Chapter 12: Comprehensive Development

Master Liu held a sharp knife over a foot long as he explained to her which angle and which precise spot along the pig’s throat to pierce, so that the blade would reach the heart. Then, with a ninety-degree twist, one could ensure a swift death. In the process, the pig’s four legs needed to be suspended in the air, leaving it powerless to struggle, and so on.

Under Master Liu’s guidance, Yun Qing arranged the tools, her gaze lingering on that foot-long blade in the rack, her heart pounding with unease.

The pig, its unknown level marked in white letters above its head, was driven from the pen. Yun Qing felt as if she were dreaming, unable to fully fathom what she was about to do. She forced herself to concentrate, filling her mind with nothing but each of Master Liu’s meticulous instructions.

With Master Liu and another assistant’s help, they cornered the pig near a wide bench. The moment Yun Qing grasped its front hooves with both hands and lifted with all her might, the white letters above the pig’s head turned red, a long bar of blood appearing, and a ferocious struggle surged through her grip.

Together, the three hoisted the pig onto the bench. Yun Qing banished all stray thoughts, focusing only on the next step Master Liu had taught her. With all her strength, her left hand pinned the pig, quelling its thrashing. The pig’s desperate screeches were lost to her ears; all she saw was the sharp blade in her right hand and the crimson crosshair at the pig’s throat.

Angle. Force. Everything in place. Without a hint of hesitation, Yun Qing drove the knife exactly as Master Liu had instructed, then twisted it another ninety degrees. She did not hesitate, for she knew that the pig’s dying spasms could easily injure her.

She watched the pig’s health bar drop—from full to a quarter, and as she twisted the knife, to a sliver. Withdrawing the blade, she let the blood flow into the wooden basin they had prepared.

Combat Experience +220.
Combat Level increased to 6.

Setting down the bloodied blade, Yun Qing kept her left hand tightly clamped on the pig’s front hooves until the last drop of blood ceased to flow.

Her heart was a tangle of emotions and tension. Yet there was someone even more nervous—Master Liu, closely watching his apprentice’s first kill. He’d been anxious she might falter, strike the wrong spot, or injure herself. He wished he could have taken her place.

Not a single step was missed. It was only after Yun Qing put down the knife that Master Liu let out a deep sigh of relief.

The usually cheerful girl had worn a blank expression for a long time now.

Master Liu picked up a bottle of strong liquor. “Drink this, then go rest a while. The first time killing a pig always leaves you a bit unsettled, but you’ll get used to it. If you ever run into two wild boars out there, you won’t have the luxury to rest.”

Yun Qing took the liquor and downed it in one gulp. The fiery liquid burned all the way down, spreading warmth through a body that had never felt so cold.

It was only then she noticed how icy her hands and feet were, her blood having drawn in to protect her core—her body poised for combat.

Her voice was hoarse as she said, “Alright! I’ll go boil water.”

Yun Qing knew this world was perilous. The world of cultivation was far crueler than the slaughterhouse of Leaf Village—she would have to steel her heart further, for even more blood and death awaited her.

By the time the cauldron was boiling, Yun Qing had braced herself. In this other world, she had to become stronger.

Master Liu had already finished skinning the carcass, and he and another worker were busy with the viscera.

Skinning technically fell under the gathering skill, but skinning a pig demanded a higher level than she currently possessed, so Yun Qing could not assist. She helped separate the meat—different cuts, trotters, and hocks, each sorted appropriately. That much she could manage.

The villagers of Leaf Village had only a few categories for pork, but Yun Qing, coming from the modern world, knew a far greater variety.

Apprentices were expected to learn how to butcher as well, so Yun Qing took over from Master Liu, gathering the pork. Her first attempt was rough, but with the aid of her gathering skill, she soon learned to cut meat as deftly as the legendary butcher, avoiding bones and using skillful force to portion the meat perfectly.

To keep herself from overthinking, Yun Qing left the slaughterhouse for the smithy, where she worked for more than two hours, exhausting herself so completely that she fell asleep as soon as she returned, ready for another day.

From the day Yun Qing learned to butcher pigs, most of Master Liu’s work fell to her.

Apprentices did not earn wages, but since Yun Qing was always buying meat, Master Liu, wanting to help her save some silver, set aside a two-pound cut for her each day—a delight for Liuliu.

Of course, Yun Qing did not give all the meat to Liuliu; she stashed a portion in her system backpack as reserve rations.

Even with Master Liu’s kindness, the system still showed no favorability for him. Indeed, fate and innate talent were not given to all.

Time slipped by—half a month passed. Her character level reached eleven, gathering skill thirteen, combat twelve, crafting eleven.

She felt neither fondness nor aversion for the slaughterhouse work; she had overcome her psychological discomfort.

During this time, she dedicated herself to leveling up and mastering her strength, earning no silver.

She unlocked several achievements, each awarding her skill points. Including those collected while gathering herbs, she now had eight skill points.

Ye Little Wolf had gained another point of favor with her, as had Master Li, whose favor increased daily—though still at the acquaintance stage, it had reached thirty. She had drawn the lottery three times, earning three passive skills.

Her gathering skill, Dexterous Hands, increased her speed and success rate. Her crafting skill, Robust Physique, made her more adept at using her strength. Her combat skill, Indomitable Will, bolstered her courage.

Though she had unlocked these, the wretched system had all her skills at level zero; with no bonuses at that level, each skill needed five taels of silver and a skill point to reach level one.

With no recent income, Yun Qing could not afford to learn them.

Desperate for money, she once stared blankly as villagers paid for weapons at the smithy, which abruptly halted Master Li’s daily increase in favor.

Lacking crafting experience, Yun Qing could only set aside thoughts of silver and devote herself to work at the smithy. She could repair ordinary tools and forge some household implements, but weapon-making was still beyond her skill.

She could finally discern the pigs’ level: twenty.

To reach combat level thirteen, she now needed 2,200 experience points. Killing a chicken yielded just four, a pig two hundred, a sheep twenty-four. She slaughtered a pig daily, a sheep occasionally.

As an apprentice, she had learned all she could; the slaughterhouse no longer offered much in the way of experience. It was time for a change.

She had already informed Ye Little Wolf that she would join the hunting party as a laborer the next day. At level eleven, she still could not see Ye Little Wolf’s level.

On her last day as an apprentice at the slaughterhouse, Yun Qing cleaned thoroughly, wiped down the tools again and again, and put them away.

Her half month there had changed her view of butchers. Master Liu, her teacher, was a good man, teaching her everything he could without reservation. Liuliu adored him as well.

Yet, even so, Master Liu still did not appear among her favorability ratings.