Chapter 10

It has to be said that the speed of the village headman was quite fast, or perhaps it was because he was being paid, the state government quickly approved the document.

Chen Jiu looked at the document in his hand and smiled at the village headman: "Thank you for your help, Village Headman. Could you also help my brothers find houses?"

The village headman nodded and then took out another document: "The houses of Old Wang at the village entrance, Xiao Liuzi, and Dog Egg are the best. If you have time, go and take a look. If they are suitable, just sign the land deeds."

Chen Jiu hadn't been idle these past few days, wandering around the village and getting to know it quite well, even if he didn't know every detail.

These three land deeds were indeed the best, and Chen Jiu signed them without hesitation, entrusting the village headman to pay the thirty taels of silver. As for whether the village headman took a cut, that was something Zhang Shiyang couldn't care about.

Looking at the three land deeds, Chen Jiu smiled and pulled out one: "I'll take Xiao Liuzi's. Their house is on the far east side, too far from the village center. It would be troublesome for you to run back and forth after you get married."

He then handed the other two land deeds to Chen Zhong and the fatty: "You two can decide how to divide these."

After saying that, he walked out of the house and saw the old woman standing in the courtyard: "Granny, now we have a house. We'll move out tonight. If you have time, come and visit us."

After that, he looked at the fatty and Chen Zhong who had come out: "You can split the silver. I still have a hundred taels, which is enough."

The fatty nodded, not at all shy: "Thank you, Brother Jiu, thank you, Brother Jiu."

This guy was really shameless, calling him brother just for a bit of silver.

As for the bag of silver, it had at least ten thousand taels, but Chen Jiu didn't care. After a night of thinking, Chen Jiu had set a temporary goal for himself. Since he had the opportunity to start on the path of cultivation, he would continue down it. As for how far he could go, that was beyond his control; it all depended on fate.

Chen Jiu smiled lightly: "Alright, I'll go and check out my house first. I need to clean it up quickly, or I won't be able to stay there tonight."

With that, he slowly walked towards the village headman's house.

Looking at the somewhat old wooden house, Chen Jiu smiled and walked up to it. He looked at the key, and perhaps because no one had been back for a long time, the door lock was already rusty.

He looked at the key in his hand, turned it left and right, and with great effort, he finally managed to slowly open the door.

The first thing he saw in the courtyard was a large patch of weeds, some of which had grown to knee height. Now it was winter, and the plants were all dead, but in spring, it would surely be a garden of a hundred grasses.

The most eye-catching thing was a well. He gently opened the well cover, and the clear water inside was still there, saving Chen Jiu the trouble of digging a well.

He tried the water bucket, and everything still worked.

He took out the key and, after much effort, opened the front door of the house. Dust flew in his face, making him cough uncontrollably.

He gently wiped the dust from his eyes and shook his head: "It's quite a hassle to live in a house that hasn't been occupied for a long time."

After that, Chen Jiu brought in a bucket of water, splashed it on the ground, found a broom and a rag, and began his cleaning.

As the moon rose, Chen Jiu rubbed his numb arms and looked at his work. It wasn't spotless, but it was certainly livable.

As for the weeds in the yard and the leftover firewood, they would be enough to last a few days.

He lit an oil lamp and breathed a sigh of relief. This was his new home.

The cold winter was still very cold, and the north wind howled incessantly. Chen Jiu huddled up and sat cross-legged on the bed to begin his daily cultivation.

Cultivators paid the least attention to time. After a brief nap, the sky was already bright. He couldn't spend another night like this.

Just as he was thinking, he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw Chen Zhong and the fatty. The fatty looked excited at Chen Jiu's new home and winked: "There's no food now. I discussed with the boss and we plan to go hunting on the mountain and gather some firewood. Do you want to come?"

Chen Jiu smiled: "Of course, I'm starving."

Gathering firewood was simple, and hunting wasn't difficult. Although Chen Jiu didn't know martial arts, Uncle Zhong and the fatty were both quite skilled.

Chen Jiu dragged a bundle of firewood, Uncle Zhong carried a wild ox, and the fatty dragged a wild boar.

"It's not a concern that the food won't spoil in winter. This should last for a while," Chen Jiu said, looking at the meat behind him.

The fatty, panting, looked at Chen Jiu: "Sigh, there are no shops around this place. Why go through so much trouble?"

Chen Jiu smiled but didn't say anything. Uncle Zhong remained silent as usual.

Time passed, and Chen Jiu and the others had been in the village for some time. The fatty and Uncle Zhong had both started families, and the two young girls were quite nice. Although they were from farming families, they had a simplicity that the daughters of noble families lacked.

After some time of cultivation, Chen Jiu's chronic illness had improved a lot, and his body began to develop, no longer as thin and dark as before.

Especially his eyes, which were now very bright, with a faint glow that made people dare not look directly, even giving off a somewhat intimidating feeling.

However, although his body was being refined, Chen Jiu also had some troubles. The constant refining of his body made him smell bad, so he had to take a bath every morning.

Bathing wasn't a big deal, but this world's bitter cold of winter was not like the global warming era of his previous life. Chen Jiu was often shivering and sniffling.

After drinking a mouthful of ginger soup, Chen Jiu looked at the smoke rising from the village and smiled.

After slowly finishing the ginger soup, Chen Jiu began his breakfast, which was a bowl of meat porridge. Thanks to Uncle Zhong and the fatty's daily hunting, they hadn't run out of meat this winter, and Chen Jiu's body, being refined, had received a great deal of nourishment.

Looking at his slightly fairer skin, Chen Jiu nodded self-admiringly: "Finally, I'm starting to look like my former self."

Holding the bowl of meat porridge, Chen Jiu stood at the door and quietly watched the morning star fade away, as the first ray of purple light filled the sky.

Without caring about the food in his mouth, Chen Jiu took a deep breath, drawing in the purple light, which entered his purple palace and primordial spirit through the void.

The warm feeling was very pleasant. Looking at the sun's smiling face, Chen Jiu cleaned his bowl and stood quietly in the courtyard, gazing at the vast sky and the myriad things below. He could even sense the ants hibernating deep underground through the qi.

After a moment of calculation, a mysterious smile appeared on Chen Jiu's lips: "The growth of grass and the chirping of birds, the thunder of spring, contain the great transformations of life and destruction. Although the first thunder of spring is still some time away, it's not too early to prepare. Cultivation cannot be taken lightly. The moment the first thunder of spring sounds will be the moment of my breakthrough."

Chen Jiu prepared his clothes, dry rations, hunting knife, and bow and arrow, left a letter, and set off for the distant mountains with his treasures.

To feel the divine thunder filled with life and destruction at the closest distance, the only way was to stand as high as possible.

The largest mountain near the village was Chen Jiu's only choice. Although there were some fierce beasts in the mountains, Chen Jiu was not afraid because he had prepared everything.

Spring was very close, and the grass was growing and the birds were chirping.

Chen Jiu had been in the deep mountains for over a month. Even three days ago, he had spread bear droppings at this spot to prevent wild beasts from disturbing his breakthrough.

Since yesterday, Chen Jiu had started fasting. The only thing he did every day was to continuously sense the qi of heaven and earth, cultivate his techniques, and quietly feel the life and destruction accumulating in the vast sky.

One day, two days, three days, on the sixth day, the sky suddenly changed, and Chen Jiu's eyes flashed with divine light: "It's here."

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