Lu Changping made his way back home.
At this time, Shen Qian'er had already finished washing the clothes and started preparing their meal.
The meal preparation was simple, mostly consisting of staple foods, either cooked into a soup or as noodles.
They would add some dried vegetables or wild greens.
Seasoning was scarce, let alone meat.
The original owner of the body earned money by gathering herbs and would go to town to eat a decent meal every ten days or so.
It was considered acceptable, allowing him to have some meat.
However, he never cared about what kind of life Shen Qian'er lived at home.
Looking at his young wife's thin but busy figure, Lu Changping felt a pang of unease.
Now, he needed to earn more money. Once he paid off Niu Da's debt, he would definitely improve their quality of life.
Lu Changping shook his head, looking at the medicine basket on his waist.
Even though he had already gathered the herbs, he couldn't exchange them for money right now, let alone buy meat, vegetables, or salt.
The herbs wouldn't be collected until early the next morning.
As for their daily necessities, they had to go to town to buy them.
And it was best to go on market days.
Because transportation fees were more expensive on regular days.
This was what a village in ancient times was like, life was extremely inconvenient.
"When I have a bit more money, I'll find a way to move out, move to the town!"
Lu Changping thought to himself.
Because of Shen Qian'er's insistence, he couldn't go and help, so he could only feed the Human Crow. After that, he waited quietly for dinner.
When the meal was ready, it was unsurprisingly a bowl of gruel.
Having been tired all day, his mouth was picky, and his stomach couldn't be picky either.
Lu Changping picked up the bowl and drank it down in big gulps.
Lu Changping ate seven-tenths of the pot of gruel. Shen Qian'er originally only planned to eat a small bowl, but it was after Lu Changping strongly requested it that she ate another bowl.
After eating, Shen Qian'er went to wash the dishes.
Watching his little wife's busy figure, Lu Changping suddenly paused.
He thought of a very important matter.
How could his little wife's dowry have demon qi in it?
Could it be that Shen Qian'er was actually a demon?
The Legend of the White Snake?
So, I'm Xu Xian?
After Shen Qian'er finished washing the dishes, Lu Changping immediately said, "Qian'er, come here for a moment."
Shen Qian'er didn't understand and walked closer.
Lu Changping reached out cautiously and took his little wife's right hand.
Shen Qian'er's body trembled, and a blush immediately bloomed on her face.
Lu Changping was distracted, focusing on other things, so he didn't notice.
He hadn't absorbed any demon power.
But he still couldn't completely rule it out.
So, he reached out again, moving upwards from her arm to her shoulder, then to her hair, and finally to that face with large eyes, now flushed with shyness.
Then he continued downwards… until he reached near her collarbone, where Lu Changping finally came to his senses and retracted his hand.
If he kept touching her like that, he'd probably be labeled a hooligan.
Even though she was his wife, Lu Changping wasn't rushing to consummate their marriage with Shen Qian'er.
Firstly, Shen Qian'er was still young, probably only seventeen this year.
Secondly, although his relationship with Shen Qian'er had become much closer since he transmigrated.
Lu Changping admitted they weren't at that point yet.
He was willing to wait a while longer, at least until the shadow left by the original body completely disappeared.
Until Shen Qian'er fully accepted this new him.
Lu Changping looked up and saw that Shen Qian'er's face was already flushed.
Head bowed, her eyes seemed to be brimming with water, whether from fear or some other reason.
But perhaps due to the training of a wife, she didn't show any resistance.
Lu Changping chuckled, gently brushing his fingers against Shen Qian'er's pert nose. "Washing clothes in this cold weather... Let me see if you're hurt. Alright, get ready, let's sleep!"
Shen Qian'er lifted her head at his words, gazing at him with wide eyes.
Lu Changping saw a hint of resentment and a sliver of anticipation in her eyes.
Anticipation?
I must be mistaken.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and then slowly walked to the empty space in the room.
He stretched his body.
He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, or if his body had actually been slightly enhanced after gaining the golden finger.
He felt a little healthier than before.
He also had a bit more strength.
"The Human Crow's talent is Avoid Harm, so it doesn't offer any physical enhancements.
But later on, if I can cultivate a combat-capable demon beast…
No matter what, I need to find a way to improve my own strength.
That Niu Da is always bullying men and women, and the government isn't very helpful either."
"If he still doesn't acknowledge the debt when I have the money, and insists on forcing the issue..."
"Even without this, I absolutely need to be able to protect myself."
"After I pay him back, I need to save up and go to a martial arts school in town to train."
"In an ancient world like this, with poor conditions, so-so security, and even supernatural martial artists and demons, it's safer to have some skills..."
Lu Changping thought to himself.
Just then, Shen Qian'er finished tidying up the other things.
The two of them climbed into bed together and went to sleep, still wearing their clothes.
Previously, Shen Qian'er had always slept in the outer room, on a straw mat.
After Lu Changping transmigrated, he called her in.
He used the excuse that it was too cold in the winter, and one quilt wasn't enough.
But the truth was, even with both of their bedding combined, it wasn't very warm.
They had to wear clothes to sleep.
However, even through the clothes, Shen Qian'er's body, which had already begun to develop, still made Lu Changping restless.
He endured for a while before suppressing the urge, closing his eyes, and falling into a deep sleep.
The days were already short in winter, and it was already dark.
In the sound of Lu Changping's even breathing.
Shen Qian'er wasn't asleep, her eyes shining in the dark night.
She held her breath, carefully pressing herself further back.
Feeling Lu Changping's warm embrace.
Early the next morning, Lu Changping woke up feeling refreshed.
He got out of bed, intending to stretch, when the Myriad Demons List reappeared before his eyes.
And a line appeared.
[The Demon King, Human Crow, has grown stronger, birthing a wisp of Myriad Demon Essence!]
Lu Changping's eyes widened instantly.
He was still wondering yesterday where to get the Myriad Demon Essence.
He hadn't expected it to come today.
And it came from the Human Crow.
He glanced at the information on the Myriad Demons List and found that it had indeed changed.
[Myriad Demons List Master: Lu Changping]
[Ruled: 1] [Can Rule: 1.2] [Myriad Demon Essence: 1] "In other words, this Myriad Demon Essence is produced by the demons I rule. Then, I can use this Myriad Demon Essence to strengthen them. Back and forth, I don't do anything, and I don't lose anything. But the demons I rule will get stronger. This is a deal where I don't have to pay anything!"
Lu Changping immediately walked out, glancing at the Human Crow waiting in the courtyard.
It still looked the same, except its eyes were more lively.
He couldn't see any obvious changes.
"But if the Myriad Demons List says so, then it's definitely getting stronger.
Maybe it was because it flew a lot yesterday, and its physique improved from gathering herbs, or perhaps its intelligence increased after communicating with me. Either way, it's definitely a good thing!"
Lu Changping was in a very good mood.
He gave the Human Crow extra refined rice, increasing its meal.
After a hearty meal, the Human Crow also seemed very happy, flying out of its cage, landing on Lu Changping's shoulder, and hopping around to express its joy.
Lu Changping amused himself with the Human Crow for a while, exchanging some friendly interaction.
Then, he washed up and ate, carrying all the spoils from yesterday, and headed towards the village entrance.
Apricot Flower Village was quite a distance from Stone Town, the nearest town.
It took one or two hours by oxcart, and probably half a day on foot.
Therefore, the pharmacy in town would typically send its employees to collect medicinal herbs every day.
Lu Changping arrived at the village entrance and, sure enough, saw the familiar oxcart and the two burly employees from Li's Pharmacy standing in front.
It was still early, and the other herb gatherers didn't seem to be up yet.
Only Lu Changping was there.
In Stone Town, there was only one pharmacy.
It was Li's Pharmacy.
It wasn't that they lacked business, but rather, no one dared to open a shop to compete with them.
The reason was simple.
The owner of Li's Pharmacy was an Initiate Rank Martial Artist!
Lu Changping didn't know how strong an Initiate Rank Martial Artist was.
The original body's memories only held a single related rumor.
An Initiate Rank Martial Artist could live for a hundred years, crush stones, and break iron, capable of taking on fifty people!
Forget about everything else, just the fact that he can take on fifty people by himself...
Undoubtedly, that's incredibly impressive.
No one would dare to steal business from such a strong person.
At the same time, Li's Pharmacy, although a pharmacy, also taught martial arts to its apprentices.
For example, these two apprentices had arms thicker than Lu Changping's legs.
The original owner of this body had always wanted to go to Li's Pharmacy to learn martial arts, but it wasn't easy.
It cost a lot of money, which was why he'd never succeeded.
"Brother Liu, Brother Zhou."
Lu Changping walked up and greeted them.
The two nodded and smiled, appearing amiable, but in reality, they were indifferent.
Lu Changping had the memories of the original body, so he wasn't surprised by this.
He didn't even think about flattering them, as that would only make them more disgusted.
These disciples from Li's Pharmacy all held a sense of superiority over others.
Lu Changping didn't say much, just took out the medicinal herbs and began weighing them.
"So much?"
The one called Brother Liu looked up at Lu Changping.
A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes.
The herbs looked incredibly fresh.
Clearly, they had been harvested just yesterday.
According to their memory, the herb gatherers' daily yields were always limited.
Yet, this person's haul was clearly much larger.
"Two large damages, three small damages, these herbs... I'll give you nine hundred wen."
Brother Zhou spoke, his tone somewhat overbearing, showing no intention of negotiation.
Lu Changping was about to open his mouth to bargain.
But just then, a familiar sensation arose from the back of his head, surging into his left cheek.
Talent: Avoid Harm!
And, the intensity was several times greater than when he had tested it before!
This person is going to attack me!
Lu Changping's heart skipped a beat.
At the same time, he immediately realized what was happening and swallowed the words that he hadn't yet spoken.
"Alright, nine hundred coins it is."
"He said."
The apprentice from Li's Pharmacy, whose surname was Zhou, suddenly looked up and glanced at Lu Changping.
The apprentice whose surname was Liu, also had a look of surprise flash across his eyes.
Lu Changping didn't say anything, trying his best to act as if nothing had happened.
After a moment, both of them averted their gazes.
The feeling brought by Avoid Harm finally disappeared.
Next, naturally, was the exchange of money and goods. Lu Changping, holding the nine hundred copper coins he had just received, turned and walked towards the village.
Although he had escaped, Lu Changping still clenched his teeth slightly, feeling somewhat stifled.
He had no conflicts or grudges with that fellow surnamed Zhou.
Moreover, after he agreed to nine hundred wen, the other party didn't continue to attack.
So, it definitely wasn't revenge.
But why did the other party want to attack him, and also trigger his Avoid Harm talent?
Perhaps… it was just because he was in a bad mood?
So he wanted to find someone to vent on?
If he had just bargained at that moment, he would have been beaten up.
It seemed like that was the only possibility.
It was just too much, this bullying…
If it weren't for the Avoid Harm talent he had just obtained.
He probably would have taken a beating for no reason.
Even if it was just a slap, it was still a beating.
And now, although he had indeed avoided the harm.
He was still at a loss.
The medicinal materials the Human Crow brought were indeed somewhat damaged.
It definitely wasn't worth this little.
The so-called two heavily damaged herbs were, at most, only slightly damaged.
The other three slightly damaged herbs were barely worth mentioning.
His medicinal herbs, at a normal price, could have sold for at least a thousand wen.
That's one tael of silver.
But they were forcibly reduced in price by a hundred wen.
At this price, he was undoubtedly at a loss!
"Hoo..."
Lu Changping exhaled deeply.
He calmed the anger in his chest.
He knew that getting angry wouldn't help.
It would only damage his liver.
This was the truth of the world he was in: the weak were destined to be bullied.
The strong could even bully the weak on a whim, just because they were in a bad mood.
And the weak couldn't resist, couldn't even show a hint of displeasure.
This wasn't Earth, not a civilized society.
There was no justice here.
To avoid being bullied in the future, he had to do everything he could to become stronger.
In his past life on Earth, it was all about making money.
As long as you had money, you had power, and no one dared to mess with you.
But in the current Zhou Dynasty, besides money, there was also combat power, strength!
Why could Li's Pharmacy monopolize the entire Stone Town's medicinal herb market?
Why could those two pharmacy apprentices casually suppress his hundred coins?
It was because the shopkeeper of Li's Pharmacy was an Initiate Rank Martial Artist.
And those pharmacy apprentices were also martial artists who had trained in martial arts.
To avoid being bullied, he had to find a way to become stronger, much stronger!
Lu Changping clutched the money in his hand.
At that moment, his desire to learn martial arts and become stronger was more intense than ever before!
\n\n
By the time he reached the door of his home, Lu Changping had already composed himself.
He put on a smile, knocked on the courtyard gate, and handed all nine hundred coins he had just earned to Shen Qian'er.
"Here, take it. At the next market, we'll go to town together and buy some things!"
Lu Changping said.
He also needed to buy some food for the Human Crow, and it had to be good!
Eating better food allows you to grow stronger faster.
Then you can nurture more Myriad Demon Essence, and after being enlightened, evolve into a Spirit Crow.
No matter what, it will be better and stronger than now!
Maybe even a new talent will be born.
From the current situation, these talents derived from the demons all seem to be incredibly useful.
Today's encounter at least proved that the Avoid Harm talent, it seems, isn't as useless as he thought.
And Shen Qian'er was holding the heavy copper coins in her hands, her eyes wide with surprise!
"Brother Ping... today, how come there's so much?"
Looking at his delighted, somewhat dazed wife.
Lu Changping patted her hair. "This is nothing. There will be more in the future!"
Shen Qian'er was even happier to hear this, but her face immediately showed a worried expression. "We can't do risky things just for money, Ping-ge. Safety is the most important thing."