Chapter 26: Three Months (Please recommend)
Chapter 26: Three Months (Please recommend)
Black Stone City.
South City Gate.
"Please, we beg you."
"You can't do this!"
A group of people cried out, their silk and satin robes suggesting they were once wealthy merchants and officials.
But now, as they watched bags of grain being stolen, their eyes were filled with an unspeakable despair.
When the demonic disaster first erupted, they had been fortunate enough to evade the initial shock, following the Yuan He Mountain sect to seek refuge near the South City Gate.
Yet today, these martial artists from Yuan He Mountain were openly plundering their grain!
A refined young scholar cried out, "My uncle holds a position in the Dingzhou military. They won't let you get away with this."
He stared at the sacks of grain and cured meat. . . feeling as if his very life was being stolen.
"Oh? " Jiao Wu Chang patted his plump belly. Since being trapped in Black Stone City, he hadn't lost weight; if anything, he'd grown even fatter.
He stepped forward with a smiling face. "So, it's Young Master Xu. My apologies, my apologies!"
As he spoke, he suddenly swung his right arm in a wide circle, delivering a powerful slap.
Crack!
Young Master Xu flew backward, a large dent in his cheek. Clearly, he wouldn't be living much longer.
"Hmph! You ignorant fool, I've tolerated you for too long."
Jiao Wu Chang flicked the blood from his hand, a savage grin spreading across his face as he looked at the remaining high-ranking officials and nobles.
The rules had long since changed. These esteemed masters within the city were no different from lambs awaiting slaughter.
On that day, Linghu Yang, seeing no hope of breaking out, could only hold his ground and await developments.
Subsequently, the martial artists of the entire Yuan He Mountain branch did not disperse; instead, they became even more disciplined and obedient to orders.
When order collapses, a group of those who wield violence, united, exhibit an even crueler discipline.
For the apocalyptic disaster would unleash the bestial nature within humanity!
Soon, Yuan He Mountain seized control of the entire South City Gate, ruthlessly scavenging for supplies.
It was the formerly prominent families who suffered greatly.
Because the common folk had nothing left to steal!
"Hahaha. . . hahaha. . ."
Watching these once high and mighty figures now cowering like quails, Jiao Wu Chang burst into uproarious laughter. He grabbed a woman adorned with jade hairpins; she seemed to have been a concubine to some magistrate, but he paid her no mind, hoisting her onto his shoulder, ready to drag her back to his room for his pleasure.
Not far away.
Linghu Yang stood with his hands behind his back, observing the scene with a chilling gaze.
Chunyu stood beside Linghu Yang, a pained expression on her face. "Jiao Wu Chang is going too far. Should we stop him?"
"No need. " Linghu Yang waved a hand, his tone utterly frigid. "They're all going to die anyway, their backgrounds don't matter. . . Letting Wu Chang handle things is actually quite effective!"
A slight chill settled in Chunyu's heart. She hadn't yet recovered from her mindset of peaceful times, but the outside world had already been turned upside down.
"Junior Niece Chunyu. . . " Seeing her reaction, Linghu Yang's lips curved into a strange arc, and he spoke chillingly, "The demonic domain has formed. Unless the demonic spirits voluntarily retreat, getting out. . . perhaps only Grandmasters at the peak might have a sliver of hope. Most of us will die here. . ."
"But my martial path will never be broken here!"
"As long as the demons haven't come knocking, your Uncle-Master will live, by any means necessary!"
"Even if, in the end, grain and water run out, your Uncle-Master will resort to any means. . . even cannibalism. . ."
"This is. . . your Uncle-Master's Martial Dao Heart!"
Linghu Yang's eyes were firm. "I must ascend to the pinnacle of the martial path, reach the Grandmaster realm, and I will spare no effort, no matter how unscrupulous!"
"A Martial Dao Heart? " Chunyu looked utterly shocked.
...
Similar tragedies continuously unfolded throughout Black Stone City.
However, none of this could stop the demonic tree at the city's heart, which continued to grow taller and stronger day by day.
Its massive canopy first overshadowed the entire government office district, then spread across the inner city, and now relentlessly expanded towards the outer city.
Beneath the canopy, monsters teemed, leaving no humans or livestock untouched.
This scene, like a harbinger of death, pushed the survivors further into despair, leading them to commit acts that broke all moral boundaries.
...
Time flowed like water, and three months passed in the blink of an eye.
West City Gate.
Fang Xi, clad in black robes and wearing a bamboo hat, entered a market.
Calling it a market was generous; it was more like a gathering place for survivors.
He frowned, avoiding the filth on the ground, and observed the emaciated women leaning against doorframes.
Seeing men approach, many women offered forced smiles, their former beauty still faintly discernible in their brows.
`It's said many young ladies from official families are among them; a single small bag of grain is enough for a night of pleasure. . . `
Fang Xi had absolutely no interest in such matters. He quickly walked through the area, reaching the stall section.
All sorts of rare treasures, antique curios, valuable medicinal herbs, and precious swords and sabers were scattered everywhere like trash, sold at rock-bottom prices.
Sellers wanted no gold or silver, only grain!
"Esteemed customer, take a look at this Dragon-Slaying Saber, a family heirloom! It can sever a hair blown across its edge, and it's yours for just fifty catties of grain!"
An old man held up the precious saber. Fearing disbelief, he drew the blade and gently blew a strand of hair onto its edge.
Poof!
The hair snapped in response, proving it was indeed a sharp weapon capable of cutting a hair blown across its edge!
In past treasure auctions, it would have been fought over tooth and nail by martial artists and wealthy merchants alike.
But in these present times, a precious saber that couldn't be eaten was no different from scrap metal.
"Peerless treasure. . . the White Jade Nine-Linked Ring!"
"A Jade Guanyin statue!"
"Selling secret techniques. . . the Red Rust Sword manual, complete with visualization diagrams, for just a hundred catties of grain!"
...
Ignoring the cries of the gaunt vendors, Fang Xi walked directly into a building.
Inside the room was a somewhat deflated mountain of flesh.
"You're here!"
Han Pang Zi's listless voice echoed.
Beside the mountain of flesh hung numerous bloody. . . rats?
This was a rare meat stall, selling rat meat.
"Han Pang Zi, you've lost weight again."
Fang Xi greeted him.
With Black Stone City in distress, even those from the black market were not spared.
However, while strolling through this market in the western district, Fang Xi unexpectedly found an old acquaintance, which was truly a pleasant surprise.
Even in these apocalyptic times, Han Pang Zi still had connections and means, allowing him to procure and sell a certain amount of rat meat.
He was far better than other stalls that claimed to sell one thing but offered another.
In the entire market, his was almost a unique presence.
Of course, Fang Xi wasn't there to buy rat meat for consumption.
On the contrary, Han Pang Zi, seeing him, complained as if seeing a relative: "Isn't it terrible? Grain prices have soared recently. . . The Taisui I'm raising is practically starving to death, so I had no choice but to cut down my own rations, switching to eight meals a day. I'm practically starving to death. . ."
As he spoke, Han Pang Zi gazed at his slightly smaller belly, his tone filled with boundless sorrow.
Fang Xi was somewhat speechless. This man reportedly used to eat ten meals a day.
At a time like this, seeing the generally famished people outside with green eyes from hunger, it seemed even more like. . . showing off!
"That 'Iron Arm Fist' manual you sold me last month was really mediocre. If the goods are the same quality this time, I won't buy any more manuals; I'll just take Taisui meat."
Fang Xi said indifferently.
When he had first seen Han Pang Zi in the market that day, he had been overjoyed.
His source of demonic meat could continue.
Moreover, the other party had a large number of martial arts manuals!
They were likely acquired cheaply from martial artists in exchange for grain.
Upon seeing this, Fang Xi immediately entertained the idea of cooperation.
He would let Han Pang Zi acquire manuals freely, then sell them to him at a marked-up price, settled in grain.
Anyway, as long as it wasn't spirit rice, acquiring grain from ordinary farmers below Green Bamboo Mountain was just a matter of a little gold and silver.
`With my own strength, I don't even know how many people I've fed. Boundless merit, boundless merit. . . `
Fang Xi mused inwardly.
Han Pang Zi shifted, "That Iron Arm Fist from last time, it was an authentic heirloom from the Tie family! Old Man Tie's iron fists nearly swept through half the martial arts hall world back then. . . If his little grandson wasn't on the verge of starving, he wouldn't have sold it to me so cheaply. . . Anyway, enough about that. As for the True Vigor manuals you want, I still don't have them! Yuan He Mountain, though, is quite interested. Should I connect you, so you can talk to them?"
"No, thank you. I'll find them myself."
Fang Xi rubbed his fingers.
Currently, his confidence wasn't particularly high against Linghu Yang, who was comparable to a second-stage Body Cultivator. "Bring out everything you have!"
"This is my bottom-of-the-box manual."
Han Pang Zi pulled out a book and casually tossed it to Fang Xi.
Fang Xi took it, and a hint of delight flashed in his eyes. "Iron Armor Art?"
This martial art was an external hard-qigong technique, specifically for training the defensive power of the torso and limbs.
It had to be said, it was quite compatible with his White Cloud Palm and Red Snake Leg, at least not overly conflicting.
Of course, whether the conflict was truly significant, he'd only know once he started practicing it.
"It even has visualization diagrams! Definitely a small gem, not bad, not bad. What's your price? " he asked casually.
"One thousand catties of grain! I put a lot of effort into getting this. . . " Han Pang Zi said firmly.
"Five hundred catties, and give me ten catties of Taisui meat! " Fang Xi frowned, immediately cutting the price in half.
"You can't do that! " Han Pang Zi actually blinked his eyes pitifully. "Is it easy for me to save up grain? Isn't it all to feed the Taisui and supply you with Taisui meat?"
Seeing this, Fang Xi's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Such a wronged expression might be cute on a child or a beautiful woman, but on this thousand-jin, no, this several-hundred-jin-reduced-weight fat man, it just felt off. . .
"Fine, seeing you look as wronged as a several-hundred-jin big child, I'll concede a step and give you six hundred catties. " Fang Xi waved a hand.
"No! At least eight hundred catties."
After another round of haggling, the two parties settled on a baseline of seven hundred catties of grain, and Fang Xi took the manual, leaving first.
As for the grain and Taisui meat, they would naturally be delivered later.
If he did such a big transaction in the market, he'd have been robbed long ago!
People driven mad by hunger would do anything!
"This fellow. . ."
Han Pang Zi watched Fang Xi's departing back, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Heh heh. . . Could it be that he robbed several grain stores? He really has plenty of grain on hand. . . A pity, a pity he's not easy to provoke. I hope those few fellows in the market are smart enough. . ."
"Hmm? No, on second thought, it's better if they're stupid. Once they all die, I can just conveniently take their stalls and grain!"
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