nyslfriends Chapter 7 Shock
Chapter 7 Shock
"The food is ready, everyone, let's eat!"
With a call from the lean cook, two large platters of dishes were brought to the table, and everyone lined up to get porridge.
Fan Zhou was at the back of the line, but still got a full bowl of thick porridge.
"The food at this sword furnace is much better than what I had before. They serve fine rice, and they're very generous with it."
There were two dishes on the table, one was braised radish, and the other was some kind of meat, both were cooked until they were glistening with oil.
Fan Zhou had been practicing swordsmanship for a long time and was already hungry. He didn't care that it was hot, picked up the bowl and started to spit it out wildly. The aroma of the oil exploded in his mouth, and his saliva kept flowing.
"Delicious! So delicious!"
This was the first time Fan Zhou had ever eaten meat since he came into this world. Recalling the hardships of his past life, he almost wanted to cry.
The people at the table, except for Liu Ergou, all stared at him speechlessly.
"Is it really that delicious?" a round-faced boy couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
Suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder tightly, and the newcomer said in an unfriendly tone:
"Xiao Guan, are you saying my cooking isn't good?"
Guan Qingyun's face twitched in pain, and he repeatedly begged for mercy:
"Delicious! How could anything cooked by Chef Hou not be delicious!"
Only then did Chef Hou, who was cooking, let go and sat down beside him with a bowl of porridge:
"Look at other people, unlike you who are picky eaters every day, not liking this or that."
Guan Qingyun dared not say anything more, and secretly winked at another boy beside her.
Zhang Yu received his message and said with a bitter face:
"Master Hou, the roe deer meat is one thing, but we've been eating the same radishes for days on end, from cold radish salad to stir-fried radish slices to braised radish chunks. It's time for a change."
At a nearby table, an elderly man with a goatee, overhearing their conversation, chimed in:
"Zhang Yu is right, Hou Yi, when will we ever finish eating these radishes?"
Master Hou thought for a moment, then looked at the only girl among the several handyman disciples:
"Wu Xiu, how many radishes are left in the warehouse?"
Wu Xiu smiled gently, "There's still a whole basketful left!"
Master Hou helplessly spread his hands towards the old steward: "Old Hu, it looks like we'll have to eat here for a few more days."
Deacon Hu sighed deeply, lowered his head, and drank his porridge without saying a word.
Master Hou smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, I promise the radishes will be different every day. Tomorrow we'll have pickled radish strips!"
"Cough cough!" Deacon Hu was choked and coughed repeatedly, annoyed:
"This radish is really unlucky to have met you; it dies a different way every day."
"Hahaha..." Everyone laughed.
Fan Zhou watched everyone chatting and laughing quietly, and took the opportunity to eat several more pieces of venison.
.........
After breakfast, Tian Youliang left with the other three stewards, leaving Fan Zhou to follow Master Hou's instructions.
"Master Hou, is there anything we need to do?" Fan Zhou asked.
Hou Yi wasn't pretentious at all. He glanced at the woodpile and said:
"We're running low on firewood. You and Liu Ergou come with me to chop some."
He then instructed the other three:
"Zhang Yu and Guan Qingyun should go cut grass nearby, while Wu Xiu prepares lunch and dinner."
"Understood," Zhang Yu and Guan Qingyun replied with long faces.
Wu Xiu got up and cleared the dishes from the table.
Fan Zhou was somewhat surprised that these menial disciples were actually able to eat three meals a day.
He had heard people from Hongjia Village mention before that only the local gentry in the county could afford to eat three meals a day.
"As expected, immortal sects are different. Even their servants are much better than those country gentry. I should have eaten less earlier."
After Hou Yi finished making the arrangements, he took Fan Zhou and Liu Ergou to the storeroom to get an axe and a long saw.
The three walked outside the village and found a large tree, which was three or four zhang tall.
Hou Yi patted the tree trunk and took the axe from Fan Zhou's hand.
"You two stand back a bit, so you don't get hit by the falling debris."
Fan Zhou and Liu Ergou hid to the side, waiting to see Hou Yi make a move.
Hou Yi gripped the axe handle tightly, took a deep breath, and his originally lean body suddenly swelled up, while the axe blade in his hand emitted a cold gleam.
Hou Yi swung his axe in a wide arc and chopped hard at the base of the tree.
boom--!
First came a loud thud, and the tree, which took two people to encircle, instantly tilted to the side. Then came a cracking sound as the tree crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.
Hou Yi turned to Fan Zhou and the other man and said:
"You two are tasked with chopping this tree into firewood today, is that alright?"
"No problem." Fan Zhou nodded in agreement, took the axe from Hou Yi, glanced at the fallen tree, and couldn't help but ask:
"Master Hou, what is your cultivation level?"
Hou Yi chuckled, "It's just the seventh level of fetal breathing."
"You're already this powerful at the seventh level of embryonic breathing? How many years have you been cultivating?"
Hou Yi stroked his stubble-covered chin. "I'm thirty-three this year, and I've been cultivating for twenty-one years."
"Based on this calculation, you'll break through one level every three years on average," Fan Zhou said happily. "Then it won't be long before you break through to the ninth level of the Fetal Breathing Realm!"
Hou Yi chuckled and shook his head. "How can you calculate it like that? The ninth level of the Fetal Breathing stage gets harder and harder. If I want to break through to the ninth level of the Fetal Breathing stage, it will probably take me another ten years. If my comprehension is a little lacking, I might just stay like this for the rest of my life."
"I see. What if one breaks through to the Qi Refining Realm?"
Hou Yi pondered for a moment, then finally chuckled:
"That depends on luck."
Upon hearing his answer, Fan Zhou fell silent.
He recalled Tian Youliang saying that he had cultivated for fifty years before finally breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining and obtaining the status of a steward. He added that once he entered the threshold of cultivation, he would realize how unattainable this achievement was.
Now it seems that it really wasn't an exaggeration.
Seeing Fan Zhou's downcast expression, Hou Yi comforted him:
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. For people with inferior aptitude like us, breaking through to the Qi Refining Realm in this lifetime is a bonus. Getting stuck at the Fetal Breathing Realm is the norm."
"Even if you only have the initial stage of embryonic breathing cultivation, it won't be difficult for you to establish a clan or become a county magistrate or assistant magistrate when you return to the mortal world. Especially for disciples of the Sword Furnace like us, we are the top targets for marriage alliances between various forces. Even if you are a bit old, no one will mind."
After Hou Yi finished speaking, he patted him on the shoulder and went back.
Fan Zhou watched his retreating figure and felt even more pressured.
"I must not slacken my efforts; I must diligently cultivate! I came here not to return to the mortal world!"
Fan Zhou was filled with fighting spirit.
Liu Ergou suddenly spoke up: "Fan Zhou, it's not just me who says you look old, he says you look old too."
"..."
Fan Zhou turned his head and stared at him expressionlessly, saying, "Please don't take things out of context, okay? Thank you."
Liu Ergou asked in confusion, "What are you thanking me for?"
Fan Zhou took a deep breath and said helplessly:
"Let's get back to work."
"oh."
Liu Ergou took a long saw and began sawing the trunk of the big tree.
"Click, click..."
In an instant, sawdust flew everywhere, and the saw blade visibly penetrated deep into the tree trunk.
Fan Zhou then took the axe and swung it around, chopping at the branches of the big tree.
boom!
A tree branch as thick as an arm was cut off.
After handling it himself, Fan Zhou discovered that the axe seemed excessively sharp and extremely tough; no matter how he chopped at it, it didn't chip.
"It's more accurate to call it a weapon than a tool."
Although it was a bit strange, Fan Zhou didn't think too much about it. Perhaps the axe used by immortals was different from that used in the mortal world.
He swung his axe, ready to chop down another tree, but the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to shake, and he almost lost his footing.
"What's going on? Could it be an earthquake?"
Pebbles on the ground jumped up and down, the surrounding trees swayed incessantly, leaves fell like rain, and a large number of birds cried out and flew into the sky.
Fan Zhou looked around nervously; an earthquake would be a real problem.
Liu Ergou, however, remained remarkably calm:
"These are the deacons searching for minerals in the mountains, but today's activity is much bigger than usual."
Fan Zhou was taken aback. "Is this quarrying for minerals? What are they using to quarry this much?"
Liu Ergou said casually, "I heard it was the market boss who smashed it with a hammer."
"What? It was smashed with a hammer?"
Just as Fan Zhou was wondering if he had misheard, he suddenly saw a small light appear on the distant mountain.
The next instant, it was as if a thunderclap had exploded.
Boom!
A large amount of smoke and dust rose from the mountain, and one could vaguely see lightning and flames intertwining and breaking apart.
Was this really smashed with a hammer?
What level of attainment must such a person have reached?
Fan Zhou watched from afar, then suddenly said to Liu Ergou:
"Ergou, do you think we can ever reach that level in the future?"
Liu Ergou continued sawing wood. "I don't know. I just want to break through to the first level of the Fetal Breathing Realm first."
Fan Zhou looked at him in great surprise: "Hey, you're not stupid after all!"
Liu Ergou paused, looked up and stared at Fan Zhou:
"Have you always thought I was a fool?"
"Hahaha, how could that be? We're best friends!"
Fan Zhou chuckled and quickly picked up his axe to continue chopping down the tree.
Liu Ergou stared at him for a while before continuing to saw the wood.