Hunting God Era

Chapter 2 is all a scheme orchestrated by capital.
god.
It's not some kind of "god of craftsmanship" or "you are my god" thing.

He is a real god, a god who exists in mythology.

Leaving aside the gods from ancient myths, they are proven here to be merely powerful martial artists.

Even if there really is a god, what can he do?
Benboerba is at least a demon.

However, while there are no gods, there are demons.

From ancient, desolate demons like the drought demon to modern zombies that spread infection through bites, they are all demons.

In this land of China, the feeling he got from the great demon was like that of Deng'er angrily smashing the five-cornered tower—everyone knew about it, everyone had heard of it, but no one had ever experienced it firsthand.

The little demons are like petty thieves; they may encounter some people, but most have never seen them, because they are dealt with immediately whenever they appear.

China has protected its people so well!

With a population of nearly two billion, the average number of people who encounter demons is pitifully low.

Li Ye once doubted whether demons were gods, and devoted himself to studying ancient books and modern papers.

But the more he researched, the colder his heart became.

To reiterate, he might not even be able to beat Benboerba.

The demons revered as gods in the materials are not people that ordinary people can easily swindle.

And the little demon.
He actually encountered one last year.

Last winter vacation, Ningjiang City experienced rare snowfall, and it was frighteningly cold. He even encountered a snow spirit.
It was killed by pouring hot water on it.

Demons are demons, not gods.

In modern interpretations of demons, some lesser demons can even be dealt with by ordinary people.

Not long after, relevant personnel came to inquire about him and told him to call the police if he encountered any problems again, and gave him a reward of one thousand yuan.

The good news is that he was born in a relatively safe and humane country.

The bad news is, his system doesn't tell.

Li Ye could sense that the 'Godslayer System' was becoming increasingly weak, and something was telling him that the system would disappear when he turned eighteen.

Mediocre talent, incompetent system, dire family circumstances, life has come to a standstill.

If he doesn't give up, who will?
It's not like you can't live without practicing martial arts. In China, the personal safety of ordinary people is still reliable.

As long as he doesn't do anything reckless, he can live to a ripe old age just like any other person.

After leaving the school gate, Li Ye took out his keys, started his electric scooter, and headed straight home.

Li Ye's home is in an old residential area called "Green Water Fragrance Shore". Although it is old, the location is not bad. It is only two roads away from the river to the south, and you can have a panoramic view of the river from the tenth floor.

The environment of the old neighborhood is certainly not great, but it is generally clean. However, when Li Ye passed by the next building, he smelled a strange odor.

The trash cans downstairs were emitting a strange, foul stench.

Li Ye frowned slightly, but didn't pay much attention. The smell had lasted for three days, which meant it hadn't been cleaned up in time. It would probably be gone by tomorrow.

He rode his electric scooter to the parking lot downstairs from his apartment building, took the elevator, and went home.

Li Ye's home is in Building 10, Unit 1002. The total area is 100 square meters, with three bedrooms and one living room. The house price is not much different from that in the previous life, except that there is no such evil thing as shared area.

After using the key to open the door, he saw his father sitting on the sofa with the TV on and his phone in his hand.

His mother was busy in the kitchen.

"You're back quite early today," Li Ye said.

His father, Li Haihua, is the maintenance supervisor of the largest chain supermarket in Ningjiang City. He earns about 10,000 yuan a month and usually comes home very late, but he came home early today.

His mother, Liu Qingxia, also works at a chain supermarket, where she is responsible for cashiering and warehousing. She usually leaves work on time.

"There's not much work to do today."

Li Haihua said, "Go wash your hands, it'll be time to eat soon."

Li Ye didn't say much, put down his schoolbag and went to wash his hands.

He felt no discomfort with his parents, because they were exactly the same as in his previous life.

Aside from the different world, Li Ye's family life is essentially a second chance at life.

After washing his hands, Li Ye was about to go to the kitchen to help when he heard the sound of the television.

[The following is a news report: Fu Yan, a martial artist from Jianghuai Province, successfully killed the demons that were ravaging the Tongguanshan mining area in Jinze City, Jianghuai Province, at 1:00 AM today. The demon threat has been completely eliminated.]

Li Yeshun looked over and saw the news anchor on the TV sitting upright, speaking clearly and distinctly. As he spoke, the camera panned, first showing an aerial view of a chaotic mining area, with the surrounding rocks looking as if they had been cleaved by a knife, and huge gaps everywhere.

Then, it changed to a photo of a middle-aged man with a resolute expression standing at the entrance of the mining area.

In just two seconds, the camera switched back to the announcer.

[Cleanup efforts are underway. Residents in the area are advised to take precautions against residual contamination and to drink mineral water or honey lemon water for the next three days.]

[The following is a continued broadcast.]

Li Haihua exclaimed in admiration, "Xiao Ye, did you see that? The fighting was really exaggerated; the mountain has been completely cracked."

Then he asked, "What kind of demon is this? Jinze is a neighboring city, should we also prepare some bottled water?"

"There's no need, Dad."

Li Ye chuckled and said, "If it's just a simple reminder about mineral water, it means the nearby groundwater is polluted, and we should prepare accordingly. But if it's also honey lemon water, then it's not a groundwater issue; honey lemon water can help prevent heavy metal contamination."

"It's probably to prevent air pollution from some kind of mining dust. Given that it's a mining area, the source of this pollution is most likely a 'mineral skeleton ape' or a 'dust-inducing monster'."

"These types of demons have a fixed range, and once they die, they are no longer contaminated. Drinking that stuff is just a precaution."

The Mineral Skeleton Ape is a mountain demon; its shed fur is mineral dust. Once it touches you, it absorbs your aura and will involuntarily move closer to its body before mysteriously disappearing. In Japan, it is called 'God Vanishes'.

The Dust Mine Demon is more like a parasite, emitting mineral dust that, when inhaled, can cause heavy metal poisoning, and then the demon continues to multiply within the body.

But regardless of the species, their range of activity is limited, and they cannot spread widely.

only.
Li Ye took out his phone and searched for news about Jinze City. Soon, he found the information he needed.

A mining accident occurred in the Tongguanshan mining area a month ago.

Both of these demons are related to mining accidents; the former is formed when corpses combine with ore and proliferate in the mountain.

The latter is the demon born from the resentment generated by the mining accident.

"What are you looking at?" Li Haihua asked.

When Li Ye told him what he had seen, Li Haihua slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I knew it! Fu Yan isn't an official, so why is his extermination of a demon making the news? It's all a scheme orchestrated by those unscrupulous capitalists mining illegal mines!"

Li Ye: "..."

"Let's eat. Forget about capital."

Liu Qingxia, the mother, prepared the meal, set it on the table, and gave Li Haihua a disapproving look.

Steamed sea bass, braised beef brisket with tomatoes, sweet and sour pork ribs, boiled shrimp, stir-fried carrots and wood ear mushrooms, stir-fried asparagus and lily bulbs.

While learning martial arts, Li Ye ate very well every day, especially during this important stage when he was about to enter his senior year of high school.

"And this too, drink it while it's hot. I'm on the day shift today, so I made it for you as soon as I got back early."

Liu Qingxia placed a bowl of soup in front of Li Ye.

The soup is a dark golden-red color, with a layer of amber-like oil floating on top, and translucent tendons stewed inside.

The dishes on the table were home-style cooking, but they weren't cheap overall, and this bowl of soup was even more expensive.

Dragon's blood stewed with ginseng and deer tendon can boost blood circulation and strengthen muscles and bones.

Deer tendon, ginseng, red dates, angelica, goji berries, and old ginger are not that expensive in today's developed society, costing only a few dozen yuan. What's expensive is the 'blood lingzhi' that gives the soup its dark golden-red color.

It's a great ingredient for boosting blood and qi. One gram is enough for a bowl of soup, and one gram costs 200 yuan.

This is a 'small snack' that is essential for martial arts students' three meals a day.

Li Ye said, "Mom, you don't need to prepare this anymore. I told the teacher today that I'm switching to humanities."

These words made the parents freeze.

Li Haihua put down his chopsticks, his tone somewhat unwilling: "Should we train for another year?"

Liu Qingxia chimed in, "Yes, your physical fitness test results weren't very good, were they?"

We had discussed our son's decision to switch to humanities with them before. Although they strongly opposed it, Li Ye has always been opinionated and we couldn't stop him.

Li Ye picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth. "I've looked up the data. Nationwide, only 10% of high school preparatory students can enter the martial arts world. It's even more exaggerated in our school; the ratio has been 100:1 in the last two years."

“Good, excellent, and satisfactory standards vary from school to school, so they can’t be taken too seriously. Your son isn’t cut out for this, so you should focus on improving his humanities grades in his final year to get into a good university.”

Li Ye laughed and said, "Practicing martial arts isn't necessarily that good. Many people spend so much energy practicing martial arts, but in the end, they only circulate their qi and blood once, which doesn't have much effect."

“Look at our homeroom teacher, he’s almost forty and has only had one stroke of his life. Apart from looking a little younger, he’s pretty much the same as everyone else. He’s just a high school teacher.”

He said casually, "I have excellent grades in general studies. If I get into a good university, I might be able to work as a security consultant at a big company after graduation, and my salary will be much higher than that of a teacher."

"Nonsense, how can you say he's not cut out for it!"

Liu Qingxia exclaimed, "You're definitely destined for both academic and martial arts! You just want to quit training like that? I absolutely won't allow it. And what about the Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy? You quit without even discussing it with us. That's unacceptable!"

Li Haihua also exclaimed, "Xiao Ye, are you confused? How can the humanities compare to the military? In ancient times, those who passed the military exams were officials! Do you know that when it comes to civil service exams and other competitive jobs, those who passed the military exams are always ranked first?"

"Whether you practice martial arts or not is a decision for your mother and me to make. You should drink the soup first; improving your blood and energy is good for you, and a healthy body is more important than anything else!"

Li Ye didn't respond, but just took a sip of soup and then focused on eating, gorging himself on the food until the amount of meat and vegetables on the table visibly decreased.

"I'm going to do my exam paper."

Li Ye finished the last bit of soup residue, set out the bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and went back to his room.

Li Haihua and Liu Qingxia exchanged a glance. The former picked up a piece of fish, ate it, and then sighed dejectedly.

They knew things would turn out this way when their son stopped going to Jing Lei Martial Arts School a while ago.

He has been a very principled person since he was a child, and he is also very smart. He rarely makes mistakes in what he does.

They knew they hadn't done anything wrong. Although Li Ye didn't say it, as his parents, they knew perfectly well that the family was indeed broke, and they even owed 200,000 yuan in debt to train in martial arts.

But
It wasn't about hoping their son would become a dragon or bringing glory to the family. Although their child's future was important, they knew even more that if he didn't like it, Li Ye wouldn't have been so diligent when he went to the martial arts school to practice, and he often came back with injuries.

They were young once too, and they know what martial arts are all about. Those who can achieve the level of Fu Yan are a minority, and their world doesn't intersect with theirs.

The people who truly intersect with each other are people like Li Ye, the homeroom teacher.

After a surge of energy and blood, the only difference is that it's easier to find a job; otherwise, you're not much different from ordinary people. You continue with your life and work as usual.

However, before one can activate their vital energy and blood, practicing martial arts is very arduous.

When they were young, they were too lazy to even practice martial arts, let alone martial arts schools. That's what ordinary people are like.

My son must love martial arts!

After a while, Li Haihua seemed to have made up his mind, "Let's hire another master!"

Liu Qingxia paused in her chopsticks, "Okay!"

Li Haihua gritted his teeth, "I'll go borrow some more tomorrow. No matter what, I can't leave any regrets! No matter how determined the small business owner is, he has to practice during the summer vacation!"

(End of this chapter)