

Fang Zhengzhi felt that his view of the world was just tipped on its side. This world was unexplainable. In this world, how was it possible to reverse the splitting of a rock?

The Dao of All Creation?

Fang Zhengzhi had never been so disturbed by a single event.

He once again rubbed his eyes hard. The gigantic jade rock was still sitting right on top of the stage, shimmering lightly under the sun…

"This is the Dao of All Creation!"

The General Li on the stage exhaled lightly, pointing at the jade rock with a serene expression and announced loudly to the speechless crowd.

The whole square was incredibly silent, not one person was talking, The light breeze flowed pass, bringing a wave of fine sand that went into some villagers' eyes. Yet, their eyes were still opened wide like bells－unflinching.

This was the calm before the storm. After the calm, came a flash flood of epic proportions.

As if a blazing pile of firewood, the whole square was completely aflamed with discussion. Everyone was bursting with barely restrained excitement.

"Dao of All Creation!"

"That's so powerful. I also want to control the Dao of All Creation!"

"Mummy, I will work hard. Once I can control the Dao of All Creation, I too will become a man among men!"

The villagers were getting roused, especially Li Zhuangshi and the others who had passed the round. Their face was flushed red from the thrill. Seeing General Li on stage, they could almost picture themselves in the same spot.

Similarly, Fang Zhengzhi also had a strong desire.

Dao of All Creation?! How does one even control the Dao of All Creation? If the source of it was the "Law of Dao", he already studied and understood a portion of its contents.

Why was it not working? What was the problem?

"Now everyone , you have just witnessed the power of the Dao of All Creation. I believe that everyone hoped that one day you could obtain such power. However, there is one thing I must tell you. To control the Dao of All Creation is hard, incredulously hard! It can be said that there isn't even a ten thousand to one chance. To control the Dao of All Creation, other than having a good foundation, there must be fate!"

After reaching this point, General Li paused. He swept across the exceedingly enthusiastic villagers with eagle eyes.

"To obtain it, you need effort. To control it, you need understanding! Understand the source of all creation. Understand the nature of all creation. Understand the different existence in the world, like: mountains, water, rock, flowers, grass, trees, wood, sun, moon, stars… Everything about everything. They are all creations. Some alive, others are not. Their lives, age, sickness, deaths. How are they formed? How will they be destroyed?"

"All of this comes from the "Law of Dao". One book of "Law of Dao" covers all creation under the heavens! To control the Dao of All Creation, other than a strong mind and body, it more importantly requires a determination to accumulate, to study the "Law of Dao, to understand all creations!"

"After all that I said, did all of you understand?" At the end of his speech, his body instinctively emitted an invisible but incredible pressure.

"Understand!" All the villagers under this pressure unconsciously shout their reply in unity similar to General Li's subordinates.

Fang Zhengzhi did not yell as he was currently lowering his head thinking about General Li's words.

To control, there must be understanding. The source of the Dao of All Creation is the "Law of Dao". A single book of the "Law of Dao" explains all creations under the heavens!

Understanding, understanding…

Understood!

Finally, he understood. The "Law of Dao" was only the foundation for the Dao of All Creation, similar to the roots of a tree. If you planted the tree on a rock, it would probably die. If the tree was to live and bear fruits, then other than planting it in soil, there had to be enough nutrients, a suitable climate and meticulous care. When all criteria are met, the tree would flower and bear fruits.

The "Law of Dao" is the roots, the source and it is essential! There Dao of All Creation would be the fruits!

His current situation was like owning a nice plot of land. It was equivalent to a stable foundation. In a sense, he was already ahead of most people.

Of course, he still could not be compared to the runaway Lolita. If his guess was right, that runway Lolita had already accessed Dao.

Accessing Dao at the age of five? Who exactly was that girl?

Then…

What he needed to do next was simple. Other than developing his plot of land, he had to wait for fate, then the fruits would bear?

The question was, did he have the fate?

"Very good. The next round of the Divine Constabulary test will begin now. The name of this round is 'Fate'!" General Li gave a satisfying nod as he faced the villagers.

[1]- 力劈华山: a move in a China made game called "梦幻西游"

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Chapter 8: Illustration of All Creation

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Fate?!" All of the villagers were stunned, unable to comprehend what General Li said. Fate? How could fate be tested?

Fang Zhengzhi was confused as well.

The fate as foretold in the legends would appear just like that? Did it have to come now? I'm not prepared for this! Mainly because I'm only six.I'm not even matured yet.

"Open it!" General Li ordered the eight soldiers carrying the mysterious object without much explanation.

"Yes sir!" The eight soldiers replied in unison.

After that, the eight soldiers walked towards the side of the object simultaneously. They stretched out their hands, grabbed the gold drapes that covered the object and gently unveil it.

"What is that?"

"Could it be...the Illustration of All Creation?! My god, the last round is actually the Illustration of All Creation."

When the giant jade slab that was made entirely of pitch black jade was revealed, every villager was dumbfounded. Everyone was staring the jade slab like deers caught in headlights.

Especially those that passed the second round. They had eyes opened wide like saucers staring at it, afraid to miss even a second of it.

On the pitch black jade rock, light gold shimmers flowed along the surface. Those are countless of gold lines. There were characters and also figures that had an intricate complexity. From the top, these extended all the way to the bottom.

As the lines progressed bottom, the characters and figures got more complicated. From the initial simple characters and simple squares and circles, it slowly changed to a composite of squares and circles. Finally, the stars, sun, moon and a myriad of other figures and characters…

At the most bottom was a portrait of a immensely expansive mountains and rivers scenery.

General Li gave a small smile and a slight cough after seeing the expressions on the villagers' face.

"That's right! This is the Illustration of All Creation! Although this was one with the lowest quality, without an strong and solid foundation, it would still be impossible to solve. The Illustration of All Creation is fate, and it is also the gate!"

"To pass the final selection by the Divine Constabulary, there are two ways. First way: Unravel the Illustration of All Creation! Second way: Be the top scorer in the Capital's "Law of Dao Examinations". Both will receive the special attention of the Divine Constabulary!"

Just as he finished, the villagers were in a commotion.

To them, both paths were too difficult. This first path was way beyond difficult. In legends, this Illustration of All Creation had proved too challenging even for some of the great men that had accessed Dao. To these people who barely even read the "Law of Dao", it was an impossible endeavour.

The second path was also extremely demanding. Although it was just the Capital's Law of Dao examinations, the requirement was to be the top scorer. In other words, even if you passed the examinations with the second highest marks, there would be no recognition!

Any one of these paths was problematic for the villagers that were illiterate.

However, it was the Divine Constabulary after all.

By entering the Divine Constabulary, it was equivalent to an immediate rise in status. Why wouldn't it be a difficult task? The villagers were all chattering among themselve, yet no one raised any objections.

"The road is shown to you by me, how you traverse it will depend on yourselves. Although both paths are challenging for all of you here, with the first two tests, I have noticed the huge potential of the Southern Mountain Village. I will personally suggest to the Divine Constabulary to set up a 'Hall of Dao' here. Those that passed the first two rounds will have the privilege of studying within the Hall of Dao.

"Hopefully one day, under the guidance of the Hall of Dao, you can become the top scorer in the Capital's Law of Dao Examinations!"

General Li did not mention the path through the Illustration of All Creation because he personally felt that this path was just too challenging. Forget about the Southern Mountain Village. Even in the Divine Constabulary, other than the Divine Lord and the "special guests", only Missus could solve the so-called "Illustration of All Creation of the lowest quality".

When it came to General Li who was also an outstanding individual that accessed Dao, he could only look on and sigh.

Thinking about this, General Li immediately recalled his Missus. She was only five years old when she solved the Illustration of All Creation. When the current Sacred Lord heard about the news, even he jumped out of his skin. He personally send out a sacred order on the spot, praising the Divine Constabulary of the Northern Lands for producing an incredible "Pride of the Heavens".

Although it was just a seemingly normal sentence, it was anything but. That was a sacred order! In the records, from the rise of the Great Xia Dynasty until today, there had only be thirty sacred orders given out. The rest was merely royal orders.

"Alright, let's keep the Illustration of All Creation. Although solving the Illustration of All Creation was an indication of great fate, allowing people to instantly aligned the heart of Dao, facilitating the road to accessing Dao, it was not something anyone could do. Only those with great accumulations of knowledge could...could…"

As General Li spoke to this point, he could not continue at all.

For, at this moment, the Illustration of All Creation was shining with a dazzling radiance. Those initially dim golden flows of shimmers were suddenly burning hotter than the sun.

The whole Illustration of All Creation was completely lit up, golden light bursting from within!

Village Chief Meng Bai, who was currently standing on the stage with his head lowered and listening respectfully, suddenly realised General Li stopped talking. He felt something was amiss so he raised his head to look at General Li.

"General Li?" Chief Meng Bai meekly voiced out.

Then, when he say that brilliant golden light from the Illustration of All Creation, he almost cried.

"This, could this be…" Chief Meng Bai was really moved. He was so moved that his pair of eyes were red. He pinched his thighs with all his might and realised that this was not a dream.

The golden light from the Illustration of All Creation was still so obvious.

At this moment, all the villagers were staring dumbly at the Illustration of All Creation. They could not comprehend why the Illustration of All Creation suddenly lit up. Furthermore, the light seemed to be growing in intensity.

Many of the villagers were confused but General Li knew very well what was happening, due to his knowledge. That's why he could not contain the stupefaction in his heart.

Not only General Li but even the soldiers below the stage were stupefied by the radiance of the sacred slab.

"How, how is this possible?!"

"The Illustration of All Creation... was solved!"

"Who?! There was someone who could solve the Illustration of All Creation in a place like the Southern Mountain Village!"

"How much time was this in sight? It has not even been a minute…"

All the soldiers could not believe their eyes. Forget about the Southern Mountain Village, even in the Divine Constabulary, there were few could solve it.

This did not mean that no one have solved the Illustration of All Creation.

It was just that no one in the Southern Mountain Village had accessed Dao! Without accessing Dao and solving the Illustration of All Creation was equivalent to someone racing a Black Gale Leopard without learning how to walk and winning!

It was incredulous, unimaginable even.

All these years, the Divine Constabulary would annually send out a team with the Illustration of All Creation to every county town to conduct tests. Their real motive was to advocate the meaning of Dao, set up Halls of Dao. This would allow more people the chance to study the "Law of Dao", and as a result, gradually travel down the path of cultivation.

What about the Illustration of All Creation? That was purely ceremonial so as to respect the ways of their ancestors.

But now…

General Li just wanted to pass by, let these villagers have a glimpse of the Illustration of Creation then keeping it. Instead, he discovered that someone had already solved the Illustration of All Creation?!

How was he to keep calm? How was he to keep composed?

More importantly, it was in less than a minute.

He still remembered that Missus initially spent a full week to solve the Illustration of All Creation. This had already shocked the whole Great Xia Dynasty.

Who? Who exactly solved this? Did it have to be this fast? Could it be even be exaggerated further?

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Chapter 9: DUST

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Fang Zhengzhi felt like his whole body was soaked in sunlight. He felt out of place. He could feel the blood flowing in his veins. A bizarre feeling started to take root in his heart…

He did not understand what was happening to him. He only knew that when the Illustration of All Creation was revealed, his gaze was automatically drawn to it.

Due to his hopes of the Dao of All Creation, he wanted to clarify what this fateful opportunity meant?

After this, he started to study it. The characters on it was all recognisable, it was similar to the words in his previous world. It was just the older form. This was a piece of cake for Fang Zhengzhi who was an expert in ancient literature!

Even later, he realised that these characters and figures had an air of familiarity about them. Every character, every figure, from top to bottom all abide by some kind of fixed rule.

This kind of pattern was uncomfortable to look at. It was as if this had an original pattern that was purposely messed up.

Making it extremely scattered and erratic.

Fang Zhengzhi did not dwell too much on that. Since it's already jumbled, he would put it back together. After that, he attempted to link the characters and figures together…

In the end, he was taken aback. As the characters and figures got more complex, his thoughts got deeper. How would he deconstruct the these characters and figures and link them?

He quickly realised that the pattern within seemed to follow the thought processes of the Eight Diagram Tactics.

The figures and characters on the whole Sacred Rock was similar to a Matrix spell. Fortunately, this spell was not complicated. It was not something like the Left Azure Dragon, Right White Tiger, Front Vermillion Bird, Rear Black Tortoise Four Great Matrix Spells.

Utilising his expert knowledge, together with the "Metaphysical Gates of the Hidden World"[1] that he researched in his previous life and some ancient records of different matrix spell knowledge, he finally came to an understanding…

Right after that, the scenery in front of him suddenly changed.

The sky disappeared; the earth gone. In front of him was an expansive ocean, the aquamarine waters rolled non-stop. A few birds flew across from the horizon and a waft of fresh scent drifted across the air.

A golden round moon rose from the horizon. The once pitch dark sky was gradually illuminated. A star. Two stars. Three stars…

When the countless stars finally dotted the skies, the hysteria in his heart grew exponentially. Those stars seemed like they were growing, then grouping together. One piece by one piece, star patterns start to emerge.

Great lands; deep valleys; mighty rivers; giant beasts; morphing clouds...

Seemed like everything was included in these all encompassing stars.

"Hoom!"

Just when Fang Zhengzhi was thinking of watching it for a while more, the whole world collapsed. It turned into a particle of "dust", settling in his heart.

When Fang Zhengzhi opened his eyes, he realised he was back.

The sky was still the sky, with the same shade of blue. The land was still the land, with the same shade of yellow…

What happened? Was it a hallucination?

Fang Zhengzhi stretched out his little claws to scratch his head. After that, he looked around and quickly realised that the whole square was dead silent. Everyone had eyes opened wide and mouths agape…

What he did know was that the golden glow of the Illustration of All Creation immediately vanished when his eyes opened. The golden veins once again dimmed. Light shimmers flowed across the black jade rock.

The Illustration of All Creation returned to normal and General Li came to realise something.

Surprisingly, his pair of hands shaking with excitement. He did not expect a small mountain village that they were just passing by was hiding such a wonderful surprise.

"Is anyone among those present that is literate?" General Li suppressed his inner excitement and tried his best to maintain his composure. However, he was still unable to hide the shaking from his voice.

"Yes!" Just as General Li's words came out, someone in the line raised his hand.

Every villager turned their gaze to one child on the stage after hearing that voice.

"It's him?!"

"Who would've thought?!"

After looking clearly at the child, the eyes of all the villagers became the greenest of envy.

That child had a fair and clear face and wearing a red shirt with a red silk cloth tied on his head. He dressed extremely clean.

At this moment, the child was raising his right hand with an expression of pride.

He was the grandson of Village Chief Meng Bai, Meng Jiangshan.

Fang Zhengzhi was unsure of what was happening. When he heard that Meng Jiangshan was literate, he was slightly shocked. Although the character of the Village Chief was far from ideal, it seemed like he did not hold back when it came to grooming his grandson.

Seeing his own grandson raising his hand , Chief Meng Bai's face that was on the verge of crying finally broke into tears.

Two rivers of old tears flowed down instantly.

That was truly the elation from the bottom of the heart. The Illustration of All Creation was solved by his own grandson? There was no one else in the Southern Mountain Village that was literate.

Thinking about this, hot tears filled Chief Meng Bai's eyes. He could almost see the doors of the Divine Constabulary welcoming him with open arms.

"I can write one, two and three. Oh! I can write the characters for big and small too!" Meng Jiangshan bragged arrogantly haughtily while looking around at envious faces that were thrown at him.

All the villagers immediately got even more impressed.

General Li nodded indicating for Meng Jiangshan to continue.

However, Meng Jiangshan was done.

The situation suddenly got a little awkward. After waiting a while, General Li felt something was amiss.

"No more?" General Li asked doubtfully.

"No more. I already know how to write out five characters!" Meng Jiangshan was getting arrogant.

Gneral Li's originally ecstatic face turned black. His eyes turned to the now dimmed Illustration of All Creation. He had a complicated look on his face.

Knowing five characters? Solving the Illustration of All Creation?

No matter how it was spun, this was not logical.

Fang Zhengzhi's corner of his mouth lifted just a tiny bit after listening to the conversation between Meng Jiangshan and General Li. What if I just stood out and shouted, "This little lord here knows every word there is!" Wouldn't this scare the villagers into leaking themselves?

However…

How would he explain that he knew these words? Just now at home, he merely madly hollered while pointing at the sky and his mother accused him of being possessed. If he stood out and shouted this, wouldn't he be locked up as a demon incarnate?

Fang Zhengzhi was in a dilemma.

Naturally he noticed that the General Li from the Divine Constabulary was finding the person who recognised those words. Although he was unclear of their intentions, he was quite sure it was not something bad.

Fang Zhengzhi was thinking of revealing himself but he could not find a satisfying explanation on the spot. After all, to know so many words, won't you need some time? He was only six! His family was also poor…

General Li was hesitant. He felt that this matter could go either way. If the child in front of him really used just the five words to unravel the Illustration of All Creation, then he would really be a peerless genius. But what if he mistook the wrong person?

What will he do?

"The "Law of Dao" has three thousand chapters with millions of sections. Every section have at least hundred and at most tens of thousand characters. Among these, some of the common characters recorded were at least ten thousand! Although the Illustration of All Creation is small, it has millions of intricacies. It contains the universe, the laws of all creation, the valleys and rivers of earth, profound secrets. It contains the very axioms that governs everything between heaven and earth!"

At this point, a delicate voice was heard.

[1] "奇门遁甲" is one of China's greatest secret arts knowledge. It was regarded as the knowledge for kings in ancient times.

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Chapter 10: Wisdom in Retreat

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Shock reverberated through the crowd. The voice sounded soft and tender, yet the words uttered were…

Completely incomprehensible!

Standing on the raised platform, General Li, his face stricken with anxiety, heard the sound. His eyes instantly lit up, and went down on one knee. The other soldiers, including those on horses who dismounted immediately, knelt down as well.

Fang Zhengzhi wondered why this voice had an air of familiarity to them.

An emerald green sedan lifted by some soldiers arrived the bottom of the stage. With unparalleled agility, a figure leapt out from the sedan and landed softly on the stage.

A pretty girl with her hands placed behind her back, dressed in a silk skirt appeared on stage. Her hair was decorated with a single jade green flower and wore a pair of gold-threaded red shoes. It was Lolita!

Her elegant, defined features coupled with the air of strength that seemed to radiate from each and every part of her instantly flashed in front of the eyes of the stunned villagers.

Lolita "Chi Guyan" observed the villagers at the bottom of the stage with a calm demeanor. Despite her young age of five years, she gave off a subtle, yet unmistakable aura of perfection.

"Huh? What is Lolita doing here?" Fang Zhengzhi's wondered, a growing sense of unease built up inside him.

"Greetings Missus!"

"Greetings Missus!"

General Li and the soldiers dressed in shining armour around him shouted in unison upon seeing Lolita appear on the stage.

"Village Chief Meng Bai of the Southern Mountain Village pays respect to Missus!"

"Oh my God, she is the daughter of the Divine Constabulary! The daughter of the Divine Constabulary personally visited our Southern Mountain Village!" The villagers couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

"Missus?! Lolita is the daughter of the Divine Constabulary?" Fang Zhengzhi felt his legs almost give way, almost letting go of the chicken thigh he was holding on to.

Alright…

How can things be so coincidental, how can the Lolita I met at the entrance of the village be the daughter of the Divine Constabulary? Moreover, I even gave her a kick in the butt that sent her falling into the river!

Revenge never ends. Fang Zhengzhi took one look at the azure blue skies, then crouched down and quickly squeezed his way into the crowd.

This is no joking matter. In this world where classism is rife, the arrival of the daughter of the Divine Constabulary required even the usually high-ranking village chief to kneel down. If she wanted to squeeze him to death, it would be even easier than killing an ant.

As such, Fang Zhengzhi promptly decided that retreating is the best strategy.

Hidden among the crowd, Fang Zhengzhi carefully maneuvered through the people, afraid of making any large movements. As he squeezed among the villagers, he began to realise why the Divine Constabulary that eluded the Southern Mountain Village in many years suddenly made a mysterious appearance today.

Preliminary examination? Children's test?

What a sneaky Lolita, she is obviously using this public preliminary examination to achieve her own personal agenda, to catch me then finally killing me off!

Fang Zhengzhi evidently did not believe that this Divine Constabulary which had never set foot upon the Southern Mountain Village for so many years will coincidentally decide to suddenly host a preliminary examination here. In order to confirm his suspicions, he peeked through the crowd to observe Lolita's expression.

True to his beliefs, Lolita's jet-blacked eyes were surreptitiously scanning the crowd from the top of the stage, her eyes darting left, right, front and back as if looking for something.

"I knew it!" Fang Zhengzhi understood everything and instantly crouched back down.

After scanning the entire crowd twice, Lolita's gaze finally landed upon Meng Jiangshan.

"You claim you can read, that means you are the person who solved the Illustration of All Creation just now?" Lolita's playful attitude at the village entrance was replaced by an expression of complete tranquility.

Stealing a glance at Lolita's expression, Fang Zhengzhi sighed to himself. "How fake! Obviously a rowdy person, yet she acts like such a cultured daughter of the Divine Constabulary."

Upon witnessing Lolita's questioning, the villagers who at first didn't dare to ascertain what had just transpired naturally guessed the mystery behind the Illustration of All Creation.

Solving the Illustration of All Creation? This grants an undeniable entry into the Divine Constabulary!

"Meng Jiangshan solved the Illustration of All Creation?"

"The Illustration of All Creation, Oh Heavens… Has actually been solved by Meng Jiangshan!"

"He's no older than eight years, what a natural talent. This is truly worthy of a celebration for our Southern Mountain Village!"

All the villagers looked at Meng Jiangshan with unparalleled admiration.

Yet Meng Jiangshan himself had confusion written all over his face.

Touching his plumpish face, and then looking at the villagers' gazes - solving the Illustration of All Creations? How did I not realise? I obviously didn't even understand a thing!

At a loss of what to do, Meng Jiangshan shot a glance at Village Chief Meng Bai who was standing on the stage, the grandfather who gave him power in the Southern Mountain Village.

Village Chief Meng Bai who was initially bowed down on the floor suddenly heard Lolita addressing his own grandson. A sense of anxiety rose up in him - he knew too well the demography in the entire Southern Mountain Village.

Ability to read?

In this entire Southern Mountain Village, who else other than his own grandson would dare to claim that he could head?

That means undoubtedly, it was his own grandson who solved the Illustration of All Creation! Holding on to this thought, he felt an immense sense of relief. He was about to gain power beyond imagination! Just as he started to break into a smile, he met Meng Jiangshan's questioning gaze.

Is this kid dumb? Since he solved it he should quickly say it out!

Engulfed by worry, Village Chief Meng Bai immediately looked at his grandson Meng Jiangshan and without hesitation, began to nod his head incessantly.

Meng Jiangshan was indeed smart, and quickly understood his intentions.

Since even his own grandfather agreed that he was the solver of the Illustration of All Creation, it is most likely to be really true!

"Yes, it is me who solved the Illustration of All Creation!" Meng Jiangshan confidently stepped out from the crowd,

"Woah!"

This time, all of the villagers truly started to feel the excitement.

When Meng Jiangshan stood out initially, there was still a sense of uncertainty among the villagers. Now that Meng Jiangshan himself has admitted it, it must undoubtedly be correct!

Solving the Illustration of All Creations at eight years old, only less than a handful in the Northern Lands who could achieve such a feat. No, not just the Northern Lands, there was only less than a handful in the entire Great Xia Dynasty capable of such feats.

The Southern Mountain Village had produced a talent, who would dare to bully the Southern Mountain Village in the future? The Northern Mountain Village on the mountain opposite this? Ha, even the high officials in the city would have to pay some respect to the Southern Mountain Village.

Indeed, once a person rises to the top, everyone related to him rises as well.

Just the thought of it excites the villagers.

"Cane, ten strokes!" Lolita seems to have failed to see the villagers' excited expressions, her face maintaining a sense of calm as if what she said was just another small matter.

A kid who could only understand five words accessing Dao? What a joke! Such freak occurrences are impossible in this world.

"Yes Missus!" A few of the soldiers standing guard below the stage stood out immediately upon hearing the command and effortlessly pinned down the half-kneeling Meng Jiangshan, his face still beaming with delight, and whipped out a cane as thick as one's arm.

"Wooosh!" The villagers were still confused over what just happened when the sounds of the cane making contact with Meng Jiangshan's backside resounded.

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Chapter 11: Observe in Silence

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Oww! Pain..." Just a second ago, Meng Jiangshan was beaming with happiness. A second later, he immediately started bawling uncontrollably without reason.

The villagers were at a loss.

What is happening?

Wasn't everything going smoothly, wasn't the Illustration of All Creation solved? What is up with the sudden caning? Could it be that this was the prerequisite for entering the Divine Constabulary? Anyone who solves the Illustration of All Creation had to first be caned ten times? How is it that nobody ever heard about this rule…

Confusion was written all over the villagers' faces, yet nobody dared to stand out. After all, this was the order of the Divine Constabulary's daughter.

Fang Zhengzhi was likewise bewildered by the sudden change in situation.

Lolita's calm expression was evidently fake. No matter how she much she tried to hide it, she was still unable to suppress the innate violence in her. Caning just like that, how cruel!

Wait a minute…

Did she just say solve the Illustration of All Creation?!

Does this mean the Illustration of All Creation was solved?

Could it be me?

Could it be?!

Excitement quickly grew in Fang Zhengzhi. It was possible! It was definitely possible! With my impressive talent, not only could I understand the writings and pictures on the Illustration of All Creation, I even had a vision. There is a huge possibility that this is true!

Should I give it a try?

If it was really me who solved the Illustration of All Creation, based on this world's superpowers, shouldn't it be theoretically possible to pulverise jade rocks and shake the ground with a single stomp?

Holding on to this thought, his excitement grew. A wimpy scholar in his past life, he never imagined that he could have transformed into a great warrior and hero.

Ha ha ha…

Fang Zhengzhi laughed out silently to himself, then focusing his "Chi", slowly lifted his leg and rammed down heavily on the ground.

Shortly after, he felt a slight numbness in his feet.

And some form of soreness...

The village square that was built upon layers of stone remained completely still.

What happened? What was wrong? Where was the ability to turn stone into powder with the strike of a palm, to create a gigantic crater with the stamp of one's feet? Beads of sweat broke out on Fang Zhengzhi's forehead, could it be that the Illustration of All Creation was not solved by him?

"Who is the one who solved the Illustration of All Creation?" Lolita didn't even bother to take a glance at sobbing Meng Jiangshan, expressionlessly sweeping her gaze across the villagers under the stage.

The villagers looked at each other, all with the same puzzled expression.

Nobody was able to understand anything that was happening.

Across the whole village square, other than the piercing cries of Meng Jiangshan's uncontrollable bawling, and the subtle sound coming from Village Chief Meng Bai's shivering legs, there was nothing but dead silence.

Fang Zhengzhi's was similarly extremely confused. It was unclear if he really solved the Illustration of All Creation. If it really was him, how could there be no evidence of the rewards he was entitled to?

Solving the Illustration of All Creation? Could it be a lie? Wasn't Lolita's purpose of putting in so much effort to make a trip to the Southern Mountain Village just to catch him?

Reaching this thought, Fang Zhengzhi's emotions stabilised.

Regardless of whether the Illustration of All Creation was really solved, even if that was true, taking into account the kick he gave at the village entrance, he would rather die than stand out!

As such, he decided to wait and see.

Lolita waited patiently for a few minutes, the sounds of Meng Jiangshan's crying continued to reverberate throughout the village square.

Gazing at the silent villagers, Lolita finally lost her patience.

"Is anybody else here able to read?" Lacking other options, she could only change the question.

Fang Zhengzhi's twitched his mouth, his face an expression of pure disdain. I can read, but I would rather be beaten to death than stand out. Come here and bite me if you can!

The other villagers continued to glance at one another, remaining silent as per before.

Ten minutes passed, fifteen minutes passed, half an hour passed…

No matter how Lolita or General Li altered the question, it was met with complete silence.

On the other side, after the caning, Meng Jiangshan was carried down the stage.

His blood that flowed down his backside was gory beyond belief.

This instilled a sense of anxiety among the villagers, who upon witnessing this horrible sight would never dare to claim this "credit" for themselves.

Village Chief Meng Bai didn't even dare to lift up his head, his shivering body remained bowed on the stage. Not because he didn't want to speak for his grandson, but because he understood what had happened.

It seemed that the Illustration of All Creation was not solved by his grandson. That means Meng Jiangshan's actions were chargeable as an attempt to deceit the Divine Constabulary.

This act of deceit warranted a death sentence.

Ten strokes of the cane? A punishment as light as this was already unfathomable.

"Missus, could it be… the sunlight?" A soldier tasked with protecting the sacred rock discreetly made his way to Lolita's side and softly asked.

Lolita wasn't present to personally witness the incident, hence looked questioningly towards General Li.

General Li pondered deeply. He, along with all of the soldiers on site, clearly saw the golden rays that emitted from the Illustration of All Creation.

Why is it that nobody stood out?

Could it really be a mistake? Looking up at the glaring sun, his confidence finally wavered.

In a village such as the Southern Mountain Village, villagers were unable to even read, let alone solve the Illustration of All Creation. How can this even be a possibility?

Holding on to this thought, General Li reconsidered the situation.

The emission of golden rays? The reflection of the glaring sun? It was no mystery, it was definitely caused by the sunlight!

General Li had no time to waste pursuing this unconfirmed case in the Southern Mountain Village, he had to reach the next city before sunset.

If his hundreds of soldiers had to stay overnight in the Southern Mountain Village, it would significantly delay their journey.

"Missus… It might really be due to the sunlight." General Li made a decision.

"If that is the case, proceed to make the necessary preparations!" Lolita nodded.

"Roger!" General Li acknowledged and passed down orders to cover up the Illustration of All Creation and remove it from the stage…

Seeing General Li depart, Lolita refocused her gaze on the kneeling Village Chief Meng Bai.

"Stand up!"

"Roger, roger... thank you Missus!" Village Chief Meng Bai immediately bowed in gratitude, his back was thoroughly soaked with sweat, yet he couldn't muster the courage to wipe it.

"Meng Bai, let me ask you, why are the Fire Plume Chickens you sent so unappetising? Are you intending to play a fool with me?" Lolita casually asked.

"Unappetising? Fooling with Missus? This…" Beads of sweat began to reappear on Village Chief Meng Bai's forehead. When he initially heard the news that the daughter of the Divine Constabulary wanted to eat Fire Plume Chickens, he was delighted. He immediately ordered one to be roasted at home.

Yet, it seems that this daughter of the Divine Constabulary was unsatisfied, putting the chicken down upon taking just one bite. Lacking other options, Village Chief Meng Bai had to source for Fire Plume Chickens throughout the village and even gathered the best Fire Plume Chicken chefs in the village.

But now...

Despite roasting over twenty Fire Plume Chickens, this Divine Constabulary's daughter still remained unsatisfied?

What to do? Am I really going to die today? This is the end of my Meng family, this is the end of the Southern Mountain Village…

Observing Village Chief Meng Bai's shivering figure, her mouth twitched as if pondering over a thought, then swept her gaze across the village crowd once again.

Fang Zhengzhi immediately re-concealed himself.

This Lolita had the ability to split giant stones with her bare hands, and most importantly, she had immense power being able to casually ordering ten strokes of caning. Who could deal with that?

"If anybody can roast a Fire Plume Chicken that is satisfying enough, you are entitled to take this gold ingot!" The sides of Lolita's mouth etched into a subtle smile, then with a flick of her hand, a shining gold ingot magically appeared.

Under the glaring rays of the sun, the ingot of gold radiated a warm golden light, light that sparked excitement in the hearts of the people.

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Chapter 12: Staying Alive

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

The villagers' eyes instantly widened, each of their faces flushed bright red. What could excite one more than this precious gold?

A gold ingot in exchange for a Fire Plume Chicken? This is a gift from heaven!

To these villagers, even tiny pieces of broken silver were sufficient to cover a household's monthly expenses.

This was an ingot of gold!

They could live off this for dozens of years! The eyes of each villager glimmered with greed.

Fang Zhengzhi was no exception.

"Gold!" Fang Zhengzhi instinctively shouted out loud. If not for the shouts of excitements of other villagers, he would have been exposed instantly.

Fang Zhengzhi was brimming with excitement, what kind of Fire Plume Chicken does Lolita like to eat?

This was too easy, wasn't it the one he roasted?

Ha ha ha… I am going to earn a gold ingot!

Fang Zhengzhi grinned with delight.

Yet, after some consideration, he realised something was amiss…

Roasting a Fire Plume Chicken by himself was no problem, indeed, the ingredients were part of his family's secret recipe. But what method should he use to pass the chicken to her?

"Hey, this is the Fire Plume Chicken I roasted. Let's have a fair exchange of money and goods. Now pass me the gold!"

Fang Zhengzhi wasn't stupid. If he proceeded as such, it was akin to suicide!

Enlisting the help of others?

Fang Zhengzhi quickly rejected this thought.

Firstly, if others were to carry out the exchange for him, getting the gold back from them would be a huge problem. Moreover, no matter how many people were involved in the exchange process, the Southern Mountain Village only consisted of over a hundred households. Given Lolita's abilities, discovering the source of the chicken would be easy.

Sigh, I still can't stay alive…

What to do, what to do?

Fang Zhengzhi hopped about in anxiety, but he couldn't think of a suitable solution. Wait a minute, how about waiting till Lolita leaves the village, then stealthily leaving the chicken on the path towards the village entrance?

No!

What if Lolita plays cheat?

Even though this idea was indeed feasible, but it definitely wasn't the safest. I have to get my hands on this gold ingot. She had already taken it out, it would be risky to allow her to take it back.

Fang Zhengzhi cried out silently. Lolita was definitely doing this on purpose, using gold to lure him into her trap. Yes, this was definitely the case.

But, the gold!

Fang Zhengzhi's eyes were glimmering with greed. Even though he knew this was Lolita's trap, but not claiming this gold ingot he was entitled to was unthinkable!

"Who cares, this might be Lolita's trap, but I must get my hands on this gold!" As Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself, the excited villagers couldn't control themselves anymore and started to call out.

"I can roast! I can roast!"

"Missus please wait, I have a Fire Plume Chicken at home, I will go roast it immediately!"

Undeniably, the power of a single gold ingot was colossal. In a matter of seconds, the villagers quickly dispersed towards their individual households.

Even Li Zhuangshi who passed the round didn't hesitate, failing to qualify for the Divine Constabulary, he might as well take advantage of this opportunity to earn some gold!

The scuttling of the villagers left Fang Zhengzhi no choice but to run as fast as his stumpy legs could carry him, blending in with the frenzied crowd. Naturally, he didn't wish to be left alone in the middle of the village square, waiting to be caught by Lolita…

The entire village square became desolate.

However, just as quickly, the square started to fill up again. The villagers from each household began to prepare their stoves, roasting the Fire Plume Chickens with unprecedented intensity.

Dozens of households filled the village square, their numbers limited only by the shortage of Fire Plume Chickens in the village.

On the other hand, Village Chief Meng Bai led a team of villagers armed with water buckets, standing on alert for any mishaps that may set the village on fire.

"Mum, don't go!" Fang Zhengzhi, his face speechless, cried out at Qin Xuelian, who somehow got her hands on a Fire Plume Chicken. Yet, looking at her restless expression, Fang Zhengzhi knew her mind was set.

"Zhengzhi you are still young, you won't understand. This is gold, a large ingot of gold. If luck is on our side, we wouldn't have to worry about our finances for dozens of years!" Qin Xuelian didn't even bother to pay any attention to Fang Zhengzhi, snatching up the furnace with one hand and sprinting out of the house. Fang Zhengzhi had no chance to stop her at all.

As she ran she screamed at Fang Zhengzhi's dad, "Quick! Hurry up!"

"Alright, alright… I'm coming, I'm coming!" A man with big eyes and bushy eyebrows ran out from somewhere within the house, carrying a pile of charcoal. His face seemed sincere and honest, wearing a tattered piece of leather, carrying the same restless and excited expression. However, his right arm was nowhere to be seen.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't even have any time to react before his dad disappeared without any trace.

"After being married for years, their personalities indeed influenced each other…" Fang Zhengzhi stared blankly at the now deserted hut. I know that children of poor households have to assume the family head role early, but I'm only six! How can they leave me alone at home just like this?

Ultimately, a child has no say over the adults. At his young age, he had no choice but to stand guard at home and assume the role of a good boy. It would be wishful thinking to hope that the adults would listen to his opinions.

Gold…

Shiny ingots of gold, who dare say kids won't understand? I want it even more than you adults!

How can I safely, yet successfully, claim that gold? Fang Zhengzhi looked up at the azure blue skies, his large black eyes shifting around in their sockets. I have to present the Fire Plume Chicken in front of the entire village, else she might go back on her words. But, I bet she will capture me on the spot.

Even if my punishment is light, I'll still be spanked. If the punishment is heavy, I might not even be able to keep my life!

What to do?

I must think of a way that will allow me to retreat in one piece! And there's another problem, where do I even find a Fire Plume Chicken? As he pondered, his gaze drifted towards his neighbour's courtyard.

The Fire Plume Chicken…

This problem can definitely be solved!

Only by increasing our interactions can we truly capitalise on our neighbourly spirits! As he thought of his neighbour, Fang Zhengzhi suddenly remembered Li Zhuangshi's feat of lifting the two hundred and fifty kilograms of black cauldron. At the same time, memories of the preliminary examination and Lolita's incessant questions on stage, asking who knew how to read, flowed through his mind.

"Aha!" Fang Zhengzhi's eyes instantly lit up.

The army of chefs on the village square finally begin to disperse, their hands carrying a single roasted Fire Plume Chicken, forming a snaking queue waiting for Lolita to sample their masterpieces.

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Chapter 13: Fraud

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Aiya, none of your Fire Plume Chickens can pass, look at here, then here… it's all blackened, don't you know it's burnt? You have to separate the chicken from the heat with a piece of bamboo! How can you even think of earning that gold when you don't even know this?" Mrs Li exclaimed with glee, her hands wrapped around a golden-brown roasted Fire Plume Chicken, pointing out the mistakes of each villager.

"I bet the gold ingot will belong to Mrs Li this time!" Village Chief Meng Bai nodded, taking a glance at Mrs Li's roasted chicken.

Li Huer's backside still ached, but still managed to continue grinning gleefully, siding with his mother.

The well-built Li Zhuangshi stood smiling by the side. He had seen almost all of the Fire Plume Chickens at the village square, and noticed that only his Li family's chicken was "perfect".

On the other hand, Qin Xuelian had to borrow a chicken, hence was slightly late. As such, she was unable to roast the Fire Plume Chicken using Mrs Li's method of roasting the chicken slowly using indirect heat, resulting in a small burn mark on her chicken.

"Sister Xuelian, your roasted Fire Plume Chicken obviously isn't going to pass…" Mrs Li rattled on, making her way towards Qin Xuelian's side.

"Whether it's good or not, isn't for you to judge!" Qin Xuelian retorted, not convinced.

"Ha ha ha… Sister Xuelian, your chicken might be roasted better than the rest, but you can forget about the gold. Better for you to think about how you are going to repay the money for this Fire Plume Chicken!" Mrs Li gleefully replied.

"Slow down, slow down, one person at a time!" The soldiers standing guard around Lolita commanded, directing the chaotic crowd.

Lolita herself was slowing savouring a tiny bite of each chicken. Despite enjoying herself initially, the burnt and unpalatable chickens eventually caused her to lose her appetite.

Even those which looked decent on the outside were totally bland and tasteless to her.

"Missus, please try the chicken I roasted. You won't regret it!"

Mrs Li's turn had finally arrived. Without hesitation, Mrs Li lifted up her roasted Fire Plum Chicken and fished out a small delicate piece of bamboo.

"Ka Cha!" The Fire Plum Chicken's stomach was sliced open in one swift motion.

Immediately, a savory bamboo aroma wafted out from the Fire Plum Chicken, lingering on the stage.

"Missus, this is the bamboo-infused roasted chicken I specially made!" Mrs Li introduced happily.

"Wow, she actually hid bamboo leaves in the chicken's stomach!"

"Mrs Li's move is indeed ingenious!"

"Why didn't she tell us about this idea?"

Upon witnessing this scene, the villagers began to exclaim.

"Next!" Lolita took one glance, softly waved her hand and closed back her eyes.

"Huh?" Mrs Li was at a complete loss.

The villagers queuing below were similarly unable to comprehend the situation. What was happening? Bamboo-infused roasted chicken! How could it be that the daughter of the Divine Constabulary wasn't even interested to try a bite, and immediately asked for the next person in line?

"Missus, please, try a bite…" Mrs Li pleaded, unsatisfied with the outcome.

"What garbage! Missus already ordered the next in line, you better quickly get off this stage! Bamboo infused roasted chicken? What a pointless addition to the recipe!" The soldier standing guard at the side immediately began to drive off Mrs Li from the stage.

"A pointless addition? What do you mean?" Mrs Li frowned, confused, as she reluctantly made her way back into the crowd, disappointment written all over her face.

What was wrong? No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't understand why…

One by one, the remaining Fire Plume Chickens were brought on stage, then sent back down. Eventually, it was Qin Xuelian's turn, who stood at the very end of the queue.

Qin Xuelian carefully carried up the Fire Plume Chicken, holding it gingerly and gently placing it in front of Lolita.

Opening her eyes, Lolita frowned upon seeing the empty queue behind Qin Xuelian. Nonetheless, she picked up a small piece of the chicken with her chopsticks.

Placing it in her mouth, she chewed slowly.

And eventually swallowed the piece.

"Not too bad, even though it isn't the one I wanted, but I consider it the best among the people here! Reward her with twenty pieces of silver!" Lolita waved her hands.

Upon command, the soldier at her side immediately fished out twenty pieces of silver and placed it in the hands of Qin Xuelian.

Qin Xuelian's face instantly broke into a smile. Twenty pieces of silver, this is enough to buy a hundred Fire Plume Chickens! One Fire Plum Chicken in exchange for a hundred, this trade cannot be more worth!

"How is this, father of Zhengzhi, isn't this worth it? We managed to earn so much in so little time!" Qin Xuelian, unable to contain her happiness, dashed down from the stage and waved the twenty silver pieces in front of Fang Zhengzhi's Dad, "Fang Houde".

At the same time, she shot Fang Houde a look that said, "You can start your praise now."

"My wife is indeed a genius!" Fang Houde instantly began to declare, smilingly.

"Look at the state of yourself!" Smiling brightly, Qin Xuelian chided softly.

"What great handiwork by Mrs Fang!"

"This time, the Fang family seems to have earned quite a sum!"

"Twenty pieces of silver! With prudence, it could feed the family for a year or two…"

The villagers enviously looked at Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde. In this poor Southern Mountain Village, twenty pieces of silver is equivalent to a small fortune.

Mrs Li's expression darkened instantly, bearing a bitter sense of resentment. Why was her own bamboo-infused roasted chicken not rewarded? Qin Xuelian's chicken was even slightly burnt!

Fraud, there must be fraud involved!

Ultimately, Mrs Li was still a smart person. It was the Divine Constabulary, how could there be fraud involved… she could only blame her own bad luck.

After giving out the reward of twenty silver pieces, Lolita "Chiguyan" frowned once more, disappointment evident in her bright sparkling eyes.

Could I have been mistaken?

Even though the chicken thief definitely ran towards the Southern Mountain Village, this doesn't necessarily imply that he is an occupant of the village…

What a misfortune! Not only was she unable to eat the Fire Plume Chicken she wanted, but she even let the idiot get off scot-free after giving her a kick on the …!

Arg, what a cruel bastard. Missus promise to catch you one day!

"Missus, the sky's getting dark…" A soldier commented in a low tone, observing the approaching sunset.

"Noted." Lolita stood up from her chair, having finally given up.

"Wait!"

At this moment, a youthful voice cried out from a distance, following which a figure wrapped like a huge dumpling swiftly ran into sight.

Just by observing the person's shape, it was clear that he was no more than six or seven years of age. However, he wore a cap and his face was thoroughly shrouded with cloth, making him completely unrecognisable.

"What are you doing?! Stand still!" One of Lolita's guard, witnessing this peculiar attire, sprang into alertness.

"It's okay, let him in." Lolita smiled to herself. She has already identified the figure from his distinct large, jet-black eyes.

This "dumpling" in front of her, was the bastard who kicked her backside and toppled her into the river!

"Bastard, you have finally appeared!" Lolita smiled coldly to herself, on the outside her face remained devoid of expression. To her, Fang Zhengzhi is now finally a piece of meat placed on her chopping board.

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Chapter 14: Confidence

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Fang Zhengzhi didn't hesitate, widening his steps while running towards the stage.

The sudden appearance of this "dumpling" left the villagers baffled. Along with the darkening sky, the villagers had no way of identifying which household this kid belonged to.

"Could it be that even he's here for the gold?"

"That can't be possible. I don't see any Fire Plum Chicken on him."

A questioning look appeared on the villagers' faces, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Fang Zhengzhi quickly reached the bottom of stage, lifting his butt and with a swing of his legs, he climbed onto the stage.

Observing his movements, Lolita couldn't help but to let out of a burst of laughter. This bastard is indeed only a simple commoner.

As she thought, anger begin to rise up within her. To be defeated by a commoner, this was the biggest humiliation!

"Are you also here to present your roasted Fire Plum Chicken?" Pretending to not have recognised the figure, Lolita asked calmly.

"Thats right!" Fang Zhengzhi responded with the same calm tone.

"Then, where's your chicken?" Lolita eyed Fang Zhengzhi's hands suspiciously.

"Here!" Fang Zhengzhi reached behind his back and produced a Fire Plum Chicken from his dumpling-like attire.

"It's alive!"

The villagers below the stage completely lost their composure upon seeing the chicken in Fang Zhengzhi's hands. It was still full of feathers!

"It has just been killed, I haven't had the time to roast it yet!" Fang Zhengzhi explained.

The villagers immediately laughed out loud, the daughter of the Divine Constabulary just said that time was short and she had to leave, could there even possibly be enough time to roast it?

"Haha... Go and roast it then!" Lolita smiled gently.

The laughter on the villagers' faces instantly froze. The Divine Constabulary's daughter actually gave him the permission to roast on the spot!

"If I don't see the gold, I won't roast!" Fang Zhengzhi retorted without hesitation.

The already shocked villagers were now completely stunned. What kind of person is this? Asking for gold when he hadn't even roasted the chicken, is he asking to be spanked?

"Spank his butt!"

"Yeah! Whose child is this?"

"Do anybody still give a damn!"

The many villagers who toiled endlessly for almost an hour roasting the Fire Plume Chicken only to be rejected without even being tasted were naturally unhappy with this "dumpling" spouting nonsense on stage.

"I didn't even get to eat your roasted chicken, why should I give you gold?" Lolita asked with a slightly inquisitive tone, her expression maintaining the same sense of calmness.

"Because, if I don't see the gold, I won't roast!" Fang Zhengzhi replied directly, knowing that his cover was blown from the look in Lolita's eyes.

It is obvious that she wanted his roasted Fire Plume Chicken, since this was the case why should he continue to hide?

Want to eat? Sure... first give me the gold! I'm self-confident just like that!

"Haha..." Lolita laughed gently, then with a flick of her hand tossed the gold ingot on the table towards Fang Zhengzhi. "Alright, I'll give you the gold!"

Catching the gold with his outstretched arms, excitement built up within him. Gold, my gold... You are finally in my hands, I used my life to exchange for this!

Following which, learning from the ancient ancestors, he opened his mouth and took a huge bite, realising…

He couldn't bite it!

Oh well... my teeth aren't strong enough yet!

Without further hesitation, he stuffed the gold inside his clothes, touched it again, and grinned delightfully.

The villagers below the stage were dumbfounded, unable to react. Gold… The gold was really given to him? How is this happening? I should also had brought up a live chicken!

Nobody understood what was going on.

Nobody!

Mrs Li held onto her bamboo-infused roasted chicken as per before, but this time, her face was green as the bamboo.

"What the hell, whose child is this! A chicken with feathers still intact exchanged for an ingot of gold?!" She wanted to dash onto the stage and pry open this "dumpling", taking a good look at the "filling" inside.

However, once she noticed the soldiers standing guard beside Lolita, this intention vanished just as quickly.

On the other hand, Qin Xuelian was still smiling in delight from her twenty silver pieces, grinning so happily that her eyes were nothing but a line. As such, she couldn't even be bothered with the events unfolding on the stage.

Fang Houde similarly continued his ceaseless praises, his mouth dry from the incessant talking.

Having received the gold, Fang Zhengzhi became serious.

"Bring me the tools!"

Once the words left his mouth, the legs of the villagers almost gave way. This joker not only dared to bring a feathered Fire Plume Chicken over, but also didn't bother to bring along his tools?

Village Chief Meng Bai hastily delivered the tools himself.

After which...

Fang Zhengzhi began to systematically pluck the Fire Plume Chicken, then proceed to remove its inner organs. After a thorough wash, he set up his roasting pit.

Below the stage, the villagers looked on.

"His technique seems decent!"

"But there seems to be nothing special about it?"

Questions welled up within the villagers, but they continued to look on silently.

Similarly, Lolita observed carefully, but saw nothing special even until the stage when Fang Zhengzhi's Fire Plume Chicken was already sizzling and dripping with oil.

Fang Zhengzhi was slightly dispirited.

He forgot a very important matter - as he stood wrapped like a dumpling in front of the roasting pit, he might as well be roasting himself as well...

Sweat flowed uncontrollably out of his pores, but there was no other way.

He couldn't take off this costume, else he was bound to become famous!

Taking out a tightly bound, yellow coloured paper bag, he extracted the multi-coloured seasoning ingredients hidden inside and slowly poured it onto the Fire Plume Chicken.

"What is this you are holding?" The guards sprang into alert.

Fang Zhengzhi took one look at the guards. He was already burning inside and had no strength left to address such questions.

"You don't have to eat it!" Fang Zhengzhi replied coldly, yet frankly. The gold was already in his possession.

"You…" Angry at being insulted by this young kid, the soldiers started to retort.

"Shut your mouth, you all better move to one side!" Lolita's eyes had already lit up instantly as she observed Fang Zhengzhi take out his seasoning packets, as he poured these "ingredients" onto the Fire Plume Chicken. She was already looking forward to sinking her teeth in that chicken.

Because, this aroma was the exact same one she encountered at the entrance of the village.

This enticing aroma sent saliva uncontrollably into her mouth. She couldn't contain her excitement.

Observing Lolita's excitement, Fang Zhengzhi thought of an idea.

"This chicken… actually has a name!"

"What's its name?" Lolita asked inquisitively.

"Speaking of its name… you might as well see it for yourself!" With a wave of his hand, a wrapped yellow paper bag soared towards Lolita.

Lolita snatched it from the air.

And opened the packet.

Her eyes widened with disbelief.

The yellow paper bag didn't contain the chicken's name, but contained just one sentence.

"How can man not be true to his words?"

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Chapter 15: Giving his all

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Lolita read out the words softly, then her expression changed from one of disbelief to a joyful smile. Her smile quickly began to widen.

Ha ha…

Never would I have thought that this bastard went through a few years of education, and even knows this quote about trustworthiness from "Analects of Confucius and Law of Dao".

Does he really think I will let him off based on trustworthiness alone? Ha ha, he seems to have thought through this situation quite thoroughly!

Wait a minute, he was educated?! Could the mystery behind the Illustration of All Creation be linked to him?

That's not very possible, even if this bastard received some education, just based on the poor, dilapidated condition of the Southern Mountain Village alone, it is impossible to reach a level that enables one to solve the Illustration of All Creation!

General Li must be mistaken!

Lolita knew very well that a broad spectrum of deep knowledge was imperative for solving the Illustration of All Creation…

Fifteen minutes? Solving the Illustration of All Creation?

And by a bastard chicken theft in the Southern Mountain Village? This is downright impossible!

But, what if?

General Li might have claimed that the incident was an illusion triggered by the sunlight, but so many soldiers on the village square personally witnessed the incident. The possibility that it was a mistake seems low!

Unless…

It is really him?!

"Guards, catch this bas… Huh? Where is he!"

When Lolita raised her head, other than an abandoned roasting pit along with the Fire Plume Chicken that was still emitting its heavenly aroma, Fang Zhengzhi was nowhere to be found!

"He got away?!"

Lolita finally came to her senses.

What happened? How did he disappear! This… Lolita brimmed with anger. This is too humiliating! It wasn't easy setting up this trap successfully, but how can he suddenly just… disappear?

She couldn't contain her temper anymore.

"Shameless, absolutely shameless!" The contempt in Lolita's tone was clearly evident.

Shouldn't a man possess a stronger spirit?

The guards Lolita previously chased aside were standing far away, their faces crestfallen.

Hearing Lolita shout, they were instantly jolted out of their temporary depression. Yet, by this time the "dumpling" was already nowhere to be found.

Due to the almost hour-long roasting process, night had fallen on the Southern Mountain Village. The village square was completely engulfed by darkness…

"Chase him!" Some of the soldiers immediately sprinted off without further hesitation.

The villagers below the stage were at a complete loss. Why did the person roasting the chicken… disappear? Didn't he already receive the gold ingot?

Why would he run?

Nobody could comprehend the situation.

"Shameless bastard!" Lolita's face flushed red with anger.

Evidently, her adversary had set up a perfect plan, bidding this time till everybody had finished their roasting, and all the chickens have been sampled.

Then, making this appearance…

He had already predicted that he would be allowed to roast the chicken on stage.

Roasting the chicken slowly, time flowed on.

When night completely fell on the village, and patiently waiting till she chased away the guards, he then proceeded with his great escape. Before that, he even managed to confound her with his note "How can man not be true to his words?"

Flawless!

Even Lolita had to admit, this plan was flawless. Every individual detail was carefully thought out and planned, from the geographic conditions down to the individual people involved. And his brevity, it was indeed respectable.

And could it be that he really was the one who solved the Illustration of All Creation?

Hmph! Despite this, his shamelessness was still unprecedented. Taking the gold and then running away? Do such people even exist?

"Cruel, this is too cruel!" Lolita was relentless.

Not only was she kicked in the butt, but despite having complete control of the situation, this bastard was still able to fool with her mind.

Argh! Lolita wanted to scream out loud.

At least this bastard wasn't shameless enough to run off with the Fire Plume Chicken...

Holding on to this thought, Lolita's gaze was quickly drawn towards the dripping, succulent Fire Plume Chicken that was still giving off a heavenly aroma.

Gently bending her body, she brought her nose in front of the chicken thigh and inhaled softly. "Gulp" The aroma was salivating.

Her cherry-red lips parted slightly, and bit down on a chicken wing. Instantly, Lolita's face filled with bliss. The meat was perfectly smooth, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The savory chicken left a distinctive aftertaste in her mouth that led her to close her eyes in bliss.

The sense of euphoria she experienced was extraordinary.

"This is too delicious!" Lolita gasped softly in delight. Reopening her eyes, her gaze was met with the wide-open eyes of the villagers staring right at her.

The villagers were not spared from the salivating aroma of the Fire Plume Chicken. The scent was too unique, as if the product of dozens of herbs and spices that when combined together, produced a heavenly taste.

"Gulp!" Staring, mouth agape, at her chicken, then glancing at their Fire Plume Chicken they held on their hands, they finally began to understand.

What makes that chicken worth an ingot of gold!

Fang Zhengzhi ran as fast as his legs could carry him, the thought of being caught pushing his every step.

He definitely wasn't dumb. After personally witnessing the extent of Lolita's violence, if he was caught, the consequences would be disastrous.

His stumpy legs provided him an advantage at this moment, not only due to his rapid cadence but also gave him a geographical advantage!

Rather than running directly out of the village square, he stealthily slipped into a small drain beside the square…

This was where people normally disposed of their rubbish, a place most would naturally avoid.

For his money and his life, he was willing to sacrifice everything else!

Making a decisive choice, he crawled into the drain, circling it till he located a huge tree which he climbed. From his high vantage point, he could generally figure out what was happening at the village square.

He then began to strip, removing the pieces of cloth around him that made his "dumpling" costume, hanging them one by one on the tree branches. In a blink of an eye, he has transformed back into Fang Zhengzhi…

Back on the stage in the village square, Lolita let out a satisfactory burp, then landed her gaze on the anxious faces of the soldiers beside her.

General Li also managed to rush back upon being notified of the incident, his expression carefully controlled.

"Ah…" Lolita sighed softly, looking up at the dark skies. Did she really just let that bastard escape successfully?

The incident of the Illustration of All Creations…

After some consideration, Lolita decided to give up for the moment.

Firstly, the incident was not confirmed. Secondly, it was indeed dark, if her adversary had the intention of hiding, it would be extremely difficult to locate him within a short amount of time.

"These Fire Plume Chickens might not have lived up to my expectations, but the effort put into them is clearly evident. Purchase all these roasted Fire Plume Chickens at double the market price, and distribute them to the soldiers to eat on the move!" Satisfied from the meal, the lingering anger in Lolita subsided.

"Thank you Missus!" Upon hearing this, the villagers began to smile.

They might not have earned the gold ingot, but being able to sell off the Fire Plume Chicken at double the market price was indeed satisfactory enough for them.

"Move out of the village!" General Li ordered immediately, believing that Lolita was not intending to further impose punishments on these soldiers.

"Roger!" The soldiers rapidly left to prepare to move off, not daring to hesitate for a single second.

"General Li!" Lolita shifted her attention towards General Li.

"Missus, what are your orders!" General Li knelt down instantly on one knee.

"The Southern Mountain Village seems decent, pass down my orders, arrange for a Hall of Dao to be built immediately!" Lolita seemed to have thought of something.

"Yes Missus!"

"This Southern Mountain Village's preliminary examinations saw a total of eight people passing the second round, we will add one slot for first batch of entrants into the Hall of Dao, totalling up to nine people, a number that symbolises longevity! Hmm….. This last entrant into the Hall of Dao will have an age limit. The entrant must be between six and eight years of age!"

"Yes Missus!"

While General Li was skeptical of the meaning behind the age limit of six to eight years, he didn't dare to show it.

Lolita glanced at the dark skies, then picked up the coarse, yellow slip of paper again and took a look. The edges of her mouth curved into a slight smile.

"Little bastard, this is my specially prepared "gift" for you, you better not disappoint me!"

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Chapter 16: A Happy Occasion

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Qin Xuelian wasn't a greedy person. On the contrary, she was very easily satisfied.

As such, she wasn't overly jealous of the winner of the gold ingot. Instead, she was overwhelmed with delight at having been award with twenty silver pieces and hummed a little tune all the way back towards her hut.

Walking past the Li family courtyard, she even let out a soft "hmph" with a hint of delight. Fang Houde's mood was just as cheerful.

In Fang Houde's heart, being able to marry a wife as beautiful as Qin Xuelian was already the epitome of prosperity for him. Today, her superior "skills" even earned them twenty pieces of silver.

What was there not to celebrate about?

Well…

When pleasant surprises start to present themselves regularly, people are likely to be blessed with unbelievably good luck.

That was exactly how Fang Houde felt at this moment.

Because, he just stepped on gold!

Shiny, sparking gold!

On his journey home, the accidental kick he gave sent the gold rolling. The sound, the feeling, they were overwhelming!

"Gold!" Fang Houde's eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.

Snatching up the ingot of gold like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, he held it with delight.

"Whose gold is this? It looks so familiar! It looks like that gold ingot belonging to the daughter of the Divine Constabulary, could it be that the boy on the stage accidentally dropped it while running away?" Staring at the gold ingot in Fang Houde's hands, Qin Xuelian was equally amazed.

Fang Zhengzhi pressed his ears against the wall, overhearing their conversations, his heart pounding with impatience. He had considered a wide variety of methods to pass the gold to Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde.

But in the end, he finally decided on this method. It was safe, and most importantly, there was no evidence that it came from him!

What he didn't quite understand was why were these two people on the other side of the wall not rushing home immediately after picking up the gold? Waiting for it to be reclaimed?

Please don't turn it over to the village!

That would have caused him to vomit gallons of blood…

"How about we pass it to the village chief, and leave the investigation to him to return the gold to its rightful owner?" Fang Houde consulted Qin Xuelian, his hands still wrapped around the gold.

"Dong!"

Just as Fang Zhengzhi prepared to knock some sense into his simpleton dad with a rock, Qin Xuelian has already landed a brutal blow directly onto Fang Houde's head.

"Are you stupid! This is gold! We can leave this for Zhengzhi's marriage in the future!" Although Qin Xuelian wasn't greedy, she definitely wasn't dumb enough to give up the gold.

Moreover, Fang Houde even suggested turning it over to the village chief!

Her blood started to boil with anger as memories of the village chief prioritising the Li family in the preliminary examination namelist flowed back to her.

"Your scolding is justified! We should leave this gold for Zhengzhi's future marriage!" Fang Houde instantly broke into a smile, and courteously presented the gold ingot to Qin Xuelian.

"That's more like it!" Not giving any face to Fang Houde, Qin Xuelian snatched over and immediately kept the gold ingot. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Hey, the person on stage just now, could it be Zhengzhi?"

Fang Zhengzhi, concealed behind the wall, started to sweat profusely. It was no easy task dealing with his own mother!

When Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde opened the gate to the house, Fang Zhengzhi was already "sound asleep" on his bed.

Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde glanced at one another, smiled softly and left.

Once they exited from the house, Fang Zhengzhi immediately opened his eyes. The gold was settled, but there was something else bothering him strongly.

Sitting upright on his bed, he gently pushed open the small window beside his bed and looked out at the starry skies, his mind replaying what he saw earlier that day.

Was it me who solved the Illustration of All Creations?

Fang Zhengzhi was undecided. After some thinking, he decided to give it another try.

Man's knowledge is limitless, Yin, Yang, holding his breath, channeling his Chi, breathing in deeply…

In just one night, Fang Zhengzhi deeply experienced the "universe", and tried his hands on channeling his "Chi" to absorb "spiritual energy", then realised…

The "spiritual energy" he absorbed, was what people normally call "air".

Left with no other methods, he gave up.

"What the hell, where's my Fire Plume Chicken? Why am I missing one?" Just as he was prepared to sleep, a sharp cry from the neighbouring courtyard pierced the silent air.

Fang Zhengzhi twitched his mouth, and casually covered himself up with his small blanket.

Ten days later, a contingent made up of two horse carriages and more than ten soldiers in glimmering armour came to the Southern Mountain Village.

Despite its small size, the contingent put the whole village into another state of frenzy. Village Chief Meng Bai quickly assembled the villagers and ordered a celebratory feast to be held in the village square.

The construction of the Hall of Dao was indeed an event deserving of celebration, an event envied by villages across the land. It signifies that the Southern Mountain Village now occupies a spot under the holy command of the Divine Constabulary.

Promptly, a new wood-crafted memorial arch was set up in the Southern Mountain Village ancestral hall, adorned with the words "Divine Constabulary".

After worshipping the memorial arch on bended knees, Village Chief Meng Bai's face flushed with delight, holding a cigar in one hand, and a bowl of wine in the other.

"My fellow villagers, it is our great fortune to have the Divine Constabulary set up this Hall of Dao in our humble Southern Mountain Village. From today onwards, our village will now also be able to produce great heros that understand the Law of Dao!"

Once he finished his opening speech, Village Chief Meng Bai drained his wine, took a puff of cigar and delightfully introduced the two robed men beside him. Then, it was their turn to speak.

Fang Zhengzhi initially thought that this would be a huge waste of time, but luckily after a simple introduction from each of them, they quickly ended their speech.

Evidently, after travelling such a long distance to the Southern Mountain Village, they were starving!

Finally, the feast officially began.

The numerous large tables on the village square were surrounded by joyful villagers, downing their wine continuously. On the other hand, staring at the villagers at his table, Fang Zhengzhi's thought of something.

"Uncles, someone asked me a question today. What has legs but can't walk? Do you all know the answer?"

Hearing this interesting question, the villagers began to ponder.

What has legs but cannot walk?

"Is it fish from the river?"

"How is that possible? Fishes have tails, not legs!"

More and more answers were shouted out, the villagers' discussions becoming more and more intense, each suggesting his own solution to the question. Some villagers also seemed to be deep in thought.

On the other hand, Fang Zhengzhi…

Was devouring the food on the table as fast as he could!

Once the feast ended, the village square was riddled with mess. The male villagers stood up and left, leaving the women behind to clean up the litter.

Fang Zhengzhi might only be six, but he was also fortunately grouped with the men. As such, he was not obliged to clean up. It was still early, hence Fang Zhengzhi decided to talk a walk around the village with his stumpy legs.

"Fang Zhengzhi, let's play hide and seek!"

"I don't want to play"

Fang Zhengzhi sternly rejected the invitation of a little boy, whose mucus was flowing uncontrollably from his nose.

"Fang Zhengzhi, let's go swim in the river!"

"Is your elder sister going?"

"My elder sister is still helping with the cleanup…"

"Then I'm not going!"

Fatigued from having walked one full round around the village, Fang Zhengzhi prepared to go back home and take a rest.

Just when he reached home, Qin Xuelian's thrilled voice sounded out from outside the door before Fang Zhengzhi even had time to lie down on his bed.

"Zhengzhi's dad! Zhengzhi's dad! Miracle! It's a miracle!"

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Chapter 17: Tired at Heart

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Miracle? Am I going to have a baby sister? Fang Zhengzhi pressed his ear against the window and listened.

Then he understood. The miracle was actually linked to the Hall of Dao - The Divine Constabulary has been generous, having added another slot apart from the initial eight slots with one condition: The entrant must be between six to eight years of age.

"Mrs Li must have bribed the village chief in the previous preliminary examination!"

"How can this be? Our village chief is an honourable man." Zhengzhi's dad persuaded.

"I don't care, no matter what, this time the slot belongs to our Zhengzhi. Tonight you are coming with me to visit Village Chief Meng Bai. Make sure you bring in the incident about your arm during our conversation, is that clear?"

"This... Alright…"

Without doing anything wrong, once again Fang Zhengzhi was left alone at night in his home, staring up at the silvery moonlight and counting the infinite stars in the sky…

He was sound asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a low crying sound.

Gently opening the door, he saw the tear stricken face of his own mother, Qin Xuelian, and his own father anxiously providing words of reassurance by her side.

"Why? Why give it to the Li family!"

"There must be some reason behind village chief's actions…" Fang Houde softly tried to persuade her.

"Reason? Isn't it just based off the fact that Li Zhaungshi passed the test and was able to lift the two hundred and fifty kilograms of black cauldron? In the future if Li Zhuangshi managed to achieve first-class results in the Law of Dao examination, he would be able receive personal training from the Divine Constabulary! Village chief is evidently trying to curry flavour with the Li family!"

"But, Li Zhuangshi is indeed the biggest hope of the entire village…"

"I don't care! Li Zhuangshi is Li Zhuangshi, Li Huer is Lihuer. My Zhengzhi isn't inferior to Li Huer in any way. Moreover, Li Huer even failed the previous examinations!"

"Ah…"

Qin Xuelian let out a desolate sigh, berating Fang Houde for his uselessness. Becoming increasingly dismal, she began to cry harder and harder.

Recounting Qin Xuelian's delighted mood a few hours before, then having witnessed this, Fang Zhengzhi put together the pieces of the puzzle and figured out what has happened.

Looks like our village chief gave the slot to Li Huer.

Alright…

Knowing that there was no opportunity for him to enter this Hall of Dao, Fang Zhengzhi looked towards the sky, deep in thought. If I can't enter this Hall of Dao, I'd better think of another method.

In reality, Fang Zhengzhi wasn't too concerned about whether or not he could enter the Hall of Dao,

What he needed was an opportunity to deceive the villagers that he had already started to learn and read, so that in the future if any situation arises that revealed his ability to read, the villagers would not laugh it off.

Show the entire village he could read? An idea suddenly came to Fang Zhengzhi.

"Mum, even if I don't enter the Hall of Dao, I still can learn!"

"Not entering the Hall of Dao? Self-learning?!" The instant Qin Xuelian, who was still sobbing hysterically in the living room, heard Fang Zhengzhi's voice, her body jerked, rapidly wiping off her tears with her sleeves.

"Since when did Zhengzhi wake up…" Fang Houde gawked awkwardly at Fang Zhengzhi, who was standing by the door.

"Ah, Zhengzhi you must be hungry, let mummy cook something for you!" Qin Xuelian expression quickly turned into a smile, walking towards Fang Zhengzhi, squatting down and embracing Fang Zhengzhi in her arms.

Feeling warm and fuzzy inside, Zhengzhi thought, "It seems that his parents were unwilling to show him their fragile side."

"Good boy Zhengzhi…" Qin Xuelian whispered softly over and over again, her body beginning to shake uncontrollably.

The next few days were peaceful and uneventful once again, but what Fang Zhengzhi found peculiar was that his dad had suddenly disappeared, his mum giving him the explanation that his dad embarked on a long journey.

At the same time, something was happening in a huge house within a city in the Northern Lands...

Wearing a pink dress, Lolita, her eyes bright as the stars, sat in front of her desk, looking down at a slip of paper in her hands.

"Li Huer? Six years old? This bastard's name is indeed horrible!"

With a wave of her hands, the slip of paper landed in a furnace some distance away, then lifted up the brush on her desk and began to write.

"Come!" When she finished writing, Lolita sighed softly.

"Missus what is your order!" A soldier walked in and knelt on one knee.

Bring this question to the Hall of Dao within the Southern Mountain Village, I want you to personally test a six year old kid by the name of Li Huer!" Lolita pointed towards the slip of paper she wrote.

Standing up straight, the soldier gingerly received the paper with both hands.

Then, looking down at the paper, the expression turned to one of confusion…

"Six year old?" The soldier didn't dare to press further, but had to confirm what he just heard.

"Yes, if this Li Huer can solve this problem, throw him into the drain beside the village and make sure you step down hard. But don't harm his life. If he can't solve it… give him ten strokes of the cane on the spot!"

"Yes Missus!" The soldier immediately exited the room.

Exiting the room, the soldier eyed the slip of paper again, feeling a sense of pity for the kid named "Li Huer". This question was tough even for him, much less a six year old kid in the Southern Mountain Village.

And most importantly, no matter how this Li Huer answered the question, the consequences are equally bleak.

After the soldier left, Lolita was left to herself. Casually flipping through a book on military tactics, she slowly stood up and walked out of the door.

"If the Illustration of All Creation was really solved by this little bastard, then this question should be no problem for him! But… what if he really managed to answer it? Am I supposed to invite him to the Divine Constabulary? Watch over him daily? Hmm… more like torture him daily! Ha ha…"

This day, The Southern Mountain Village was bustling with excitement. Toiling together, the construction of the Hall of Dao finally finished! Facing towards the south and built with layers of stone, it was indeed majestic.

The redwood-constructed memorial arch at the door was carved skillfully with the words "Hall of Dao". This was a gift by the Divine Constabulary, delivered to the village on horse, and a stamped bright-red rectangular on the top by the Divine Constabulary.

Within the hall, there were four small courtyards, two learning halls, one training ground and one leisure hall.

Fang Zhengzhi wasn't qualified to enter, but he managed to steal a few glimpses during the construction of the Hall of Dao, and overheard the conversations between the two robed men as they drew with their small black brushes.

Other than these, the Hall of Dao's exterior was adorned with a few large words painted in black ink.

Today's lesson: Fundamentals of the Law of Dao and the Trimetric Classic

Taken aback, a scene appeared in Fang Zhengzhi's mind - Students attempting to memorise the scriptures of the Trimetric Classic, "Men at birth, are naturally good. Their natures similar; their habits differ…"

Well...

Fang Zhengzhi realised that not entering the Hall of Dao wasn't a bad thing. It is indeed tiring to have to recite the Trimetric Classic with these people.

The first batch of entrants into the Hall of Dao naturally attracted much attention.

The villagers of the Southern Mountain Village surrounded the entrance of the Hall of Dao, shouting words of congratulations to those who entered.

Village Chief Meng Bai personally accompanied his own grandson, Meng Jiangshan, past the entrance of the Hall of Dao. As for Li Zhuangshi, holding on to Li Huer's hand, he individually returned the compliments to the villagers.

As Fang Zhengzhi noticed Li Huer, Li Huer's gaze fell on Fang Zhengzhi as well.

Their expressions were wholly different.

Fang Zhengzhi's expression was cool and composed, showing a hint of dissatisfaction.

Li Huer on the other hand was grinning from ear to ear, waving his thick, muscular arms at Fang Zhengzhi, he raised his head proudly, as if saying: "Look at me! Little Lord me is the one entering the Hall of Dao!"

As they held each other's gaze, Zheng Zhengzhi felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning behind, a familiar figure appeared within his field of vision. It was his dad Fang Houde, who had previously gone missing for the past few days! He was wearing a torn, tattered and dusty leather hide, fatigue evident from his bloodshot eyes. Yet, the smile on his face was unmistakable.

"Zhengzhi, guess what this is!"

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Chapter 18: Destiny

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Not paying any attention to the villagers around him, Fang Houde happily retrieve a tightly wrapped object from this pockets with this left hand, then carefully opening the rough yellow wrapping to reveal a tattered book.

Fang Zhengzhi felt tired all of a sudden. The cover of the book read "Fundamentals of the Law of Dao and the Trimetric Classic"...

"Huh, what is Old Fang holding in his hands? Am I seeing this correctly? Its a book!"

"No wonder I haven't seen him in days, he must have specially made a trip to the county town and purchased this for Zhengzhi! But… can Zhengzhi even read the words on it?"

"Without a teacher, is the child going to learn by himself? That seems impossible…"

Upon seeing Fang Houde retrieve this book from his pockets, the villagers surrounding him started to discuss animatedly.

"Fang Houde, why do you even bother? Zhengzhi is a good kid, but fate is determined by Heaven. Some people are destined to succeed, while some are destined to hunt for a living for the rest of their lives… This is fate, it cannot be changed!" Witnessing this scene, Village Chief Meng Bai commented, sighing.

Fang Houde's lips wavered slightly, then without speaking, continued to look at Fang Houde and gingerly gave it to Fang Zhengzhi.

Meeting his gaze, and having heard the relentless persuasion of the adults, Fang Zhengzhi suddenly felt that this "Fundamentals of the Law of Dao and the Trimetric Classic" in front of him is now the most valuable thing in the world.

Well, it seemed that there were some things he had to do.

"Thank you dad!" Fang Zhengzhi respectfully received the book with both hands, and gave his dad a deep bow.

"Thump thump thump…"

Just at this moment, the sounds of hooves hitting the ground came from a distance.

"The Snow Tredding Dragon Stallions!"

"Quick, take a look! It's the Red Pinion Squad of the Divine Constabulary!"

The attention of the villagers were quickly fixed onto the five soldiers mounted on their Snow Tredding Dragon Stallions quickly closing in from afar.

Village Chief Meng Bai's eyes lit up as well.

It has only been a matter of days, but the Divine Constabulary has already sent people over. Does this mean that the Divine Constabulary highly values our Southern Mountain Village?

"Lords, Village Chief Meng Bai pays his respects!" Village Chief Meng Bai quickly made his way towards to the front of the crowd, calling out loudly once the soldiers arrived.

"Is there a six year old boy among the entrants of the Hall of Dao?" The leading soldier halted his mount upon hearing Village Chief Meng Bai's words.

"Li Huer?!"

The surrounding villagers were stunned. When they recovered from their initial shock, their expressions changed to one of deep admiration and envy.

The Divine Constabulary specially sent soldiers to the Southern Mountain Village to look for Li Huer. This was unheard of! Does the Divine Constabulary want to teach this child personally?

Village Chief Meng Bai was equally shocked, but at the same time, slightly disappointed.

Why does the Divine Constabulary ask for Li Huer, and not his own grandson Meng Jiangshan?

Despite his slight disappointment, Village Chief Meng Bai quickly came to his senses and took a glance at Fang Houde and Fang Zhengzhi standing beside him, as if saying "Look, this is called fate!"

Who dares say fate isn't determined by the Heavens?

"Lords, may I know what you seek from my son?"

"Missus personally gave orders to test Li Huer with a question." As he spoke, the leader of the soldiers' fished out a white piece of paper with an illustration drawn on it.

"Oh my God, the daughter of the Divine Constabulary actually personally interviewed Li Huer!"

"This is a one-time ticket to achieve great success!"

"Who would have thought Li Huer had such luck, one's fate… really cannot be compared!"

The few villagers who heard the soldier's words opened their mouth in admiration, staring with wonder at Li Huer, as if they saw the great man he was about to become.

"The Divine Constabulary values you greatly, it is your blessing! Huer, make sure you perform well!"

"Yes, Dad!" Li Huer happily replied, his face beaming with delight.

The leader's mouth curved into a smile, value? Blessing? If this is a blessing, nothing can be called a curse!"

Without further ado, he opened up the paper.

This smile on Li Huer's face instantly vanished. Once he saw the illustration drawn on the piece of white paper, he was completely stunned.

What is this? I don't understand anything at all!

"Oh Lord, our Huer has just entered the Hall of Dao today, would it be better to test his physical strength?" Staring blankly at the piece of paper, Li Zhuangshi was equallly stunned.

Why wasn't the test about lifting cauldrons? Or even lifting stones? If that wasn't possible, maybe testing his archery skills? Combat pole techniques? These definitely would be a problem.

But the paper…

What is drawn on the paper? He couldn't comprehend a thing.

"Missus personally set this question, who dares change it? Proceed with your answer!" Ignoring Li Zhuangshi's pleas, he urged the stunned Li Huer to reply.

Beads of sweat formed on Li Huer's forehead, answer? Answer? Answer what? He couldn't understand…

"Answer it quick, Huer!"

"Yeah, answer it!"

The surrounding villagers were equally worried. This was an extraordinarily rare opportunity, if he managed to answer it, he would be noticed by the Divine Constabulary, or even brought into the Divine Constabulary!

If that happened, the name of the Southern Mountain Village will become renowned beyond imagination!

Fang Zhengzhi took once glance at the paper on the leader's hands. A smile quickly begin to form on his face.

This is a picture depicting military tactics! What is Lolita even trying to do…

The entire paper was filled with various military formations, and even included information such as military strength and soldier type comparison. This was something even ordinary soldiers wouldn't be able to understand!

"I… I don't… I don't understand…" After an entire fifteen minutes passed, Li Huer finally stammered.

The leader felt a sense of doubt rise within him.

When he initially saw this military drawing, he was already slightly curious. Why would Missus set such a question for a six year old child?

The art of war strategies was not something a six year old would be able to answer, but considering Missus's innate talent, he pondered whether this Li Huer could be just as gifted?

"You really can't answer?" The leader confirmed again.

"Ye… Yes …" Li Huer sputtered, his face white with fear.

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Chapter 19: Seedling

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Cane, ten times!" The leader waved his hands. The soldiers behind immediately pounced upon Li Huer, pressing him to the ground.

Village Chief Meng Bai and Li Zhuangshi didn't even have time to react. They had completely no idea what has happened? What is this all about? Cane… ten times?

"Pow!"

The soldiers couldn't be bothered with these thoughts. Raising the cane high, the cane made contact with Li Huer's backside.

Li Huer didn't even have time to reach, his face blank with confusion. Yet, the burning pain on his backside was indeed real.

"Wah…"

Li Huer began to bawl.

"Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow… "

Before Li Zhuangshi had time to plead for his son, all ten strokes of cane had already landed.

"Move out!" The leader took one glance at Li Huer lying on the floor, shook his head and sighed. Mounting his horse, the soldiers took off into the distance.

The villagers were all staring blankly at the Li Huer, lying sprawled onto the floor, each carrying an expression of pure shock. They were still deep in admiration and envy for Li Huer's luck a second ago, but in the next second he was already sprawled onto the floor!

Aren't things happening too fast?

Fang Zhengzhi stared at Li Huer, thinking about the illustration written on the white paper, then recalling everything that had happened previously. His mother's delighted shouts, the Divine Constabulary's great gift, adding another slot to the Hall of Dao, the age requirements of being between six to eight years of age…

All of a sudden, he realised what was happening. Could this all be Lolita's doing?

The generosity of the Divine Constabulary? This is obviously a trap. If he was the one who entered the Hall of Dao, he would be the one lying on the floor today!

He never expected Lolita's revenge to come so quickly.

Fang Zhengzhi looked up at the azure blue skies, and a dark feeling rose up inside him. Isn't it just a kick to the backside? Does that merit such an obsession to take revenge?

Looks like she deserves more kicks!

Fang Zhengzhi pondered, purely, over this challenging problem.

It was obvious to anybody that Li Huer was canned because he was unable to come up with a reply.

"Li Huer, don't give up! Study hard and you will definitely be able to answer the question in the future!"

"Yeah, Huer, this is a form of training by the Divine Constabulary! It has always been said that bitterness comes before sweetness!"

"Yes, we all believe in you!"

As the surrounding villages reassured the sobbing Li Huer, nobody blamed the Divine Constabulary. That was unthinkable. Nobody would ever dream of doing such a thing.

Hearing the reassuring words of the villagers, Village Chief Meng Bai and Li Zhuangshi quickly came to their senses. After all, love is painful! Inflicting pain on Li Huer definitely means that the Divine Constabulary cares deeply about him! No matter what, if Missus was able to recall Li Huer's name, and even personally send people to test his knowledge, it is surely a good thing!

Listening to the villagers, Li Huer started to smile, wiping off his tears. No wonder he was caned! It was the Divine Constabulary's way of caring for him…

Looking at Li Huer's tear stricken smile, Fang Zhengzhi sighed silently, "How can man even possess such stupidity?"

Night fell. At the Fang household, Fang Zhengzhi was in his room, looking out of the open windows and staring dreamily at the stars.

Then, his hand unconsciously slipped over the book in his pocket. A strange feeling welled up in him. This is probably his first ever book in this world!

Trimetric Classic may be one of the most ordinary books, moreover it's heavily torn and tattered, yet this represented all the hopes and dreams Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde pinned on him.

As he thought, he carefully took out the Trimetric Classic.

"Men at birth, are naturally good. Their natures similar…"

Words, words that were still the same as those of his previous world, text, text that also came from his previous world. Not a single word was missing, how could things be so coincidental? Who wrote the Law of Dao of this world?

Wait no…

It should be who copied the Law of Dao of this world!

"Boom!"

The sound of thunder roared, a bolt of lightning came flashing down. Droplets of rain fell from the skies, bouncing off the windowsill, as if conveying Heaven's dissatisfaction.

Fang Zhengzhi twitched his lips. Tilting his head to one side, he continued reciting the Trimetric Classic.

"Their habits differ, neglected not taught, their nature deteriorates…"

As he read, Fang Zhengzhi felt something was amiss. There was a strange feeling within him, as if something was about to occur, something was about to break out of its shell.

He stopped reading.

The feeling disappeared.

He continued.

The feeling returned.

What was happening? Fang Zhengzhi was confused. Could this Trimetric Classic be a treasure? Placing down the Trimetric Classic, he continued to ponder.

He decided to instead try reciting the Tao Te Ching from his past life.

"Tao (The Way) that can be spoken of is not the Constant Tao The name that can be named is not a Constant Name.

Nameless, is the origin of Heaven and Earth;

The named is the Mother of all things.

Thus, the constant void enables one to observe the true essence.

The constant being enables one to see the outward manifestations.

These two come paired from the same origin.

But when the essence is manifested,

It has a different name.

This same origin is called "The Profound Mystery."

As profound the mystery as It can be,

It is the Gate to the essence of all life."

"Boom!"

All of a sudden, Fang Zhengzhi felt his heart shatter…

Actually, a better way to describe it would be that something in his heart shattered. Like the sprouting of a seed, there was a certain feeling flowing within him. He couldn't grasp it, but it definitely was real.

Books! Reading books!

I understand, I finally understand! Chi techniques, channeling spiritual energy, meditation, enlightenment, they are completely useless in this world!

This world revolves around Dao, and only through the reading of books can one become enlightened. Moreover, the deeper the contents of the book, the more enlightened one becomes. Even though the Trimetric Classic can stir something within him, it was nowhere as strong as that from the Tao Te Ching.

Even the opening chapter of the Tao Te Ching can instill in him such joyfulness!

Then, it's time to continue! The second chapter of Tao Te Ching,

"As soon as beauty is known by the world as beautiful, it becomes ugly.

As soon as virtue is being known as something good, it …"

Wait a minute, what was it that came next?

Fang Zhengzhi wiped the sweat off his forehead with his meaty palms.

Hmm...

Although I was indeed a scholar specialising in the ancient literature, but who was to say that such a scholar was to be able to memorise the entire Tao Te Ching?

If I was asked to fill a word in the Tao Te Ching, or translate the original texts, that would indeed be doable. But if I was supposed to memorise the entire text…

Nevermind, let's try Doctrine of the Mean.

Fang Zhengzhi quickly regained his focus, and began to recite the Doctrine of the Mean. The feeling of joy once again washed over him. He felt like he was floating, he felt truly alive!

Then.

Stuck again.

Nevermind, let's try The Works of Mencius…

After working for almost two hours, he had recited whatever he could memorise from the Four Books and Five Classics. He felt divine. Despite the immense sense of joy he felt, he began to feel mentally fatigued. He was still young, only six years of age. His mind was still undeveloped and naturally will begin to feel tired after these recitations.

As he dreamt, he vaguely saw a black seed buried deep inside his heart. On the seed, a small, delicate leaf was dancing around.

On the leaf, a pearly droplet of water was forming.

"Plop!"

The droplet hit the ground. Instead of splattering, it rapidly penetrated the ground, as if disappearing within the thirsty soil. As it sunk through, it showed no signs of stopping.

Very quickly…

The droplet vanished.

Immediately after, another pearly droplet began to form, and slowly fell onto the soil.

Again and again, the cycle continued. Droplets formed and reformed…

The first rays of sunlight peeked through the window and landed on Fang Zhengzhi's boyish face. Sitting up, his jet-black eyes opened slowly.

He felt like a brand new person.

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Chapter 20: An Apricot from within the Wall

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Could I have Accessed Dao? Could it be so easy? Ha ha ha…" Fang Zhengzhi grinned happily as he thought. His large eyes scanned his surroundings, and quickly landed on a fist-sized rock in the courtyard outside his window.

"Wooosh!" He jumped out of the window and landed onto the courtyard.

Quickly, he made his way towards the rock.

"Alright, you are going to be my experimental subject!" Fang Zhengzhi brought himself into a stance he thought was cool enough, then channeling his "energy", he opened up his palms and brought it down upon the limestone.

Calm came before the storm.

"Owww!"

Biting his lits, Fang Zhengzhi almost cried in pain. Yet, the rock remained the same as before, without a single crack.

What's happening? Didn't I already exhaust all my effort reciting a whole night's worth of text? Why was there no progress at all? Fang Zhengzhi was vexed. What did I do wrong?

Wait a minute.

Talking about progress…

Fang Zhengzhi's eyes suddenly lit up, there was indeed progress! The feeling of progress was real, but the type of progress wasn't the same as what he expected.

What he thought initially was that after a night's worth of hard work, his meridians and bones will be reformed, just like the characters in martial art novels. His skin and bones would become as hard as metal, and his strength would match that of a bull.

But now, things couldn't be more different!

Meridians and bones, they were still the same as before. His strength was also unchanged. Yet, his ability to control what was happening inside his body seemed different.

The feeling was that of control, not dexterity.

It was an ability to control isolated parts on his inner organs. For example, he realised that he could control the contraction and expansion of his meridians. He could feel the flow of blood within his body, and was even able to increase the speed of its flow slightly…

Actually, this wasn't something people normally considered hard.

For example, if one became agitated, his heart beat would naturally increase. During exercise, blood would naturally flow faster.

However, these are two completely different concepts.

Because…

This form of control is truly real!

Control? Control of one's body? Fang Zhengzhi was filled with doubt. The practices of this world was completely different from what he thought. Could this also be the Dao of All Creations?

A few days later, in a huge house within a certain city in the Northern Lands.

A soldier knelt on one knee. Above him, Lolita, clad in bright-red armour, sat with her legs crossed, a few young girls standing by her side, carefully wiping the sweat off her forehead.

"Couldn't provide an answer?"

Lolita frowned. Did she make a mistake? Was the incident of the Illustration of All Creation an illusion?

"What does this Li Huer look like?"

"Missus, Li Huer had a roundish head. He was slightly bulky and his lips were rather thick."

"Hmm?" Lolita understood. Standing up slowly, she lightly made her way beside the window and looked out at a blossoming flower, its petals white as snow.

It was indeed not that little bastard!

This doesn't make sense, while the village chief of the Southern Mountain Village indeed doesn't look too bright, but he should still be able to make a decent decision. This little bastard can read, with the age restriction set between six to eight years of age, how is it possible that another person was chosen instead of that little bastard?

Lolita couldn't understand.

Where did the problem lie?

Could it be that the village chief of the Southern Mountain Village didn't know that little bastard could read? Isn't that even more improbable? They live in the same village, how could he not know something as simple as this?

Moreover, after this incident, that little bastard will definitely be more alert.

Men from the Divine Constabulary visiting the Southern Mountain Village would definitely have raised a commotion. That little bastard should have been the question, how could he contain himself and have given an answer?

His mental strength seems to be not too bad! If this was the case, sending more people after him would likely be futile. I shouldn't act rashly and alert him any further. I'll wait till he relaxes and loosens up, then think of a perfect plan to capture him!

Reaching this thought, Lolita's eyes lit up.

Before taking, one must first give! I have to find something that little bastard won't be able to resist, then, when the right time comes, lead him onto the hook and finally… Heh heh, bring him over to the Divine Constabulary and give his backside a good spanking!"

Fang Zhengzhi continued to work hard. Each day, he would recite texts the second he woke up, and right before he sleeps. When bored, he would carry his Fundamentals of the Law of Dao and Trimetric Classic as he walked around the village.

This attracted some attention from the villagers, sparking some discussion.

"Oh? Zhengzhi is starting to read again?"

"He's really trying to learn this by himself?"

"Zhengzhi, come here quickly, come to auntie… Tell auntie, how many words did you learn within this timeframe?" A middle-aged woman sitting in front of her courtyard pulled Fang Zhengzhi to her side.

"I'm not telling!" Fang Zhengzhi instantly retorted.

"Is it because you can't even recognise a single word? Ha ha ha…" The woman laughed out.

"Auntie, can you read the words on this book?" Fang Zhengzhi asked, looking expectantly at her with a serious look on his face.

"What did you just say? How can auntie know how to read?" The woman replied uncomfortably.

"You mean auntie doesn't know how to read? Ha ha ha…" Fang Zhengzhi laughed loudly, then spun around and walked away, leaving behind a group of villagers staring blankly at one another.

After making his round around the village, Fang Zhengzhi would lie down on a large rock by the fence of the Hall of Dao, basking in the sunlight and playfully imagining himself as a student from within the hall.

"Look, Fang Zhengzhi is secretly trying to listen to the teacher again!"

"What can he hear from the outside? He can't even see what's being written by the teacher, how can he understand just by listening?"

"Only the Heavens know!"

Looking at Fang Zhengzhi secretly trying to join the lesson going on inside the hall, the villagers began to discuss again. Nevertheless, Fang Zhengzhi never made any noise, nor raised any commotions, hence as time passed the villagers had begun to get used to this.

As the days passed, Fang Zhengzhi's self-reading had slowly stopped attracting the attention of the villagers. Seeing him make his rounds with his book became commonplace.

Gradually, the villagers had also began to consider Fang Zhengzhi as a scholar, just not the same as the real scholars within the Hall of Dao.

Even so...

Fang Zhengzhi was still known to everybody as an intellectual.

Except, how many books had he read, were they of any use? Nobody knew.

One particular afternoon, when the sun shone brightly in the sky, Fang Zhengzhi was sleeping at his usual spot on the large rock beside the Hall of Dao. Suddenly, he noticed a tiny leaf sprouting out of the branches of a small tree, half of its surface peeking out from behind the walls.

Inspired by the sight, he recited a poem which is used to love alot.

"With so much spring in the garden, how can it be contained? A spray of red apricot blossom has already reached over the wall."

"Brother, I see you have been waiting for the apricot!" Just as he was about to fully close his eyes, satisfied, the light above his head seemed to be blocked by something. Opening his eyes, he saw a scholarly-looking middle-aged man standing right in front of him.

Fang Zhengzhi recognised him as a teacher from the Hall of Dao. His name was Wang Anhua. He was a decent, cultured man, but his face was a bit too large, blocking the sun from Fang Zhengzhi.

"Everyday I've been seeing you lying here under the sun, today I wish to test you a question. How about it?" Wang Anhua seems to not have heard the poem Fang Zhengzhi had just recited.

"If I can answer it, would you promise me something?" Fang Zhengzhi sit up slowly from the rock, and asked innocently.

Wang Anhua was taken aback. He had seen his fair share of students, each of them replying humbly and sincerely when he tested them. Who even negotiates conditions like this boy?

However, considering that Fang Zhengzhi intended to ask for the promise to be granted only after he had answered the question…

Curiosity took over. Is this boy really so confident?

"Ha ha… tell me, what are your terms?" Wang Anhua didn't dismiss Fang Zhengzhi's question, and instead asked, his interest perked.

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Chapter 21: Based off Man Himself

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"I want to read the Law of Dao, every Law of Dao in the Hall of Dao!" Fang Zhengzhi blurted out.

For the past month, as he studiously recited his texts, he saw a pattern emerge. The more he read the same content, the less enlightenment he gained. As such, he decided he needed to find a new "battlefield".

Troubling his dad to purchase the books from outside the village? Not only was that financially not viable, it was also a demanding journey. Most of all, the number of books his dad bought were not enough at all.

"Alright, but you must be able to answer my question!" Without saying anything more, Wang Anhua nodded.

Once again, Fang Zhengzhi sat up slowly. His expression were calm, but his heart was pumping with exhilaration. Hard work indeed pays off, after blindly waiting for a month, his "fish" finally came on the hook!

It is said that every scholar has an innate talent-cherishing heart. Knowing that he had nothing to lose, Fang Zhengzhi camped outside the Hall of Dao everyday trying his luck. By doing so, firstly, people would become aware that he had been listening in on the lessons, hence would be more accepting of the fact that he knew how to read in the future. Secondly, if luck shone on him and he managed to attract the attention of some Sir, the benefits would be endless!

Just one question, Fang Zhengzhi just needed a Sir to ask him just once question, he had utmost confidence that a second question will definitely come his way!

He imagined, endless times, what he would do when he met a Sir from the Hall of Dao, pretending to be a good boy and answering whatever he was asked.

As he thought, he decided the best reward he could receive, would be gaining entry into the Hall of Dao to study. Or maybe not...

Even if the opportunity presented itself, did he really have to study the Trimetric Classic with the rest of the students?

Apart from being a huge waste of time, and even pulling down his intelligence, all he seeked was the Law of Dao, the permission to study the Law of Dao!

As such, Fang Zhengzhi employed an even more direct method.

The method of goading!

"Sir, please ask." Fang Zhengzhi's tone became much friendlier.

Wang Anhua smiled slightly, as if satisfied with Fang Zhengzhi's sudden change in attitude.

"A person of great virtue is like the flowing water, how would you explain this?' Wang Anhua asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhengzhi frowned slightly. He assumed that under normal circumstances Fang Anhua should have tested a primary-level knowledge question, such as maybe reciting the Trimetric Classic, or writing a few words from The Book of Family Names.

Never would he have thought that Wang Anhua would actually test him with the Tao Te Ching from his previous life.

There was indeed something weird about this.

Having slept outside the Hall of Dao everyday, he could more or less discern the contents of the lessons going on within. Until now, the syllabus has only progressed until the Thousand Character Classic.

He actually asked me this? Fang Zhengzhi felt a growing sense of unease.

Give up? Remain low profile? Fang Zhengzhi had a feeling that this was a more suitable strategy, but he still felt unsatisfied at heart. After all, he had toiled for over a month for this opportunity, if he gave up, it would seriously hinder his progress.

"Haha… Can't answer?" Wang Anhua smiled softly, then turned around and left.

"Wait!" Fang Zhengzhi called out.

"Thought of it?" Wang Anhua turned his head to look back at Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi was in a dilemma, yet he really wished to gain permission to read the books.

"A person of great virtue is like the flowing water. Water benefits all things and contends not with them. It puts itself in a place that no one wishes to be and thus is closest to Dao." Gritting his teeth, Fang Zhengzhi finally decided to answer.

Wang Anhua asked him to explain the phrase "A person of great virtue is like the flowing water". This phrase originated from Chapter 8 of Tao Te Ching and consisted of two paragraphs. Fang Zhengzhi was only able to recall completely the first paragraph, and wasn't too sure about second, hence cut short his explanation.

As Fang Zhengzhi spoke, Wang Anhua's eyes instantly widened, shock written all over his face. He only required Fang Zhengzhi to explain the phrase. What he didn't expect was that Fang Zhengzhi was even able to point out where the phrase originated from.

This evidently showed that explaining it would definitely not be a problem for him.

Indeed, after reciting the original paragraph, he continued to speak.

"The nature of a person with great virtue is similar to that of water. Water supports all creations, yet never competes and contends with them. It resides in places despised by everyone, hence is close to Dao"

"Excellent! Excellent explanation! I never thought that the Southern Mountain Village would house such a talented self-taught scholar! Haha… From today onwards, if you ever need to borrow a book, you can come to the back of the Hall of Dao and call out for me!" Wang Anhua's emotions were mixed and complicated, but didn't pursue the matter further. He had already gotten the answer he wanted.

"Can I ask you a question?" Fang Zhengzhi stopped Wang Anhua once more.

"Sure, please ask!" Wang Anhua halted in his tracks.

"How can one Access Dao?'

"Access Dao?! Haha… Look at me, since when have I Accessed Dao?" Wang Anhua was slightly taken aback. He didn't expect a six year old child to ask him how to Access Dao.

"Since Sir is lecturing in the Hall of Dao, it naturally means that you haven't Accessed Dao." Fang Zhengzhi replied, seemingly without even having to think.

"You are really smart, that's right, I indeed haven't Accessed Dao, if one wishes to do so… it's really too hard! However, since you asked, I'll tell you one thing. The Dao of All Creations, are based off Man himself! This is what my Sir once taught me!" Once he finished his sentence, Wang Anhua returned to within the Hall of Dao.

"The Dao of All Creations, are based off Man himself?!" Wang Anhua's words sent Fang Zhengzhi into deep thought…

In the middle of that night, a creature, it's skin white as snow and it's claws sharp as a blade, soared out of the Hall of Dao and disappeared into the night sky.

A day later, the flying creature landed onto an unbelievably huge courtyard. At its entrance, a gold-plated sign was hung up, on it displayed two bright-red words - "Divine Constabulary".

After which, a tightly sealed roll of paper was passed by a soldier into a study. Wearing a sky blue dress, Lolita took a look at the letter, her starry eyes glinting with a faint light, and her tender lips curved into a delighted smile.

"Fang Zhengzhi?! Haha… After letting him off for a month, he is finally baited onto my hook!"

Dao of All Creations, are based off Man himself?!

The next few days saw Fang Zhengzhi lying on his bed, these few words occupying his every thought. On the surface, understanding this phrase wasn't hard at all.

The hard part lies in finding the link between its meaning and Accessing Dao.

Previously, General Li of the Divine Constabulary mentioned that to be able to grasp the Dao of All Creation, one must first understand All Creation. Yet, Wang Anhua from the Hall of Dao claimed that the Dao of All Creation, are based off Man himself?!

Why does it seem like there was some sort of conflict between what these two people said...

Should I believe General Li? Or believe Wang Anhua? Or could it be that they are both right?

Fang Zhengzhi seems unable to come to a firm conclusion. Recently, through consistent hard work, his progress has improved significantly. The single leaf he saw in his visions had now turned into five, and the single water droplet now became five water droplets.

At the same time, he had gained a much greater control over his body.

The flow of his blood, the contraction of his meridians, he could already control them perfectly. At present, he was even able to feel something he couldn't quite identify within his body.

If he had to name this, it was better described as flesh.

The ability to control flesh? This was unthinkable to the Fang Zhengzhi of the past, but it seems that now, the his feeling was incredibly strong .

Except, he wasn't able to control it entirely. He could only control a tiny portion, for example, making the flesh at the tip of his finger much bouncier than before, or making it slightly harder, or changing the characteristics of the thin layer of exposed skin on his arm...

He had no idea what was the use of being able to control his flesh, but nonetheless, it did indeed feel good.

Wait...

Control? Control over myself? The Dao of All Creations, are based off Man himself!

Instantly, Fang Zhengzhi felt that the answer to the problem that troubled him for so long was finally revealed. Could this mean… in order to control All Creations, one must first be able to control oneself?

I see! I see!

All creations originates from the heart, all creations are based off Man himself!

Seedlings have already sprouted from within his heart, those water droplets must be the source of his control over the body… All that was needed was to gain total, perfect control over himself!

That means...

All the conditions seem to have been satisfied!

Happy and excited, Fang Zhengzhi felt as if all the problems that troubled him were finally resolved at this moment! Fang Zhengzhi couldn't wait to try it out. Rapidly standing up from his bed, he opened the window and jumped out onto the small courtyard once again.

As he faced that fist-sized stone once again, he still felt slightly nervous.

After all, his previous try came with an excruciatingly painful consequence.

"In order to succeed, one must first learn to sacrifice!"

Gritting his teeth, Fang Zhengzhi took a deep breath, slowly adjusted his body and concentrated his flesh onto his right palm...

Gradually, a particular feeling arose inside him, the concentration of flesh in his palms were increasing...

A little bit more, a little bit more!

"This is it, this is it… this is the feeling I want! Don't stop now!"

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly unleashed a muted roar, and immediately brought down his right palm towards the stone.

After a short moment of silence, Fang Zhengzhi's expression once again started to twist.

"Ouch!"

Fang Zhengzhi "happily" began to hop about, then, limped his way back through his window and into his room...

"Crack!"

A soft noise sounded out from behind Fang Zhengzhi. On top of the stone in the small courtyard, a finger-length crack suddenly formed…

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Chapter 22: Birthday

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

A few days later, on one particular noon.

"His Virtue is light as a hair. Still, a hair will admit of comparison as to its size. The doings of the supreme Heaven have neither sound nor smell.– That is perfect virtue"

Fang Zhengzhi read softly, carefully closed the Law of Dao and Doctrine of the Mean he borrowed from the Hall of Dao, then began to recite...

"Grrr!" The sound of his stomach reminded him that it was time to eat.

"Zhengzhi, quickly come and eat, it's your birthday today!" Qin Xuelian's voice sounded out from the living room.

"Birthday? Nice!" Evidently, Fang Zhengzhi had no idea that it was his birthday, but since Qin Xuelian said so, it should be true. As such, he immediately hurried out of his room.

After today, I would be seven years old? The silent flow of time suddenly struck Fang Zhengzhi.

These days, unsure whether it was due to growing up, hitting puberty or other causes, he definitely felt that his appetite was expanding quickly.

Birthday… would there be delicious food?

A piece of meat, a table full of vegetables, two eggs. This was Fang Zhengzhi's sumptuous birthday meal.

Fang Zhengzhi's hunger grew quickly, feeling warm and happy inside. This might be considered a very ordinary meal to many people, but what if they ate nothing but vegetables mixed with minced meat for every single one of their previous meals?

Looks like the ingot of gold he gave indeed had some use to it...

But, my dear mum, that is an ingot of gold! Can't we be more generous? Cook a little more meat, please don't leave it for my future marriage!

Even though he was really tempted to voice out these thoughts, regrettably, because of certain circumstances, he shouldn't have known that his house had an ingot of gold. As such, he was unable to voice these out.

Moreover, he knew very clearly that even if he really expressed what he thought, considering Qin Xuelian's personality, it was likely that she would still save up the gold. Suffering herself, yet leaving all her money for the next generation. This was the selflessness the ancient Chinese showed towards their children.

"Zhengzhi, take the meat, I made this specially just for you!" Qin Xuelian picked up a piece of braised meat and placed in in Fang Zhengzhi's bowl.

"Mum, you eat!" Zhengzhi rejected respectfully.

"You eat, you eat! Today is your birthday, your mum took a really long time to braise this!" Fang Houde advised.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't reject further. He knew Qin Xuelian would definitely not eat it, this was the unconditional love parents had for their children! Moved, a thought suddenly arose - he was already seven years old?

Wolfing down the meal, Fang Zhengzhi took another walk around the small courtyard, then, re-entered the house.

Just as he got ready to read another round of books, he heard Qin Xuelian's voice coming from the living room...

"Zhengzhi is at an age when his body is growing, his appetite is also getting bigger and bigger!"

"Yes I understand, but the previous strong members of the hunting squad are all studying in the Hall of Dao. Now, the remaining members of the hunting squad don't even dare to go anywhere deep. The game at the bottom of the hill is really too little, for one entire village with a hundred over households, this just isn't enough…" Fang Houde replied with the same worried tone.

"So what if we managed to hunt more animals? The first pick will still go to the households of those studying in the Hall of Dao. Just take Li's family as an example, previously he was able to hunt large amounts of game, hence more were distributed to his family. But now they are completely reliant on the village for support, and during every distribution, the highest numbers always goes to village chief and their family!"

"It's all because of hope, ultimately the Li family is the Southern Mountain Village's biggest hope!"

Just as they were speaking, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Opening the window of his room, Fang Zhengzhi looked outside and saw the village chief, bringing along a group of villagers, standing in the middle of the small courtyard.

"Oh, Houde!"

"Village chief, what's the matter?" Hearing his voice, Fang Houde immediately made his way to the center of the courtyard.

"There's something I need to discuss with you!" Village Chief Meng Bai took a puff of cigar, then gave Fang Houde a knowing look.

"Village chief, please speak." Fang Houde replied indifferently.

"You see, in the recent one or two months, some of the main workforce in the village had entered the Hall of Dao to study, along with that two Sirs had also arrived at the Hall of Dao.

"I understand, I'm willing to volunteer." Fang Zhengzhi instantly understood Village Chief Meng Bai's intent.

"Yes, it would be great if you are willing to volunteer. Even though you already lost an arm, but you were still indeed one of the strongest in the hunting squad in the past. You are experienced, you know the Cang Ling Mountain, you know which places cannot be visited, I have absolute confidence in you! Some new members have just joined the hunting squad, I hope you can show them the ropes as well. Please make a trip to the mountain tomorrow, everyone in the village depends on you guys!"

"Don't worry Village Chief!" Fang Houde nodded.

Village Chief took another puff, patted Fang Houde's shoulders, and quickly gathered his group of villagers to proceed in another direction.

Enter the mountains? Hunting prey?

Fang Zhengzhi always knew that the Southern Mountain Village relied on the hunting squad for their livelihood, but had never seen it in action. He heard that the mountains were too dangerous.

Even the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad only dared to hunt at the outskirts of Cang Ling Mountain, and didn't dare to venture deeper inside...

As he thought, he heard a low sobbing sound coming from the living room once again.

"Entering the mountain?! This isn't a joke! That's too dangerous, you are forbidden from going!" Desperation was evident in Qin Xuelian's voice.

"This… This isn't something I have a choice in, there are only that many people in the village, taking into account the old and the young… if nobody enters the mountain, wouldn't we all starve to death? Only by entering the mountain and bring back game can we have meat to eat, leather to sell at the capital market, that's how we get maintain our livelihood…" Fang Houde reassured her softly.

"Why must they choose you out of so many people in the village? Didn't you already break your arm for the village? Even worse, they are pampering those in the Hall of Dao, yet still forcing you to enter the mountain? How do you even hunt with one broken arm, you can't even pull a bow! Moreover, don't we already have gold now…"

"Sheesh! The gold is reserved for Zhengzhi's future marriage, we can't spend it without good reason! Although I can't pull a bow, I can still hold a spear! Furthermore, what village chief said was right, I'm more familiar with this Cang Ling Mountain. I would mainly be involved in command and control, and not considering the rest of the beasts, hunting a few small prey still wouldn't even be a problem!"

"You always only think about the village, I won't allow… sigh… the spear in our house is a little rusty, I … I'll go prepare it for you now…" Halfway into her sentence, upon seeing Fang Houde's expression, she finally let out a sigh, turned around and walked towards the storeroom filled with metal tools.

The voices stopped, Fang Houde also began to prepare his hunting tools...

Fang Zhengzhi gazed at the green blades of grass growing out on the small courtyard, sighed softly, his expression slightly worried for the first time. The entire economy of the village depended on that one hunting squad.

The Hall of Dao was indeed prestigious, and was the future hope of the village, but before that hope was realised, it was also a kind of burden. After the already poor Southern Mountain Village's main labour force was selected to study in the Hall of Dao, the level of stress naturally shot up.

Hunting squad? He didn't even know when would he be qualified to go up the mountain...

As Fang Zhengzhi thought, his vision suddenly came into focus. Because, he saw that piece of stone in the middle of the courtyard, and on that stone, was a finger-length crack!

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Chapter 23: Running into Trouble

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Fang Zhengzhi persisted in his daily studying routine - studying in the morning and revising once more before bed. In the day, he stopped sleeping outside the Hall of Dao.

One early morning, the sky just began to brighten.

"Damn it, who on earth is it? Why am I missing another Fire Plume Chicken?!" Within the Li Family courtyard, Mrs Li's voice was just as domineering as before.

Isn't it just one chicken?

Did you think that by shouting out so loudly, I will return it to you? Naive!

Along the small river outside the village, Fang Zhengzhi was leisurely adding wine and colourful seasonings on the Fire Plume Chicken. Then, he brought his nose towards the chicken, took a sniff, lightly tore off a piece and placed it in his mouth.

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Just right!

Then, the immediately took down the entire chicken from the roasting racks and started to wolf it down...

Fang Zhengzhi didn't have any other choices. Even though these days his dad repeatedly brought the hunting squad to the mountain, but, due to the village rules, when it was time to distribute the spoils, their portion was close to pitiful.

His appetite grew exponentially, but the food was really too little, completely unable to meet his growing needs. Faced with no other options, he could only once again leverage on his "friendly" neighbour.

Anyway, the Li family didn't contribute anything at all, but were always given the largest portions from the hunting spoils.

Fang Zhengzhi felt no guilt. Devouring the entire chicken, he patted his round belly and felt his body surge with strength.

Then, he gradually made his way to the grass field beside the river, found a fist-sized stone in the field and gently placed it on the floor.

Fang Zhengzhi closed his eyes and slowly regulated his breathing. Then, his eyes flew open, opening his palms and brought it down upon down the stone.

"Crack!"

A deep crack formed on the fist sized stone. Without much hesitation, Fang Zhengzhi's hand moved in a flash once more. Another palm landed on the same spot on the stone.

"Crack!" This time, the crack on the stone opened up rapidly like a web.

Fang Zhengzhi's eyes flashed, a third palm struck the stone.

"Boom!" The stone finally shattered completely and reduced into a pile of smashed pebbles.

Fang Zhengzhi immediately rubbed his slightly reddened palm. But, his expression still seemed to be rather delighted.

Three palms! It is a huge improvement from the five palms a week ago!

This strength although compared to Lolita and General Li was akin to the difference between Heaven and Earth, but for someone who used to be a meek and wimpy scholar in his past life, Fang Zhengzhi was indeed happy.

No matter what, he was now a fierce man who could shatter stones with one hand! Even though he needed three palm strikes, but if it was his past life, it might not have been able to make him a fighting champion, but it was still possible to make him a black belt.

"Aha!"

Fang Zhengzhi imitated the sound of his idol in his past life, took a stance, looked at his own reflections in the river and felt rather cool.

"Fang Zhengzhi!"

Just as he was grinning happily, a young voice sounded out from behind.

Fang Zhengzhi turned his head and saw an eight year old boy from his village.

"Bad… Bad news, the hunting squad… hunting squad ran… ran into trouble… village… village chief asked me to look for you!" The boy shouted, panting for breath as he ran.

"What?!"

When Fang Zhengzhi heard this, an extremely uncomfortable feeling rose up in him. The village chief sent someone to find him, and it was regarding the hunting squad, could it be...

This is bad!

Fang Zhengzhi didn't dare to think any further, and sprinted towards the village, his speed as fast as the wind.

The eight year old boy was instantly stunned. Staring at Fang Zhengzhi's stumpy legs bolting away, he couldn't understand - how can someone run so fast? Recovering from his initial shock, he immediately began to open up his footsteps and started to run, following behind Fang Zhengzhi. But he realised after a while, he couldn't even see Fang Zhengzhi's backside anymore…

Once he entered the Southern Mountain Village, Fang Zhengzhi heard a wave of faint crying sound.

His heart raced again, his tiny palms filled with sweat. Not bothering to keep up his pretence of being a small, delicate kid, he immediately sprinted towards the source of the crying.

Very quickly, he arrived at the village square.

At this moment, the square was packed with villagers. The villagers were huddled together, the wailing cries of women coming out from within the crowd. His mother Qin Xuelian was among them.

"Boo hoo… Houde, you… something better not happen to you…" Qin Xuelian completely lost her usual calm demeanor, her face filled with tears.

Her words sent a shiver down Fang Zhengzhi's spine.

Without even thinking further, he instantly dove into the crowd.

Very quickly, Fang Zhengzhi located his dad. Fang Houde was lying flat on an old, thick piece of leather, his face pale and white, the ground around him stained with blood. Apart from Fang Houde, another seven or eight villagers were in this same state.

"Zhengzhi is here!"

"Don't worry, your dad is fine, it's only a few injuries…"

Once the villagers saw Fang Zhengzhi, they immediately attempted to reassure him. They were all afraid this young boy would be triggered.

"Injuries?!"

When Fang Zhengzhi looked at his dad Fang Houde, he saw a huge gaping wound bleeding profusely on his thigh, along with streaks of blood on his chest and waist.

From Fang Zhengzhi's point of view, it looked like he was sliced open with a knife, but upon closer inspection, he realised that it didn't seem like it. Because, around every streak of blood was five lines of open wounds.

Looking at the other villagers, he realised that their injuries were all similar. Every injured villager had claw marks on their body, blood flowing uncontrollably from their wounds…

"Who would have thought that Blue Fire Wolf would come down the mountain again!"

"Indeed, that lone wolf which separated from its pack harmed many people at the foot of the mountain these few years. The Northern Mountain Village also met with it last time, I heard that two people were injured by it.

"But this time our Southern Mountain Village suffered seven or eight casualties!"

The villagers chipped in their views one by one, each of their faces flashing with anger. However, there was nothing they could do. The Blue Fire Wolf was too strong. It was something that these common villagers would never be able to match up to.

Anyone who encountered it in the mountains, could only run!

"Blue Fire Wolf?!" Fang Zhengzhi's fist instantly tightened.

He recalled what his mother told him in the past - His dad's right arm was broken by a Blue Fire Wolf. At that time, the Blue Fire Wolf had found its way into the village, his dad stood at the frontline blocking its advance. Only when faced with the combined efforts of the entire village did the Blue Fire Wolf finally flee.

Could it be the same one?

"That Blue Fire Wolf didn't appear these few years, we thought it was already dead, who knew that it will come out at this time…" A villager drawn out a long sigh.

It's really the same one!

"No matter how much you have, all of you go and retrieve the medications you have for stopping blood flow!" Village Chief Meng Bai was leading a team of villagers to apply medicine onto the wounds of the casualties, his face dripping with sweat.

"The hunting squad suffered so many casualties, how are we going to preserve our livelihood from now?" A familiar voice erupted from the crowd. It was Mrs Li.

"What's the point of saying this now? Saving lives is the priority!" A villager instantly retorted.

"The livings of hundred or so households in the village all depend on the hunting squad, without the squad, the entire village would starve to death! How can I not say this?" Mrs Li refuted huffily.

"Sigh, this is indeed true…"

"If the hunting squad cannot hunt more animals, I don't know how we are going to carry on living."

A few thirty-over year old women began to sigh.

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Chapter 24: Shock

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Fang Zhengzhi's small fist tightened once again, and ran quickly towards Fang Houde. As he ran past Mrs Li, his stumpy leg "accidentally" stepped right onto her foot.

"Oww!..." Mrs Li screeched sharply.

Fang Zhengzhi instantly got a shock, turning around and losing his balance, his other leg once again "accidentally" landed onto Mrs Li's backside.

"Plop!" Mrs Li lost her balance, sprawling on the floor, her four limbs spread out evenly.

"Pfft pfft… Owww, which blind little bastard…" Because of her screeching, sand entered her mouth. She hurried attempted to spit it out, then turning her head back, she realised there wasn't even a figure in sight.

At this time Fang Zhengzhi had already sped past Mrs Li and arrived in front of Fang Houde.

As he carefully scrutinised his dad's injuries, he realised that other than the wound on his leg, the bleeding had stopped in the rest of the injured areas. But this wound on the leg, without almost a year of rest and recovery, he was afraid that it wouldn't be able to get better.

"Oh, Zhengzhi is here, actually daddy… daddy is fine, don't … don't worry, tell your mum … not … not to cry…" Fang Houde's lips were slightly purplish, his body and face drenched in sweat, but he still strained to extend his left hand, patting Fang Zhengzhi on the head.

"Hmph! You seem to have a lot of energy, might as well go hunting in the mountain!" Mrs Li finally came to her senses, realising that the person who pushed her was likely to be Fang Zhengzhi.

"Mrs Li, that isn't something you should be saying! Zhengzhi is still a little boy, what he did wasn't even on purpose, he was just worried! How can you even suggest asking a kid to go hunting in the mountains?"

"Exactly! Your family's Huer is even older than Zhengzhi by a month, why don't you ask him to go hunting?"

"Can't you see that old Fang is already injured? How can you bully people like that!"

When the villagers heard Mrs Li's comments, they instantly couldn't turn a blind eye anymore and one by one, began to voice out.

Mrs Li's face flushed with redness, realising that she probably said something wrong. Glancing around at the indignant faces of the villagers, she swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and only mumbled lowly.

"Didn't the Northern Mountain Village use to have a child who went up the mountains at nine years old, ain't that amazing…"

"Shut up!" Village Chief Meng Bai's finally lost his temper. The hand in which he held his cigar trembled slightly and even his snow-white beard flared up.

"We will discuss the matter regarding the hunting squad after a few days, for now saving people is the priority! You few, carefully, help to carry home those whose bleeding has stopped. I will immediately depart to the capital and buy some herbs back. Everyone please contribute what you can!

"Village Chief, I have some copper pieces, you can have them!"

"My family has saved some broken silver pieces, please wait, I'll go retrieve them now!"

"Mrs Li, why not you contribute some as well?" Some villagers looked at Mrs Li.

"This… The two people in my family are still studying in the Hall of Dao, whether this hunting squad still can enter the mountains in the future is still a big question. The food and drink rations at home, shouldn't I be saving up on them…" Mrs Li immediately tried to conceal herself among the crowd.

When the villagers heard what she said, they all became somewhat infuriated.

"Forget it, it's voluntary! If the Li family really excelled in their studies in the future, that is also our Southern Mountain Village's blessing. My own family still has some money, we should be able to purchase a few…" Village Chief Meng Bai gave a sigh, and didn't say anything more.

"Did you all hear that? Even village chief said that the Southern Mountain Village has to depend on us in the future, education is now extremely valuable in the county!" Mrs Li instantly stood up straight when she heard his words.

While the villagers still remained slightly uncomfortable, they also didn't argue further. Ultimately, everybody saw that in the Divine Constabulary's previous examination held for the Southern Mountain Village, Li Zhuangshi was indeed the strongest in the entire village.

The Law of Dao examination in the capital does indeed test one's understanding of the texts, but what's most important would be one's physical abilities. Dao is accessed through texts, based on the Law of Dao, but the person most respected is always the one with the strongest physical abilities!

Fang Zhengzhi glanced at Mrs Li, her face filled with delight, then looked at his mum Qin Xuelian, looking down and sobbing, then at the surrounding infuriated villagers who dared not speak. He suddenly laughed out in his heart.

Afraid of being accused as possessed?

Does that mean that I can only endure?

Grow up slowly under a low profile?

Hmph...

The weaker I portray myself, others will only continue to look down on me, look down on the Fang family. Now that my dad Fang Houde has already become bedridden, who will manage this family?!

Am I going to wait until my own delicate mother Qin Xuelian collapse with fatigue?

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly started to hate himself. He hated himself for being too cautious, hating himself for always thinking too far ahead. In the end, he lost what was most valuable.

Even though he was only seven!

But so what?

At the moment, Fang Zhengzhi's eyes flared with determination.

He felt that he was already capable, he must do something for this family!

I will support the whole family! Standing up suddenly, Fang Zhengzhi wordlessly strode towards a large stone in the village square.

The surrounding villagers couldn't understand what he was trying to do.

"Zhengzhi, don't do anything stupid!"

"What is he trying to do?"

"He must have been triggered, quick, stop him!"

As the villagers prepared to hold back Fang Zhengzhi, he has already raised his fist.

"Boom!"

A deafening sound resounded. The large stone began to shake furiously. Then, lines of web-like cracks began to spread quickly on the surface of the stone.

"Crack!" The stone shattered.

All the villagers, including Village Chief Meng Bai, and Mrs Li, and even Qin Xuelian, were stupefied, each of them staring at the young Fang Zhengzhi, completely unable to react.

"Pah!"

The cigar beside Village Chief Meng Bai fell to the floor, but, he completely didn't notice this. Instead, he continued to stare unmoving with his eyes widened in shock.

What is this?

Are his eyes playing tricks on him?

A seven year old boy shattering a stone with one fist. This… this is completely unimaginable!

At this moment, all the villagers on the square were in a dream-like state, all unwilling to believe that they had just witnessed. But, this scene truly appeared right in front of their eyes.

Fang Zhengzhi's gaze swept across the faces of every single villager. He saw Mrs Li's dropped jaws, and Village Chief Meng Bai's wide eyes.

Until his gaze stopped on Qin Xuelian, her face filled with shock.

Gazing at his mom's tear-stricken face, he suddenly drawn out a long sigh. Then, on his young tender face, an expression of pure determination appeared!

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Chapter 25: The Hunting Squad

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"I! Want! To! Enter! The! Hunting! Squad!"

Fang Zhengzhi's voice resonated across the entire length of the village square. His voice wasn't very loud, but it shocked the hearts of every villager.

"Hunting squad?!"

"He said… he said he wants to enter the hunting squad?"

"My God, he's only seven!"

When they heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, the villagers looked at one another, not daring to believe what they just heard.

Village Chief Meng Bai was the first to come to his senses. Taking a look at Fang Houde's seemingly lifeless form, he mouthed softly, "Houde… you have such a good son!"

Listening to the discussion arising all around herm, Qin Xuelian's body began to tremble intensely. Her beautiful eyes took one look at Fang Zhengzhi, then looked at Fang Houde lying in front of her. Tears instantly spewed from her eyes again…

Very quickly, like the wind, news of Fang Zhengzhi wanting to enter the hunting squad found its way into every household in the entire village. When some of the old villager who never stepped a foot outside their houses heard the news, their face were filled with disbelief.

But, Fang Zhengzhi shattering the stone with one fist was something dozens of people saw with their own eyes.

"This is unbelievable, how did Zhengzhi do it? Don't tell me he… accessed Dao?"

"How is this possible! I bet that stone was already cracked, when Zhengzhi saw his own dad injured, his anger gave him this strength!"

"No matter what, even if the stone was already cracked, to shatter it with one fist is not something a seven year old child can achieve!"

"Yeah! What brute force, this is definitely much stronger than me when I was young!"

Waves of discussion began to spread throughout the village, and the villagers all began to praise the Fang family for raising such a strong child.

However, everywhere the wind blows, there was bound to be some flying specks of gravel.

For one, Mrs Li was extremely indignant: "Isn't it just brute force? He can't even enter the Hall of Dao, and definitely won't be able to pass the eventual Law of Dao examinations, so what if he has strength? It's still a lifetime of hunting for him!"

Li Zhuangshi also began to worry, looking at Li Huer from time to time and sighing sadly. He himself was unable to guess what he was thinking…

Village Chief Meng Bai sat on the carriage, journeying towards the county, his eyes wandering towards the endless streams of mountains outside the carriage. Distressfully, he brought the cigar he was holding to his mouth, inhaled deeply and breathed out a concentrated puff of smoke.

"Oh Fang family… how can I ever make up to you! It's all my fault for being so blind, not being able to see the potential of this child. But, it's already too late, the namelist of the Hall of Dao entrants have already been submitted, changing it… is really too difficult…"

In the Fang family household, Qin Xuelian gingerly wiped away the bloodstains on Fang Houde's body, and lightly sat down beside Fang Zhengzhi.

"Zhengzhi… you… must you really enter the hunting squad?" Qin Xuelian's expression was complex, after what happened at the village square, even she had no idea how to discuss with her own son.

Treat Fang Zhengzhi as an adult? But he's only seven.

Treat him as a child? This also seemed somewhat inappropriate. This was because he was about to become a hunter entering the mountain, the lifeline of the entire Southern Mountain Village…

"Yes, mum!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded. He knew what Qin Xuelian was thinking, but, there are things that he had to do. Now that Fang Houde had fallen, he must stand up. At this time when his family was in peril, he must support it!

"But, you are now only seven…" Qin Xuelian spoke somewhat hesitantly.

"Mum, don't worry, I will take care! Moreover, didn't village chief already say? Now that I entered the hunting squad, all the animals I hunt belong to me. Now that dad is injured, how can he live without eating any meat?" Fang Zhengzhi reassured his mum.

From a logical point of view, he knew what he did was somewhat impulsive. Dangers lurked everywhere on the Cang Ling Mountain, even though he managed to gain some breakthroughs, but it was still impossibly difficult to defend himself against any large predators he would meet.

Most importantly, he had completely no fighting skills to defend against the wild beasts, in his past life he never even fought with a dog! Now he was to suddenly start hunting wild beasts?

That didn't even seem right.

But, after making this decision, he had never regretted.

And what was extremely fortunate was that the villagers in the Southern Mountain Village were indeed rather simple-minded. Coupled with the priority of Fang Houde's injury,even though he did something that stunned the entire village, nobody suspected how he suddenly became so powerful.

Now, the next problem was how to enter the mountains, how to survive long-term on the mountains, and how to stay safe while still being able to hunt animals.

Fang Zhengzhi somewhat understood the hunting techniques of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad.

An extremely rigid method, setting small traps at some path junctions, then, the entire hunting squad sticking together as a group, wandered about the Cang Ling Mountain and shot down animals with bows and arrows.

Nothing could be more primitive than this!

This wasn't the method Fang Zhengzhi wished to employ, because if any large beasts were encountered, the entire squad would be in danger. If luck shone on them, they might be able to maintain this for one or two months. But, can they maintain this for a lifetime?

A few of the elderly villagers were ridden by old injuries, some even missing an arm or a leg. These were the consequences!

He had to change this hunting strategy!

Fang Zhengzhi went into deep thought. How can I hunt down animals, yet preserve my own safety? Moreover there is another hidden danger, that's the Blue Fire Wolf that constantly roamed the outskirts of the Cang Ling Mountain!

As Qin Xuelian looked at the frowning Fang Zhengzhi, her lips moved slightly.

"Zhengzhi, actually, a few days ago I found an ingot of gold…"

"Mum, leave that gold to take care of dad!" Fang Zhengzhi knew what Qin Xuelian wanted to express, since he had already stood out, he didn't try to hide any further.

"You… you know…" Qin Xuelian couldn't conceal the shock in her eyes anymore, then she remembered that day when she saw the "dumpling" kid on the stage. She suddenly understood.

As she looked towards Fang Zhengzhi, her expression became extremely complex.

"Zhengzhi has grown up…"

"Mum, don't worry, you can leave this family to me!"

Fang Zhengzhi didn't say anything further. He knew clearly that he had to step up sooner or later, it was just a matter of time.

Cang Ling Mountain? Blue Fire Wolf! Heard that the pelt of the Blue Fire Wolf… is worth quite some money. Then, let me take a look at what you are truly capable of!

Half a month later, one morning…

Dressed in cotton clothes, Qin Xuelian carefully prepared a leather jacket for Fang Zhengzhi.

The Cang Ling Mountain was filled with deadly and poisonous insects and one cannot dress too thinly when entering the mountain. At this moment, Fang Zhengzhi was wearing thick-soled leather shoes, a pair of leather gloves, and a leather jacket that extended to his thighs. He even wore a leather cap on his head.

From afar, he couldn't be differentiated from a small mountain beast.

Although…

His attire was filled with patches!

After a period of rest, coupled with the herbs the village chief purchased from the county, some of the lightly injured members of the hunting squad had more or less recovered. Fang Houde could also get up from his bed and take a few slow steps.

"When you enter the mountain, if you encounter any huge beasts… hide at the back!" Fang Houde's voice called out from inside his room.

Fang Zhengzhi was slightly taken aback. Knowing very well his dad's simple personality, it required great courage to say these words.

"Dad don't worry, I will always hide behind!" Fang Zhengzhi carried up his large basket, then hid a small dagger in his leather shoe and stepped outside the door.

"Zhengzhi, you didn't bring a bow…" As he left, Qin Xuelian called out.

"I don't know how!" Fang Zhengzhi twitched his mouth.

"Zhengzhi… blade… you didn't even bring a hunting blade…"

"I don't know how either…"

"This… you didn't even bring anything, how are you going to hunt?"

"I have this!" Fang Zhengzhi pointed at the basket he carried on his back, then took out the dagger he concealed in his shoe, and dangled it in front of Qin Xuelian…

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Chapter 26: Too Imperious

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

In reality, Qin Xuelian's doubt regarding Fang Zhengzhi represented the doubt of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad. When Fang Zhengzhi, carrying his large basket, appeared at the assembly point in the village square, all the members of the hunting squad stared at him blankly.

"Zhengzhi, where's your bow?

"I left it at home!"

"Then… your blade?"

"I didn't bring it!"

The members of the hunting squad were speechless. Was he planning to hunt prey, or become the prey?

"Zhengzhi, ignore them. When we go up the mountain, you will stay behind the squad. Gain some experience first, don't rush into action when you encounter wild prey, understand?" A middle-aged man with a slightly roundish face and plumpish body walked beside Fang Zhengzhi and placed his hands on his shoulders.

This was the Deputy Captain of the hunting squad, Ding Qingshan!

Ever since Li Zhuangshi entered the Hall of Dao, he took up the appointment as Deputy Captain. How about the Captain? That position had always been taken up by the village chief.

Even though he hadn't entered the mountain for more than ten years.

"I understand, I won't participate!" Fang Zhengzhi replied honestly.

The members of the hunting squad were stunned, then immediately laughed out. When they knew Fang Zhengzhi shattered a stone with one fist, they were all slightly curious about this seven year old boy.

Of course, more importantly they were considering what surprise this talented boy can bring to the hunting squad.

But now…

It was indeed a surprise.

"He is still a kid after all…" Ding Qingshan sighed softly.

Village Chief Meng Bai personally came to the village square to send the hunting squad off. As he looked at the large basket Fang Zhengzhi carried on his back, he similarly had no choice but to shake his head.

Taking advantage of the morning fog, a team of over ten people walked along the small trails that led behind the village and quickly journeyed towards the Cang Ling Mountain.

Fang Zhengzhi on the other hand followed behind the squad, carrying his large basket.

Tall mountain peaks, winding trails, the landscape filled with towering ancient trees and dense grass fields. To say that there were dangers lurking everywhere was definitely not an exaggeration.

This sparked a sense of novelty in Fang Zhengzhi. Living in the city all his past life, mountains and forests were a rare sight for him. Looking left and right, he hummed a little tune as he walked.

As the rest of the hunting squad looked at him, they just smiled.

No matter how they tried to see it, they felt that Fang Zhengzhi looked nothing like a hunter, but instead looked like he was here to make a sightseeing tour.

But, they didn't say anything much. Ultimately he was still a kid, entering the mountain for the first time would no doubt spark some curiosity.

As they walked on, an hour passed and the sky was already illuminated brightly. The hunting squad had already almost reached the outskirts of Cang Ling Mountain. This, was where the Southern Mountain Village usually hunted.

"First inspect the respective traps, check if we had captured anything!" Ding Qingshan quickly gave out orders to the surrounding hunting squad members.

"Roger!" The hunting squad immediately sprang into action.

"Woosh!"

Right at this moment, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air resounded. Then, a long arrow nailed itself right in front of the hunting squad.

"Who's that?" Ding Qingshan was the first to react, his gaze swept across the densely packed bushes. The rest of the squad each pulled out their long blades, and anxiously formed a circle.

Fang Zhengzhi just happened to end up right in the center of this circle.

"Ha ha ha… I thought there was a wild beast, who would have thought it would be people from the Southern Mountain Village!" A middle-aged man dressed in green leather walked out from the dense forests, veins bulging from his arms and deep scars covering his face.

"They are from the Northern Mountain Village!"

"Zhang Yangping, this is the Southern Mountain Village's territory, why would villagers from the Northern Mountain Village end up here?"

Ding Qingshan quickly recognised the man's identity, frowning deeply, the grip of his hand on the long blade didn't loosen and instead, he held it defensively in front of his chest.

"The Southern Mountain Village's territory? Ha ha ha… Heard that Southern Mountain Village was attacked by the Blue Fire Wolf, I thought that you guys will never set foot upon the mountain again!" Zhang Yangping laughed.

"Zhang Yangping, Northern Mountain Village people coming here, are you trying to snatch prey from the traps we set?" When Ding Qingshan saw Zhang Yangping appear in this place, he quickly realised his purpose.

"What do you mean snatch? The prey is from the mountain, don't tell me "Southern Mountain Village" is written on them? Ha ha ha… Since you have come, we will make a move first!" After finishing his sentence, Zhang Yangping prepared to leave.

"Stop right there, hand over our prey!" Immediately, a member of the hunting squad stood out.

"Prey? Oh… I forgot. That's right, we indeed managed to pick up some prey around here, but if you want to have it, you have first ask if my blade here agrees…" Zhang Yangping waved his hands and immediately, over twenty men jumped out from behind the bushes, prey hanging from each of their waists.

Gloominess was evident in Ding Qingshan's eyes. Looking at the twenty over members of the Northern Mountain Village, then turning behind to look at his ten over hunting squad members, he struggled intensely inside.

"Ha ha ha… don't want it anymore? Don't tell me you all haven't even realised this yet, in this world the strongest is always the winner. One can only listen to whoever's fist is the toughest! Southern Mountain Village? What a joke! We are not only here to snatch today, we will be here to snatch every single day in the future! Hmph, let's go!" Zhang Yangping chuckled delightedly, turned around then disappeared in the vegetation.

"What are you staring at? Come snatch it back if you have the balls!"

"Southern Mountain Village? Ha ha, your Southern Mountain Village has no capabilities anymore!"

" Ha ha ha…"

A few of the Northern Mountain Village members laughed as they walked.

"Deputy captain!"

"The Northern Mountain Village are too imperious!"

"Let's fight it out with them!"

When the Southern Mountain Village witnessed this, they were instantly triggered.

"No we can't, they have too many people, and among us there are people who haven't recovered fully from their injuries. If we were really to fight it out, we will definitely suffer!" Ding Qingshan gripped tightly on the long blade in his hands

"But… our prey has been taken away by them…" People were still unsatisfied.

"Let's not talk about this any further, everyone go search if there are any left which they missed out." Ding Qingshan urged.

"Roger."

"Uncle Qingshan, I'll go pick some herbs!" Fang Zhengzhi voiced out at this moment.

"Pick herbs? Are you picking them for your dad? What a filial child, the surroundings here are usually safe from danger, but don't wander too far, make sure you come back to this spot before it gets dark, understand?"

"Alright!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded, then ran off in a flash.

"This child… indeed seems to run really fast!"

"Deputy captain, today is Zhengzhi's first time on the mountain, what if he gets lost?"

"How will children who grew up in the mountain lose their way? Moreover, since he joined the hunting squad, it is inevitable that he has to go through some hardship. Let's do it this way… if he hasn't returned before the sky darkens, we will go search for him. Hunting is the priority now!"

"Roger!"

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Chapter 27: The First Time

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Under Zhang Yangping's leadership, the Northern Mountain Village hunting square laughed loudly as they brought the game back to their own territory.

"Deputy captain is indeed brilliant, this time our yield is really high. The Southern Mountain Village hasn't visited the mountain in many days, there are really quite a few good prey in the traps…" A hunting squad member following behind Zhang Yangping laughed happily.

"Of course, under normal circumstances, the Southern Mountain Village and Northern Mountain Village went about their own businesses in their own territories. But this year, the Southern Mountain Village's luck hasn't been good, having encountered the Blue Fire Wolf and I even heard that they suffered seven to eight casualties. They won't be able to pose any short-term threat to us!" Likewise, Zhang Yangping was delighted.

"Indeed our deputy captain's thinking is flexible, if it was us we would never have been able to think of this!"

"Huh? Deputy captain, there is a… small child behind!"

Very quickly, Zhang Yangping and his team noticed that following behind them, was a six or seven year old child, wearing a leather jacket and carrying a large basket on his back.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't bother trying to conceal his intentions, and outrightly sauntered behind them.

Why?

The reason was simple. Having to walk around in the mountain alone, he was obviously scared!

"Such a young kid? What is he doing!"

"Quick, look! He is carrying a large basket behind his back, could it be someone from another village coming to Cang Ling Mountain to pick herbs?"

"Then let's ignore him, carry on!"

Zhang Yangping and his team continued to walk, until they reached the Northern Mountain Village territory.

While Fang Zhengzhi continued to follow behind them.

"Deputy captain, we have already reached our Northern Mountain Village territory?!"

"What are you saying, how big can this Cang Ling Mountain be? There are so many people coming from other places and villages to pick herbs on the mountain. He is just a child coming up to pick herbs, why do you care so much about him!" Zhang Yangping huffed.

Indeed, the rest of the hunting squad thought the same. There were many villages surrounding the Cang Ling Mountain, coming up to pick herbs was a usual sight.

However, people usually chose the deeper parts of Cang Ling Mountain for herb picking, herbs on the outskirts were exceedingly rare.

Looking at Fang Zhengzhi's tender age, the hunting squad members understood again. Looks like this kid didn't dare to venture too deep…

Fang Zhengzhi waited till the villagers of the Northern Mountain Village stopped, and understood. More likely than not, this was the hunting territory of the Northern Mountain Village.

Reaching his destination, he leisurely began to take out the hoe, shovels and other tools from the large basket from his bag.

Then, he began to dig...

When the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad, who had started searching for more prey, went past him, they glanced a few times at Fang Zhengzhi. Then, realising that he brought neither a bow nor a blade, they relaxed and didn't pay any further attention to him.

Fang Zhengzhi dug energetically. As he dug, he took out his ruler to make measurements, and from time to time took out a drawing from his pocket to take a few looks. Other times, he would be carrying stones from his surroundings and shifting them around.

His purpose in following the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad naturally was not to shout out, "Return my prey!"

Because, that was obviously asking for trouble…

Not only did the opponent have over twenty strong men, but just their bows or blades alone was something he couldn't defeat with his small dagger.

Those good at offense, their enemies can't defend against them. Those good at defense, their enemies have no idea how to attack!

Fang Zhengzhi evidently wasn't really here to pick herbs. The past few days he had thought long and hard, and finally came up with a big plan, a plan that was enough to make sure the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad would never be bullied, a plan that would always put him at an undefeatable position.

As the saying goes: The time spent sharpening a blade won't hinder the cutting of trees. If he wanted to reap huge rewards, he have to first sharpen a "razor-sharp blade".

His initial plan was to carry out this plan at the Southern Mountain Village territory, however now that an "accident" had happened, he decided to carry it out on the Northern Mountain Village territory instead...

Time flowed by quickly. Very soon, it was noon. Fang Zhengzhi stopped his work, took out the lunch Qin Xuelian prepared for him, ate his picnic meal, took a short break and recited The Great Learning.

As the sky started to darken slightly, Fang Zhengzhi started to leave…

Fang Zhengzhi's first time up the mountain was devoid of any interesting surprises.

When the villagers of the Southern Mountain Village realised that he returned with empty hands, they laughed casually. After all, he was a kid, and moreover it was his first time in the mountain. Not catching anything was normal.

The second Qin Xuelian saw Fang Zhengzhi, she immediately hugged him tightly.

"I'm just happy that you are back…"

Mrs Li's words were still undeniably harsh: "I thought you were so talented, after one whole day in the mountain, how come you didn't even manage to catch a green furred rabbit?"

Some of the villagers in the square were unhappy when they heard this.. Ultimately, to them, for Fang Zhengzhi to stand out and volunteer to join the hunting squad was already something very respectable.

"Zhengzhi is only seven, to have voluntarily joined the hunting squad's expedition is already good enough!"

"That's right, am I right to believe your family's Li Huer wouldn't dare to go?"

"He is so young, and moreover this is his first expedition up the mountain, how can you really judge him as if he is an adult?"

The villagers noisily began to discuss. When Mrs Li heard this, she became unhappy. Arms akimbo, she retorted, "My family's Li Huer has not joined the hunting squad, but my family's Li Huer is studying! Next time when he passes the Law of Dao examinations, he is going to become a high-ranking official! When he excludes the entire Southern Mountain Village from taxes, wouldn't that be much better than hunting some animals on the mountain!"

When she brought up the Law of Dao examinations, the villagers instantly stopped their chattering. The father and son of the Li Family are both currently in the Hall of Dao. The hopes of the Southern Mountain Village are pinned on those who qualified to enter the Hall of Dao, and nobody wished to offend her.

"Alright, all of you stop quarreling. Everybody just do well what you are supposed to do!" Village Chief Meng Bai stood out at this moment to round up the discussion.

"Village chief's words are indeed wise. Everybody has their own unique lives! Moreover, isn't it true that Fang Zhengzhi didn't manage to hunt anything this time? Why can't people say anything about it?" Mrs Li mumbled in a low voice, glancing at Fang Zhengzhi with a disdainful expression.

"Qingshan, why is the yield so little today?" Village Chief Meng Bai changed the topic.

"It's all because of the Northern Mountain Village…" Ding Qingshan walked over to Village Chief Meng Bai's side and spoke in a low voice. He didn't know if it was appropriate to talk about this incident in front of the entire village.

Village Chief Meng Bai's brows quickly knitted together.

"Next time… enter the mountain earlier!" When Village Chief Meng Bai finished speaking, he sighed heavily, placing the cigar on his hand into his mouth and angrily took a few puffs.

"I understand." Ding Qingshan understood his intentions. The two villages were too near to each other, Southern Mountain Village people marrying across to the Northern Mountain Village people and vice versa was common.

The affinity between them was strong, but so was the friction between them!

Fighting over the mountain, fighting over prey, these were commonplace. If this incident could be settled peacefully, they naturally didn't wish for it to escalate into a big conflict.

The amount of prey was meagre and very quickly, it was all distributed.

Since Fang Zhengzhi voluntarily entered the hunting squad, he was rather well taken care of. Even though his first time up the mountain yielded no returns, the village chief still gave a small piece of meat to him as a "encouragement".

The rest of the villagers didn't have much opinions. After all, there was still a person lying injured in the Fang family household.

When Mrs Li witnessed this, she was displeased. "Not only did he not catch anything, he still benefited from the reaps of the hunting squad. This trade is indeed worth it…"

Fang Zhengzhi didn't say anything, except when he got home, he accidentally dropped a black coloured "animal trap" at the Li family doorstep.

The consequences…

Were indeed very obvious.

"Aiya! Which damned person placed a trap at my doorstep!!" Mrs Li's agonizing screech pierced through the dark night.

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Chapter 28: Prey

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Very soon, more than ten days had passed. Due to the low yield, the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad had to go to the mountain almost every other day.

Even when entering the mountain for days in a row, Fang Zhengzhi would always run off to "pick herbs" the second he reached, then returning back to the gathering point when the sky got dark. As days passed, the hunting squad members had gotten used to it.

They just told him to remain cautious, and run immediately if he encountered any large beasts.

Having entered the mountain seven or eight times, not even mentioning green furred rabbits, he didn't even manage to catch a single strand of fur. This was the great results Fang Zhengzhi handed over to the Southern Mountain Village after entering the hunting squad.

The consequences were obvious.

Mrs Li's mockings became more and more imprudent, and as for Village Chief Meng Bai, once Fang Zhengzhi was brought up, he could only shake his head, "Sigh… Zhengzhi still can't match up to Fang Houde's first expedition up the mountain…"

Even though the villagers took into consideration Fang Zhengzhi's young age, and his need for experience, but it had already been seven or eight times, no matter what shouldn't he have already caught something?

Unable to understand, yet unable to voice out.

As such, as time passed, the villagers stopped caring about whether Fang Zhengzhi could catch anything, because, he definitely couldn't.

The villagers felt uncomfortable, but Qin Xuelian was delighted.

"Zhengzhi, hiding behind once you enter the mountain, this is the right way!"

"Mum… actually I didn't hide." Fang Zhengzhi was somewhat speechless, was he that sort of person? You are my mum! How can you think this way?

"Mummy knows, mummy knows, ha ha… the huge basket you are carrying… is it for you to hide and sleep in?" Qin Xuelian glanced at the large basket Fang Zhengzhi carried, blinked a few times, wearing an all-knowing expression on her face.

"..." Fang Zhengzhi decided to go and study.

Then, he returned to his room, opened up Facing the South in The Law of Dao and Han Feizi, and began to read.

"The fault of the lord of men is: After having entrusted certain ministers with the state affairs, he guards against them with ministers not entrusted. His reason for so doing is that the non-entrusted and the entrusted will become enemies. Contrary to his expectation, the sovereign will fall under the spell of the non-entrusted. In consequence, the ministers with whom he is now guarding against the entrusted, are mostly those whom he used to guard against. If the lord of men cannot make the law clear and thereby restrain the power of chief vassals, there will be no other way to win confidence from the petty officials."

This period of time, apart from the time spent on the mountain, it was mainly spent on reading and memorising books. Re-reading classical ancient books from his past life, his reading speed was naturally fast, and understanding it wasn't a problem as well.

As such, the frequency of Fang Zhengzhi borrowing books from the Hall of Dao was rather high.

Wang Anhua faced this with a doubtful attitude, "A child who only just reached seven years old… really can read so fast? Did he even try to understand! This is faster than me by many times"

If Fang Zhengzhi wasn't a natural talent, then he was a mediocre person who read without thinking.

Actually, Wang Anhua wished to believe the latter. Because, if the former was really true, that was definitely too frightening to think of…

Fang Zhengzhi didn't know what Wang Anhua thought. He just revised and studied at his own pace. Also, he didn't fix what he wanted to study, every time he made a trip to the Hall of Dao to borrow books, he randomly scanned through them, and took it if it felt "deep" enough.

Was his progress fast?

That is something evident enough to not require further answers…

As he began to read and recite more texts, the sensation in his heart grew stronger and stronger. The initial five pieces of leaves had already became non-existent, replaced instead by a small tree with five branches, on it growing a countless number of delicate tree leaves. And below, the moistened earth became softer and softer.

Fang Zhengzhi's control over his body had progressed rapidly.

Other than being able to control the flesh in every part of his body, he could even feel his own bones. However, his bones were too hard, and making any changes to it would require more time.

One night passed.

In the wee hours of the morning, Fang Zhengzhi once again followed the hunting squad up the mountain.

As usual, they gathered at the village square. What was different was that everybody busied themselves with their own agendas, and didn't bother noticing Fang Zhengzhi's presence.

As usual, Village Chief sent off the hunting squad, giving a short motivational speech before they embarked on their expedition, then finally left.

"To the mountain!" Ding Qingshan ordered. The hunting squad readied themselves and moved out.

An hour later, when the sky was still slightly dark, the hunting squad arrived at the Southern Mountain Village hunting territory.

"Uncle Qingshan, I'm going to pick herbs!" Fang Zhengzhi informed Ding Qingshan.

"Please do!" Ding Qingshan didn't say anything further. This had already become habitual.

"Oh, today I will come back with prey!" Fang Zhengzhi thought for a while, then finally decided to warn them in advance.

"Ha ha ha… Zhengzhi, go early and return early!" Ding Qingshan didn't take much notice.

"Ha ha, what do you think this child will catch today?" Another member of the squad asked curiously as he watched Fang Zhengzhi leave.

"What else can he catch? You really think a seven year old child would have such great abilities? He can be considered blessed by the mountain God if he even caught a green furred rabbit!"

"Ha ha ha…"

A wave of laughter erupted, then the hunting squad proceeded to begin with their usual hunting route.

Fang Zhengzhi's moving speed was rapid, his two stumpy legs gliding him along like the wind.

To be able to move as fast, the theory behind it was simple. He just had to concentrate the muscles in his body onto his two legs, then as much as possible reduce the weight on his upper body…

And the terrain, he had already walked this path seven or eight times and was more or less familiar with it. As such, where to jump over, where to detour, he already planned for beforehand.

Without much ado, he had scuttled over to the territory of the Northern Mountain Village.

Here, was where he carried out his plan.

Then, he busied himself again, slowly shifting around the stones and rocks on the ground according to the piece of drawing on his hands. Then, once again he covered it with grass…

"Woosh, woosh…"

The sound of arrows piercing the air echoed about his ears. Fang Zhengzhi knew this came from the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad.

He didn't pay much attention to this, other than carefully noticing the movements around him, he slowly carried on with his own agenda.

When the placement of all the rocks and stones were satisfactory, it was already almost noon. Fang Zhengzhi took out and consumed his lunch, then began to relax comfortably for a while.

All the way until it was afternoon. He finally began to stand up, lightly stretching his body. Then, looking up at the sky filled with white clouds, he felt the cooling blow of the mountain wind on his face. Then, as he listened to the movements of the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad, the edges of his mouth finally, and gradually, began to curve upwards, revealing a light smile.

Then, he opened up his footsteps, following the direction of the sound, very carefully began to make a detoured way towards the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad.

A must to mention, the yield reaped by the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad today was plentiful. After a day of toiling, the bodies of the over twenty members of the hunting squad were completely filled with all sorts of prey.

Other than the prey hanged on their bodies, what delighted the Northern Mountain Village Deputy Captain Zhang Yangping most, was that they managed to capture a Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog.

This wild animal was the treasure of the Cang Ling Mountain.

Exceptionally fierce, this could be considered as a small ferocious beast that couldn't be taken down without the effort of more than ten men.

But once it was captured, any light injuries suffered were definitely worth the effort. Because, other than the humongous size of this Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog and its soft delicate meat, the most valuable part of it was its two metal fangs.

This was something that was stronger than pig iron, sharp yet sturdy. To the hunting squad, this was undoubtedly a natural weapon which only required some simple processing to produce a metal spear.

At this moment, the corners of Zhang Yangping's mouth was drawn back into a smile, giving orders to tie up the Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog tightly with a thick, coarse rope, then prepared to pack up early…

Right at this moment, a figure quickly shot out from the bushes.

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Chapter 29: Discuss a Small Matter

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

Zhang Yangping had years of experience hunting in the mountains.

Despite ordering his people to bind up the game, he didn't let down his guard. Because, he knew very clearly, the larger the prey, the stronger the scent of blood it gave off, and the easier it was to attract huge beasts.

"Oh no, oh no… the Blue Fire Wolf is here!"

Zhang Yangping didn't even have time to give out orders to the surrounding hunting squad members before the figure cried out in a tender voice, running as he shouted.

"Blue Fire Wolf?!"

"What?! The Blue Fire Wolf is here!"

Once the members of the Northern Mountain Village heard the news, horror instantly appeared on their faces.

On the outskirts of the Cang Ling Mountain roamed a lone wolf, its name was Blue Fire, this was something everyone within miles of the mountain knew.

"Run!"

Almost without any hesitation, Zhang Yangping passed down the wisest possible order to the hunting squad.

Nobody was willing to provoke the Blue Fire Wolf. This beast wasn't even supposed to appear at the outskirts of the Cang Ling Mountain. Even though it was a lone wolf, which was much easier to defeat compared to the entire Blue Fire Wolf pack...

It was still truly a fearsome monster, and easily broke away from the category of beasts.

Not mentioning these common villagers, even the great people who accessed Dao would have difficulty dealing with it.

"Deputy… deputy captain, where should we run towards?" A member of the hunting squad was so anxious that stuttered uncontrollably.

"Follow that child, the direction he came from is definitely where the Blue Fire Wolf appeared!" Zhang Yangping looked at Fang Zhengzhi sprinting madly from afar, biting his teeth as he gave the order.

"Quick, run!" The entire hunting squad immediately sprang into action.

Leaving the Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog on the ground, they ran towards Fang Zhengzhi at lightning speed.

As he felt the sound of footsteps closing in behind him, Fang Zhengzhi's mouth once again curved into a smile. His footsteps slowed down on purpose, trying his best to act out the role of a panicking seven year old child running around like a headless chicken.

Closer, closer…

As he saw his destination approaching, Fang Zhengzhi hesitated no further, with a dive and a roll, he shot into the vegetation.

"Eh? That kid is missing!"

"Don't care about the kid, hurry up and run!"

"Wait a minute! Do you feel something is wrong? If there really was a Blue Fire Wolf, due to its smell, the surrounding animals should have reacted as well. But as we ran here, the animals only ran for a short while, without the intent of leaving." Zhang Yangping was extremely meticulous, as he ran the entire way here, he never stopped paying attention to his surroundings.

It can be said that the increasing prosperity of the Northern Mountain Village these few years were very closely related to Zhang Yangping.

"Aiya!"

Right at this moment, a cry sounded out. In addition to Zhang Yangping's words, the panicking hunting squad members instantly woke up with a start.

"What happened?" The members of the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad weren't able to completely come to their senses.

"This is bad! We fell into a trap! This place… has a different feel to it compared to before…" Zhang Yangping quickly realised something amiss.

He was well-versed with the entire Cang Ling Mountain. He knew the Cang Ling Mountain terrain as well as he knew his own children. Every stone, and even every tree, he could remember clearly.

"Where's the kid?"

"Where did he run to!"

"First find the kid, then… Aiya!"

A few hunting squad members only managed to run a few steps ahead before a voice cried out.

"Everyone stay still!" Zhang Yangping's expression was ugly, but he quickly managed to calm down. Different kinds of dangers were frequent on the Cang Ling Mountain, as the deputy captain of the hunting squad, he had to ensure that no mistakes were made.

When the hunting squad heard his orders, they instantly stood still, not daring to move about randomly.

"Deputy captain, this place is filled with traps!"

"Who dug these?!"

"Saving people is the priority… Aiya!"

A member of the hunting squad who wanted to rescue those who fell into the trap immediately stepped on an empty space, his entire body falling through.

"What are you doing?! I already said, everyone stay still!" Zhang Yangping finally showed his temper. He had already realised the severity of the situation. It seemed that they had entered an area that was filled with pitfalls.

Any single movement could land them into a pitfall.

Nobody dared to continue moving. Because, the three members of the squad who fell into the pitfall physically confirmed to them, the holes around the area were so plentiful and concentrated that just by walking a few steps could land them into one.

What to do? Who in the world did this? Could it be that kid? That isn't possible… that kid looked like he was only six or seven years old!

Zhang Yangping pondered intensely.

Walk back the same path we came from? Not only might we not make it back, if we did this, what about the three trapped members? Leave them behind? That's impossible!

Try and rescue them?

More of our members might fall into the traps.

Zhang Yangping's forehead beaded with sweat. Gripping the long blade on his hand tightly, his gaze swept across the land, carefully observing his surroundings…

Very quickly, he realised something strange.

His surroundings all seemed very strange and unfamiliar, his vision simply couldn't extend into the distance, as if he entered an entirely new space. All the familiar signs he could identify with seemed to be completely gone. He was simply unable to determine his bearings.

"Rocks!"

Zhang Yangping finally realised the crux of the problem. Within the area they were confined in were numerous seemingly randomly placed rocks, yet coincidentally, these rocks blocked their line of sight.

Their entire field of vision seemed to have been cut off from outside the area.

What is happening here?

"Umm… can I discuss a small matter with everyone?"

Just when Zhang Yangping was still try hard to understand the situation, a voice called out from afar. Then, a child around seven years of age slowly walked out from behind a huge stone.

"It's the kid!"

"Deputy captain, we finally found the kid!"

"Stay still!" Zhang Yangping immediately ordered, a cold gaze in his eyes. Then, he turned his head over to look at Fang Zhengzhi, "Kid, you… know that there are pitfalls here?"

"Definitely." Fang Zhengzhi was very honest.

"Then can you bring us out?" Zhang Yangping asked again.

"Of course I can!" Fang Zhengzhi didn't hesitate in replying.

"Thank you so much." Zhang Yangping immediately expressed his thanks. He felt as if he saw the light at the end of a tunnel.

"Mm… no problem, but, if you must thank me, then there is really something I must discuss with you." Fang Zhengzhi placed his hands behind him, looking at Zhang Yangping with an innocent look.

"What do you want to discuss?' Zhang Yangping tried to force himself to stay calm.

"First, I wish to… conduct a robbery!" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the prey hanging off Zhang Yangping, licked his lips and lightly rubbed his hands together.

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Chapter 30: Hidden Weapon

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"..." Zhang Yangping couldn't understand what was happening. Robbery? What's the meaning of this?

"What did he say? Robbery?!"

"Did I hear that correctly?"

When the members of the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad regained their senses, they were all stunned.

"This kid… wants to rob us?" Zhang Yangping finally came to his senses. He was just too shocked. Even in his dreams, he would never have imagined that there would be a day when a boy seven years of age would talk to him about robbery. No matter how he looked at the situation, it didn't make any sense at all!

Is this even possible?

The Northern Mountain Village hunting squad weren't the strongest, but within the outskirts of the Cang Ling Mountain, they were king.

Robbed by a six or seven year old boy?!

Zhang Yangping wanted to laugh out loud. He felt that if he told others, nobody would believe him. But… he indeed felt that, the tone of the boy seemed like he wasn't joking.

"Deputy captain, I think this kid is tired of living!"

"That's right, shoot him!"

"Shoot!"

Zhang Pingyang didn't stop the hunting squad from carrying out their thoughts and immediately gave his order. After all, the other party had already made clear his intention, hence he didn't hesitate much about whether the child's life would be harmed.

The mountain people were simple, but once they turned fierce, they were even more unreasonable than those living in the city.

We are being robbed, are we supposed to stand there and be ridiculed?

"Woosh!"

"Woosh, woosh, woosh…"

The twenty-over hunting squad members drew their bows and began to shoot. It might not had been a rain of arrows, but the power was still astonishing. The sound of the bowstring releasing sounding out in succession, and instantly, over ten metal arrows flew towards Fang Zhengzhi.

Even though Fang Zhengzhi knew things wouldn't be so simple, but faced with this barrage of arrows, he was still given a rude shock. Indeed, this robbery was a shady and potentially fatal business.

Can't they be more civilised? It's wouldn't even be too late to give some warning before shooting.

Fang Zhengzhi let out a scornful huff, then with a flash, took cover behind the huge stone. He then raised up the large basket on his back and blocked off the blind arrows.

Looks like this world is indeed quite different from the lawful society in the past.

Shooting arrows just like that, that's just too cruel!

Isn't it just a robbery? We can talk through it.

At least, you all could have asked, can you not rob us? Can you not, can you not...

Damn! Fang Zhengzhi raised his middle finger and covered himself completely with the large basket. Then, he sat inside and casually fished out a jerky, took a few bites and patiently waited for the barrage of arrows to end.

Luckily, he relied on his intelligence. If he really had to use brute force, who knows how many holes would have been shot through his body.

Fang Zhengzhi didn't rush. He had enough confidence that the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad wouldn't be able to escape. Because, when they entered the area, he had already "sealed" the entrance of the maze with a stone.

Even though it was said to be "sealed", it was in reality only temporary blocked. Toiling for so many days, all he waited for was this moment. He wanted to use knowledge to change destiny.

For example, at this moment, based off The Art of Becoming Invisible he learnt in his past life, and taking advantage of the rocky terrain, he dug out a "Rock Formation" filled with pitfalls.

This wasn't something that encompassed great skill, and was a far cry from the real huge ancient formations. The only thing worthy of wonder was using rocks to block vision, then referencing the Eight Diagrams and Five Elements to plot a few "paths", and digging many traps along these paths.

If this was the world from his past life, a "pitpat" would cause all these rocks to disappear. But this world was indeed primitive, people used swords, knives, spears and poles.

And feats such as using one's strength to split open stones was something not everyone could achieve.

Even though the watered-down version of the rock formation wasn't of much use, but on the whole still managed to contain some schemes and mechanisms, and in addition to the preparation made beforehand, it was more than enough to deal with a bunch of ignorant hunters.

The shooting of arrows quickly ended.

The calm was similar to that after a storm, but Fang Zhengzhi wasn't stupid enough to stick his head out.

Who knew if there was someone aiming a bow at him right outside.

Zhang Pingyang raised his tough wooden longbow, staring suspiciously at the large piece of rock, could he have been shot dead? If he really died, how are we going to get out?

"Hey, kid, are you dead?" Zhang Yangping probingly shouted out.

"That's still early." Fang Zhengzhi's tender voice quickly echoed back.

"Still alive? Ha ha… kid, how about we make a deal? I give you two green furred rabbits, you bring us out. How about it?" Zhang Yangping said generously.

"Naive!" Fang Zhengzhi replied with disdain.

Zhang Yangping was instantly taken aback. Called naive by a seven year old kid, this doesn't feel very right. This puny kid right in front of them really dared to fight it out with their Northern Mountain Village hunting squad?

"Deputy captain, let's be cautious, slowly find our way out. I don't believe we can't escape this place!" A hunter suggested.

"That's right, isn't it just a few traps? We just have to tread carefully! This place isn't too big, with some time, we definitely will be able to escape!" Another hunter nodded.

As he listened to the members' suggestions, Zhang Yangping once again sunk into deep thought. Very quickly, he also gritted his teeth.

"Alright, that's what we will do! You few, go and rescue the trapped people. Tread carefully, don't separate, everybody stick together first!" Zhang Yangping quickly ordered.

"Roger!" The hunters immediately acknowledged, then began to move carefully, ensuring that there was no traps beneath their feet.

When Fang Zhengzhi heard the commotion outside, he sighed to himself. Indeed this formation was a bit too simple, but, if something was added in, it will instantly become a grand one.

Stick together? Fang Zhengzhi smiled faintly. He knew the opportunity had arrived.

Want to escape? Not so easy! He had already guessed that these traps weren't sufficient to deal with the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad. Ultimately, these traps were rigid and dead.

Furthermore, the most important problem was that the area where Fang Zhengzhi dug his traps wasn't large enough.

Alright...

It's time to add in some ingredients, time to test out the real trump card!

As he thought, Fang Zhengzhi fished out a few black egg-sized objects. Even though these things looked rather plain, these were the real "high-tech".

Carefully prodding his head out from behind the stone, he quickly realised that the hunting squad had begun moving towards Zhang Yangping's position.

"Beware, hidden weapon!" Fang Zhengzhi shouted out lightly, flicking his tiny arm, the few items on his hand smashed towards Zhang Yangping's position in one wave.

"Deputy captain, be careful, this kid can throw hidden weapons!" Upon hearing Fang Zhengzhi's words, and then seeing the object flying towards them from the air, a hunter immediately shouted.

"Hidden weapon?!" Zhang Yangping instinctively moved aside, easily dodging it.

Yet when Fang Zhengzhi saw Zhang Yangping and his squad dodge the objects, he was delighted. What he feared the most was the other party will be able to catch what he threw.

"Hidden weapon? Ha ha, please call it "high-tech"!"

（感谢:染就一树芳华,晚秋的盛夏,小雨亲亲,逆倒曟光,浮标kgb,安逸的坠落,的打赏支持,还有所有给薪意投推荐票的朋友们,谢谢!）

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Chapter 31: Unjust Involvement

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Pop, pop pop…" A wave of muffled sound echoed out, closely followed by a immensely thick fog that rose up from below the feet of Zhang Yangping and the rest of the hunting squad.

"Why is there smoke?"

"This is bad, this kid is starting a fire!"

"Quick, run!"

"Aiya…"

In the middle of the waves of chaotic shouting, a hunting squad member once again stepped on thin air, and fell into the depths of the trap.

"You dare to set fire in the mountain, this is too cruel!" Zhang Yangping clenched his fists tightly. Robbery was robbery, but setting a fire to the mountain was an act that destroyed their future.

How were they going to hunt in the mountain next time? This is too cruel!

"Where's the fire?"

"Quick, get the water bottle over. Eh? Seems like… there's no fire!"

"What's the meaning of this? There's only smoke, ah… cough cough… so suffocating…"

As the hunting squad hurriedly tried to locate the origin of the fire, they realised that there weren't even any places that caught fire. There was only a immensely thick and suffocating smoke that expanded outwards unstoppably.

Very quickly, they were completely unable to see their surroundings clearly.

Looking at this scene unfolding before him, Fang Zhengzhi was rather dissatisfied, and shook his head. These few days, not only did he dig the traps, he also put in much effort to experiment with some saltpeter and white sugar. These smoke bombs were indeed of inferior quality. Moreover, there was even a smothered bomb. Out of the four smoke bombs he threw, there was actually one which didn't produce any smoke!

What a huge failure!

I need to improve on this next time!

Then, taking his time, he slowly took out a pile of smoke bombs from the big basket. His small arms swung with wind-like speed, and threw the bombs one by one.

Smoke bombs couldn't kill, but, if used appropriately, its power was definitely stronger than a real bomb. Of course… a real bomb was something Fang Zhengzhi would definitely not try his hands on.

Not only did it require too many ingredients, but just the potential danger of it alone was enough to hold him back.

"Even though I prepared quite a few, but I must still use them prudently!" Fang Zhengzhi decided that he couldn't afford to waste.

"Aiya, help…."

"Quick, run away quick, aiya!"

"How are you guys?"

Even though Fang Zhengzhi conserved and held back, but under the barrage of low-grade smoke bombs, the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad finally descended into chaos, each of their eyes flowing with tears evoked by the thick smoke. Coughing uncontrollably, their legs instinctively wanted to run away.

And this

Was exactly what Fang Zhengzhi hoped for.

"Cruel kid, he actually used such shameless tactics on us. Smoke?! How do I even deal with this!" Zhang Yangping roared. He didn't want to move, but he couldn't take the smoke anymore. Lifting his blade, he prepared to make a decisive move.

Unfortunately, after running less than ten steps, his feet met with thin air.

"Aiya!" With a sharp cry, Zhang Yangping's body dropped downwards like a stone sinking in the water.

At a forest not too far away, Ding Qingshan and his team were searching furiously for prey. Then, lifting his head, his expression instantly changed.

"Which place just caught fire!"

"Deputy captain, the smoke is coming from that direction. It seems to be the Northern Mountain Village's territory!" A hunter following beside Ding Qingshan noticed the billowing smoke as well.

"Quick, gather everybody to go over and take a look!" Fire on the Cang Ling Mountain was of huge importance. Even though the fire started at the Northern Mountain Village's hunting territory, Ding Qingshan still didn't dare to hesitate. After all, Cang Ling Mountain was the livelihood of many villages in its radius.

"Roger!"

Very quickly, following Ding Qingshan's lead, the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad members had rushed to the source of the fire.

Ding Qingshan frowned. Because, looking at the scene in front of him, screaming sounds cried out continuously, and the thick smoke completely covered the entire landscape.

He was absolutely unable to see clearly what was happening.

"Deputy captain, Northern Mountain Village people seems to be caught inside. Should we help?"

"What are you saying, obviously we should help!" Gritting his teeth, Ding Qingshan didn't hesitate much. Even though the situation in front of him looked very dangerous, but, the Northern Mountain Village and the Southern Mountain Village were ultimately intrinsically linked.

The usual fighting over hunting was unpreventable, but turning a blind eye when others were in peril was impossible.

"Quick, go help them!" When a few hunters heard Ding Qingshan's orders, they immediately lifted their arms, broke off some nearby tree branches and quickly rushed into the smoke.

Of course, the faster they rushed, the faster they fell. Without much ado…

The Southern Mountain Village hunting squad also landed into the traps.

"Aiya, what the hell!, Why is there a hole here!"

"Damn… it!, Where did this trap come from!"

"Fire? Where's the fire?"

After the entire Northern Mountain Village hunting squad had "fallen", the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad was also unfortunately dragged into this. In a blink of an eye, the entire squad had fallen inside the traps.

The already rather small area was quickly filled with over thirty men. This made some of the traps somewhat squeezy. The more unfortunate ones had three or four people falling into them.

"Eh? Why did you guys also fall in?" A Southern Mountain Village hunter was slightly shocked when he saw the Northern Mountain Village hunter in the same trap as him.

"Ah… don't mention it anymore, we were robbed by a seven year old kid!" The Northern Mountain Village hunter sighed, shaking his head.

"Robbed?! Isn't it a fire?"

"There's no fire, that kid only smoked out the area, he didn't set any fire…"

Half an hour later, the smoke began to disperse, revealing a huge mess. The ground was filled with all kinds of bow and arrows, blades and spears, and even a few tightly bound prey.

On the other hand, the Northern Mountain Village and Southern Mountain Village hunting squad squatted in their traps, their faces filled with tears.

The Northern Mountain Village hunting squad didn't have a choice. When they were waiting on top, they also thought of standing still to avoid the pitfalls. But the smoke was too suffocating.

Compared to standing on top and suffocating for half an hour, they honestly rather waited in the traps. At least, smoke rises upwards, it was actually quite comfortable inside the traps.

The Northern Mountain Village hunting squad was now comfortable, but on the other hand the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad was filled with indignation. They were here to save the fire, but what happened? Not only did they not manage to save any fire, the entire hunting squad was now also in trouble.

"Robbery?! You Northern Mountain Village people are the ones being robbed, how does this even concern us?" When many of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad members realised this, they began to scold angrily.

But in the end, even though they were indeed unhappy, they ultimately accepted their fate. Luck wasn't on their side...

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea that the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad had rushed in, he was just leisurely hiding behind the rock and tossing smoke bombs.

When everything was finally silent and no movement was left, then did he decide to stop. Once the smoke began to disperse, he carefully assessed his surroundings, realised that there was no one hiding in ambush and finally began to relax.

Ambush? Without a gas mask, how can anybody stand it? This thing was advanced technology indeed. How suffocating is it? Whoever tried will definitely know!

"Oh, what a nice blade!" Fang Zhengzhi seemed very delighted, picking up a glinting long blade as he walked. Then, without any remorse, kept it inside the big basket.

"Nice sword!" He kept it too.

"This spear isn't bad either!"

"Eh? This bow… might come in useful someday. "

When the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad, entrapped in their respective pitfalls, heard the voice coming from outside, they faces turned black. They naturally knew who was the one picking up stuff on top.

The Southern Mountain Village hunting squad on the other hand was filled with shock.

Because, this voice was too familiar. This young voice, could it be… Fang Zhengzhi?

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Chapter 32: A Huge Yield

Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations

"Zhengzhi, is… is that you?" Ding Qingshan was the first to react. He was currently squeezed in a hole with a few other members of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad, his face laden with mud. He felt very uncomfortable.

"Huh? Uncle Qingshan, what are you doing here?" When Fang Zhengzhi heard Ding Qingshan's voice, he quickly ran over and popped his tiny head into the hole.

"It's really Zhengzhi?!" After looking at Fang Zhengzhi, his face instantly reddened. That's right, what is he even doing here? Isn't it because he just had ill luck, the Northern Mountain Village was the one being robbed, yet he also involved himself in it.

Wait...

Something seemed wrong. Just now… the Northern Mountain Village person seemed to have said, they were robbed by a seven year old boy?!

Could it be...

That's impossible?! If it really was Fang Zhengzhi who robbed the entire Northern Mountain Village hunting squad, wasn't that a little too inconceivable?

"Not possible, not possible…' Ding Qingshan furiously shook his head.

He remembered that the seven or eight times Fang Zhengzhi came to the mountain, he didn't even manage to catch a single prey. Rob the Northern Mountain Village? Even if the sun rose from the West, something like this happening was still not possible!

"Kid, you… you dare to rob our Northern Mountain Village, let us out quickly, else…" A Northern Mountain Village hunting squad member instantly shouted when he saw Fang Zhengzhi's tiny head.

Ding Qingshan's face finally changed at this moment. That feeling of shock and horror was unprecedented. Looking at the Fang Zhengzhi's tiny head popping into the hole, then looking at his young and small face, he suddenly felt like burying himself in the ground.

As the deputy captain of the hunting squad, even though he wouldn't make fun of Fang Zhengzhi outrightly...

But, this didn't imply that he looked up to Fang Zhengzhi at all, after the many times he returned empty-handed, he had already considered Fang Zhengzhi as a playful and lazy kid.

But now...

This lazy kid managed to do something they would never be able to do, he robbed the entire Northern Mountain Village hunting squad?!

He didn't dare to believe, but, this was reality.

As he heard the Northern Mountain Village hunter's words, he already could affirm that the lazy kid in his heart, taught him an unforgettable lesson on "robbery" today.

Just one person, robbing the entire Northern Mountain Village hunting squad. How unbelievable was this, how unthinkable was this, how...

Wait, something else seemed to be not quite right.

Us, the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad, seemed to have also fallen into this trap!

Ding Qingshan's face reddened once again. Because, there weren't many words he could find to describe his current feelings. What if the other party wasn't from the Southern Mountain Village? Then his hunting squad, would it have been robbed by a seven year old kid as well?

"Zhengzhi robbed the Northern Mountain Village?!"

"Could it be wrong? Is it really Zhengzhi who robbed the entire Northern Mountain Village hunting squad?"

"My God, he's only seven!"

After Fang Zhengzhi's voice called out, Ding Qingshan was stunned beyond words. The rest of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad were of no exception, nobody dared to believe this fact.

But, the feeling of being stuck in the trap wasn't exactly very comfortable. As such, a few of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad members quickly began to shout out.

Even though they indeed lost some face, but fortunately, under these circumstances, the Southern Mountain Village was ultimately in safe hands.

"This kid is from the Southern Mountain Village?!" Zhang Yangping, squatting in a trap, heard the discussion outside. The long blade in his hands fell directly to the ground.

If Fang Zhengzhi was alone by himself, he still wished to take advantage of the opportunity when the other party lowered his guard, then immediately retaliate. But if the entire Southern Mountain Village was added in, then this was obviously a huge, well-planned out "conspiracy". Retaliation would then be impossible.

It's over, this time it's really over…

We have been robbed!

"All of you better quickly surrender your weapons, then prepare yourselves to be captured!" Fang Zhengzhi shouted out as he paced forward and backward outside the traps with his stumpy legs.

"Dream on!" The Northern Mountain Village people were reluctant.

"Ah, dare to disobey? Whichever hole from which a person dares to disobey… I'll go to that hole and take a piss!"

The Northern Mountain Village hunting squad finally yielded, and surrendered one by one. Even though some were reluctant, but when they thought of their heads really being peed on, how were they going to live with this next time?

Ding Qingshan's feelings were complicated. He didn't know where he should be happy or gloomy.

But, this dilemma didn't last for long.

"Ha ha ha… this time our yield is huge!" Looking at the prey the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad detached from themselves and held in their hand, Ding Qingshan couldn't stop smiling.

"Uncle Qingshan, there is a huge tied-up pig over there!" Fang Zhengzhi didn't actually know the Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog's real name, but, he could guess that this was the best catch for the Northern Mountain Village this time.

Because, that pig was huge, its meat was plentiful!

"You all… shameless!" When Zhang Yangping heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, his face instantly changed. The value of that one Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog was even greater than the combined worth of all the prey on their bodies.

Most importantly, in order to hunt that Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog down, the Northern Mountain Village people had suffered multiple injuries.

Yet now…

It had been snatched away by the Southern Mountain Village just like that, how could he accept it?

"Huge pig? Don't tell me it's the Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog!" The eyes of a member of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad lit up. That was the real treasure. Even if one roamed the mountains for a year, it would still be difficult to encounter this.

"You few watch over them, we'll go over and take a look… Zhengzhi, lead the way!" Hearing this, Ding Qingshan's excitement rose.

"Okay." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

Very quickly, led by Fang Zhengzhi, Ding Qingshan and the team rapidly arrived in front of the Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog.

"Oh great God, it's really the Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog, it's even a matured Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog. Those two metal tusks are indeed sharp, who would have thought that the Northern Mountain Village hunting squad would be able to take this beast down!' A hunter exclaimed.

"What a huge yield, this time our yield is really huge indeed!" Looking at the tied-up Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog in front of them, the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad beamed delightedly.

"Ha ha ha… what are you all waiting for? Others have already tied this up nicely for us, let's not wait anymore and bring this Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog away!" Ding Qingshan's face was bright red with delight. This day's yield was even more than that of this entire month.

A matured Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog was definitely a surprise gift from Heaven.

Everybody instantly sprang into action.

"Zhengzhi, you can watch from the side, we won't trouble you. Let us carry this!" A member of the hunting squad patted Fang Zhengzhi's shoulders. The look in his eyes was as if he had just seen treasure.

"Ha ha…" Fang Zhengzhi laughed. He never planned to help out. This kind of physical work naturally belonged to the adults. He was only seven, there were some things he had to be "considerate".

As usual, Village Chief Meng Bai was holding his cigar, anxiousness showing slightly in his eyes. In this period of time, the yield of the Southern Mountain Village hunting squad had become lower and lower.

Now, the entire hundred over households in the village didn't even have enough to eat.

He was also considering having a meeting with the Northern Mountain Village. They couldn't go on like this.

"If this can't work, we can only bribe them with some money!" Village Chief Meng Bai gritted his teeth, and made a difficult decision.

"Come quick! The hunting squad came back with game today, what a huge yield! There are dozens of game, and even a Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog!"

Village Chief Meng Bai, still gritting his teeth, was stunned, then, the worried expression on his face immediately turned into one of pure ecstasy. Dozens of game? And even a Metal-Toothed Thorn Hog?!

Oh God, this was the biggest yield in years!

"Quick, hurry up, send all the strong people in the village to receive the hunting squad!" Village Chief immediately began to call out. He recognised that this news came from the hunting squad advance party.

"Roger… Roger!" A villager heard, and was just as delighted.

The hunting squad had a huge yield. This extremely good piece of news was enough to delight the entire village.

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