Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery
Chapter 58: The Situation Worsens

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: The Situation Worsens

In the following days, every deep night when the world was quiet, Chen Li began to practice close-quarters combat while using the "Traction Skill".

The more he practiced, the more he felt the powerful effects of the Traction Skill.

First, while sprinting within the range of the array, he felt no resistance from the wind at all. It wasn’t the ’Wind-Conversion’ array embroidered into his robe that turns strong wind into a breeze, he literally felt no wind, and the air in front of him would automatically part as he ran.

His every move could stir the array, bringing all sorts of enhancements to his actions. With the mind engaged, the power follows, as if heaven and earth were aiding him.

Second, the array of the Traction Skill didn’t interfere with casting other spells; of course, there were no enhancements either. This meant that ’Amulet’, ’Spiritual Power Finger Snap’, ’Scolding Skill’, could all be used in combat.

Sometimes, spells can interfere with each other.

For example, Amulets couldn’t be overlaid, and Amulets couldn’t be mixed with Arrow-Evasion Talismans. Using them together for defense wouldn’t stack but would cause mana conflicts, leading to the spells failing.

In severe cases, it could even result in explosions.

Lastly, leveraging the various floating stones in the air, his movements became more agile and unpredictable. His mobility was no longer limited to the two-dimensional plane of the ground beneath his feet but allowed him to move swiftly and nimbly at low altitudes.

Of course, this was a great test of both control and mental focus. To be orderly and comfortable amidst intense and stressful battles, countless hours of practice were indispensable.

...

The weather grew warmer with each passing day.

As winter turned to spring, the accumulated snow began to melt away.

More and more Loose Cultivators were ending their winter hibernations and starting to leave their homes.

However, the rampant demon beasts overshadowed any joy on the people’s faces, leaving them burdened with worry and concern.

"Sigh, what can we do? I heard that demon beasts are now lurking in the nearby woods. Those damned beasts seem to have developed a taste for human flesh."

"Not just that, one of them is in the nearby river. Lin saw it yesterday morning when he went to fetch water. It was a dark mass from afar, scared him witless—he ran back without even taking the bucket."

"One in the river? How will we get water from now on?"

"Regrets. Had I known, I wouldn’t have moved to this marketplace. Hopefully, the guild can organize a group to hunt them."

Demon beasts are typically of immense size and formidable strength. Even a first-order demon beast is not something an ordinary Loose Cultivator can contend with.

...

"A demon beast in the river?" Chen Li, who had just returned from outside, couldn’t help but ask upon hearing this.

"It’s what Lin saw, so it’s likely true... Fellow Daoist Chen, where have you been?" a neighbor asked.

"I went to check out the marketplace," said Chen Li. "The shops haven’t set up yet, there are just a few stalls!"

"Sigh, it’s going to be a tough year. Better focus on how to survive," a neighbor sighed.

After a brief chat with the neighbors, Chen Li got up and left.

After he was gone.

One neighbor remarked, "This new Fellow Daoist Chen is really lucky. Six nearby houses all died out, but his family remains unharmed."

"He dug his cave deep, probably among the first around here to do so, right?"

"Haha, better safe than sorry. Seeing what happened to those people, I also live in a cave every day now. Safety first!"

...

Chen Li was unaware of the conversations people had behind his back.

Of course, even if he was aware, he wouldn’t care.

He returned to his cave.

Zhou Hong dusted off the mud that had stuck to him while he crawled through the tunnel.

"Once there’s news of a caravan, we’ll pay to join one and leave this marketplace. Anywhere is better than here. This place is becoming more and more dangerous," Chen Li said, putting his sword on the table after taking it off.

"Hmm, I’ll listen to you," Zhou Hong said. "I guess there will be quite a few leaving when the time comes."

"Oh, right, don’t go near the river these days," Chen Li suddenly remembered to mention. "Someone spotted demon beasts in the river."

Yet deep down, a part of him was itching to try it out.

Danger isn’t something you can just walk away from whenever you wish, better to use a first-stage demon beast as practice now rather than flailing helplessly when facing a real threat.

However, he soon abandoned the idea.

Demon beasts in the water are not easy to deal with.

...

Days slipped by, and before long another ten or so had passed.

People were still being devoured by demon beasts from time to time.

The myriad small and large gangs of the shantytown couldn’t take it any longer and united to mount a hunt in the nearby forest for the demon beasts, causing a sensation throughout the shantytown. Chen Li and Zhou Hong did not go out to join the spectacle.

They only heard that it ended in a terrible defeat with many dead.

Adding to that, the merchant convoy was still nowhere to be seen.

The entire shantytown drowned in gloom.

Most Loose Cultivators didn’t have much in the way of savings to begin with, and a whole winter without income had dwindled what little they had, by this time of year, it was usually when Loose Cultivators relied on the forest for sustenance, which also made up a large part of their annual income.

After a winter of resting and recuperating.

All sorts of medicinal herbs were not quite everywhere in the forest, but were still quite abundant.

If you were lucky, it wasn’t rare at all to find a piece of spiritual medicine.

Both sects and business houses had a strong demand for all kinds of herbs, basically buying as much as was available. But now with demon beasts running rampant at the edge of the forest, eying humans hungrily, and with the merchant convoy delayed, the livelihood of the entire shantytown was suddenly cut off.

...

"You want to borrow grain? I don’t have any either. I was buying from you not long ago, remember? Where would I have extra grain?"

In the evening, a Loose Cultivator living nearby called Chen Li out of his burrow to ask to borrow some grain.

"Then give me back the grain I lent you last time!" the Loose Cultivator demanded.

Chen Li paused when he heard this, then laughed out loud at the man’s audacity:

"Let’s set aside the fact that I don’t have any surplus grain. The issue is that I bought it with money, it wasn’t a gift from you. If I recall correctly, I paid more than double the going rate, and no one charged higher than you did nearby."

"Anyways, sort it out yourself. You have to give me the grain today, whether you like it or not," the Loose Cultivator insisted stubbornly, shamelessly adding, "Otherwise, I’ll go out on the street and say you’re an ungrateful wretch. Without me, Zhang Wutiao, selling you grain, you wouldn’t have survived the winter."

Listening to this, Chen Li felt his fists itching for action.

A spell was chanted.

"Scram!"

Zhang Wutiao suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, overwhelmed by an immense fear.

While he was still dazed,

Chen Li’s hand, like iron tongs, grabbed his neck and lightly tossed him like throwing trash, sending him flying through the air for more than ten meters before he tumbled into the muddy street with a muffled thud.

He lay there like a corpse for quite some time.

Only after struggling to his feet in a daze, covered in mud and looking wretched, did Zhang Wutiao look around, utterly confused.

"My head hurts so much, what... what happened to me? What just happened? Right, now I remember, I... I came to borrow grain."

He looked towards the ruins where Chen Li’s home stood.

Suddenly, he shivered all over, and for some reason, an intense fear took hold of his heart. He felt goosebumps all over, quickly averted his gaze, and hobbled away as fast as he could, limping from the place.