4: Chapter 4, Second Ray of Celestial Light

Hearing Ye Jing say this,

Liu Xianglan held her son, who was smacking his lips in her arms, and let out a helpless sigh.

Seeing this, Wu Guiyun grabbed a pheasant, skillfully slaughtered and bled it, and after stewing it for a while, a pot of delicious chicken soup was soon ready.

"Wow! It smells so good! It's chicken soup!" Ye Tianyao had smelled the aroma long ago and stood around the pot, constantly swallowing her saliva.

Ye Tianhao, who was playing with Hei Feng, was also craving it, but he restrained himself from looking toward the kitchen.

Wu Guiyun brought the chicken soup to Liu Xianglan. "Xianglan, have a sip. This is for the sake of the child as well."

Liu Xianglan had no choice but to sigh softly, drinking some soup and eating a couple of bites of chicken.

She said, "Sister-in-law, I can't eat much. Give the rest to Father. He's getting on in years and needs the nourishment most."

Wu Guiyun felt a pang of sadness seeing this.

She walked out, helped Ye Jing sit down, and then called the children over.

The pot of chicken soup was divided into four portions.

The family ate the chicken soup along with their watery porridge.

Ye Jing looked down and saw his bowl was filled with chicken meat, while the two children and his eldest daughter-in-law only had clear broth in theirs.

It seemed that if the Tax Silver issue wasn't resolved, his two daughters-in-law would never be at peace; no matter how good the food was, it would be hard to swallow.

There were less than seven days left until the Tax Silver was due. How to raise nearly thirty taels of silver in such a short time was a massive problem.

Thus, Ye Jing secretly resolved to hunt some valuable prey as soon as possible to gather the Tax Silver!

He tried to share some of the meat into Ye Tianhao and Ye Tianyao's bowls.

"Grandpa, you eat it!" The two grandchildren hurriedly waved their hands and pulled their bowls back, their small faces full of stubbornness.

Ye Jing felt a warmth in his heart as he put the two chicken drumsticks into his grandchildren's bowls. "Grandpa has had enough. You're both growing, so eat more!"

He also gave some meat to Wu Guiyun, comforting her, "Gui Yun, since Xianglan gave birth, you've been working hard managing the household alone. Have some."

Seeing Ye Jing like this, Wu Guiyun could only nod, and the family ate some chicken together.

Hei Feng, standing by, wasn't left out either; the chicken bones all went to him.

Wu Guiyun cleared the table, saving the remaining pheasant meat for another meal.

She also helped put the live pheasants and hares into the coop, waiting to sell them.

To raise enough for the Tax Silver, they had not only sold their grain but even their egg-laying hen; the family was very poor.

After finishing dinner, Ye Jing returned to his room.

After eating the pheasant, Ye Jing suddenly felt his Blood Qi surging within him, and the fatigue from entering the mountains during the day vanished instantly.

A warm current flowed from his stomach, which left Ye Jing incredibly astonished.

When he first arrived in this world, he had also wanted to pursue cultivation, but since he lacked even a shred of talent, he could only set his sights on becoming a Martial Artist.

Unfortunately, a Martial Artist's physical tempering required daily consumption of blood food, which was a massive expense.

Without the money or family background to support it, he could only give up and become an ordinary tenant farmer.

But now, he felt the power coursing through him; that wisp of Immortal Light had been completely digested through today's hunting.

Ye Jing immediately absorbed the second wisp of Immortal Light, and he noticed that the Immortal Light hanging on the Willow Branch seemed slightly brighter than before.

Was it because he had let the children in the house eat the pheasant today, replenishing some of their Blood Qi?

Just as the thought arose, the second wisp of Immortal Light wrapped around his limbs and bones like a warm current, a tingling sensation of comfort spreading from his Dantian to his entire body.

He sat cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed. The warm current seemed sentient; wherever it passed, his aged and withered muscles slowly relaxed and expanded.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

A milky-white glimmer appeared outside the window. From afar, the long crowing of a rooster heralded the dawn, one after another, echoing through the quiet mountains.

Day had broken.

Ye Jing slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.

After absorbing the second wisp of Immortal Light, his loose, sagging skin became a bit firmer, and among the white hair at the front of his head, strands of black actually began to emerge.

The lines of muscle on his arms appeared slightly, and his entire posture became more upright.

He had grown younger again!

Ye Jing could hardly hide his excitement. Clenching his fists, he thought, "My body has become much stronger now. Tomorrow, when I go into the mountains, I'll go check out Duantou Ao."

Duantou Ao was a treacherous area within the Qinling Mountains, over a hundred zhang high, shaded, with dense and towering trees, where rare wild beasts often appeared.

Although it was only a dozen or so li from Liu Village, the terrain was extremely dangerous, and few people dared to approach it.

There were even rumors in the village that Yao Beasts haunted Duantou Ao.

This was, after all, a world of cultivation. Beasts were naturally not limited to ordinary wild animals and poultry; there were also more powerful Yao Beasts.

Yao Beasts were created when wild animals were nourished by spiritual power; they were difficult for Mortals and even Martial Artists to rival.

However, it was said that even the lowest-level Yao Beast was extremely popular on the market, with prices more than double those of ordinary beasts.

If he could catch one, his family wouldn't have to worry about the Tax Silver anymore!

Thinking of this...

Ye Jing immediately wanted to test what level his body had reached after absorbing the second wisp of Immortal Light.

He walked out of his room into the courtyard, scanned the area, and finally fixed his gaze on the millstone at the edge of the yard.

That millstone weighed a full hundred catties. He had still been able to lift it when he was fifty, but he didn't know to what extent the Immortal Light had strengthened his body now.

Ye Jing stepped forward, pressed his palm against the cold, rough millstone, took a deep breath, and gave a low shout, "Rise!"

A surge of vigorous power erupted, gushing out through his arm.

That heavy millstone actually trembled slightly in his hand and slowly lifted half an inch off the ground.

At this, Ye Jing's eyes snapped wide, and an irrepressible joy surged in the depths of his gaze.

He subconsciously held his breath, unable to believe his own senses.

Panting, Ye Jing set the millstone he had lifted back onto the ground.

He quickly moved his arm, feeling only a slight soreness in the muscles, while the power within him continued to surge without any sign of exhaustion.

"I can actually... move this millstone now!" he murmured to himself, his voice carrying uncontrollable excitement, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out from this sudden pleasant surprise.

The more Ye Jing thought about it, the more delighted he became. As long as he had strength, he had the confidence to hunt prey.

The hope of gathering the Tax Silver was no longer an unreachable dream!

He decided then and there to strike while the iron was hot and head back into the deep mountains to catch prey, so he could raise some silver and help the family through this crisis.

Ye Jing immediately turned and went back inside.

He pulled out his sharp Hunting knife, took a thin flatbread, filled his waterskin, and tied it to his waist.

Hei Feng was already squatting at the door, wagging his tail. Seeing Ye Jing come out, he immediately stood up and rubbed his head against Ye Jing's leg, letting out a whimper from his throat, clearly wanting to follow him into the mountains.

This old partner had been with him for so many years; every time he went into the mountains, they were inseparable, sharing a rare understanding.

Just then...

Inside the house, the early-rising Wu Guiyun noticed the movement outside.

She came out to look and saw Ye Jing dressed in his Hunting Gear again, with his Hunting knife on his back, looking ready to head into the mountains.

Her eyes were full of surprise. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Ye Jing seemed quite a bit younger, and his body looked sturdier.

She hurriedly asked, "Father! Where are you going?"

Ye Jing smiled and waved his hand. "I'm just going for a stroll nearby. I won't be back for lunch."

Wu Guiyun nodded. "Father, then be careful on the road and come back early."

Ye Jing replied, "Alright."

After a brief word with his eldest daughter-in-law, Ye Jing took Hei Feng and headed up the mountain again.