Immortality: Raising an Ant Queen to Cultivate by increasing stat points - Chapter 503 - Chapter 503: Chapter 495: People Die for Wealth

Chapter 503: Chapter 495: People Die for Wealth

“Ah… you’re not joking, are you? That Scorpion Spirit is extremely terrifying, and one careless move could mean death!”

Liu Shengli’s face turned pale with fright.

His wife was equally terrified, spilling the tea she was holding.

“Rest assured, I know you have a wife and children, and I don’t need you to enter the mountain valley. Just showing me the way will suffice,” Qin Niu had heard about the Scorpion Demon from Fire Phoenix early on, but at that time his powers were too weak, so he didn’t dare to investigate.

For any Insect Master, the temptation of a wild mystical creature is something no one could resist.

They would certainly try every means to subdue it.

Qin Niu holding back until now was already acting in an extremely rational manner.

“It’s, it’s not that. I am very concerned for your safety, you are our Shuangfeng Village’s guardian deity…” Upon hearing that he didn’t have to enter the valley, the tense expression on Liu Shengli’s face visibly relaxed.

His glib tongue was skilled in speech, and he immediately expressed his utmost loyalty to Qin Niu.

“Enough, enough, take your woodcutting tools and lead the way! Sister-in-law, rest assured, I will definitely not let your man take any risks. I’m just asking him to point out the road,” Qin Niu said, looking towards Liu Shengli’s wife.

“Thank you, Master Qin, for your compassion! Thank you, Master Qin, for your compassion!”

She was no longer courteous, but repeatedly bowed deeply to Qin Niu.

Liu Shengli took an axe and two bundles of thick ropes and came out of the house.

“Wife, take good care of the children at home, I’ll be back after I show Master Qin the way.” His affection for his wife seemed quite strong, with a look of reluctance in both of their eyes.

His wife just bit her thin red lips and nodded vigorously.

Watching Liu Shengli leave with Qin Niu, she chased out and, leaning on the door frame, shouted, “Master Qin, I entrust my husband to you, please don’t let him enter that mountain valley!”

“Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong!”

Qin Niu waved his hand and strode forward.

Liu Shengli led the way in front, but went straight towards a mountain range next to Fire Phoenix Mountain.

“Is the valley just ahead?”

With the cultivation of the Spirit Qi Realm and his Step-Method Martial Skill, Qin Niu easily followed behind Liu Shengli.

“After you climb over these several mountains ahead, you can see a very secluded valley. Even in broad daylight, the valley is still very dark, and the trees are particularly lush. The valley is filled with many camphor trees and wild vines, as well as some ancient nanmu trees.

Stumbling upon that valley was a chance discovery.

Once, when the eldest young master of the Yan Family was getting married, the Yan Family wanted to make a proper set of furniture for him. At that time, they looked in the city, perhaps thinking the price was too high and not satisfied with the styles, so they planned to use their own carpenters to make the furniture.

Making furniture themselves could indeed save a lot of money, but valuable timber wasn’t easy to find.

Especially large, valuable timbers were extremely hard to come by.

At the time, the Yan Family announced to all the woodcutters in Jade Stream Town that they would pay a high price for nanmu and rosewood. The price they offered was indeed very tempting.

For nanmu trees with a diameter over three inches, it was one tael of silver per meter. For rosewood trees with a diameter over three inches, it was six mace of silver per meter.

Our family was very poor at the time, and my brother was already of an age to take a wife. I was still quite young then, just over ten years old. My brother was envious of others who were able to cuddle with their wives in warm beds, and he really wanted to start a family.

You also know that our Liu Family has been woodcutters for generations, making a living by felling and chopping wood.

Seeing the Yan Family offering high prices for golden teak and rosewood, my brother’s heart fluttered. Early the next morning, he pulled me aside and whispered to me, “Brother, an opportunity for our family to turn things around has come with the Yan Family paying top dollar for precious timber.”

“Today, let’s go into the mountain and look for golden teak and rosewood. If we find two or three larger trees, the money for both of us to get married will be taken care of.”

At that time, I was still young, only vaguely understanding the matter of getting married.

However, every time I heard someone ridicule our family for not being able to afford a bride, my heart felt bitter.

So I followed my brother with our axes and ropes, provisions, and water, and entered the mountain.

After a tough search, heaven favored the diligent, and we brothers discovered two golden teak trees, one large and one small, outside that valley. The larger one was as thick as an adult’s waist, and the smaller one had a diameter of about four inches. This made us extremely happy.

My brother was even more ecstatic, his face flushed with excitement as he vigorously patted my shoulder and said with an intense fervor I’d never heard before, “Brother, we’ve got enough for four marriages now. I’m twenty-one now and still haven’t taken a wife, haven’t even touched a woman’s hand; the nights are truly lonely! Life is too hard for a man without a wife. I will never let you suffer like that.”

“The moment you turn fifteen, I’ll immediately have a matchmaker find you a beautiful girl.”

Reminiscing about these past events, Liu Shengli’s face showed an unprecedented tenderness, while tears slid down his cheeks.

Who would have thought that the shrewd and businesslike Liu Shengli could also be so sentimental?

It’s clear that he had a deep bond with his brother.

Qin Niu only knew that Liu Tieniu had been short-lived, having heard he was injured while chopping wood in the mountains, and after lying at home for a few days, he died. The specifics of his death, the Liu Family never shared with outsiders.

At the time, Qin Niu was only four or five years old and understood nothing.

He spent his days following the older children, playing in the mud.

Looking back now, Liu Tieniu’s death was related to that incident with the golden teak trees.

They were just ordinary men; facing a Scorpion Demon, anyone could guess the outcome with their toes.

“We rushed to the two golden teak trees with our axes, full of excitement. But just as we reached the trees, I quickly spotted a rusty axe lying there. Clearing the dead leaves on the ground surface, we found a decomposed skeleton.”

I was so scared at the time that I nearly wet my pants.

My brother was also quite frightened.

He quickly realized the danger and deliberately made up an excuse for me to wait for him at a distance. I was also foolish at that time; he told me to stand on the mountain peak opposite and keep watch for him, to alert him immediately if anyone approached.

The smaller golden teak tree was felled without any mishaps, and everything went smoothly.

After it fell, my brother dragged it about two or three hundred meters from the valley before calling me over to help.

We transported that golden teak tree back home.

Taking it to the Yan Family, after measuring its length at just over five meters, it indeed sold for five taels of silver.

Earning five taels of silver in one go, my brother and my parents were especially pleased.

The very next day, the three of us went into the mountain together, planning to cut down and bring back the larger golden teak tree.

The larger and more precious the timber, the more valuable it was. The tree we sold yesterday, which had a diameter of less than four inches, fetched five taels of silver, so this larger one could definitely sell for twenty or thirty taels.

My father and brother worked on cutting the tree, while I was once again arranged by my brother to stand guard on the opposite mountain peak.

In the beginning, everything went smoothly, but right after the big tree was felled, I heard my father scream and then shout to my brother, “Tieniu, run fast, this beast is fierce!”