"I’ve tried selling it on consignment. Basically, one kilogram of jerky only gets a few Points. But for some reason, the raw meat won’t sell. So, I’ve kept it for now, waiting for your instructions, My Lord."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Then let’s wait until these seven days are over. Once the Mole Beast is free, have it start on the expansion. It’s a shame Beastman Essences are so rare; you can only find them by chance. Otherwise, I’d spend any amount of Points to buy them. As for the jerky... sell it. No need to keep it. We’ll have plenty more once we scale up. Selling it will also net us over three thousand Points."

"Understood." Luo Dingran nodded in agreement, but added, "Now that we’re expanding our territory, it’s only a matter of time before we find that Beastman Tribe’s altar. Once we do, our worries will be over."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. ’That much is true.’

’But he had no idea how large the Wilderness World was, so finding it wouldn’t be easy.’

’Regardless, the most important thing now is to seize the time and earn more Points. The jerky isn’t important; there will be plenty more later. The water rats reproduce so quickly! Even faster than the fish!’

’He could already imagine it: when the female rats reproduced again, and their young grew up to reproduce in turn, the speed and volume at which he would acquire Points would be simply astonishing!’

’This will become a massive industry for earning Points!’

Next, Cheng Zongyang opened the wine jar. Inside was a murky, yellowish, almost viscous liquid. A potent smell of alcohol wafted out at the same time.

Cheng Zongyang looked at it with suspicion. ’Is this wine or pure alcohol?’

Luo Dingran fetched a ladle, scooped some out, and fed it to a few of the water rats.

The three men watched the water rats. The alcohol seemed extremely potent. After being forced to drink some of the liquid, the rats collapsed on the ground, completely motionless.

If not for the slight rise and fall of their bellies, one might have thought they were dead.

The result? After waiting for another fifteen minutes, all the water rats were dead!

At this, the three men stared at each other in dismay.

"Did... did they drink themselves to death, or were they poisoned?" the Soul Slave asked, his voice full of shock and uncertainty.

Cheng Zongyang said to Luo Dingran, "Take them all to Zhang Jinquan. Let him take a look."

So, the three of them took the items and moved to the other location. They were going to eat there anyway.

After Zhang Jinquan finished his examination, he said, "They drank themselves to death. My Lord, this wine has been stored underground for a very long time. The liquid is murky and thick, showing signs of turning into Wine Paste. It’s no longer suitable for direct consumption and must be diluted. Even an ordinary person could drink themselves to death with just one tael of this, let alone these little creatures."

At this, Zhang Jinquan stared at the wine jar, his eyes shining. "This wine can be used directly in medicine now. It’s no longer fit for drinking, and the taste isn’t that great anyway. It can’t compare to the medicinal wine I prepare."

’So that’s why the appraisal fee was fifty Points,’ Cheng Zongyang realized. ’The real value was in its medicinal properties.’

Cheng Zongyang thought for a moment and decided to try a little. ’What if it’s beneficial for my Cultivation?’

The moment it touched his lips, he found the aroma was rich, but the alcoholic content was extremely high and it burned his mouth, like eating a piece of raw old ginger!

An involuntary shiver ran through Cheng Zongyang, and goosebumps broke out all over his skin.

Though intensely stimulating, it also left him feeling refreshed and invigorated, as if every pore in his body had been opened.

But it really had no effect on his Cultivation.

"This feeling... it could probably treat a cold. This sensation of dispelling wind and scattering cold is actually quite nice."

That was Cheng Zongyang’s assessment.

"You’re right, My Lord. But if used as an ingredient to make tinctures, it can produce many good medicines."

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Forget it, then. Having to dilute it just to have a drink is too much trouble. There’s still a lot of this wine left, so you can decide what to do with it. See if you can research anything good from it."

"Yes! Thank you, My Lord!" Zhang Jinquan said happily, cupping his hands in a salute.

Another half hour passed, and the cook brought over their meal. The wine was replaced with Zhang Jinquan’s medicinal wine.

The three of them began to eat in the courtyard.

The meat wasn’t Exotic Beast Flesh, but venison from a red deer hunted by the Collection Hunting Team. The portions were large and filling.

The medicinal wine was a formula Zhang Jinquan had developed after researching with Exotic Beast Bone and Medicinal Materials from the Wilderness World. It had the effect of strengthening muscles and bones and enhancing one’s qi and blood.

Although the effect was minimal for someone of his current Cultivation, every little bit helped.

After a few rounds of drinks, the three had talked a great deal. Although they couldn’t really get drunk with their Cultivation levels, the medicinal effects of the wine accumulated in their bodies as they drank more. Gradually, it started to have a kick, and they began to feel tipsy.

By this point, they had also finished most of the food.

Cheng Zongyang had no intention of getting drunk, so he ended the gathering and returned to the Third Level of the marketplace cottage.

Inside the independent space, Cheng Zongyang simulated the appropriate time of day, creating a bright, clear moonlit sky. Then he sat in the courtyard and began to actively practice his Cultivation.

As his qi and blood circulated, the alcohol in his system rapidly evaporated. The medicinal effects were also quickly digested and absorbed by his body, slightly enhancing his Qi and Blood Power.

And so, the night passed.

「The next morning.」

Cheng Zongyang slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a final wisp of qi. Feeling the Power surging through his body once more, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

After a night of Cultivation, aided by a Qi Essence Pill, he had broken through to the Yinbai Acupoint, the first acupoint of his fourth meridian, the Spleen Meridian of Foot Taiyin.

And his Cultivation strength had reached the Middle Tier of the Sixth Grade.

’I can break through one acupoint a day. As long as I break through the rest of this meridian, I can advance to the Fifth Grade!’

’It should take about a month.’

After washing up and eating breakfast, Cheng Zongyang appeared inside the mountain cave.

The moment he appeared, he saw a black bear sniffing around inside the cave.

Cheng Zongyang’s sudden appearance scared the black bear so badly it looked like it had seen a ghost. It nearly scrambled up the wall, howling in terror as it bolted for the cave entrance.

Watching the black bear run off like a frightened dog with its tail between its legs, Cheng Zongyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’But on second thought, it’s understandable. Anyone who suddenly saw a creature materialize in front of them would need a strong heart not to be scared to death.’

Cheng Zongyang paid it no mind and walked outside. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

He figured that black bear wouldn’t dare come back here again.

Once outside, he saw the black bear had already dashed into the forest, its back just a fleeting glimpse. It was very fast.

"ROAR!!!"

However, less than a minute later, the black bear came rushing back, running even faster than before... No, it was more like it was fleeing for its life!

Just as Cheng Zongyang was wondering what was going on, he saw a huge creature chasing the black bear from behind. The bear was being hunted down like a panicked stray dog.

Who else could the two-meter-tall behemoth be but the Mole Beast?

A look of delight crossed Cheng Zongyang’s face. He lost all interest in hunting the black bear and stopped the Mole Beast’s playful antics.

He knew the Mole Beast only ate Exotic Beast Flesh and Red Blood Pills. It had no interest whatsoever in the flesh of ordinary beasts.

"Little Mole, stop playing around! We have business to attend to!" Cheng Zongyang shouted to it.

Instantly, the Mole Beast, which had been toying with the bear, stopped and quickly ran back to Cheng Zongyang’s side.

The terrified black bear, which had nearly wet itself in fear, had already run into the forest on the other side and vanished from sight.

’First it runs into a "ghost," then it gets "hunted" by a terrifying Exotic Beast. The psychological trauma this area has inflicted on it must be immeasurable.’

Cheng Zongyang rewarded the Mole Beast with five Red Blood Pills and quickly asked, "Did you find it?"

The Mole Beast tossed all five Red Blood Pills into its mouth and nodded.

"Quick, quick, quick! Time is of the essence, let’s go!" Cheng Zongyang urged impatiently.

To him, the Huangfu Family’s treasure wasn’t just about the gold and silver anymore; it was about the secret of the characters on that stone slab.

It was a cultural secret of the Wilderness World, yet it was somehow connected to the Huangfu Family, which had been wiped out for some twenty years.

And so, at Cheng Zongyang’s command, the Mole Beast led him northward, sprinting along the stream.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse, but with the agile figures and speed of Cheng Zongyang and the Mole Beast, it was basically no different from flat ground.

「Four hours later.」

Cheng Zongyang no longer knew where he was. But they had arrived at the treasure site, which the Mole Beast had spent nearly a day searching for.

However, when Cheng Zongyang saw the place the Mole Beast had brought him, he was somewhat surprised.

At that moment, a few meters in front of Cheng Zongyang, was a pool of water.

The pool was about seven or eight meters wide, not particularly large. But beside it lay a creature that resembled a Giant Bone fish, only far more ferocious and massive.

It was approximately eight or nine meters long.

"Did you kill it?" Cheng Zongyang asked, looking at the Mole Beast. The beast nodded. It was holding a piece of stone, scraping its claws against it and sending fine powder trickling down.

Cheng Zongyang had given it the stone to play with on their way here. It had come from the stone door of the original cave.