Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

A warm current entered my abdomen.

Liu Xingmo quickly circulated his blood and qi, walking along the fixed route.

As the medicine gradually took effect, the blood and qi in the body became somewhat restless, surging wildly through the meridians and finally converging on the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones.

Liu Xingmo practiced for a quarter of an hour, then let out a long breath. He pressed on while the iron was hot, repeating the process of administering the medicine and practicing until it got dark.

I sat up in bed and stretched my limbs; my body felt stronger. My blood and energy flowed more smoothly, and my cultivation level even made a small step forward.

It must be said that the Tortoise Shell Technique is an excellent secret method. Just looking at the content of the first level, it is comparable to the Black Dragon Village's ancestral Dragon Transformation Technique.

The ancient book contains content from level one to level three. It is divided into two parts: one is the secret method of manipulating the human body, and the other is the secret method of manipulating the tortoise body.

If it can transform into a tortoise form in the future, its defensive capabilities will reach an extremely high level. Furthermore, by infusing it with blood energy, it can perform secret techniques on Bao Hei, enhancing this contracted beast.

This time, a real treasure has been delivered to our doorstep!

Liu Xingmo wasn't even qualified to access the secret techniques; he only learned the most basic things, enough to train and circulate his blood and qi.

Now that his luck has turned, he truly has the right to stand out from ordinary people and compete with all sorts of influential figures.

However, economic problems persist. This medicinal soup has already drawn on savings.

Perhaps we should go mining in the mountains in winter and try our luck. The newspaper also needs to explore new revenue streams.

……

Liu Xingmo entered the living room.

Bao Hei was sleeping on the ground.

This guy eats and sleeps, and now he's grown to over a meter long. His previous injuries have also completely healed.

Its shape has changed, becoming more rounded from flat and pointed. The carapace has shed its membrane, revealing clear bony patterns.

It changed from a soft-shelled turtle to a more tortoise-like shape, thanks to the special medicine.

Liu Xingmo plopped down on the turtle's back: "Bao Hei, move forward!"

The beast shrank into its shell, pretending not to hear.

Liu Xingmo transmitted a stinging sensation through the soul imprint.

Bao Hei reluctantly got up, braced himself on all fours, and paced around the living room.

Taming contracted beasts is a profound art, especially when it comes to innate mythical beasts, which are full of spirituality.

In short, loyalty and trust are built up in the little things of daily life.

They should neither be allowed to roam freely nor be pampered.

Liu Xingmo rode the turtle around the living room several times.

When Bao Hei got a little tired, he transferred a wisp of blood energy to him.

At the same time, the "Turtle Shell Technique" was also transmitted through the connection of the soul imprint, guiding this innate mythical beast to accept the external blood energy.

Baohei's whole body buzzed and trembled, and Liu Xingmo, who was on its back, felt an itch in his ears.

"Excellent! Bao Hei, you're already at the fifth level of the first tier. Once you're fully grown and mature, you'll be able to advance to the second tier. What else do you need?"

The soul imprint relayed some vague thoughts: fish meat, shrimp meat, snail meat... white grass roots, black pills, and a human with two arms and two legs.

"Hehe, you're not stupid after all! You know the benefits of vitality. Grow up quickly, so you can pull my cart and do chores, hahaha!"

Bao Hei's two round, dark eyes were dull and lifeless.

Another half month passed, and the cultivation of the man and the turtle proceeded in an orderly manner.

This morning.

The autumn wind is bleak, and the withered leaves are falling.

The fruit trees on the hillside were mostly bare, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves that were half a person's size, which, mixed with the moisture from the soil, began to ferment.

Liu Xingmo came down from the treehouse with three insects and a turtle.

We need to stockpile fuel for winter now.

Pick up the dry, yellow peach leaves, string them onto the grass stems, and keep doing this until you have a large bundle. Then tie the grass stems together and hang them on the stair railing that surrounds the tree trunk.

These things were dried and used as firewood. This was how we survived the season when snow was falling heavily.

Three rhinoceros beetles worked together to drag away the leaves, and soon the area under the nectarine tree was cleaned up.

Other households were busy with the same thing, and there was no more firewood to be found in the entire western town.

After all, every tree has a name and an owner, and its branches and leaves can't withstand being used for firewood all year round.

Helpless, Liu Xingmo pulled out the tow truck, intending to try his luck at the edge of the walled city to see if there were any withered weeds that had been missed.

If you can collect dried moss, wrap it in grass netting to make mats, and place them on the walls and roof of your home for even better insulation.

Of course, these chores can be hired to do them, but we must save money for now.

Aside from his job as a newspaper editor two days a week, Liu Xingmo was just an eighteen-year-old youth. As a worker, he earned only a few yuan a day.

I put the newly bought tortoise saddle on Bao Hei and rode the two-meter-long giant tortoise and three beetles westward along the stone road.

Various fruit trees were gradually replaced by tall trees, with pine trees tens of meters high spreading across the majestic mountains thousands of meters high.

As a tiny person walks in this world of giants, a sense of loneliness and liberation spreads through their heart.

"Snap! Snap!"

Someone was chopping pine cones with an axe by the roadside, taking out pine nuts as long as a palm and piling them up in a bucket.

As for the fruit shells and pine needles, they were piled up like small mountains, clearly priced at 5 yuan per truckload.

Liu Xingmo weighed his wallet in his hand, shook his head, and continued walking westward. But he could buy a bucket of pine nuts to try on the way back.

"Croak! Croak!" came the sound of frogs from afar.

Someone drove onto the main road; it was Liu Yizhu. The one pulling the cart was none other than the bullfrog, the acquired mythical beast.

Upon seeing Liu Xingmo, he flicked the reins, urging the two carriages to drive side by side.

He stared at Bao Hei for a while, a look of surprise appearing on the ugly face of the man who had lost his parents.

He asked, "What's wrong with this turtle?"

"You can see that rich blood energy too? It's about to transform into a mythical beast!" Liu Xingmo said unhurriedly.

Luck is such an elusive thing; only the old folks can perceive it. Ordinary people can at most discern that Bao Hei is different from other creatures, likely a rare beast.

Since it's bound to be exposed sooner or later anyway, it's better to disguise Bao Hei as a Blood Path Acquired Beast to avoid trouble. Now that we have the "Turtle Shell Technique," it's not difficult to do so.

Liu Yizhu didn't dwell on this point and continued, "With your first-tier strength, how can you form a contract with a tortoise? These animals aren't intelligent enough to become friendly with humans through taming."

"There are always exceptions, you know. I've been raising this turtle since it was a cub; its shell's practically worn smooth. Naturally, it accepted me as its master without much resistance," Liu Xingmo said calmly, then countered, "I'm planning to go to the outskirts to gather some firewood. And what are you, this great genius, up to now?"

"Of course I went to gather firewood too." Liu Yizhu glanced at him with the look of someone looking at an idiot.

Liu Xingmo pursed his lips, unsure of what to say.

It seems that lack of money is a problem for everyone, regardless of whether they are ordinary people or geniuses.

Liu Yizhu is a genuine genius; he possesses an innate bloodline physique. To put it simply, he is an innate rare beast born from the human species.

Liu Xingmo changed the subject: "I'm not familiar with this area. Where can I find good firewood for free?"

"Come with me! Let's go for a walk in the safe area outside the village." Liu Yizhu flicked the reins, urging Bullfrog to quicken its pace.