Chapter 5: Wealth at Last, Time to Buy Weapons!
Chapter 5
This place was rather remote, and the scent of the honeysuckle was overwhelmingly strong. Only by sheer luck had they arrived just as the flowers began to bloom. Even if the fragrance drifted afar, it would still take time to pinpoint the exact location. This fortunate timing benefited Li Feng.
“Father!” The group stood at attention upon seeing Li Feng.
Big Dog said, “Father, I just made a wicker basket. It can be used to collect the honeysuckle.”
Er Niu added, “Father, I went to gather some dry firewood. I can report back to Grandmother.”
San Niu said, “Father, I dug up some wild vegetables. Grandmother definitely won’t suspect anything.”
Si Wu Niu chimed in, “Father, is there any meat to eat?”
Big Ya and Er Ya stood obediently by, their faces bright with smiles.
Looking at his family, young and old, Li Feng let out a sigh of relief. He slung the wicker basket over his back and said, “I’ve hidden the wild boar. You all head home first; I’m going to the town.”
Without hesitation, they trekked down the mountain.
Watching their backs, Li Feng murmured, “Just a few more days of patience, better days are ahead!”
[Wild honeysuckle discovered, two jins of fresh flowers. Sell?]
[Yes!]
Li Feng gained an additional 140 copper coins.
With what he had earlier, his total now exceeded eight taels of silver.
But it still wasn’t enough!
[Ding! Handmade craft discovered, priced at 30 wen. Sell?]
[Yes!]
Li Feng emptied his belongings, selling the basket and honeysuckle for a total of 170 wen.
With money in hand, Li Feng did not immediately descend the mountain.
Instead, he entered the marketplace and browsed the weapon section.
There were many varieties of swords, spears, and halberds.
After some thought, he focused on large swords, which ranged in price from hundreds of wen to hundreds of taels of silver.
Among them was even the legendary Green Dragon Crescent Blade, priced at a thousand taels.
Finally, amid the dazzling array of blades, Li Feng purchased a Tang sword for 2.14 taels.
Spending 2,140 wen, he now possessed a Tang sword.
Forged from refined steel, its entire body gleamed silver-white, sharp and imposing.
Holding the long sword, Li Feng felt his courage surge by a hundred points.
…
Li Family Village nestled against the mountains.
Ahead flowed a river, surrounded by verdant hills and clear waters—a truly fine place to live.
The mountains were rich with rare treasures, and large black bears and leopards were frequently sighted.
Of course, Li Feng never dared to entertain thoughts of confronting such beasts.
Without a firearm, who would dare face them head-on? He did not consider himself a strongman; his hunting skills were honed over years of toil, but he was no match for a true savage beast in single combat.
“Ding!”
Li Feng swiftly nailed a venomous snake to a tree trunk.
No wonder most people avoided the mountains; it was genuinely perilous.
In truth, hunters were not wealthy. Those living deep in the mountains and relying on hunting for a livelihood had to pay hefty taxes on every item sold.
If a wild boar fetched two taels of silver, the ivory merchants would likely demand half as tax.
This explained why hunters preferred selling whole pelts—they commanded higher prices and could recover costs.
[Ding! Wild venomous snake discovered, worth three taels of silver. Sell?]
[Yes!]
[Ding! Wild Ganoderma found, worth eight taels of silver. Sell?]
[Yes!]
…
[Ding! Thirty-year-old wild codonopsis discovered, pollution level zero, medicinal value 100%, weight 108 grams, priced at 150 taels. Sell?]
[Yes!]
After selling the wild codonopsis, Li Feng halted his mountain excursion.
What a bountiful harvest!
Along the way, he had killed ten venomous snakes, selling them for 42 taels of silver.
Wild Ganoderma of varying ages sold for a total of 98 taels.
Bamboo shoots, wild rabbits, and pheasants fetched another 5 taels.
The thirty-year-old wild codonopsis brought in 150 taels.
Altogether, he now held 295 taels of silver.
Adding the four taels remaining from before, the total reached a staggering 299 taels!
Truly a fortune made in a single day.
A county magistrate’s annual salary was at most thirty or forty taels, depending on the region.
At this moment, Li Feng carried the equivalent of a decade’s salary for a county official.
Having spent the afternoon, Li Feng glanced at the sky and slowly made his way down the mountain.
To keep his earlier promise intact, he took a detour, returning via the town’s route.
Along the way, he pondered the matter of dividing the family estate.
This was something the elders had to initiate. Knowing their character, Li Feng’s lips curled slightly; now it was a matter of whether they could hold out.
Near his doorstep, Li Feng stopped by the market to buy a jin of pork, forty meat buns, and seven bottles of milk.
He opened the milk bottles, placed them in the drinking vessels of this era, then stored them in his system space.
He was just about to push the door open when voices rang out.
“A pack of lazy good-for-nothings. When the head’s crooked, the rest follow. Your father lies at home idle, and you’re all just a bunch of slugs.”
“I’m still alive, and you already want to take charge?”
“I give you chores, and you go around speaking ill of me. I think you just like to stir trouble.”
“Grandmother, we’ve done all the fieldwork!” Big Dog’s voice rose.
“How dare you talk back!”
Li Wangshi’s irritable voice boomed as she waved a broom at the group of grandchildren kneeling before her.
“Stop!”
Li Feng pushed the door open. Before him was the scene of Big Dog pinned beneath Big Ya, enduring Li Wangshi’s merciless strikes.
Hearing Li Feng’s voice, Li Wangshi only hit harder.
Seeing this, Li Feng swiftly approached, grabbing a wooden stick from a corner and striking toward Big Dog.
Big Ya shielded Big Dog beneath her. Watching the stick flying straight at them, her eyes flickered with despair.
Just as she braced herself to endure the beating alongside her brother, a sudden voice interrupted—the grandmother’s cry, followed by the father’s confession.
“Mother, are you alright?”
“Oh, look at me now—I don’t even have the strength to hold a stick.”
“I was just teaching those little rascals a lesson and accidentally hurt you. Are you hurt anywhere?”
As he spoke, Li Feng stumbled forward, suddenly falling like a heap toward Li Wangshi.
Wide-eyed and terrified, she thought, Don’t come near me!
But heaven did not heed her plea. Li Feng’s elbow struck her ribs with force.
Instantly, the courtyard filled with Li Wangshi’s screams.
Following this were Li Feng’s urgent commands.
“Big Dog, why are you still kneeling? Go find your grandfather and tell him Grandmother has fallen and needs a doctor!”
“Er Niu, your father’s back isn’t healed yet. Come help Grandmother.”
“Si Wu Niu, you lot, why are you still standing here? Do you want to drive your parents mad? Get inside!”
“San Niu, Big Ya, hurry to boil some water. Didn’t you see Grandmother’s face turn pale?”
Li Wangshi collapsed weakly on the ground, her voice drowned out by Li Feng’s shouting.
She had no words to express her bitterness.
The pain coursing through her made sweat pour down her body.
She thought to herself: Since marrying into the Li family and raising three sons, she had become the matriarch of Li Family Village. Within the entire Li clan, she held her head high.
Not to mention, she had two sons who brought honor to the family.
But now, looking at her second son—the black sheep—and that unruly bunch, Li Wangshi could no longer bear it.
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted outright.
…