Cheng Zongyang paid it no mind. He paced slowly back and forth in the small hut, murmuring as if to himself:

"Stone Ring, to be honest, I came up with this idea of using Lifespan and Martial Arts Cultivation all for my own sake.

"Every time I use it, it costs me three days of my life. Even if I can get it back with interest when someone breaks the contract, there will always be people who don’t, right? And it’s a long-term thing. If someone who signed the contract dies unexpectedly during that time—killed by an enemy or from sickness—it means my Lifespan was just wasted.

"This contract is extremely valuable, yet you’re offering it for a single Point. You did that so I would use it, didn’t you?

"Otherwise, there’s no way I could afford something this valuable with my current Points. So, your goal is to harvest Lifespan and Souls—or, to put it another way, to harvest time.

"Since our goals are the same, why don’t we cooperate?"

After a moment, the Stone Ring still didn’t respond.

Cheng Zongyang shrugged.

"I’m not threatening you; I’m seeking a partnership. It’s beneficial for both of us. If you agree to my method, we can split the Lifespan we gain 70-30. You take seventy, I take thirty. Even 90-10 would be fine. This way, you can get even more Lifespan. As for the Martial Arts Cultivation, you can’t use it, so you can just give it to me, right?

"If you agree with me, modify this template I’ve drafted according to your own ideas. Let me see your terms. When I come back next time, if it hasn’t been changed, then I’ll know your answer."

With that, Cheng Zongyang left the Wilderness World.

It would be a shame if he couldn’t add more personally beneficial clauses to the most important part: the breach of contract section.

But regardless of whether the Stone Ring agreed to his inducements and proposals, he was going to use this template.

At the very least, he could still use it to instill the clan concept of "Heaven protects the Cheng Family" and ensure his family’s safety.

If the Stone Ring was willing to cooperate, his applications for the template would increase significantly.

「The next day.」

As usual, Cheng Zongyang only entered the Wilderness World after his medicinal bath in the evening.

However, when he summoned the contract template and saw its contents completely unchanged, Cheng Zongyang understood that the Stone Ring didn’t want to cooperate. Or perhaps, it was incapable of any actions with its host beyond the transactions of the market hut.

To put it more simply, the platform was unwilling to cooperate independently with the merchant.

Seeing that his inducements and proposals had failed, Cheng Zongyang didn’t dwell on it. He continued to study how to modify the template, especially the content of the oath.

This part really needed more detailed definitions of responsibility. He had to prevent signees from having their Soul harvested by the rules of the Wilderness World due to misunderstandings over minor issues. That would be completely absurd.

Time flew by. At the Inner Mountain Pass, the weather seemed to gradually return to normal after the wildfire, or perhaps after the fireball fell that day.

The people of the Tianduan Mountain’s Inner Mountain Pass once again returned to a life of peace, removed from the world.

They were far from the incessant chaos of the outside world. It was as if time had stood still here, and the turmoil beyond had nothing to do with them.

Day after day, month after month.

The Inner Mountain Pass, as all the Outsiders came to feel a sense of belonging, also gained a new name—Cheng Family Village.

The Outsiders here naturally became villagers of Cheng Family Village.

Every day, some villagers went out to find and fell unburnt trees, bringing them back to earn Contribution Points. The carpentry workshop turned suitable logs into tools and furniture, which were then exchanged by villagers using their Contribution Points.

Every three days, the Salt Workshop would transport bags of salt back to the village warehouse via the simply repaired mountain path. The villagers would exchange for some to use at home, while the rest was used to cure meat or put into storage.

In the reclaimed areas, new land was being opened up acre by acre. While earning Contribution Points, the villagers were also preparing to rent land for spring planting in the coming year.

The few acres of salvaged vegetable plots had returned to their lush, green state from before the disaster. Various vegetables and melons were almost ready for harvest, with plans to gather a portion and leave the rest for seed.

As for housing, almost all the original wooden huts had been replaced with rammed-earth houses. They were rainproof, fire-resistant, and much warmer.

And these old houses were being set aside for the next batch of new people.

In the mountain forests on the cusp of winter, the green life sprouting from the scorched earth lessened the bleakness of late autumn, bringing instead a hopefulness reminiscent of spring.

「In early December.」

When the first rays of winter sun pierced the thin mountain mist and fell upon the village paths, a few dewdrops on the yellowing leaves of the plants left for seed sparkled with a crystalline light, like nature’s own pearls.

The shoots on many of the charred trees had already grown lush. The interweaving black and green was like a visually striking tapestry depicting the cycle of life and death.

A cold wind blew gently. Many villagers had already emerged from their earthen homes, ready to begin another day’s work.

Before the onset of winter, many new tasks had appeared, such as gathering firewood, making clothes, and collecting wild fruits—all in preparation for the cold months ahead.

"Yang’Er, everything is ready. Are you missing anything?"

In the Henei Region, where several large houses had been built, Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family came out of a house, bringing a wicker basket with her. It was filled with plenty of dry rations.

This area was now inhabited by members of the Cheng and Zhou families, separating them from the Outsiders.

Cheng Zongyang took the wicker basket from her and smiled. "This is enough. I’ll only be gone for two days. By the way, Mom, please keep a close eye on Zongliang. Make him read more. He shouldn’t always be thinking about his two little wives—it’s not like they’re going anywhere."

Mrs. Zhou of the Cheng Family shot her son a look. "What nonsense are you spouting? Fine, I’ll keep an eye on him. And don’t try to be a hero when you’re in the county seat."