themonasnovels Chapter 8 If killing people isn't an option, then how about killing a cow?
Chapter 8 If killing people isn't an option, then how about killing a cow?
Zhang Yuan's fingers jerked off the cold nail plate as if they had been burned.
He staggered back a step, his face drained of color, leaving only a bitter pallor.
Ten years of lifespan!
He now has only three years and two hundred and sixty-odd days left to live, with all his possessions and life at stake!
This mere three-year lifespan seems so laughable and hopeless in the face of this "ten-year" abyss.
"Heh..." He let out a low, self-deprecating laugh and shook his head.
This cheat code is truly deadly!
Without lifespan, even if a thousand wonderful methods are presented before one, one can only look on with envy and sigh.
He clenched his fists instinctively, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, and a slight stinging sensation came from his palms.
Murder... plundering lifespan!
The thought resurfaced uncontrollably once again.
That day, beneath the solitary bamboo stake, I gained three years of lifespan by killing one person. The instant surge of power and the allure of continued life, like the whispers of a devil, were exceptionally clear in the face of despair.
"No!" Zhang Yuan shook his head violently, forcibly suppressing the dangerous thought, and muttered to himself, "Fengming County is not a chaotic place like the Green Bamboo Gang. The law is strict here, and Chen Wenyuan and the county government are also paying close attention."
"I bear the identity of a 'loyal martyr's orphan.' If I were to commit murder and be exposed, I would be doomed forever. Besides... in my current state, I might not even be able to beat a strong young man, let alone kill someone."
This is not the right path; it is a path to death.
But the question of lifespan weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Without lifespan, one cannot deduce cultivation techniques to rapidly improve strength.
With little strength, one is like an ant in this dog-eat-dog world, easily crushed... This seems to be an unsolvable cycle.
"Killing someone... or even killing a cow..." He unconsciously repeated the words he had just used to deny himself, his gaze sweeping blankly across the empty study before finally settling on the gnarled old tree in the corner of the courtyard outside the window.
Slaughtering a cow?
Zhang Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed!
A vague idea flashed through his mind like lightning in the darkness, suddenly illuminating his chaotic thoughts!
"Slaughter the cow!"
He gasped softly, his eyes suddenly gleaming with an uncontrollable light, as if a drowning man had grasped at the last straw!
Yup!
The system message says "Slay insignificant martial artists and absorb their remaining life force," but it doesn't specify that the target must be a "person"!
The burly child was considered a "second-rate martial artist" because he had practiced some rudimentary martial arts and possessed considerable strength.
So... what about cows?
The strength and vitality of a young ox in its prime far surpass that of a child!
It might even be more powerful than that of an average acquired martial artist!
Could it be considered a "second-rate" life form in some sense?
"Deducing sword techniques consumes lifespan, but slaying powerful enemies replenishes it... This system is essentially an 'energy conversion' system! Martial artists possess vital energy and blood, and cows... also possess immense life energy!"
Zhang Yuan's heart began to pound uncontrollably, and his thoughts became increasingly clear.
"Killing a cow might... no, it's quite possible, grant me lifespan! And it doesn't violate the law!"
Zhang Yuan felt a surge of heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and the heavy sense of despair that had been weighing on his chest was replaced by a tremendous sense of excitement full of possibilities.
He turned abruptly, strode towards the study door, and called out to Zhang Gu, who was sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard:
"Master Gu!"
Upon hearing the sound, the old servant quickly put down the broom, hunched over, and hurried over: "Young master, what are your orders?"
Zhang Yuan tried to keep his voice calm, but the urgency in his eyes was hard to hide: "Master Gu, you just said that the village outside the city suffered a disaster, the fields were flooded, the villagers died or fled, and those who remained are struggling to survive, and I'm afraid they can't even afford to eat?"
"Yes, young master!" Zhang Gu nodded repeatedly, his face full of sorrow. "Our home is gone, the granary has collapsed, and all that's left are the elderly, women, and children, starving to the bone, gnawing on tree bark and digging for wild vegetables... Alas, what a tragedy!"
Zhang Yuan took a deep breath, his tone becoming solemn and urgent: "Master Gu, now that I have returned home, as a member of the Zhang family, I cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of the family's property and the farmers. Especially when my father was alive, he was most considerate of his subordinates and tenant farmers."
He paused, then looked intently at Zhang Gu: "Tomorrow morning, you will come with me to the estate outside the city! I want to see with my own eyes the extent of the damage to the land, and more importantly, I want to personally comfort and reassure those farmers who have survived the disaster and are starving!"
"Go and do two things right now: First, immediately go to the grain store in town and buy...buy five shi of unpolished rice, no, buy ten shi of unpolished rice! Make sure it's delivered to the estate before tomorrow morning!"
Zhang Yuan estimated the remaining money and the number of villagers, and gave a figure that he could manage.
Ten bushels of coarse rice may not be enough to fill one's stomach, but at least it can provide the starving farmers with a few days' worth of thick porridge to keep them alive.
"Secondly," Zhang Yuan lowered his voice, carrying a deliberate "youthful spirit" and an undeniable air, "we'll buy another cow! A strong one! I want to slaughter it myself in front of all the villagers and distribute the meat to everyone! This is both to do my part for the Zhang family and to let the villagers have some meat to nourish themselves, and it's also a small token of my respect for my father in heaven!"
These words not only demonstrate the core intention of showing compassion for farmers and providing relief to disaster victims, but also present the act of personally slaughtering cattle as a symbolic act of inheriting his father's tradition and sharing joy with the people, which is both reasonable and justifiable.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gu's cloudy old eyes lit up, and then hot tears welled up in his eyes!
He never expected that the young master would have such a sense of responsibility and kindness so soon after returning home!
He personally visited the village to comfort the starving people and even used his own money to buy grain for relief. What a considerate and benevolent way he treated his subordinates!
They even had to slaughter the cow and cut the meat themselves, which was to show the bravery and determination of the Zhang family orphan to share weal and woe with the villagers!
Isn't this the same spirit that Master showed when he was in the army, caring for his soldiers and sharing meals and robes with them?
"Good! Good! Good!" Zhang Gu exclaimed excitedly, his voice choked with emotion. His face, previously filled with sorrow, was now radiant with relief and excitement. "With such a kind heart and aspirations from the young master, the old master in heaven will surely be gratified!"
"This old servant will take care of it immediately! This old servant will take care of it immediately! Ten bushels of coarse rice and a healthy ox! Tomorrow morning, this old servant will personally accompany the young master to the estate! I will make sure the villagers feel the immense kindness and goodwill shown by the young master!"
Watching Zhang Gu turn around, looking energetic and as if he had become a few years younger, and hurry off to make arrangements, Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and slowly clenched his fists.
The cold iron armor remained silent in the corner of the study, but Zhang Yuan's gaze had already turned to the outside of the city, to the farmers struggling in the mud after the disaster, crying for food.
Slaughter the cow!
This is not only to prolong his life, but also the first step to make the identity of "Zhang Qingyang" famous and to unite people's hearts!
To plunder the life force of living beings and replenish the depletion of one's own lifespan...
The cruel rules of survival in this chaotic world were slowly unfolding before him in an unexpected yet seemingly respectable way.
The next morning.
The sky was gray.
A thin mist shrouded the ravaged land.
An old oxcart creaked and groaned as it rolled along the muddy, potholed official road, slowly making its way toward the village belonging to the Zhang family outside Fengming County.
The driver was the old servant Zhang Gu, whose lips were tightly pressed together, and whose face was etched with worry through deep wrinkles.
In the back of the oxcart, ten bushels of coarse rice were covered tightly with a thick tarpaulin.
Beside them followed a plump, strong yellow ox, led by a rein. It seemed to sense the weight of the road ahead and occasionally let out a low moo.
Zhang Yuan sat on the side of the oxcart, wrapped in a worn-out thick coat. His small body looked particularly thin as the cart bumped along.
He appeared calm as he gazed ahead, but in reality, his heart was churning with turmoil, both nervous about the "experiment" to be conducted and heavy-hearted at the prospect of witnessing the horrific scene.
The closer one gets to Zhuangzi, the clearer the horrific scene of the flood becomes in one's field of vision.
The once neat field ridges along the roadside have long since disappeared.
As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of murky water.
The rice paddies, which should have been ripe for autumn harvest, are now only left with a few withered, yellowed, and blackened rice stalks, piercing the water's surface in solitude, like the desperate arms of drowning people reaching for the sky.
Various debris floated on the water: broken beams, scattered furniture, rotting plants, and even the vaguely visible bloated animal carcasses, emitting a nauseating stench of silt, humus, and corpses.
The air was damp, cold, and heavy; every breath seemed to carry a rusty, metallic smell.
Some slightly higher slopes or hills are crowded with makeshift shacks.
These shacks were extremely rudimentary, consisting of a few crooked wooden sticks supporting a tattered tarpaulin, or simply a pile of damp thatched straw.
The area around the shed was muddy and filled with sewage.
Sparse figures moved about among the shacks, mostly women, children, and the elderly who were ragged, emaciated, and pale.
Their eyes were vacant, their movements slow, as if their souls had been ripped out.
Several children with sunken cheeks and clearly visible ribs were barefoot, rummaging through the cold mud for something—perhaps a blade of grass to put in their mouths or a few insects that had managed to escape.
In the deathly silence, the occasional weak cough or the faint cry of a baby added to the desolation.
As the oxcart creaked and groaned its way toward the heart of the village, a relatively elevated threshing ground, the stagnant silence was broken.
"Look! An oxcart! An oxcart is coming!"
"It's rice! Covered with an oilcloth, it must be grain!"
"Has Heaven opened its eyes? Is it...is it the grain delivery officials?"
"It doesn't seem like it; there are no government banners visible..."
"Who...who is that?"
Pairs of eyes that had been numb and desperate were instantly ignited with a faint flame by the bulging outline of the oxcart's cargo bed.
The instinct of hunger overcame fear and numbness, and the crowd began to stir, like a swarm of startled ants, slowly and hesitantly moving toward the oxcart.
Their eyes were fixed on the tarpaulin covering the grain, filled with an undisguised, green longing, as if the tarpaulin held a life-saving elixir.
Several of the bolder children even tried to pounce, but were held back tightly by the adults around them.
The old servant Zhang Gu parked the oxcart on a slightly dry patch of ground in the center of the threshing ground.
He took a deep breath, leaned on his cane, and shakily straightened his hunched back. With all his might, his aged yet excited voice suddenly rose, piercing through the oppressive air:
"Fellow villagers of Zhangjiazhuang! Look over here! Fellow villagers of Zhangjiazhuang—!"
The shout was like a stone thrown into a stagnant pond, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Hundreds of eyes focused on the old man.
Zhang Gu looked around at the withered, despairing faces, his voice choked with emotion yet filled with a solemn declaration: "Heaven has eyes! The Zhang family will not perish! I, Zhang Gu, have guarded this empty house for seven years, and finally, I have waited! Our young master—Young Master Zhang Qingyang! He has returned!"
"The master's only child has returned!"
He suddenly turned to the side, his withered hand pointing at Zhang Yuan standing beside the oxcart, his voice trembling with excitement: "Look! This is our young master! The only son of Commandant Zhang Zhenshan! Young Master Qingyang!"
All eyes, filled with shock, disbelief, and a glimmer of renewed hope, instantly shifted from the food to Zhang Yuan.
The child standing beside the old servant, thin and pale, was actually a descendant of a loyal martyr, the sole heir of the Zhang family?