Chapter 4: Third Officer's Three Sets of Tableware

In the Scavenger Camp, Captain Lei walked in front, with Xu Qing following behind. The strong sunlight poured down, falling upon them.

From a distance, one tall and one short, one old and one young, they seemed to exude a subtle sense of harmony. Such harmony felt rare in this cruel world.

Perhaps it was the deterrent presence of the python corpse in Captain Lei's hand that caused most passersby, who weren't heading to the beast-fighting arena, to avoid disturbing them after seeing it.

Xu Qing truly enjoyed this feeling. Whether it was the anticipation of eating the snake or the sunlight caressing his face, everything made him feel warm. It was very comfortable and something he greatly looked forward to. Every time his gaze fell upon the python corpse Captain Lei was carrying, his mouth watered even more. He also loved eating snake.

Captain Lei's home was located in the middle ring of the camp. Compared to the brick and tile houses in the inner ring and the makeshift tents in the outer ring, residences in the middle ring were mostly stone and wood structures, often consisting of three small huts arranged together. Although none of them were very large, they looked far better than anything Xu Qing had seen in the slums. Captain Lei's dwelling, in particular, had a small courtyard, which was even rarer.

Pushing open the bamboo courtyard gate, Captain Lei, carrying the python corpse, walked towards the back room while Xu Qing observed. He casually pointed to the second hut.

“Kid, you'll live there from now on. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll call you when dinner's ready.”

With that, Captain Lei entered the side room, and soon after, the sound of chopping meat could be heard.

Xu Qing swallowed, first carefully examining the small courtyard, then stepping into the second hut. Inside, there was a bed, a set of bedding, and a table with chairs; nothing else. The floor was spotless, and the table and chairs were dust-free, clearly wiped regularly. The bedding was also noticeably clean, carrying the scent of being sun-dried.

All of this brought Xu Qing great satisfaction. He disliked large houses, preferring small huts where he could see everything at a glance, as if he could reflect the entire space in his mind. This made him feel more secure.

After a thorough inspection, Xu Qing looked at the clean bed but, after a moment's thought, chose not to go near it. Instead, he sat directly on the ground. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began his daily cultivation.

As he cultivated, with spiritual energy flowing in, he could also hear the sizzling of boiling oil from the back room next door. Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted through the stone and wood crevices in the walls, filling the small hut and simultaneously triggering rumbling sounds from Xu Qing's stomach. It smelled delicious.

Xu Qing's throat involuntarily moved. He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the back room. After years of living in the slums, he couldn't recall the last time he had smelled such a wonderful aroma. So, he suppressed the yearning sounds from his stomach, closed his eyes, calmed himself, and continued his cultivation.

Time slowly passed, and soon dusk arrived. When Captain Lei's voice called out from outside the hut, signaling dinner was ready, Xu Qing, who had just finished a day of cultivation, quickly opened his eyes.

He stood up and swiftly walked out of the hut, seeing Captain Lei standing by the side room's entrance, beckoning to him. Looking past Captain Lei, Xu Qing could already see seven or eight different types of snake dishes laid out on the dining table inside the hut: deep-fried, braised, steamed, and snake soup. Clearly, Captain Lei possessed excellent cooking skills, with dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted perfect.

Xu Qing's gaze lingered. Captain Lei smiled, then turned to enter and set out bowls and chopsticks. Xu Qing also approached immediately. As he entered the back room, the aroma intensified, but he didn't sit down at once. Instead, after Captain Lei had finished setting the bowls and chopsticks, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

There were three sets of bowls and chopsticks. “Are there others?” No matter how tempting the aroma was, the appearance of three sets of cutlery instantly pushed all thoughts of food out of Xu Qing's mind. He cautiously looked at Captain Lei and asked softly.

“Don't be nervous. It's just my habit. That's for someone who... will never come.” Captain Lei spoke indifferently, a flicker of remembrance appearing deep in his eyes before quickly vanishing. He then sat down on a chair.

Xu Qing nodded and sat down, unable to resist grabbing a piece of deep-fried snake meat and biting into it greedily. It was hot, but he ate it with great satisfaction, his mouth full of oil. As soon as he finished one piece, he licked the oil from his lips, reaching for the braised snake meat when Captain Lei lightly coughed.

“Use chopsticks,” Captain Lei said.

“Oh.” Xu Qing clumsily picked up the chopsticks. After getting used to them, he speared a piece of braised snake meat and swallowed it quickly.

Neither of them spoke throughout the meal, but their eating styles were quite discordant. Captain Lei chewed slowly and deliberately, unlike a scavenger, taking only a few bites of each dish. Xu Qing, on the other hand, devoured his food, his appetite far exceeding Captain Lei's.

Watching Xu Qing eat like this, Captain Lei couldn't help but speak. “Why aren't you eating small bites like you did when I gave you steamed buns earlier?”

Xu Qing swallowed the snake meat in his mouth with effort, looked up at Captain Lei, and replied earnestly. “The steamed buns were yours; the snake meat is mine.”

One was being treated to someone else's food, the other was treating someone else to his own. In the boy's simple mind, it was naturally more justifiable to eat something that belonged to him.

Captain Lei didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this. He watched Xu Qing continuously poke the snake meat with his chopsticks and drink the snake soup, but also noticed that the boy didn't touch the portions of each snake dish closest to Captain Lei, and he drank the snake soup with restraint. He only ate his own portion, and did so with complete justification.

“That python of yours is quite substantial; it should last you for half a month. And the snake skin and bones are quite valuable, so…” Captain Lei said casually.

“I'll pay the rent; no need to deduct it from this,” Xu Qing suddenly interjected.

The snake meat was repayment for the steamed buns and sleeping bag provided along the way, while the value of the snake skin and bones was for Captain Lei covering his damaged cattle tent. As for bringing him out of the ruins and into the camp, that was a kindness, a favor. Xu Qing felt it was inappropriate to offset it with material goods, so he kept it in mind.

Captain Lei gave Xu Qing a deep look, seeing the seriousness in his eyes and his clear sense of gratitude and resentment. He nodded, then, after a moment's thought, spoke again. “Kid, you must have had many conjectures about me during our journey here.”

Xu Qing didn't speak, but his eating and swallowing slowed slightly.

“Everyone calls me Captain Lei. As for my name, it's not important; no one uses their real name in the Scavenger Camp.” Captain Lei picked up a piece of steamed snake meat and slowly chewed it. “The reason I have this title is because I have a few friends in this Scavenger Camp whom I can entrust my life to. We formed our own small team. The team's name is a bit common: 'Thunder'. On a daily basis, everyone takes on their own tasks, but if we encounter something particularly difficult, the entire team gathers to complete it. Including me, there are four of us. Currently, the other three are out and haven't returned yet. When they return, I'll introduce you to each of them. From now on, you'll join us as a new member of the team, taking on tasks to earn resources for survival and cultivation.”

Captain Lei seemed to have eaten enough. He put down his chopsticks and looked at Xu Qing. Xu Qing wasn't surprised by the last part of his statement. Xu Qing believed that if he could discern Captain Lei was a rogue cultivator, then after interacting for so long, even though Xu Qing himself was a body refiner, Captain Lei would naturally have been able to discern his background.

“Okay,” Xu Qing replied without hesitation, nodding. This also brought a sigh of relief to his heart. Having grown up in the slums, he knew intimately that there was no such thing as selfless dedication or help in this world; everything had a reason.

“You keep eating. I'm old, and I can't digest too much food.” Captain Lei coughed a few times, his face flushed slightly, but it quickly returned to normal. He stood up and began to walk out, speaking as he went. “The spiritual energy in this world is like poison. With your rigorous cultivation along the way, it's highly possible you might have already been corrupted and mutated by exotic substances without realizing it. Cultivation must be steady and gradual, not aggressive.”

Xu Qing remained silent.

The old man, who had reached the doorway, turned to look at Xu Qing and shook his head. “However, cultivating like you do is also correct. The Scavenger Camp and the nearby forbidden zone are different from where you were before. Due to the resources within the forbidden zone, this place is mostly a gathering point for low-level rogue cultivators and desperadoes. Since you'll be living here, you'll certainly have to make a trip into the forbidden zone. More cultivation is beneficial.”

Captain Lei then left.

Xu Qing sat there alone. After finishing all the snake meat, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, washed and put them away, before returning to his own hut. He sat cross-legged and continued his cultivation.

Xu Qing knew very well that if he didn't want to merely survive, bending over to others and relinquishing control over his life and death, then his own strength was the absolute foundation. Especially in this Scavenger Camp, there were many rogue cultivators—more than he had seen in the past six years combined—and none of them were easy to deal with. If the slums were a dog's den, then this place was a wolf's lair. If he didn't work hard, he might die without a burial place due to a conflict or dispute before even being mutated by exotic substances.

As for exotic substances, Xu Qing knew from the 'Sea Mountain Art' bamboo slip that there were pills that could neutralize them. Although they offered temporary relief rather than a complete cure, they provided a way to cope. He had also learned the name of these pills, 'White Pills,' from conversations among the scavengers along the way. The nearby forbidden zone was rich in the crucial herbs needed to produce White Pills, so the camp must certainly have White Pills for sale.

Thinking of this, Xu Qing touched the spot on his chest where the purple crystal was embedded. During this period, he had clearly felt that, besides his recovery ability, both his speed and strength had greatly increased. This was related to reaching the first level of the 'Sea Mountain Art,' but Xu Qing felt that his first level seemed somewhat different from the 'strength of one tiger' described in the manual.

“I can kill many tigers,” Xu Qing murmured, feeling the spiritual energy within him. With his diligent cultivation during the journey, he seemed close to reaching the second level.

“Tonight, I'll attempt to break through to the second level.” Determination gleamed in Xu Qing's eyes. He closed them and began to meditate. Soon, spiritual energy surged from all directions. The spiritual energy outside the forbidden zone had far fewer exotic substances than within it, which relatively boosted his cultivation speed. Xu Qing had already noticed this yesterday in the beast-fighting arena's barracks. Now, letting his body relax, he vigorously absorbed and exhaled. A faint purple light, beneath his leather coat covering his chest, flickered on and off.

Time passed. Gradually, faint thumping sounds emanated from Xu Qing's body, and black impurities were once again expelled from his pores. His entire body's flesh and blood, nourished, seemed to become even tougher. A subtle, stronger power gradually erupted within him.

Meanwhile, outside in the night, the little girl whom Xu Qing had exchanged bamboo slips with earlier that day approached the courtyard gate of his residence. She stood there hesitating, as if wanting to knock but feeling apprehensive. After a long while, she seemed to gather her courage and gently tapped on the bamboo gate of the courtyard, but the sound was too faint to be heard inside.

Just as the little girl tapped the bamboo gate, the thumping sounds within Xu Qing's body reached their peak intensity. With a roar in his mind, Xu Qing's eyes snapped open. A purple glow once again shone within them, and joy appeared on his face. He lowered his gaze to his arm, where a second mutation point had emerged.

Condensing Qi, second level.