18 Chapter 17: Drawing a Tiger but Ending Up with a Cat, The Bully Returns_1

Folklore has always maintained that bear blood strengthens the body, while fox blood nourishes the spirit.

As his body began to absorb the energy from the bear blood, his blood seemed to boil. Strength surged incessantly throughout his limbs and bones. The physical exertion from the recent fight with the black bear was quickly replenishing, and his cultivation level appeared to be rising at an astonishing rate.

He had a sudden idea, what would happen if he fed the termite this bear blood?

Termites are omnivores that can eat almost anything.

Fourth had been injured, and the other five worker ants had just molted into adults not long ago, still small worker ants, perfect for nourishing with bear blood.

Qin Niu used a leaf to collect some bear blood and went under the big camphor tree.

"Fourth, call them out to eat," he said.

Qin Niu had now learned the language of insects, which allowed him to communicate with the ant colony, a lot more convenient than before.

There were many skills in insect control, but so far, he had only learned two of the most basic ones.

This was already very impressive.

Because all he did was follow the brief descriptions in the Insect Control Books and then comprehend on his own.

Fourth led the five worker ants out from the depths of the tree hole.

Seeing them covered in wood chips, they must have been expanding the ant nest.

Having survived a major disaster was a good thing for them as well; it was a great test. The wild was cruel, with all creatures competing, and only the fittest survived.

After they emerged, they sniffed the bear blood on the leaves before Fourth started sucking.

Qin Niu left them to it and turned his attention elsewhere.

The bear carcass had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Learning from his last experience, he planned to sneak it back home this time.

He understood the principle of concealing his wrongdoing.

The bear carcass could sell for at least twenty-five or twenty-six silver money.

The bear's hide alone could fetch more than twenty silver money, which was a significant sum.

Qin Niu could use it to buy weapons, cultivation techniques, Insect Control Books, low-grade Contract Charms, and other items.

And with careful use of that money, he could acquire all these things at once.

By then, his strength would skyrocket.

With a cultivation technique, even a common low-grade one, he could reach the peak of the onefold Mortal Realm within ten years.

Those Protectors hired by the Yan Family weren't born able to lift a two-hundred-pound bronze cauldron.

Many of them had some foundational cultivation in their family and started practicing cultivation techniques from a young age.

Others earned some money through their efforts and bought cultivation techniques to practice on their own, but self-study was usually difficult because the practices were complex.

Most would spend money to take a master.

This greatly increased the chances of success.

Qin Niu looked at the huge bear carcass before him, silently considering how to deal with it.

It was not yet daybreak, the best time to handle the situation.

Carrying such a huge bear carcass back home without being noticed was best done by dismembering it.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he decisively hoisted the bear carcass on his back and headed down the mountain.

The bear's head was strapped to his waist with a belt, dangling at his side.

Quite heavy, at least twenty pounds.

Once he got home and skinned it, there would be many meals to come.

The bear's head was full of bones, and making soup out of it would surely have strengthening effects on the sinews and bones.

He was clever, choosing to bring the bear carcass to a forest closer to the village. It not only reduced the chances of other wild animals finding a steal but also saved time going back and forth.

Because few fierce animals moved around on the outermost ridges of the mountain.

Since he planned to dismember the black bear, he would have to return home many times.

He picked a forest close to home to hide the bear carcass, then returned home with the bear's head.

Having considered all aspects, such capability was truly frightening.

He brought the bear's head home to fetch a knife and a basket, making his way under the starlit sky while the entire village was still silent.

The people were immersed in their dreams.

But Qin Niu was still extremely cautious, wrapping the bear's head in his clothes. He knew that it was better to be safe than sorry.

If someone woke up for a midnight bathroom break or heard noises and glanced outside, his action of bringing the bear carcass home would be exposed at once.

...

Busy until dawn, he finally managed to dispose of all the bear carcass and carry it home in the basket.

The whole process went relatively smoothly.

However, his frequent trips into the mountains with the basket on his back in the middle of the night had surely caught people's attention.

So he came up with a clever ploy to deceive them all.

He would first make detours into his own poor-quality field.

He brought the bear carcass home and hid it under the pile of firewood in the backyard. To cover up the smell of blood, he made some initial salt-curing treatments.

Luckily, drinking bear blood had given him tremendous strength, as if he had endless energy.

After hiding the bear carcass at home, he washed the blood off his body and cleaned up any traces.

By now, outside it was fully light.

Despite being very tired, he still went out with the basket on his back.

He checked the field and then went into the mountains again.

When he came out again, he was carrying a basket of humus.

"Ah Niu, I saw you busy all night yesterday, what were you doing in the mountains?"

A village woman peered into his basket.

Qin Niu said nothing, simply lowering his head and continuing into the cornfield with the basket on his back.

After three trips, many of the villagers had seen, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that he was carrying humus from the mountains.

Wang Furen came over, hands clasped behind his back.

"Ah Niu, how have you considered the matter I mentioned last time about buying the fertilizer recipe?"

He glanced at the humus piled up in the field like a small mound.

It was what Qin Niu had carried back basket by basket.

"Not selling!" Qin Niu replied tersely.

Wang Furen had 'copied' Qin Niu's homemade fertilizer recipe last time, hiring people to carry humus from the mountain and then make his own fertilizer.