Chapter 1: A Feeble Chef

This mine is capable of extracting a type of ore known as Jinlan, which accounts for more than 50 percent of all ores produced in the world, while the remaining less than half is scattered across various places globally

But here, he can indeed distinguish it at a glance

Yu Ziqing turned around and slowly walked outside, taking out the rusted short sword from his bosom with one hand.

A seven-foot tall man was inevitably dragged into the shadows by the black rope

Moments later, Yu Ziqing took out the frozen, hard chunks of meat, sliced them with a cleaver, and spread them on the hot stone slab. Soon, the fat began to sizzle, and the aroma started to waft through the air

Having emerged from the mountain hollow and arrived at the downwind area, Yu Ziqing finished releasing the water, surveyed the surroundings, and let out a quiet sigh

Eat something; surviving comes first, and then there is hope

In this frigid and desolate wilderness, apart from robust men of strength, it is virtually impossible to encounter ordinary individuals who are well-fed and in good health

Upon hearing this, Yu Ziqing immediately understood that this person was doing it on purpose

Based on experience, the current temperature is approximately minus 20 degrees, and it is getting colder. He cannot be certain in such conditions to venture into an entirely unfamiliar area of a thousand miles... No, perhaps an even larger uninhabited zone

We will soon arrive at the mine.

Upon hearing this, the muscular man with snake-like patterns grinned widely, pointed at Yu Ziqing, and burst into hearty laughter

At that time, the muscular man with a snake-patterned face said that anyone who wanted to run could do so freely, but within a radius of three to four hundred miles, it was all desolate. The weather was so cold, and without the resources in the hands of the strong, one might not survive even for three days.

Ding

To be honest, under normal circumstances, Yu Ziqing really cannot distinguish which among this group of sheep are victims of the evil practices of livestock breeding and which are truly sheep

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and found cover at the first moment; otherwise, he would have been blinded by the intense light on the spot

It is time to continue on the journey

Although he is just an ordinary person, no, he is now even worse than an ordinary person who is well-fed and well-watered; he is a starving, freezing, half-dead weakling

It is truly unfortunate

Yu Ziqing, with a blank expression, went to the crevices of the pile of stones, searching for some remnants of dried weeds to start a fire

It is a pity that the overall environment has become increasingly worse, even these strong individuals plan to finish this job and then go elsewhere, as there is no longer much profit to be made here. Just like this time with the sheep, it took the longest time, yet the quantity was the least.

Tell these trafficked individuals that the area within a radius of three to four hundred li is a no man's land, Yu Ziqing speculated that these few scoundrels were definitely digging a pit on purpose, giving people a glimmer of hope for escape

Indeed, as these few individuals walked out no more than several dozen paces, Yu Ziqing noticed on the ground a black rope, seemingly writhing like a black snake, accompanied by a faint rustling sound, following behind.

It can only be temporarily classified as true name, identity, origin, major practice, expertise, or trump card

Just getting a little closer, Yu Ziqing felt that it didn't seem so cold anymore

Hurry up, bring it over here

He never understood until his death why he was so weak and emaciated, like a withered tree, a temporary cook with no strength to even tie a chicken.

As for those who do not lose weight, they will not fall victim to being bred as livestock

Or perhaps this is the only relatively stable place, where at least there is food to eat, water to drink, and shelter from the wind and snow to keep warm

Less than three days after landing, I saw what seemed to be a new sun slowly rising on the horizon, its dazzling rays expanding exponentially

Yu Ziqing speculated that this might have provided the foundation for those few strong individuals to engage in abduction and trafficking.

Nowadays, walking dozens of miles, one cannot even spot a single rabbit. Edible plants are either frozen to death or withered away. Some, even if they have dried up and are buried in the soil, mostly cannot escape the fate of being completely devoured by fleeing animals.

The snake-patterned strong man could not help but laugh; he was not afraid that Yu Ziqing had already seen through everything, nor did he intend to deliberately hide anything.

Yet Yu Ziqing's slightly hunched body slowly straightened, and within the frail shell, a chilling murderous intent erupted, accompanied by a surge of hot blood.

After several months, regardless of how things were before, now, whether alive or dead, each one is certainly thinner than the last

By the late night, it seemed to be even colder than yesterday

The black rope has already dragged a sheepskin, appearing behind Yu Ziqing.

Main experiences: the destruction of the tribe, wandering the wasteland, and accidentally obtaining a fragment of a scripture titled "The Five Poisons Often Heard," which opened the path of evil cultivation for the human tooth.

Yu Ziqing raised his head to look at the snake-patterned strong man, his eyes narrowing slightly. The nerves that had been taut finally relaxed a little, at least from this moment on, he was no longer completely at the mercy of others regarding his life.

In an instant, a flash of sword light passed over the rusted short sword, and with a lingering shadow, the short sword cleaved the sheepskin and black rope into two segments.

The man carrying the lamb seemed to stumble slightly, losing his balance and falling. As he supported himself with both hands on the ground and was about to rise, the emaciated lamb on his back silently transformed into a sheepskin, draping itself over him

At the front of the team, four men with dark, shiny skin, their hair resembling felt, rode on tall horses. They wore only leather shoulder capes, yet even in this cold weather, they were exuding warmth from their bodies

Codename: Serpentine Tattoo Face

Commonly consumed poisons (there are many toxic insects, snakes, and ants among the materials, which are essential for cultivation)

Yu Ziqing had no intention of running away. When the vanished old scholar taught him Mandarin, he also casually taught him some languages of other ethnic groups. Additionally, since Yu Ziqing started from scratch and listened attentively, he was basically able to understand quite well.

The few weathered men quietly approached, scraping the remnants of grease and crumbs from the stone slab with dry cakes, competing with each other in a ravenous manner

This sheep, old and thin, cannot yield two jin of meat, and is not tasty. Aren't there a few fatter sheep available?

Yu Ziqing's figure paused for a moment, and his gaze changed instantly

By the faint glow of the campfire, Yu Ziqing could still see the lamb hanging its head, uncertain whether it was already dead or not

At the back of the team, there followed one hundred and seventy to eighty goats, the vast majority of which were emaciated to the point of being skin and bones. In addition, there were six long-haired cattle carrying supplies.

Survive first, then talk

The black rope dragged the sheepskin and pounced forward, Yu Ziqing drooped his eyelids, holding the sword sheath in his left hand and the short sword in his right hand, pulling it out with force

Yu Ziqing let out a quiet sigh, his expression somewhat complex, unsure whether to admire the courage of these individuals or to lament their impending fate

However, upon a careful count of the sheep in the flock, there were a few more than expected

He is holding a black rope in his hand, with the other end attached to a white goat

Along this journey, apart from the desiccated bones, little else is to be seen; it was not so desolate in the past.

As night fell once more and we continued to search for a place to rest, the muscular man with snake-like patterns seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He pointed towards the distant, hazy mountains and grinned widely.

Meh ... ... Meh ... ...

After completing all of this, Yu Ziqing tucked the recipe into his bosom and glanced at the rusted sword he was carrying. Both the blade and the scabbard were completely corroded and utterly useless

After having eaten their fill, several strong men continued to speak in a heavily accented foreign dialect, while drinking the inferior wine from the animal skin wine pouch

However, it is still uncertain how specific each required item needs to be, and Yu Ziqing even feels that there may be some additional requirements that he has not categorized.

Yu Ziqing looked at the empty stone slab, silently stepped aside, took out a piece of dry naan from his pocket, soaked it in some hot water to soften it, and then slowly swallowed it

This time, he slept much more soundly

As long as one knows some essential information about the opponent, then for the opponent, merely taking action is tantamount to being invincible

Unfortunately, the current classification is still relatively rough

Yu Ziqing lowered his head, as if afraid of the cold, closely following behind the four strong men

Oh. Yu Ziqing responded, thinking to himself that he was fortunate to have learned Mandarin quickly; otherwise, he would not have understood such simple words if they were pronounced with even a slight accent

It has been more than a month, and it is already quite remarkable not to have died of thirst or hunger

The old sheep bleated twice, nibbled a few bites of the cake, and then drank some water that Yuziqing had provided.

What disasters occurred a few months ago? As of today, it is difficult to find a single village within a radius of five hundred miles, let alone a thousand miles.

Unfortunately, he kept squinting, his face covered in black and gray, compounded by a long period without washing, with dead skin clinging to his face, and topped off with a dog-skin hat wrapped around his head, making it impossible for anyone to discern anything from his face

After several months of exploration, today we have finally achieved the triggering conditions for the snake-patterned man

With such interests at stake, that mine cannot possibly become a desolate place devoid of human presence

Proceed to the next page, all the information on this page has been redacted, leaving only one sentence

Of course, he also knows that he cannot escape.

Four burly men with thick necks and strong builds were stuffing their mouths vigorously. After Yu Ziqing had roasted for a while, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, everything was consumed completely

Disaster has struck

Yu Ziqing opened the recipe, which mostly contained characters with very complex strokes. In the gaps between the lines of text, there were also familiar Chinese characters written in tiny script.

As the snake-patterned muscular man stepped out of the shadows with a cold smile, the remaining few, their faces filled with terror, wildly waved small knives they had somehow acquired, thrusting them towards the body of the snake-patterned muscular man

The silent black rope, at this moment, also wrapped around his neck

I want to first find a relatively stable place to settle down before making further plans, but ultimately, it has not been able to proceed smoothly

You are right, there is indeed something quite rich here

As dawn broke, Yu Ziqing was awakened

Yu Ziqing tightened his cloak and fell asleep leaning against the bonfire

Yu Ziqing remained completely still, breathing evenly, only slightly opening his eyes to a narrow slit, quietly observing.

Then, he overthought it

Scar-faced man, harmless

Yu Ziqing's heart suddenly relaxed, and the body that had been tense and curled up seemed to finally dare to loosen just a little at this moment

A human head, accompanied by the scalding and foul-smelling fresh blood, soared into the sky

I am hungry, barbecued meat

The control rope, made of black rope intertwined with hair and an unknown type of wool, is an essential tool for the practice of heretical animal husbandry.

Yu Ziqing also seemed to let out a sigh of relief, grinning slightly.

Accompanied by the agonizing struggles and wails of the black rope, as if it were a living entity

To be honest, upon arriving in this world and discovering its ancient background, Yu Ziqing felt quite concerned, not for himself, but for others.

What specific function it serves, Yu Ziqing does not know; he has only heard about this item. For those high-ranking, mystical cultivators of the Southern Great Qian Divine Dynasty, it is an essential item, and there is always a shortage of supply.

He has never seen a city at all

All was silent, as if everything had returned to normal

Accompanied by the terrified bleating in the night, the bonfire suddenly blazed fiercely, and under its illumination, it became apparent that the snake-patterned strongman had, at some unknown time, already stood in the shadows.

Translate two more pages in the same manner

On the left side of the goat's face, there is a circular patch of black fur

After much difficulty, I finally encountered living beings, but they turned out to be four marauding strongmen

According to what these strong individuals have communicated in their foreign dialects, since the calamity struck until today, conservatively estimating, within a radius of over 1,000 miles, this mine is the only place that can be considered inhabited.

Fearing that I might inadvertently unleash a plague capable of annihilating the entire city.

Yu Ziqing gently nudged the old sheep and spoke directly

The man on the right side of the face, adorned with snake patterns, seemed to sense Yu Ziqing approaching, turned his head to glance, and spoke in a heavily accented foreign dialect to his companion, the content of which was unknown.

Yu Ziqing was abruptly awakened by the cold, and could only move closer to the campfire, as well as to those few human-shaped stoves, finally feeling a bit warmer

The eyes, which had been slightly squinted, suddenly opened wide, as if there were a blinding sun shining within the star-like gaze.

How could such terrifying power suddenly erupt?

Take out the charcoal pencil, shade all the small text completely in black, and only add at the beginning.

At this moment, the gap between the rusted blade of the short sword and its scabbard faintly reveals some rust that has turned to dust, silently falling away

At that moment, the muscular man with snake tattoos approached, pointed at Yu Ziqing, then at the emaciated old sheep, and impatiently shouted twice.

Yu Ziqing let out a quiet sigh, said nothing, and stood up while holding her small abdomen. The muscular man with snake-like patterns, upon seeing this, waved his hand impatiently

In the camp, even the last watchman, the muscular man with snake tattoos, had fallen into a deep sleep

This is something I just saw. I have encountered the practice of cultivating with poisonous substances many times, but the idea of immediately consuming poison as a quick means to replenish energy after taking action is his speculation

Having had their fill of food and drink, three strong men, slightly tipsy, lay down by the tent, wrapped in animal skins, and fell into a deep sleep, their snores like thunder. Only the man with the snake tattoo remained seated by the campfire.

A sound of metal clashing echoed, yet the small knife, upon striking its target, still glistened with oil, without even breaking the skin

Even several women disappeared after Yu Ziqing woke up from his sleep

Without a moment's delay, Yu Ziqing soon saw the snake-patterned strong man return, holding a black rope tied to seven or eight emaciated goats, their bones protruding.

Upon reaching a sheltered mountain hollow, four strong men dismounted to set up a tent, driving the cattle and sheep into the innermost part of the hollow, and then turned to look at Yu Ziqing

In the midst of speaking, the black rope tied around his waist had vanished without a trace, though one could not tell when it had happened

It is only up to this point that I feel no more drowsiness

Identity: Member of the Ban Tu Tribe (now extinct), human tooth collector, cannibalistic sorcerer, informant for the Seventh Floor (unknown force)

Yu Ziqing lowered his head, pretending not to understand. After all, one could easily guess with the heel of their foot that these fellows would certainly not utter anything worthwhile.

After enduring for an entire month, I still could not find the so-called city. When I finally found a village, it was nothing but desolation, and not a single living person could be found.

Taking advantage of the firelight, Yu Ziqing took out a yellowed book and then used a piece of charred coal as a charcoal pencil to write and draw in the book

Yu Ziqing let out a quiet sigh and slowly turned around

Yu Ziqing stood at the edge of the flock, with his back to the four strong men, holding a palm-sized piece of naan bread, and gently offering it to the mouth of a gaunt old sheep, murmuring softly.

After a little more than half an hour, as snow began to fall from the sky, the man with a snake tattoo on his right cheek turned his head to glare at Yu Ziqing and spoke in a slightly stiff accent of Mandarin.

After marching for a month with the team, the old scholar who had taught him Mandarin was no longer present in the group

Invulnerable to blades and guns, not achieved through physical training, nor by resisting with qi, but requires the consumption of toxic substances for cultivation; poisons can also serve as blue medicine

We are about to reach our destination, and my value as a chef is already far inferior to that of being a sheep

Having eavesdropped on the conversations of those formidable individuals, it can be summarized that these strong figures are involved in the trafficking of people to the mines. Moreover, this year the climate has been unusually erratic, with the cold arriving particularly early, becoming colder day by day

Upon completing this page, every inch of the page filled with recipes is densely inscribed in tiny characters with information about that muscular man with snake-like patterns, meticulously detailed and extensive

Cultivating evil practices, creating livestock

After this, Yu Ziqing continued to add:

A man with a black mole on his left cheek turned halfway around the edge of the camp, lifted a thin, bony lamb, and began to wriggle outward along the perimeter.

A quick glance revealed that, indeed, the few rough-looking men who were still around yesterday had all disappeared

Unfortunately, unable to resist Yu Ziqing, he was pushed into the flock of sheep and was carried away by the herd.

The rust on the short sword peeled away in layers, and in an instant, the short sword transformed into a silver frost sword covered in water patterns, emanating a chilling cold light

Snake-patterned man, harmless

Before long, in a state between half-asleep and half-awake, I vaguely saw a shadow moving.

"Old man, keep your distance. If blood splatters on you later, in this dreadful weather, it could be very dangerous if you get wet."

On both sides of the team, seven or eight weathered, emaciated men, with their necks slightly retracted, listlessly watched over the flock of sheep

whispered

The shape resembles the black mole on the left cheek of that man from before

Gradually gathering information to understand those few powerful individuals is, under normal circumstances, very necessary, not to mention that it now concerns his trump card for preserving his life

The roaring flames of the bonfire gradually subsided, and everything was once again shrouded in shadow

Those who wished to be sycophants, clinging to the powerful, have also disappeared

The old sheep bleated twice, and in Yu Ziqing's eyes, there was a look of sorrow. Bleating mournfully, it understood that Yu Ziqing, even in death, did not wish to drag it down with him

The night watchman, a muscular man with snake-like tattoos, sat by the campfire. He glanced over and saw the words 'recipe' on the cover of the book, then turned his head without a hint of surprise and proceeded to take a black scorpion and put it in his mouth

On a desolate mountain path strewn with scattered stones, Yu Ziqing tightened the layers of a large cloak haphazardly stitched together from black cloth, with a black dog-skin hat wrapped around his head, leaving only a pair of squinting eyes visible. He shrank to the middle of the group and quietly raised his head to take a glance.

The face of the muscular man with snake-like patterns still bore the astonishment and confusion from moments before his death

After listening for just a few sentences, these four strong men shifted the topic away from Yu Ziqing and began to chat among themselves

Night falls

Returning to the mountain hollow, Yu Ziqing slightly hunched his body, wrapped himself in the patchwork cloak, and lay beside the bonfire

Real name: Holgerda (transliteration), original text **** (redacted)

After spending so many days together, they surprisingly did not sense even the slightest hint of anything unusual

As this person just left the temporary camp, he noticed several other figures quietly following behind him, and the group moved silently, communicating through gestures.

However, the desolate and uninhabited area of over a thousand miles beneath our feet has not been officially incorporated into the territory of the Great Qian Divine Dynasty due to various reasons that the remnants have yet to clarify

Yu Ziqing said nothing, drew his sword, and advanced with a swift motion, his figure resembling a sword drawn from its sheath. By the time one noticed the flash of the sword, he had already passed by.

The north wind howls, as if mixed with a cold, sharp blade, causing all things to wither away