He advanced too quickly!
A tree that stands out in the forest is sure to be blown down by the wind.
Five days to reach Entry Level in Zen Meditation Posture is still believable, but five days to reach Small Success? Even Great Success?
Anyone who hears this would think there is something fishy.
Others might take two to three months, or even half a year, to reach Small Success, yet you achieve it overnight?
Others need three to five years to achieve Great Success, yet you do it overnight as well?
It's fine if others don't believe it, but if they do... with Bai Ziyue's small arms and legs, he couldn't withstand anyone targeting him.
"For the sake of my life, I have to keep a low profile. Even if I want to learn Martial Arts, I can't go to the branch for now."
Bai Ziyue exhaled lightly and shook his head helplessly.
There was no way around it; if he were stronger, he wouldn't need to be so cautious.
At this moment, he was still very weak. Anyone who set their sights on him could cause him to tremble with fear.
Shopkeeper Zhang Bo, Senior Brother Wang Jian, and Mr. Qian Ming, who assigned him his apprentice duties... Did he not care about their unfair treatment of him?
It was only because he knew his strength was too small to change anything that he compromised.
"There isn't much opportunity in Martial Arts for now, but I can think of some ways for Soul Energy."
After promoting Zen Meditation Posture to Great Success, he consumed a lot of Soul Energy. Now he had less than two hundred left, so he naturally wanted to replenish some.
...
"Uncle Sun, may I go with you to get meat from the slaughterhouse tomorrow?"
In the kitchen, Bai Ziyue asked a middle-aged man with a limp while peeling a carrot.
There are ten people including Bai Ziyue in the Ming Pearl Restaurant.
Shopkeeper Li is in charge of cashiering and managing some store affairs. The kitchen is the domain of Master Zhang, who has three assistant cooks. Additionally, there is Granny Xu, who does miscellaneous tasks like washing clothes and cleaning.
Then there are the four lowest-status servants like Bai Ziyue, who go wherever they are needed.
Bai Ziyue was speaking to one of the three assistant cooks, Uncle Sun, Sunx Neng.
Uncle Sun not only had excellent knife skills, able to cut tofu as thin as hair, but was also said to have been a formal disciple of the gang. However, due to a leg injury from a fight, he had to retire.
Besides assisting in the kitchen, he was responsible for selecting freshly slaughtered pork and beef from the slaughterhouse every morning.
Bai Ziyue intended to use the opportunity to enter the slaughterhouse and gain Soul Energy.
In the kitchen, it was not uncommon to slaughter chickens or ducks.
But when Bai Ziyue eagerly approached, he found that his Soul Energy did not increase at all.
He pondered for a long time until one time, after slaughtering an old duck that had been raised for over a year, his Soul Energy finally increased.
It was then he realized that for smaller creatures like chickens and ducks, they needed to be of sufficient age to increase his Soul Energy.
The old hen he slaughtered at home had been raised for three years.
"Going to the slaughterhouse requires getting up very early. We have to leave before 3:00 AM when it is still dark... You still have work to do; don't tire yourself out."
Sunx Neng smiled and said.
"It's fine; I can get up, and it won't delay anything here."
Bai Ziyue quickly said.
After achieving Great Success in Zen Meditation Posture, Bai Ziyue discovered another benefit: abundant energy.
Getting up early was no problem for him.
Moreover, for the sake of Soul Energy, sacrificing a bit of sleep was worth it.
Another thing worth mentioning was that he had grown taller again.
Fortunately, no one at the restaurant was familiar with him, so no one noticed anything unusual.
"If you can get up, I'll take you to see."
Sunx Neng, thinking Bai Ziyue was just curious about the slaughterhouse, did not refuse.
Before 3:00 AM the next day, Bai Ziyue had already dressed and briskly walked out of his room.
In autumn, the sun rises late, and it was indeed very early, around 3:30 AM by the time from his previous life. Outside was entirely dark.
Luckily, the moonlight was bright enough for Bai Ziyue to walk out of the backyard.
At this time, Uncle Sun had already gotten up and was bringing a cart from the kitchen, placing two baskets on it.
"Little Yue, you're up. I thought you were joking yesterday."
Sunx Neng chuckled and said.
"I said I could get up, so I did."
Bai Ziyue said, helping Uncle Sun push the cart out of Ming Pearl Restaurant through the back door.
It was dark and quiet outside; even the moon seemed hidden. The entire street was pitch black, with no one in sight, except for the sound of the cart wheels as Bai Ziyue and Uncle Sun pushed it.
"Uncle Sun, there's someone."
Suddenly, Bai Ziyue tugged at Sunx Neng's clothes and whispered.
In a distant alley, a person dressed in black jumped down from a wall and quickly disappeared into the night.
"Ignore it."
Sunx Neng shook his head and said, "Those who can climb walls are skilled people. Not only should we not meddle, but we also shouldn't make a sound. If they get upset, no one will avenge you if you get killed."
"What? Doesn't the government care?" Bai Ziyue asked in surprise.
But soon he realized his words sounded naive.
"The government? They extract every bit of bone marrow, more ruthless than those wall climbers. If the loss is small and you report it to the authorities, you'd spend dozens of silver with no guaranteed result.
If the loss is significant, wealthy families can afford to hire people to retrieve it themselves.
As for murder, who in this town doesn't die daily? Have you seen any thoroughly investigated cases? If you're without background or status, death is just death."
Sunx Neng laughed coldly, quickening his pace.
Though Bai Ziyue felt uncomfortable, he understood that this was the nature of the world, allowing no room for dispute.
After half an hour, Bai Ziyue arrived with Sunx Neng at a relatively secluded area near West Street.
A faint smell of pigs and a stench wafted from afar.
Bai Ziyue knew they had arrived at the slaughterhouse.
Inside a somewhat dilapidated but very spacious house, the lights were bright.
In more than a dozen pig pens, robust white pigs were awaiting slaughter. In a corner, an old yellow cow was mooing mournfully.
As Bai Ziyue approached, a tear rolled from the cow's eye, dripping onto the ground.
Aside from the waiting animals, a few pigs had already been gutted.
It seemed Bai Ziyue had arrived just in time. A pig was being dragged onto a butcher block, and a burly man, holding a slaughter saber, slashed diagonally along its throat, piercing the heart. The pig shuddered violently, spraying blood.
A young man, prepared with a basin, collected the pig's blood.
Soon, the pig stopped struggling and died completely.
"Soul Energy +7."
Bai Ziyue glanced at his Attribute Panel, his heart leaping with joy.
He had already gained something upon arrival.