Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 1 Dao Fruit: Seventy-Two Transformations

Dayu, Yanqing Prefecture.

At the foot of Black Wind Mountain, in a dilapidated tile-roofed house.

"In Baishui Village, Shanyang County, a man with only one son in three generations lived with his grandmother..."

Liu Sheng huddled on the cold, hard bed, trying to process the large chunk of memories that had suddenly appeared in his head. He felt his mouth was dry and his body felt as if all his energy had been drained.

The sharp pain emanating from his chest, arms, and thighs made him gasp for breath.

He looked down and saw that the wounds were open and torn, with crisscrossing stripes and prominent scars, clearly caused by being whipped with a soft whip.

Although some herbal medicine was applied, some areas had become infected and emitted a foul odor.

"The wound became infected, and he had a high fever for several days. He couldn't hold on and died..."

Liu Sheng struggled to sit up, carefully examined himself, and looked pale.

A few days ago, the newly arrived county magistrate said that the imperial court was going to implement new policies and ordered a land survey of every household in the county. As a result, the bailiffs went out everywhere, causing chaos and complaints throughout Shanyang County.

Although Baishui Village is far from the county seat, it could not escape the consequences.

Originally, the family owned three acres of poor land, but after the clerks measured it, only 60% of the original land remained. The rest was considered "hidden land," and the owner either had to "supplement the deed" and pay taxes or have it confiscated.

The original owner of this body had studied at a private school for several years and argued his case with reason. As a result, he was made an example of by the clerk and was whipped on the spot until his skin was torn and bleeding.

In the end, it was only after the grandmother knelt down and kowtowed that the remaining two acres of poor land were sold at a low price to a wealthy man named Tong in the village that the clerks finally gave up.

Afterwards, the original owner's injuries were too severe, and even though her grandmother spent all the money from selling the land to hire a doctor, she still couldn't survive.

"The land of the wealthy is returned in full, while the land of the common people is split 30/70! They levy exorbitant taxes and treat the people like dirt. This Great Yu Dynasty... is probably doomed."

After Liu Sheng processed the memories in his mind, he felt his wounds becoming increasingly painful.

The thought of those two corrupt officials, dressed in black robes and wielding whips, who acted arrogantly and domineeringly, made him feel even more aggrieved.

Scammers and extortionists, lawless and lawless!
"Cough cough..."

He was filled with resentment and couldn't help but cough a few times, which aggravated his injury, causing him to gasp in pain.

"My dear grandson, you're finally awake..."

The curtain was lifted, and an old woman stumbled in.

His hair was completely white, his teeth were loose, his face was full of wrinkles, and he was so thin that he looked like a gust of wind could blow him away.

Upon seeing Liu Sheng, tears streamed down his face, and he choked up:
"It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake. Don't do anything foolish again. The fields are gone, so be it, as long as you're alive..."

"understood."

After listening to her rambling on, Liu Sheng lowered his head and imitated the original owner's tone, saying:
"Is there anything to eat? I'm so hungry."

"Yes, yes, yes, sit down for a while, I'll make it for you."

Grandma Liu wiped away her tears, turned and went out, murmuring happily to herself:

"As long as I want to eat, I've made it through this hurdle..."

Soon, a bowl of thick porridge was brought over, with a few pieces of meat floating on top, and it smelled delicious.

"Gulu~"

Liu Sheng licked his lips, saliva gushing from his mouth, his stomach rumbling.

"Eat it while it's hot."

"What about you?"

"Grandma has already eaten, you should eat now."

Grandma Liu quietly pressed her stomach and looked at Liu Sheng with a smile.

Liu Sheng paused for a moment, then lowered his head and began to eat heartily.

He suspected that Granny Liu was lying, but what could he do?
The most important thing right now is to get well soon and then work hard to earn money to support my family.

Now that they have lost their land and their source of income has been cut off, even this year's grain tax is in trouble.

If I fall into debt, I might be captured and sent to the border to fight against the northern barbarians.

However, the original owner only knew how to farm, and now that he has lost his land, how will he make money? Should he become a tenant farmer?

The lowest rent in the village is 50%, and the rent for the land owned by Master Tong is as high as 65%!
After deducting rent and paying taxes, the family received less than 10% of their income, leaving them with only porridge to eat.

But what else can we do?
Liu Sheng sighed inwardly and finished the meat porridge in his bowl. Only then did he feel alive again, and even the pain in his body lessened considerably.

"My dear grandson..."

Grandma Liu took the empty bowl and stammered:
"Let's just let this go, don't think about it anymore... okay? We common folk can't afford to offend those powerful officials in the city..."

She knew that her grandson had attended a private school for a few months, and that some scholars were arrogant and proud, so she was afraid that he would be ignorant of his place and cause trouble again.

The family is now destitute and can't afford any more setbacks.

Neither those two clerks nor the Tong family at the east end of the village were people the grandmother and grandson could afford to offend. Liu Sheng glanced at the haggard-looking Granny Liu, lowered his eyes, and nodded.
"I'm not going to think about it anymore. I'll just treat it as the past and live my life honestly from now on."

What else can we do but go and get ourselves killed?

Even knowing that it was the wealthy man Tong who colluded with the clerks to seize and annex his own land, he still had to pretend he didn't know.

Otherwise, these powerful local officials and clerks would have plenty of ways to make ordinary people like them wish they were dead.

We can only bear with it for now.

Those at the bottom of society are always being trampled on and shitted on, regardless of the era.

However, this debt is etched in my heart, stroke by stroke.

Things change, and one day you'll have to pay it all back, principal and interest.

"That's the right way to think about it. That skin-dead Tong is not someone to be trifled with."

Just then, a rough voice came from behind, and a tall hunter walked in.

He handed over the few chirping tits he was carrying:

"Grandma Liu, I caught a few sparrows. You can cook them for Asheng to help him recover."

"Stone, you've come..."

Grandma Liu took the few sparrows, said a few words of gratitude, and then went out.

"Brother Stone".

Liu Sheng recognized the person who came and stood up to greet him.

The visitor was Zhao Lei, the hunter from next door, an outstanding hunter who was grateful for kindness.

Remembering the kindness he had received in his early years, he would send some game to the Liu family grandfather and grandson every now and then.

The two companies have a close relationship.

After the original owner was knocked unconscious by the clerk, it was he who carried her all the way back and helped her fetch a doctor.

Zhao Lei plopped down and explained:

"Tong Bapi's youngest son recently became a formal martial arts master and caught the eye of a nobleman. Now he serves as an attendant to the county magistrate's son and is very arrogant. We can't afford to offend him."

A formal martial arts master is a martial artist whose cultivation has reached the second realm of martial arts, the Bone and Tendon Realm!
Liu Sheng's eyes flickered a few times, and he perked up.

In recent years, for some reason, stories of wild beasts becoming spirits and demons eating people, which were previously only in legends, have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Several cases have occurred in Shanyang County in the past year or two.

Only martial arts masters could deal with these monsters and demons, hence their extremely high social status.

The most realistic way for ordinary people to cross social classes is to practice martial arts.

Once one has mastered the skills and become a formal martial arts master, one can change schools, be registered in the martial arts register, and from then on, will not bow to officials or pay taxes.

They belong to the privileged ruling class.

No wonder Tong Bapi was so unscrupulous this time; it turns out his youngest son became a formal martial arts master and gained the favor of a powerful figure, which explains his confidence.

"Alright, let's not dwell on the past. Life has to move forward. Once you're healed, if you don't want to rent farmland, come hunting with me in the mountains."

Zhao Lei gave a few instructions and left in a hurry. He still had a child to raise, and the pressure was considerable.

Tong Bapi's son became a second-level Bone and Tendon Martial Master and even became an attendant to the county magistrate's son, which undoubtedly made revenge several times more difficult!
Liu Sheng felt even more frustrated and uncomfortable, so he got up and went outside for some fresh air.

In the courtyard, Granny Liu walked unsteadily to the tree, preparing to tend to the few sparrows.

"Grandma, let me help you."

Liu Sheng quickly stepped forward, grabbed a titmouse by the wing, plucked the downy feathers from its neck, and took the knife to slit its throat.

As the blood dripped down, the titmouse twitched its claws twice before stiffening and remaining motionless.

Just then, a gray light rose from the sparrow's corpse, vaguely resembling a miniature sparrow.

In an instant, it was as if the evening drum and the morning bell were ringing in his ears; before his eyes, ink-wash light and shadow floated, finally condensing into a few lines of small characters—

Name: Liu Sheng
[Dao Fruit]: Seventy-two Transformations
[Talent]: None

[Cultivation]: None

[Avatar]: None

[Spiritual Essence]: 0
[Detected 1 Sparrow Spirit. Activate "Sparrow Transformation"?]

"This is... my cheat code?!"

Liu Sheng took a deep breath, repeatedly confirming that it wasn't a hallucination, then turned to look at Granny Liu. Seeing that she seemed oblivious, a thought struck him:
"activation!"

(End of this chapter)