Zhang Chen quickly crushed the thought in his mind, muttering to himself, "This thought is too dangerous. If it gets out, I'm afraid I won't die a good death!"
With this in mind, Zhang Chen scratched his head, watching with a thoughtful gaze as the two arrogant stewards walked away: "Raising the rent to five taels of silver a year is simply outrageous! Many people hunt in the mountains all year and may not even sell three taels of silver. How are people supposed to live? This is pushing the common folk to revolt!"
When people can't survive, why would they care about such things?
Carrying the Luoyang Shovel, Zhang Chen looked unhappy as he headed towards the mountains.
"That damn Landlord Li, he's exactly like Li Bapi! And those two stewards, they're truly hateful! Each and every one of them is a bully who takes advantage of the powerful, really makes one hate them to the bone and wish to skin them alive." Zhang Chen walked through the mountains, carrying the Luoyang Shovel, when he suddenly heard a fluttering sound and a hornet flew past his eyes.
"It's a hornet. Today I'm looking for a hornet's nest to raise an army of hornets. By then, I'll at least have the power to protect myself in the small village. Even if real danger is discovered, the hornets will give me time to escape into the deep forests." Zhang Chen's heart stirred as he watched the flight path of the hornet and followed.
Zhang Chen roughly knew where the hornet nest was in the mountains. Having hunted in the deep forests for years, Zhang Chen had a general idea of where he might see hornets.
Zhang Chen walked five miles in the mountains when suddenly his steps halted, his eyes landing on an old pine tree that has been there for who knows how many years.
There was no nest in the pine tree. At the base of the tree, in the dirt, there was an egg-sized hole, with hornets constantly entering and exiting from the opening.
Indeed, hornet nests aren't built in trees but rather in the dirt.
Closing his eyes, Zhang Chen activated his Beast Taming skill, and the next moment countless life forms projected into his mind.
"So many hornets, there are probably seven or eight hundred of them! This is a mega hornet's nest!" Zhang Chen sensed the dense swarm of hornets in the dirt, his eyes becoming more cautious.
Strangely enough, the Dragon Qi was circulating within him at this moment, yet he felt an inexplicable closeness to the hornets in front of him, without any fear. It felt as if an instinct told him that the hornets would not harm him.
Just then, some hornets noticed Zhang Chen's presence and flew out of the nest with a buzz. They circled around Zhang Chen but dared not come close. For some reason, Zhang Chen sensed a sort of goodwill from the hornets, and cautiously extended his hand, upon which a hornet gently landed, walking happily around on his hand, making him feel itchy.
"Hmm, interesting! Interesting! This is quite something!" Zhang Chen's eyes watched the hornet closely. The hornet was large, as big as a baby's finger, appearing quite intimidating, but on Zhang Chen's palm, it was like a well-behaved baby.
"I have Dragon Qi, which can connect me with the beasts of heaven and earth? True, as the dragon is the king of all beasts, even with just a wisp of Dragon Qi, I still possess the majesty of a dragon." Thoughts flickered in Zhang Chen's mind as he gently pinched the hornet with his fingers, lifting it up to examine: "Ordinary people stung by a hornet need at least seven or eight days for the swelling to subside. The hornet is small yet fast; without pre-prepared net tools, there's no defense against them."
At this time, hornets continually flew out of the nest, like children, rushing onto Zhang Chen, crawling all over him playfully.
"Later, I'll check the traps in the mountains, then get some meat to feed the hornets, ensuring they're raised plump and healthy." Zhang Chen carefully removed the hornets, but they clung to him, reluctant to leave, so he had to shake out his sleeves to drive them away before heading towards the mountain traps.
Today the traps caught two pheasants and a duck.
Looking at the tied-up prey, Zhang Chen did not show much joy. Instead, he was filled with an indescribable sense of helplessness: "Pheasants and ducks aren't worth much. Trying to collect enough rent money through these small things is pure fantasy. Unless I catch big game, I can't get a decent price."
Zhang Chen carried the pheasants and duck into the tomb, then glanced at the stone tablet, which indeed had dropped some experience points again, though today the points were few—just a single red orb labeled '+100'.
"Though it's little, quantity wins!" Zhang Chen looked at the glowing orb below the stone tablet without hesitation and collected the experience points.
[Name: Zhang Chen]
[Skill 1 (Tier 2): Light of the True God (0/5000)]
[Skill 2 (Unranked): Dragon Qi (0/2000)]
[Points: 2850]
"It's close! Almost there!" Zhang Chen looked at the experience points, his mouth curling into a slight smirk. Today's experience points will surely exceed three thousand, not far from the upgrade threshold of five thousand points.
"Interesting." Zhang Chen's eyes gazed into the distance, a hint of joy flashing in them. Next, filled with vigor, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, first killing the chicken and duck to pour blood onto the stone tablet. As he did this, the stone tablet soaked up the blood like a sponge.
"Could this stone tablet be some Great Demon? Or is the tablet itself a Great Demon? Will pouring blood on it release or cultivate a demon? But I really need these experience points right now!" Zhang Chen muttered to himself, but his hands didn't stop.
Whatever demon it was, could it accumulate experience points and upgrade faster than himself?
Even if it were a demon, as long as it provided him with endless experience points, Zhang Chen would dare to feed it.
After he finished feeding the stone tablet, Zhang Chen inspected it but found no hazard, and then he contentedly picked up a chisel to start the arduous task of chiseling through the frozen earth.
The chisel made a constant clanging sound, numbing Zhang Chen's hands, causing him to curse, "It's getting harder and harder to chisel. It's tougher than stone, and at this rate, when will I ever open this damned tomb? But the harder it is, the more it proves that something extraordinary lies within."
Cold air lingered in the cave, the clanging continued endlessly. No knowing how long he worked, Zhang Chen finally dug out half a box of dirt, but his body was frozen stiff, so he had to take the dirt outside to bask in the sun.
[Experience +6]
[Experience +55]
...