Eternal Life as False Emperor

Hearing this voice, Elder Chen hurriedly signaled Zheng Yi not to make any sound, then opened the door and went out.

With a smile on his face, he said, "Steward Qing, it’s not that this old man doesn’t want to meet the quota."

"But you know our family’s situation, both my sons have died, leaving just this old bag of bones. Even if I work myself to death, I can’t pay up so much."

"Perhaps you could talk to the head steward and lower our quota as if it’s just one person’s share. I promise to fulfill it completely."

"Pah!" The man called Steward Qing said disdainfully, "What are you, thinking you can tell the master how to do things?"

"Let me tell you, this year’s quota is already set. Don’t think just because your family lost two members, even if your entire family turned into ghosts, you’d still have to meet the assigned quota."

"Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude."

Zheng Yi looked through the crack in the wooden board, watching that extremely arrogant guy.

Although Elder Chen called him Steward Qing, seeing that person’s not-so-decent clothing made it clear he’s just a small-time bully pretending to be powerful.

But as they say, the county magistrate is not as good as the village official. Elder Chen, being a commoner, spoke politely to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Yes, yes, Steward Qing, you’re right, it’s this old man speaking nonsense."

"I’ll follow you to the mine right now, and I’ll make sure to complete this year’s quota no matter what, so as not to trouble you."

Steward Qing snorted coldly, "You’d better do as you say, or it won’t be me in trouble, it’ll be you."

"You have the time of one incense stick to gather at the village, and I still need to call on a few other families."

"You lazy peasants, is there no one among you who can give me some peace of mind?"

After Steward Qing left, the old man returned to the house and took out a worn-out basket and an iron pickaxe from the nearby cabinet.

The wooden handle of the pickaxe was polished to a shine, indicating it was frequently used.

"Elder Chen, are you really going to mine?" Zheng Yi, though still unsure of what exactly Fire Rock Ore was,

knew well enough that, in any world, mining was undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs.

Even those strong young men might not endure such high-intensity work, let alone an elderly person like Elder Chen.

Moreover, through his conversation with Steward Qing, Zheng Yi could infer many things.

Clearly, even though Elder Chen’s two sons had died, it didn’t absolve him of the quota responsibility.

On the contrary, the workload that required two strong men was now unfairly placed on an old man’s shoulders.

Zheng Yi was certain if the old man actually went down the mine, he wouldn’t live long.

After all, the old man had saved him, and Zheng Yi couldn’t just ignore that.

"Elder, let me take on this job. Rest assured, I’ll make sure your quota is fulfilled."

But Elder Chen shook his head like a rattle-drum: "No, that’s absolutely not possible."

"Xiaozheng, I know you’re kind-hearted, but you absolutely cannot do this."

"Listen to this old man’s advice, once you’re involved in this, leaving won’t be easy."

"I understand," Zheng Yi said seriously, "but I can’t just watch you walk to your death, can I?"

Zheng Yi understood Elder Chen’s concern; as someone with no clear background suddenly appearing here, without a suitable identity, he would surely draw the Zhao Family’s attention.

So, Zheng Yi could only appear as Elder Chen’s relative.

It was easy for such a person to show up, but leaving later would be...

exceedingly difficult.

Even though Zheng Yi didn’t want to draw attention, Elder Chen had saved him, and he couldn’t just watch the old man walk to his death.

Moreover, it was also an opportunity to understand this world more deeply.

Zheng Yi had another, even more important reason for his choice.

The Azure Moon Flame Emperor wanted to draw him into his Origin World to kill him.

But, well...

Princess Iron Fan swallowed Sun Wukong; who wins and who loses is just beginning to unfold.

"I’ll leave my younger son’s tools to you, Xiaozheng," Elder Chen said, handing over a set of mining tools to Zheng Yi.

Only after picking it up did Zheng Yi realize, to his surprise, that this seemingly ordinary iron pickaxe was much heavier than he thought.

When probing with Divine Sense, he discovered that the materials used to make the pickaxe were actually Refined Gold Iron, which can be used for Qi Cultivation.

Though this kind of Refined Gold Iron is the most basic refining material, primarily used for crafting Spiritual Artifacts at the Foundation Establishment Stage,

it is still a refining material, not ordinary mortal iron.

In the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty, a fist-sized piece of this material could be worth ten thousand gold taels.

Yet here it was made into a mining pickaxe.

Although astonished, Zheng Yi’s face showed no change.

Each world has its unique circumstances, and since mining pickaxes require materials used in making Spiritual Artifacts,

the Fire Rock Ore they are mining clearly isn’t ordinary material.

"Xiaozheng, if Steward Qing asks later, I’ll tell him you’re my distant nephew. As long as you can work, they won’t scrutinize your identity."

After thinking for a moment, Elder Chen reminded, "Xiaozheng, since you’re a cultivator, you’re different from us ordinary people."

"That Zhao Qing is just a dog of the Zhao Family. If he says anything inappropriate later, don’t take it to heart, for my sake."

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