Chapter 8

In the scavenger camp, Lei Dui led the way, with Xu Qing following behind. The sun was shining brightly, casting its light upon them.

From a distance, they appeared as one tall and one short, one old and one young, and there was a subtle sense of harmony between them.

It seemed that in this cruel world, such harmony was rare.

Perhaps it was the intimidating presence of the python corpse in Lei Dui's hand that kept the passersby, who usually avoided the arena, from disturbing them.

Xu Qing enjoyed this feeling. Whether it was the upcoming snake meal or the warmth of the sun on his face, it made him feel cozy and comfortable.

He was very content and looking forward to it.

Every time his gaze fell on the python corpse in Lei Dui's hand, his mouth would water even more.

He also liked eating snakes.

Lei Dui's home was in the middle ring of the camp.

Compared to the brick and tile houses in the inner ring and the simple tents in the outer ring, the residences in the middle ring were mostly made of stone and wood, with three small houses arranged together.

Although each house was not very large, they were much better than what Xu Qing had in the slums.

Especially Lei Dui's residence, which even had a small courtyard, making it even more rare.

At this moment, as he pushed open the bamboo gate, Lei Dui, under Xu Qing's observation, carried the python corpse to the last house and pointed to the second small house.

"Kid, you'll be staying there. Get familiar with it, and I'll call you when the food is ready."

With that, Lei Dui entered the side house, and soon the sound of chopping meat could be heard.

Xu Qing swallowed, carefully observing the small courtyard before entering the second small house. Inside, there was a bed, a set of bedding, a table and chair, and nothing else.

The floor was very clean, and the table and chair had no dust, clearly often wiped clean. The bedding was also very clean, with a scent of sunshine.

All of this made Xu Qing very satisfied.

He didn't like large houses; he preferred small ones where he could see everything at a glance, as if everything could be reflected in his mind.

This made him feel safer.

After a thorough inspection, Xu Qing looked at the clean bed, thought for a moment, and then sat on the ground.

Crossing his legs and closing his eyes, he began his daily cultivation.

During his cultivation, as spiritual energy surged, the sizzling sound of boiling oil from the adjacent side house reached his ears.

Soon, the aroma wafted through the gaps in the stone and wood walls, filling the small house and causing Xu Qing's stomach to rumble.

It smelled delicious.

Xu Qing's throat involuntarily moved as he opened his eyes and looked toward the side house.

Years of living in the slums had made him forget the last time he had smelled such a delicious aroma.

So he endured the longing in his stomach, closed his eyes, calmed himself, and continued his cultivation.

Time passed slowly, and soon dusk arrived.

When Lei Dui's voice calling for dinner came from outside the house, Xu Qing, who had just finished his daily cultivation, quickly opened his eyes.

He stood up and quickly walked out of the house, seeing Lei Dui standing at the door of the side house, waving at him.

Following the open space beside Lei Dui, Xu Qing saw that the table inside the house was already set with seven or eight different snake dishes, including fried, braised, steamed, and snake soup.

Clearly, Lei Dui had excellent culinary skills, and the dishes were visually and aromatically appealing.

Xu Qing's eyes widened as he looked at the dishes. Lei Dui smiled, turned around, and went in to set the table.

Xu Qing immediately approached, and as he entered the side house, the aroma became even stronger. However, he did not sit down immediately but waited until Lei Dui had set the table, then his eyes suddenly focused.

There were three sets of chopsticks and bowls.

"Is there someone else?" Even with the tempting aroma, the appearance of the third set of chopsticks instantly put Xu Qing on alert.

He looked at Lei Dui cautiously and asked softly.

"Don't be nervous. It's just a habit. That's for someone who will never come."

Lei Dui spoke calmly, a glint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes before quickly disappearing as he sat down.

Xu Qing nodded and sat down, unable to resist grabbing a piece of fried snake meat and biting into it.

It was hot, but he enjoyed it, his mouth full of oil.

After finishing one piece, he licked the oil from his lips and reached for the braised snake meat, but Lei Dui coughed lightly.

"Use the chopsticks."

"Okay." Xu Qing awkwardly picked up the chopsticks, adjusted to using them, and then speared a piece of braised snake meat, swallowing it in large bites.

Neither of them spoke during the meal, but their eating styles were quite different.

Lei Dui ate slowly and gracefully, unlike a scavenger, taking only a few bites of each dish. Xu Qing, on the other hand, ate voraciously, his appetite far exceeding Lei Dui's.

Seeing Xu Qing eat like this, Lei Dui couldn't help but speak.

"Why aren't you eating as delicately as when I gave you the steamed bun?"

Xu Qing swallowed the snake meat in his mouth, looked up at Lei Dui, and answered seriously.

"The steamed bun was yours, the snake meat is mine."

One was food given by someone else, the other was his own food.

In the young boy's simple mind, eating his own food felt more justified.

Lei Dui couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, watching Xu Qing use the chopsticks to continuously pick up snake meat and drink the snake soup. He also noticed that the boy did not touch the parts of the dishes closest to him and drank the soup with restraint.

He only ate his share with confidence.

"That python you caught is quite substantial. It should last us half a month, and the skin and bones are also valuable, so..."

Lei Dui said casually.

"I'll pay the rent, no need to use this to offset it." Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

The snake meat was a thank you for the steamed buns and sleeping bag, and the value of the skin and bones was a thank you for helping him cover up the broken tent.

As for bringing him out of the ruins and into the camp, that was a favor, a debt of gratitude.

Xu Qing felt it was inappropriate to repay with material things, so he kept it in mind.

Lei Dui looked deeply at Xu Qing, seeing the seriousness in his eyes and his clear sense of right and wrong, and nodded. After some thought, he spoke again.

"Kid, I'm sure you've made many guesses about me on the way here."

Xu Qing didn't speak, but his eating slowed slightly.

"Everyone calls me Lei Dui. As for my name, it's not important. In the scavenger camp, no one uses their real names."

Lei Dui picked up a piece of steamed snake meat and slowly chewed it.

"The reason for this title is that I have a few friends in the scavenger camp who I can trust with my life."

"We formed our own small team, and the name is quite common, called Thunder."

"Usually, we each take on our own jobs, but if we encounter a difficult one, we gather the whole team to complete it. Including me, there are four of us, and the other three are currently out and haven't returned yet."

"When they come back, I'll introduce them to you. In the future, you'll join us as a new member of the team, taking on jobs to earn resources for survival and cultivation."

Lei Dui seemed to be full, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Xu Qing.

The last five words didn't surprise Xu Qing.

Xu Qing felt that if he could sense Lei Dui was a solitary cultivator, then after so much contact, even if he was a body cultivator, Lei Dui could also sense his background.

"Okay." Xu Qing nodded without hesitation.

This also relieved him. Growing up in the slums, he knew well that there was no such thing as unearned help or kindness; everything had a reason.

"You can continue eating. I'm old and can't digest too much."

Lei Dui coughed a few times, his face slightly flushed but quickly recovered, then stood up and walked out, speaking as he went.

"The spiritual energy in this world is like a poison. Your intense cultivation on the way here could very well lead to your own mutation before you've gone far. Cultivation should be steady and not rushed."

Xu Qing remained silent, not speaking.

The old man, standing by the door, turned to look at Xu Qing, shook his head.

"But your way of cultivation is also correct."

"The scavenger camp and the adjacent restricted area are different from where you were before. The resources in the restricted area attract many low-level solitary cultivators and outlaws."

"Living here, you will inevitably have to venture into the restricted area, so more cultivation is good."

Lei Dui left.

Xu Qing sat alone, finishing all the snake meat before he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he cleaned the dishes and put them away, then returned to his small house.

He sat cross-legged and continued his cultivation.

Xu Qing knew very well that if he didn't want to live a life of servitude, bending to survive, and leaving his life in the hands of others, then his own strength was the foundation of everything.

Especially in the scavenger camp, where there were many solitary cultivators, more than he had seen in six years, and none of them were easy to deal with.

If the slums were a doghouse, then this place was a wolf den.

If he didn't work hard, he would die without a trace before he even had a chance to mutate.

As for the mutation, Xu Qing knew from the bamboo slips of the Sea Mountain Technique that there were pills to resolve it.

Although they didn't cure the root cause, they could help, and he had learned from the scavengers' conversations that these pills were called White Pills.

The restricted area nearby produced the important herbs needed to make White Pills, so they were definitely sold in the camp.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing touched the spot on his chest where the purple crystal was embedded.

He had clearly felt that, besides his enhanced recovery, his speed and strength had greatly improved.

This was related to reaching the first level of the Sea Mountain Technique, but Xu Qing felt that his first level was different from the described strength of a tiger.

"I can kill many tigers."

Xu Qing muttered, feeling the spiritual energy in his body. After his intense cultivation on the way, it seemed he was close to the second level.

"Tonight, I will break through to the second level." Xu Qing's eyes showed determination as he closed them and began to breathe deeply.

Soon, spiritual energy surged from all directions. The spiritual energy outside the restricted area had fewer impurities than inside, making his cultivation speed faster.

Xu Qing had already noticed this in the arena's room yesterday.

Now, he opened his body, absorbing and exhaling forcefully. The faint purple light from the purple crystal under his coat flashed.

Time passed, and gradually, Xu Qing's body began to emit a faint popping sound, and black impurities were once again expelled from his pores.

His flesh and blood, nourished, seemed to become even tougher, and a stronger force gradually burst forth within him.

At the same time, outside in the night, the little girl who had exchanged bamboo slips with Xu Qing earlier approached the courtyard of his residence.

She stood there hesitantly, as if she wanted to knock but was hesitant.

After a long time, she seemed to gather her courage and lightly knocked on the bamboo gate, but the sound was too weak to be heard inside.

At the moment the little girl knocked, the popping sound in Xu Qing's body reached its peak.

With a loud boom in his mind, Xu Qing's eyes opened, and a purple light flashed in his eyes. He looked at his arm, where a second mutation point had appeared.

Condensing Qi, second level.