The Decomposition of Everything

A small mountain village, sunset.

Shen Zhi was carrying a wild boar carcass on his back, rushing back to the village along the long mountain road. Looking up, he could see the vague silhouette of the village.

The village was built on the mountain, with layers of houses arranged in an orderly manner, as if it was a perfect combination of nature's gift and human wisdom. At the foot of the mountain, a clear stream meandered through, and the stream water sparkled in the sunlight, adding a touch of liveliness and grace to this ancient village.

Not long after, he had arrived at the entrance of the village, and saw a stone road circling up and disappearing in the misty mountainside. On both sides of the road, ancient trees covered the sky and the sun, contrasting with the distant mountains. From time to time, birds sang happily on the branches, with crisp and pleasant voices, as if welcoming guests from afar.

Walking slowly along the stone road, the houses on both sides were mostly made of wood and stone, exuding a simple atmosphere. Some houses still have old plaques and couplets on their door lintels. The writing is blurred, but it reveals the weight and vicissitudes of history.

Several women and elderly people along the way are greeting him cordially: "Xiaozhi, you are back. You are really amazing. You hunted another big wild boar."

Shen Zhi greeted him cordially: "Hello, Sister Cheng, Sister Wan, and Grandma Yan. I will cut some meat for the uncles to drink later."

One of the women named Sister Wan shouted loudly: "Your Uncle Daquan is looking for you. Take some time to go."

"Thank you, Sister Wan, I got it!"

Shen Zhi took a few quick steps, walked around a few bends and came to a residential house. He opened the door and entered. Yi Qianqian and Jiang Linghan had already heard his voice and greeted him happily. The two of them were wrapped tightly in black cloaks, and the corroded protruding veins and scars on their faces could be vaguely seen.

Shen Zhi unloaded the wild boar and said, "You guys deal with the wild boar first, leaving one pig leg, and continue to give the rest to everyone. Uncle Daquan came to me, and I guess the boxing thing has a clue, and it's worth our efforts for more than a month."

Yi Qianqian nodded, stepped forward to tidy up his clothes, and said softly, "Then go quickly, leave this to us."

Jiang Linghan looked disdainful and curled his lips and said, "You two don't show your affection in front of me, I really can't stand you."

Yi Qianqian looks weak, but in fact she is not weak, and retorted, "Your jealousy can be smelled ten miles away."

Shen Zhi saw that the situation was not good and ran away quickly. People say that one monk carries water to drink, and three monks have no water to drink. He is in this situation now, and neither of the two women has eaten. But the most important thing is that they are now entangled with spider venom, ugly to vomit, and the tempers of the two women are getting worse. No beautiful girl can stand being so ugly all the time.

It has been more than a month since the three of them left the forest. After finding this small mountain village, Shen Zhi decided to stay dormant for a while. On the one hand, he popularized the language first, and on the other hand, he digested the resources in the storage bag in order to break through the second level of the transformation. The most important thing is to let the two women settle down temporarily.

Relying on the two women's poisoning as an excuse, the three of them settled in this simple mountain village. The three cleverly bribed the villagers with a large amount of prey and soon gained a foothold.

Shen Zhi walked along the stone road to a square halfway up the mountain. There were shouts and fists here. A middle-aged man was teaching children to practice martial arts.

Shen Zhi stepped forward and greeted Uncle Daquan. This is a man named Tao Daquan, tall and burly, with strong muscles, giving people a strong sense of male power. His face was carved into firm lines by years and frost, and his deep eyes flashed with the sharpness and decisiveness of a hunter. A thick head of black hair fluttered in the air with his movements, adding a bit of wildness and unruliness to him.

It is said that he was discharged from the army and had seen the outside world.

Tao Daquan stretched out his hand to signal the children below to practice martial arts by themselves, and took Shen Zhi to a corner and said: "You have been here for more than a month, and you are getting along well. There is nothing worth looking forward to in this small mountain village, and it doesn't look like you are hiding from your enemies. Are you here for vacation or to experience life? If you want to detoxify, should you go to Fang City? In any case, I don't want you to bring disaster here. This small mountain village can't bear it."

Shen Zhi scratched his head and said: "Why does Uncle Quan think I am a young master? I just want to ask about the news of Fang City."

Tao Daquan said unhappily: "How do you look like a mud leg?" Paused He added, "Fang City is the gathering place for all the independent cultivators. There are all kinds of people there. If you want to get rid of the poison, it's best to ask there. However, I see you don't seem to be in a hurry."

Shen Zhi hurriedly said, "Why not? I'm going there, but I'm afraid I'm not strong enough. It's best to have someone I know take me there. Uncle Quan, are you still going?"

Tao Daquan shook his head, his sharp eyes seemed to become blank, and he looked into the distance and said, "I won't go there again. It's a place where people are eaten. If you don't have the strength, you can't even keep your tail between your legs. Be careful of the women there."

Shen Zhi was stunned. He had seen Tao Daquan's strength. In terms of strength, he was on par with him now. If he felt dangerous, then it would be extremely dangerous for him to go there.

He greeted again and said, "Uncle Quan, tell me the basic situation so that I can be prepared."

Tao Daquan still looked into the distance and said: "The Fang Market is a trading site controlled by the Xiuxian family. Currently, the one closest to our village is the Qingyuan Fang Market, which is controlled by the Zhao family of the Xiuxian family. They are like heaven there. The most important thing to pay attention to is Don't offend them. There are mainly trading of various resources, various shops, stalls, etc. The important thing is strength. Although you can't do anything in Fang Market, there are all kinds of ambushes, robbers, and demon cultivators outside at any time. Everyone is here. There is a struggle for resources, and according to the law of the jungle, some things have to be seen with one’s own eyes, especially women.”

Shen Zhi knew the danger as soon as he heard the law of the jungle, and the other party emphasized women several times. Could it be that he was hurt by love? He said with some embarrassment: "Uncle Quan, can you teach me your boxing skills? I currently lack an attack method."

Tao Daquan turned his head in confusion and said: "My Tiger Fist is the lowest form of boxing. Your body training looks pretty good. Could it be that you didn't practice boxing before but used heavenly materials and earthly treasures instead?"

Shen Zhishan reported: "Pretty much, I didn't practice boxing at home before."

Tao Daquan looked as if this was indeed the case, and said with a smile: "If you want to learn, I will teach you. This is a common commodity. It is very poor in both body refining and attack. It can only be used to beat wild beasts."

Shen Zhi quickly thanked him: "Thank you, uncle. If you need anything in the future, uncle, let me know. I heard that the most common moves can turn decay into magic. The strongest is still a human being."