noveltune Chapter 20 Echoes from the Earth
Chapter 20 Echoes from the Earth
As the sun began to set, the clanging and banging of the blacksmith's shop finally ceased.
Chen Shan tossed the last repaired farm tool into the finished product basket, wiped his hands and face with a rag, and the fire in the stove gradually dimmed.
At the end of the day's work, the air was filled with the scorching smell of iron and the scent of sweat.
Yang Jin also stopped what he was doing.
After sorting through the pile of scrap metal, he followed Chen Shan's instructions to clean the courtyard and rearrange the scattered firewood.
The movements weren't fast, but they were meticulous and attentive enough.
The injury in my chest was still throbbing, but the continued light activity seemed to improve blood circulation, and the feeling of tightness was relieved considerably.
"Have a meal."
Chen Shan took two rough earthenware bowls from the kitchen and placed them on the broken wooden table in the yard, which was covered with scald marks and knife marks.
The bowl contained a thin porridge so clear you could see your reflection, with a few yellowed vegetable leaves floating on top, and almost no rice grains visible.
There was also a small dish of dark, pickled vegetables, made from some kind of wild greens.
This is dinner.
Yang Jin didn't complain. He sat down silently, picked up the bowl, and drank it in big gulps.
The congee was bland and tasteless, sliding down my throat with almost no feeling of fullness.
For a body that has just suffered a serious injury and has been physically exhausted for a day, this amount of calories is far from enough.
He recalled the feeling of hot blood coursing through his body as he tore into the charred, roasted earthworm meat and badger meat in the mine tunnels.
Those are the foods that can help the body recover quickly and promote the growth of qi and blood!
The thin porridge, instead of satisfying me, aroused an even stronger feeling of hunger and a craving for the energy of flesh and blood.
He knew that if he wanted to recover from his injuries as soon as possible, consolidate his Skin Refining Realm, or even advance further, it would be absolutely impossible to do so with just this thin porridge and coarse bread.
He needs meat, lots of meat, especially the meat of exotic beasts that contain the essence of life!
But where does the meat come from?
There might be prey in the mountains and forests near Black Mountain Pass, but given his current identity as "Stone," it's impossible for him to frequently go into the mountains to hunt, as it would easily arouse suspicion.
Moreover, the effects of ordinary wild animal meat are far inferior to those of exotic beasts.
Abandoned mine tunnels... where rock-splitting earthworms, stone-armored badgers, and even more delicious exotic beasts dwell.
But there was also a swarm of fire centipedes that had devoured Zhao Kun!
The thought of that crimson tide that instantly devoured the flesh-refining martial artist into bones sent a chill down Yang Jin's spine.
To go or not to go?
The risks are huge, but the rewards are equally tempting.
Not just meat, but also the badger skin he left behind in the mine!
That's a valuable item. Whether you try to make it into armor yourself or sell it through Chen Shan to exchange for resources, it's worth a lot.
In addition, the ores in the mine tunnels that contain the essence of the earth's veins are also an important aid to his cultivation.
More importantly, he needed to ascertain the current condition of the mine tunnels.
Zhao Kun is dead. How will the Sun family and the martial arts school react? Will they send people to infiltrate again? Are the Earth Fire Centipede swarm still active in the same spot?
This information is crucial for him to assess the situation and plan his next steps.
"What are you thinking about? Wash the dishes after you finish eating."
Chen Shan had finished his bowl of porridge and was picking his teeth with a thin wooden stick. He glanced at Yang Jin with indifferent eyes, as if he were really just ordering around a stupid apprentice.
Yang Jin quickly lowered his head, scraped the bottom of the bowl clean in a few bites, and then took the dishes to the water tank in the backyard to wash them.
As night fell, Black Mountain Pass was shrouded in a deep twilight.
In the distance, towards the direction of the Sun family mansion, lights could be faintly seen, and figures were moving about, clearly indicating that things were not peaceful.
Chen Shan returned to his equally simple bedroom early to rest, and soon his snoring began.
Yang Jin returned to his small shed and closed the door.
He had no lamp, nor any light, and sat cross-legged on the straw mat, relying on the faint moonlight filtering through the crack in the door.
The ointment on my chest still felt cool, and the pain inside had lessened considerably.
He tried circulating his qi and blood, but it was still sluggish and not smooth, though it was a little smoother than yesterday.
The stone skin heats up slightly as the blood and qi circulate, providing a sense of protection.
"Relying solely on rest and porridge is too slow..."
Yang Jin opened his eyes, a resolute glint in them.
He needs to take the initiative to do something.
Sink into your mind and connect with that loyal and simple spiritual bond.
"A-Tu".
Atu, who was lurking underground in the shed, immediately responded with a wave of affection and inquiry.
"Go back to the mine," Yang Jin clearly conveyed his intention. "Be careful, be extremely careful. First, go back to the area near the cave where we stayed before, find the stone badger skin, and bring it back. If you encounter any of those red, multi-legged insects (fire centipedes) on the way, stay away immediately, absolutely do not get close, and do not disturb them."
"Then, in the safe area where we hunted the rock-digging earthworms and stone badgers, collect as many of those glowing ores that you think are 'delicious' as possible. Remember, safety first. If you sense anything is wrong, or if a strong, dangerous aura approaches, don't hesitate to abandon the hunt immediately and return through the nearest safe passage."
"If... if conditions permit and it is very safe, you can try hunting one or two rock-boring earthworms and bringing back their flesh. But the prerequisite is that you absolutely must not take any risks, you must not make any noise that might reveal your whereabouts, and you must not touch those red worms!"
He clearly conveyed his worries, his fear of the fire centipede, and his desire for resources and food.
As A-Tu processed this complex information, its simple mind also held an instinctive fear of the Earth Fire Centipede.
But it understands even more its owner's urgent need for "food" and "shiny stones," as well as the importance it places on that "hard skin."
Loyalty prevailed over fear.
It conveys a firm yet cautious intention, indicating that it understands and will strictly follow its master's commands.
"Go ahead. I'll wait for you to come back."
Yang Jin gave his final instructions.
A-Tu stopped responding. Yang Jin could feel its slippery, cold body moving silently underground, sneaking towards the back of the blacksmith shop and the direction leading to the mountain. Soon it was beyond his weak perception range.
The shed returned to silence.
Yang Jin slowly lay down, but he was wide awake.
He stared wide-eyed at the blurry shadows on the ceiling, his mind replaying the scenes from the mine tunnels: darkness, the glimmer of ore, the roar of the stone badger, Zhao Kun's severed arm, and the chilling swarm of crimson worms...
Will Atu succeed? Will he encounter any mishaps? Are the swarms of fire centipedes still there? Have the Sun family or the martial arts school members already re-entered the mine?
A variety of thoughts came to mind, making him restless.
The wound in my chest seemed to ache faintly with the fluctuations of my emotions.
Time slowly passed in anxious waiting.
As the night deepened, even the chirping of insects outside was barely audible, with only Chen Shan's faint snoring and the occasional barking of a dog from some distant place.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Yang Jin was about to lose his temper and was about to contact Atu again.
A very slight, rhythmic vibration came from the soil beneath my feet.
It's Atu! It's back!
Yang Jin immediately sat up, feeling both expectant and nervous.
The ground in the corner arched slightly, and Atuna's familiar dark brown front emerged.
It was holding something in its mouth—a rolled-up, thick, dark red badger skin!
The leather still had some dried bloodstains and dirt on it, but it was basically intact.
Yang Jin was overjoyed and quickly took it. It felt heavy, cold and tough in his hand.
Immediately afterwards, Atu opened its round mouth and spat out one grain after another of the earth vein essence particles, each the size of a grain of rice and emitting a soft yellow light, stored in its glands.
There are fifteen in total!
It collected significantly more than it had in a previous attempt, clearly indicating that it was focused on mining ore this time.
[Earth Essence +0.05]
[Earth Essence +0.05]
[Earth Essence +0.03]
……
The information kept fluctuating in Yang Jin's sea of consciousness, eventually accumulating an increase of 0.74 points!
Finally, Atu spat out three fist-sized chunks of meat, which were sealed in a special mucus, were dark red in color, and still emanated fluctuations of blood and energy.
It was the flesh and blood of the rock-scarring earthworm!
Although it wasn't much, it was enough to replenish the vital energy he urgently needed.
Atu conveyed a sense of relief and a touch of exhaustion after completing the mission, as well as... a hint of lingering fear.
Through the vague information and emotions shared via mental connection, Yang Jin roughly understood the situation.
There are currently no signs of human activity inside the mine.
The range of activity of the fire centipede swarm seems to be mainly concentrated in deeper areas, near underground rivers and humid environments. The hunting area where Atu had previously been active was relatively safe, but it also sensed the unsettling, dense vibrations and aura coming from afar, so it was very cautious and quickly completed its mission before retreating.
It didn't go near the stone badger's den, where the atmosphere was more chaotic.
"Well done, Atu."
Yang Jin was generous with his praise, conveying his feelings of relief and gratitude.
A-Tu seemed to be in a cheerful mood, and coiled up to rest and digest.
Looking at the harvest before him—animal hides, earth vein essence, and exotic beast meat—Yang Jin felt somewhat at ease.
With these, his recovery and cultivation can be greatly accelerated.
He carefully hid the badger skin and then absorbed the earth vein essence particles into the mountain cauldron.
Then, pick up a piece of rock-cutting earthworm meat covered in slime.
Without fire, you can't roast.
He hesitated for a moment, then, suppressing his discomfort, peeled away the slippery mucus and stuffed the dark red and pinkish-white meat inside into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it forcefully.
It still carried an earthy and mineral astringent taste, but a familiar, gentle warm current of energy quickly spread through my stomach and flowed to my limbs and bones.
Although not as potent as badger meat, it was just the right nourishment for him in his current weakened state.
After eating three pieces in a row, I finally felt full, my whole body felt warm, and the pain in my wound seemed to have lessened a bit.
The depleted qi and blood were somewhat replenished.
He sat cross-legged, mobilized the essence of the earth veins within the mountain cauldron, and began to circulate the Demon Ape "Rooting" technique, guiding this newborn energy, combined with the blood and qi brought by the earthworm flesh and blood from the stone chiseling, to slowly nourish the wound and strengthen the skin.
In the stillness of the night, in the small shed in the backyard of the blacksmith's shop, a barely perceptible flow of qi and blood could be seen on the boy's body, and the stone-like luster beneath his skin seemed to have deepened slightly.
Unseen by him, deep underground, beside the badger skin that had been brought back, A-Tu was perched, its dark brown keratinous skin hardening in the darkness as it absorbed the faint scent of earth and stone brought from the mine tunnel.