After eating and drinking his fill, Jiang Yi offered to clean up, but Old Li's wife and Widow Qin pushed him back.
The two women cleaned up efficiently, allowing no one else to help.
The rice wine was sweet, but it had a powerful kick. It was the kind of drink that would knock you flat on your back.
He the Venerable and Old Li had drunk their fill and were now dizzily clutching their jars, on the verge of sliding under the table.
"Brother Yi, pour me a few more bowls..."
"Come on, Brother He, bottoms up!"
"You drink a little horse piss and you can't even tell which way is up!"
Old Li's wife grabbed his ear and dragged him back into their house.
As for He the Venerable, Jiang Yi helped him up and tossed him onto his wooden plank bed.
Once they were settled, the Big Mixed Courtyard instantly fell silent.
Widow Qin took out a jar of honey from her room, scooped out a spoonful, mixed it with water, and handed it to Jiang Yi.
"Brother Yi, drink this honey water. It'll sober you up. You have to go back to work early tomorrow morning."
Jiang Yi thanked her, taking the cup with both hands. 'The original owner of this body finally did one good thing,' he thought, 'forging this positive bond.'
In the Big Mixed Courtyard, He the Venerable seemed to be the one closest to him, but their friendship wasn't particularly deep. In contrast, Widow Qin had looked after him a great deal, both openly and in subtle ways; she was always the one most willing to help.
The woman spoke softly:
"We're nearing the end of the month, so all the workshops will surely be rushing to meet their quotas. It's a good thing you broke through to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer, Brother Yi. If you were still at the First Layer, I'm afraid it would be a hard struggle."
For the workshops of the Outer Sect Four Peaks, the end of the month was the hardest to endure.
They were always falling behind on production quotas, requiring Mortal Servants to work in shifts to catch up.
If you ran into a kind Servant like Yang Xun, you might get some extra talisman coins. But if you were unlucky enough to be under Flayer Zhou of Sewing Peak, you'd be worked until you coughed up blood and still have to buy your own medicine.
Jiang Yi finished the honey water, and the effects of the alcohol indeed subsided.
"Sister-in-law Qin, you must take care of yourself too. I remember your twelve-year term is almost up. The hard days are finally over."
Widow Qin sighed faintly.
"Leaving the Qianji Sect and going down Red Flame Peak just means I won't be forced to work every day. Life will still be a struggle. There's not much difference."
Jiang Yi comforted her.
"There are many Marketplaces in Beimang Ridge. Sister-in-law, you're at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer and you know the craft of grinding, carving, and forging. It won't be hard to find work in a shop. It's much better than being driven like cattle and horses day after day."
Widow Qin chuckled lightly. The hardships of the past few years had left a few more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, but one could still tell she had been a strikingly beautiful woman in her youth.
"You have a good heart, Brother Yi. It's a pity you ended up in the Demon Dao. Don't spend any more money on that Miss Luo. Cultivate diligently. In our courtyard, you're the most hardworking and have the best chance of reaching the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer."
Jiang Yi cupped his fist and smiled.
"Then I shall borrow your auspicious words, Sister-in-law Qin. The day I reach the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, I will surely present you with a grand gift to thank you for your good wishes."
Widow Qin stared blankly at Jiang Yi, her gaze distant, and said in a soft voice,
"Don't call me sister-in-law anymore. I used to have a younger brother, about your age, and he was as handsome as you. If you don't mind, just call me 'Sister'."
Jiang Yi was happy to oblige, glad to foster this closer relationship.
"Alright, Sister Qin."
The lines around Widow Qin's eyes softened, and a subtle charm graced her features.
"I've steeped that bear gallbladder in sorghum wine for you. Take a few sips every day. It will nourish your qi and blood and clear away heat toxins."
Jiang Yi thanked her again. Seeing how late it was, he said goodbye to Sister Qin and slipped back into his room.
The door shut, and the howling north wind was blocked outside.
Today's Spirit Rice Porridge and Spirit Fish Soup had been quite nourishing.
Jiang Yi sat down on his bed, crossed his legs, and began to meditate, practicing his breathing exercises for his Cultivation.
He circulated his True Qi twenty times, completing two Great Circulations, and only stopped when he felt his entire body brimming with energy.
After breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer, every time he cultivated, wisps of hot air would seep out from the seams of his bones, causing his qi and blood to surge and his vitality to flourish.
This was the benefit of Muscle and Bone Transformation. As long as he consolidated his foundation, his strength would continue to increase.
It was said his original immense strength could multiply several times over.
'To break into the Fifth Layer, I must make every wisp and thread of my True Qi as heavy as lead and mercury. Only when I can exhale a breath of it and have it hang in the air without falling can it be considered Perfection. Otherwise, I'll never break through the Primordial Gate and open my Inner Mansion.'
Jiang Yi felt deeply that the ungraded True Meridian Qi Flowing Technique was far too inefficient.
Cultivating at this pace, when would he ever break through to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer?
He suppressed his distracting thoughts, and a golden light appeared in his eyes as the Celestial Book materialized.
An hour had long since passed.
The golden paper revealed the results.
[Example 1: In the Big Mixed Courtyard, He the Venerable in the east room has accumulated 39,000 talisman coins, hidden in the lining of his tattered cotton quilt.]
[Example 2: In the Big Mixed Courtyard, Li Gensheng and his wife in the south room have accumulated a total of 15,000 talisman coins, wrapped in kraft paper and hidden under the water vat in the corner of the kitchen.]
[Example 3: In the Big Mixed Courtyard, Qin Ru in the west room has saved 50,000 talisman coins...]
Jiang Yi was speechless. 'So all the opportunities to "seek wealth" are with my neighbors in the courtyard?'
'Does getting rich always start with the people you know?'
He shook his head, pretending he hadn't seen these examples, afraid that another look might sway his heart.
'All told, it's a little over 100,000 talisman coins,' he thought. 'That's enough for me to buy a Ninth Grade Qi Cultivation Technique.'
"And you call yourself a Demonic Cultivator! Jiang Yi, oh Jiang Yi, you're a disgrace to Demon Cultivators!"
Jiang Yi mocked himself, skipped the three entries above, and looked for other options.
A dozen breaths later, his eyelids drooped.
"Mortal Servants really love hiding their talisman coins everywhere. Sewing them into loincloths, burying them under big trees... all waiting to be taken out when their twelve-year term is up."
Jiang Yi found himself in a difficult position. As a Mortal Servant himself, he knew better than anyone how hard it was to earn those talisman coins.
Stealing the blood and sweat money accumulated by these people, who were treated like cattle and horses, was no different from taking several lives.
Even if he tried to justify it with the thought, 'I am a Demon Cultivator,' he still couldn't overcome his conscience.
"The old leader was right. If a man isn't ruthless, he can't stand firm. If his heart isn't cruel, he'll never get a windfall.
Me? I'm really not a good Demon Cultivator."
Jiang Yi pondered for a moment, then took several large gulps of Bear Gallbladder Wine. The sharp, fiery liquid burned its way down his throat, slowly bolstering his courage.
With a flicker of thought, he canceled the query.
"It's not like I'm about to starve to death. Why commit such sins for no reason."
Jiang Yi focused his mind, watching the characters on the Celestial Book Golden Paper fade away.
The brilliant radiance was about to fade completely. He had one last chance to consult it today.
He rephrased his query and asked again.
[I beg the Celestial Book, show me unclaimed wealth.]
[Additional condition: Preferably from Disciples or Mortal Servants of the Qianji Sect who have died in recent years, whose hidden money has not yet been discovered.]
'Stealing from the living pricks my conscience,' Jiang Yi thought, his mind racing. 'But taking money from the dead? That's another story.'
'I'll just consider it their "investment" in me.'
After all, there were several hundred Mortal Servants across the various peaks of the Outer Sect.
There was no shortage of cases where people died before they could spend all their money.
'It's working!'
Jiang Yi saw the Celestial Book Golden Paper flicker a few times before it directly presented the results.
'Does karma dissipate when a person dies? Is that why it was so fast?' he secretly wondered.
[Query: Unclaimed Wealth]
[Deduction Time: One Breath]
[Example 1: Zhao Shuan, a Mortal Servant from Nourishing Soul Peak, was used as fertilizer for the medicine fields five days ago. He buried 8,000 talisman coins at the base of the old pagoda tree at the foot of the mountain.]
[Example 2: Song Haoyang, a Mortal Servant from Sewing Peak, wandered into the Heart-Stealing Forest two days ago. He has 5,000 talisman coins hidden in the fish pond.]
[Example 3: Yang Zhi, son of the Red Flame Peak Servant Yang Xun, perished in the Hundred Beasts Cave half a year ago. He has a copy of the "Little Refining Yuan Fire Control Technique" in a private courtyard at the foot of the mountain.]
[Example 4: Gathering Herbs Peak...]
After reading through the four "karmic threads," he calculated a total of 24,000 talisman coins.
Jiang Yi heaved a long sigh of relief. His pockets were full enough now. He'd have no problem affording Spirit Rice and Spirit Fish for every meal, and he could also start planning to enter the Inner Sect.
"I'll be able to sleep soundly and peacefully tonight."
Even though the wooden plank bed beneath him was only padded with a layer of dry grass and a thin mattress, Jiang Yi felt more comfortable than ever before.
However, his thoughts turned, and he mused,
"The attrition rate for Mortal Servants in the Qianji Sect is truly high. Used as fertilizer for medicine fields, wandering into the Heart-Stealing Forest, even a Servant's son dying in the Hundred Beasts Cave... I must rush to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer as soon as possible to ensure my own survival."