Chapter 4: Risk and Reward

The stone house suddenly became very quiet.

When Zhuwazi and Shanwazi heard that they had to fetch water outside the village, they immediately became as silent as cicadas in winter. They dared not refuse, nor did they dare to agree.

Li Si naturally did not want to go either.

It was clearly more dangerous outside the village. However, the Old Madam and her two true disciples were clearly unreliable. Even if he tried to flatter them, he definitely would not gain any benefits.

On the contrary, Senior Sister Jiang was very foolish. In these times and in such an environment, there was still such a fool. No wonder she had become a cripple.

But it was precisely such a person who was more likely to lend him a hand at a critical moment.

Li Si now had the Fate Forge in hand, and his future development looked promising. However, the first bucket of gold was the hardest to earn. So, for Zhuwa and Shanwa, this was a disaster they desperately wanted to avoid, but for him, it was the only opportunity.

“Senior Sister Jiang, I will go with you.”

Li Si lifted his head and spoke very seriously.

“Good!”

Senior Sister Jiang was clearly a bit excited. She patted the Little Girl’s head, then walked out leaning on a crutch.

Li Si gathered his weapons and followed behind.

Inside the stone house, Ji Chang and Xu Shen acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to sit cross-legged with their eyes closed, resting.

Only the Old Madam opened her cloudy old eyes and glanced at Li Si for half a moment longer.

Aside from that, only the Little Girl seemed a bit anxious.

When they stepped out of the stone house, the sky was already bright, but the entire sky was still covered by a layer of gray clouds. Not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate, like a cloth bag tied shut.

Coupled with that bizarre aura, the entire deserted village for some reason gave off an absurd feeling of being inside an old black-and-white photograph.

Things seemed very close, just a step away, but it just felt unreal.

However, there was also good news. The churning bizarre dark mist from last evening had actually completely receded during the day, revealing mountains, fields, and rivers that also looked like an old black-and-white photograph.

Not a trace of green was visible.

“Junior Brother Li, during the day, although there is no dark mist shrouding the area, the wilderness can be even more dangerous. So, remember these taboos well.”

After they had traveled a good distance from the stone house, Senior Sister Jiang finally stopped and spoke to Li Si with a solemn expression.

“First, do not speak loudly. Second, do not look around aimlessly, especially do not look up at the sky. Also, you cannot relieve yourself or eat in the wild. Try to keep your mind as calm as possible. Do not get angry, sad, or even happy. Do not think about unnecessary things. If you suddenly realize you are thinking about something, call me immediately.”

“Also, it is very difficult to encounter an Evil Spirit in the wilderness during the day. If you do encounter one, apart from our Master, no one can escape.”

“But there are many Evil Entities in the wilderness. These Evil Entities are mostly similar to the Anomalous Weed you killed yesterday. Their strength varies. As long as we don’t encounter the stronger ones, we don’t need to worry.”

“So, there are only two real dangers. One is the Fallen Demons wandering in the wilderness. They were once humans but were corrupted and mutated by the power of the Evil God. Over time, they become increasingly powerful. However, they have lost their intelligence, so they are usually still easy to deal with.”

“The other type is those Evil God Cultists who fanatically worship the Evil God. Because they have gained the power of the Evil God, their strength becomes extremely terrifying. Unfortunately, they can still retain the thoughts and knowledge of the Human Race. Over the past few decades, the reason our Floating Cloud Sect has changed locations over ten times is primarily because of these Evil God Cultists. My leg is also thanks to them.”

“The place where we need to fetch water is about ten li from this deserted village. It is a river. Although the river water is completely polluted, no Evil Spirit has been born in it. As long as we use the Water Purification Pouch, we can purify the river water as much as possible.”

“Oh, one more thing. Since the Evil God invaded a thousand years ago, water from wells in all human villages and towns must never be approached. Because if someone has died in the well water, under the pollution of the Evil God’s power, an Evil Spirit will definitely appear. The reason this deserted village where we are staying temporarily can serve as a foothold is because there is no water vein here. The people who used to live here had to fetch water from far away.”

Senior Sister Jiang explained the taboos to Li Si in great detail, which he found very useful, as these were valuable experiences.

Then, Senior Sister Jiang took out two dark black pills. “Junior Brother, these are called Three Poison Treasure Pills. They were refined by our Master decades ago using different Evil Entities. After taking this, it will increase the pollution toxicity in your body, but at the same time, it will continuously provide Magic Power for two hours.”

“You and I are going to fetch water, and the chances of danger are high. It’s better to take one, just in case.”

After saying this, Senior Sister Jiang took one herself first.

Seeing this, Li Si took the other one and swallowed it in one gulp. At this point, there was no room for hesitation. They had to choose the lesser of two evils.

The next second, a line of information appeared before his eyes.

“Alienation Contamination Degree +1%.”

“Magic Power increased, +5 points per minute, lasting for two hours.”

Wow!

Li Si was shocked inwardly. It was indeed potent poison, directly increasing the Alienation Contamination Degree by 1%. However, within two hours, it could continuously restore 600 points of Magic Power. In a critical moment, this could be a lifesaver.

“Junior Brother, are you ready?”

“Senior Sister, please!”

With things as they were, there was nothing more to say. Li Si carried the frail Senior Sister Jiang on his back. Following her directions, he spent a long time following specific steps to navigate around the only entrance of the deserted village before finally walking out.

“This is our Floating Cloud Sect’s Minor Cyclic Heaven Reversed Seven Stars Formation Array, as well as a Demon Sealing Formation Array. The former prevents Fallen Demons from accidentally breaking in, while the latter can block the Dark Mist.”

Senior Sister Jiang patiently explained while on Li Si’s back.

Li Si tried his best to keep his mind free of distracting thoughts, simply circulating the Heaven-Turning Scripture. Strangely enough, even though he had traveled through time and taken over Sigouzi’s body, he had not received any of Sigouzi’s memories.

However, ever since his Magic Power was restored, it flowed like water, automatically coursing along the dried-up channels. Thus, it happened naturally, and he mastered the method of circulating the Heaven-Turning Scripture. At the same time, he also incidentally mastered the methods to cast the Dao Techniques Demon Slaying Thorn and Evil-Warding Curse.

Especially now, after taking that Three Poison Treasure Pill, with his Magic Power constantly recovering, even though Li Si’s body became weaker due to the higher Alienation Contamination Degree, he distinctly felt as if a high-power engine had been installed.

The Heaven-Turning Scripture rapidly circulated with the surging Magic Power. Even carrying someone, with just a casual leap, he could cover over ten meters. If he ran at full speed, he could easily cover a hundred meters in five seconds.

A ridge over three meters high, he could jump up it in one leap. His entire body was filled with strength, and his five senses and six perceptions were incredibly sharp.

Was this the feeling of being a cultivator?

It felt amazing!

Of course, doing this wasn’t without cost. On average, it consumed about one point of Magic Power per minute.

Coupled with that one percent increase in Alienation Contamination Degree, it was like drinking poison to quench thirst.

No wonder the Old Madam, Ji Chang, and Xu Shen, who clearly possessed powerful strength, still let the members of the Floating Cloud Sect go hungry sometimes. For them, it was truly better to stay still than move unnecessarily.

“Stop! Thirty zhang ahead, there is an Evil Entity. Detour.”

Senior Sister Jiang suddenly called out in a low voice. Li Si was startled and quickly stopped, while inwardly feeling surprised; he hadn’t noticed anything yet.

“Senior Sister, is this Evil Entity powerful?”

“Not very powerful, but there’s no need to waste Magic Power here.”

“But I want to kill it.” Li Si said very seriously. The reason he agreed to come out was precisely for this. And he had paid a one percent Alienation Contamination Degree; he couldn’t just fetch water and go back.

Senior Sister Jiang was a bit surprised.

“Killing it won’t be difficult for you, but the Evil Entity’s counterattack before death will increase the pollution toxicity in your body. Little things add up, and you won’t live past twenty.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister, I know. But I still want to kill it.”

As he spoke, Li Si, still carrying Senior Sister Jiang on his back, rushed forward. Why let such a good opportunity slip away, especially with a Foundation Building True Cultivator backing him up.

Senior Sister Jiang did not speak again.

And Li Si soon saw the Evil Entity. It was a withered old tree, not very tall, covered in gray dust. Its trunk was twisted bizarrely, as if bound tightly by an unknown force.

As soon as they got within fifty meters, the old tree quickly awoke. The earth cracked, and the old tree climbed out of the ground like a person. At the same time, a mass of dark mist was actually condensed at the roots of the old tree.

“This Evil Entity is not easy to deal with.”

Senior Sister Jiang spoke quickly and cast an Evil-Warding Curse. Instantly, Li Si felt a warmth around him, forming an Evil-Warding Aura. But this Evil-Warding Aura was at least five times stronger than the one from yesterday.

“Thank you, Senior Sister. Please watch my back.”

Li Si shouted and began to gather the Dao Technique Demon Slaying Thorn. Senior Sister Jiang’s Evil-Warding Aura was a great help. The evil old tree waved its branches, but the dark mist it whipped over couldn’t break through at all.

In the blink of an eye, the old tree’s main body charged within ten steps. A faint light seemed to flicker in Li Si’s hand, and a vague rune formed in mid-air, shooting like a bullet onto the old tree’s body. With a sizzle, it actually blasted a hole the size of a bowl in the old tree’s trunk, which burst into raging flames.

The power surprised Li Si. No wonder Senior Sister Jiang wasn’t too worried.

If it weren’t for the drawback of accumulating Alienation Contamination Degree, this kind of Evil Entity simply couldn’t compare.

At that moment, the old tree, wounded, let out a strange, piercing screech. This sound was even more ear-piercing than the scream of the Anomalous Weed he killed yesterday.

Information continuously floated before Li Si’s eyes.

In an instant, the Alienation Contamination Degree increased by 0.005%. Until he launched another Demon Slaying Thorn, the old tree’s trunk was completely enveloped in flames. It struggled for a moment before finally dying.

But in the instant before its death, Li Si felt a cold, sinister energy wrap around his neck. Then immediately—

“You were cursed by the Alien Tree. Alienation Contamination Degree +0.005%.”

“Slayed the Alien Tree. Obtained 50 portions of Gray Firewood!”