Lord Yuan stopped Ming Qi and chuckled, "I just remembered something. Not only will the Bai Mansion be increasing taxes this year, but they'll also be adding a battlefield condolence tax. Since you're paying taxes for the entire village, why not pay the battlefield condolence tax as well?"
"Oh? The battlefield condolence tax?"
Hearing the name, Ming Qi sneered inwardly. This fat man was insatiable and ruthless. It seemed he had truly decided to hang himself, tired of living.
"Is that so? Well, here are the Golden Snake Gallbladder and the Nine-Leaf Dream Grass. Both are exchangeable. Use them to pay the tax."
Ming Qi calmly handed over the two animal hide bags.
"Golden Snake Gallbladder, Nine-Leaf Dream Grass!"
Surprised, Lord Yuan hurriedly picked up the bags and opened them one by one to examine them.
As expected, the two bags contained valuable golden snake gallbladder and the rare medicinal herb Nine-Leaf Dream Grass. These were both top-quality medicinal ingredients for refining elixirs, imbued with spiritual energy.
"Good, good!"
The chubby man looked at Ming Qi with his small eyes as if he were looking at a pile of gold ingots. However, he didn't dare to pursue the matter any further, fearing that the boy would get angry and kill him with a single blow. He had seen that burly private soldier being thrown out in the blink of an eye, and he knew clearly that this sinister-looking boy before him was quite capable.
After packing up the three animal-skin bags, Lord Yuan waved his hand, "Let's go!"
He then mounted his horse and led the way.
Watching the group depart, Ming Qi's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"Hmph, my possessions aren't so easy to swallow. Just wait for death!"
There are numerous villages in this area, and this group would likely take quite some time to plunder before leaving. However, Ming Qi wasn't worried. With his current stamina, they wouldn't be able to escape his grasp.
Only after seeing the unscrupulous minions leave did the villagers gradually disperse. When they saw Ming Qi, they all cast grateful glances.
"Sanlang is blessed by the gods. This is a blessing for our Yanzhuang."
A middle-aged man sighed as he supported the elderly village chief as they walked.
"Sanlang is so promising now. He'll definitely become a high-ranking official in the future. He'll definitely be a man of great stature!"
The villagers all murmured.
"Third brother!"
"Younger brother!"
"Brother Ming Qi!"
Just then, Ming Qi's eldest brother Miao Sen and second brother Miao Cheng approached with Mo Lan.
Seeing his brothers and sisters, Ming Qi's face lit up with a warm smile.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, Xiaolan!"
"Third Brother, you're doing great!"
Miao Sen stepped forward, patted his brothers on the shoulders, and said with a smile.
This was heartfelt praise, and Ming Qi could even see immense pride and honor on their faces.
Ming Qi sighed inwardly, what could this be? This was brotherhood!
In his previous life, he had no brothers or friends; he was a world to himself. He was tired of the darkness and the cold.
After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, I'm not home often. You've taken care of Mom and Dad and Xiaolan, and it's been a great effort!"
Miao Cheng smiled and said, "Third Brother, you're the hope of our Yan Village. You're going out to do great things in the future. How can you stay home all the time?"
"Yes, leave the household chores to us!"
Miao Sen patted his chest and said generously.
Ming Qi nodded gratefully. Home was his heart, and even if he didn't miss it, the warmth was something he couldn't let go of.
"Brothers, take this money and buy some things for the family. That way, I'll feel at ease."
With that, Ming Qi took out a heavy small cloth bag and handed it to Miao Sen.
Miao Sen didn't refuse and took it.
After a few more instructions, Ming Qi left the village and summoned Da Bai to once again enter the mountains behind Yan Zhuang.
This time, he didn't go to Panshe Valley, but to the top of Yan Zhuang.
Da Bai, still squatting beside Ming Qi like a guard, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
At the top, Ming Qi sat cross-legged. He immediately waved his hands in strange, complex gestures. As the gestures twisted and turned, images of exotic beasts that shouldn't exist in this world appeared one after another behind him, constantly shifting.
Anyone from Ming Qi's world who was familiar with the Classic of Mountains and Seas would have recognized the totems of exotic beasts as drawn from the mythical beasts recorded there.
At this moment, these constantly circulating illustrations of exotic beasts formed a mysterious rectangular scroll behind Ming Qi.
Ming Qi was still filled with confusion over the appearance of this mysterious scroll. It was a sudden realization he had recently had, as if a portal had opened within his mind, allowing him to summon the scroll through a complex set of incantations.
He naturally recognized the countless illustrations on the scroll, but he simply didn't know why they appeared in this form.
Ming Qi pondered for days and nights, but remained bewildered.
There was no explanation for this divinely gifted thing. Tracing its origins, it was likely connected to the lost ancient secret technique of the Shanhai Secret Transmission, which he had cultivated in his previous life. It was through this secret technique that he had risen to the pinnacle of the assassin world.
He himself possessed an almost manic obsession with the Classic of Mountains and Seas, coupled with his unparalleled talent for painting. In his previous life, he could effortlessly sketch any of the mythical beasts from the Classic, even deities from various mythological systems. Of course, this would have been considered disrespectful to those who believed in the deities.
The name of this mysterious scroll was etched in Ming Qi's mind: the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map.
He could sense that this Supreme Mountain and Sea Map held boundless secrets, but his strength and mental power were insufficient to explore its mysteries.
The vast and mysterious Mountain and Sea Map swirled and shifted behind him, its images flowing like water. But no matter how Ming Qi manipulated his incantations, he could gain no insight.
After nearly two hours of attempted communication, Ming Qi still gained nothing.
"If I reach the realm of telepathy and comprehend the mysteries of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, I might be able to glimpse some of the secrets within."
Although two hours of attempts yielded no results, Ming Qi remained undeterred. After all, this wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight, and he had patience.
Seeing it was almost noon, Ming Qi descended the mountain and returned home to have lunch with his family.
Meditate and comprehend the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!
This was Ming Qi's next step.
He had already remained in the second level of the Acquired Realm of Comprehension for a long time. Logically, he should have entered the third level of telepathy long ago, but he had always suppressed this thought.
Now, partly because of the appearance of the Inner Supreme Mountain and Sea Map, and partly because he felt his accumulated strength had reached an unprecedented level, he had chosen to enter the third level of telepathy.
Once a warrior reaches the third level, their training methods undergo a significant shift, from purely physical training to a focus on cultivating Qi and breathing, and meditating in meditation. Once they've connected with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they can continuously temper their bodies through it. This represents a higher level of training than simply running or carrying weights.
Ming Qi sat quietly on his bed in his room, cross-legged, eyes closed, completely lost in a state of emptiness and selflessness.
Ming Qi was now adept at advancing through the realms, thanks to the blessing of that "mysterious immortal." That strange memory detailed the correct methods for cultivating a post-natal warrior and offered some unique yet highly effective strategies for achieving excellence among warriors of the same level without straying from the right path.
If Ming Qi hadn't slowed down his progress, he would have reached at least the fifth level of the post-natal realm, achieving a light body.
"The Five Elements of Heaven and Earth, the invisible forms of Yin and Yang, the myriad forms of all things, the myriad aspects of all living beings..."
Mysterious words swirled endlessly in Ming Qi's mind, stirring his ocean of thoughts.
Time slipped by quietly, day turning dark and day turning bright, but no matter what happened in the outside world, it had no effect on Ming Qi.
Ming Qi was completely absorbed in it.
In a trance, Ming Qi felt as if something in his mind had cracked. Suddenly, a subtle, crisp sound, like the cracking of an eggshell, emanated. Immediately, he felt a cool, warm aura spread around him, caressing every cell in his body like a refreshing, hot bath.
"This is the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!"
Ming Qi instantly regained consciousness. He opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of turbid air, instantly feeling refreshed.
He suddenly leaped off the bed. With every casual punch and kick, he could sense a significant difference from before. It seemed that comprehending the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had indeed yielded remarkable results.
"Is this the realm of telepathy? It's truly different. I feel like my strength has increased significantly. A single strike could probably pack a force of two thousand kilograms!"
Ming Qi felt an unprecedented surge of energy, a feeling of exhilaration all over his body.
With a swift movement, he turned and strode out.
You have to understand that the average warrior, upon reaching the realm of telepathy, can only deliver a single strike of one thousand kilograms of force. But now, Ming Qi's casual strikes can pack a force of two thousand kilograms, demonstrating the immense power of his previous accumulation and suppression. Furthermore, he's built a solid foundation, which will benefit him for the rest of his life.
He strode out of the room and saw Mo Lan squatting on a small stool by the door, intently reading a book.
The sky was already setting, and it had suddenly cleared up without him noticing.
"Xiao Lan," Ming Qi called out with a smile.
"Oh, Brother Ming Qi, you're finally out! You've been locked up in your room for two days!"
At the sound of Ming Qi's voice, the little girl was overjoyed. She dropped her book and leaped over. Ming Qi was stunned. He'd actually stayed in his room for two days!
But that was all right. Two days had passed, and that damned fat man might have already looted and left the area. This was a perfect opportunity.
Thinking of this, Ming Qi gave Xiao Lan a few words of advice and hurried out of the village. With a whistle, Dabai darted out from the nearby forest.