Qin Kun went to the well to fetch a bucket of water and washed himself. Although he was done washing, he still felt an lingering smell on him, but at least he felt a bit refreshed.
“Bang bang!”
Back home, it wasn't long before there was a knock on his door.
Qin Kun went to the door, peeked through the crack, and then opened it.
Standing outside the door was an old man. Qin Kun smiled and said, “It’s Uncle Sun Fu, Uncle Sun Fu, is there something you need me for?”
This old man, Sun Fu, was also an ordinary resident of Changqing County.
Sun Fu said with a hopeful expression, “A Kun, my youngest son is getting married soon. Tomorrow morning, we need to Slaughter the pig we raised at home… to prepare for the wedding banquet. A Kun, can you help us?”
Qin Kun had a slight reputation among his neighbors, thanks to his superb Slaughtering skills. Working in the Liu Family’s slaughterhouse, he could be called a professional butcher.
Therefore, many nearby residents who had livestock that needed to be Slaughtered would come to Qin Kun.
Qin Kun, of course, welcomed all comers. Not only could he earn some remuneration, but he could also hone his skills!
“Alright, no problem.”
Qin Kun readily agreed.
Slaughtering living beings, for Qin Kun now, was a way to strengthen the 'Blood Sea Divine Seed' and himself. He only wished there were more livestock, so Sun Fu's request was a good thing that added icing to the cake. Of course, he couldn't refuse.
“That’s good… Don’t forget tomorrow morning.”
Sun Fu instructed Qin Kun a few words before leaving.
And Qin Kun also ate dinner and went to bed early.
In this era, ordinary commoners worked from sunrise to sunset and didn't have such a rich nightlife!
“Oink! Oink!”
At dawn the next day, a bloody smell permeated the small courtyard of Sun Fu's house. There were sharp, piercing pig squeals that made one's eardrums ache.
“Hold it down! What great strength!”
“Get a bucket!”
Qin Kun, Sun Fu, and his two sons jointly pulled a black pig out of the pigsty and pressed it onto several wooden long benches arranged side by side.
Although this black pig was very strong and struggled desperately, it was futile under the combined efforts of Qin Kun and the other three!
“Chirp!”
Qin Kun held a sharp knife and stabbed it directly into the black pig's heart through the crossbones below its neck. Pig blood gushed and dripped from the wound, flowing into the wooden bucket below, without a single drop wasted.
The pig's wails gradually weakened and ceased, and the black pig completely lost its breath of life.
Whew!
Qin Kun could see a thumb-thick blood-colored mist rising from within the black pig's body, entering his Sea of Consciousness through his glabella, where it was absorbed and refined by the Blood Sea Divine Seed, transforming into a pure energy that strengthened his own Qi and blood!
However, Sun Fu and the others were completely unaware of this anomaly.
“It seems… the Qi and blood essence provided also varies depending on the type of living being I kill. Small animals like chickens, ducks, and fish provide less Qi and blood essence, while large animals like pigs and cattle provide much more!”
Feeling a warm energy flowing through his limbs and bones, Qin Kun thought to himself.
While contemplating, Qin Kun's hands didn't slow down at all. He and Sun Fu's three sons worked together to soak the dead pig in hot water, clean it, pluck its hair, hang it by a rope, and then gut it.
Then, they removed the internal organs, used a Slaughtering knife to cut the pork into two halves, and then cut the pork into pieces, separating the ribs, belly, rump, front legs, and hind legs… classifying them.
The entire process flowed smoothly, and Sun Fu's three sons all secretly nodded in admiration. Every profession has its specialization. Qin Kun, at such a young age, could earn a living with his Slaughtering skills!
“A Kun, thank you… Take this piece of meat.”
After helping the Sun Family Slaughter the pig, Qin Kun simply washed his hands, and Sun Fu handed him a piece of pork weighing about five catties as remuneration for his help.
“Alright, then I won’t be polite. If there are similar matters next time, neighbors can all come to me.”
Qin Kun naturally did not refuse, accepted the pork, and instructed that if anyone else needed to Slaughter livestock, they could come to him.
“Definitely! Definitely!”
Sun Fu repeatedly agreed.
After taking a few catties of pork home, Qin Kun decided to cure the pork later that evening to facilitate storage. Then, he set off for the Liu Family's slaughterhouse to work until the afternoon, when he returned home to rest.
This was Qin Kun's daily routine, simple and peaceful.
What was different from before was the 'Blood Sea Divine Seed' that was born after his Slaughtering skill reached Perfection. It continuously absorbed Qi and blood essence during Qin Kun's Slaughtering of livestock, causing Qin Kun's Qi and blood to continuously grow stronger!
And Qin Kun could clearly feel that his body was getting healthier and stronger day by day.
In the past, after a day's work, his hands would ache and his back would hurt, but now, after a day's work, his expression was as usual, and he didn't feel very tired at all!
Blood Sea Divine Seed (Qi and Blood Full 27%)
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed. On this afternoon, Qin Kun finished his work in the slaughterhouse, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the Blood Sea Divine Seed in his attribute panel. A satisfied smile flashed across his face.
“I wonder what changes will occur when the 'Qi and Blood Full' progress bar of the Blood Sea Divine Seed reaches 100%! No rush… Let's take it slow. At this rate, it will take at most a few months!”
Qin Kun thought to himself.
During this period, his daily work in the slaughterhouse, coupled with occasional private jobs, provided opportunities to Slaughter livestock, which allowed his Blood Sea Divine Seed to grow rapidly, and his own physical fitness also increased significantly!
“A Kun, don’t leave after you’re done. Come to the backyard.”
Qin Kun finished his work and washed his hands, but before he could leave, a steward of the Liu Family informed him.
Without waiting for Qin Kun to ask what exactly it was about, the steward quickly left to notify others.
“Let’s go to the backyard and see.”
There was nothing else to do, so Qin Kun could only follow the instructions and headed to the Liu Family's backyard.
The Liu Family's backyard was spacious, planted with some flowers, plants, and trees, along with decorative rockeries and ponds, making for a pleasant scenery, completely different from Qin Kun's own dilapidated small courtyard!
Qin Kun found that in an open area of the Liu Family's backyard, others had already arrived before him. They were all similar in age to him and were all house servants of the Liu Family.
Most of these young men were also bewildered, unsure why they had been summoned there. Qin Kun waited quietly.
Before long, most of the people the steward had notified had arrived. Including Qin Kun, there were 20 people in total, all young men.
At this moment, the crowd stirred. A tall man in a black tight-fitting suit, accompanied by the steward, strode over. He walked with the powerful gait of a Dragon and a tiger, his eyes sharp. His gaze swept over them, causing all the Liu Family servants to tremble and involuntarily lower their heads, not daring to meet his gaze!
“What… what a powerful aura…”
Qin Kun was secretly startled. This man was only in his early thirties, with an ordinary appearance, yet he naturally exuded a sense of oppression that weighed heavily on people's hearts. Qin Kun had a faint suspicion.
The steward coughed, attracting everyone's attention. He spoke, “Let me introduce everyone, this is the instructor of the guard team, ‘Liu Xin’.”
“The instructor of the guard team… No wonder!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the young men suddenly understood.
In this chaotic world, merely having wealth is not enough; one must also have the power to protect that wealth!
As a local landlord and gentry in Changqing County, the Liu Family not only had many house servants but also maintained a 'guard team' composed of Martial Artists, which allowed them to protect their family property and expand, venturing into various profitable businesses.
And this person named Liu Xin, surnamed Liu, was clearly a member of the main Liu Family, and he was also the instructor of the guard team. He had naturally Cultivated martial arts for many years and was highly skilled in martial arts. It could be said that he was an important figure in the Liu Family!
Liu Xin slowly said at this moment, “You are all servants of my Liu Family, half of the Liu Family. And now you will have the opportunity to change your own destiny and go a step further!”
“Our Liu Family’s guard team needs to expand. Starting today, I will teach you martial arts. With a limit of one month, I will select those with talent among you and send them to the guard team for training. There are five spots in total.”
Liu Xin's face was expressionless, and his tone was calm, but the words he spoke made all the young men present tremble, and their eyes glowed with fervor!
“Join… join the guard team? I heard that people in the guard team eat meat every day, drink medicinal meals, and receive high salaries!”
Each servant swallowed their saliva, trembling with excitement.
They were all servants of the Liu Family, part of the Liu Family's property, and could be said to have low status.
But no matter who it was, everyone had a desire to rise above others!
And now this opportunity was presented before them. If they could join the guard team, it would be a true turnaround, becoming a person of high status in one fell swoop, with treatment far exceeding their current situation!
“Cultivate martial arts?”
Including Qin Kun, his heart also beat faster, and his eyes shone brightly.
Cultivating martial arts, this was also one of Qin Kun's wishes and goals!
In this chaotic world, only by having powerful fists and strong strength can one Dominator one's own destiny, otherwise, one can only be a slave.
Just like Qin Kun, even though he had excellent Slaughtering skills and lived quite comfortably, he was not irreplaceable. If he offended the Liu Family one day, he might be cast aside and abandoned!
But if he could join the Liu Family's guard team, it would be completely different. With strength, even if he was a servant of the Liu Family in terms of status, the treatment he enjoyed would be no different from that of a true Liu Family descendant. Compared to these servants who had little value, they belonged to two completely different social strata.
With strength, one could even ignore contracts and simply become a bandit!
And Qin Kun had naturally thought about Cultivating martial arts long ago, but with his status, position, and meager savings, he simply didn't have the conditions!
Now, this opportunity to change his destiny appeared before him! With Qin Kun's Heart-Nature from two lifetimes, he couldn't help but feel excited and fervent!
“Being able to join the Liu Family’s guard team is an opportunity for me!”
Qin Kun's eyes became firm. Among the twenty young servants of the Liu Family, entering the top five would give him a chance to be selected for the guard team.
“Liu… Instructor Liu, are there only five spots?”
A slightly thin young man asked timidly.
There were twenty people here, but Liu Xin said there were only five spots to join the guard team, clearly a situation of too many monks and not enough porridge.
A hint of disdain flickered in Liu Xin's eyes. He said indifferently, “I'd rather have quality than quantity. These spots will only decrease, not increase. Not everyone has the talent for Cultivating martial arts. Mediocre people joining the guard team would only be a waste of resources!”
The flames in everyone's hearts cooled down considerably. The treatment of this guard team was definitely the top-tier in the Liu Family, but it was not easy to join it!
The guard team needed to expand, and the age for Cultivating martial arts was not necessarily the earlier the better. Children's bones had not yet fully developed, and forced training would only affect their future. Therefore, the selection this time was for young men between the ages of 13 and 16.
“Alright, starting tomorrow, at this time every day, come here. I will teach you for one hour. Whether you can seize this opportunity depends on your own fortune.”
Liu Xin finally left a remark, then walked away with his hands behind his back, accompanied by the steward.
“Only five spots? I must get one… to change my status! To officially become a Liu Family member!”
Among the young servants present, some clenched their fists, full of fighting spirit, understanding that this might be their only chance in this life to change their destiny.
“Alas… I definitely can’t compete with them. My father owed a large sum of money to sell me to the Liu Family. How can I, without a background or resources, compete with Sun Changhe and the others?”
There were also those who were pessimistic and lacked confidence in themselves.
Everyone had their own thoughts, and Qin Kun, too, returned home to rest with anticipation and excitement, awaiting the arrival of tomorrow!
Time came to the next day. Qin Kun went to work in the slaughterhouse as usual in the morning, and only finished a day's work in the afternoon.
After a day of hard work, Qin Kun did not feel tired. The 'Blood Sea Divine Seed' absorbed and refined the Qi and blood essence of the livestock killed by Qin Kun, which had made his Qi and blood full, his energy abundant, and his strength greatly increased over the past half month!
“Go to the backyard.”
After finishing his work, Qin Kun immediately went to the backyard.
In the backyard, each Liu Family servant also gathered there as soon as they finished their work.
After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Liu Xin, dressed in a black tight-fitting suit, arrived late.
Liu Xin scanned everyone present. Without wasting words, he said solemnly, “The so-called martial arts is for defeating enemies! And its most fundamental core is to see who has greater strength, who is faster, who is more resilient, and who strikes more accurately! What I want to teach you is a fist technique!”
“Hah!”
In front of Liu Xin was a stone table. His eyes were sharp, and he exhaled, his voice like thunder. Then he raised his right fist high and smashed it down furiously onto the stone table in front of him.
“Crack!”
Amidst a deafening crack, the stone table, carved from rock, sounded as if it had been struck by a thousand-pound hammer, groaning under the strain. Accompanied by flying stone chips, it shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground.
Liu Xin's fist was unharmed. Upon closer inspection, his fist skin was rough, as if covered by a layer of hard calluses.
“Hiss!”
This scene made everyone present gasp in cold air, their scalps tingling.
Such a heavy and hard fist, striking a human body, one could imagine how terrifying the destructive power it would cause—broken bones, torn tendons, shattered organs!
Liu Xin took a breath, raised his fist, and a hint of arrogance appeared on his face: “This ‘Iron Stone Fist’, although not a profound fist art, if Cultivated to a high Realm, there is a chance to enter the Realm of an In-Rank Martial Artist!”