"This might be the most impulsive thing I’ve done in my life," said Li Yi, still gasping for breath. His heart was pounding, and he felt an indescribable fatigue all over his body, his muscles aching intensely.
He had moved swiftly.
In just half an hour, Li Yi had left the Ruined District and returned to his ho in the old city area, temporarily safe.
Reflecting on what had happened earlier, he found it incredible.
All he had wanted was to earn fifty thousand yuan to take care of his parents, the Silent Ones. But when it ca down to it, he had, like those gamblers, risked his life for the Mysterious Object.
Luckily, he had made it back alive.
If he had failed, he would probably have deeply regretted it at the mont of his death.
"That dead Zhang Kaiwen had a saying that’s correct, ’A life now is a life forever.’ To change everything, I had to take a risk, or I would just survive like everyone else in this old, rundown city, living like a rat, decaying and breeding maggots so night without leaving a trace,"
"At that mont, making the decision in the underground parking lot, I could feel my ambition growing. It turns out I’m not the kind to just abide by the rules. I too, aspire to partake in Cultivation, stir things up, and beco soone important."
Li Yi closed his eyes and took deep breaths continuously.
Recalling his life over the past years, he felt nothing but oppression and suffocation.
Endless work, incessant purchasing of nutrient fluids—he had tried so hard, yet his family had gone from having modest savings to being penniless and heavily in debt. Now they couldn’t even afford to maintain the dical pods necessary to keep his parents alive.
He was only twenty years old, just at the beginning of his life. Why did it feel like it was already over?
It shouldn’t be like this.
Li Yi once again opened his eyes, his gaze now devoid of the previous fatigue and confusion, filled only with determination.
"But whether I can change all this depends on my luck this ti and whether I managed to get sothing valuable," he mused.
He then looked at the pile of dirty, ratty clothes he had been holding.
These clothes, distinct in style and material from those presently in society, bore a touch of antiquity yet differed from traditional ancient attire. Despite their shabbiness, one could still discern their original magnificence through the details.
Li Yi slowly unfolded these garnts, searching for sothing special.
He had chosen to take these rotting clothes from the coffin because he believed that if there were any valuable Mysterious Objects in the tomb, they would most likely be carried personally.
Since the tomb had been previously plundered, it was uncertain if anything was left.
"Not in this garnt, not in this one either..."
As each piece was unfolded, Li Yi carefully searched for anything of potential value.
Finally, as he shook the last garnt, a crisp clattering sound echoed.
A broken artifact fell onto the living room tile.
Li Yi imdiately picked it up and examined it closely, eventually voicing his uncertainty, "Could this be a Mysterious Object? It doesn’t seem extraordinary, I can’t see anything special about it."
The object in his hand was a bronze dagger, now only half intact, and it bore a twisted inscription.
He tested it and found the bronze dagger was not sharp.
After checking so data on his phone, Li Yi could tentatively conclude, "This isn’t actually a dagger but a type of currency known as a Sword Coin during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period."
Beyond this half of a Sword Coin, he searched the pile of old clothes several more tis but found nothing else.
This was the only gain Li Yi had brought back, risking his life.
"I’m not a person of Cultivation. I don’t know the value of this half Sword Coin. I need to find soone knowledgeable to inquire about Mysterious Objects, but this person must be trustworthy to avoid any risk of exposure," he contemplated.
He started thinking again and an individual ca to mind imdiately.
Uncle Biao.
Uncle Biao was a friend of his father’s. Six years ago, he had cultivated alongside Li Yi’s father. Although Li Yi’s father was more gifted and progressed quickly in his practice, Uncle Biao, lacking in talent, gave up continuing his Cultivation. Instead, he opened a ditation room in Tianchang City to teach newcors about the practice.
With this in mind, Li Yi carefully packed away the tattered clothes and kept the half Sword Coin close to his body.
But he didn’t leave imdiately because there was still sothing else he needed to do.
Picking up his phone, Li Yi dialed the after-sales service number for the dical pod.
Shortly, in less than half an hour, the after-sales engineer for the dical pod arrived at the door.
"Mr. Li, as I ntioned last ti, one of the chips in your other dical pod burnt out due to long-ti operation, and the dical pod is already past its six-year warranty period. Although we can provide free repairs, you need to purchase the damaged parts yourself, which costs 49,999," engineer Hu Bing said.
Li Yi said, "I’ve gathered the money in the past few days. I’ll pay you now, so your trip won’t be in vain."
"That’s good," engineer Hu Bing nodded.
Li Yi opened the bedroom door.
The bedroom was brightly lit, but the air was filled with the sll of alcohol and disinfectant.
There was no bed in the room; instead, there were two dical pods on the floor, flashing various indicator lights. Compared to the cramped and oppressive housing of the old city district, these two high-tech dical pods seed completely out of place.
In each of the two dical pods lay a person.
The man’s appearance was resolute and handso, quite attractive, while the woman was beautiful, but both looked pale and unhealthy due to being in a coma for many years.
Originally, Li Yi’s parents were a perfect couple, known for their talents and looks, but now they could only lie here like vegetative patients.
And such conditions had persisted for a full six years.
"Dad, Mom."
Knowing there would be no response, Li Yi still habitually called out to them.
Engineer Hu Bing skilfully opened the panel of one dical pod and began repairing it.
With the damaged parts replaced, soon, the dical pod representing Li Yi’s mother began to operate normally again.
Seeing the situation improve, Li Yi finally relaxed.
Engineer Hu Bing said, "Mr. Li, the nutrient solutions in the two dical pods will run out in a day. Rember to buy and refill them in ti. I suggest that if possible, you should stock up more on nutrient solutions early on because more people have begun to cultivate recently, increasing the demand for nutrient solutions. The prices on the market have increased, and I estimate they will continue to rise."
"The prices went up?" Li Yi was startled and asked, "How much for one now?"
"The basic nutrient solution has gone up to a thousand now," replied engineer Hu Bing.
"That much... I understand, thank you," Li Yi fell silent.
"You’re welco." Having completed the after-sales service, engineer Hu Bing then left.
"The fifty thousand yuan I earned with great difficulty was spent in an instant. It seems I can’t stop yet. This situation has made realize that it’s simply impossible to change anything by working diligently and honestly. The only way is to find a different way to live," Li Yi silently thought to himself, touching the half Sword Coin in his pocket.
The two dical pods were purchased by his parents using most of their savings before they fell into their deep sleep. Although normally they didn’t require much maintenance, to ensure that the Silent Ones’ lives were maintained properly, a nutrient solution had to be added every month, otherwise, the Silent Ones would starve to death.
One dical pod consud at least three bottles of nutrient solution per month.
Thus, with two dical pods at Li Yi’s house, six bottles were needed.
This ant that Li Yi needed to earn at least four thousand eight hundred yuan a month to keep his parents alive.
Now that the prices of nutrient solutions had increased, he needed to earn at least six thousand yuan a month.
Initially, there were so savings at ho, but after six years, the savings were spent, the car was sold, and the house too was sold. Fortunately, the house in the old part of the city left by his grandparents was still there; otherwise, they would have had to rent a place.
"Dad, Mom, I have other things to do today and can’t stay here with you, but don’t worry. I won’t give up on you and will take good care of you, ensuring that no mishaps or accidents occur. Wait for to co back," Li Yi said.
Li Yi knew he couldn’t afford to waste ti anymore.
The people from Crow might find him at any mont.
Before that, he had to quickly determine the value of the item in his hand.
Right away,
Li Yi grabbed a backpack and stuffed it with the tattered clothes from the tomb, then, carrying the backpack and the half Sword Coin, he left the house.
Looking at the small balance left on his phone and wanting to save ti, he still indulged himself by taking a taxi to Uncle Biao’s ditation room.
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