Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

By noon, the rain had stopped.

Zhu Asan was carrying a bag of cooked meat, saying that his family had made too much and his wife had asked him to bring some over.

Zhou Yan took the package, but he knew in his heart that the other party was probably worried about his hand injury.

This meat might have been specially reserved for him.

"Third Brother, I'm fine now. Little Zhuzhu is growing, so please give him more to eat and stop sending me things."

After saying that, he deliberately shook his arm to indicate that he was alright.

Zhu Asan glared at him.

"Stop talking nonsense. Your sister-in-law told you to take it. Do you want it or not?"

Zhou Yan smiled and agreed.

"Yes! Of course I want it!"

Zhu Asan then snorted and sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard.

The two sat down in the courtyard.

Zhu Asan casually remarked:

"You have a day off tomorrow, so stay home and don't go to Qingmang Village unless necessary."

Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he casually asked:

"What's wrong? Third Brother, what rumors have you heard? Is it about the refugees?"

  

"The refugees are only one aspect."

Zhu Asan lowered his voice.

"And there's Qingmang Mountain."

Zhou Yan looked up and asked in confusion.

What happened to Qingmang Mountain?

Zhu Asan frowned.

"Last time I accompanied you to Qingmang Village to buy medicine, didn't I go to the tea stall to inquire about the prices?"

At that time, I heard from several hunters who often went up the mountain that there were many more wild animals in the mountains than in previous years.

At the time, I just took it as gossip and didn't tell you.

As a result, a hunter I knew came to town yesterday. He told me that some wild animals in the mountains were acting like they were crazy, daring to attack people on their own initiative.

Furthermore, many large wild animals have come down from the mountain, injuring many villagers. Recently, many herb gatherers have been afraid to go up the mountain.

Zhou Yan's eyes flickered slightly.

"A wild beast coming down from the mountain and attacking a person? Isn't that common?"

"Of course it's rare. It's normal for tigers and bears to attack people when they're starving, but have you ever seen a wild rabbit pounce on a person?"

At this point, Zhu Asan added:

"However, there have indeed been more prey recently, and my friend has made quite a bit of money this time."

"money!"

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

Seeing Zhou Yan like this, Zhu Asan glanced at him sideways and said:

"Forget about it. They are all seasoned hunters with many years of experience. Although you sensed the qi and blood, the time was too short, and you may not be stronger than them. Going into the mountains is very dangerous."

Zhou Yan nodded, but did not reply.

If one's Qi and blood are not functioning properly, then what about a martial artist?

I'm short of money right now, I don't know...

The two talked for a while longer, and Zhu Asan repeatedly warned him not to leave the city. Seeing that he nodded in agreement, he left satisfied.

Knowing that the other person meant well, Zhou Yan felt no impatience at all; instead, he felt a warm glow in his heart.

After all, he has come to such a strange and cruel world, and someone treats him sincerely without asking for anything in return. What reason does he have to refuse or be annoyed by that person?

After Zhu Asan left, Zhou Yan returned to the house and squeezed the empty money pouch.

A little over one tael of silver, and that was contributed by Li Mazi and his companion. With that little money, let alone practicing martial arts, it would be difficult to even have enough to eat.

"I wonder if this money will be enough to buy some hunting tools?"

Zhou Yan muttered to himself.

Yes, although Zhu Asan repeatedly emphasized the dangers outside the city, he was indeed short of money.

They are in extremely short supply!

He had made up his mind and would set off that afternoon for Qingmang Mountain.

……

afternoon.

Zhou Yan changed into an inconspicuous gray short-sleeved shirt, picked up the wood-chopping knife used at home, and tucked it behind his waist.

Before leaving, Zhou Yan checked his money one last time.

Not much, about one ounce and four mace.

But it should be just enough to buy some supplies for going into the mountains.

He did not intend to buy hunting tools in the city.

Although the quality of goods in the city is guaranteed, the prices are generally higher.

Qingmang Village relies on the mountains for its livelihood.

Hunters, herb gatherers, and medicine merchants came and went; there were many decent tools there, and he planned to go there to buy some.

After leaving the alley, Zhou Yan headed straight for the west gate, and bought a few pancakes from a pancake stall along the way to take with him.

Outside the west gate of Qingzhou City, there are more shelters for refugees than in the past few days.

Torn mats and thatched huts stretched out along both sides of the official road, resembling a patch of withered grass blown down by the wind.

The rain had just stopped, and the ground was covered in mud and water.

Many refugees huddled in the sheds, their clothes mostly soaked. Some held their children and whispered to them, while others guarded a broken pot, in which rice soup so thin you could see your reflection in it was bubbling.

As Zhou Yan walked by, an old man who was so thin he was practically skin and bones looked up at him.

Zhou Yan had never seen that kind of look in his eyes before; it was a look of numbness, devoid of any hope.

Beside him, two teenagers were squatting in the mud, fighting over a hard biscuit they had picked up from somewhere.

Zhou Yan paused slightly, gritted his teeth, took out the steamed bun from his pocket, stuffed it into the old man's arms, and walked away without looking back.

"Thanks……"

Hearing the words coming from behind, he didn't speak or give any more, since even if he did, the other party wouldn't be able to keep him.

Giving him some dry food was all he could do.

He is not a saint; he himself needs help. There are countless people suffering in this world, and he cannot possibly take care of them all.

After walking for a while, Zhou Yan suddenly saw several young and strong refugees surrounding a man wearing a short jacket.

The man was holding a wooden plaque and speaking in a low voice.

They were quite far apart, so Zhou Yan couldn't hear clearly or see the other person's face.

I could only vaguely hear the words "meals provided," "at the foot of the mountain," and "moving goods."

Several refugees were clearly tempted.

One of them hesitated and said:

"Are you really going to feed them?"

The man in the short jacket grinned.

"Would I lie to you? When we get there, there will be porridge to drink, and if we work for three days, we'll get copper coins."

Zhou Yan frowned slightly, feeling a little strange.

Hiring refugees to go up the mountain? The mountains are so dangerous now, what would they do up there? Hunt?

Unable to understand, Zhou Yan stopped thinking about it, since it wasn't really his problem.

Moreover, since the other party has the ability to employ these refugees, it's a good thing that they won't starve to death.

……

The roads were muddy after the rain, making them even more difficult to travel than last time.

Zhou Yan walked slowly.

As he hurried along, he tried to lower his breathing and pace.

The ability to change one's aura does not make him disappear into thin air.

But as long as he deliberately restrains himself, he will become ordinary and less noticeable.

Many people on the road were also heading towards Qingmang Village.

However, most of them were dressed as hunters, with hunting knives at their waists and longbows on their shoulders.

There were also a few herb gatherers carrying medicine baskets on their backs.

Moreover, Zhou Yan noticed that these people were very cautious when they walked.

Almost every short distance I walked, I would subconsciously glance at the woods on both sides of the road.

Zhou Yan suddenly remembered what Zhu Asan had said that morning.

"...It's said that the wild beasts in the mountains have come down to eat people!"

This made him cautious, and he turned his attention away from the ever-changing aura.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and he arrived at his destination safely.

When Zhou Yan arrived at Qingmang Village, it was the hottest time of the afternoon.

The village entrance was much quieter than last time.

Perhaps because it had just rained, he noticed that many stalls were not open.

At the entrance of the village, there was a meat stall where several sturdy butchers were dissecting a wild boar.

This wild boar was much larger than a normal wild boar, and a broken spear was stuck in its neck.

Several hunters, covered in mud, were standing nearby, cursing and swearing.

"That beast is like a madman, it's going to burrow at anyone it sees, it almost punctured Old Chen's stomach."

"Don't even mention it. Yesterday, Lao Huang and his men encountered a pack of wolves. It was a terrible ordeal."

"According to the village elders, it was the mountain god who was angry, which made these beasts become violent as well."

……

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan paused slightly.

The mountain god is angry? That can't be that fantastical, can it?

At this moment, a passing medicine merchant looked at the wild boar, stroked his chin, and said:

"These wild boar tusks are quite good; they'd be suitable as a medicinal ingredient. I'll take them for ten taels of silver."

The hunters immediately objected.

"Ten taels? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?"

The pharmaceutical dealer rolled his eyes.

"You think it's not enough? Then go sell it in the city yourselves."

The hunters fell silent immediately.

Selling in the city isn't impossible, but small-scale traders like them have to pay taxes when trading in the city.

It wasn't given to the government, but to local gangs.

Moreover, if you encounter a heartless person, you might not get a single penny.

In the end, the hunters grumbled and swore as they accepted the money.

Zhou Yan watched from the side, a slight thought stirring within him.

Ten taels!

A pair of teeth can sell for so much, and that doesn't even include the meat.

Zhou Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Although the mountain god's anger seems a bit far-fetched, there is definitely danger involved, but the money is coming in really fast.

If he could also hunt a wild boar like that, even putting aside paying off his debts, he should at least have enough tonics to complete his first stage of cultivation.

If we could also hunt some other wild animals, then...

……