Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points

Chapter 251: Chapter 244 Nine out of Ten Houses are Emptyi

“She aspires to a step-by-step life, while what I yearn for is… to hold sway over a place, where civil and military affairs are well handled, and thousands admire.”

Lu Zhong hesitated slightly when he said this.

In the end, he still spoke his true thoughts.

Who would have thought that a second-rate scoundrel who mingles in society would aspire to become a king who reigns over a territory?

Qin Niu was stunned for a moment, then seriously said, “Brother Lu has the ambition of a great roc soaring to the ninth heaven, which is truly admirable. I believe that as long as one is willing to make the effort, there will come a day when one realizes his ambitions.”

Lu Zhong did not expect Qin Niu to actually agree with him. He was immediately as excited as if he had found a kindred spirit. “Thank you, Brother Qin Niu for your encouragement. When I talk about this with my wife, she says I’m daydreaming. When my father was alive, I told him I wanted to hold sway over a place, and he told me to pole a bamboo raft, to sit in the center of the river and own a corner for fishing!”

Being repeatedly discouraged by his family members, Lu Zhong was certainly extremely frustrated.

“When you make some achievements, they will believe you’re not just talking in your sleep. I see that your wife is a rather insightful person; as long as you truly make the effort, she will definitely support you.”

“What Brother Qin says makes sense. It’s a pity there’s no wine on this boat, otherwise, I would definitely drink three cups with you.”

As the two talked, the boat had already reached the heart of the river.

The river waves were surging fiercely, several times nearly flipping the boat. However, Lu Zhong skillfully used the momentum to paddle the boat, passing through the center of the river, where the waves were roughest, without danger.

Compared to that innkeeper, Lu Zhong’s boating skill was about clever strength.

Different people have different ways of overcoming difficulties.

A mouse has its own path; a snake has its own route.

He quickly and safely delivered Qin Niu to the opposite shore of the Tianshui River.

“Brother Qin Niu, there is a small path up here that leads straight to the Black Tiger Gang’s Luoshui Town. I can only escort you this far; I wish you a smooth journey.”

Lu Zhong, perhaps feeling that Qin Niu was a kindred spirit, was especially concerned about him.

“Thank you, Brother Lu, for your righteous company. If you truly want to achieve great things, it is also very important to improve your cultivation. Only when you are strong can you realize those dreams. The iron needs to be hard on its own when forging.”

Before parting, Qin Niu gave Lu Zhong a piece of sincere advice.

“I also want to practice cultivation, but I have read little and have no money to buy cultivation techniques. Alas, I wasted so much time in my youth.” “These Two Silver Money are enough to buy a common cultivation technique, consider it my support for Brother Lu.”

Qin Niu threw out the Two Silver Money, as payment for Lu Zhong’s boat fare.

This, this… Thank you, Brother Qin Niu, for your generous gift; if there comes a day when Lu Zhong achieves something, I will never forget it.”

Lu Zhong caught the silver money, visibly thrilled.

“Hurry back! Your wife and brother-in-law are probably anxiously waiting.”

Qin Niu leaped onto the shore and waved towards Lu Zhong.

Lu Zhong, watching him leap ashore so easily, knew that he had met a master today. He bowed to Qin Niu again before setting out on the return journey in his boat.

What he did with the Two Silver Money, whether to buy cultivation techniques or to squander it on eating, drinking, and gambling, that was his own affair now.

If one does not want to rise up, no amount of help from others is of use.

After reaching the shore, Qin Niu felt much more settled being on his own territory.

This was also the first time he truly felt a sense of belonging to the Black Tiger Gang.

Only by venturing out and experiencing could one understand the importance of a ‘nation’.

Even within the territory of the Shennong Sect, without a base, he still felt a strong sense of insecurity.

Perhaps everyone has a home in their heart, which is the safest haven.

After Qin Niu left, Lu Zhong’s wife went back to the room to open the small paper package, curious to see what gift he had brought for the child.

Upon opening it, she almost screamed.

It was a ten-tael silver note.

Though it was the smallest denomination silver note, in her eyes, it was a huge sum of money.

With such a large sum, they could relieve the family’s financial straits.

She looked out the window with tears in her eyes, towards the direction Qin Niu had left.

Benefactor! Young Master Qin is our family’s great benefactor!”

For a poor family like hers, saving up ten taels of silver might take ten years, or even longer.

Lu Zhong had no stable job, and he hung out with a crowd of questionable friends, barely earning much over the course of a year. What he left for household expenses was even less.

As for saving up silver, that was essentially a pipe dream.

“We must make good use of this money, not to let down the benefactor’s kindness.”

She decided not to tell her husband about the money.

At least not now, otherwise, there was a chance he would squander it all away. Given the ease with which he had given away ten taels of silver, she was certain Qin Niu was no ordinary person. Remembering Qin Niu’s repeated reminders about tasting the jujube fruit before selling them, and his purposeful mention of her knowledge in identifying medicinal herbs,

Even if she were foolish, she realized that the benefactor was hinting at the extraordinary nature of that jujube tree.

Carrying a lamp, she quickly went to the front yard to inspect the jujube tree.

But she found nothing unusual.

She could see the jujube tree almost every day; if there had been anything unusual, she would have noticed long ago.

But why else would the benefactor keep reminding her?

She planned to take another look when the jujubes ripened.

“Wife, what are you looking at?”

At that moment, Lu Zhong returned, drenched.

Seeing his wife examining the date tree with an oil lamp in the courtyard, he was extremely curious.

“Just taking a casual look. Have you ferried Young Master Qin across the river?” “Of course, rowing boats is my forte. I watched him safely reach the shore and leave,”

Lu Zhong answered with a smile.

With the Two Silver Money given by Qin Niu, Lu Zhong felt like there was a sun shining in his heart, giving him boundless confidence.

He also had a direction for his efforts.

“He is our family’s benefactor; it’s good that you got him safely across the river. Your clothes are wet, hurry inside and change!”

“Wife, are you predicting the future? When Brother Qin Niu left, he gave me Two Silver Money, telling me to buy a set of ordinary cultivation techniques to practice. He’s right, ‘to forge iron, one must be strong oneself,’ I need to strive to be stronger, only by doing so can I protect you and our child. I’m going to Mai City tomorrow; I can ride in big brother’s horse carriage.”

“He, he gave you Two Silver Money! Young Master Qin is really too kind to our family. When you become successful, you must not forget his kindness.”

She had not anticipated Qin Niu’s generosity.

“I definitely won’t forget! Just wait, when I become strong one day, I’ll be able to repay him.”

Lu Zhong always harbored the idea of owning his own territory.

Two Silver Money was not much, but it was a great encouragement to him.

After having a goal to strive for, his entire demeanor changed. He became full of the vitality and energy of youth, no longer the same as before, spending his days only in idleness and frivolity with friends.

The Black Tiger Gang’s Luoshui Town was just approached by Qin Niu when several soldiers with torches surrounded him.

“Who goes there?”

“Insect Master Qin Niu from Shuangfeng Village, Jade Stream Town, of the

Black Tiger Gang!”

Qin Niu directly presented his Fish Talisman badge and stated his identity.

The leading captain took the Fish Talisman and carefully examined it, then shone the torch on Qin Niu’s face.

“Turns out it’s our own man. Brothers, all’s well,”

He said with obvious relief once he confirmed Qin Niu’s identity.

The other soldiers also lowered their guard.

“Did Master Qin just come over from the other side of Tian Shui?”

“That’s right. The Shennong Sect had the area heavily locked down, and I found someone to secretly get me back by smuggling.”

“Is Tianshui Town assembling a large army?”

Upon hearing this, the captain of the soldiers became tense once more.

“There was no sign of a large army gathering, but when I hired a boat to cross the river, the boatman secretly informed the officials. A large number of soldiers tried to capture me.”

It s quite good that you managed to escape safely. According to reliable information, any Black Tiger Gang member captured in Nine Insect Gang territory ends up in a sorry state. The men are used to raise insects, and the women are taken as playthings. With war upon us, it’s better for Master Qin to avoid wandering around, especially staying away from the Nine Insect Gang area.”

After giving Qin Niu a few words of advice, they let him pass.

Knowing that there was no large army assembled on the other side of the river, the soldiers on guard relaxed their expressions, looking forward to a good night’s sleep tonight.

Qin Niu entered Luoshui Town and found that aside from locusts crazily gnawing on plants everywhere, the local residents were shrouded in the shadow of war.

Many households had their doors locked tight, the inhabitants having already fled elsewhere for refuge.

In contrast, Shennong Sect’s Tianshui Town was peaceful, with people eating and drinking as usual, very optimistic about the outcome of the war.

The locust plague had already spread to Luoshui Town, indicating that the entire territory of the Black Tiger Gang might be at risk of a locust disaster. Weary from traveling for consecutive days, although he wished to return to Shuangfeng Village as soon as possible, he still decided to find an inn in Luoshui Town and rest well for a night.

In the town, several inns had closed doors.

It was with difficulty that he found an inn with lanterns lighted. Despite its old appearance, he went up and knocked.

Bang bang bang!

“Who is it?”

A voice of an old woman asked.

“I’d like to stay for the night,”

Qin Niu replied.

The door opened from the inside, and a gray-haired woman in her fifties holding a lamp evaluated him.

“Are you from the Shennong Sect?”

“I came from there; I’m from Jade Stream Town of the Black Tiger Gang.”

“Oh! I see, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ so that explains your attire. All the rooms upstairs are empty, feel free to take your pick,”

The old woman, experienced in receiving guests, quickly understood what Qin Niu’s Shennong Sect attire implied.

“How much for one night?”

“Just give ten Wen Money! Hot water is at the back of the kitchen; you’ll need to fetch it yourself. I’m old and don’t move easily, and I can no longer carry heavy things upstairs.”

“Here! I’ll stay for one night and leave tomorrow.”

Qin Niu gave the old woman ten Wen Money; the price was indeed reasonable.

“Greedy for money!”

The old woman received the copper coins, her face breaking into a smile.

“I see that the other inns seem to have closed down, are they afraid of the war?”

“Of course they are scared. If I wasn’t so old and could move better, I would have run away with them. Since the trade operations between both sides have been halted, I haven’t had much patronage. If it were like past years during the peak trade season, with ships bustling on the river, my inn would have been full long ago.”

The old woman shook her head repeatedly, sighing.

A perfectly good business had been forcibly halted because of the war.