Cultivating for Immorality: I Evolved Martial Arts into the Immortal Path – Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Attending the Funeral Banquet

Slaves were even more miserable than tenant farmers!

Everyone in the village understood this.

Tenant farmers were not as well off as independent farmers, since the land belonged to the Master, but at least they had personal freedom.

But slaves had no personal freedom at all, their status was even lower than the pigs and dogs raised by the Master!

“Chu Erniu, do you understand?”

Steward Hu twirled his mustache, his expression arrogant, as if the slave contract was a great favor bestowed upon Chu Liang by the Hu family.

He had originally planned to take Chu Liang’s life, but now he was only making him a slave. Wasn’t that a favor?

Moreover, he had said that the Master had taken a liking to Chu Liang and wanted to train him personally!

If it were any other villager, they might have felt a glimmer of hope… what if the Master really did appreciate him?

“I understand.”

Second Uncle’s expression was humble as he carefully put away the slave contract Steward Hu had given him.

“Good that you understand, remember to tell your nephew!”

Steward Hu returned to his usual smiling demeanor, satisfied with Second Uncle’s attitude, and turned to leave.

After he left, the surrounding villagers had different expressions, their eyes all fixed on Second Uncle.

One of the elders said, “Erniu, A-Liang’s life is saved.”

“Yes, his life is saved…”

Second Uncle shook his head, not saying anything more, but everyone around understood what he meant.

Next, it would depend on Chu Liang’s answer.

Would he sign this contract?

“When A-Liang comes back, we must persuade him!”

Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle both breathed a sigh of relief. After all, there was a chance, and Master Hu didn’t seem too angry, so he probably wouldn’t involve the rest of the Chu family.

The news gradually spread, and the villagers were all discussing it.

Wang Tuozi’s expression was twisted as he cursed in his thatched hut, “He can’t sign, that damn Chu Liang, he must die before me!”

Zhao Hu, after hearing the news, remained silent for a while.

Then, he told his followers that Chu Liang would definitely not sign.

Everyone was waiting for Chu Liang to return.

But Chu Liang was completely unaware of all this.

Around ten o’clock in the morning, he arrived at the county town.

The county town was bustling with people, a sea of heads as far as the eye could see.

“It’s really lively.”

Chu Liang squeezed into the crowd and, as usual, bought two steamed buns.

Then, he began to sell the medicinal herbs he had gathered in the mountains during this period.

Astragalus, Polygonum multiflorum, Gold Thread Grass, Gastrodia elata, and so on, all found by the Treasure Seeking Rats.

Chu Liang had evolved some of the herbs once to increase their value.

Since there were quite a few, he went all over the county town, visiting more than ten medicine shops, selling the herbs separately to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

At noon, Chu Liang’s backpack was basically empty, with only the most precious Purple Ganoderma left.

“A total of seven hundred and sixty taels of silver.”

Chu Liang counted the silver notes.

This was a huge sum of money that could attract கொலை and robbery.

No one in Qing Shi Village could come up with so much money, not even Master Hu.

Then, Chu Liang went to the Yunlai Restaurant.

“Yunlai Restaurant’s business is good today, much better than usual.”

As Chu Liang approached the restaurant, he found it particularly lively today, with people rushing about everywhere in the main hall.

He found the restaurant’s shopkeeper, Qi Shun, and took out the Purple Ganoderma from his backpack.

“Shopkeeper Qi, take a look at this.”

As soon as he saw the Purple Ganoderma, Qi Shun’s eyes lit up.

“Young Brother Chu, this… is this Purple Ganoderma? And it has more than nine pores?”

“Yes.”

“Haha, Young Brother Chu, you’re really lucky to find this immortal herb! This kind of Purple Ganoderma is a treasure among treasures!”

In this world, Ganoderma was also called the Immortal Grass, and just hearing the name, one could tell how precious it was.

Eating this wouldn’t make one an immortal, but it could definitely prolong life.

Chu Liang’s evolved Purple Ganoderma was a top-quality specimen.

“Young Brother Chu, I can tell you’re a man of great fortune!”

Qi Shun was beaming, and asked with a smile, “Last time you found that Blood Ginseng, which surprised me a lot, and now you’ve found such a precious thing. Did the God of Wealth take a liking to you?”

“Shopkeeper Qi, give me a price,” Chu Liang said with a smile.

◈◈◈

“Eighty-eight taels, how about that?”

Qi Shun held out his chubby hand, thumb and forefinger spread out, making the shape of an “eight.”

This was a very auspicious number.

Chu Liang didn’t hesitate and immediately nodded in agreement.

He handed over the Purple Ganoderma, and Qi Shun took out the money, completing the transaction.

“Young Brother Chu, it’s noon, why don’t you stay for a meal? It’s on me!” Qi Shun said with a smile as he put away the Purple Ganoderma, in high spirits.

“Alright.”

Chu Liang didn’t refuse.

The two sat in a private room on the right side of the main hall, and soon wine and dishes were served, and they ate and chatted.

During the meal, Chu Liang learned some surprising news ━ a demon beast had appeared!

“Young Brother Chu, you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“Last night, a demon beast came down the mountain and attacked Mo Shi Village. Many people died in the village.”

Qi Shun lowered his voice and pointed to the busy figures in the restaurant’s main hall.

Their restaurant had taken on the funeral banquet for Mo Shi Village, which was why it was so busy today.

The entire Mo Shi Village was waiting to attend the funeral banquet!

“A demon beast came down the mountain?” Chu Liang was slightly surprised, he really hadn’t heard about this.

“Yes, at least twenty people died, and many more were crippled! The news spread early this morning, and many people in the county town are discussing it today.”

There hadn’t been any demon beasts in the area around Anping County Town for several years.

The sudden appearance of a demon beast made many people feel uneasy.

This time it was the people of Mo Shi Village who died, what about next time?

Mo Shi Village was right next to Bai Shi Village, and Bai Shi Village was not far from Hei Shi Village, and a little further away was Qing Shi Village, where Chu Liang lived.

“I left early today, the news hadn’t reached my village yet when I left,” Chu Liang said.

“I see.”

Qi Shun took a sip of yellow wine and then told Chu Liang in detail about what happened last night.

It happened last night at midnight.

At that time, every household in Mo Shi Village was resting, and the demon beast suddenly rushed out of the mountains and into the village, killing indiscriminately.

“It was a Tiger Demon, dark green all over, a full zhang long, with a mouth like a bloody basin, extremely ferocious…”

Qi Shun described it vividly, as if he had been there and seen the demon’s appearance with his own eyes.

Chu Liang was puzzled, “I remember there is a Master Martial Artist in Mo Shi Village, right? Couldn’t that Master Martial Artist stop it?”

“You mean Master Zhang?”

“Yes.”

“Fake, Master Zhang only sensed Qi and Blood, he only condensed fifty percent of his first strand of Qi and Blood, he wasn’t even recognized by the Martial Alliance, he’s not a real martial artist.”

“I see.”

Chu Liang was enlightened.

There was a Master Martial Artist in almost every village in the surrounding area.

Qi Shun said that most of them were just self-proclaimed martial artists, basically still at the stage of sensing Qi and Blood. Very few had actually become martial artists.

Others didn’t know the details of these Masters, but Qi Shun, as the shopkeeper of Yunlai Restaurant, had a wide network of contacts, even knowing people in the Martial Alliance, so it wasn’t difficult for him to know these things.

“Did Master Zhang die?” Chu Liang asked again.

“No, Master Zhang blocked more than ten moves, couldn’t hold on, and fled alone. He’s still recuperating in a clinic in the south of the city.”

Qi Shun reminded Chu Liang to be careful.

The Martial Alliance had released news that only a true martial artist could deal with that Tiger Demon.

“Young Brother Chu, you shouldn’t go up the mountain recently, it’s best not to even go back to the village. Just stay in the county town and wait for the experts from the Martial Alliance to kill that Tiger Demon before you go back.”

In Qi Shun’s eyes, Chu Liang was still an ordinary hunter.

Not even having sensed Qi and Blood, if he encountered that Tiger Demon, he would only be sending himself to his death.