Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 31 A Frenzied Assault
Unfortunately, the shops here don't sell spirit rice or monster meat.

Spirit rice is generally controlled by large sects. Even powerful merchants rarely occupy large areas of spiritual energy to produce spirit rice on a large scale, while monster meat is mostly obtained by rogue cultivators through adventures in the wild.

Given the current situation, there aren't even any vendors setting up stalls, so how can anyone buy anything?

Chen Li could only return helplessly.

The food supplies at home can last for seven or eight days, but it won't last much longer.

After thinking it over for a long time, Chen Li could only take it one step at a time. He couldn't very well go hunting himself, could he?
Perhaps after a while, the situation in the market will improve significantly.

However, no matter how bad the situation gets, with their own abilities and the spirit stones they have, they will at least not starve to death.

Chen Li walked out of the market and looked up to find that the sun was already high in the sky. Thinking that if he hurried, he could draw a "talisman to ward off evil spirits", he quickened his pace and carefully made his way home. In the end, he returned home safely without any major incidents.

Close the door and put the purchased Qi-boosting pills and talismans in the bedroom cabinet.

I haven't even had a chance to drink some water yet.

He rushed into the talisman-making room.

Ten minutes later.

The talisman is complete with the stroke of the brush!

"A low-grade spirit stone is in hand."

He placed this 'exorcising talisman' on top of a stack of 'exorcising talismans'.

Although he doesn't lack a low-grade spirit stone now.

But he can distinguish between a steady stream of income and a windfall. If he treats windfall as regular income and gets into the habit of pursuing it, he will run into trouble sooner or later.

Moreover, the income from making talismans, which amounts to more than ten low-grade spirit stones a month, is not a small amount.

"Every little bit helps, the monthly expenses are just getting bigger and bigger!"

Chen Li shook his head, quickly walked back to the bedroom, took out a bottle of Qi-replenishing pills, removed the wax, uncorked the bottle, and poured out one pill.

The elixir was crimson in color and emitted a rich, sweet fragrance.

"At such a high price, I hope it'll be of some use!"

He glanced at it, then tilted his head back and swallowed it. He then sat cross-legged on the bed and entered a meditative state, quickly putting his worries behind him.

As soon as he entered meditation, Chen Li felt something different from before. It was as if a warm current was constantly surging from his abdomen, which then turned into wisps of spiritual energy that flowed endlessly... He didn't wake up from meditation until it was almost evening.

He opened his eyes and quickly opened the game panel.

To his surprise, his cultivation level had changed from 'Qi Refining Level 3: 46/100' to 'Qi Refining Level 3: 48/100'.

It jumped to two o'clock in an instant.

"This Qi-replenishing pill is so effective?"

Chen Li thought back for a moment:
"The last jump point was three days ago at noon. At the current frequency of about one jump every three days, today is exactly three days later. So, one Qi-replenishing pill can increase it by one point?"

He seemed to be deep in thought:
"Perhaps it's because it's the first time taking it, so the effect is better. Let's test it again tonight."

He turned off the game panel, got out of bed, and opened the door.

The sun outside was gradually setting in the west, and dusk was approaching. Chen Li turned around to prepare dinner. Apart from eating a large bowl of monster meat close to midnight, he hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day and was starving.

……

Chen Li stood at the doorway, holding a large bowl.

Immediately, they were greeted warmly by passing neighbors.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you eating?"

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you have quite an appetite! You must have made great progress in body refinement." "Fellow Daoist Chen, were you injured last night? I heard about that battle..."

"Fellow Daoist Chen,..."

……

While eating, Chen Li responded with nods, humility, hypocrisy, or understatement, keeping himself very busy.

Just then, the door next door opened, and Zhou Hong came out.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, we're eating! You've really kept that a secret!"

"Not at all," Chen Li said modestly. "I just don't like fighting by nature. I only took action last night because I had no other choice. I couldn't just stand by and watch my fellow Daoists risk their lives for the neighborhood. It's just a pity that I was a step too late."

Zhou Hong felt a sense of unreality.

In her memory, the other party had always been an old woman who made a living by drawing talismans and would send money to brothels whenever she had spare money. If it weren't for her good temper and kind nature, she would not have bothered to even mock her.

I only discovered this other side of him today.

She instinctively wanted to say something sarcastic, but the images of corpses hanging from trees with their heads blown off involuntarily surfaced in her mind. The words that came out were: "Well... that's true. I've noticed that you don't like going out."

Zhou Hong was completely out of sorts today.

After chatting for a few minutes, they soon went their separate ways.

This time, Chen Li didn't feel quite right because she wasn't being mocked; she felt that the fiery and outspoken personality she used to have was gone.

……

The patrol team rotated shifts every night.

Perhaps it was the shock of the several corpses hanging in the trees at the street corner that made the night seem particularly calm. Chen Li stayed up until the early hours of the morning before he could finally relax.

After taking a Qi-boosting pill, he began meditating and practicing Qi cultivation again.

When he woke up from his meditation in the early morning, he checked the game panel and found that his cultivation level had indeed improved a little again.

"At this rate of improvement, could I advance to the fourth level of Qi Refining this month?!" he thought excitedly.

Chen Li's cultivation level was low, and he was far from being able to replace sleep with meditation. However, his increasingly strong physical condition allowed him to go two days and two nights without sleep and he still did not look very tired. However, he still decided to get a good night's sleep first.

After all, I probably still won't be able to sleep tonight!
……

With the aid of the Qi-replenishing pills, Chen Li's cultivation level increased by a little or two points every day for the next week, making rapid progress.

During this time, three more small-scale battles broke out on the street. Four of his own men died while seven of the enemy were killed, but Chen Li did not participate in any of them. Either he was too far away to notice, or by the time he rushed over, the battle was already over.

It is worth mentioning that the night patrol group organized by Qiao Guanyuan began to develop into a gang, charging each household a protection fee of one low-grade spirit stone under the guise of subsidies and compensation.

Because the price is the same as the previous rent, no one objected. On the contrary, they welcomed the establishment of regular night patrols rather than temporary ones. The idea that it was a charitable act made many people uneasy.

During this period, Qiao Guanyuan tried to win over Chen Li several times, but Chen Li politely declined each time.

In fact, not only in this neighborhood, but throughout the entire shantytown, various organizations, large and small, have begun to emerge during this period.

The chaos provided fertile ground for gangs to thrive and made the situation in the shantytowns even more complicated.

Just as Chen Li had predicted, the price of lightness amulets and protective charms skyrocketed during this period, with prices rising day by day.

Amulets that were previously worth four low-grade spirit stones are now worth as much as ten low-grade spirit stones, more than doubling in value.

Even so, the supply still falls short of demand, with prices available but no market.

The reason for this is that the demand for amulets and talismans has been so high during this period that all the shops have sold out, and it takes time to restock.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Chen Li did not hesitate and decisively began shipping the goods.

(End of this chapter)