inspire-indiana Chapter 9 Lifespan Increase: 2 years!
Chapter 9 Lifespan Increase: 2 years!
Zhang Gu's voice continued, louder and prouder than ever before: "Young Master Qingyang cares deeply for his fellow villagers! He was heartbroken to learn of the disaster that befell the village and the suffering of the people!"
"He returned home yesterday and came here in person today! Do you see these ten bushels of coarse rice? This was bought by the young master himself, at his own expense, with the old servant's permission, to provide relief to everyone!"
"boom--!"
The crowd erupted in cheers!
"Young Master Qingyang! It's Young Master Qingyang!"
"Commander Zhang's son is back? Good heavens!"
"The food...is it really food for us?!"
"Ten stones...ten stones! How many lives could that save!"
"Thank you, Young Master Qingyang! Thank you so much for your great kindness!"
"Waaah, the child is saved... saved..."
The overwhelming surprise, like a torrent, broke through the dam of desolation.
Cries, shouts of gratitude, and cries of joy erupted instantly.
The villagers, who had suffered greatly, seemed to have been pulled back from the brink of hell with a glimmer of hope. Many of them knelt down excitedly and kowtowed repeatedly in Zhang Yuan's direction.
Muddy tears, mixed with the mud on his face, flowed down.
It was the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster and the heartfelt gratitude to the savior.
The children stopped searching, staring blankly at the excited adults, then at the grain on the oxcart and the thin figure called "Young Master".
Zhang Yuan stood in the spotlight, bearing the gazes of hundreds filled with gratitude, awe, and expectation.
He could clearly feel the heavy weight of the black iron plaque on his chest, and he also felt the profound expectations carried by the name "Zhang Qingyang".
At this moment, he was no longer Zhang Yuan, the orphan struggling in the dilapidated house of the Green Bamboo Gang. He was a descendant of a loyal martyr, a beacon of hope rekindled in the hearts of the people on this wounded land.
A heavy sense of responsibility and a subtle sense of "glory" enveloped his young body.
Just as everyone's emotions had calmed down and their eyes were focused eagerly on the grain, Zhang Yuan stepped forward and raised his hand.
The crowd fell silent instantly, their eyes once again fixed on him, filled with trust and expectation.
Zhang Yuan cleared his throat. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying the unique clarity of a young man, yet also a maturity beyond his years: "My fellow villagers have suffered such a calamity. I, Qingyang, am too young to help in time, and I feel deeply ashamed. This little bit of rice can only temporarily alleviate their urgent needs."
"Qingyang has come today for three reasons: first, to apologize to the villagers; second, to bring this small token of his appreciation; and third—"
He paused, then turned his gaze to the robust yellow ox tethered to the cart shaft, pawing restlessly. He raised his voice: "Following in my father's footsteps, we will share joys and sorrows with our fellow villagers!"
"Today, I, Zhang Qingyang, will personally slaughter this ox! I will distribute the meat to every household and every person in the village! Let the villagers drink a bowl of hot meat soup to nourish their bodies and warm their hearts!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in even more enthusiastic and incredulous exclamations than before!
"Slaughtering a cow?! Young master wants to slaughter a cow himself?"
"Distribute the meat?! To everyone?!"
"My God...this, this..."
"How old is the young master? He looks so thin and weak..."
"Yes, this ox is very strong, and it can be quite a handful when it gets angry!"
"No, no, no! Young Master is precious. How can we trouble him to do such rough work as slaughtering animals and drawing blood?"
"Exactly! It's too dangerous! Let Wang Ergou and the others do it! They're strong!"
Concerns are rising one after another.
The villagers were grateful for Zhang Yuan's kindness, but looking at his thin frame and youthful face, and then at the huge, muscular ox with its wide-open eyes and nostrils snorting, they simply couldn't reconcile the two.
Slaughtering a cow, especially a strong draft ox like this, requires immense strength, precise technique, and fearless courage; it is by no means something a weak boy could easily do.
If you accidentally hurt yourself or anger the ox, the consequences could be disastrous!
Zhang Gu also tensed up, his palms sweating. He whispered, "Young master, the villagers are right. Your good intentions are enough. Let the old butcher from the village butcher the same thing..."
Zhang Yuan simply shook his head slightly, his eyes unusually firm: "Master Gu, fellow villagers, my father taught me that one must keep one's word and lead by example."
"Today I will personally slaughter this ox, both to fulfill my promise to the villagers and to comfort my father's spirit in heaven."
His words were half true and half false, yet they carried a resounding weight and an undeniable determination.
He said no more and walked straight to the oxcart.
Two of the tallest and strongest men in the village, named Wang Ergou and Li Dachui, at Zhang Gu's anxious signal, grabbed the ox's thick neck with all their might, pressing its massive head firmly to the ground.
The ox seemed to sense the danger, letting out a terrified and angry moo, struggling with all four hooves, splashing up a lot of mud. Two strong men, their muscles bulging and veins popping on their foreheads, barely managed to subdue it. The scene was breathtaking for a moment.
Zhang Gu's heart was in his throat, his hand holding the cane was trembling slightly, and his eyes were fixed on Zhang Yuan.
Zhang Yuan, his face ashen, walked to the oxcart and slowly drew a gleaming, sharp-edged knife from the bundle Zhang Gu had prepared.
The cold handle has a metallic feel to it.
He took a deep breath; the air was thick with the smells of mud, beef, and the tension of the crowd.
All eyes were on him.
Worry, tension, anticipation, curiosity...
Countless emotions intertwined, forming an invisible pressure.
The threshing floor was completely silent, save for the heavy breathing and muffled thuds of the oxen struggling, and the mournful howl of the wind blowing through the dilapidated shack.
Zhang Yuan gripped the knife and steadily walked step by step toward the ox that was being held down.
His steps were not fast, but unusually steady.
His slender frame appeared tiny in front of the massive ox, but his straight spine and the gleam in his hand exuded an extraordinary sense of determination and power.
Sunlight struggled to pierce through the thin mist, falling on his mud-stained clothes and the cold blade, as if gilding him with a faint glow of responsibility and courage.
At that moment, his thin back seemed to overlap with the image of the towering Captain Zhang in the villagers' memories.
A silent shock spread through the crowd, and the initial worry was gradually replaced by a solemn respect.
Regardless of success or failure, the young master's courage and determination have been deeply imprinted in their hearts.
Behind a half-remaining mud wall not far away, several local gentry and stewards who had caught wind of the incident were peeking out.
One of the elderly men, dressed in a silk robe and sporting a goatee, was none other than Li Yuanwai, the owner of the nearby Li Village.
He watched the skinny boy in the arena walk towards the giant bull with a knife, stroked his beard, a complex light flashing in his eyes, and whispered to the person beside him, "The Zhang family... it seems they really do have an heir. This courage, this sense of responsibility, this skill in winning people's hearts... tsk tsk, remarkable for such a young age."
"Zhang Zhenshan can rest in peace now, if his spirit is watching over him."
"But...can he really kill that bull?"
The others exchanged glances, their expressions complex.
Just as everyone's nerves were on edge, Zhang Yuan had already reached the bull's head.
The bull's huge, fearful, and violent brown eyes stared at him from close range, and the warm, fishy smell hit him.
Wang Ergou and Li Dachui held the bull's head down tightly, their arm muscles bulging, sweat mixed with mud streaming down their foreheads, as they hissed, "Young Master, be careful! Quick!"
Zhang Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he didn't hesitate at all.
He didn't look at the bull's eye; all his attention was focused on the power generation techniques of the Wind Chasing Sword Technique, which the system had given him and which had already reached the "mastery" level.
Although he used a knife, his precise control over strength, angle, and timing had long been ingrained in his instincts.
He gripped the knife in his right hand, lowered his waist slightly, and took a half-step forward with his left foot like lightning, as if a venomous snake were flicking its tongue!
With his arm, he wielded the short knife, transforming it into a cold glint that was almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, precisely stabbing towards the fatal depression below the ox's neck where the trachea and artery meet!
The movements were clean, crisp, fast, accurate, and ruthless!
"Pfft—!"
A very faint sound, like the soft crack of a ripe fruit being cut.
The sharp blade pierced through the thick hide and muscle without any resistance, precisely severing the most critical blood vessels and trachea.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
The ox's massive body stiffened abruptly, and its bellowing, filled with terror and rage, came to an abrupt halt!
The huge bull's eyes instantly lost all their luster, becoming dull and empty.
Immediately afterwards, scalding hot, pungent-smelling cow blood gushed out from the narrow wound like a burst dam!
The warm blood rain splashed onto the cold mud, making a hissing sound, quickly staining a large area of land red, and also splashing onto Zhang Yuan's clothes and arms.
The moment the blood spurted out, Zhang Yuan quickly drew his sword and retreated, avoiding most of the splatter.
He stood there, gripping the dripping, sharp knife, breathing slightly heavily.
That last thrust, though seemingly simple, actually concentrated all his spirit and strength, further depleting his already weakened energy and making his face even paler.
But at this moment, a tidal wave of emotions surged within him!
Just as the blade severed the cow's vital center, a life energy far more powerful, intense, and pure than when he killed that robust child last time surged into his body like raging magma, flowing powerfully down the arm that held the knife!
This energy was warm and powerful, instantly dispelling the weakness and chill in the body, like a long-parched riverbed receiving sweet rain, and every cell was cheering with joy!
At the same time, the dormant panel in his mind burst forth with unprecedented light, and cold words, carrying a burning message, were imprinted deep within his consciousness:
[Slay powerful beings (with life force equivalent to an early-stage acquired martial artist) and absorb their abundant life force.]
[Lifespan increased by 12 years!]
[Current lifespan remaining: 15 years and 270 days!]
Twelve years!
A tremendous surprise exploded in Zhang Yuan's mind like a thunderclap!
It instantly dispelled all fatigue and tension!
He suppressed the cheer that almost escaped his lips, his fingers gripping the hilt of the knife trembling slightly with excitement.
Become!
It really did!
The conjecture that killing cattle grants longevity is absolutely correct!
And the harvest far exceeded expectations!
The blood and energy of a strong ox is equivalent to that of a martial artist in the early stages of the acquired realm!
This opened a whole new door for him to power and survival!
Fifteen years of lifespan allowed him to instantly escape the suffocating countdown to death!
"Moo...uh..."
The ox's massive body lost all support and collapsed to the ground with a thud. Its limbs twitched a few times before it became completely still.
Blood was still gushing out, meandering into a glaring scarlet stream on the muddy ground.