The next day finally, the weather cleared, and the temperature got relatively warm, but since Yang used quite a lot of his wood, he decided to cut down a tree despite the fact that he had never tried doing so before. On the other hand, Mig collected and transported the dry grass from the old battered house to the smaller one.
Yang: Alright, let’s give it a try…
Yang decided to start with a smaller tree; thus moved his axe to his side and hit the tree with great strength. The axe cut deep into the tree but got stuck, and he couldn’t pull it out. Yang kicked the tree as a last resort, and the tree cracked and then fell.
Yang: I don’t think this was normal. I was strong thanks to my regular training, but kicking down a tree like this, as well as not hurting my foot, is bizarre!
Yang walked to another similarly thin tree and started warming his hands up.
Yang: Let’s try cutting this one down with a single slash!
Yang unleashed a cleave containing most of his might. The axe went through the log of the tree, much to Yang’s amazement. Yang soon snapped back to reality, and he placed his axe on top of the remaining part of the tree that was not cut down.
Yang grabbed the tree and started pulling it back to his house. The process was prolonged, and he had to stop a few times because of the weight of the tree. Once he delivered the tree, he walked back to get the other one, but that one took a shorter period of time to be taken back to the house. And last but not least, his axe was also taken back.
While Yang was focused on debranching the trees, Mig finished transporting the grass, and then she decided to go and help Yang carry the branches he cut off. She was responsible for keeping the fire alive, so she placed some of the fresh twigs on the fire. And since time flew by relatively quickly, she decided to prepare some food since they didn’t eat yesterday; they only managed to drink water from the ground. Due to the lack of food, she had no other choice but to use the wolves’ meat and cook that.
After Yang finished cutting off the branches of the trees, he took a short break and glanced at the head of the axe, which was still shiny but had a few marks, but it still gave a good reflection of Yang’s face. Yang, just like before, could see his own blue bones, but the text he could read above his head changed: “Uncultured 102”.
Yang: What could that number be? Also, why is my skeleton blue?!
He couldn’t be amazed for too long for he heard footsteps. He dropped his axe and walked to the small trail leading off to somewhere. He could see two men walking on the road. An elderly one with a long white beard tied right below the level of his chin; he also had long white hair that reached his shoulders. And a younger one with short spiky hair and with a short and unattended moustache. The unknown team was wearing the same robes as Yang, but they were cleaned and had livelier colours.
Elder: Good afternoon, Yang! I apologise for the sudden intrusion, but I have just heard the incident that you have survived, and I am thrilled you are well.
The Elderly one seemed happy and delighted, but the younger one seemed uneasy. And once they got close, they stopped, and the elder looked around Yang’s territory.
Elder: I have been told that you were given the wrong level of pill, and you have suffered greatly for the incompetence of that certain person. Don’t worry; I will definitely find the one who made you suffer!
Yang: I am afraid you might have mixed me up with someone; I do not know who you are and what pill you were talking about.
Man: Yang! How dare you talk to master Dong like that?! I think that pill should have just killed you. Crippling your cultivation was too merciful! You are nothing more than trash now!
Yang looked at the two men with slight anger in his eyes, and he could see their bones, just like before. The younger man had three red dots on his skeleton: one at his nose, another at his forehead, and the last on the centre of his chest. The text above his head said: “Suppressed”. As for Dong, he had only one red dot at his throat, and his text said the same: “Suppressed”.
Dong: Xiu, please calm down. After taking the wrong pill, he must have gone through many things; it is totally understandable if he changed.
Xiu: I will teach him a lesson, one that he will not forget, even if he takes dozens of that pill!!
Dong: Xiu! Stop this instant!
Despite being warned, Xiu dashed forward. Yang saw that the moment he moved Xiu’s text changed to “Bloodlust 78”.
Yang: What are these numbers for? What could they represent?
Xiu punched Yang’s chest with all of his might, sending him flying at his small house, breaking through the front wall. Then the roof collapsed with a loud impact.
