Chapter 5:
After traveling continuously for three days straight, they were able to complete over half of their journey. Fortunately, this mountainous area was relatively flat and lacked spiritual power, so there weren’t any dangerous large or medium magical beasts that would attack. Additionally, Song XiaoHu and Yu ZhiJue both had plenty of experience in traveling swiftly, and thus far, they’ve progressed along quite smoothly. By the afternoon of the third day, they were close to reaching ChongMing[1] City.
Ling Xia was grateful that these past few days, Yu ZhiJue’s att.i.tude towards him had gotten slightly better due to his composed and subtle efforts in currying the other’s favor. Even though Yu ZhiJue still ignored him from time to time, at the very least, his expression wasn’t full of rejection and scorn like before.
The small town they were pa.s.sing through was clearly more prosperous than LongFei Town, and there was a lot more variety in both food and entertainment. After eating roasted meat in the wild for a few days, when the scent of hot, deliciously cooked meals entered Ling Xia’s nose, he subconsciously licked his lips. Song XiaoHu also couldn’t resist staring, swallowing down a mouth full of saliva.
There wasn’t a form of government in any of the continents of this world. Each region was managed by the largest sect in the area, with the famous, large sects numbering over a dozen, and the smaller sects too numerous to count. As for the ShaoYang Sect that was in charge of the thousands of miles around ChongMing City, it was only considered below average.
The currency here also wasn’t made from traditional gold, silver, or copper ores, but from different levels of energy stones. The higher the level of energy stone used, the greater the coin’s worth, and ones made from the low-level energy stones were the most common. Of course, you could also bring the energy stones you obtained to various money mints and exchange it for the common currency.
Energy stones are usually found in places with a high concentration of spiritual energy. They are used in refining both magical tools and medicinal pills as well as in aiding cultivation, and the higher the level, the rarer the stone was. Ling Xia paid careful attention while they traveled, but didn’t even spot a single piece of low-level energy stone.
Ling Xia looked at the two kids beside him; Song XiaoHu’s head seemed slightly large for his frame and appeared hearty and robust, but Yu ZhiJue was noticeably a bit thinner and weaker than other kids his age. They had both reached an important age in their bodies’ development, and if they lived on Earth, they would still be elementary school students! But presently, these two were malnourished… …Eating nothing but the rabbits or fish or whatnot they’ve caught was obviously far too lacking in providing sufficient nutrition.
A simple, written announcement on a wall quickly caught Ling Xia’s attention. It said there was a shop currently undertaking a construction job and was looking for temporary workers, offering a pay of 10 low-level energy coins per day, which was roughly the equivalent of ¥100[2] back on Earth.
Ling Xia’s eyes glinted; what his current body did not lack at all, was physical strength. He had already secretly tested it, easily lifting boulders over fifty kilograms, and the cause was very likely because he possessed Herculean Strength.
Of course, this amount strength isn’t even worth mentioning compared to what the protagonist and the villain would have in the future, but even so, it’s a skill that’s rarely seen. If one could cultivate it appropriately, there was quite the potential for growth.
As for doing the job of a low-level physical laborer, Ling Xia doesn’t hold any contempt in his heart towards such a thing. During college, he and his cla.s.smates often worked as salesmen promoting education related materials on weekends, and in any case, earning one’s keep through one’s own toils wasn’t something shameful.
Ling Xia swiftly called the other two over and told them his plans. In high spirits, Song XiaoHu cheerfully declared, “Then I’ll go with you, I’m pretty strong too!”
Yu ZhiJue hesitated for a beat, but also said, “I’m going as well.”
Ling Xia immediately turned down their offers. How could he let elementary kids work at a construction site? Instead, he smiled and rubbed Song XiaHu’s head, insisting, “You guys don’t need to go. Go over there and watch that play, and I’ll be back soon.”
At the end of the street, there was a stage set up where a play was taking place. Their performance style was similar to that of Beijing operas, except it was a lot more humorous and contained many more jokes.
Song XiaoHu longingly looked towards the lively stage, but still stubbornly followed Ling Xia, and without a word, Yu ZhiJue also trailed behind without a word. Hence, Ling Xia had no choice but to take them along.
There was no way he’d let two minors step up to do manual labor, but letting them stay nearby and avoid getting into any trouble wasn’t such a bad idea.
That shop’s construction site was bustling with a dozen or so workers, and a manager-like person was currently yelling instructions at everyone to carry slabs of stone. Ling Xia instructed the two kids to stand off to the side, and walked over alone.
First, he greeted the man with a smile, and then in a neither deferential nor haughty manner, explained his reason for coming.
The construction supervisor gave him a glance, saw his weak-looking body that was wrapped in shabby clothes, and impatiently snapped at once, “Runts should go play elsewhere, how is this the kind of work you can do?”
Ling Xia looked at his surroundings, rolled up his sleeves, and walked to stand in front of a slab of limestone. Gathering his strength, he suddenly lifted up the one meter long, half a meter thick piece of stone and moved it elsewhere, all the while making it look as easy and effortless as possible.
He didn’t find it very heavy, but since that slab of stone was slightly too large, holding it steady was a bit difficult.
The other workers were all burly and beefy macho men, and at least two of them were needed to arduously complete such a task. Seeing a thin and frail youngster possess such power, they all started to applaud and cheer.
The construction supervisor was very experienced and knowledgeable, and while this youngster looked unremarkable, being endowed with superhuman strength might lead to him becoming a famous sect’s disciple one day, so his att.i.tude immediately became a lot more polite. He smiled at Ling Xia and exclaimed, “One really can’t tell that a kid like you packs so much brute force. Alright, I’ll pay you twenty a day.”
In fact, this wasn’t disadvantageous to him at all. Going at Ling Xia’s pace, it was more than enough to complete two people’s worth of work.
Receiving a higher salary than what he expected, Ling Xia was also very happy, promptly joining the others and busying himself with work.
Song XiaoHu and Yu ZhiJue also hurried over to help Ling Xia, but Ling Xia briskly waved his hands, signaling them to stay out of the way. Disgruntled, Song XiaoHu bent down to lift a slab, yet no matter how hard he tried, it didn’t even budge, leading him to dejectedly stand off to the side. Yu ZhiJue watched that display, figured he probably wouldn’t be able to move it either, and with a snort, also moved back.
After steadily and sincerely working for an entire day, by the time they wrapped up, despite Ling Xia possessing colossal strength, his fingers were convulsing from fatigue. The construction supervisor looked at his dusty face and sweat-soaked clothes, and unexpectedly, gave him an extra two more energy coins.
Likewise, Ling Xia did not decline and accepted it with grat.i.tude; in this world, you could buy three or four bowls of noodles with two energy coins.
After he lightly washed his hands and face, Song XiaoHu ran over and asked, “Elder brother Ling, are you tired?”
Ling Xia shook his head, then smiled back, “Let’s go, first we need to eat.”
Yu ZhiJue’s mouth was slightly open, silently staring at how Ling Xia’s back was completely drenched in sweat. Ling Xia jingled the coins in his hands a few times, grinned delightfully, then asked him, “What do you want to eat?”
Yu ZhiJue masked his breathing in defiance, however, his tone held traces of awkward embarra.s.sment as he answered, “Rice.”
Song XiaoHu was completely carnivorous in his tastes, asking for a large portion of lamb meat with bread and soup, while Yu ZhiJue merely ordered some rice. Ling Xia looked at the menu and picked a few not-too-expensive but nutritious vegetable dishes, and slowly but surely, Yu ZhiJue ate from each and every one of them.
This meal cost them 8 low-level energy coins, and remembering all the hard work that it took to earn, Ling Xia really felt some pain in his heart. In any case, they weren’t far from their destination, so he decided to stay and work for a few more days. The rest of the way to ChongMing City wasn’t guaranteed to be smooth, and at the very least, he needed to earn enough money to buy new clothes for these two kids. There were five more days until ShaoYang Sect would conduct their recruitment, and from this small town, it would only take around a day’s travel to reach the city, so they still had plenty of time to spare.
Ling Xia also had his hands tied; before, he was only a nerdy male working in the tech department, spending his days dealing with computers and code. In this world, those kind of skills can’t even be used to trade for a single apple.
Although this was a world ruled by the strong, these two were still normal children right now, and wearing such tattered and old clothing would inevitably invite the ridicule and derision of others.
Song XiaoHu probably wouldn’t mind much, but as for Yu ZhiJue, that brat was unlikely not to take it to heart. Any factors that might push Yu ZhiJue to the dark side must be avoided at all costs!
After three days of working hard during the day and sleeping outside during the night, he finally saved up approximately 45 low-level energy coins, enough to buy two sets of clothes made from ordinary cloth.
Ling Xia specifically led the two kids to take a bath, and then brought them to a shop that sold children’s clothing.
The clothes in this world were rather fas.h.i.+onable, having styles that bared the chest or bared the back, along with all sorts of exotic varieties reminiscent of what’s seen in online video games. Song XiaoHu quickly found a blue, gold trimmed short-sleeve s.h.i.+rt he liked, and putting it on accentuated his already hearty and robust look. Yu ZhiJue chose a very plain, ungarnished, ordinary cotton and hemp garment that covered his slender and fair neck, making his small face seem even more elegant and cute.
After bartering, the total still came up to 36 energy coins, but Ling Xia was very satisfied.
In a bewildered tone, Song XiaoHu inquired, “Elder brother Ling, you’re not going to buy one?”
Yu ZhiJue also couldn’t resist blurting out, “If there’s not enough money… …Then I don’t want it.”
Ling Xia was so moved; this was precisely a perfect opportunity for education! He immediately looked at Yu ZhiJue with the tender, kind eyes of an elder, and warmly returned, “I don’t need to buy anything. The clothes I have can still be worn.”
He pondered a bit, then emphatically added, “I’m your older brother, so it’s only natural that I look after the two of you.”
Song XiaoHu’s heart was simultaneously filled with both warmth and woe. He stared at Ling Xia with a pair of glistening eyes, larger and darker than the sweetest of grapes, as tears streamed down his face. No one has ever treated him this well before.
On the other hand, Yu ZhiJue awkwardly turned his gaze to the side, and softly promised, “In the future, I’ll definitely pay you back over a thousand times.”
“Alright, I surely won’t forget,” Ling Xia replied, looking extremely pleased, and reached out to pat Yu ZhiJue’s shoulder. This time, the great sir villain surprisingly didn’t dodge, so he couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.
Yep, he needed to become a benevolent, saint-like father figure who would properly guide and nurture the villain!
[1]: what was previously known as ‘YouMing City’ switched to ‘ChongMing City’ starting this chapter; in case you’re confused, it’s the city that’s their destination
[2]: yuan, the currency used in China, and ¥100 is roughly around $15