Life in a Simulation - Chapter 7

In the southwestern mountains of the Daqian State, deep within the ranges, lies a small village named Niujia Village, situated on a mountain range shaped like an ox. Niujia Village has about sixty to seventy households, most of which are quite poor. The Zhang San’niu family, living on the northern highland of the village, is so impoverished that they can hardly afford enough food. When it comes to the situation of the Zhang family, the villagers can only shake their heads and sigh. They would like to help, but they simply don’t have the means to do so.

It wasn’t until the birth of Zhang San’niu’s second son, Zhang Ergou, that the villagers began to notice a dramatic change in this originally destitute family over just a few years.

Firstly, the crops grown by the Zhang family improved significantly. Regardless of drought or flood, they always ensured a bountiful harvest every year, as if they had a perfect understanding of the weather conditions and never made any mistakes.

Secondly, the food on the Zhang family’s table became much better. Whether it was game from the mountains, fish from the water, or birds from the sky, they never lacked meat throughout the four seasons. The aroma of cooking meat often wafted from their home.

Then there were the many inexplicable mysteries surrounding Zhang San’niu’s son, Zhang Ergou. It seemed as if he could predict village affairs in advance. Who would have a house fire this year, whose child would drown next year, and who would encounter danger while hunting in the mountains the year after – he almost always got it right. After a while, almost no one in the village doubted what Zhang Ergou said anymore.

Some villagers, having benefited from following Zhang Ergou’s advice, became even more convinced of his abilities. During spring planting and summer sowing, they would simply follow whatever the Zhang family planted.

There were also several hunters who, after heeding Zhang Ergou’s warnings and narrowly escaping death, regarded him as their savior and were extremely grateful.

The more mysterious events that happened to Zhang Ergou, the more his fame grew in the surrounding areas. Some ignorant villagers even believed the rumors that Zhang Ergou was the reincarnation of a heavenly deity with boundless magical powers. He could foresee events five hundred years into the past and future, knew all fortunes and misfortunes, and could reveal all evil spirits. They hung portraits of the “Heavenly Deity” modeled after Zhang Ergou at their doorsteps to seek peace and safety for their homes.

“Halt~! What kind of demon dares to act so outrageously here? Show yourself at once and let me purify you with divine fire!”

One morning, an old woman with a hoarse voice, grotesque appearance, and skin like bark, led a group of villagers with terrified expressions and hoes in their hands, surrounding the entrance of Zhang Ergou’s home. The old woman was holding a peachwood sword dripping with dog blood, sternly demanding the extermination of demons.

“Exterminate demons?”

Seeing this scene, Zhou Ming sneered and walked to the door. He said to the shaman in front of him, “I think the so-called demon here is actually you, isn’t it, Locust Tree Spirit?”

“What did you say…” The shaman was stunned for a moment, her mind going blank.

Suddenly! Zhou Ming pointed at the shaman and said sternly, “Last year, a six-year-old child in Yangjialing fell ill. You claimed he was possessed by a water ghost and pushed him into a bonfire, burning him alive. After his death, you absorbed his soul, adding three years to your lifespan!”

“The year before last, an eight-year-old child in Da Dong Village also fell ill. You similarly accused him of being possessed by a water ghost and burned him to death, absorbing his soul and adding two years to your lifespan…”

“The year before that, in Xi Shui Village…”

“Over these ten-odd years, you have caused trouble in this area. More than ten children have been accused by you of being possessed by water ghosts. Locust Tree Spirit, having absorbed so many children’s souls, your lifespan must have increased by more than a hundred years, right?”

Hearing Zhou Ming’s words, the villagers were in an uproar.

“What? The old shaman is a locust tree spirit, who devours the souls of children?”

“The old shaman looks older than seventy or eighty. A hundred years of lifespan, could it be?”

“How could it always be possession by water ghosts?”

“Could it be that the Heavenly Deity was right?”

The villagers all took two steps back, looking at the shaman in the distance with fear.

The shaman’s face turned pale with anger and embarrassment. She shouted, “You shameless demon, a pack of lies! Die at once!” With that, she raised her bloodied sword and charged straight at Zhou Ming.

“Locust Tree Spirit, it is you who should die!”

Zhou Ming’s expression turned serious. He took out a spherical object from his sleeve and threw it at the shaman’s feet. With a loud bang, a few seconds later, a choking cloud of black smoke dispersed, revealing the shaman, now covered in blood, lying on the ground and moaning.

“Uncles and aunts, this malevolent Locust Tree Spirit has been struck down by my palm thunder. I will now seal the spirit’s true form. You must throw this spirit into the fire to help me eliminate this local scourge!”

With that, Zhou Ming took out a piece of dark, unidentified wood from his sleeve and used a small knife to make a cut on it. Amidst a chorus of gasps, a striking bloodstain appeared on the black wood.

“The Locust Tree Spirit, this old shaman truly is a Locust Tree Spirit!”

“How heartless, the souls of more than ten children have been swallowed by this spirit.”

“Burn her, burn her!”

Enraged villagers lifted the wailing shaman and threw her into the blazing bonfire.

“Is this Zhang Ergou truly the reincarnation of a divine being?” Among the crowd, the village head Li Shouzheng, pale-faced, regretted inviting the old shaman to Niujia Village.

…

In the blink of an eye, sixteen years passed. The name of the Heavenly Deity Zhang Ergou became more and more renowned, and the “miracles” surrounding Zhang Ergou increased as well. For example, he could forge iron without a teacher, perform carpentry with unparalleled skill, never returned empty-handed from hunting in the mountains, and occasionally came up with inventions that brought endless benefits to the village.

More remarkably, the Heavenly Deity also had a heart as compassionate as a bodhisattva. Whenever any family in the village faced difficulties or encountered thorny issues, he would always generously offer help and spare no effort in assisting them. “In trouble? Seek the Deity!” almost became a phrase passed down from mouth to mouth among the villagers.

When it came to the Heavenly Deity’s intention to marry his daughter Xiu Niang, the village scholar Wang Xiucai from the east of the village did not oppose much and agreed. With the Heavenly Deity’s great powers, his daughter would surely enjoy a blessed life after marrying him.

At this moment, in the home of the village head Li Shouzheng.

Li Shouzheng’s second son, Li Wenhao, was crying, making a fuss, and threatening to hang himself in his bedroom, causing turmoil and chaos at home.

“No way, I must take Wang Xiucai’s daughter, Wang Xiu, as my concubine! She is mine, and no one is allowed to compete with me!”

Li Wenhao, with bloodshot eyes, was furious upon hearing that Zhang Ergou had also taken a liking to Wang Xiu, the woman he fancied.

“Oh, my dear son, Wang Xiu is the woman chosen by the Heavenly Deity. Why would you compete with a deity? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? My dear, there are so many women in this world. Just forget about Wang Xiu, will you?” Li’s mother pleaded bitterly, a devout believer in gods and Buddhas, not wanting to offend a true deity walking among mortals.

“What Heavenly Deity? I say he’s just a dog! A mangy cur! How dare he compete with me, Li Wenhao, for a woman? I’ll teach him a lesson right now!”

Enraged, Li Wenhao immediately gathered a group of henchmen and stormed the Zhang family’s home, causing a great disturbance. Had it not been for the intervention of the surrounding villagers, the entire Zhang household might have been smashed to pieces.

“Hehe, Li Wenhao, I didn’t expect you to actually show yourself. Very well, very well…” A cold smile flickered in his eyes as Zhou Ming made a decision in his heart.

…

Two days later, on a night, a terrible piece of news suddenly came from the home of the village head Li Shouzheng. Li’s second son, Li Wenhao, had died of sudden apoplexy while being intimate with his wife, Zhou. The Li family was in chaos. Unable to uncover the mystery, they had no choice but to hastily bury him.

Upon hearing the news of Li Wenhao’s death, Zhou Ming privately laughed with great satisfaction. Li Wenhao had a weak heart to begin with and was also quite lustful. As long as he drank a little of the Golden Sword Grass juice that Zhou Ming had prepared for him, his heart would race during any strenuous activity, and death would not be far off.

As for how Zhou Ming knew the effects of Golden Sword Grass, after using the Primary Hunting Card, he was aware of hundreds of poisonous plants like Golden Sword Grass.

In this life, his philosophy of survival was: Whoever opposes me must die!

…

Time flew like an arrow, and another thirty years passed. During these years, in addition to his wife Wang Xiu, Zhou Ming also took several concubines, including Li Er Ya, Sun Qian Qian, and Zhang Xiao Ya. Although there were frequent quarrels and jealousy among the women in his household, these women had given birth to more than twenty or thirty children for him, with sixteen male offspring alone. Including his grandchildren, there were more than a hundred people in total, truly a large and prosperous family.

With a large family business, Zhou Ming had his own arrangements for his sons. For example, the more than ten village-run enterprises he had established in the village, such as the blacksmith shop, carpentry shop, mill, oil press, textile factory, and brick kiln, were each managed by one of his sons. They assisted each other in times of difficulty, ensuring that none of their descendants would starve.

In agriculture, Zhou Ming, who had accumulated more than a hundred acres of land over the years, was preparing for another major move.

“Father, the ‘Collective Farm Cooperative’ plan proposed by our Zhang family is supported by most villagers except for the Li family. They all want to follow our lead!” Outside the door, his eldest son, Zhang Sheng, came in and reported the news.

“Hehe!” Zhou Ming sneered, as if he had anticipated this. He slowly said, “To join the cooperative based on the amount of land, to collectively use oxen and tools, and to work together to dig ditches to improve irrigation… How could the Li family ever come up with such a good idea? They would be happy if those peasants didn’t have to sell their children or themselves! Our collective farm cooperative plan is actually undermining the foundation of the Li family! It’s no surprise that they want to fight us to the death!”

“Father, I’ve never liked the Li family either, but Father, they have quite a few male descendants. If it comes to a fight, I’m afraid…” His eldest son expressed his concerns.

“Don’t be afraid,” Zhou Ming said with a smile, shaking his head. “To deal with the Li family, I have been preparing for many years. Sheng’er, go and call your second and third brothers over. I’ll show you something…”

…

A few days later.

North of Niujia Village, at the entrance of the Zhang family’s home, two groups of people had gathered, each with about a hundred people. The group outside was holding bright, sharpened knives and axes, with cruel smiles on their faces.

The group inside the Zhang family’s courtyard was mostly armed with hoes and poles, also polished to a shine.

The two crowded groups were shouting at each other, and the situation was on the brink of exploding.

“If you Zhang family dare to continue with this ‘Collective Farm Cooperative,’ we Li family will massacre your entire household immediately!”

“Yeah, massacre the Zhang family! Wipe out the entire Zhang family!”

“Charge into the Zhang family’s home, rob them of their money and women!”

At that moment, a swarm of black dots suddenly flew out from the Zhang family’s courtyard, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of sulfur.

“What’s this?” Among the crowd, a man from the Li family caught a black ball in his hand and took a closer look.

“Boom!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

“Ah!” “Aaaah!” “My leg!” “My hand is gone!” “…”

The screams of agony rose and fell, lingering for a long time.

Life in a Simulation - Chapter 7

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Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

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