Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm

by Little Merger

Rejuvenation of spiritual energy, prevalence of martial arts, and extraordinary awakening, Jiang He said that he didn’t panic at all. With a farm system, farming can become stronger. What should I do if I practice too slowly? Don’t panic, plant some cucumbers to eat. Cucumber effects: clearing away heat and detoxification (relieving hundreds of toxins), strengthening the brain a

1. 1

Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm

---

Jiang He might have transmigrated to a world of Qi and martial arts, but the System that he got only provided him with… seeds.

"Hold on, System. Aren't these just… peas? Not only are they inedible, but I'm supposed to throw them far, far away?"

---

Read Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting, While I Started a Farm Chapter 1 online for free - NovelFull

Chapter 1: This World Is Very Dangerous

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Sensational! A red fox the size of a calf spotted in the snowfields of Daxing'anling! It has two wings growing over its back, speaks human language, and breathes flames!"

"A brave old lady in her eighties has captured two car thieves by moving quicker than Bolt! Foreign media is shocked—does Hua Nation Kung Fu really exist?"

"Old Taoist priest takes to the air on a white crane! Magic? Immortal?"

"Yesterday, a third-grader of our city broke the world record of weight-lifting by carrying a tractor with one hand!"

Jinyintan Village, Lingzhou City, Xibei.

Jiang He was staring bewilderedly at his phone screen inside a brick and mortar village house.

It was just two hours since he had transmigrated to this world.

He had been very thrilled at the start—the history and culture of this world was very similar to the previous world. In fact, Jiang He was considering how he should build an empire of culture with the novels, visual arts, and music knowledge he had in this mind.

That was when he realized that the Qi in this world had been revalidated, leaving him with the impulse of cursing out.

How was he supposed to become Wen Chao Gong1? He could die without knowing if he's not careful!

"That's not right!"

"Those videos and posts that were uploaded online would be promptly 404ed, which means the departments concerned are still intent on keeping those things secret. Could it be that the revival of Qi has just started?"

Pocketing his phone, Jiang He fell into deep thought.

Generally speaking, the revival of Qi was usually brought about by various coincidences. Could he perhaps exploit those, exploiting the opportunity to train himself into a peerless champion, rising to the pinnacle of humankind?

"Forget it!"

"How am I supposed to exploit anything with this body of mine?"

"Winged foxes that breathe flames are already here! Who knows what other monsters there would be? I'll get myself killed first even before I could exploit anything!"

Lying on his bed, Jiang He began to reject his own idea in his head. "Others would awaken a System the moment they transmigrate, matched with cheat items, and immediately become peerless champions. Compared to them, wouldn't I be a fake transmigrator?"

And yet, even as he cursed a way, a clear jingle rang in his head.

Ding!

"System activated. Binding…"

"Binding complete. The Great Starter Pack has been awarded to Host, please check at your leisure."

Jiang He jumped off his bed with a quiver, finding lines of data appearing before his eyes.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: None]

[Ability: None]

[Owned Land: 888]

[Farm Level: 1]

[System Backpack: 3 boxes]

[System Shop: Locked]

[Farm Points: 0]

"Land? Farm? What system is this?"

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang He turned towards the System Backpack which was similar to the item bar in other games, with each box representing one space where an item could be placed.

And in the first box lay a golden embroidered sack: The Great Starter Pack.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained one cucumber seed.]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained 500 farm points.]

"???"

"Is that it?"

Jiang He was at once bewildered, almost vomiting a mouthful of blood.

"Other great starter packs would give a Natural Spirit Gem, Nine Orifice Golden Pellet, Godly Arts or Ancient Sage Form! Even the next best would have a Restoration Pellet that strengthens you with decades of cultivation or a billion dollars for starting investments. And all I get… is one cucumber seed?"

One!

It would at least have been acceptable if it was a bag!

After he had complained for half a beat and the System did not react at all, Jiang He decided he was forced to accept reality and hence consoled himself. "Maybe the cucumber seed produced by the System is just special?"

Jiang He hence drew out the cucumber seed from the System Backpack.

"Woah…"

He almost jumped.

The cucumber seed was at least the size of a thumb and entirely golden, with a faint sweet scent flowing from it.

Then, a series of data appeared before his eyes.

[Cucumber Seed]

[Attributes: Coldproof, heatproof, short maturing cycle, high yield.]

"Is this really a cucumber seed?"

Jiang He was himself a farmer's apprentice to the core. Had he not seen any crop that could be planted in Xibei?

Even so, he had really never heard of a cucumber seed that was this huge.

Moreover, he had fused 'memories' and learned that 'he' was an orphan—both his parents had passed away when he was three, and he lived with his grandfather since then.

His grandfather, in turn, died of a serious illness when he was a second-year university student.

After handling his grandfather's funeral matters, 'Jiang He' continued his studies while working part-time, and only returned to this village after he graduated last year, and this time working odd-jobs while looking for a proper job.

He had also inherited a yard his grandfather had left him.

It was two Mu1 and therefore quite large, with three brick-tiled houses in it along with a one-Mu wide orchard.

However, the orchard hadn't been managed for years, with every fruit tree and peach tree almost dead following several years of continuous drought.

Therefore, when 'Jiang He' had returned to the village, he uprooted every last tree, plowing the ground before planting some fruits and vegetables in the coming spring.

What a coincidence.

Let's try planting the cucumber.

Arriving in the orchard, Jiang He dug a hole with his bare hands and dumped the cucumber seed inside.

He glanced at the System, noticing that the System Shop which was yet to be unlocked was open after he obtained 500 farm points. But perhaps his clearance was still too low, he could only buy one type of item at the moment:

[Nitrogen fertilizer: one pellet for 100 farm points]

???

Jiang He's mouth was hanging open.

Even if he was a real university student in his own right, only 'o sh*t' described his state of mind at the moment.

He had of course heard of nitrogen fertilizers, which was also known as 'pee essence' that enriches the soil and promotes the growth of crops. That being said, they were usually sold in bags of 50 kilograms that cost up to eighty or ninety bucks, so why would this System sell it by single pellets?

"Maybe it's a special fertilizer like the cucumber seed…"

Jiang He therefore redeemed one.

And it was just as he had thought.

That single pellet of nitrogen fertilizer was the size of a fist, crystal-clear, and glowed faintly. Indeed, it looked nicer than a pearl.

Jiang He hence threw it into the small hole, burying it beneath the soil and returned to his room.

He was about to water it.

However.

He was left completely dumbstruck when he returned to the orchard with half a bucket of water.

There, a cucumber sprout had grown out of the soil in the exact spot where he buried the cucumber seed, and it was still growing rapidly at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Report chapter

Chapter 2: The Cucumber That Improves Spirit and Cultivation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Hence, a small tree that was over two meters tall appeared before Jiang He in less than an hour.

"???"

Jiang He felt as if his senses were flipping over.

"System, I've learned enough so don't try to trick me. How is this a cucumber? It's a tree… eh?"

Even as he complained, the tree was bearing fruit.

Jiang He remembered the attributes of the cucumber then…

"Short maturing cycle…. But what do you mean, short? This is really too short!"

Then, another half an hour later—

[Ding!]

[Crop has matured. Host, please harvest your crops at once.]

Indeed, 99 cucumbers were hanging over the branches of the tree.

Each of those cucumbers were twice the size of normal cucumbers and more than thirty centimeters of long, each of which were golden and emanating a special sweet scent.

Jiang He glanced at one, and a series of information appeared before his eyes just as he expected:

[Cucumber]

"Rich in protein, and vitamins B2, C and E, carotene, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients. Clears body heat, detoxes, strengthens mind and eases nerves, improving overall health."

"…"

"Clears body heat, detoxes, strengthens mind and eases nerves, improving overall health?"

"Normal cucumbers have such effects, don't they?"

[Ding!]

[Farm Points 1]

Jiang He plucked one of the cucumbers, held it in front of his nose and sniffed it.

The sweet scent was thick, which was quite similar to a ripe melon.

"But even if there are no special effects, this cucumber could sell for a dozen bucks each in appearance alone. Or more if it tastes good!"

Jiang He therefore took a bite.

Chomp.

It was crispy, sweet, and fragrant.

In fact, Jiang He felt more invigorated from that single bite, and even had the vague feeling that his strength had slightly increased!

Chomp, chomp!

The single cucumber that weighed over two catties was just so tasty.

With one bite after another, Jiang He had finished it entirely in no time at all.

He felt recharged in spirit, with unlimited vigor overflowing in his body. His fists were cracking even as he clenched them and he felt like he could kill an ox with a single punch.

"I'm much stronger now!"

He glanced at the System.

[Cultivation] had not actually changed, but Jiang He could clearly feel the difference in his body—it was not only in strength either, but an increase in every aspect of his body.

"Aside from the change in his physical aspects, I feel more energized, my mind clearer, and my thinking quicker… maybe strengthening mind and ease nerves meant improving my spirit?"

"As for clearing body heat and detoxing… could it really work as an antidote?"

Jiang He had a vague theory just then.

"I remember that there's still a pack of rat poison in the house… should I try?"

"Uh…"

"It'll be horrible if I can't get to the hospital in time if my theory is wrong. Still, the village chief's dog is famously fierce and for scaring little kids, even mauling 'me' and biting off my butt…"

Jiang He hence plucked off the remaining ninety-eight cucumbers and stuffed them into his backpack. The icon of a cucumber hence appearing in one of the boxes, with the number 98 appearing behind it.

So, this little thing actually stacks.

[Ding!]

[Farm points 1]

[Ding!]

[Farm points 1]

Jiang He was also rewarded with one farm point with each cucumber he plucked. Then, after he had harvested the last cucumber, the entire 'cucumber tree' rumbled and began to rapidly wither, reduced to a pile of black ashes.

Jiang He got a shovel and sprinkled the ashes around the orchard, since that stuff was a natural fertilizer.

The skies were already dark by then.

Jiang He touched his belly…

"It's already dark, I should have dinner… burp!"

He took another cucumber and gobbled it after a few crunches. He felt so stuffed he could hardly stand, with his muscles and bones cracking audibly in this body.

Jiang He could clearly feel his strength rising rapidly.

He also seemed to grow a little taller in no time at all.

His knuckles thundered when he clenched his fists.

He could even feel a faint rush of wind when he punched the air.

He glanced at the System.

[Cultivation: Quasi Martial Artist]

"???"

Rubbing his belly, Jiang He complained, "Why is cultivation so hard? My stomach almost burst open and I'm not even a Martial Artist yet?"

To move around a bit, Jiang He combed through his house and eventually found the pack of Rat Away.

Despite coming in a tiny package, it was surprisingly toxic.

It would kill an ox!

Locking his door, Jiang He left his yard.

The village road was just outside.

Jinyintan Village was nearby the city—just a dozen minutes away, and the village itself was raised as a 'prosperous village', with most villagers living in bright and spacious Xibei-style red brick-tiled houses.

Jiang He's own three old houses were supposed to be renovated come spring as well, with the village affording him up to forty thousand dollars of 'decrepit house renovation fund'.

Outside his yard, the even, hard road was connected to every house, with green trees and road lights raised on both sides.

And soon enough, Jiang He arrived outside the village chief's house, which had a very wide yard as well. He had eight red-tiled houses, and it was rumored that the construction costs up to eight hundred thousand dollars, each having a big red door that was over two meters tall and three meters wide.

"Eh? The door's locked?"

Jiang He knocked several times but there was no response.

Still, it was normal if the village chief couldn't hear him knocking since it was over twenty meters between his room and the door, although the dog in the yard was already barking.

It was a fierce dog which had once bit 'Jiang He'.

"No, wait. I'm here to poison a dog, why am I knocking on the front door?"

"Can't I just get a piece of meat, stuff it with rat poison and dump it in the yard?"

Jiang He hence made a trip to the butcher shop on the edge of the village and bought two catties of beef, even asking the butcher to cut it into tiny pieces.

He then went to a dark corner and stuff the rat poison into a chunk of meat and then…

Whoosh.

He had thrown it into the yard. He could hear the dog bark several times before whimpering…

Then came the sounds of chewing and gobbling.

Jiang He lit a cigarette as he sat outside and waited.

Soon enough, the dog was crying out weirdly, soon followed by the village chief's flustered voice that echoed throughout the night air. "Dumbo, what happened to you?"

Dumbo was the name of his dog.

Tut, tut… talk about strange tastes.

Jiang He hence got up and rushed to the village chief's door, shouting, "Are you alright, Chief Wang?"

'Eh…

'Wait, isn't this wrong?

'I'm the one who threw in the poison… aren't I walking right into the trap?

'And after throwing out that piece of meat, wouldn't it be a waste if I can't test if the cucumber works as an antidote?'

Report chapter

Chapter 3: Dumbo?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Wang Zhong, the village head of Jinyintan Village was balding and on the plump side with a belly… but was also quite tall.

He was also one of the more competent people in the village, and was a chief labor contractor before assuming his present position as village chief, having taken up many projects within the city and across the province. Many other villagers had worked together with him as well.

Then, after becoming the village chief in the previous year, Wang Zhong had handed all the construction work to his son.

But at present, reflected beneath the 'streetlights' of his roof was a big wolfdog. It was rolling around, shrieking wildly as it foamed at the mouth… which kept bubbling as it poured outward.

"Are you alright, Chief Wang?"

Jiang He's voice wafted from beyond the yard even as he slapped on the front gates loudly.

"What's wrong, Old Wang?"

Old Wang's wife had come out of the house as well after straightening her clothes, and was left stunned by the sight before her. "Could it be epileptic?" She quickly asked. "Q-quick, we have to call a vet."

"Nonsense!"

Wang Zhong scowled as he rebuked her. "How could a dog be epileptic? Go open the gates—who could it be in the middle of the night!?"

But even as he cursed, he was only staring at the rolling dog without going to it for a closer look.

With Dumbo acting like that, what if it bit him out of a moment of madness?

Hence, he went back inside to find his phone and was ready to call a vet when he heard his wife open the front door, saying, "Oh, Xiao Jiang! You could have told us you were coming… You've even brought a gift with you?"

Even as she spoke, she was reaching out to take the plastic bag Jiang He was holding.

The same plastic bag which was carrying the meat Jiang He had just bought.

Jiang He: "???"

"Madam Wang," he answered, tightening his grip over the bag. "I was just passing by after visiting the butcher's shop… that's when I heard Dumbo shrieking loudly. Oh, right, is Chief Wang alright?"

"Eh?"

Wang Zhong's wife left her hands hanging mid-air, unsure how to continue the conversation right then.

Wait…

Why was her husband suddenly dragged in?

By then, Jiang He had already dashed up to Wang Zhong's side.

Then, after just a single glance at the wolfdog that was rolling around, its cries getting softer and was breathing out more than in, he exclaimed, "Oh no, Chief! Your Dumbo must have been poisoned! "

"Poisoned?"

Wang Zhong asked, taken aback. "What do you mean, poisoned?"

"According to my observation, it must be rat poison!"

Jiang He stayed calm as he drew out a cucumber with a turn of his hand, snapped it in half and crushed it in his hand, before ignoring all else as he stuffing everything down Dumbo's throat.

Only then did Wang Zhong pull him and yelled, "What the hell are you doing, Xiao Jiang?! What did you just feed Dumbo?"

"A cucumber."

Holding the remaining half of the cucumber, Jiang He bit a mouthful off with a loud crunch. The sweet scent from it wafted out, with Wang Zhong sniffing it before cursing, "Do you take me for an idiot? What cucumber is yellow, and so huge?!"

That was certainly true: the half-piece of cucumber in Jiang He's hand was larger than anything in the vegetable store—it was large, yellow, and smelled so sweet.

"Cucumbers are yellow. What other color could they be, black?"

That was when Dumbo leaped up from the ground with a whine, shaking its fur energetically before darting back inside its fence.

"???"

Wang Zhong was left bewildered, but just as he was about to press Jiang He, the other man waved him off, saying, "Chief Wang, Madam Wang. I still have things to do so I'll get home first."

Even though he looked impassive, he was actually very excited!

"It really works as an antidote! Still, the rat poison is highly toxic but it only counts as normal poison… I wonder if the cucumber works against poisons like the Crane's Red Crown or the Seven-Step Intestine Cutter?"

When Jiang He reached the gates, he turned around to look at Dumbo behind its doggie fence, getting another idea. "I remember a pesticide called paraquat which is even more poisonous. Any human drinking it wouldn't survive even if they reached the hospital in time and had their liver cleaned. Let's get our hands on a bottle to try."

Behind its fence, Dumbo suddenly shuddered and whined softly.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhong had walked up to the fence and stared at his own dog for over ten minutes.

He looked more blank now when he saw that there was nothing wrong with Dumbo at all now.

…What actually happened just now?

First off, Dumbo had a stroke.

Then, Jiang He ran in and fed it half a… let's call it a cucumber for now.

And after that, Dumbo had recovered.

"Rat poison?"

"How could that brat tell Dumbo had rat poison? Hold on… there's no rat poison in my house, is there? Could that brat be still nursing a grudge over Dumbo biting it last time, and tried to poison it?

"Wait, that's not right either…

"If Dumbo really ate rat poison, how could it be saved with just half a stick of cucumber?

Wang Zhong was mumbling even as he returned inside his house, and suddenly asked, "Dear, could you get us a cucumber?"

On the other hand, Jiang He had finished the remaining half of the cucumber on his way home.

"My digestion must have strengthened considerably after ascending as a Quasi Martial Artist. I must have absorbed most of the cucumber's attributes as well, which is why I don't feel stuffed after a while."

He felt that he could take in another cucumber.

That being said, after eating two-and-a-half in one night, he really couldn't eat them raw anymore.

After cooking some rice and making a cucumber coleslaw, Jiang He picked up his phone, sweeping through short video clips on his phone.

Suddenly, his eyes straightened as he exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Two Dog Li?"

"He's having a livestream?"

Two Dog Li's real name was Li Fei, and he came from the same village as Jiang He.

And in Jiang He's memory, they were grade schoolmates, but Two Dog Li dropped out right after finishing grade school—his old man had bought over three hundred goats, and had him herd them around.

Back then, their classmates had mocked Two Dog Li, and were naturally surprised that by the time they finished high school and university afterward, he had become a breeder with some local fame.

And now, he founded a breeder's union for livestock, rearing hundreds of cows and thousands of goats to earn a yearly income worth seven-figures, affording him BMWs and taking a refined woman as his wife.

When Jiang He clicked into the livestream, he found Two Dog Li broadcasting live inside his own farm.

He was standing in front of a small tractor and beaming at the camera. "Brothers, wasn't I having a fever just a few days ago? It turns out that I have gained unlimited power after my fever broke—here, let me present a one-hand tractor lift!"

Extending his hand, he grabbed hold of the massive wheels of the tractor, and with a burst of strength…

The whole tractor leaned sideways.

Then, in the next split second…

Beep!

The screen went dark.

[Apologies. The livestream you were watching was suspected of rule violation and has been closed for the moment.]

Jiang He: "…"

The livestream was gone.

After half a beat, Jiang He let out a long, drawn out breath and muttered, "It seems the revival of Spirit Qi has reached its peak. And according to Two Dog Li, he had suddenly become overflowing with power after his fever broke after a few days. Could it be…"

One word came to Jiang He's mind right then—awakening!

"Let's wait until tomorrow morning. I'll go to Two Dog's breeder's union and ask about it."

Dinner and washing the dishes—the life of a bachelor was very dull and boring.

Before going to bed, Jiang He suddenly remembered there was still half a bag of corn seeds back home.

Grabbing a handful, he went out to the orchard and planted one seed after into the soil.

"I wonder if my own crop seeds would change after I plant them now… Oh, wow, what was that?"

"After planting his corn, Jiang He sensed something unusual behind him, only to find a pair of oily green eyes staring at him in the dark night.

"Arf!"

"Dumbo?"

Chapter 4: What Chu Say?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Dumbo was sitting right in front of Jiang He. Its jaws were slightly parted, revealing its long, scarlet tongue.

Being a wolfdog, it naturally resembled a wolf with mostly black fur. The coat on its tummy and feet are brown and white beneath its neck, and it appeared very imposing and handsome.

Wolfdogs were not often seen in cities since their kind's ferocious looks and largeness did not make them good pets. They were very common in villages, however, since there was no better choice of guardian watching your home or guarding your yard.

"Woah…"

Startled, Jiang He flashed the light of his mobile phone in the dog's direction. "What are you doing running to my house in the middle of the night, Dumbo?"

The light was quite blinding.

Dumbo tilted its head while wagging its tail firmly at Jiang He.

In dog language, that meant a show of friendship, which was why Jiang He couldn't help laughing. "You dog. Smart, aren't you? You ran here because you miss my big, big cucumber don't you?"

Arf…

Dumbo whimpered, and then actually nodded.

"Wha…"

Jiang He almost dropped to the ground.

If Dumbo had shown that it was a smart creature by wagging its tail to extend greeting and goodwill to Jiang He, wouldn't nodding go beyond smartness to the level of astonishment?

'Did the dog actually turn smart?'

That was Jiang He's first thought, but he soon realized what had happened.

"Could the revival of Spirit Qi allow animals to achieve transcendence? Could Dumbo be one of them?"

"Hold on, that's not it. If Dumbo really did become smarter with Spirit Qi, it wouldn't have eaten the beef I laced with rat poison. Maybe it only became smart after it ate my cucumber?"

Jiang He narrowed his eyes at Dumbo then, who got chills from the stare.

Its canine face actually made a very human expression then, as if it was saying 'why are you looking at me?'.

"I will ask you a few questions. Nod if it's a yes, and shake your head if it's a no."

Arf!

Dumbo nodded.

"Did you become clever because you ate that cucumber?"

Dumbo nodded, and then shook its head.

"…"

Jiang He scowled, but just as he was about to say something, Dumbo suddenly sprawled itself over the ground, its limbs twitching while it foamed at its mouth, even whimpering several times.

Jiang He understood immediately.

"So, you're saying that the rat poison has something to do with it?"

Dumbo turned around and sat down again while nodding at Jiang He.

Jiang He groaned in thought.

"Could it be the same as Two Dog Li's fever? The poison was some kind of trigger?"

"Wait, I got it!"

"The cucumber's effect is detoxing, clearing heat, strengthening the brain and calming nerves. To put it simply, detoxing and clearing heat means to cure all poison while strengthening the brain and calming nerves means to improve spirit. Dogs are smart in the first place—after training, they could play skateboards, push strollers or go to supermarkets alone to buy stuff. Therefore, after Dumbo was stimulated by the poison and ate my cucumber, its intelligence was set free and it makes sense that it's smarter now."

A lightbulb lit up in Jiang He's mind after a long look at Dumbo.

In the future, he would definitely grow more crops that needed researching in his yard, which was why there was nothing better for Dumbo to stay and watch his house.

Moreover, the theory of whether the cucumber from the System really cured all poison must be tested.

Reaching out to pat Dumbo's head, Jiang He grinned. "Well, since you like my big cucumber, you could stay here from now on, Dumbo."

Arf!

With a bark, Dumbo turned and fled—its ears were dropping and it kept an eye on Jiang He even as it ran, its gaze being rather evasive.

"This dog. Could it have known that I intend to use it for poison testing?"

Jiang He laughed drily, and picked up a stick beside his orchard, measuring it with a dark smile. "Running away after eating my cucumber? I'll break your legs if you run!"

Dumbo turned around and ran back to him.

In turn, Jiang He drew out a cucumber, snapped off a third of it and threw it to Dumbo, saying, "Watch over this place. This could be your making: legends speak of a Black Emperor, the king of all dogs who once ruled the skies and the earth. You just might be the next."

Dumbo's eyes sparkled even as it wolfed down the cucumber.

(o)…

'How annoying!

'If I'm to be the king of dogs, what name should I take?

'Uh…'

Jiang He watched as the dog grinned stupidly and quietly cursed that it had really gained human wisdom, before remembering something else.

"I wonder if Chief Wang would bother me after learning that I stole his dog?"

Returning to his room, Jiang He picked up his phone and browsed through any related videos and posts on the web.

But just like before, many videos and posts were 404ed as soon as they appeared.

Still, there was one post that caught his attention.

[Wolfpack spotted near Mount Dadong, 300 goats of a farmer all killed…]

Jiang He knows about Mount Dadong, which stood in the middle of a series of loess mountains. It was over three hundred miles away from Lingzhou and within the borders of Town Yuwang, which belonged under the same jurisdiction of Tongxin county like Lingzhou. The farmers living there were undergoing environmental migration over the last few years, moving their entire village out to the city and around it—what was left were mostly goat farms.

And the thumbnail of the video was a blurred photo, showing a mountaintop on a dark night.

An enormous wolf larger than a cow was howling at the moon.

Unsurprisingly, the video was soon cut off, with the discussion in the forums erased.

Jiang He felt a mysterious sense of danger right then. Others aside, the superstrength that Two Dog Li displayed was not something a Quasi Martial Artist like him could match.

"Are people who awakened on their own… really that terrifying?"

"My cultivation… strengthening by eating cucumber should count as normal cultivation, right?"

His thoughts were a mess, and only dozed off groggily at one in the morning.

At the same time, on a paved road that went straight up a mountain on the east end of Jinyintan Village.

While it was called a 'mountain', it was no more than a slightly elevated location than the village. Jinyintan Village was itself near a city and situated on a flatland, which was quite even and different from the mountain ravines of the Loess Plateau.

There were many farmlands and cornfields on the mountain, the latter of which was brightly lit with many large trucks driving in and out of the area.

Toward the end of August, the corn in the fields were mostly ripe. It was a delightful sight to see rolls of heavy corn ears dangling over the ground, which was the right time for various major farms and breeder's union for silage.

As its name suggests, silage is the process of harvesting the farm's corns with machinery, crushing the corn along with its corncob, before leaving it to ferment so that it could be used as fodder. It was nutritious and cost little, not to mention that it could be stored for an entire year.

"Dang it! It was a good livestream, why was I blocked at a moment's notice?"

A BMW was parked near one particular cornfield, and Two Dog Li was cursing as he got off it. He has signed an agreement with the thousand Mu cornfield nearby, with every last corn in the field being supplied to his farm every year.

Two Dog Li had been busy with work over the last few days, and had to work overtime for several nights.

However, the moment he got off, he found a black MPV in his way.

Three men and one woman got off.

All the men were dressed in black, while the woman was wearing a body-hugging spandex suit, and headed straight toward Two Dog Li. She flashed a small red booklet at him, saying, "We're special agents from the National Special Case Management Bureau, Western Xia provincial branch. Are you Two Dog Li?"

"…"

Two Dog Li did a double take, before asking in his thick Xibei accent, "What chu say? Repeat that, I didn't quite catch that."

Report chapter

Chapter 5: You Are Xiao Wang, Right?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Jiang He was jolted awake by dog barks by the next morning.

"Damn it! What are you barking at? I'll break your doggie legs, trust me!"

Turning around and rising, he then found Dumbo sprawled in front of his bed and whimpering restlessly, even putting on a human grief look.

"What?" Jiang He was amused.

Dumbo continued its grunts and whimpers, but when it realized that it wasn't conveying its message, it sat up and pointed a paw outside.

Jiang He turned to look.

He could see his orchard through the window, which was now a jade green field of corn.

"Woah…"

His mouth agape, Jiang He promptly jumped off his bed, put on his pants and slippers before dashing outside.

"It really works! The corn I just sowed last night is this tall already?!"

He walked up to the corn to find that each corn stalk was as tall as he was. Each of their shoots was thick, their leaves a lively green and showing signs of yielding crops. Jiang He did a count and found that there were only twenty-eight corn stalks.

"Wait, that's not right! I didn't pay attention when I just grabbed a handful of corn last night, but there were definitely more than twenty-eight seeds."

Still, suddenly getting an idea, Jiang He dropped to a crouch and dug into the dirt.

He soon excavated one corn kernel out of the ground.

Hence, Jiang He walked a lap around the twenty-eight corn stalks, muttering in realization, "These twenty-eight corns were planted on the spot where I sprinkled the ashes of the cucumber tree. That's why they grew so quickly."

He then took a closer look at the corn kernel in his hand: it was already sprouting a shoot, and it would probably have extended out of the ground if he didn't dig it out.

"Corn mature cycles are very long, so if I plant it in April or March when spring starts, I would only get my yield around October. Still, although corn kernels usually sprout around a week, this one sprouted in a day!"

"In other words… the System works on normal crops as well, and it greatly shortens the life cycles of the plants to about seven or eight times… But there's no telling whether there are special effects yet."

Jiang He hence turned toward the System.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Quasi Martial Artist]

[Ability: None]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 1 (EXP 1/50)]

[System Backpack: 3 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 499]

"Eh? Why is there an EXP now behind farm level?"

Jiang He's eyes twinkled, before he got the idea. "Doesn't that mean my farm can level up?"

"And if level one shortens the growth cycle of my crops up to eight times, what if I reach level 2?"

"That said, that's not enough. I still have to know whether there would be some mystical effect after my normal crops were grown!"

Jiang He hence studied his System.

'Owned land' basically referred to the area of his orchard, and the 888 area basically matched its one Mu size.

"Well, we'll have to observe these twenty-eight corn stalks to know whether normal corps planted in my farm here would gain special effects."

Jiang He made up his mind, before calling out to Dumbo and yelled, "Take good care of the corn. I'm holding you responsible if even one is missing!"

He then returned to his room to wash up, before whipping out a cucumber stick to crunch on for breakfast before leaving his house leisurely.

Behind him, Dumbo kept whimpering, its mouth hanging open and its tongue outstretched, salivating all over the ground.

Whoosh!

A small piece of cucumber flew into the yard just then.

It was what's left of one cucumber that Jiang He had eaten, which he had then thrown to Dumbo.

Jiang He headed eastward, leaving the village. When he finally reached someplace quiet, he suddenly sprinted forward, and soon reached Two Dog Li's breeder's union.

"Amazing! It's four kilometers from the village to the union, but I covered it in just four minutes… it is more or less the speed of fifteen meters per second."

Jiang He's heart was thumping wildly after getting the number!

Fifteen meters per second!

What the heck?

Usain Bolt's 100 meters sprint record was 9.58s, therefore almost reaching 10.5 meters per second. In other words, Jiang He was going to easily break world records if he participates in track and field events now!

"But wait, this isn't my full power yet!"

"If I go full power, I would be even quicker in a hundred-meter dash!"

"My physical stats had increased so much after becoming a Quasi Martial Artist. It's not just my speed that changed—even my strength has increased considerably!"

Soon, he was knocking on the door of the breeder's union chief office.

A slim and scintillating dressed woman opened the door, rubbing her red, swollen eyes.

"Who are you looking for?" She asked.

"Are you Two Dog… Li Fei's wife?" Jiang He smiled. "I was his classmate and I have some business with him. Is he in?"

The woman, however, had started crying at the mention of Li Fei's name.

"A bunch of goddamn bastards came out of nowhere and kidnapped him…"

???

"Li Fei was kidnapped?" Jiang He exclaimed in shock. "No way!"

Society is peaceful these days, after all.

It was true that Li Fei was a little rich, but there were so many wealthier people. Who had the time to bother with kidnapping him?

More importantly, he had revealed his incredible power in last night's livestream.

So, who would dare to kidnap someone who could knock out a burly man with a single punch?

"What actually happened? Did you call the cops?"

"I did…"

Watching as Two Dog Li's wife continued crying her heart out, Jiang He tried to console her, only to realize that he didn't really know what to say. As such, he quickly said, "Sis, you don't have to be sad. Two Dog Li has luck on his side, he's not going to die…"

"Huh?"

Two Dog Li's wife did a double take, before bawling even harder.

'Forget it. I'm not doing this. I can't bear to look at all this crying!'

Jiang He turned to leave.

"Still, Two Dog Li's case serves as a warning to me."

"The country is still keeping the revival of Spirit Qi a secret. I must be careful, or it won't do if I get caught and become a lab rat for their experiments."

Jiang He took his time returning home, quietly pondering how he should go about developing his farm.

However, when he reached his gates and looked up, he found a young, pretty girl standing in front of it, asking him with a blush, "J-Jiang He, have you seen my Dumbo?"

'Is that… Old Wang's daughter?'

Jiang He found her familiar but was unsure about her name, and therefore couldn't help asking, "You are Xiao Wang, right?"

Report chapter

Chapter 6: How To Beat Mind-Reading!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The young girl had her hair tied into a ponytail and had put on light makeup. Nonetheless, her simple fashion: cropped jeans, white sneakers and single white shirt managed to accentuate her stunning figure completely.

That was when a stream of memories streamed up to his mind's eye.

"Wang Siyu, Chief Wang's daughter?"

"She got me to give her lesson on maths in her third year in high school, even developing feelings for me which ultimately ended in a confession?"

No wonder she was blushing when she saw him. 'He' had rejected her feelings before, which was why she was being awkward and embarrassed now?

Moreover…

Who would search for a dog like this? If it really was that urgent, she should be running all over the village.

So, the dog was an excuse… but the truth was that she thirsted for his body?

"Bah! Shameless!"

Suddenly, Wang Siyu had lifted her eyes to glare viciously at him, gritting her teeth as she cursed. "You're so full of yourself! Who would thirst for your body?!"

"Woah!" Jiang He was left bewildered and muttering, "You can read my thoughts?"

Realizing by reflex that she had accidentally let that slip, she quickly changed her tone. "Jiang He, my Dumbo… No, you're so filthy!"

Her cheeks became redder even before she finished—she turned and left eventually, gritting her teeth and stamping her feet.

Nonetheless, Jiang He was frowning soon afterward.

'What was that?

'Mind reading?

'I've merely imagined it for a bit in my mind and I'm being filthy?

'That said, she didn't seem to sense it when I thought about the System… so the System blocks out that power?'

"But she must have known that Dumbo ran here to my house."

Jiang He opened his gates and walked up to his orchard. All twenty-eight corn stalks had already grown corn husks, and the corn ears would be fully grown by tomorrow.

He then found Dumbo, who was still well-hidden in the middle of the cornfield, sprawled out between the corn stalks.

Jiang He was naturally pleased. "You're not going home?"

Dumbo nodded, and even rolled its eyes.

"You mean only idiots would go back when there's cucumber to eat here?"

But even as Jiang He watched Dumbo nod its head like a chick pecking on grains, Jiang He couldn't help scowling. "Wang Siyu can read minds, though. How could I fool her?"

"Oh, right… if her mind-reading sees my inner thoughts, couldn't I just think about other things?"

"I am so clever!"

Jiang He had a glint in his eyes just then. "Mind reading is so weak. Even I could come up with several ways to beat it easily!"

For one, what if the mind-reader was a man?

Easy.

Curse his ancestors over the last eighteen generations, make him and his father a cuckold, or if one were to be more despicable, cuckold their missus.

Secondly, it was even simpler with charming beauties like Wang Siyu. All it took for him was to think about starting a family with them, along the process of making children.

"And of course, I would have to apply those tricks smartly and adaptably, since there's no guarantee that my opponent is ugly…

"I even lie to myself when I'm feeling evil. What could you do about it?"

Jiang He stared at Dumbo just then, telling himself repeatedly, "This isn't Chief Wang's Dumbo. It's a wolfdog pup I raised, and it just has some resemblance.

"This isn't Dumbo…"

Soon, it was lunchtime.

There was still some rice left from last night, so there's no need to cook any.

The dishes, on the other hand…

"Let's try having cucumber over meat."

At the same time, an

When Wang Siyu returned, she got into the vehicle immediately.

Another two men and one woman were seated within. All the men were donning black coats, whereas the woman was wearing tight spandex over her ravishing figure.

"Xiao Wang, you know your own village best. We'll leave you in charge, starting today."

One of the men in black coats said, "You can mind read, which makes investigation most convenient. By the way, have you picked up anything after making your rounds?"

Wang Siyu nodded, but then shook her head.

"I have an unconfirmed suspect—the dog I've been rearing over eight years suddenly ran off to his house, and I think he could talk to animals."

"Animal whispering?"

The man in a black coat frowned. "That's a rare ability, but your dog running to his house might not mean anything, doesn't it?

"But of course, even the faintest suspicion must be cleared.

"Sure, according to bureau rules, newbies like you shouldn't be operating solo. But there are more and more tasks lately, especially at the plateau with those mutated animals. All of them wreak so much havoc that headquarters is left hard-pressed. With our personnel lacking, we could only go with this arrangement."

The man in a black coat rubbed his temples—helplessness was written all over his face.

Beside him, however, the spandex-wearing woman with the stunning figure smiled. "We will be busy for a while. The word I've heard is that the country would go public over the matter next month since the number of Awakened as well as mutated beasts are both on the rise across the world. Continuing to keep it a secret would only cause public panic."

Wang Siyu reflected on that for a bit before asking, "What about Li Fei, Sister Bai?"

'Sister Bai' refers to the spandex-wearing woman, whose real name was Bai Feifei. She, however, was not an 'Awakened' but a martial artist who had learned a set of powerful skills, and was Wang Siyu's guide as well.

"The power Li Fei awakened to is superstrength, but it's D-class," Bai Feifei replied then. "Awakened who reveal their powers so directly aren't too much a threat… it's those old snakes who had clearly awakened superpowers but stubbornly kept a lid on it."

"Anyway, the bureau's stance is to bring in those openly Awakened to groom if they came willingly. If they don't, they would have to sign an oath of secrecy, and not make a mess of things before the country goes public with the matter, at least."

"That is why if you could confirm that the suspect has awakened beast-taming powers, you could try to bring him in."

"It's a rare ability. If we could train him, he would prove very useful in the future!"

"Yes, Sister Bai!"

Wang Siyu had a somber look on her face; she understood what Sister Bai meant.

The return of Spirit Qi and the awakening of the supernatural had caused unique mutations in certain humans, granting them special powers. It was the same for animals too, with incidents of fearsome beasts attacking cities already occurring in foreign nations, causing serious casualties. That was why the country had already begun drawing up plans for secluded mountain areas and farming villages years ago.

An example of that included implementing the environmental migration project.

By moving all mountain villages and towns to the outskirts of major cities, the military would be able to defend them if anything unexpected happens, minimizing casualties as far as they could.

Meanwhile,

A military truck was evacuating the village shepherds who had remained in the mountain in an orderly fashion.

But suddenly.

Bang!

A gunshot echoed across the vast mountains.

"Hurry up! Floor it, floor it!"

"That beast has shown up again!"

Just above the mountaintop, the enormous Wolf King silently gazed upon the military truck and the troops escorting it.

The Wolf King had been the size of a cow just a few days ago, but its body had doubled in size now!

Report chapter

Chapter 7: You're A Beast Tamer!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

9 AM, the twenty-fourth of August, 2020.

The first thing that Jiang He did when he woke up was run to the yard to look at his corn.

The 28 corn stalks were a tidy field that stood over two meters tall, with three thick, massive corn ears hanging on each plant.

[Ding!]

[Farm point 1]

Jiang He plucked off a corn ear and peeled off its husk to find that the corn kernels inside were crystalline. Its juices were overflowing with just a pinch, with a fragrant corn scent hitting Jiang He right in the nose.

"Awesome!"

"This corn ear is twice the size of normal corn, not to mention that there are three ears on each corn stalk. The yield alone is much higher."

Normal corn stalks usually only yield two corn ears.

And of those two, one would be thick and large. The other, however, would be small because of malnutrition and even lacking in kernels.

Moreover, corns usually don't smell sweet unless cooked. On the other hand, the corn Jiang He planted was wafting with sweet scents even before it was cooked—indeed, what could happen once it's cooked?

Jiang He then stared at the corn for a second.

[Corn]

[Attribute: A thick, large stick of corn]

Jiang He: "???"

'The System is being lewd!'

"Anyway, it looks like the corn grown from normal seeds doesn't have special effects… Still, corn improves metabolism, lowers cholesterol, and blood sugar. Maybe the corn grown in my yard here would have such effects as well, but better."

Jiang He hence plucked off one corn ear after another.

"I'll keep two for myself.

"Eh? Why aren't the corn stalks turning into ash?"

"Could it be because they are grown from normal seeds?"

Later, Jiang He decided he had to chop his own two corns into four parts.

He had no choice since both of them were too thick and huge, and it wouldn't fit into his pot if he did not cut them.

It was only after he cooked the corn that he looked for a scythe and cut down the corn stalks, tying them and stacking them together before putting them on the greening zone outside the yard.

Since there were villagers who reared sheep, people usually put any excess food outside their house, so that the sheep owners could collect them and use it as fodder.

Nonetheless, the moment he put down the corn stalks, a gorgeous figure was approaching, calling out from the distance, "Jiang He…"

Scowling, Jiang He promptly let his mind run wild, imagining one child-unfriendly scene after another.

"…"

Wang Siyu blushed immediately. She quickly withdrew from his mind and spat, "Bleh! Shameless!"

"How am I being shameless?"

Jiang He replied seriously, "Wang Siyu, did you come here to scold me because you hadn't had enough after scolding me for no reason yesterday? I rejected you all those years ago because you were about to take your high school exams, I didn't want to affect your studies. You don't have to hold such a grudge, alright?"

"You!"

Wang Siyu gritted her teeth.

But inside, her young maiden was pounding.

Jiang He was very handsome.

His skin was rather tanned since he worked at the farm since he was a child, but it only painted his good looks with the air of a tough guy—Wang Siyu wouldn't have confessed her feelings to him otherwise.

And now that she had heard what he had to say, her mind promptly became confused.

"D-did he just explain why he dumped me?

"So he did it for my own good… and not because he didn't like me!

"What if I confessed again… Bleh! I don't want such a dirty-minded person!

"But… maybe he had feelings for me… which is why he is imagining things with me?"

When Wang Siyu looked up, Jiang He had already returned inside his yard.

She followed him inside, and immediately found Dumbo who was lying down in the middle of the yard and sleeping soundly.

"Dumbo!"

Wang Siyu's face turned dark as she yelled, "You white-eyed wolf! What are you doing here and not staying at home?"

'Who's Dumbo?'

Jiang He turned around, saying nothing but thinking it. 'It's my dog. We watched over each other after Grandpa died, it just looks a little bit like your Dumbo.'

"Really?"

This, time, it was Wang Siyu's turn to be stunned—she was mind-reading Jiang He again, and she realized that he wasn't lying.

"No!"

"His subconscious revealed yesterday that Dumbo is at his home!"

Nonetheless, she stepped forward and carefully studied the dog that was fast asleep.

This wolfdog's black coat was smooth and shiny. On the other hand, her Dumbo was over eight years old, with its coat drying up and the dog itself showing signs of aging. Moreover, the wolfdog before her was a little bigger than her Dumbo.

"Is it really not Dumbo?"

"What is going on?"

Wang Siyu used her mind-reading on Dumbo by reflex.

'I'm not Dumbo, I'm not Dumbo, I'm really not Dumbo… I'm already dead, I'm already dead, she can't recognize me…"

Wang Siyu was left thunderstruck once the brainwave feedback transferred into her mind. She stumbled three steps backward, spreading her hands and keeping Jiang He behind herself as she muttered quietly, "Oh no, Jiang He… You have to run. Your dog has evolved!"

Jiang He did a double take.

Wang Siyu's reaction moved him a little, but his heart was pounding as well.

"I knew it! This girl knows something!"

"She could mind-read and knows about evolution… hold on, how does she know Dumbo has evolved?"

Eyeing Dumbo who was still feigning sleep on the ground, Jiang He rebuked it, "Alright, you can stop playing dead. Scoot."

Arf!

Dumbo hence leapt up, giving Jiang He a very sneaky but human pleased look.

'My acting is too awesome. Wang Siyu actually didn't recognize me.'

Puffing its chest and rearing its head, it dashed into the yard.

Wang Siyu only recovered half a beat, and she turned to Jiang He with a dead serious look.

"My hunch was right, Jiang He. You are an Awakened… your superpower must be beast taming, yes? There's no way Dumbo would listen to you after evolving otherwise."

"Still, now that Dumbo has evolved, it is Feral and shouldn't be allowed to stay in the village."

"Evolved Ferals are very dangerous, and their ferocity grows with their evolution. I have to notify my squad to take it away so that it won't hurt the villages and cause unnecessary panic."

Jiang He: "…"

"What?

"Superpower?

"Beast taming?"

Jiang He turned to Dumbo who was digging a hole in the yard and pondered.

The dog was a glutton. Why else would it choose a new master and snuggle up to him?

And superpowers? Like he had any.

However, Jiang He could try to use this opportunity to trick Wang Siyu, and he just might be able to obtain further information.

And yet, Jiang He realized with a start when he remembered what had happened to Two Dog Li.

"No. Wang Siyu must be someone from the country's secret bureau. Would she abduct me and use me as a lab rat? Should I kill her to keep her quiet? But that's not really possible, but maybe…

"I could try seducing her?"

Report chapter

Chapter 8: Corn of Wonder

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Is it really that serious?

"Could one dog really start such a major fuss?

"Moreover, Dumbo is a good dog. If I tell it to go east, it wouldn't even dare to look west!"

Since Jiang He still needed Dumbo to guard his yard, he was never going to let some national covert organization take it away. More importantly, the beast was about to achieve transcendence—who would know if it might expose Jiang He's secrets?

That being said, Jiang He was not surprised that the secret organization had a way to communicate with dogs after awakening superpowers.

"Jiang He, you don't know how frightening a Feral can be." Wang Siyu said seriously. "One alone could instantly kill an adult, and without guns and bullets, only martial artist or Awakened could hold their own against them."

"Dumbo is very dangerous even if he hasn't evolved into a Feral yet. The bureau has rules, and such cases must be reported to my superiors!"

"Rules are rigid; humans are flexible." Jiang He retorted.

His mind, however, was still imagining how he should seduce Wang Siyu, and her cheeks flushed once a particular image came to his mind. "However, since you have awakened beast taming abilities, you would be able to control Dumbo," she seethed through gritted teeth. "But my dad did raise it since it was a puppy after all, and as long as you promise you would keep an eye on it, I won't report to my superiors."

Delighted, Jiang He grinned. "Relax. I'll break its legs if it dares to leave the house!"

Wang Siyu said darkly. "Don't. You can't torment Dumbo."

Jiang He almost couldn't stop himself from laughing right then. "Alright. Anyway, you're in my home now. What are you doing standing in the yard? Come. I've just cooked some corn, come have some."

Inside his house, Wang Siyu began to look around, studying it.

Jiang He's house was rather rundown, but it was very tidy.

She sighed when her eyes eventually fell on Grandpa Jiang's photo, but even though she opened her mouth, she couldn't say the words in her mind to console Jiang He.

Meanwhile, Jiang He pulled up a stool to her, saying, "Come, sit. It's a little shabby in here, sorry for the sight."

"No, not really!"

Wang Siyu quickly said. "I'm not like that… Jiang He, I believe you! You would definitely become an outstanding person in the future."

'Wow!

'What is with this turn of events?'

Meanwhile, Jiang He handily opened the lid of the pot, and the scent of corn promptly filled the room.

It wasn't just Wang Siyu. Even Jiang He himself was sniffing as hard as he could—the fragrant corn scent alone was revitalizing.

Taking out his chopsticks and a stainless-steel bowl, he fished out all the corn cutlets.

There was an old round table at the center of the room which had a sheet of plastic laid over it, and it served as Jiang He's dinner table.

He put the bowl on the table, when he heard a gasp.

"Wow!

"So large!

"So thick!"

Wang Siyu's eyes were bulging at the sight of the corn in the bowl.

Certainly.

Even after the corn was cut into four pieces, it was obvious from its size compared to the bowl how thick and large it was.

That being said…

So large, so thick…

Those words led Jiang He's mind astray.

"Blah!"

Wang Siyu flushed in irritation as she scolded him. "You thug! What are you dreaming about?"

"Can't I have some privacy, Wang Siyu?" Jiang He replied with a serious look. "Anyway, how did you awaken your mind-reading ability? Is there no limit when you use it?"

Wang Siyu gnawed on the corn and said between bites, "I flunked three subjects in my last semester exam. I tried to sleep off my sadness, and then I realized I could see what other people are thinking when I woke up."

She tilted her head, looking adorable with her stuffed cheeks as she chewed on the corn and mused. "I'm quite a weak psychic when I first awakened. There are also limits to how many times I could mind-read, and if the other person is stronger I wouldn't be able to use it against them."

"Also, I might suffer a backlash if I use it against superhumans with the same powers."

Jiang He picked up another half piece of corn, and he could feel its sweetness that only increased with every bite.

"Psychics? Superhumans?" Jiang He asked then.

"This is a matter of secrecy," Wang Siyu explained. "It shouldn't be told to others, but there's nothing to hide since you have awakened superpowers too."

"Spirit Qi first returned over ten years ago. Scientists had discovered that there's a new special energy essence in the atmosphere that they named the Force."

"Any human, plant, or animal would evolve after they absorb the Force."

"Very few of them would mutate even as they evolve, thereby awakening certain special powers. These people are known as superhumans, and they usually awakened either psychic powers or superstrength."

"Awakened with superstrength are more common. Whether they gain boundless power or a steel body in the process, they would either experience a great increase in strength or have a single part of their body mutate, in turn developing some special ability."

Wang Siyu continued after taking to nibbles off her corn. "Li Fei, who has a breeder's union in the mountains for example, is a D-class individual who awakened superstrength."

"Psychics are rarer in comparison, and this category of Awakened possess abilities of mind-reading, telekinesis, or conjuring illusions."

She then looked at Jiang He before saying, "Your ability belongs to a rarer category of Awakened with a more specialized ability. But in addition to beast tamers, there are also Awakened who could control the elements such as fire, water, and thunder."

Jiang He, who in turn had been listening attentively waited until she was finished before asking, "Does that mean Awakened have different classes too? Is a D-class superstrength Awakened like Li Fei powerful?"

"He would be powerful to a normal human, but not so much to the stronger Awakened."

Wang Siyu explained then. "The National Superpower Research has grouped superhumans into six classes: S, A, B, C, D and E, with E being the weakest and D being next. My ability has no offensive capacity, but it is special and is therefore grouped at D."

"You beast taming power is even more special. You are C-class just by being able to control a feral beast."

"Of course, it's not like the classes of Awakened are constant. Their class could improve by training or voluntary evolution."

Jiang He's mouth twitched.

What beast taming power?

The reason he could order Dumbo around was only because of his cucumbers.

Nonetheless, Jiang He was only too happy to let Wang Siyu keep her misunderstanding, and deliberately feigned shock.

"I see, my powers are that awesome…" He said. "By the way, didn't you just mention martial artists? So how are they grouped?"

Report chapter

Chapter 9: Mind Blown, Planting Cultivation Manuals

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Martial artists are divided into nine ranks," Wang Siyu said. "The title of Grandmaster is awarded to those who reached rank seven, but I'm not sure about those who reached beyond the ninth rank."

Jiang He felt a headache.

As a martial artist, he was still a 'quasi'—meaning that he wasn't even one.

Thinking about it for a moment, he then asked, "But who is stronger: superhumans or martial artists?"

"That's hard to say, and difficult to compare between the two as well."

Wang Siyu was actually familiar with the question because she had asked Bai Feifei about it as well, which was why she answered at once, "It was less than ten years since the return of Spirit Qi, meaning that it was quite recent. Even though the great burst of the Universal Force had increased the number of Awakened, there was at best a handful of Awakened out of a hundred thousand people, and the actual applications of superpowers are still developing."

"Moreover, many superpowers such as healing or my mind-reading are not suitable for fighting… which is why it is hard to judge the superior between Awakened and martial artist."

"For example, a rank one martial artist with rich combat experience would be able to overwhelm any superhumans with powers ill-suited for fighting."

"Likewise, certain special superhumans have the ability to kill normal martial artists instantly."

The exchange had finally given Jiang He a general idea about superhumans and martial artists.

Meanwhile, the bowl of corn had been quickly emptied.

Wang Siyu stroked her own belly in slight embarrassment and said, "You corn is too delicious. I couldn't help overeating."

"No problem. I grew it myself anyway, and you could come whenever you want some." Jiang He replied courteously.

"Really?"

On the other hand, there was a twinkle in Wang Siyu's eyes even as she smiled. "Okay, then. Don't kick me out if I eat too much later… Oh, right."

Her face turned solemn then as she said, "Jiang He, you probably would have guessed it, but I've joined the National Special Case Management Bureau after I've awakened to my own powers."

"It's a department in charge of handling Awakened, martial artists and certain special incidents."

"As a representative of our organization, we cordially invite you to join us."

She extended a dainty white hand.

Jiang He took it, feeling its softness and smoothness… If this hand would help him with this and that…

Wang Siyu blushed again.

Jiang He was displeased, however, and grumbled, "Can't you stop reading my mind, Wang Siyu? Can't I have some individual thoughts?"

"You!"

Stumped, Wang Siyu stamped her feet in frustration. "Could you not be so filthy, Jiang He? What do you actually keep in your head?"

Nonetheless, that was not a topic to be delved deeper into.

Jiang He therefore changed the topic, asking, "What are the consequences if I decline to join your organization?"

"You would have to sign an oath of secrecy!"

Wang Siyu replied seriously. "Before the country formally announces the matter regarding the Awakened, the mutation of Ferals and martial artists, you are not allowed to speak of it to everyone else."

"That works. I'll sign it."

Jiang He nodded, although his mind was dancing with joy.

Before the country announces it…

"According to what she said just now, Spirit Qi is at the height of its return. This means that the special cases are on the rise and the bureau almost can't control it, and the country would soon reveal the matter anyway."

Boom!

That was when a dull rumble echoed over the horizon, and the earth soon began quake. Jiang He's house shook violently for a while, with dust and sand washing down the roof.

"Oh no, earthquake!"

Jiang He's face fell. He ran out of the house, pulling Wang Siyu with him.

In the yard, he found Dumbo barking restlessly eastward, and when Jiang He looked there, he could faintly see a blinding white light over the eastern sky, with a mushroom cloud slowly rising into the air above it.

Many other villagers had run out of their houses as well, with astonishment written all over their faces.

'Nuclear bomb!'

That notion suddenly came to Jiang He's head!

"That's not it. Nuclear radiation is exceedingly strong… it has to be some type of powerful missile!"

Wang Siyu's face fell too, and she muttered, "There's trouble… big trouble in Mount Dadong…"

Unable to offer an explanation in time, she promptly ran toward the direction of the explosion.

Meanwhile, Jiang He had quickly climbed up the roof to watch the mushroom cloud that wasn't dispersing even after a long time in great shock!

"Mount Dadong? That's almost four hundred kilometers from here… how powerful is the blast if the shock could be felt and seen all the way here?"

"Are things really so dangerous now?"

It felt like half a day had passed when Jiang He finally leaped off the roof, and scolded Dumbo who was still barking relentlessly before falling into deep thought.

"That world-ending weapon must have been used against a Feral."

Gasp!

Jiang He couldn't help wincing!

How powerful could the Feral be?

And the most important question was whether the Feral was killed. It would be nice if it was dead, but if it survived even with such a tremendous explosion… The horror.

"Improve myself! I have to improve myself as soon as possible!"

"I'm not even a martial artist at the moment—I'm definitely getting killed if I run into such a powerful Feral!"

Wringing his hand, Jiang He drew out a cucumber.

He stared at it, only to burp right then because of his full stomach.

"Bleh… I'm getting sick!"

After finishing a whole ear of corn, how could he keep eating?

Even so, Jiang He must stuff himself to improve his abilities.

Dumbo whimpered when it saw Jiang He take out a cucumber. It turned into a black blur as it darted toward Jiang He and crouched in front of him, wagging its tail and drooling all over.

Be that as it may, Jiang He only ate off two-thirds of the cucumber after half an hour, throwing the remainder to Dumbo.

There was no helping it.

He really could not finish it, even if he could feel his body improving a little once more!

"No! Increasing my power like this too difficult and too slow! I would eventually get sick from eating cucumbers every day…"

"I might only ascend to the level of martial artist by having some cucumber coleslaw for supper… but that's only on the physical aspect. I've never trained in cultivation, and it's nonsense to have power and no method to use it."

"Cultivation…"

"Cultivation…"

"What am I supposed to do to learn cultivation?"

"Wang Siyu mentioned that martial arts has an ancient history, which means that the National Special Case Management Bureau would definitely have some cultivation methods. That said, I'm a person who prefers freedom… oh, right!"

Jiang He suddenly jumped off the ground, startling Dumbo, who quivered and almost choked on its cucumber.

It rolled its eyes at Jiang He.

"Dog! Go somewhere else to eat!"

Jiang He shoved off Dumbo with his foot before running back into his room, finding pen and paper and turning on his phone to Baidu cultivation.

"If I remember correctly, the cultivation of the Eighteen Palms of Dragon Subduing, the Nine Yin Manual, the Nine Yang Manual, and Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Moves are all available on the internet, even though all that stuff are mostly nonsense…"

"But… what if I could really develop a style of cultivation?"

Spreading the paper, Jiang He wrote:

The Proud Dragon Repents, as taken from the Qian Hexagram in the Book of Changes, with Qian denoting the sky. Explanation: even though the dragon was peerless in its time, its reign of power eventually came to an end, and that in turn made it regret, but that was already too late…"

Report chapter

Chapter 10: Planting the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Eh? The Proud Dragon Repents technique is actually available on the Internet?"

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, first style: The Proud Dragon Repents.

"Slightly bend the left foot, pivot right arm inward, draw a semi-circle with right palm and push outward. The stronger one's true qi is, the more powerful this move would be…"

Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, second style: The Dragon Soars in the Sky.

"Leap into the air and smash down from up high. Deliver an agonizing blow upon your foe as you streak down from above, a powerful strike of immense proportions. As you land, the winds in your palm would keep your foe beneath caught, unable to evade as they would be forced to take the brunt of your blow…"

Snort!

Jiang He, who was copying the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms couldn't stifle a laugh right then.

"Which genius uploaded this stuff? Writing down every move of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and even giving a proper explanation… is this guy an idiot?"

"Oh… forget it."

"If the one uploading these is an idiot, what am I when I'm copying everything word for word?"

Jiang He steeled himself and continued to copy away, making up to six pages of notes.

And when he was done, he crumpled the papers into a single lump, got a shovel and began to dig into his yard.

When he managed to make a hole, he threw the paper in it and turned on his System, using 100 farm points to redeem a 'nitrogen fertilizer' which he threw into the hole as well.

He then refilled the hole, before bringing out half a bucket of water to wet it.

Done.

Mission accomplished.

Dusting himself, Jiang He shook his head, unable to stop himself from laughing. "What I'm doing is a little retarded, isn't it? Cultivation is a slow, planned process. Who on earth would plant it?"

"Most importantly, I copied that cultivation off Baidu, and it could be something someone fabricated… Hmm?"

Jiang He's ears were suddenly twitching just then.

Having almost reached the level of martial artists, his hearing had become very sharp, and he had actually heard a soft 'crack'.

The soil beneath his feet was stirring, as if something was about to break through to the surface.

"Woah…"

Jiang He's eyes were bulging as he stared tightly at the position where he had planted the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. He then found a jade green sprout firmly parting the earth as it drilled its way out while growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Then, in around ten minutes, it grew into a small tree shoot.

"That… That… That is just unbelievable. It really works?!" Jiang He gaped.

The truth was that planting a 'cultivation manual' was actually a sudden eccentricity that came to mind.

Since he was idling anyway, why not make a copier and then plant the papers as a joke?

He didn't expect that this could really happen.

And now, the tree shoot continues to grow.

Dumbo had run over here as well, its canine face having 'what the hell' written all over it.

Jiang He sneered and said, "Dumbo, if you dare leak this tale, I am going to kill you and eat your flesh!"

Dumbo shuddered, and quickly half-crouched while putting its two front paws over its eyes, gesturing that it saw nothing.

Still, dogs were very curious creatures by nature, and just three seconds into blindfolding itself, Dumbo split a small seam between its claws, sneakily studying the 'tree' that was now over a meter tall.

It was unusually shaped for a tree, resembling a green stick being held up.

At first, the 'stick' had a few leaves, but all of them fell off when it grew up to one point five meters.

Soon, the upper end of the stick began to split into eighteen bald branches.

Each branch soon matured, each of which blossomed with a single white flower on their tip, letting loose their pollen when a small breeze came blowing.

"What… the… hell!"

Jiang He didn't even dare to blink as he kept his eyes fixed on each of the white flowers.

The dancing pollen had actually taken the shape of tiny dragon silhouettes that soared in a circle over the center of the flower just then. The waves of draconic roars were deafening, but despite finding it thunderous, Jiang He realized that his neighbors were not startled, let alone other villagers.

"Maybe the sounds in my yard can't be heard outside?"

It was not impossible after all: The System had determined that his farm was 888 square meters which incidentally was this entire yard, and it wouldn't be surprising if there were such an effect.

"If sounds here won't be heard outside, would the stuff I plant be seen by others?"

"Wait, the flowers are withering and about to bear… cultivation manuals!"

Jiang He stirred. Looking up at the flowers again, he saw that the dragon silhouettes that had been dancing amongst the flowers had suddenly vanished, sprinkling pollen over each flower.

Soon, the flowers shriveled, turning into yellowed papers.

At first, the papers were the size of fingernails, but it took just fifteen minutes for them to expand up to half the size of an A4 paper when they stopped growing.

Jiang He understood immediately.

The cultivation manual that he had planted was ripe.

While it was as paranormal as it was ridiculous, it was a reality that happened right before his eyes.

Extending his hand, Jiang He plucked off one paper.

[Ding!]

[Farm points 10]

A System notification jingled in his head.

"Eh?"

Gasping in surprise, Jiang He couldn't be bothered to look at the paper in his hand just then, and looked instead at his System.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Quasi Martial Artist]

[Ability: None]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 1 (EXP 3/50)]

[System Backpack: 3 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 493]

"My EXP actually increased a bit?"

Jiang He was a little surprised. His EXP had only increased up to two after harvesting 99 cucumbers and 84 corn ears, but now one page of cultivation manual had increased his EXP by 1 point as well as 10 farm points!

"If I stick to this method, I could gather some farm points and EXP so that my farm level increases."

Jiang He was feeling inspired even as he looked at the yellowed paper in his hand.

On it was a line of beautifully written calligraphy that read: Dragon Soars in the Sky!

And then…

And then there was nothing else.

Jiang He: "???"

"I wrote over four pages, and this is what I get?"

It was only the name of the move, without any content for cultivation… useless!

"Forget it, I'll just consider that I was farming for EXP and farm points." Jiang He consoled himself, breathing a long sigh while showing a face full of disappointment.

After all, he had spent 100 farm points to exchange for the nitrogen fertilizer, and earning 18 EXP along with 180 farm points was a profit however he saw it.

[Ding]

[Farm Points 10]

Jiang He plucked off another yellowed people which had the four words 'The Proud Dragon Repents written over it'.

The third yellowed paper read 'The Dragon Fights in the Wilderness', which was the fifteenth style of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

Eventually, after plucking off all eighteen yellowed papers, Jiang He stacked them by their ascending sequence when—

[Ding!]

[A low-level martial art has been detected in the Host's crops. Consume 500 farm points to learn?]

Delighted, Jiang He quickly said, "Learn! Hurry up!"

[Farm points -500]

In his head, another system notification jingled.

Right then, Jiang He was already imagining a dragon's silhouette taking into the air even as he moved his hands, blowing up everything in its path…

But nothing happened at all after half a day.

Blinking, Jiang He exclaimed angrily, "System, you've already deducted my farm points. Where is my Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?"

[Ding!]

[This martial art requires the energizing of True Qi. The Host had yet to cultivate up to Rank 4 martial artist and therefore could not learn it.]

"What…"

Jiang He almost puked blood just then as he seethed. "What about the farm points I lost?"

[The deducted farm points would be restored to Host in 24 hours. Please be patient.]

Dang it!

Jiang He promptly turned off the System, afraid that it would add the line 'Please press 9 to repeat, or press * to return to the previous menu'.

Report chapter

Chapter 11: Indestructible Diamond, Rank Three Martial Artist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"In martial arts, rank one through three cultivates the body, and it is only by reaching rank four that one cultivates True Qi."

Jiang Yu was rather speechless.

Rank four?

He would have to eat all 99 cucumbers he had to reach that level.

It also meant four cucumbers per day, and even if he would steel himself and have one more for supper, he would need at least twenty days to reach rank four.

But most importantly, he was supposed to have cucumber every day—who could stand that?

"That said, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms inspired me. If it can be planted, other martial arts can be too."

Hence, Jiang He started browsing Baidu again.

It turned out that everything from Nine Yin Manual, the Nine Yang Manual, Wudang Sword to the Seventy-two Shaolin Supreme Moves were all available on the internet. There's no telling which fool of a netizen uploaded them, not to mention that each one listed out every cultivation movement and essentials.

"But most of these cultivations need True Qi for energy, aside from rigorous, unreasonable kung fu."

Eventually, however, Jiang He decided on a rigorous kung fu: Indestructible Diamond, one of the Seventy-two Shaolin Supreme Moves.

"Indestructible Diamond requires cultivation of both outer and inner body, but it could be applied even in the absence of True Qi, and success means that your physical body would be unbreakable like a diamond, unaffected by fire or water…"

"There is a total of twelve styles of cultivation: starting position, meditation posture, raise both hands up, lower left palm level to navel, straighten right palm with fingers pointed at nostrils, squat slightly in horse stance, calm spirit, breathe naturally, concentrate on Cinnabar Fields…"

In the end, Jiang He couldn't help bursting into laughter.

It was too funny.

The crazy netizens who had uploaded these cultivation manuals must have holes in their brain. Withered Tree Stretching its Roots, Qi Permeating the Cinnabar Fields, Cauldron Lifting Monk, Warrior's Glare and whatnot were all written so vividly that Jiang He felt embarrassed copying it.

But even as Jiang He was copying down the art of Indestructible Diamond, he was not aware of what was going on outside.

To maintain calm amongst the citizens following the violent explosions, officials had issued a statement claiming that the military was undergoing training exercise in an uninhabited spot on Mount Dadong, that there was no need to panic.

The citizens were no fools, however, with news, media, and journalists having their own say.

"What training exercise would possibly need the detonation of such magnitude of explosive? According to my information, although the villagers near Mount Dadong had been relocated over the past few years, there are still shepherds in the area. Would such a violent explosion not affect those residents?"

"Furthermore…"

One particular journalist with a sharp tongue promptly targeted the leaders of the public security bureau and the regional government who had appeared to call for calm, asking, "There have been paranormal incidents across the globe recently, with eyewitness claiming they had spotted a sea monster over a thousand meters long in the Pacific, and a giant ape the size of a mountain at the Atlantic Ocean…"

The leaders did not answer the question, and soon left the scene.

Jinyintan Village.

"Phew~ I finally finished copying Indestructible Diamond!"

As he had done before, Jiang He crumpled the papers he copied the Indestructible Diamond martial art with into a lump and buried it down a hole with another pellet of nitrogen fertilizer.

Soon, a tree shoot grew.

But unlike the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, the Indestructible Diamond shoot didn't bear any flowers. Instead, golden bells appeared on each of the bald branches.

And in an hour, the bells grew from the size of a fingernail to the size of a plate.

Jiang He carefully plucked the 'bells' off the branches.

[Ding!]

[Farm points 100]

In his head, a System notification rang. [A low-level martial art has been detected in the Host's crops. Consume 500 farm points to learn?]

"Learn!"

[Farm points -500]

Wrooom!

The golden bell in Jiang He's hand vibrated just then, and directly turned into a golden streak of light that tunneled within Jiang He's body, leaving his mind dazed for a moment while complex, mysterious information poured into his head.

"This… is this the right cultivation posture for Indestructible Diamond?"

Jiang He was overjoyed, but that was not all.

Within his body, his muscles and bones were cracking in synchrony, just like the sound of cooked corn popping relentlessly at the stove. His skin, skeleton, flesh, and resilience were all rapidly increasing, and the entire process only stopped after five minutes.

Jiang He himself was left gaping.

"Does this mean I've already cultivated the art of Indestructible Diamond?"

"No, it wouldn't count as mastery, but at least it's an induction."

"And most importantly…"

He glanced at his System panel.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Rank Two Pinnacle]

[Ability: None]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Initiate)]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 1 (EXP 30/50)]

[System Backpack: 3 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 163]

"Initiate Indestructible Diamond actually gets me up from Quasi Martial Artist to Rank Two Pinnacle in one go?" Jiang He was rather surprised, but soon felt relieved.

In martial arts training, rank one, two, and three refines the body, therefore only requiring the cultivation of qi and blood to hone the physical, and was in fact a process that relentlessly breaks through the limits of the human body. Despite being only on induction-level, Indestructible Diamond elevated his physical aspects by a major leap anyway, which made it very reasonable for his cultivation to rise up to Rank Two Pinnacle.

"One martial art alone actually increased my EXP by ten points… eh?"

That was when Jiang He's eyes found the [Martial Arts Cultivation] button.

It wasn't there before, having suddenly appeared after he learnt Indestructible Diamond.

"What does that '' thing do?"

Jiang He gingerly poked at the symbol, and a crisp system notification rang in his head once again.

[Consume 1000 farm points to improve Indestructible Diamond up to Beginner tier?]

Jiang He did a double take, just before he became ecstatic.

"Does this mean I just have to work hard on my farm, thereby earning farm points to improve my martial arts cultivation up to mastery?"

"Oh!"

Holding in the joy in his chest, Jiang He merely shook his head and sighed. "But if that's the case, there's a lot less joy in cultivation…"

"Yip!"

Dumbo whined in a corner, rolling its canine eyes so high they were skyward and leaving only the whites of its eyes.

'Just look.

'Is that even a human talking?'

Jiang He nudged off Dumbo with his food, rubbing his hands as his enthusiasm went into a frenzy.

"It's three now."

"I'll have lunch, and then keep going. I'll set a small target, and finish copying every single one of the Seventy-two Shaolin Supreme Moves by today…"

"No, wait! Copying is too slow. When I'm done eating, I'll get to the village's photocopy shop and print it out directly."

Jiang He still had some noodles in the house that he bought beforehand, and he only had to boil some water.

At the same time, he took out another cucumber and washed it and made some smashed cucumber salad.

Soon, he had a big bowl of noodles and a plate of smashed cucumber salad ready on his round table.

Reaching out with his chopsticks, he picked one cucumber and put it in his mouth.

Crunch, crunch.

As the cucumber went down his gullet, Jiang He's face went green.

He could feel his qi and blood boil, and was left speechless.

"Can't you let me have a meal in peace?"

Martial arts…

Rank three!

Chapter 12: Planted a Money Tree

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Nine Yin Manual?

"Nine Yang Manual?

"Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Moves?"

Jiang He had arrived at the photocopy shop of the village around four in the afternoon.

Madam Wang, the lady owner of the shop's usually lively face was full of surprise, and she was staring at Jiang He with the concern one would give to a moron. "Why would you print this stuff, Xiao Jiang?"

After all, everyone living in the village knew each other.

Although Madam Wang's joint was called a 'photocopy shop', it was actually a shopping mart with a photocopier in it, making things convenient for the villagers while earning Madam Wang some side income.

Jiang He smiled and said, "Madam Wang, just print it for me. It's not like I won't pay you."

Since he had put it that way, the lady owner had nothing to say in return and promptly printed the manuals from the web.

Meanwhile, Jiang He stood at the door, watching as cars zoomed by outside.

Jinyintan Village was near the city and the entrance to the village was the main road directed to the city. Many vehicles often took this route—especially today, with exceedingly many police and military vehicles passing by.

Jiang He even saw an entire convoy of vehicles with military number plates, carrying truckloads of storages as they streaked past the road.

The lady owner of the shop glanced outside as well, and said, "I heard the military is going to build a barracks and an arsenal here in Linzhou. They have some land in Huangshawo Village next door, don't they? Over ten thousand Mu, and now everything is going developed. It's going to be major project—my husband even ran off to ask round to see if he could get some labor contracts."

"Oh?" Jiang He's eyes sparkled.

The military was making a move already?

"Xiao Jiang, it's done—eighty-eight pages in total, but I'll charge you five per page since you've printed a lot."

"I'm getting some snacks too. Add that to the bill."

Jiang He took two boxes of cup noodles, a pack of dried noodles along with sunflower seeds, spicy bars, pickled pepper, and chicken legs. He was about to adjust his palate when he returned home, because he was about to throw up after eating cucumbers for days!

After paying up using WeChat, Jiang He went home while humming a little tune.

He picked a manual that didn't require the energy of qi, but there was no reaction.

"What's going on, System?"

[Planting of cultivation manuals is limited to 2 at current farm level, verified as Level 1. Please try again after improving farm to Level 2, host.]

Dang…

Jiang He almost vomited blood.

He quickly dug out the soil.

Luckily, the nitrogen fertilizer was still there.

After all, would he have enough tears to weep if he did not plant anything but wasted the pellet of fertilizer worth 100 farm points?

Still, Jiang He was utterly inspired after having tried 'planting' cultivation manuals on his farm.

Holding the fertilizer and changing his mind, he muttered, "Surely I can't just leave it be after redeeming this thing?"

"System, since I could plant cultivation manuals… what about weapons? What else could I plant?"

[Please find out yourself, Host.]

"Damn it!"

Jiang He cursed, and put aside the crystalline fertilizer pellet as he picked up a shovel to keep digging.

Soon, he had cleared a hole.

Then, he drew a hundred-dollar bill out of his pocket and placed it in the hole, before putting in the nitrogen fertilizer and burying it.

After watering the spot, Jiang He sat at a corner, open a pack of spicy bars and turned on his phone, combing through the forums and video websites for news of the day that were related to the return of qi and nuclear explosions.

He was naturally surprised that it turned out to be a quiet day on the various forums, video sites, and social network, as if every post regarding qi revival had disappeared overnight.

Nonetheless, that did not unsettle Jiang He, though he had the feeling that something was coming.

After all, there was always calm before the storm.

"And here I was thinking that I could adjust my palate with other food. But now, it seems that I can't afford slowing down my improvement."

"That said, now that I've reached rank three, cucumbers aren't as effective as before."

According to Jiang He's estimation, he should reach rank four after eating every last cucumber. However, since Indestructible Diamond had improved his cultivation by leaps and bounds, he managed to save quite a few cucumbers, which could probably be used to help him push him a whole notch above rank four.

"That said, the cucumber would be even weaker when I start to cultivate True Qi at rank four. I have to study the System to see if I could get new seeds… Eh? It's really sprouting?"

Jiang He's gaze had shifted.

Putting away his phone but continuing to chew on one spicy bar, his eyes were kept fixed at his toes.

A tender sprout had just tunneled its way out of the soil.

Curiously, however, the sprout was not green in color, just as it wasn't the pale yellow of a seedling that had not seen sunlight. Instead, it had a faint shade of red.

"That luster…"

As the tender sprout quickly enlarged into a shoot, the corner of Jiang He's mouth couldn't help twitching. "Why would this shoot be red, just like a hundred-dollar bill?"

Be that as it may, his eyes were already ablaze.

The proverb 'you reap what you sow' was certainly true here.

So, what would you reap if you plant a dollar bill?"

"Cultivation manuals can be planted, and money too… but why aren't normal seeds that different when sowed?"

"That's not exactly true though—there is a difference, but it's just not too obvious."

Jiang He turned to look at another corner of the yard, where there was still a field of corn.

Of the handful of corn he sowed, only the twenty-eight corn stalks which were growing on the ashes of the other cucumber plants had been harvested. The other corns were growing slower in comparison and just stood a foot tall, and could only be reaped around another half a month.

"Maybe my farm level is too low. Perhaps normal seeds would be different when I level up my farm."

Meanwhile, the red shoot had grown into a short tree right in front of Jiang He's eyes, reaching the height of an adult human.

The trunk, branches, leaves, and even the flowers of a small tree were all the color of hundred-color bills.

"One… Two… Three…"

"A hundred flowers?"

Jiang He counted the blossoming flowers, noticing that they quickly wither and would turn into… a coin?

"…"

"What the heck?"

All those coins were one cent.

Jiang He's mouth twitched as he scowled. "I sowed a hundred dollars only to reap a hundred one-cent coins? Hold on… are the coin faces changing?"

Five minutes later, the 1-cent coins all turned into 10-cent coins.

After another five minutes, the 10-cent coin turned to 50-cent coins, which in turn became 1-dollar coins. The same sequence continued, with the coin turning into 5-dollar bills and then 10-dollar bills.

Then, after an hour, 100-dollar bills were hanging on the branches, dancing enchantingly as a breeze billowed.

[Ding!]

[Farm point 1]

Jiang He plucked off a hundred dollar bill to check. "It's real money! Haha… I planted a hundred dollars and got ten thousand dollars in return! I'll even get a chunk of EXP—how profitable!"

He plucked out every last 100-dollar bill.

Surprisingly, however…

The human-height tree didn't rapidly wither into ashes.

"…Is this thing going to bear more fruit like an apple tree?" Jiang He exclaimed in delight. "Isn't it a real money tree now?"

Report chapter

Chapter 13: Farm Level Up, Jiang He Makes a Move

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Jiang He did not leave his house for four days.

The happiest thing for him on each day was to wake up in the morning to harvest hundred-dollar bills. Since he was earning no less than ten thousand dollars per day, the effortless profiting proved extremely satisfying.

[Ding!]

[Farm points 1]

[Ding…]

The System's notifications would keep ringing right beside his ears, while his eyes would be kept glued to the System panel.

The EXP progress bar of his farm level was slowly rising, with 0.05 EXP added with each hundred-dollar bill plucked, earning him 5 EXP with each 100 bill.

And eventually, he collected his one hundred hundred-dollar bills for the day.

[Ding!]

Another crisp System notification rang in his ear.

[Congratulations, Host! Your farm is now level 2.]

[Bonus Rewards: Pea seeds x3, System backpack 3 boxes]

Letting loose a long, drawn out breath, Jiang He checked the System Panel again.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Rank-3 Advanced]

[Ability: None]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Initiate)]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 2 (EXP 1/500)]

[System Backpack: 6 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 263]

"Eh? My cultivation has already reached rank three-advanced?"

"Since all I've been doing lately was eat and sleep, I really didn't notice that my cultivation improved…

"There are around fifty-five cucumbers left. I estimate that I would reach rank-four after eating another fifteen… but once I reach that level, I would have to start cultivating martial arts."

Rank one to three cultivated the body.

While other martial artists must train in cultivation and hone their physical forms, Jiang He only had to eat his cucumbers.

But rank four was different: for martial artists, rank four was where they cultivate one's True Qi.

So, Jiang He needed another cultivation manual.

"With my farm being level two now, I can plant two more manuals… and I'm going to need something aside from the Nine Yang Manual. Treading Over Ripples would be a good choice, but I wonder if I could get its instructions online—but I guess it's fine even if I don't since the stuff on the net is just fiction, and I could make up my own if need be.

"And since I've not tried planting weapons, I should try it out."

Nonetheless, unbeknownst to Jiang He, it was already noon, and he sighed a little when he noticed the hour.

"Seven days ago, I would probably be only awake at this hour… to think that seven days have already passed.

"Anyway, let's test out the pea seeds the System rewarded me and see its effects!"

He was about to plant the pea seeds when another System notification rang in his head.

[Ding!]

[Seven-day gift pack has been awarded to Host. Please check at your own leisure.]

"Oh?"

Jiang He did a double take, and soon burst into laughter.

Seven-day gift pack… why did it feel no different from the farming game he had played in his previous life? Seven-consecutive days of login was rewarded with a gift pack, as would an entire month's worth of logins.

Hence, Jiang He checked his System backpack.

The first box held cucumbers, which numbered at 55.

The second box held corn, which numbered at 82—Jiang He had been eating cucumbers to improve his cultivation over the last few days, therefore leaving his corn untouched.

The third box held three golden pea seeds, whereas the fourth held a Mystery Bag.

With his interest piqued, Jiang He opened the Mystery Packet.

[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Mysterious Soil.]

A small bag that holds fertilizer just like the ones sold at floral markets appeared in Jiang He's System backpack right then. And inside of it was—

"Screw me!"

"What the heck is this black clump of stuff?"

A series of data appeared even as Jiang He fixed his eyes upon it.

[Mysterious Soil]

[Possess unknown effects that strengthen crops. Improves soil for a certain period of time, having the same effects as farm soil in the outside world.]

Jiang He was a little speechless.

What good was this stuff?

'Can't I just use my own soil here?'

"By the way, the farmers I read about in novels could carry their entire farms with them and sow it any time, anywhere. Why are you so low-tech?

"System?

"System?"

Jiang He cursed after shouting for half a day but receiving no answer from the System. Nonetheless, just as he was about to plant one of the pea seeds to test its abilities, he heard a loud noise.

Someone was slapping on his main gates loudly, with a bold voice then calling out, "Old Jiang, you in there?"

Jiang He glanced downwards at Dumbo by his feet and scolded, "Damn it, can't you bark a little when someone's here?"

If something like this happened in anyone else's home, their dog's chains might not hold their pet.

As for Dumbo?

It was being listless, and only reared its head to bark several times feebly at Jiang He's rebuke.

"…"

Shoving off Dumbo with his foot, Jiang He walked out of his yard and opened his gates.

Gates in a farming village were fashioned out of steel and mostly green, red, or silver.

The gates to Jiang He's house had been red at first, but after some time had passed, it began to rust at certain spots.

And when he opened his gates, he found palm prints all over it.

Each was very clear, and had directly dented the metal.

Outside, a skinny man dressed in a suit and shades smiled awkwardly. "Sorry about that, Old Jiang… but don't worry, I'm going to get you some new gates."

The boorish-look of the man… it was Two Dog Li, real name Li Fei!

Jiang He was speechless and scowling.

"Can't you hold back a little when knocking on someone's door?"

"I've just awakened; I haven't mastered my strength."

"Right. Didn't the National Special Case Management Bureau catch you? Did they let you go?"

"What do you mean, caught?"

Li Fei took off his shades and grinned proudly. "I was invited there, alright?"

Even as he spoke, he deliberately loosened his suit a little to reveal the pass he put in his shirt pocket underneath. "The Bureau knows that I've awakened superpowers," he then added calmly. "That's why they've invited me over, asking that I join their group."

"Eh…"

"Actually, I'm too used to freedom and uncomfortable with being controlled, but the Bureau's invite is sincere. Since I'm contributing to the country too, I could only join them despite my misgivings."

Heh.

Forcing back his laughter, Jiang He deliberately said, "That awesome, huh? Won't you be an official from now on?"

After all, the dude had clearly learned that Jiang He was a 'beast-tamer' and came to show off.

Of course, there was no way that Two Dog Li would know that Jiang He was already aware that he was a D-class awakened with superstrength… a bottom-feeder amongst superhumans and the most-common type at that, and naturally less useful than Wang Siyu.

Nonetheless, the two men began to chatter away idly when Wang Siyu approached them from a distance.

"You're here too, Li Fei? Very well. I don't have to inform you separately about tonight's operation."

She then turned toward Jiang He, who began to think up various 'affectionate' scenes between himself and Wang Siyu by habit. Nonetheless, she didn't blush, but appeared quite shocked instead.

The truth was that she had used her mind-reading, but she couldn't sense Jing He's actual thoughts as usual.

"Is her mind-reading useless against me after my ability has increased?" The idea suddenly occurred to Jiang He.

But why was he a little disappointed when it was supposed to be a good thing?

"Hmm…" Wang Siyu mused for a moment, gritting her teeth. "Jiang He, can you help?"

"Baitugang Village was attacked by a Feral last night. Three were killed, eight were injured, just as many livestock were harmed or killed. Most of our organizations' specialist had been diverted to Mount Dadong and are lacking in personnel. With you being a beast tamer, I was hoping to ask you for help."

Jiang He didn't agree to it immediately.

Considering the matter for a moment, he then asked, "What level is the Feral?"

"I can help, but I have a condition: I want certain information about the revival of qi, could the Bureau provide me some information?"

Report chapter

"No problem!"

Wang Siyu agreed to Jiang He's request after considering it for just a few seconds, and quickly went on to say, "No, let's talk about tonight's operation."

"In the Feral attack incident at Baitugang Village last night, our on-the-scene observation and deduction led us to believe that there are probably three Ferals, with the most powerful one being a rank-two Feral."

"Our team would have a rank two martial artist and a class-D Awakened with superstrength on the frontline."

"In turn, we will be in charge of support. We'll be gathering in front of my house at nine in the evening."

With the arrangements made, Wang Siyu then said, "Li Fei, the weapons you requested are made by our munitions squad. They have prepared a cultivation manual for you as well, so collect it later."

"Alright!"

Li Fei's eyes brightened, and he excitedly drove off in his BMW.

It was only then that Wang Siyu turned to Jiang He.

She looked like she had a lot to say but kept hesitating, before eventually letting out a long sigh and telling him, "I'm sorry, Jiang He. My hand is forced. We simply don't have enough people—I'm just a support-type Awakened, whereas Li Fei only awakened his powers recently, not to mention that he isn't too familiar with his power and hasn't been through systematic training. That is why the team is keen on having a beast tamer like you to come attempt communicating with the Ferals."

"Actually, I wanted to see for myself how powerful the Ferals could be."

Jiang He shook his head, indicating that he was fine with it.

But the truth was that he was in over his head.

'Beast tamer? Communicating with Ferals?

'Screw me. How am I supposed to do that?'

Not only was he misidentified as a beast tamer, but Jiang He himself was using his 'identity' as leverage.

What if he were exposed?

Nonetheless, Wang Siyu soon left to make preparations, while Jiang He returned inside his home to plant one of the pea seeds.

Soon, a tender sprout climbed out of the soil and continued growing rapidly, turning into a beanstalk that stood more than the height of a human.

"…System, could you make me some fresh gimmick?" Jiang He scowled and complained just then. "A peashooter would be nice for example, but everything is only trees to you: cucumbers, cultivation manuals. Even peas…"

Meanwhile, the beanstalk was already budding.

Veins of oily green beans over twenty centimeters long hung over the branches.

From a single glance, there were probably two hundred pea pods.

[Ding]

[Farm point 1]

Jiang He casually plucked off one particular pea pod and pealed it, revealing twelve emerald-green peas before his eyes.

Each pea was the size of a marble, resembling a world as they shone with crystalline green radiance like a pearl, making them a sight to behold.

[Pea]

[Inedible, extremely destructive]

[Usage: Throw from long-distances.]

[Warm reminder: It is recommended that the Host drops to the ground and clutches his head with both hands after throwing to stay immune from damage.]

In his head, an exclamation was bursting out.

'What the…'

Are you mocking me?

Pea bomb?

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Jiang He came to a realization then. "I wonder how powerful they are… urgh, forget it. I don't want my house to get blown up."

He had intended to test the peas in his yard, but ultimately rejected the idea.

The stuff he got System couldn't be measured with common sense. While it would be acceptable if his house was blown up when he threw out a pea, what if he scared his neighbors as well?

From a rough estimate, there were probably two hundred pea pods.

And there would be twelve pea bombs inside.

"Twenty-four hundred bombs?"

"And if I had planted all three pea seeds, I would have gotten over seven thousand?"

He hence started plucking every pea pod and emptied the peas inside into his System backpack whilst keeping an eye on the System. The pea seed eventually yielded him 200 farm points, 20 EXP and 2400 bombs of unknown force.

"Let's have corn today to celebrate instead! No cucumbers!"

Soon, it was night.

Jiang He checked his phone to realize it was 8:50.

Putting on a tracksuit and trainers, he tucked Dumbo in before casually heading to Wang Siyu's home.

There was an MPV parked up front, with Li Fei in the driver's seat.

Another man who looked around thirty was riding shotgun, and in the backseat was Wang Siyu and a young girl who looked just short of twenty.

Everyone got off the car when they saw Jiang He coming, with Wang Siyu coming to him and introducing the man and the girl. "Brother Su, Liu Xue. This is Jiang He, whom I've spoken of before. He is an Awakened, and his power is beast taming."

"Hello."

The man, who was wearing a black trench coat stayed impassive as he came to shake Jiang He's hand. "I'm Su Ze," he said coolly, "an apprentice of the Eight Trigram school and rank-two martial artist."

"Greetings."

Since the other man had already announced himself, Jiang He felt compelled to say something as well.

After musing to himself for a bit, he then said, "I'm Jiang He, an Awakened who is good at… walking dogs?"

Snort!

Wang Siyu and the girl couldn't help giggling, whereas Su Ze appeared displeased, and shot the former a frown. "Wang Siyu, there are lives at stake. Don't you think you would make a mess of things, asking an inexperienced Awakened to help?"

"This came with permission from above, Brother Su." Wang Siyu replied.

It was obvious that there was a rift between her and Su Ze.

On the other hand, the other young girl had an earnest smile on her face. "Your village is so impressive, Sister Siyu… you actually have three Awakened. And is Brother Jiang He really a beast tamer? This is the first time I've met one! Could you get me a Feral as a pet?"

"…"

Jiang He was about to speak, but Wang Siyu rebuked her. "No, Liu Xue. The Ferals are too wild—how could they be tamed as pets?"

Then, Wang Siyu leaned into Jiang Yu and whispered into his ear. "Don't underestimate her. This little lady is seventeen and tiny like a loli, but she has awakened to her powers over half a year now and joined the Bureau earlier than I did. She had since learnt to control her powers well, and although she's a D-class Awakened with superstrength as well, she is more than ten times better than Li Fei."

"Oh?"

Surprised, Jiang He asked, "What sets those who awakened superstrength apart, though? For example, how strong can a D-class Awakened with superstrength be?"

"If their development is right, a D-class Awakened with superstrength wouldn't be weaker than a rank two martial artist. The strength of their punch could reach two thousand kg."

"Woah!!"

2,000 kg?!

Jiang He almost didn't stop himself from cursing right there and then.

What on earth? A 2,000 kg punch?!

He quietly estimated his power then.

Perhaps…

"That little lady is as strong as I am?"

Su Ze couldn't help frowning when he saw Jiang He and Wang Siyu whispering to each other, and hence spoke out loud. "Let's go. We'll talk about the mission arrangements on the way there."

Report chapter

Chapter 15: Dawg!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Back in the MPV, Su Ze's face was solemn as he said, "According to our investigation, the Ferals we're targeting were animals living near the Changliushui scenic route, having slowly evolved into Ferals after the revival of qi.

"The local police have tried to contact the people managing the area but got no response. We fear the worst."

The air in the vehicle changed dramatically at those words.

Jiang He frowned—he knew about Baitugang Village, which was just around twenty km away from Jinyintan Village.

And soon enough, their MPV reached the village council house of Baitugang Village, where several police officers were waiting.

One of them—a middle-aged man—quickly approached Jiang He and the others once they alighted. He shook Su Ze's hand, saying, "You're finally here, Mister Su."

It was obvious that Su Ze was acquainted with the middle-aged policeman.

"Captain Zhang. You are familiar with the situation here, so please explain."

The policeman nodded and said feebly, "The villagers are now panicking. They are panicking since no one knows what the things attacking the village are."

"That said, we've gone up the mountain to see for ourselves in the afternoon."

"However, we didn't make it inside Changliushui before a wild dog attacked us. It was as large as a cow and very fierce, and bullets couldn't pierce its fur from long distance. We only managed to scare it off and one of ours panicked and shot it in the eye."

Su Ze appeared unsurprised, and said, "It should be a rank-one. If it was rank-two, none of you could have escaped that easily if it's charging at you at full speed."

Captain Zhang showed a pained smile. "We can't handle those things at all, period. I have to entrust the safety of all Baitugang villagers to you, Mister Su."

Su Ze nodded, while Captain Zhang turned to Jiang He and the others.

He couldn't help doing a double-take when his eyes found Li Fei, and asked in surprise, "Aren't you Xiao Li?"

"Uncle Zhang." Li Fei smiled in return.

He was wearing layers of western clothing and had a pair of leather shoes on, not to mention that he had a pair of aviator sunglasses on in the middle of the night.

How flamboyant of him.

Nonetheless, since Baitugang Village wasn't that far from Jinyintan Village, a young entrepreneur with some fame like Li Fei naturally would have connections with various departments. He was certainly acquainted with Captain Zhang who was somewhat surprised, but he nodded in envy after Li Fei introduced himself as an Awakened.

Being a policeman, he assuredly knew more than the average citizen.

He was aware that society would be reshuffled with the revival of Spirit Qi, and when that time came, superhumans would enter public consciousness just as they became the mainstay of the middle-tiers of society.

"Xiao Liu, Xiao Wang. You're here too?"

Captain Zhang greeted Wang Siyu and Liu Xue then.

He clearly knew them as well, since they had worked together many times before.

Then, he merely glanced at Jiang He without asking any questions.

After a few more words, Su Ze then said, "It's almost ten. We are going into the mountain right away to kill the Ferals and prevent any more incidents."

"Liu Xue, you stay with Wang Siyu in the village just in case. Li Fei, Jiang He, you're with me. We're going up the mountain."

"That's not right, is it?" Wang Siyu promptly interjected. "Jiang He is just a beast tamer who can't fight, and he's not a part of the bureau. I've asked him here to help, and aren't you putting him in danger by having him go up the mountain?"

Su Ze shot her a look before flatly saying, "I won't stop him if he doesn't have the guts to go. But since he had already awakened superpowers, he should be stepping forward bravely in such a time."

Li Fei frowned and muttered, "That's emotional blackmail, Su Ze!"

"Shut up!"

Su Zu promptly growled. "This is an operation and I'm the commander. As a part of the bureau, you just have to follow orders!"

Heh.

Jiang He was naturally amused.

Staring at Su Ze for several heartbeats, he couldn't help sneering then. "It seems that the National Special Case Management Bureau is really short-handed. How could a special organization of the country not screen their recruits, and start taking in worms too?"

"Huh?!"

Su Ze wheeled around to face Jiang He. "The Bureau has nothing to do with an outsider like you," he said coldly. "If you don't want to risk yourself, Mister Jiang, I won't stop you!"

"I repeat. Wang Siyu, Liu Xue, watch the village!"

"Li Fei, bring your weapon along. Come with me up the mountain!"

With that, Su Ze strode into the night.

Clenching his teeth, Li Fei eventually took out a metal stick from the trunk of the MPV and told Jiang He, "This is a weapon made from metal matrix composite (MMC) I've requested specially from the Bureau: a pole weighing a hundred and eight kilograms which is very suitable for Awakened with superstrength like us. Relax, with me guarding you, no Feral would get to touch you."

Jiang He clapped him on his shoulder and said, "Just be careful later."

He then turned to give Wang Siyu a 'don't worry' look, just as he entered the night with Li Fei.

There was a giant ditch outside of Baitugang Village.

A path paved in gravel stretched out alongside the ditch, branching out at the junction ahead that directs straight towards a distant mountain.

Incidentally, the scenic route of Changliushui was atop that mountain.

Of course, while it was known as a scenic route, it was no different from a nature preserve or a rural tourist spot.

There was a spring on top of the mountain that branched out into several different creeks. Later, some people fork out some money to modify the mountaintop into fishing lakes, while also building some traditional-style huts and gardens where they planted flowers for recreation purposes.

At the moment, Su Ze was striding far ahead.

Being a rank two martial artist of the Eight Trigram School, he was moving rapidly with his Eight Trigram Steps.

Jiang He and Li Fei had to jog to catch up.

Be that as it may, they managed to cover over ten miles under a single breath, with a small hill now showing up before them beneath the colors of the moon.

From afar, one could vaguely make out the buildings over the hills. There were no lights shining out of the entire mountain, however, and the oppressive silence was palpable.

That was when Su Ze stopped and told them quietly, "Follow me closely now and don't go anywhere else. There are many traces and footprints of Ferals nearby. There might be more than two of them up the hill!"

Li Fei merely swung his metal stuff a few times and sneered. "Who cares how many there are? I'll split their heads with one swing!"

Then, they advanced a few hundred meters, before Su Ze stopped once more and pointed straight ahead.

A dark shadow was nestled in the path up front.

Its eyes were oily green radiant as it stared curiously at Jiang He and the other two. It then rose slowly, turning left and right with its body arched, looking ready to lunge at them at any moment.

"Is that a… cat?"

Jiang He's eyes tightened.

It was indeed a black cat, but it was a meter tall and two meters long, making it a match for an adult leopard in size alone!

"Rank one Ferals are evolved from normal cats and aren't that powerful… Jiang He, you're up. Try to communicate with it with your beast taming powers." Su Ze turned towards him and whispered. "All feline creatures are quite tame before they evolved, and there should be no… Ah!"

Even as he spoke, an expanding fist appeared right before his eyes, streaking at him so rapidly that he couldn't evade it despite his rank-two martial artist reflexes.

Thud!

A dull echo could be heard, but all Su Ze felt was a pain on the bridge of his nose, before he dropped to the ground, unconscious in the next split second.

"Dawg, you knew I'm a beast tamer who couldn't fight, and you'd still have me risk myself? Did you really think I'm that easy to bully?"

"Wha…"

Li Fei was gaping at Jiang He who was flexing his knuckles.

"Why would you knock him out, Jiang He?!" He couldn't help exclaiming.

Report chapter

Chapter 16: The Violent Beast Tamer Is Online, Slaying Beasts

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"No reason. I just want to hit him for talking so much rubbish!"

"…"

Li Fei's mouth was hanging open. "No one could respond to such reason. I'm quite annoyed by that fellow too, but he is a rank-two martial artist. What are we supposed to do now that you've knocked him unconscious?

"Should we retreat for now? Take our time to decide what to do?"

Jiang He merely turned to look at the black cat ahead, which was the size of a calf.

Its fur was jet-black, and making it resemble a black panther instead because of its huge size.

It was still pacing around up front without making a sound.

"Rank one Feral… it feels very weak."

Since Jiang He was whispering, Li Fei was unable to hear him, and his accent slipped out in the suddenness of the situation, "What chu said?"

"Nothing. You know, I'm a beast tamer. A mere rank-one Feral wouldn't trouble me."

Hence, Jiang He walked ahead, clenching and cracking his fists while grinning. "Hey, kitty. Do you want to live or die?"

On the other hand, Li Fei felt a chill extending from his feet to his head as he ran up, metal pole in hand and crying loudly, "Jiang He, don't provoke it, get away! Be careful, you're a beast tamer but your body is weak… Woah!"

Even before he could reach Jiang He, a shrill 'Meow' could be heard.

The cry seemed to be enchanted—it rushed directly into the brain, and Li Fei's entire body shuddered.

Meanwhile, the ground beneath the black cat shook as it made a burst of strength with its limbs, its body turned into a black blur as it lunged toward Jiang He, its sharp feline talons glinting coldly beneath the moonlight.

Whoosh!

A gust echoed.

The black cat's talons landed directly on Jiang He's face.

Jiang He punched out in return, striking the black cat directly in the abdomen.

Bang!

A dull thud, and the black cat's massive body was sent flying backward by a dozen meters and landed heavily in the dirt. It bounced once before rolling several times, and only then did it come to a stop.

Li Fei ran to Jiang He's side then.

He felt that his entire existence was stunned. His eyes bulged even as he mumbled, "Jiang He, aren't you a beast tamer… why… why are you so strong?"

Jiang He ignored him, and touched his own face, seething, "Help me look—am I disfigured? The beast scratched me."

Li Fei took out his phone and shone its flashlight on Jiang He's face.

"Wow!" He gasped in shock. "Heavens, Jiang He, isn't your skin a bit too thick? That black cat is a Feral, you know—its claws are so sharp it could cut through stone, but there's like only two red lines on your face… hold on, even the lines are vanishing."

"Get off!"

Jiang He scowled as he shot back. "You're the thick-skinned one!"

Inwardly, however, he was praising his Indestructible Diamond cultivation.

'I might not have reached the level where I could be invincible both inside and outside, but nothing beneath rank four would hurt me. Still, I haven't learnt any martial arts and have no combat experience—that would be my shortcoming."

He strode up to the black cat, which was now a corpse.

After all, his punch had been a burst of a rank three-advanced power and not something a rank-one Feral could survive.

A bewildered Li Fei soon followed, and muttered after checking the black cat's corpse, "There's a hole in its abdomen. I'm guessing all its innards are shattered, and three of its right claws are broken too…"

Halfway through his postmortem, he turned by reflex to Jiang He. "You're not just a beast-tamer, Jiang He!

"You've awakened superstrength too, not to mention that your skin became so thick it's like you have a bronze skull and steel bones!"

Having the feeling that Li Fei was mocking him for being thick-skinned, Jiang He was about retort—that was when his expression suddenly changed, and he slowly rose to look around.

Several other Ferals had come out from the grass and were slowly approaching them.

There were up to seven of them, all of which were evolved from wild dogs and cats. Each of them was massive and ferocious, and they were now slowly encircling Jiang He and Li Fei.

And both men stood, leaning on each other's backs.

"Eh? Why are you shaking, Two Dog Li?"

Jiang He cried softly just then. "You're a D-rank Awakened with superstrength. You are not weak, so don't be afraid—just think of them as normal cats and dogs!"

"Is that so?"

Moved, Li Fei began autosuggesting before suddenly yelling his lungs out. He then rushed towards a wild dog taller than himself, metal pole in hand as he laughed coldly, "You think I'm afraid? You're just a teddy bear!"

Bang!

He smashed his pole down on the animal.

The giant wild dog swung out its paws to stop the pole, only for the weapon to smash through its claws and send its whole body flying.

And once he saw that his strike was effective, Two Dog Li's confidence immediately overflowed and he laughed out loud. "You don't have to do anything, Jiang He. Just watch my back—I'll kill this bunch of vermin."

"…"

Jiang He was stunned. Was D-class superstrength that terrific?

That said, Two Dog Li's pole swing just now would have reached two tons.

Such enormous strength matched with a heavy weapon like that metal pole—how horrific would the damage be with such a thunderous strike?

A normal person would be reduced to a puddle if they were hit by that pole. The wild dog Li Fei struck, however, merely rolled several times on the ground before rising again.

One of its front claws had been knocked away, but its glare remained glinting ferociously. With a single lunge, it was all over Li Fei once more.

Rawr!

And at the roar of the Feral, three other cats and dogs were charging at Li Fei as well.

Having only recently awakened his powers and not much actual combat experience, Li Fei would have been alright with his superstrength and weapon against one or two Ferals.

Four, however, would overwhelm him.

"Aaaaaah!

"Oh sheet…"

His movement was all thumbs as he began to shriek again and again, and truly panicked when he tripped over one of the wild dog's tail. "Jiang He, help me…"

Once Jiang He moved, the other three Ferals which had been glaring at him immediately leapt towards him.

Nonetheless, he gave each a punch, killing all three immediately before running ahead and kicked out, splitting apart the head of a cat which was baring its fangs at Li Fei.

Then, with a nudge of his toes, he lobbed Li Fei's metal pole into the air and caught it.

Stunned, the three remaining Ferals slowly backed down, their eyes overcome with fear even as they looked at Jiang He.

"These beasts are so clever! Could their intellect have evolved with their bodies?"

Reading from the moment when four Ferals fought Li Fei while three kept an eye on him, until now when the Ferals are utterly fearful of himself, Jiang He's mind quickly came up with a theory. "But these Ferals are all rank one. They aren't too smart even if their intellect evolved!"

As he strode forward, pole in hand, the three Ferals yelped and turned to run.

Jiang He gave chase.

Even if he had no physical skills, he was certainly quicker than three rank-one Ferals when his rank-three intermediate physicality burst out at full-power.

He caught up to one in just three seconds and walloped it to death with a single swing.

The second followed, and then the third.

His job done, Jiang He went back the way he came, shaking his head. "Rank-one Ferals aren't that smart, or they would have split when they ran, and I would at best kill two of them… wait, Dumbo looks like it's rank-one too, but why is it so smart?"

He returned to Li Fei, who was gaping as he studied Jiang He from head to toe and solemnly said, "Jiang He, are you actually a beast tamer?"

"Oh, but I am a beast-tamer!"

Jiang He replied seriously, "Can't you see my beast-taming move?"

Stunned, Li Fei then asked by reflex, "What beast-taming move?

"They would live if they listen to me, and die if they don't!"

Report chapter

Chapter 17: The Real Beast Tamer

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Li Fei stared suspiciously at Jiang He and asked doubtfully, "Why do I have the feeling that's a load of crap?"

"You know nothing about the world of beast tamers."

Jiang He honestly said. "Ever been to a circus? That's how they train their animals—the ones who don't listen are starved and beaten up, but they will be rewarded with the good stuff after a show. That's how even the more ferocious beasts would be tamed."

"There's no way they won't be tamed if you do that!" Li Fei retorted. "The untamed ones are literally beaten to death!"

"Alright, cut the crap." Jiang He said with a lowered voice, looking around. "You should carry Su Ze back to Baitugang. I'm taking a look around the scenic route."

"Aren't the Ferals dealt with? Why would you go to the scenic route?"

But despite Li Fei's own question, he had already walked up to Su Ze.

He exclaimed in surprise even as he dropped to a crouch. "But aren't you being too heavy-handed, Old Jiang? The dude's nose is broken and still bleeding even now."

"It's fine, rank-two martial artists aren't that weak." Jiang He replied, but before he finished, he could hear two loud slaps echoing beside his ear.

Scowling at Li Fei, he asked, "Why are you hitting him?"

"I'm waking him up! I've learnt some first-aid: if a person is unconscious, pinch their philtrum, but if that doesn't work, give them a few good slaps!"

"…"

Jiang He was stunned.

'You have superstrength. What's wrong with carrying him back to the village with that endless power of yours?'

More importantly, thanks to Li Fei's slaps, Su Ze was slowly opening his eyes, groaning.

His gaze looked lost, as if he was asking the most important questions in life:

Who am I?

Where am I?

Ouch!

Why does my nose hurt so much?

Su Ze touched the bridge of his nose just then, and the terrible agony jolted him from his muddleheaded state. He promptly leapt up like a koi, glaring coldly at Jiang He, growling, "How dare you backstab me?"

"I didn't!"

Jiang He shrugged in return. "I knocked you out justly and honorably. How is that a backstabbing?"

"You have a death wish, don't you!"

Su Ze's feet moved. He strode forward with his Eight Trigams movement as he lunged at Jiang He, and even as he hung in the air, his fists were already in position, punching through the air loudly.

'Is this a rank-two martial artist? Feels… so slow."

On the other hand, Jiang He stood his ground. He had noticed that Su Ze's movement and style was extremely slow in his perspective, and he knew then that was because he was of a higher level compared to Su Ze, not to mention that his spirit had developed by leaps and bounds after eating cucumbers for days now.

Clenching his own fist, he sent it forth.

'This should hit him in the jaw.'

That was Jiang He thought would happen after observing Su Ze's trail of movement and his own.

However…

Pow!

A dull thud.

Su Ze crashed straight into the ground from the air, twitched several times before becoming unconsciousness once again.

Jiang He looked at Su Ze under the moonlight then, and saw that his eye sockets were bruised.

He therefore shook his head in disappointment. "I have almost zero fighting experience. I heart that some combat prodigies who could anticipate their opponent's moves and where they would strike even before they attacked… but I can't. I intended to hit him in the jaw, only to hit him on his eye socket."

"…"

Li Fei was speechless once again. "Jiang He, why did you knock him out again? I just woke him up—I can't carry him back, can I? it's over ten miles!"

He walked up to them again, before looking around and gritting his teeth viciously. "Should we just kill him, Jiang He? He's not going to do nothing after you beat him up!"

"No need."

Jiang He smiled faintly. "He's just a piece of trash. If two punches aren't enough to change his mind, I'll just punch him a third time… Hold on, what are you doing?"

Seeing that Li Fei was about to start giving slaps again, Jiang He quickly stopped him, saying, "Can't you just carry him back? And give me your weapon."

"You're not coming back?"

Li Fei asked even as he picked up Su Ze and held him beneath his armpit. "Jiang He, you're just a beast tamer…"

"Get lost!"

Jiang He was speechless.

Was Two Dog Li a little thick-headed?

Jiang He had already shown his brute strength, and Li Fei was still worried about him?

Nonetheless, it was only after Two Dog Li left that Jiang He carried the metal pole with him and slowly headed for the nearby scenic route, his eyes carrying somberness.

According to Wang Siyu's information, there was at least one rank-two Feral amongst the group that attacked Baitugang Village—but all the Ferals he killed so far were rank one.

Jiang He was naturally suspicious.

Eventually, he entered the scenic route.

Half a month ago, it was a place of scenery constructed with elegance. Now, it had long since become a mess, with the classical-style shacks bearing signs of the Ferals' rampage: everything from the walls, doors and windows were blown apart.

Jiang He opened one of the doors and illuminated it with his phone's flashlight.

Half of a corpse lay on the floor, with bite marks all over it.

"It seems that the workers in the whole scenic route are all killed…"

"But the revival of qi didn't happen overnight. Shouldn't the people here have expected it? Shouldn't they have the time to call the police after running into the Ferals?"

After going one round over the mountaintop, he found four mangled corpses.

There was no assurance that the death toll was just four, however… from what was left of the four corpses, it wouldn't be surprising that some humans were eaten whole.

"Could they have been attacked by Ferals at the same time?"

"That's not right!"

"The corpses are all found in different places, and there are eight hundred meters separating the two furthest corpses. The Ferals I've killed aren't that smart either… Unless those beasts planned the attack, these people would have time to get the police.

"And where is the rank-two Feral?"

"It's not showing up yet!"

Even as Jiang He pondered, there was a rustle echoing behind him.

He quickly rushed towards the sound, only to find a black blur that vanished as soon as it appeared.

The black blur must have been a big black dog, and it was much larger than the ones Jiang He killed just now.

But more importantly, there was a figure seated on top of the dog.

Jiang He was intent on his pursuit, only to find that the dog was gone.

'There's someone behind the attacks on the Changliushui scenic route and Baitugang Village…'

A bold idea appeared in Jiang He's head just then. 'If that's the case, does that person controls those Ferals? Could he be a real beast tamer?'

Report chapter

Chapter 18: Sky Demon Sect

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"This shouldn't be possible!"

Jiang He rejected the thought, muttering, "Even if someone awakened beast taming powers and could control Ferals, they didn't have to massacre the scenic route or attack the village, right?

"How is that different from having a death wish?

"But that figure was clearly a human… or maybe it's an evolved monkey?"

Jiang He took out two peas and held them in his fist as he walked another round over the mountaintop. However, he didn't find anything, and only climbed down the mountain leisurely then.

Su Ze regained consciousness by the time he returned to Baitugang village.

He looked miserable: his nose was broken and his eye socket bruised.

Nonetheless, he had calmed down this time, and even dropping cold sweat when he remembered what happened before.

He opened his mouth and asked hoarsely, "Li Fei, did Jiang He kill eight rank one Ferals alone?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Fei was naturally upset. "Jiang He and I killed eight rank one beasts together. Are you trying to steal the glory, commander?"

"I…"

Su Ze was unhappy as well, but he took a deep breath and quietly said, "Relax. The Bureau has a merit system, and your accomplishments are going to be yours. You are Jiang He's schoolmate, fellow villager and have a good connection with him. How much do you know about him? Is the power he awakened really beast taming?"

"Of course!"

Li Fei nodded. "But I think the Bureau made a mistake in ranking his superpowers. There's no way he's a class-C—he has to be a class-B!"

"What?!"

Su Ze, Wang Siyu, and Liu Xue were all stunned at that.

Su Ze's face fell, and he couldn't help pressing, "How would you know that?"

"From his beast taming ability!"

Li Fei replied, since that was what Jiang He himself said: Ferals that could be tamed would be allowed to live or otherwise killed.

It was such a simple, violent beast taming technique that restored the rule of natural order and profoundly unfathomable. How could a class-C master that?

"But it makes sense if he's a class-B."

Su Ze, who had been unconscious during the action knew nothing at all about what happened in the mountain. Considering the matter carefully, he only spoke after some time, "If he really is a class-B beast tamer, the Western Xia province would have a powerful support. You should know that our leader is a class-B superhuman too."

Duan Tianhe, team leader of the National Special Case Management Bureau, Western Xia province division was a rank-six pinnacle martial artist who could match class-B superhumans. If he improved to the next level, he would become a grandmaster.

A martial arts grandmaster would be an elite even in the rankings across the country.

And grandmasters were equivalent to class-A superhumans in ability… they naturally would have different strengths and shortcomings, but there had yet to be a class-A superhuman discovered in the country.

"By the way, how did Jiang He kill the eight rank-one Ferals?" Su Ze couldn't resist asking—a class-B beast tamer would have been able to control a Feral directly and have them kill each other, but Su Ze was still curious.

"Hmmm…"

Li Fei mused for a moment before asking, "Jiang He said that he killed any Ferals that don't listen to him. First, he punched the black cat standing in our way, and then punched two more wild dogs and one wild cat before splitting another wild dog's head with a kick. In the end, with my help, he clubbed all the other Ferals to death.

Su Ze: "…"

Wang Siyu: "…"

Where was the beast taming in that??

Nonetheless, that was when Liu Xue suddenly yelped and turned towards a corner of the darkness, exclaiming, "Jiang He is back!"

In the night, Jiang He was walking toward them unhurriedly, metal pole in hand.

"Mister Jiang!"

Su Ze was the first to greet him.

He looked especially funny with his bruised nose and face, but he was serious when he said, "Mister Jiang, I'm sorry for what happened before. Allow me to apologize."

"Oh?"

Jiang He did a double take.

Was this dude for real?

He was now tamed after a beating?

Nonetheless, Jiang He waved him off.

"It's alright," he said, before handily throwing the alloy pole he was holding to Li Fei while adopting a serious tone. "The problem in the mountain hasn't been resolved—the rank two Feral is probably an evolved wild dog, and it seemed to be controlled by a person…"

He then described the 'figure' that sat on top of the wild dog, and Su Ze became even more solemn.

After thinking for a while, he then cried out hoarsely, putting weight in every syllable, "The Sky Demon Sect!"

"It seems that their fingers had reached Xibei as well, and are here to stir trouble now that the elites are all gathered at Mount Dadong. If Mister Jiang is right, that person would be a superhuman who has joined their sect, and possessed the ability of beast taming… Mister Jiang, being a fellow beast tamer and having encountered them, what do you think about his powers?"

Eh?

Scratching the back of his head, Jiang He simply laughed. "Nothing special, I guess."

'What do you mean I'm a beast tamer too!?

'And how am I supposed to tell what his abilities are?'

Jiang He had assumed that his identity as a martial artist would have been exposed after he punched eight Ferals to death. So, why would this bunch still believe that he's a beast tamer?

Su Ze breathed a long sigh, but it turned out that he was being relaxed. "Since Mister Jiang is a class-B beast tamer, other beast tamers certainly wouldn't matter." He smiled. "By the way, have you trained in the martial arts?"

His sudden change of attitude which made him so respectful left Jiang He slightly embarrassed, but he nodded regardless. "Just a few days of training. It's a family tradition, nothing too important."

It was unnecessary to hide such things anyway.

Being a beast tamer was his cover, just as being a rank-three martial artist barely revealed his trump card. Jiang He had the feeling that just letting on that bit of information wouldn't matter.

Hehe.

Su Ze grinned impassively.

That's being excessively humble!

That being said, he was a rank-two-advanced martial artist in his own right who had gone through untold battles. How could being knocked out in punch be insignificant in that respect?

Both Li Fei and Wang Siyu looked suspiciously at Jiang He as well.

They had never heard about him having some martial arts of family tradition, even though that might not be certain since martial art legacies could be secretive. In fact, not many people were aware of the existence of martial arts before the revival of qi.

"Oh, right!"

Li Fei exclaimed then, and then asked hesitantly, "Su Ze, what's that… Sky Demon Sect you mentioned before?"

Su Ze shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I don't know that much either, only that they had surfaced when Spirit Qi first returned. They have people all over the globe wreaking destruction—they are a demonic cult, and one of the seniors of our Eight Trigrams School had even killed one of their martial arts grandmasters."

Pausing, Su Ze pointed beyond the night skies and lowered his voice. "I've only heard the seniors of my school mentioning it, but the origins of their sect could probably be traced to beyond the skies!"

"…Oh, damn!"

Li Fei jumped, unable to hold back from exclaiming, "Aliens???"

Report chapter

Chapter 19: The Effect of the Corn

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Su Ze gave Li Fei a look, and then said, "Well, they could count as aliens, I guess. The seniors of the Eight Trigrams School mentioned before that there are beings beyond the skies known as the sky demons, and they could be the ones backing the Sky Demon Sect."

"Oh?"

There was a glint in Jiang He's eyes.

Interesting.

Being outside our own domain?

That was indeed why the environment of this world was far more dangerous than what he could understand or imagine.

The revival of Spirit Qi, the rampage of Ferals, sabotaging by the Sky Demon Sect in this world, and the sky demons themselves who were watching this world like a tiger leering at its prey. The very thought of it was suffocating.

And the look on Jiang He's face changed right then.

'My cultivation is still too weak! And after I ruined their plans, the Sky Demon Sect definitely wouldn't let this go.

'If the Awakened from the Sky Demon Sect could control eight rank-one Ferals and one rank-two Ferals, who knows what stronger Ferals he could tame?

'Once he takes control over dozens of Ferals or just a handful of high-ranked Ferals against me, I wouldn't survive even with Indestructible Diamond protecting my body.'

In fact, Jiang He first thought was to return inside the mountain, find that darn person and chop him into tiny pieces so that there wouldn't be problems in the future. Still, he eventually gave up on the thought and sighed. "I'm not familiar with the landscape and going in recklessly is too dangerous. Forget it—I'll stick to improve my cultivation, since that's more practical anyway."

He hence turned to Su Ze and asked, "This mission is over, then?"

Su Ze nodded. "Thanks for helping, Mister Jiang. I will apply for your merit at the bureau later, and provide you with the information you need as soon as we can."

Afterward, Two Dog Li drove Jiang He home.

Wang Siyu followed him.

She did not return home at once, following Jiang He home instead with her head lowered.

She was also clenching on her sleeves with both hands, stuttering for a long time but still unable to say a word.

Jiang He's heard pounded as a bold idea popped up in his head.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Wang Siyu, I might think well of you… but aren't we moving too quickly here? Of course, I am a healthy adult male, and as long as you're prepared, I'm happy to oblige with such matters anytime."

"What you mean, too quickly? And happy to oblige?"

Wang Siyu did a double-take, before suddenly realizing what he meant and hence spat, "Bleh! What do you take me for? I… actually just wanted to ask, do you still have the corn from the other day?"

"Oh!"

Jiang He patted his chest as if he was still having lingering fears and teased, "You could've mentioned earlier if you want some corn. And here I was thinking that you would have some unhealthy ideas with me, what with you stuttering here and there."

"Thug!"

Wang Siyu retorted, before asking, "Can I just ask, where did you get the corn? Could they be evolved too? I mean… it actually helps breast growth."

There was nothing too embarrassing about saying that out loud as a lady who received modern education. While Wang Siyu always blushed easily, that was only because she could mind-read—and since Jiang He's head was always full of thoughts of whatnot with her, how could she not go red?

"What the heck?"

Stunned, Jiang He stared at Wang Siyu for half a beat before exclaiming in surprise, "They really got bigger. No wonder I can't tell make out their special effects… so that's how they work."

It would only be too funny if he managed to discover that effect.

As a man, he couldn't possibly have his pecs ballooning, could he?

Pretending that he was going to the next room, Jiang He drew out two corns from his System backpack and returned to her, saying, "I've stumbled on these corns by chance. If my guess is right, they must have absorbed the Force and mutated."

"Have these two corns first. Consider them a reward for a successful trial, although the condition is that you measure yourself before you eat. That would make it easy for me to set a price."

Not to mention that he still had up to eighty corns anyway.

And if this stuff really proved to have such great effect, he naturally would sell them all. He would definitely earn dozens of millions if he could sell them up to a hundred thousand bucks apiece.

"Record measurements?"

Wang Siyu hesitated for a while before nodding.

Since Jiang He was the only one who had the measurements and her size was not too shabby, what was there to be ashamed of?

She wanted to pay with money, but Jiang He declined.

"You're my test subject—my tool now. These two large, thick corns are your just reward."

Wang Siyu was speechless.

'Thick and large?

'Does he have to put it that way?!

'So disgusting! And he's telling me to get stuffed with corns!'

After seeing off Wang Siyu, Jiang He locked his gates and took a shovel to his yard.

With a wave of his hand, the corpse of a black cat that was the size of a young calf appeared at his feet.

"Bow-wow-wow!!!"

Dumbo, who had been napping at corner in the yard immediately started to bark wildly at the black cat's corpse.

"Shut up, stop barking! What are you going crazy for in the middle of the night?!"

Dumbo only stopped at Jiang He's scolding.

Still, it ran up to him, wagging its tail and yipping, before standing up on its rear legs, pointing its paw at the dead cat and then at its own mouth. Then, with both paws clutching its stomach, it acted as if it was vomiting, and then shook its head firmly.

"…"

Jiang He blanked out for a moment, understanding what its movement meant just then.

Nonetheless, he shoved the pooch with a kick, cursing, "Dream on, dog. This corpse isn't for you."

Even as Jiang He picked up his shovel and started to dig, Dumbo's eyes sparkled just then and it ran up to him again, shoving him away while it started clawing at the dirt with all four paws.

The ground rushed into the air across all directions, and a hole was soon dug out.

"Oh?"

Pleased, Jiang He patted the dog which wagged its tail pleasingly, and took out a cucumber.

"Not bad," he said, throwing it at the dog. "Have one as your reward. Go to sleep after you're finished, and try to reach rank-two soon."

Dumbo nodded and ran off, cucumber between its jaws.

It had quite a few cucumbers since it stuck beside Jiang He, formally evolving into a rank-one Feral three days ago.

Jiang He casted the dog a thoughtful glance just then.

"Dog noses are sharp, and Dumbo's would probably be sharper after it evolved. Maybe I should bring it along to Changliushui to find the Sky Demon Sect beast tamer hiding there."

"Still… right now, I should try planting this Feral cat's corpse and see if I could get anything out of it."

Jiang He hence kicked the corpse into the hole.

If that thing really could be grown, he just might get some clues from its body.

Meanwhile, eastward from Changliushui.

A chain of hills sat here, with wind turbines built upon each hilltop. Rarely would any person be seen here, and it was only over sixty kilometers further east that there were signs of human life in a mining area.

But now, there was a tent raised in a gully between hills thirty kilometers away from the mining area, with a light flickering from inside.

A massive black dog that was carrying a black-robed middle-aged man was running toward it from a distance.

"Mission failed, general! A powerful martial artist suddenly showed up and sabotaged our plans."

The black-robed figure promptly jumped off the dog and kneeled outside the tent.

In response, a shadow beneath the tent light convulsed while a hoarse voice echoed. "There is only death to anyone who messes up our plans. The Wolf King's emergence in Mount Dadong is the best opportunity to leave Xibei in chaos.

"It is only by utterly distorting all manner of order in this world that the Sky Sage Faith would become powerful.

"Death to those who would obstruct the plans of the holy faith!"

Report chapter

Jinyintan Village, beneath the moonlight.

Jiang He had brought out a stool to sit, and was swiping through his phone out of boredom.

"What's going on?"

"It's already half an hour, but there's no reaction at all?"

"Maybe corpses can't be planted… wait, was it because I forgot to put nitrogen fertilizer?"

Putting a palm over his face, Jiang He smiled awkwardly, "It's clearly not good putting it in now. Perhaps I should put in some mysterious soil instead."

He took out the small packet where the mysterious soil was kept and poured around a tenth out.

The soil itself has two effects: it strengthens crops, and changes the environment for a short period of time.

After ploughing the soil for a bit, Jiang He then dumped in the mysterious soil.

He then checked the time—it was two in the morning.

"I'm going to bed. I'll know tomorrow morning whether I get something."

Yawning, Jiang He returned to the room, and slept soundly until early next morning when he woke up to Dumbo's barking.

Putting on his clothes and getting out of his room, he found Dumbo standing in the yard, barking at a small tree standing over two meters tall.

The leaves were lush, and there was also a jet-black kitten hanging over the branch.

It was just a little bigger than your usual cat, but it had a powerful presence to it as well as three tails.

As Jiang He looked at it, a row of data showed up.

[Three-tails Demon Cat]

[Rank: Three-Pinnacle]

[Ability: Wind-riding]

Jiang He's expression shifted at the short text, muttering, "What's going on? I planted a rank-one dead cat, but somehow it yields a rank-three demon cat…"

An idea suddenly came to him. "Was that the mysterious soil at work? Then it must be the combined effect of the farm and the mysterious soil. Not only did it evolve the cat demon to rank three, it even awakened its ability!"

The 'ability' mentioned was equivalent to the superpowers that some humans awaken, and another example was the short video Jiang He had seen, claiming that someone had photographed a red fox that could breathe flames in Daxin'anling.

Jiang He turned to Dumbo.

"If that's the case, if I kill Dumbo and plant him, won't I get a rank-three demon dog?"

Seemingly understanding his thoughts, Dumbo shuddered and stood up on its rear legs, bowing respectfully and even acting cute…

"…"

The dog really became humanly intelligent!

The intellect of Ferals evolved as they did, and it was said that rank seven Ferals had comparable intelligence to ordinary adult humans. However, Jiang He estimated

Shoving Dumbo off with his foot, Jiang He arrived beneath the tree and plucked the Three-tails Demon Cat.

[Ding!]

[Farm points 200]

A System notification rang in his head, and Jiang He's eyes swept to the panel, noticing that his farm's EXP had directly increased by 20 points.

"Meow!"

At the same time, the Three-tails Demon Cat had come to life.

Purring, it sneaked inside Jiang He's arms, rubbing its head on him to try to get pampered.

'Ferals grown in my farm would be hundred percent loyal and never betray me.'

Jiang He knew right then, and delightedly let the black cat loose in the yard, saying, "From now on, you'll watch the house with Dumbo."

A cat was fine too.

If Jiang He was bored, he could cuddle with the feline.

"Oh, right. I should name you."

Jiang He mused to himself for a while, before muttering, "Its whole body is black, so Black King? No way, that's too cool… maybe Blackie? Hmmm… you have three tails, so let's call you Trumbo—you'll match Dumbo with that."

The Three-tails Demon Cat rolled on the ground happily at its new name.

On the other hand, Dumbo looked aggrieved and was whimpering unhappily.

At the same time, the tree shoot tumbled with a rumble and turned into a pile of black ashes.

Jiang He handily spread the ashes, before bringing out a pack of carrot seeds from his house to sprinkle over it as well.

When that was done, his money tree was 'bearing fruit' as well.

Watching as the coins rapidly grew into hundred-dollar bills, Jiang He plucked out the bills and wiped sweat off his brow, and exclaimed in delight, "Farming is not bad. As long as there's no Ferals or extraterrestrial threats, patting the cat and walking the dog while minding the yard is good too."

Meanwhile, the other corn that were not planted on the cucumber tree ashes were yielding crops as well, although the corn harvested was nothing special.

The only difference was that the corn ears were larger than normal ones, although it did not offer any farm points either.

As such, Jiang He cut all the corn down—stalk and all, and dumped them to be fed to the neighbors' goats

After busying for the whole morning, Jiang He only managed to get some free time. He bought two steamed buns for breakfast and made some cucumber coleslaw.

Wang Siyu came just as he finished eating.

She was wearing a tracksuit and had her hair tied into a ponytail, her entire body brimming with the scent of youth.

She was holding a note with her, and she handed it to Jiang He.

On it were some numbers and letters: 32, 33, B, C, D.

"What's this?"

Jiang He was left puzzled after a glance at the note, but soon came to a realization when his eyes reached Wang Siyu.

"Is the effect that great?" He exclaimed in surprise. "You're already D? I couldn't have known!"

"Shove off!"

Wang Siyu rolled her eyes at him, although her tone was almost a playful pout.

Still, she soon recovered and seriously said, "Here's the data you wanted. The division already sent it so add me on WeChat, and I'll send it to you."

Linking up on WeChat, she sent him the data.

Jiang He opened it on the spot and started studying.

There wasn't anything too mysterious about the information. It includes the summarized data of a bunch of powerful Ferals and certain powerful Awakened individuals in the ten years since Spirit Qi had returned.

Jiang He's gaze eventually reached the data about the ferals.

"King Ferals… beings above rank nine? Can't be killed even with nuclear missiles?"

"And they are all found within the borders of Hua Nation?"

"The Violet-Crowned Golden Eagle of Mount Kunlun near the Western Frontier, the Scarlet Fox of Daxing'anling, the Golden-Crowned Black Eagle of Tianshan, the Nine-Headed Serpent of Panlong Lake… Hold on, the bomb detonated over at Mount Dadong… Was it…"

Jiang He looked up at Wang Siyu, who looked somber as she replied, "The Graywolf King of Mount Dadong. It's confirmed to be a King Feral above rank nine, and one of the few King Ferals found within our borders. The missile yesterday was indeed fired against it, but that didn't kill it. Still, word out is that the best elite of Xibei has gone deep into Mount Dadong to pursue the Wolf King, although there's no feedback on the actual outcome for now."

"Ooof!"

Jiang He gasped and muttered, "Over rank-nine, and terrifying? By the way, does the Sky Demon Sect have elites beyond rank-nine?"

Report chapter

Chapter 21: Strengthened Nine Yang Manual

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Sky Demon Sect?" Wang Siyu thought about it and said, "I've recently learned about that group myself. That said, given how they were able to wreak havoc on a global scale, they definitely have a rank-nine champion protecting them. Otherwise, they would have been destroyed."

Jing He had a grave look on his face. Surpassing rank-nine… a champion who did not have to fear nuclear explosions? And he had provoked a group like that?

'Oh no… I have to come up with something to save my own skin, or I won't ever know peace if the Sky Demon Sect sets their sights on me!'

The look on Jiang He's face kept changing as various thoughts ran through his mind. Eventually, he realized that there was only one solution: root out the problem and destroy the Sky Demon Sect. But he was not powerful enough for that!

With Jiang He not speaking for some time, Wang Siyu asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." Jiang He let out a long breath. "Since I helped the Special Bureau this time, could you help me get more information about the Sky Demon Sect?"

"I'll ask my supervisor when I return. By the way, since you killed seven rank-one Ferals, my superiors have awarded you seventy merit points."

"Merit points?" Jiang He frowned in confusion. "Didn't I kill eight Ferals? How did it become seven?"

"Our people only found the corpses of seven rank-one Ferals." Wang Siyu appeared doubtful too. "I've asked Li Fei, and he said that you killed eight at first… before changing his mind and saying that he didn't remember. That is why the bureau could only reward you according to the number of corpses."

Jiang He was speechless. It would actually be weird if the bureau found eight corpses, since he had taken one home with him. But the point here was…

How stupid was Two Dog Li? How could he not remember how many Ferals were killed?

After thinking for a bit, Jiang He asked, "What are the merit points for?"

"For trade!" explained Wang Siyu. "The country is ready to establish a Martial Arts Management Department. When that happens, there will be a platform where martial artists and the Awakened can trade, using merit points as currency. Right now, the goverenment has set an exchange rate of around ten thousand dollars for one point."

"Of course, merit pints can also be traded with our bureau to redeem martial arts manuals, weapons, or even medicinal pellets." There was a look of envy on her face as she continued, "I've been in the bureau for more than three months and I've only managed to get nine merit points, whereas you've earned seventy points on a single mission. I'm so jealous, I could die.

Jiang He was a little surprised. "Oh? Medicinal pellets that improve cultivation are already available?"

"Yes, but there's not much in stock, and they are few in variety," said Wang Siyu, not withholding anything from him. "The country founded the National Superpower Research Department eight years ago. They are in charge of research, as well as of developing various alloys and medicinal pellets. Pairing their work with some traditional martial arts recipes have shown some results too."

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat! Medicinal pellets? Could his farm grow those too?

He smiled at Wang Siyu. "Now that I have seventy merit points, what medicial pellets can I exchange for? Are there any that helps cultivation and improves a user up to rank-four in martial arts?"

For Jiang He, eating cucumbers was a quick way to rise up to rank-four in martial arts. But for one, he had eaten too much cucumber, to the point that even his burps stank of cucumber. Secondly, while the cucumber strengthened the body and qi, reaching the true qi phase at rank-four would diminish its effects.

But now, Jiang He could try growing some medicinal pellets to help with that problem.

"There should be some," said Wang Siyu. "But they won't come cheap. I'll ask around when I head back."

After seeing her off, Jiang He quickly returned to his yard.

His farm was already at level two now, meaning that he could plant two more martial arts manuals. After thinking long and hard about it, Jiang He decided on the Nine Yang Manual and the Treading Over Ripples.

The Nine Yang Manual develops inner strength, whereas the Treading Over Ripples develops physical movement. Since Jiang He already had the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the Indestructible Diamond, he would be able to at least fight, defend himself, and run away.

Taking out the Nine Yang Manual that he had photocopied, Jiang He put it into the dirt along with a pellet of nitrogen fertilizer.

And yet…

Nothing happened for a long time.

"What's going on, System? Could it be that the number of martial arts manuals that can be grown has not been updated after my farm leveled up?" asked Jiang He.

The System's mechanical voice rang out.

"Only martial arts manuals personally copied by the Host can be planted.

What the…

Jiang He's face darkened.

Couldn't you mention something so important earlier?

When he recalled that he had spend a few dozen bucks on printing tens of pages, Jiang He's heart ached. All he could do was return to his home and pick up his pen and paper to copy the Nine Yang Manual.

'He is as strong as a breeze grazing the mountains. He is as bright as a moon that illuminates a great river. He is as vicious as…'

Bit by bit, the mnemonic chant slowly appeared on paper. It took half an hour for Jiang He to finish copying the whole manual.

As he crumpled the papers and dumped it into a hole, an idea suddenly came to mind.

"The Mysterious Soil strengthens crops. Then… would it strengthen the Nine Yang Manual too?"

This time, Jiang He poured out half of the Mysterious Soil he had and buried it. Then, he took out a cucumber and threw half of it to Dumbo, while he crunched away on the other half in the yard.

It was only five minutes later when a sprout parted the earth and grew out of the soil. However, Jiang He was surprised that the System finally showed some creativity this time—the Nine Yang Manual did not grow into a tree, but into nine shining, bulbous objects!

At the same time, the nine shining objects were getting larger and brighter, until each was the size of a small millstone. The radiance of the objects burned, as if nine suns were hanging in the yard.

Jiang He's eyes brightened. "Awesome!"

Activating Indestructible Diamond to repel the searing heat, he slowly walked up and noticed that each of the nine millstone-sized 'suns' had a martial arts manual page on them.

[Ding!]

[100 Farm Points]

A System notification jingled in Jiang He's head once he took one down.

He did a double take.

"One martial arts page is worth 100 Farm Points and 10 EXP? I've hit it rich! Doesn't that mean that a single Nine Yang Manual earns me 900 Farm Points and 90 EXP? Minus the price of the nitrogen fertilizer, I'll still earn 800 Farm Points."

He plucked all nine pages. With a rumble, the nine 'suns' all died out into nothingness. As Jiang He tidied up the nine pages, lines of data appeared before his eyes.

[Nine Yang Manual (Strengthened)]

[An elite martial art. Cultivation up to Mastery permits the simultaneous exertion of the Nine Yang—razing mountains and boiling seas, impervious to all poisons. Develops a unique indestructible body specialized against Yin poisons, compatible with every other martial art under the sky.]

Report chapter

Chapter 22: The Beast Tamer of the Sky Demon Sect Has Come!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Cultivation up to Mastery permits the simultaneous exertion of the Nine Yang—razing mountains and boiling seas?"

Jiang He grinned, his face radiating delight.

"That sounds about right. This world is clearly a high-elitist realm… or at least medium-elitist? It's only acceptable to have a martial arts manual like this."

In the end, Jiang He was not actually all that surprised. After all, the System did judge that the Indestructible Diamond and the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms were low-level.

[High-level martial arts manual detected: Nine Yang Manual (Strengthened)]

[Host, would you like to consume 2,000 Farm Points to cultivate the first tier of Nine Yang Manual (Strengthened)?]

The look of bliss on Jiang He's face promptly hardened. His eyes shot towards the System panel to find that he had only accumulated 1,763 Farm Points. And here he was thinking that he had some capital now…

'In the end, I'm just a slumdog. I'm not even a peasant. If the first tier costs two thousand Farm Points, wouldn't the second or third tier cost tens of thousands of points? Are you trying to drain me dry, System?!' he spat inwardly.

Be that as it may, Jiang He quietly took out a pea seed.

"One pea seed gives me two hundred Farm Points. After taking away the cost of one nitrogen fertilizer, that's one hundred Farm Points earned. Even if I planted both peas, I'll still be short of two thousand Farm Points."

Jiang He pointed at the ground. Dumbo promptly reacted, clawing at the earth with all four paws to dig a hole. When it was done, it looked up and leveled a look of disdain at Trumbo.

'Trying to steal love from me now, are you? Little rascal!'

Trumbo, who was napping while sunbathing, merely lifted an eyelid in Dumbo's direction.

Meanwhile, Jiang He planted the pea and redeemed one nitrogen fertilizer. He then took out what Mysterious Soil he had left and poured it into the hole along with the fertilizer!

"Since standard sowing won't give me two thousand Farm Points, I'll try adding some Mysterious Soil."

With that done, Jiang He took a look at the time. It was somehow two in the afternoon already. He went back inside the house, steamed some rice, and made a cucumber coleslaw out of another stick of cucumber.

"Yeah, the timing's just right. The rice will be cooked by the time I harvest the peas, and the coleslaw will have time to marinate in the seasoning."

But when he stepped out of the house, he found that a pea tree had already matured in the center of his yard. Strands of pea pods were dangling from it—200 of them.

Moreover, the data appearing before Jiang He's eyes had changed.

[Pea (Strengthened)]

[Inedible, highly explosive. Please handle with extreme care.]

[Usage: Throw very hard.]

[Gentle reminder: It is suggested that the Host drop to the ground and clutch his head with both hands after throwing to stay immune from damage.]

"From the introduction alone, it seems stronger than the usual peas… but I'll have to try throwing it to know how much more powerful it is."

Jiang He walked up and plucked one of the pods.

[Ding!]

[Farm Points 5]

Jiang He was delighted. Normal pea pods would have only awarded him one Farm Point each, but they were now yielding him five times more points than before. It meant that even after deducting 100 points for the nitrogen fertilizer, he would have 900 points remaning, giving him more than enough to cover the 2,000 Farm Points he needed.

As he started plucking the other pods, he thought to himself, 'If I'm getting five times the Farm Points, doesn't that mean that the Pea Bomb will be five times more powerful'?

Soon, he had plucked every last pea pod, and the tree immediately crashed into the ground with a rumble, turning into a pile of black ash. Jiang He ordered Dumbo to spread out the ashes, while he returned inside his house and cultivated the Strengthened Nine Yang Manual.

[Ding!]

[-2,000 Farm Points]

[Congratulations, Host. You have cultivated the Nine Yang Manual to First-Tier Mastery.]

The System notification rang in Jiang He's mind, and soon, the First-Tier mnemonic chant of the Nine Yang Manual surged into his head. Soon, he felt his qi and blood stirring on their own, crashing through his various acupoints.

Bloop, bloop.

With nine echoes, his nine acupoints were forcefully opened. Those nine acupoints drew from the Universal Force. As the Nine Yang Manual worked in Jiang He's body, it promptly changed that energy into the purest of true qi.

"Am I rank-four now?"

Excited, Jiang He soon turned his focus to his cultivation, empowering his Nine Yang martial arts and refining the Force, while feeling the true qi in his body become even more powerful.

Jiang He then realized that he had gained 'Insight'. The true qi in his body flowed along his limbs, bones, and nerves, finally reaching his belly.

"That must be the martial artists' home of qi… in other words, the Cinnabar Fields often mentioned in novels."

Jing He only opened his eyes a full hour later. He could feel the invigorating and overflowing true qi swirling in his body. The sensation was as scorching as the sun. Something extraordinary happened as soon as he charged his true qi—it was as if a great sun was rising from his head.

Jiang He hence withdrew it, quietly musing his intention to assess his own power now.

"In the first place, the Nine Yang Manual is synonymous with powerful true qi, and my true qi is up to five times stronger than others of my same rank… In fact, I could be ten times stronger since this is a Strengthened version!"

"Moreoever, once I've cultivated the Nine Yang martial arts, I will possess an indestructible body, and needn't fear underhanded martial arts or poison…"

"Most importantly, this martial art unleashes a person's potential. When learned, normal punches and kicks will be bursting with great power, and other martial arts can be learned quickly. No wonder it is compatible with every other martial art under the sky…"

"Alright, I can't make up more stuff! At the end of the day, it has only been ten days since I've come across martial arts. I'm a newbie for all intents and purposes, and everything I know about the martial arts hierarchy is from what other people told me. The old saying that 'practice is the criterion of truth' definitely applies here. I can only judge after I try it myself."

Jiang He glanced at his system panel.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Rank Four Intermediate]

[Ability: None]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Novice), Strengthened Nine Yang Manuals (First Tier)]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 2 (EXP 220/500)

[System Backpack: 6 Boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 663]

Having 1,763 Farm Points at first, Jiang He had exchanged 100 points for a nitrogen fertilizer pellet to plant the strengthened peas, earning himself 1,000 points. Since cultivating the Strengthened Nine Yang Manual had cost him 2,000 points, he was therefore left with only 663 points.

"Not bad, I can cultivate the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms a bit now."

With that, Jiang He spent another 500 points to improve his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

"Although there are eighteen different styles of Dragon Subduing Palms, the effect would more or less be the same… If five hundred Farm Points only cultivates one style, wouldn't I have to spend nine thousand to cultivate all of them?" complained Jiang He, unable to hold back a chuckle.

After all, it felt amazing to have his power improving by leaps and bounds.

He then checked the time. It was past six o'clock. It would soon be night, and he had not even had lunch yet. The rice he cooked and the cucumbers he cut earlier were still there. By the time Jiang He finished his meal and washed the dishes, the skies were already dark.

Throwing himself onto his bed, he was swiping through his phone when his ears pricked up at the sound of faint taps on his roof. Dumbo started to bark wildly in the next second.

Meow!

A sharp feline purr echoed just before the Three-tails Demon Cat that had been napping in the yard turned into a black blur and lunged above the house.

Jiang He was about to get up with a flip, but there was a loud crash before he could move!

The roof…

Collapsed!

Punching out and sending the falling tiles flying, Jiang He leapt out of the hole on his roof to find that his Three-tails Demon Cat had turned into the size of a calf. It was dragging a black cat of equal size down from the roof to the yard, and was mauling it to death.

"A Feral?" Jiang He's heart sank. "The beast-tamer of the Sky Demon Sect has come!"

Report chapter

Chapter 23: Medicine, Medicine…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

By the time Jiang He leapt off the roof, the Feral had already been mauled to death. Meanwhile, Trumbo was rapidly shrinking. It licked off the blood around its mouth, and then meowed cutely at Jiang He.

He grimaced and asked, "You can change your size?"

Trumbo nodded.

"Then, can you turn into other stuff?"

Trumbo shook its head.

Hearing some commotion outside, Jiang He quickly put the corpse on the ground into his System backpack with a swipe of his hand. "Alright, you and Dumbo stay in the yard. Don't come out if there's nothing wrong."

Just outside, there was the sound of footsteps. With the huge racket the collapsing of his roof caused, all of Jiang He's neighbours were startled. When Jiang He opened his gates, there were more than twenty people standing outside, curiosity and concern written all over each of their faces.

"Everyone—uncles, aunties, gramps, and grannies. It's fine, it's fine. It's just my old house falling apart after going years without maintenance."

"Are you alright?" asked an elderly, white-haired man.

"I'm fine. Just fine," replied Jiang He.

Even so, the old man thumped his walking stick on the ground and scolded indignantly, "What is Xiao Wang doing? Isn't he the village chief? Wasn't there supposed to be a project to renovate old houses? Why isn't Jiang He on the list?"

"Don't be angry, old head. I've already approved the renovation of Jiang He's house, and work should start after autumn," said Chief Wang, wiping the sweat off his forehead, having just run over.

"After autumn? It'll be September soon, and you're still waiting for after autumn?"

Although the old head was already over sixty, he still had a temper.

"I've watched Jiang He grow up since he was a child," he scolded. But now that his house has collapsed, he won't even have a place to stay. Doesn't the village have some unused funds set aside? Let's use it to cover the damage. Think of it as giving Jiang He a loan. We'll reimburse the village once the funds for the renovation of the old houses come in."

The other villagers all showed their approval.

Unable to hold them back, Chief Wang smiled bitterly. "That's a misappropriation of public funds. All of you are forcing me to commit a crime! How about this? I'll pay for Jiang He's renovation myself, and he can pay me back after he earns some money."

"That'll do."

One of the women in the crowd giggled. "Still, aren't you being too stingy, Chief Wang? He's your own family, why ask him for money?"

"What do you mean, my family?" asked Chief Wang, at a total loss.

"Your daughter has been coming here every day, I saw it clearly…" said the woman.

When Jiang He saw that Chief's Wang face had turned green, he quickly said, "Madam Zhang, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Anyway, thank you everyone for your concern, but I'm fine. It's late now, please returned to your homes."

Steeling himself, he sent the passionate crowd home. Chief Wang, however, did not leave. There was a slightly dark look on his face as he glared viciously at Jiang He.

Laughing drily, Jiang He smiled. "Chief Wang, please come in and we'll talk."

There were three buildings in Jiang He's house. Although two had collapsed, one was still hospitable.

Chief Wang yelped in surprise right after he entered the main gates. "What's that? What did I step on?" he exclaimed. His face fell when he flashed his phone's light at it, and he cried out, "Blood! Why is there so much blood?"

As a matter of fact, although he had instantly dealt with the Feral cat's corpse, Jiang Fei hadn't had enough time to clear the trails of blood from the ground. But while he was racking his brains to come up with an explanation, Wang Siyu urgently ran up to them, looking concerned.

"What happened, Jiang He?" she asked.

Jiang He glanced between father and daughter. "Let's talk inside."

In the house, Chief Wang's expression darkened once again. He glanced at Wang Siyu, and then at Jiang He. There was no telling what he was thinking.

Wang Siyu, however, was frowning thoughtfully. "Feral?" At Jiang Fei's nod, her face fell. "There's a Feral in the village now? Oh, no! Dad, you have to warn the villagers while I alert the bureau, or there will be serious casualties if the Feral goes on a rampage."

"Don't worry." Jiang He simply waved her off. "It's just a rank-one Demon Cat. I've already killed it."

Beside them, Chief Wang was glancing back and forth between the pair. His dark look turned to confusion as he muttered, "Siyu, what do you mean by Feral? And that bureau you mentioned… what is actually going on?"

Suddenly, his voice changed as he came to a realization. "Wait, are you hooking up with Jiang He? No, I won't agree to this relationship!" he said firmly.

Jiang He was stunned.

What the heck?!

Aren't you leaping to conclusions?

At the same time, Wang Siyu blushed and quickly explained, "Dad, it's not what you think. Jiang He and I… we are working together. He helped my bureau with a case, and I came here a few times to iron out the details."

Chief Wang looked halfway between being convinced and doubtful. "What case? Did you join the student council?"

Wang Siyu facepalmed. She had been keeping this matter from her family, and was unsure how she should talk about it.

Jiang He couldn't resist breaking into a chuckle. "Perhaps you're not aware, Chief Wang?" He laughed again. "Your daughter is quite something—she has actually joined a secret government agency, and she has a bright future ahead of her. As for Ferals… I guess you could actually call them monsters. And your daughter's group specializes in fighting them."

While that description was not exactly accurate, that was the general gist of it.

Chief Wang stared at Jiang Fei without saying a word.

"Dad, everything Jiang He said is true. Why would you curse him?" said Wang Siyu.

"I'm not."

"You are, in your head."

"In my head?" snorted Chief Wang, fuming "Girl, why would you team up with an outsider? And are you sure you know what I'm thinking?"

"Yes! I know, because I can read minds," replied Wang Siyu seriously.

An exasperated Chief Wang only spoke after a beat, while pointing a finger at Jiang He, "Then, what about him? Is he the same as you?"

"Jiang He can't read minds, but he has the ability to tame beasts. He can control animals, even Ferals."

"Heh…"

Lighting himself a cigarette, it seemed that Chief Wang would not believe anything they said, even if they were to kill him.

"Amazing. You're really grown up now," he sneered. "I wouldn't stop you if you want a partner after you've graduated, but how many lies are you and Jiang He coming up with now? Do you really take your dad for a fool?"

Jiang He was rather speechless.

"You really don't give up, do you, Chief Wang? Well… my description might have been a bit generic, but the idea was there. How about this? Let me show you my beast-taming powers."

He then yelled outside, "Dumbo. Trumbo. Come in."

The cat and dog ran into the building one after another, and once Dumbo saw Chief Wang, it promptly hid its face behind its paws. Then, standing on its rear legs like a human, it took off, dashing back outside.

Frustrated, Jiang He yelled at it, "Come back here, doggone it! You think Chief Wang won't recognize you just because you hide your face?"

Yip-yip.

Dumbo whimpered but returned.

It was still standing on two legs, clasping its front paws behind its back while fidgeting along the walls. It looked no different from a grade schooler who had been caught red-handed doing something naughty.

"What the…" gasped Chief Wang. His breaths came out in shallow pants, and he clutched his chest in agony. "Medicine… medicine…"

Report chapter

Chapter 24: Jiang He Strikes Back

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Panicking, Wang Siyu rose to her feet, ready to run home for her father's medicine. "My father has a bad heart and a high lipid count. The doctors said that he mustn't get too excited…"

"Don't panic. I have an idea," said Jiang He slowly.

Working his Nine Yang technique, he sent a True Qi-infused breath over to Chief Wang. Soon, his complexion improved and his breathing returned to normal too.

Turning to Jiang He, he asked in confusion, "What did you just do me? I could feel something warm entering me…."

Jiang He gritted his teeth. Why did it feel like Chief Wang was saying something lewd?

On the other hand, Wang Siyu looked stunned and was at a loss for words. "Neijing, true qi… Did you reach rank-four in martial arts, Jiang He?"

"Yup." Jiang He grinned since he had nothing to hide. "I've just made a breakthrough today."

"Rank-four martial artist, rank-four martial artist…" muttered Wang Siyu, before suddenly exclaiming, "You've just improved today! How could you be so wasteful when our true qi is so weak? My house is just nearby, I could have gone back for the medicine."

Jiang He chuckled.

His true qi, weak? So, why did he feel like he was overflowing with true qi? In fact, forget about just one breath, he could probably pass up to fifty more breaths of true qi.

Meanwhile, Chief Wang was utterly confused, although he did manage to understand a few things.

"Wang Siyu, what are you talking about?" he yelled with a scowl. "I was saved thanks to Jiang He and his… true qi or whatever, and you call it a waste?"

That being said, his attitude towards Jiang He had improved considerably.

Taking a long look at him, and then at Wang Siyu, Chief Wang barked, "You better have a good explanation when you come home later. Monsters, martial artists, superpowers, and whatnot… it's like I'm dreaming."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and headed towards the door.

Stopping when he reached the doorway, Chief Wang pointed at Dumbo and scolded it, "You ungrateful white-eyed wolf. To think that I've reared you for so long."

In response, Dumbo turned around, keeping its face towards the wall and its back to Chief Wang, who stamped his foot in frustration and stormed off. Back in the house, Wang Siyu and Jiang He remained where they were, looking at each other.

It was only after half a beat that Jiang He asked, "So, does that mean your father is giving us his approval?"

"Bleh!" spat Wang Siyu. Her expression turned serious. "What happened just now, Jiang He? I've been surveying the village over the last few days—why would a Feral suddenly appear here?"

"That Feral didn't come from the village," mused Jiang He. "The Sky Demon Sect must have sent it."

"What!?" Wang Siyu promptly rose to her feet in concern. "The Sky Demon Sect is targeting you?" Gritting her teeth, she whipped out her phone. "I have to report this to my superiors. The only reason you ended up provoking the Sky Demon Sect is because you helped us during our mission. The bureau must come up with a solution for this."

Jiang He didn't stop her while she had a few words with her superiors, who soon gave a response: they would be stationing an accomplished martial artist at Jinyintan village, while also arranging for the military and police to protect the village.

The National Special Case Management Bureau would also reimburse Jiang He for all damages to his house.

Wang Siyu repeated her superiors' words to Jiang He verbatim, then paused before adding, "Since your house collapsed, why don't you stay at my place? I heard from my father that my brother's project has been put on hold and he'll be coming back in two days. When that happens, the construction team he supervises can help you build another house."

"Stay at your place?" Jiang He chuckled. "If I do, there'll be rumors flying around the village in less than three days."

Such was how things were in the village. Word of anything happening in somebody's house could spread everywhere at any given moment, unlike in the city where you could still be strangers with your neighbours, even with repeated encounters, and even if you're separated by only a floor.

Wang Siyu blushed. "I'll get my father to vacate one of the village committee's room. You can stay there."

"No need," replied Jiang He. "I can still stay here. Even if push comes to shove, I can build a tent in the yard."

He did not dare to leave, not even when the builders come in later. After all, there was a money-growing tree in his farm.

"By the way, Wang Siyu, when you get back, check if they would buy my corn."

"Okay."

After a few more exchanges between them, Wang Siyu finally left, albeit with a worried look on her face. Once she was gone, Jiang He left the room too. He stood in the yard for a long time, staring at the two collapsed houses.

"Get out here, Dumbo!" he yelled suddenly. With a swipe of his hand, he dumped the cat corpse on the ground with a long face. "Search for the place where this thing came from!"

Dumbo sprawled itself beside the corpse and sniffed before running out of the gates. Meanwhile, the Three-tails Demon Cat climbed up to Jiang He's shoulder, mewing and acting cute.

Jiang He slapped it off with disdain. "Your whole mouth is covered in blood. You can come and be all cute again after I bathe you when I'm done with this."

He strode out into the night, following after Dumbo, his eyes burning with flames of rage.

"Bullies! The Sky Demon Sect are all bullies! I've only killed a few of your rank-one Ferals, but you demolished my house and tried to kill me?"

Jiang He had read many novels of that genre, and was familiar with the warped methods of cults. Trouble would keep coming if he did not strike back. He wouldn't be able to peacefully walk down the streets, let alone get a good night's sleep, for fear that someone could attack him at any time.

"And that is why… So that I won't be ambushed in the streets… So that I can have sweet dreams when I go to bed every night… I must strike back!"

Up ahead, Dumbo was sniffing left and right and, and soon arrived at the eastern end of the village. There were vast tracts of cornfields and greenhouses, and Li Fei's breeder's union was just a bit further away.

Meanwhile, in a corn field approximately one kilometer away from Jiang He.

A middle-aged man hidden beneath black robes was sitting crossed-legged on the ground. There was another man beside him, who had a small frame and was wearing a tracksuit. Measuring at just a bit over 1.6 meters, nobody outside the corn field would see him.

Even so, his presence was extremely fearsome, with a curved blade dangling from his hip.

"Did you fail?" he asked, speaking in a rather stiff Mandarin accent.

"I failed," said the middle-aged man in black robes hoarsely. "But that man is rather peculiar… He actually rears a rank-three Feral in his own house."

"Oh? He's a beast-tamer too? A suspected rank-three martial artist and a beast tamer at that… interesting."

"No, if he was a beast-tamer, I would have sensed it," said the black-robed man, before suddenly turning away.

There was a rustling sound, and soon a dog that stood as tall as a human crossed the cornfield and reached him. The black-robed man put his hand on the dog's head and closed his eyes.

Just a moment later, he opened them again and cried out in surprise, "Not good! That man has pursued us here. Master Cordo, let's get away from here."

The midget's name was as weird as his appearance. The bridge of his nose was rather high, and he had sunken eyes. He clearly looked to be someone from the Western Frontier.

Nonetheless, he drew out his blade and smiled sinisterly. "It's just a rank-three martial artist, why run? We'll kill him and take his head, then we'll let you and your treasure go to the village for a nice slaughter. Chaos can only be sowed with that, and it's a chance for our holy faith to make its way into the Northwest."

True qi was faintly swirling over the edge of the blade.

Report chapter

Chapter 25: Forgot to Keep Them Alive

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Jiang He felt a sudden rush of blood to his brain.

The autumn winds rustled.

Beneath the moonlight, he stood on a footpath over the cornfield, muttering to himself, "Aren't I being a little impulsive? I am out in the open, but the enemy is hidden and I know nothing about their strength. There'll be nothing to say if I can beat them, but if I can't…"

Ready to leave, he called out to Dumbo. As long as he stayed alive, he would always have another shot at facing this enemy. Once he went home and came up with a way to grow the medicinal pellets, and then started downing them every day, would he still have to fear the Sky Demon Cult?

Still, Dumbo did not move at all. It was crouching, as if ready to pounce, and growling, looking vicious as it bared its fangs. The Three-Tails Demon Cat was also mewing shrilly, having enlarged itself beside Dumbo to guard Jiang He.

Jiang He's face twitched as he looked up ahead. There was a sudden noise in the cornfield, and soon two figures stepped out, with the massive rank-two Feral dog behind them.

Brandishing his curved blade, Cordo did a double take when he saw the sight that welcomed him. "A rank-one and a rank-three," he exclaimed in surprise, "And you're still staying that he's not a beast-tamer?"

The black-robed figure did not say a word. Instead, he put his fingers into the corners of his mouth and whistled sharply. In the next second, rustles echoed across every direction as a dozen Ferals emerged out of the cornfield.

Most of them were cats and dogs, along with a gray wolf and a giant snake that was a dozen meters in length and half a meter thick. He was definitely a beast-tamer, but he had not Awakened for too long, and thus could not control stronger Ferals. Most importantly, there were not many Ferals that he could use around here.

At the other end of the cornfield, Jiang He's expression became somber. A rank-four martial artist, a mysterious beast-tamer, and a dozen Ferals nearby. As a newbie martial artist, where would he ever have encountered such a sight before?

"It's dangerous! It's too dangerous! Even though I'm not weak, I still don't have much combat experience. I can't hold back… there's no way I can hold back. I have to kill with each blow just in case!"

Sweat was dripping from Jiang He's brow. He turned his hand, a pea appearing between his fingers as he growled, "Dumbo, Trumbo, back!"

Ever obedient to Jiang He's every word, Trumbo turned and ran. Dumbo leveled a confused look at Jiang He before leaving as well. The other Ferals did not stop them. Indeed, perhaps the beast-tamer felt that sparing the rank-three and rank-one Ferals offered his side a better advantage.

At the same time, Cordo took a step forward, his rank-four pinnacle aura bursting out and flattening the corn stalks around them.

There was a fierceness in his eyes as he sneered, "Kid, there's a road to paradise and yet you wouldn't take it, but you would crash into hell when there's not even a door. Have you thought about how you want to die, fighting against my holy faith?"

Jiang He clenched the pea and seethed, "Don't move. Take another step and I'll throw my grenade!"

"Grenade?"

Cordo did a double take. He was a rank-four martial artist like Jiang He, with vision surpassing most humans, and could clearly see the pea in Jiang He's hand. Well, it was a big pea—oily green yet crystalline.

Cordo laughed out loud. "Kid, I didn't study much in school, but I'm not an idiot. Who do you think you're scaring with that pea… woah!"

Before he could finish, the crystalline, oily green pea was flying towards him. A bone-chilling sense of danger suddenly ignited in him. On instinct, Cordo withdrew, charging his true qi to protect his body.

But in the next instant, the pea landed on the ground.

Boom!

There was a dull crash as terrific fiery light shot into the sky. Even the earth vaguely quaked as the shockwave of the blast sent the Ferals surrounding Jiang He into the air.

On the other hand, the beast-tamer shrouded in black robes and his big dog were much closer to the blast than Cordo, who had reacted quickly and retreated over dozens of meters away.

The beast-tamer, however, had not.

All he saw was a sudden brightness—the horrific fiery light was rather blinding—followed by a seismic force that struck his body, sending him flying like a ragdoll, with the two halves of his body hurtling in opposite directions.

Meanwhile, the giant rank-two dog he had spent a lot of effort in controlling was reduced to pulp in the blast.

His black robes were shredded even before his lanky body crashed down amongst the corn. It was only then that he realized something.

"Oh, so that's my lower body…"

That was his last thought.

"What the…"

Jiang He himself was stunned by the destructive force of the Pea Bomb.

He had forgotten the 'gentle reminder' from the System just then, although he had at least instinctually charged his Indestructible Diamond and Nine Yang techniques to protect himself. Hence, when the horrific shockwave and scorching heat struck his body…

His defense, Indestructible Diamond, was blasted apart!

There was a faint cracking sound as Jiang He spat out a mouthful of blood. He stumbled backwards over a dozen paces before he could anchor himself. Directing his true qi to suppress his boiling qi and blood, Jiang He recharged Indestructible Diamond again.

At the same time, his eyes found the epicenter of the explosion—the spot where his 'pea' landed.

There was now a three-meter wide and one-meter deep crater at the center of the once-emerald cornfield. The footpath and corn stalks around it were left in an utter mess, and the corpse of the Feral dog sprawled over the ground did not even resemble a dog. The body parts of the other Ferals were strewn all over as well.

Woah!

Jiang He gapsed and mused, "A normal pea is already so powerful? Even though I am over twenty meters away from the blast, the shockwave alone punched through my Indestructible Diamond, overheating my qi and blood, and causing me to vomit blood! And the strengthened peas are five times more powerful… I would be dead if I used that just now."

He paused, looking around. "Hold on… where's the short one?"

Jiang He's face fell right then. He promptly turned as a dark shadow shot towards him. Like a crescent moon, the blade in the dark figure's hand slashed down at Jiang He with a sinister glint. It landed directly on Jiang He's chest.

Stumbling two steps back, he kept his eyes fixed on the figure and seethed, "Not dead yet, shortie?"

"Hmm?"

Cordo was provoked by the name-calling.

He was about to press his advantage, but promptly held back even as he put one foot forward, crying out involuntarily, "No way! You're not a rank-five martial artist—there's no way you could remain unscathed by my blade!"

"Unscathed?"

Touching his chest, Jiang He's fingers found a trickle of blood.

"What nonsense are you spouting, shortie? Your blade is definitely powerful enough to slice through my Indestructible Diamond and cut through my chest… the skin, that is. And you call that unscathed?" he replied, scowling.

Feeling as though his intelligence was being insulted, Cordo growled, "I would rather die than endure this humiliation! Come at me, kid! I, Cordo, will cut you down and clear an obstacle for the holy faith!"

Brandishing his blade, he lunged towards Jiang He again. He had just started forward when he heard a deafening draconic roar, and the silhouette of a golden dragon crashed directly into his chest.

"Mighty Dragon Shows Remorse is actually that powerful?"

Jiang He turned towards the short man, whose lifeless form had flown out over twenty meters away.

"Damn it," he murmured. "I just wanted fight at my full power to prevent another incident, but I completely forgot to keep them alive for interrogation and torture to unmask their mastermind!"

Report chapter

Chapter 26: What Are You Saying? I Can't Hear You!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

At Wang Siyu's home back in Jinyintan Village.

"Mom, Dad, it really isn't what you think!"

As soon as she returned home, Wang Siyu had been pressed onto the sofa and interrogated by her parents. All she could do was show a pained smile.

"Jiang He and I are definitely just working partners… Moreover, he might not even see me that way!"

"What?" Chief Wang slammed his hand on the table and rose to his feet, barking, "How dare he?!"

As he was experiencing some serious hair loss, his bald spot glinted beneath the ceiling lights as he spoke. "My daughter has both character and looks. What is Jiang He compared to that, aside from being a little good looking?"

"He's a class-B beast-tamer and a rank-four martial artist who has cultivated true qi," said Wang Siyu seriously. "Mom, Dad, the world has changed. In the future, strength will become the truth in society."

She then earnestly informed her parents about revival of spirit qi, saying, "I didn't tell you before because the bureau has a confidentiality policy… but there is no keeping it a secret now. That said, you mustn't tell anyone so as to prevent causing unnecessary panic."

Chief Wang's facial expression changed a few times before he came to an understanding. "No wonder the government is implementing their policies and relocating people even before the resettlement housings are finished. According to what you said, this would be to gather the population to make it more convenient to manage and protect them."

"Yes." Wang Siyu had thought about that too. "The revival of spirit qi affects secluded regions the most, such as mountains, scenic routes, and coastal areas. That is why all concerned departments have already planned for that."

Nonetheless, it was a rather somber topic.

When Wang Siyu saw that her parents were stunned by the 'revival of spirit qi' and weren't talking about Jiang He anymore, she quickly changed the topic.

"By the way, I heard that Brother is coming back the day after tomorrow, right?" she asked with a smile.

That was when her mobile phone started ringing. Her expression changed a little once she saw the caller ID, and she quickly answered.

"Team leader Duan, what is it?"

The caller was Duan Tianhe, team leader of the National Special Case Management Bureau's Wextern Xia province division.

"Where are you, Wang Siyu? Tell Jiang He that he has to stay very alert! I've just received news that the Sky Demon Sect is intent on making serious trouble, and has even sent a heavenly general into Lingzhou. After Jiang He helped our division sabotage their plans, the Sky Demon Sect would definitely want to deal with him! According to what I know, a rank-four pinnacle martial artist wants Jiang He's head."

"What?!"

A shocked Wang Siyu promptly rose to her feet as she listened to the rest of what Duan Tianhe was saying.

"I've just returned from Mount Dadong and will probably reach you in forty minutes. If the Sky Demon Sect doesn't make a move, then things will be fine. But if they do, your village might get involved. You have to contact Li Fei right now and monitor the whole village. Report back to me if there's any movement at all."

He hung up right after that.

On the other hand, Wang Siyu could only feel her head ringing. At the end of the day, she was just a little girl who had only recently Awakened, and encoutering such a matter would naturally make her blank out. Still, she soon calmed down.

"Dad, tell everyone in the village to stay in their homes and not take a single step outside!"

Chief Wang, who had been right beside Wang Siyu when she got the call, couldn't help asking, "What Sky Demon Sect… what's going on? Can't Jiang He handle it?"

"No, he can't! Jiang He only reached rank-four today, whereas the Sky Demon Sect sent a rank-four pinnacle martial artist. The gap is too huge! I just hope my team leader will get here in time, or Jiang He won't be the only victim once the Sky Demon Sect makes their move. Many in our village will die!" exclaimed Wang Siyu as she ran outside.

Though her superpower was mind-reading, she had trained herself recently, which was why she was physically better than the average human.

Soon, she arrived at Jiang He's house. The main gates were open, but there was no one inside. She whipped out her phone to call Jiang He when a rumble echoed over from the east.

Wang Siyu turned to find a dazzling fiery light shooting into the skies from the east side of the village, illuminating much of the night sky for an instant. Alarmed, many villagers stepped outside their house, with some of the more curious ones ready to head out to the east for a look.

That was when the village wide broadcast system sounded: "Alert, alert. All villagers, please stay inside your homes, do not come out…"

Meanwhile, Wang Siyu's gaze flickered as a worrying thought crossed her mind. 'Bomb! The Sky Demon Sect is attacking!'

Her heart thumped once just then, and she called Jiang He's mobile, but no one answered despite it ringing for a long time. Clenching her teeth, she was about to leave and check out what was going on when Jiang He called her back.

Quickly answering the call, she heard a tirade of curses. Before Jiang He could say a word, she quickly asked, "Where are you, Jiang He? Come home as soon as you can. The Sky Demon Sect has sent a rank-four pinnacle martial artist to kill you!"

"Huh?"

Meanwhile, at the blown-up cornfield on the eastern edge of the village.

Crouched beside Cordo's corpse, Jiang He exclaimed in surprise, "Rank-four pinnacle?" He took another glance at the corpse on the ground, then retorted, "Are you sure about that? This midget, a rank-four pinnacle? He feels so weak in a fight that I assumed he was just a rank-four novice."

"Eh…"

At the same time, Jiang He had found a porcelain bottle which had cracks all over its surface. Although his Mighty Dragon Shows Remorse had not actually struck the vase directly, the burst of strength had spread out, shattering it.

He opened the bottle to find three medicinal pellets of the same hue as red dates. There was a 'Secret Volume of the Blade' as well but it had been torn apart by the Mighty Dragon Shows Remorse.

"Cash, none… cards, none either…" complained Jiang He after scrounging around. "Is everyone in the Sky Demon Sect penniless? A rank-four martial artist doesn't even have any money on him! I guess all the novels are lying—getting an easy million bucks after killing an enemy is all fake!"

"What? What did you say?"

Buzzing static rang over the phone, causing Wang Siyu to hold her phone away from her ear. She could only faintly hear Jiang He mention 'midget' and 'weak', and could not hear anything else clearly.

"What are you talking about, Jiang He? I can't hear you. Where are you?"

Jiang Her picked up the curved blade and studied it. "This blade, on the other hand, is not bad. But a Moonblade like this isn't right for me… I prefer the Dragon-Slaying Saber or the Blizzard Blade with their cool, imposing styles."

When he heard what Wang Siyu said, he exclaimed in surprise, "I can hear you clearly though…maybe the explosion just now knocked out my phone's mics?"

Report chapter

Chapter 27: There Is More To Jiang He Than Meets The Eye!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After muttering to himself, Jiang He promptly hung up and sent a WeChat voice message to Wang Siyu instead.

Soon, she replied with a voice message of her own: "I can hear you now. Where are you, Jiang He?"

"A cornfield at the eastern end of the village."

"Eastern end?" Wang Siyu's tone changed as she quickly said, "There was an explosion there just now! And I received word that a Sky Demon Sect elite is coming for you, so hurry back! Our team leader will be here soon!"

"Sky Demon Sect elite?"

Jiang He responded with another voice message before taking a photo of Cordo's corpse. Even though it was nighttime and dark, the photo came out clear thanks to the flash.

After sending the photo to Wang Siyu, he asked, "Are you talking about this midget? I've beaten him to death, as well as the other beast-tamer of the Sky Demon Sect and over a dozen Ferals… hold on! Where's that big snake? Oh no. One of the Ferals isn't dead yet. It probably ran off… I have to deal with it. We'll talk later."

Jiang He pocketed his phone after sending the voice message. Looking around, he soon found some traces of the serpent. It was exceedingly huge, flattening a lot of corn stalks in its wake and leaving a mess behind. Moreover, it had been wounded by the Pea Bomb and was bleeding profusely along the way.

Jiang He strode forward in pursuit. "Damn it! One actually escaped? That snake is actually a rank-one Feral too! It's worth 10 merit points, meaning a hundred thousand bucks… I'm not letting it go when I can practically taste the money!"

Back at Jiang He's house in the village.

As a WeChat notification jingled, Wang Siyu cliked on her chat with Jiang He and saw the photo he sent to her. She did a double take when she clicked on it, followed by Jiang He's voice message which was transmitted clearly into her ear.

"What… Jiang He killed that rank-four martial artist of the Sky Demon Sect? Along with a dozen Ferals and one Awakened?"

Wang Siyu could only feel her head spinning, unable to focus. That was when team leader Duan called her.

"Wang Siyu, I'm at your village's entrance now. Where are you?"

"I'll be right over."

Taking a deep breath, Wang Siyu went to the village entrance to find a Passat parked there, with a middle-aged man wearing a trench coat standing beside it. He stood at around one-point-seven-five meters tall and looked plain, although he appeared powerful and menacing even as he stood there casually.

Duan Tianhe, rank-six pinnacle martial artist.

No, he is now rank-seven!

Dangers had lurked everywhere during his last journey to Mount Dadong. But despite the horrors and the threat of death, Duan Tianhe's martial arts improved to the level of grandmaster in a single stroke, although he did not make a big fuss about his breakthrough.

"What's the situation?" Duan Tianhe looked somber as he asked about the situation in Jinyintan Village.

However, after musing to herself for a while and still unable to decide how she should start explaining, she simply handed her phone to Duan Tianhe. The photo Jiang He sent her was on the screen.

Duan Tianhe's expression changed after a glance at the photo. "What's this?" He enlarged it and studied it carefully, before exclaiming in surprise, "Cordo?!"

"You know him, team leader Duan?" asked Wang Siyu.

"Cordo is a rank-four martial artist from the Western Frontier," replied Duan Tianhe. "He's good with blades and wields a curved blade. He was an average street thug before the revival of spirit qi, and had learned a martial arts style passed down in his family. After the revival of spirit qi, his martial arts improved by leaps and bounds and he became bolder. He has been the culprit of over a dozen murders, and was on the bureau's wanted list. The Western Frontier division managed to capture him last June, but the transport moving him to a secure prison was attacked by the Sky Demon Sect."

There was an unspoken agony on Duan Tianhe's face. "A good friend of mine was in charge of that operation…" He paused briefly before continuing, "Cordo must have joined the Sky Demon Sect after they saved him. By the way, where did you get that photo?"

"Jiang He sent it to me," said Wang Siyu. "Looks like Cordo was the elite that the Sky Demon Sect sent to handle him. However, he managed to pacify the danger. He said that he killed Cordo, along with a Sky Demon Sect beast-tamer and a dozen Ferals."

"What?" Duan Tianhe appeared surprised. "Come, get in my car. I have a sudden urge to meet this Jiang He."

He couldn't help being surprised, mainly because the information surrounding Jiang He was changing too rapidly. Duan Tianhe himself had read through Jiang He's information earlier and learnt that he might be a C-class beast-tamer.

But just days later, Jiang He's information was updated to B-class beast tamer, as well as a martial artist between rank-two or three. Moreover, he had just received this latest information about Jiang He yesterday at Mount Dadong.

How was he able to kill Cordo, a rank-four pinnacle martial artist, in the blink of an eye?

His Passat cut through the village and soon arrived at the eastern end. When they reached the cornfield, Duan Tianhe and Wang Siyu found it in an utter mess.

The corpses of twelve rank-one Ferals were neatly arranged in a single row, with one rank-two Feral placed next to them. What was left of Cordo's corpse, which was pretty much a bloody pulp, had also been placed beside the rank-two Feral.

Duan Tianhe scanned their surroundings. "Judging from this scene alone, these two Ferals were killed by a bomb that caused a strong explosion… where did Jiang He get it from?"

After all, firearms and explosives were banned in the Hua Nation, so most people wouldn't be able to get their hands on them.

Nonetheless, Duan Tianhe didn't keep probing into the matter and turned his eyes to Cordo's chest. As his gaze focused, he said, "Cordo was killed with a single palm that split all his organs and severed his lifeforce… Every other wound on his body is an instakill from that single palm."

"Instakilled? exclaimed Wang Siyu in surprise, "Jiang He just made a breakthrough to rank-four. Could someone who only recently reached rank-four instakill a rank-four pinnacle martial artist?"

"In an ambush, there's a small chance of that happening. Cordo's wound, however, is from a face-to-face fight…" Duan Tianhe breathed out a long sigh. "There is more to Jiang He than meets the eye. Are you sure he just reached rank-four today? Even the average rank-five pinnacle wouldn't be able to kill Cordo with a single direct palm. By the way, didn't you say that Jiang He killed a beast-tamer of the Sky Demon Sect too?"

"Jiang He? Why isn't he around?"

That was when a dull sound could be heard—it was Jiang He, and he was dragging a snake that was half-a-meter thick and over a dozen meters long out of the cornfield. Even before he reached them, his complaining had already reached their ears.

"You beast! You're so good at running, huh? That's at least over a hundred Mu worth of cornfields ruined…"

Dumping the snake's corpse amongst the pile of other Feral corpses, Jiang He glanced at Duan Tianhe and grinned. "That beast-tamer died rather horribly. I felt disgusted, so I didn't retrieve his coprse."

Report chapter

Chapter 28: How Do You Kill A Grandmaster?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Soon, agents from bureau and the local police arrived. After setting up a perimeter nearby, they began to clear the scene.

In Duan Tianhe's Passat, he had a lively, cheerful chat with Jiang He about many trivial matters before finally getting to the point.

"Jiang He, I heard from Wang Siyu that you've only reached rank-four in martial arts today?"

Jiang He nodded.

Duan Tianhe smiled, but didn't continue probing into the matter.

He had already reached the level of grandmaster, with his Insight extending far beyond from what it reached before, he was able to uncover Jiang He's martial-arts rank with a single glance.

Rank-four intermediate. He also had true qi in abundance far beyond his peers of the same rank.

Still, Duan Tianhe thought that it was not an issue for Jiang He to hide his cultivation, since all martial artists have their own trump cards.

After a brief pause, he added, "Jiang He, I've seen the wounds on the Ferals and Cordo. Aside from the snake, the other Ferals must have been killed by a bomb, whereas Cordo was instakilled by one palm. How did you do it when you've just reached rank-four in martial arts?"

Jiang He glanced at him in slight surprise. He had thought that Duan Tianhe would interrogate him about where he got his bomb and was thinking about how to avoid that conversation. But since Duan Tianhe did not ask, he naturally would not offer an explanation on his own.

After musing to himself for a moment, Jiang He asked, "Team leader Duan, don't you think that your intel has a problem?"

"Hmm?"

"That Cordo you mentioned is a rank-four pinnacle and should be very powerful, but I felt that he was very weak," said Jiang He after giving it some thought. "When I bombed the beast-tamer and his Ferals to death, the midg—I mean, Cordo, managed to escape and backstabbed me from behind, catching me off guard. But then, he immediately died after I palmed him once."

Duan Tianhe's mouth hung open. Though he was not present when that happened, he could determine many things by observing the scene.

For one, Jiang He's white tracksuit was now pitch black, and his face was full of black soot, meaning that he must have been at the edge of the explosion. And yet, under such circumstances, he managed to retaliate against a rank-four pinnacle martial artist and instakill him…

After taking a long look at Jiang He, Duan Tianhe smiled. "You've done well, Jiang He. Getting rid of Cordo and a beast-tamer of the Sky Demon Sect is a great help to our bureau. There would have been severe casualties if they attacked the village with their Ferals."

That was when Wang Siyu's voice could be heard from outside the car. Jiang He opened the car door handily, and she crawled in with an inventory in her hand.

"Team leader Duan, the numbers are in. There were a total of thirteen rank-one Ferals, worth a hundred and thirty merit points, as well as a rank-two Feral worth fifty merit points. As for the beast tamer…"

Wang Siyu paused for a moment before continuing, "He was blasted to a horrific pulp and there's not much to go on, but he should at least be a class-C beast-tamer since he could control so many Ferals. So, he's worth one hundred merit points. And Cordo himself is a rank-four pinnacle martial artist worth five hundred merit points."

Duan Tianhe nodded. "You'll handle this matter. Transfer all the merit points to Jiang He's account."

Beside them, although Jiang He was keeping a straight face, he was secretly thrilled to pieces.

Jackpot!

Jackpot!

What do people mean when they say 'overnight millionaires'?

This!

In a single night, no, in a dozen minutes, he had bombed Ferals and killed Cordo. Even if he added the time it took for him to track them down and travel to the cornfield, it was an hour at most. One hour, and 680 merit points were being deposited into his account. One merit point was worth ten thousand dollars, meaning that he had just earned 6.8 million dollars in just an hour!

'Calm down, calm down. It's just 6.8 million dollars, which is insignificant compared to the wealth my farm could provide. If I wanted to, simply selling a dozen cucumbers would earn me more than that.'

But despite how he was trying to compose himself inwardly, there was a hint of a smile at the corner of Jiang He's lips.

"Oh, right," added Duan Tianhe, "While the National Martial Arts Department is getting ready, the National Superpower Research Department has started to buy Feral materials from various major cities. I've notified their branch at Lingzhou and they should arrive soon."

"Eh?" Jiang He did a double take before asking, "Monster materials… can be sold for money?"

Duan Tianhe chuckled. "Of course. The new metal matrix composites (MMC) are produced by combining a new ore with some extract found in Feral bones. Their meat is also one of the raw materials that can be refined into pellets that improve qi and blood, and is worth at least tens of thousands."

Jiang He stayed silent for a few beats, then suddenly solemnly asked, "Team leader Duan, since you knew that the Sky Demon Sect was coming for me beforehand, does that mean that you have a mole placed in the Sky Demon Sect and are aware of their movements?"

"That's right. The Sky Demon Sect has been active since more than ten years ago. They've been wreacking havoc everywhere, which is why the bureau is setting the stage to go against them," said Duan Tianhe, nodding as he answered truthfully.

"Before this, they have been active at the Western Frontier, Miaojiang, Yungui, and other regions. This time, they sent one heavenly general and several Awakened, along with many rank-six and rank-five martial artists. They perhaps intend to set up a base at Linzhou, using it as a foothold to spread their influence across Xibei, connecting to their comrades at the Western Frontier and Miaojiang. When that happens, they would be tough to handle."

"But this time, I've learned some information about the Sky Demon Sect martial artists and even several of their elites who came to Xibie. After having infiltrated this place for some time, they are good at impersonation and have some degree of status in Linzhou.

Jiang He smiled. "Well, could you share some of that information with me, team leader Duan?"

When he saw the weirded-out look on Duan Tianhe's face, he quickly explained, "You know that the Sky Demon Sect is ruthless. All I've done is kill eight of their Ferals and they're already sending such a strong force to deal with me. If my dog back home wasn't smart, I would have been crushed under my own roof. Knowing is half the battle after all. I would at least have an easier time sleeping at night."

"…You're not thinking about fighting the Sky Demon Sect, are you?" asked Duan Tianhe solemnly. "They have their eyes on you now, and I'm afraid they won't just be bringing a rank-four martial artist if they come again."

"I suggest that you come stay with our division for some time. When the matter at Mount Dadong is settled and we have hands to spare, I will work with the military to purge the Sky Demon Sect elites hiding in Lingzhou. It wouldn't be too late even if you return to the village then."

"No way!" exclaimed Jiang He, shaking his head. "I have to sleep in my own bed, I can't fall sleep anywhere else.

Smiling, he then asked, "Team leader Duan, it's been a short time since I started training in martial arts, and I'm not too familiar about the strength of martial artists of various ranks… That's why I want to ask, how do I kill a grandmaster?"

Report chapter

Chapter 29: I Want To Make A Deal With You!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The people from the National Superpower Research Department soon arrived. They were a group of four, led by a tall, slender woman.

"Team leader Duan!"

The woman was driving an SUV. She braked so suddenly on the gravel that the vehicle almost performed a drift. Still, she quickly got off and beelined for Duan Tianhe, shaking his hand before turning her eyes to Jiang He with a smile.

"So, is this the Mister Jiang whom you've mentioned?"

Duan Tianhe made the necessary introductions. "Jiang He, this is Mu Wanqiu. She will be in charge of purchasing Feral materials across the Western Xia Province from now on.

"Greetings, Mister Jiang."

"Greetings."

Jiang He shook Mu Wanqiu's hand, his heart skipping a beat even though he looked unaffected.

'There's a blazing heat on her body which is almost the same as my Nine Yang True Qi… but there's no whiff of true qi on her at all. Could she be a fire-type Awakened?'

Even as the idea crossed his mind, a voice rang beside Jiang He's ear, 'Mu Wanqiu has a strong background. Her grandfather is one of the founders of the National Superpower Research Department and a powerful martial arts grandmaster. Her father is a major-general, and she herself is a class-C fire-type Awakened.'

Jiang He promptly looked up at Duan Tianhe. However, he was smiling and discussing the situation at Mount Dadong with Mu Wanqiu, and was not actually talking to Jiang He.

'Secret Acoustics!'

Jiang He couldn't help feeling moved. 'It's basically using true qi to conduct sound, but that's highly demanding towards one's control of true qi. Only grandmasters can do that… Does that mean Duan Tianhe is already rank-seven?'

'Don't say it out loud. It's only been a few days since I've reached rank-seven—not a lot of people know this,' said Duan Tianhe, using Secret Acoustics once again.

Jiang He's impression of Duan Tianhe immediately shifted a hundred and eighty degrees.

'This dude looks serious and even a little cold, but he didn't say a word even after reaching the rank of grandmaster. Who knows what goes on in that mind of his… he feels no different than a sly fox.'

Meanwhile, the other personnel of the National Superpower Research Department brought an inventory list to them. Mu Wanqiu swept her eyes over it once and passed it to Jiang He, who read through it carefully.

The price put on all the rank-one Ferals was eighty thousand dollars, and while the National Superpower Research Department priced the rank-two dog monster at a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, it was also labeled as 'broken'.

'Looks like the rank-two Feral corpse should have been worth more than just a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The beast was at the center of the blast and was blown into a bloody pulp, which is why it was priced lower,' thought Jiang He.

"Eh?" Spotting something odd, Jiang He pointed at the inventory and asked, "Miss Mu, could there have been a mistake? The snake's corpse… is worth two hundred thousand dollars?"

Mu Wanqiu smiled. "Is that price too low for you, Mister Jiang? Or perhaps too high?"

Though her smile was mild, it hardly concealed the air of wildness about her, which might have something to do with her Awakening fire-type superpowers. Of course, with her grandfather being a martial artist and her father a military man, a child from such a family usually had a firm wildness about them.

'Perhaps serpent Ferals have a higher price on their corpses?'

From how Mu Wanqiu reacted, Jiang He knew that he had made a fool of himself. He quickly smiled. "To tell the truth, Miss Mu, I've just recently learned about Ferals, and have only killed around twenty of them. That's why I'm not too sure about the pricing on Ferals… maybe snakes are worth more?"

Mu Wanqiu's smile stiffened. She turned to Duan Tianhe by reflex, only to find his lips twitching with a rigid look on his face.

Well…

The conversation was just getting good. How did it suddenly get to bragging? And what do you mean, killed 'only' twenty of them? Are Ferals just cabbages or something?

Nonetheless, Mu Wanqiu was used to serious situations and so she quickly recovered. "Dog and cat Ferals are too common," she explained, "which is why they are priced very cheap at the same rank. Snakes on the other hand are rare, which prices them higher than other Ferals of the same rank."

"I see."

As Jiang He nodded, Mu Wanqiu added, "Mister Jiang, if I'm not mistaken, you must be a rank-four martial artist, correct? Our department has actually recently come up with a medicinal pellet that improves true qi cultivation. It's called the qi pellet, and I wonder if you would need it."

"Oh?" Jiang He's eyes twinkled as he asked, "I heard that the Special Case Bureau has a medicinal pellet that improves true qi cultivation as well. I wonder how that compares to the qi pellet?"

Mu Wanqiu hid a grin beneath her fingers. "The National Superpower Research Department is the supplier of all medicinal pellets for the bureau."

"Alright!" exclaimed Jiang He. "How much for one qi pellet? I've only improved today, and I really need the qi pellet to strengthen my cultivation."

Mu Wanqiu held up five fingers. "Five hundred thousand per bottle of three pellets."

What the…

Rather impolite words almost escaped Jiang He's lips just then, but he gulped them down and smiled bitterly. "You really know how to make deals, Miss Mu."

Inside, his heart was torn into pieces.

'And here I was thinking that being a martial artist is a really high-paying job, but the robbery came even quicker… to think that cultivation is even more expensive!' he thought.

In total, Jiang He had killed thirteen rank-one Ferals and one rank-two Feral. The eleven rank-one Feral cats and dogs were worth eighty thousand dollars apiece. The rank-one Feral wolf and rank-one snake were worth a hundred thousand dollars and two hundred dollars respectively. And lastly, the rank-two Feral dog was priced at a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

"In total, the Feral materials are worth one million, three hundred and thirty thousand dollars. I'll round it up for you to one million, three hundred and fifty thousand dollars," said Mu Wanqiu said as she took out two porcelain bottles and passed them to Jiang He.

"Here, two bottles of qi pellets. I'll transfer the remaining three hundred and thirty thousand dollars to you, Mister Jiang."

"Thanks," replied Jiang He, accpeting the qi pellets.

Mu Wanqiu instructed her subordinates to start moving the Feral corpses. With her SUV, along with one pick-up truck and two large trucks driven there by her subordinates, they had enough means to transport them all.

After loading the corpses, Mu Wanqiu took out a name card and smiled. "Good work, Mister Jiang. Remember to contact me if you have more Feral corpses that need processing. My pricing is definitely fair in this business."

"By the way, aside from Feral materials, the National Superpower Research Department also accepts qi medicine, alloy weapons, new ores, and any other items that have mutated with the revival of spirit qi," she added.

"Oh?"

Jiang He couldn't help feeling excited. His eyes darted all over Mu Wanqiu as he looked up, down, left, and right… before finally stopping in front of her chest. The woman was outstanding in both looks and manners. She wore a leather suit that presented her perfect rear and long legs, but the only thing lacking was…

She's too flat!

Mu Wanqiu scowled. Having a fiery temper as a fire-type Awakened, she was just about to blow up when Jiang He chuckled and said, "Miss Mu, I incidentally have a deal I hope to offer you."

Inside, he was laughing coldly.

'This woman is too black-hearted, taking a huge million dollar bite out of me for just two bottles of qi pellets! I'll have her pay me back in full, and with interest at that!'

Report chapter

Mu Wanqiu lifted a brow and asked, "What deal?"

Jiang He did not answer, simply smiling instead. "Are you acquainted with Wang Siyu, Miss Mu?"

"Wang Siyu? Isn't she one of Old Duan's subordinates—the girl who can read minds?" Mu Wanqiu was left very confused and pressed, "What does your deal with me have to do with Wang Siyu?"

"Patience, Miss Mu. You'll find out soon enough," said Jiang He. Turning around, he called out, "Wang Siyu, come over here for a minute!"

Wang Siyu ran up to them. "What is it?"

Jiang He smiled. "Show Miss Mu the effects of the corn."

"But…" Blushing, Wang Siyu looked around and whispered, "Here? This isn't the right place, is it? Can't we go to your house instead?"

Jiang He did a double take, unable to decide if he wanted to laugh or cry. "What are you thinking? You don't have to take off your clothes. Just straighten yourself."

After all, Wang Siyu's clothes were rather baggy and didn't accentuate her size. However, when she stood upright in front of Mu Wanqiu—

Pop!

The button in front of her chest popped out.

"You!"

Seething, Mu Wanqiu wheeled around and stormed off, slamming her foot on the throttle and zooming away as soon as she got into her SUV.

Wang Siyu quickly fastened her buttons while whispering, "What happened to Miss Mu, Jiang He?"

Jiang He was staring at her… and only sighed after half a beat. "Maybe she's just jealous. Let's go. Could you come home with me? There's something I need your help with."

After parting ways with Duan Tianhe, Jiang He and Wang Siyu walked together beneath the moonlight back to the village. However, they had only walked over four hundred meters when the SUV that had just sped out of sight returned to them.

Winding down the car window, Mu Wanqiu said exasperatedly, "Jiang He, weren't you supposed to make a deal with me?"

"I thought you were not interested, Miss Mu," replied Jiang He flatly. Nonetheless, he opened the SUV door on his own and got into the vehicle with Wang Siyu. "Drive. We'll talk at my place."

"You…"

Mu Wanqiu was left fuming again. Do you take me for a chauffeur? Who do you think I am…? Still, her rage seemed to calm down after a glance at Wang Siyu's chest.

She smiled as she drove her SUV towards the village. "Miss Wang, you have such a nice body."

"Not really," said Wang Siyu humbly. "Your figure is more enviable, Miss Mu."

Mu Wanqiu's face darkened visibly.

Jiang He slapped a hand over his mouth, but was eventually unable to stifle a giggle. It was rather impolite—one should not be laughing at a person just because said person's chest was smaller. But even as he held back his laughter, Jiang He gave Wang Siyu a look, who caught on and smiled.

"Miss Mu, you might not know this, but I was a 33C just a few days ago."

Mu Wanqiu's face darkened further.

This time, Jiang He could not hold back and burst into laughter. "Are you perhaps smaller than a 33C, Miss Mu? You don't seem that flat though… Well, I have some natural green products that'll help. It's completely organic, yellow, and pollution-free. I guarantee you'll be a 36D after you have one!"

Granted, he was talking about corn… calling it green when it's golden-yellow was indeed a little outrageous. Nonetheless, Jiang He had quickly made his point because he saw a small flame appear over Mu Wanqiu's head.

After taking a few interested glances at it, he exclaimed in awe, "How curious. That fire over your head doesn't graze your hair."

Whoosh.

The flame dispersed, while Mu Wanqiu was left a little speechless.

"I'm a fire-type Awakened. Why would I be burned by my own flame?"

"Then, are you afraid of fires set by others?"

"Depends on the situation."

Mu Wanqiu slowed down her vehicle as they reached the junction outside the village, only putting her foot on the pedal after Jiang He pointed out directions.

"Normal fires won't work against fire-type Awakened," she added, "but I can still get hurt if my opponent is another fire-type and they attack with their power."

"I see," said Jiang He, nodding and pointing the way for Mu Wanqui.

Soon, they arrived at his home. Dumbo and Trumbo had returned ahead of them and were hanging out at the farmyard. They did not come out, although they glanced at Mu Wanqiu when she entered, seemingly sensing something.

"My house was just attacked by the Sky Demon Sect. I haven't had time to clean up." Jiang He smiled as he opened the door that did not crumble. "Welcome, Miss Mu."

After entering, Mu Wanqiu studied her surroundings and grinned. "Jiang He, I've heard that you've declined the Special Case Bureau's offer. Well, do you have any interest in joining the National Superpower Research Department?"

"We offer better benefits than the bureau, and if you're interested, you would get a basic monthly salary, additional merit points, and medicinal pellets. Of course, any gains from missions you take part in will be counted separately. Incidentally, I have a few housings in Lingzhou. I could give one to you."

However, Jiang He waved her off. "Sorry, Miss Mu. We will only be discussing a business deal today and nothing else."

He went inside the adjacent crumbled house for a bit, and found the piece of paper that Wang Siyu had written her 'data' on.

"Please take a look, Miss Mu," said Jiang He, passing it to her.

Scanning through the paper, Mu Wanqiu found that there was nothing but a few numbers scribbled on it: 33C, 34C, 36C, 36D, and so forth. Getting the idea, she instinctively turned to Wang Siyu, who in turn promptly straightened herself.

"Jiang He, these numbers…"

"Oh. That's the growth curve table observed from a certain part of Wang Siyu's body after she used my product."

What…?

Mu Wanqiu's mouth twitched. How is that a growth curve table?! It was just a piece of A4 paper with a few numbers scribbled on it. Why are you acting all high and mighty?

Even so, Mu Wanqiu's chest was heating up! After all, Wang Siyu was very well-endowed now! If she could become like her, she would shine so bright that she would blind those doggone eyes of her besties.

After all, which woman wouldn't want a perfect figure?

Lowering the piece of paper and straightening herself elegantly on Jiang He's little wooden stool, she asked, "Consider my interest piqued. Jiang He, what is this product of yours?"

Musing to himself for a moment, Jiang He replied, "It's a farm product."

"What?"

Mu Wanqiu did not hear him clearly at first, but she saw Jiang He turning and leaving through the door, returning soon after with three corns in his hand.

Mu Wanqiu's lips parted slightly in surprise. "So large, so thick!" She rose, taking one of the corns. "This corn… could it have evolved as well?"

"What do you think about my product, Miss Mu?"

Jiang He suddenly remembered that you have to show your products when you are making a sales pitch. He promptly peeled one of the corns and held it up in his hand.

"Look. My corn is as thick as it is large and abundant. The complete golden hue alone offers it a fine appearance, and it extends a faint sweet corn scent even if not cooked, not to mention that it tastes even better when cooked. Of course, its greatest effect is to promote a second puberty in women, giving you a body that you can have absolute confidence in!"

Report chapter

Chapter 31: For Me, The Customer Is Not Always Right

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Jing He plucked a kernel off the corn cob. "Look at this kernel. It's fully golden yet crystalline—doesn't it stir your appetite?"

Taking the kernel in her slim fingers, Mu Wanqiu held it in front of her eyes as she studied it carefully, her beautiful eyes overflowing with surprise. "It's almost three times the size of an average kernel, and it looks like it has definitely gone through evolution… ah!"

As she spoke, Mu Wanqiu's fingers had pinched the kernel firmly. Such a normal move would have been fine if she had been holding an ordinary kernel. On the other hand, Jiang He's corn…

Even a single kernel was supple. Its skin thin, its juice overflowing, and exceedingly tender. One soft pinch, and pop! It burst open, leaking milky-white juices and letting out a special, sweet corn scent.

Jiang He's eyes widened abruptly, but before he could appreciate the scene in detail, Mu Wanqiu had already wiped off the corn juice. Her finger was still damp with some corn juice, which she sniffed before sticking it into her mouth.

"Your corn could definitely be made into delicious juice," she said, smiling.

Jiang He laughed heartily. "You would definitely look very beautiful when you drink it, Miss Mu."

Mu Wanqiu looked confused. That reply was a little… unexpected. She did not know that Jiang He was secretly panicking, because to him, she seemed to be hiding something.

Nonetheless, Mu Wanqiu mused to herself for a moment and said, "I have to confirm whether your corn is really effective."

Putting away the corn, Jiang He pointed at Wang Siyu. "A living example is right in front of you, or perhaps you believe that I'm swindling you, Miss Mu?" he said flatly.

"No, that's not what I meant… You are a rank-four martial artist, and Miss Wang is an officer of the Bureau. Why shouldn't I trust you? How about this? I'll buy one of your corns to test it out. How much for one?"

Jiang He held up five fingers.

"Five hundred grand?" exclaimed Mu Wanqiu, her eyes widening in shock. "For one cob of corn? Why don't you rob a bank instead?"

In response, Jiang He shouted out of the door, "Dumbo, see off our guest."

Bow-wow-wow. Barks echoed.

Dumbo darted into the room and stood up like a human, waving its two front paws in a 'please' gesture.

Mu Wanqiu's short fuse was about to ignite. She took a deep breath… revealing that her chest was as flat as plains. As such, she could only quell her frustration.

"Mister Jiang, how much for one corn? I will buy it. Or is that a no-go now too?" she asked.

"Five hundred thousand, non-negotiable," said Jiang He as he gestured for Dumbo to back away. "Firstly, I can promise that the corn works, and my crops come with a no-pollutant assurance, no side-effects, and a lifetime warranty. Moreover…"

He paused, looking Mu Wanqiu up and down before continuing, "From the looks of your figure, you must have used the stuff available on the market, yes? Were they even effective? By my estimation, you only need three or four of my big corns to get up to Wang Siyu's level."

Musing to herself for another moment, Mu Wanqiu then quickly said, "Alright, I'll buy one for now, and I'll buy more if it proves effective."

In truth, she had realized that she was going about this all wrong. Given the usual worth of a cob of corn, anyone would have reacted like she did. But if this corn did indeed have the effect that Jiang He promised, this was an appropriate price.

"Good deal!"

As Jiang He handed the peeled cob of corn to Mu Wanqiu, she said, "The money will be transferred to your bank account later."

But even as she spoke, she shot him a vicious glare. Jiang He had frustrated her to no end all day long, and now she was being seen off by a dog… although the dog was quite interesting too.

Nonetheless, Jiang He flashed a calm grin. "The saying that the customer is always right doesn't apply to me, Miss Mu. Glare at me again and I won't sell you any corns."

"You…"

Left gritting her teeth in fury, Mu Wanqiu strode to her SUV angrily, slamming her foot down on the pedal and speeding away.

Meanwhile, Wang Siyu was left stunned by Jian He's actions. "Five hundred thousand for one cob of corn… Is your corn really worth that much, Jiang He? Doesn't that mean I ate up a million dollars after having two?" she muttered.

Jiang He, however, was in a pleasant mood after enjoying a very fruitful day, which was why he simply laughed out loud. "A million dollars is nothing… oh, right. Here, have two more corns, take it home with you."

Wang Siyu quickly waved him off, blushing. "No, no. I shouldn't eat anymore or I'll have trouble walking… I'm off. You be careful, just in case she doesn't let this go."

It was only after Jiang He saw Wang Siyu off that her words truly sunk in.

"Trouble walking? How did this lass turn out to be so good at being lewd?"

Locking the gates from the inside, Jiang He then headed straight into his yard. It was one in the morning. The autumn winds were blowing and the moon was bright—the best timing for sowing seeds.

Jiang He called out to Dumbo, who promptly stared digging, all four paws clawing through the dirt and soon carving out a small hole in a corner of the yard.

"Not bad."

Jiang He threw a cucumber at the dog. He still had dozens of them, and since he had not yet decided whether or not he was going to sell them, he may as well feed it to Dumbo, developing his power so that he could guard the yard well.

"Still, there are many different types of Ferals out there, and having just one dog watching the house isn't all that cool. If there's a chance, I should get a rank-seven or rank-eight python, eagle or whatnot…"

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang He turned on his System and exchanged his points for a nitrogen fertilizer. He still had more than half of his EXP bar to cover before his farm levels up, not to mention that he was consuming a lot of farm points.

After learning the Nine Yang Technique and the First Style of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, he had less than 200 points. And now, he had little over a dozen points left after exchanging for a nitrogen fertilizer.

"It seems that I should come up with something to earn more farm points and learn the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms in its entirety…"

Fumbling through his pocket, Jiang He took out the bottle containing the three qi pellets.

"The most important function of the qi pellet is to replenish True Qi, but it can also be used to improve True Qi cultivation. Still, there is a limit to the cultivation improved, and one pellet would be equal to cultivating for three days. Given that one pellet is worth over a hundred thousand bucks, most martial artists would never be able to bear such costs."

Hence, Jiang He buried a qi pellet and the nitrogen fertilizer with an expectant look. If he successfully managed to plant a qi pellet, he would really hit it rich. He would be able to directly plant and eat them like chocolates. Would his cultivation not soar to new heights then?"

"Still, it's a pity… when I start downing pills for cultivation, I would be denied the pleasures of the actual act of cultivation…"

Meanwhile, at a certain mansion park at Linzhou City.

A middle-aged man dressed in western clothing was making a phone call.

"Lord heavenly general, I've just received word that Cordo has failed, and Duan Tianhe has returned to Linzhou."

Report chapter

Chapter 32: Planting Qi Pellets!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"Oh?" A low, hoarse laugh could be heard from the other end of the call. "If Duan Tianhe has returned to Linzhou so suddenly, even before the incident at Mount Dadong was settled, he must have learned about the mole from our holy faith and our movement in Linzhou City."

The middle-aged man appeared to be panicking as he quietly said, "Duan Tianhe's return is a problem. Lord heavenly general, I'm beginning to think he suspects me too…"

However, he was interrupted by the hoarse voice before he could finish, "Don't worry. There will be a greater incident over at Mount Dadong in a week—Duan Tianhe will definitely head over to hold the line, and that is the moment he dies. You should be thinking about how you'll uncover any unknown elites in Linzhou, and make your move in a week as well."

Late into the night.

Atop a chain of mountains, the propellers of a wind-powered generator were turning with loud humming rumbles.

And down on an inconspicuous mountain ditch, a figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back. His presence was as grand as the sea. True Qi swirled around him, causing temperatures to plummet and layering frost over nearby weeds.

Soon, more figures appeared from the distance to kneel behind him.

Withdrawing his True Qi, the figure turned. He was nearing his sixties, his frame appearing withered and his hair was a gray-white. Indeed, with the wrinkles on his face, he looked no different from an average old man.

"Send word. The operation will begin in the early hours of the sixth of September. I'll provide the specifics later. Just stay hidden for now and don't expose your whereabouts. I'm going for a trip to Mount Dadong, and will have a discussion with the demon king over there."

Moving his feet, the old man left the the mountain ditch in several bounds, disappearing into the night.

Behind him, the other figures all called out in one voice, "Safe travels, heavenly general!"

[Qi Pellet]

[Effect: Rapidly restores a martial artist's inner strength, True Qi, and True Qi cultivation.]

Jiang He was staring at the weird small tree before him when the data of the qi pellet's effects appeared before his eyes.

But of course.

Was it nothing other than a tree that bears fruits in the form of qi pellets? Jiang He was used to it—what was weird about it anyway? In fact, he had a hunch that the day would come when a full-sized living person was grown on one of his trees.

He turned to his System.

[Name: Jiang He]

[Cultivation: Rank Four Intermediate]

[Ability: None]

[Martial Arts Cultivation: Indestructible Diamond (Initiate), Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms (), Strengthened Nine Yang Technique (First Tier)]

[Owned Land: 888m]

[Farm Level: 2 (EXP 223/500)]

[System Backpack: 6 boxes]

[System Shop: Unlocked]

[Farm Points: 73]

"My EXP used to be at 220, didn't it? That means one qi pellet gives me three EXP and 10 Farm Points… not bad, not bad."

Jiang He did a count. There were 107 qi pellets on the tree. If the one in his hand was counted as well, the grand total would be equal to the gang of Mount Liang (1).

"A hundred and seven… and one pellet is three points, giving me a total of three hundred and twenty-one EXP. It's enough for me to level up!"

He plucked off every qi pellet and dumped them all into his System Backpack. The qi pellet tree before him immediately rapidly withered and crumbled into a pile of ashes.

Jiang He did not even have to call out to Dumbo. The dog arrived on its own, standing on its rear legs as it dragged a shovel along, which it then used to scoop up the black ashes. Beside them, the Three-Tailed Demon Cat's yellow eyes widened in surprise.

Even Jiang He was stunned by Dumbo's actions. After spreading out the ashes, Dumbo flung the shovel away and ran to Jiang He's feet, wagging its tail to ask for the good stuff.

"…Didn't I just give you an entire cucumber? Did you finish it already?"

Jiang He took out another cucumber and snapped it in two. He threw the bigger chunk to Dumbo and the smaller chunk to the Three-Tailed Demon Cat. Although cats don't eat cucumbers, the Three-Tailed Demon Cat was a Feral and different in that respect.

Jiang He had not been feeding it, and he also forbade it from hurting domesticated animals or humans. As such, it had taken up veganism after hunting down every last mouse in the village. Compared to grass, the cucumber was basically gourmet food.

Dumbo wolfed down his own chunk, finishing the cucumber in a few bites. When it was done, it suddenly reared its head and howled. The wolfdog seemed to enjoy doing that, and its howling was very similar to a wolf's howl.

Jiang He wanted to kick it by reflex, but pulled back even though his foot was already out. He sensed an energy converging over Dumbo's body, and its aura was rapidly rising from rank-one to rank-two.

And yet, Dumbo's evolution did not stop after merely its ascension to rank-two. A searing presence cascaded over its body.

"Hmmm? Could it be… the awakening to a superpower?"

Jiang He's eyes sparkled, watching intently as Dumbo opened its maw again…

There was no howling this time, but a fiery breath instead.

A line of data appeared before Jiang He's eyes.

[Dumbo]

[Breed: Sichuan wolfdog]

[Rank: Two]

[Ability: Fire manipulation]

"Eh?" Jiang He gasped in surprise. "I didn't plant Dumbo, why would there be data? And hold on, isn't that data different from Trumbo's?"

With that, he turned to Trumbo.

[Three-tails Demon Cat]

[Rank: Three Pinnacle]

[Ability: Wind-riding]

Dumbo's data showed its name directly, along with its breed.

"What is with that 'breed' thing? Sichuan wolfdog… Could Chief Wang have bought it from Sichuan?" Jiang He mused to himself for a moment before suddenly realizing that there was another question.

"We both ate cucumbers. So why did Dumbo awaken superpowers but not me? Is it harder for humans to awaken superpowers compared to animals? So, should I be eating more cucumbers?"

Having a theory in his head, Jiang He then turned towards his System panel again and did a double take.

[Farm Level: 2 (EXP 554/500)]

His farm had not improved to level 3 even though his EXP was enough. Instead, there was a notification on the System panel.

"Level-up materials? Fifty kilograms of rank-seven Feral flesh? Two portions of rank-six Feral flesh, each a hundred kilograms, along with ten liters of rank-six Feral blood?"

What?!!

Jiang He glowered. "Rank-seven Ferals are equal to a martial arts grandmaster. Where am I supposed to get their flesh? Moreover, I would be destroyed by a rank-six Feral, wouldn't I?"

It was pity that the System was rather rigid. If there was some loli system fairy like in the novels he read instead, he would have trampled all over her. Nonetheless, Jiang He calmed down after half a beat.

"Two portions of rank-six Feral flesh, which means two different species of Ferals… and I did sense that I could punch above my rank after that fight with Cordo. Although I do wonder if I could really kill a rank-six. I would need a rank-six martial artist to test my theory. As for rank-seven…"

Jiang He handily whipped out a qi pellet he grew, threw it into his mouth, and gulped it down while musing to himself, "Maybe I could ask the Bureau or the Superpower Research Department if I could buy some rank-seven Feral flesh from them… Eh?"

His eyes widened. "What is going on? Doesn't it take up to four days to fully absorb a qi pellet? How is it gone the moment I swallowed it? Did I just grow a fake qi pellet???"

Translator's Note:

(1) A a reference to the classic novel Water Margin, where 108 outlaws gather at Mount Liang (or Liangshan Marsh) to form a sizable army.

Report chapter