It all started with one person becoming a shaman, but the Stand user...

"It's okay, just wait another eight or nine years. By then, the regulations in this area will be stricter, and your application should be successful."

That way, you can receive a fixed extra sum of money every month. It's not much, but you don't have to do much work, and you'll have a stable income, which will make your life more comfortable.

"Haha, that's wonderful! Thank you for your kind words!"

The old man smiled happily upon hearing this.

Although we may not believe it all, the fact that there is hope for the future, regardless of whether it succeeds or not, can bring some warmth in itself.

The two chatted intermittently for a while longer. The old man, engrossed in the conversation, became more animated, looking at Qing Hemiao with a smile, and asking with a mixture of curiosity and subtle expectation:

“Xiao Miao, everyone in the village is saying that although you're young and still in school, you're quite ‘capable’ and know more than others. You're very knowledgeable, so tell your grandpa, is there any chance for things to really get better like they do on TV?”

This question made Qinghe Miao fall silent for a moment.

I don't know what kind of program the old man was watching on TV.

"Of course you can! Just like I said, in eight or nine years, things will definitely be much better than they are now. Just live to be a hundred! By then, the economy will be better, everyone will have more money and be more willing to spend it."

He could only be realistic, rack his brains, and try to glean some positive possibilities from the future trajectory that the old man could hope to achieve:

“Development in other areas will catch up. Even some relatively underdeveloped areas will become interesting. At that time, you won’t have to do anything. Just think about taking a subsidy and having your son take you out for a good trip.”

You've heard of the Great Wall, right? You don't even need to go all the way to the capital. Several smaller sections of the Great Wall in other regions have been developed quite well. They're not only cheaper, but also closer. You can see them without the hassle of traveling.

"You mean the section around Linyu Pass, right?"

Mentioning this, my fourth great-uncle became a little proud and perked up:

“When I was young, I once went to a banquet in a place that was quite far away. I passed by in a big bus and saw it from afar! The mountain was winding and very long! But I never went up there.”

"Almost! You're amazing, you even saw it with your own eyes!"

Qinghe Miao's admiring expression greatly enhanced the old man's emotional appeal, and then he added:

"However, you can try going further north then. You've seen the Great Wall, and you see snow every year. But you've probably never seen a wall and palaces made of snow, as tall and large as the real Great Wall!

Every winter, people from all over the country will come. We're nearby, so we can go when it's just getting cold, before the crowds, and experience it for ourselves. It'll definitely be interesting.

"Winter? There are people who specifically come all the way here, even further north, just to see snowdrifts?"

My fourth great-uncle looked incredulous, but was clearly still smiling.

"Okay, okay! I'll take your good wishes! I'll try my best to live a few more years, and then I'll wait to ride in a car and go out for a while again! Hahaha..."

Looking at the hands of the old-fashioned wall clock moving, Qing Hemiao estimated that it was about time and got up to say goodbye.

Despite his attempts to stop him, the old man insisted on wearing that old cotton coat and secretly stirring the water.

Standing by the fence, I watched Qinghe Miao's figure gradually disappear into the distance on the frozen country road, becoming a blurry little dot.

Only when it was completely out of sight did he slowly turn around and go back into the house.

After returning home, Qinghe Miao remained in low spirits.

Until he brought home a piece of frozen meat that was just about the size of a fist.

Stepping back into the world of "Bad Guys" dungeon, I'll give those disaster victims an extra meal.

That made things a little better.

The original ruins of the temple, after continuous cleanup by these disaster victims, are still in a state of disrepair, except for the main building.

At least the area around the courtyard has been leveled considerably, and the gravel and weeds have been mostly cleared away.

A few rooms that were still relatively intact were specially cleaned up and could barely provide shelter from the wind and rain.

This naturally became Qinghe Miao's "exclusive room" and "meditation room" in this world.

While the disaster victims were out working, he spent most of his time meditating and practicing Qi in this room.

When he really needs to sleep, he naturally chooses to return to his home in Under One Person.

Even if people occasionally discover that Qinghe Miao has disappeared, no one cares.

Everyone knows that this "Taoist master" possesses extraordinary skills, so it's normal for him to appear and disappear unpredictably.

Beyond the courtyard cleared from the ruined temple, a makeshift "shantytown" has spontaneously sprung up at the foot of the mountain wall on a sheltered slope.

Originally, they were just refugees, defeated soldiers, and a small number of local mountain people who couldn't make a living and wanted to rely on Huangjiabao.

All they wanted was a relatively safe shelter and a meal to keep them alive.

Today, "Master Qingmiao" provides not only work and food, but also a sense of "order" and protection.

Many people simply moved to another place and settled down outside the dilapidated temple.

In any case, it was common practice in ancient times for believers and farmers to rely on temple land for farming or to seek religious protection.

It will be convenient to go to work the next day.

They accepted this situation very quickly.

Although living in the mountains, the cold wind in December was like a knife, and the experience was extremely unpleasant.

But compared to their original situation, it doesn't seem to be any different.

Thus, these people displayed astonishing resilience, somehow managing to collect tattered planks, thatch, branches, and even half-rotten mats salvaged from the ruins.

By piecing things together, they managed to build crooked, makeshift shacks that were barely big enough for someone to squeeze into.

If you really can't find anything, just dig a hole in the ground, put some planks or weeds on it, and you can make do with that.

Especially in games like "Minecraft", there's the tactic of digging three and filling one.

Let's say you can learn real things from games!

It's just not funny.

With a large number of people, management is naturally required; otherwise, various problems will arise.

The most basic example is the problem of excretion.

Fortunately, Qinghe Miao had received an education in her previous life and had worked in an office handling miscellaneous tasks, so she still had this kind of work ability.

Under the dual constraints of absolute violence and food shortages, management proceeded relatively smoothly.

This at least avoided the risk of a plague breaking out right under their noses.

Chapter 39 Breath Like a Dragon

Qinghe Miao stood beside the dilapidated temple courtyard, which had been mostly cleared, gazing out of the wall.

Soon, wisps of smoke from the damp winter firewood began to rise.

"Tsk tsk."

He sighed inwardly:

“These cooking utensils would be precious historical artifacts in later generations! This Sui Dynasty temple ruins are just thrown out like garbage, what a waste. It would be great if we could sell them.”

His gaze fell on the large iron pot that had been traded for grain from Huangjiabao and was placed on a few stones.

The water in the pot was bubbling away, and a crowd of people lined up nearby, waiting to reserve their seats for dinner, their utensils a motley collection.

A chipped, rough porcelain bowl, an earthenware jar picked up from who-knows-where, and a crude ceramic basin.

Some people even use clean, uneven pieces of wood.

Everyone stared intently at the pot, eagerly waiting for the bland porridge to cook.

Over the past few days, they have gradually gotten used to some of the rules.

In order to ward off the severe cold, in addition to the stove fire for cooking, small piles of dim firelight were also lit in front of many huts.

The elderly, the infirm, and the disabled huddled together, drawing meager warmth from the surrounding area.

The fist-sized piece of meat that Qinghe Miao brought had already been carefully chopped into tiny pieces by the person in charge of cooking and sprinkled almost invisible into the porridge in the large pot.

Even so, at mealtime, two men still argued and fought over a tiny bit more minced meat in their bowls until they were separated by others.

That's good; they've already started to compete energetically.

It seems that a system for maintaining public order should be established soon.

Aside from that, this newly formed temporary camp presents an unusual sense of "harmony".

Looking at all this, Qing Hemiao thought to himself:

Let's leave it at that for now.

He will help them get through this cold winter, and then next spring he will try to find a way to start developing this instance, looking for more efficient upgrade paths and possible opportunities.

And so, two or three days passed peacefully as the days switched between "reality and copy".

Until the early morning, when the sun was high in the sky and the air was still quite cold.

Qinghe Miao was brushing his teeth in the courtyard of the house in Under One Person.

After finishing brushing, I let out a long sigh of relief.

A long, white breath shot out into the cold air, like a tiny breath from a white dragon, and slowly dissipated.

He was staring blankly at the breath he was breathing when his thoughts inexplicably drifted back to his past life.

Many novels on the theme of Chinese martial arts, in order to highlight the character's profound internal strength and the high level of skill he has achieved in mastering his internal organs, often describe him as having a long and refined breath.

It can even condense into a column of air that doesn't disperse in broad daylight, making it clearly visible and able to travel as far as it can.

If this were done outside the Great Wall, almost everyone could do it during the winter.

"If only I really could..."

Qinghe Miao retracted his cheat code from the world of Under One Person, which was Chinese martial arts. He cultivated both Chinese martial arts and Qi cultivation, making him invincible.

A set of muscles that are so amazing that they could knock the old master against the wall and make him unable to get rid of the fantasy.

I used the hot water from the thermos to pour over the cold water, which was still icy, that had been shaken out of the water tank, and hastily washed my face.

The warm water jolted him awake, banishing all sleepiness.

As he wiped his face with a towel, he pondered that perhaps he should take some time today to go for a stroll in the mountains and forests near the "duplicate" world.

Let's see if we can find some "wild monsters" worth taking down.

The Huang family, the largest fighting force in the area, has become familiar with us over the years and poses no threat.

His pet dog, a short-legged mongrel, seemed very interested in washing his face, darting around and rubbing against the metal rack holding the basin, making the rack clang loudly.

Qinghe Miao held the frame steady with one hand and wiped his face with a towel in the other, letting this guy he had raised since he was a puppy do as he pleased.

Just then, a group of people appeared in the shadows outside the gate of his house, which was wide open for the convenience of working.

Most of them are male, including older, middle-aged, and even teenagers.

They gathered silently at the doorway, most of them with a thick white cloth belt around their waists, and a few with white cloth wrapped around their heads.

Upon arrival, they did not make a fuss or enter the room. Instead, they knelt down at different points on the slightly rough brick floor at the entrance, facing inwards.

Seeing this scene, Qing Hemiao stopped wiping her face immediately, the towel still half-draped over her face.

Having also come from a rural background, he had naturally witnessed similar scenes in his previous life.

A sense of unease settled over him, and the nonchalant expression on his face vanished instantly.

He stopped teasing the dog beside him and threw the towel back into the basin.

Qinghe Miao solemnly faced the crowd at the door, bent his knees, and prepared to kneel back as well.

As expected, following the old customs of the countryside, an older woman who was not wearing any white cloth walked quickly out from the kneeling crowd.

He went straight into the courtyard and called out to Qing Hemiao from afar:

"Qingmiao! Don't kneel! The situation is special, the thought is what counts! We'll need your help to check on things later. Where are your parents? Please call them out!"

Qing Hemiao dared not delay, so he quickly straightened up, turned around and ran back into the house, calling out his mother, who was tidying up the house.

Qing's mother followed her son out of the house with a puzzled look on her face, and was somewhat bewildered when she saw what was going on.

They quickly realized what was happening.

He quickly wiped his hands on his clothes and knelt down in front of the crowd at the door.