« Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter » Chapter 44: White Ant Queen Half a month later. Outside the mountain, the summer heat was sweltering, but inside the mountain, it remained cool. Accompanied by Bai Jing, Fu Shaoguang left the Demon Market . Soon, a gigantic earthen fortress came into view. It was the Ant Nest . Fu Shaoguang entered it, marveling at the sight. The Termite Demons truly deserved their reputation in the Demon Market for their construction skills. The Ant Nest stood tall like an earthen mound, magnificent on the outside, and even more intricate on the inside, with roads extending in all directions. Crisscrossing and dense with tunnels. Like a dense, sprawling network. Fu Shaoguang believed his memory was good and his sense of direction accurate; he could remember the path at first, but he quickly became disoriented. His head was spinning. He stuck closely behind Bai Jing. Perhaps only Termite Dem...
Achieving Immortality in a Cultivation World by Extraordinary Means: Chapter 9: Making a Living
Chapter 9: Making a Living
The morning glow dyed the distant clouds in shades of brilliant crimson, while the rising sun remained partially hidden behind the jagged, emerald mountain peaks. It was the start of a new day in the Yu Mountain Demon Market. Early that morning, Fu Shaoguang awoke within the tranquility of his bamboo house. He spread his six legs across the smooth floor and stretched his four wings to their fullest extent, feeling an overwhelming sense of profound contentment radiating from deep within his soul.
This was, without a doubt, the most relaxed and comfortable sleep he had enjoyed since his rebirth into this world. For the first time, he was entirely free from the constant, soul-crushing vigilance and the primal fear of predators that had defined his existence in the mountain stream. In this moment, he felt light, free, and utterly refreshed. However, the mundane realities of life soon beckoned. Rubbing his rumbling stomach, Fu Shaoguang walked out of his elegant small courtyard and began to drink the fresh morning dew clinging to the needles of the old pine tree. He did not stop until a pleasant, grounding feeling of fullness arrived in his tiny belly.
Following his meal, he drew in the purple Qi of the morning sun and the surrounding Spiritual Qi to complete his daily regimen of cultivation. Even after finishing, Fu Shaoguang was in no particular hurry to head out into the marketplace. He understood that the Demon race are naturally creatures of Yin and overwhelmingly prefer to be active under the silver cover of night. The Demon Market would only truly surge with vitality after the sun had set; if he wanted to find suitable, long-term work, he would have to wait until at least dusk. During the daylight hours, most demons were either buried in deep sleep or busy with the quiet, solitary toil of farming and harvesting in the outskirts.
The sun climbed higher, shining brightly over the settlement. Fu Shaoguang took another long, careful look around his miniature courtyard, appreciating the peaceful layout of his new home, before flying out to explore. The Yu Mountain Demon Market was vast, encompassing both orderly cultivated fields and wild, rugged mountains. Being currently penniless, he decided to try his luck in the wild hills. His best-case scenario would be gathering rare medicinal herbs to sell, though even wild fruits and vegetables would be a welcome find for his currently empty larder.
Under the brilliant, clear daylight, the scenery of the Demon Market was far more vivid than it had been the night before. He observed that many of the large houses in Anping Alley were simple structures constructed from mud walls and thatched roofs, while houses built with sturdy blue bricks and black tiles were few and far between. Some buildings possessed striking racial characteristics: the Marmot family's home was a large, meticulously maintained cave, while the Magpie family's residence resembled a massive, reinforced bird's nest. These were the demons who owned land deeds and possessed the wealth to build as they pleased. Even in these early hours, many demons were already out making a living. No matter the world or the race, it seemed the poor and struggling creatures were always the first to toil.
To Fu Shaoguang, their new neighbor, some demons offered a friendly smile or a polite nod of acknowledgement, while others ignored the small insect entirely. Fu Shaoguang reciprocated in kind, smiling back at the friendly faces and keeping a respectful, cautious distance from the indifferent ones. Leaving the east side of Anping Alley, he looked out over a vast stretch of fertile fields. Golden waves of wheat and rice surged in the autumn breeze, carrying the fragrant, earthy scent of a coming harvest, which naturally lifted his spirits. In the fields, he saw the Yao race hard at work: Mantis Demons wielded their natural, razor-sharp sickles to earn commissions; Earthworm Demons were responsible for re-cultivating the harvested farmland and adding fertility to the soil; and Horse Demons helped transport heavy, overflowing loads of grain and fruits.
Behind these fertile fields sat a small mountain, roughly a hundred zhang tall, covered in dense, ancient vegetation. It was autumn, and the layered forests were dyed in vibrant, brilliant colors of orange, gold, and deep purple. Some demons were already there with heavy baskets, gathering wild fruits like hazelnuts, persimmons, and various mushrooms. Others were busy chopping wood, preparing to carry heavy bundles of firewood back to the Market to sell for a few copper coins. Fu Shaoguang, being small and physically limited, wanted to find something valuable yet easy to carry. He searched carefully through the underbrush, but found nothing of note at first.
The local demons were far from foolish; they knew how to identify and hoard the best things. Common, valuable medicinal herbs like ginseng, ganoderma, and fleeceflower root—which are easy to recognize—were highly sought after, especially by vegetarian demons who had a deep, ancestral understanding of botany. If there were any such treasures on this particular mountain, they had long since been scavenged clean. Fu Shaoguang wasn't too disappointed by this realization, but he wasn't giving up either; he continued to search deeper into the darker, shaded crevices of the mountain.
On his way down the mountain, his peripheral vision caught sight of a specific plant, and he paused in mid-air. He leaned in to examine it closely: small reddish-brown branches, oval leaves with pointed tips, and finely serrated edges. It was Thunder God Vine! After careful observation, Fu Shaoguang was pleasantly surprised. In his previous life, he had contracted a terminal illness that Western medicine couldn't cure. Placing his hopes on Traditional Chinese Medicine, he had self-studied herbs, and Thunder God Vine was one he recognized instantly. This herb, also known as Heartbreak Grass or Mountain Arsenic, is notoriously bitter and highly toxic. While a tiny amount can benefit certain animals, it is lethal to cattle, rabbits, and most insects. Most demons steered clear of it out of an ingrained, blood-deep fear. But for Fu Shaoguang, poison was medicine! Overcoming his mental barrier, he flew to the ground and began to dig with all six legs. He was an expert at this from his long months in the river mud. He used his kitchen knife to carefully cut sections of the root, making sure not to let the toxic sap splash him. After filling his storage token, he washed himself thoroughly in a stream and returned home.
Returning to his small courtyard, he drank a few sips of dew and collapsed onto the bed to rest his weary wings. The way of preserving health, he reminded himself, is to always be slightly active, but never to the point of exhaustion. He knew that if he wanted to live a long life, he had to avoid overworking his small body. However, being impoverished, he had to labor for now. He vowed to properly nourish his body and mind once his situation finally improved.
As the sun eventually set in the west, Anping Alley became noisy and full of life once more. After sleeping for half a day, Fu Shaoguang got up, basked in the early moonlight, and flew out toward Jinyu Street. The street was now packed shoulder-to-shoulder with demons. He saw a Cow Demon selling vegetables, a Donkey Demon selling tofu, and a Carp Demon selling aquatic products. He saw the Spider family’s cloth shop and the Bee Demon’s sweet soup stall, which was doing a booming business. He even passed a pleasure house where the females were carefully selected from various beast, avian, and insect kins. The air there was thick with alluring scents, but Fu Shaoguang sped up. He remembered the tragic instinct of Mayflies to reproduce and die; he would not make that mistake. Female demons would only hinder his path to longevity.
Finally, he headed to the pharmacy district. There were two distinct shops: one for medicine (marked by a ginseng) and one for poison (marked by a scorpion). Having faced many natural enemies in his life, his fear of scorpions was non-existent. He boldly flew into the Scorpion Poison Shop. The proprietor was astonished to see a Mayfly offering Thunder God Vine, but a guest was a guest. Half a cup of tea later, Fu Shaoguang emerged excitedly from the shop, clutching twenty copper coins. He hadn't found a permanent job yet, but this Lord Bug finally had money in his pocket, and his heart was full of joy.
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