[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult":3,"chapter-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-39":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Don't Mock the Poor Old Man: Gains a Year of Cultivation Every Day!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312531,4520,"Chapter 39: Killing! Searching the Corpses! Gathering the Spoils!","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-39",39,"\u003Cp>How could it have disappeared...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yiyi’s heart plummeted sharply, as if gripped by an invisible hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seventy-year-old frail old man vanished suddenly after the battle ended...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sinister thought slithered up from her heart like a venomous snake, sending a chill through her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Jiang Lao have been...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hesitating for a moment, Liu Yiyi could only take a deep breath and walk with slightly heavy steps to Liu Qingshi’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingshi crouched beside Guo Wei, his hands caked in blood, tightly binding the wound on the severed arm with a torn piece of clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Wei’s face was as pale as paper, already half-unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingshi’s brows were knotted tight, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, yet his hands moved with unwavering steadiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father,” Liu Yiyi’s voice was soft, yet heavy with suppressed dread, “Jiang Lao... is gone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingshi’s hands, still wrapping the cloth, froze mid-motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his head up—those eyes, usually as steady as a mountain, now revealed rare turmoil and disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even during the bloody duel with the seven-killing sect’s ugly man moments ago, when life and death hung in the balance, his expression had never shifted so violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Jiang... is gone?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leapt to his feet, ignoring the blood still dripping from his hands, and charged into the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze, sharp as a hawk’s, swept every face, every corner, every shadow where someone might be hiding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has Old Jiang disappeared?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yan heard the news too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had just survived a bloody battle; her gentle face was disheveled, strands of hair fallen loose, her robe splattered with bloodstains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Liu Yiyi’s words, she paused briefly, then joined Liu Qingshi in searching the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the result was the same as Liu Yiyi’s—nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After repeated searches by several people, they finally confirmed: Jiang Ye had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, I’m sorry—I failed to protect Jiang Lao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yiyi’s face was filled with guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingshi remained silent, giving a slight shake of his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the situation had been too chaotic—hundreds of refugees had surged forward at once; for Liu Yiyi to protect her mother, Huang Xiyu, from harm was already extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, those refugees are like bloodthirsty beasts—kill anyone they see, steal anything they can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen walked up to the silent Liu Qingshi and said gravely, “In just that brief moment, several of our Su family’s maids were snatched in the chaos. Old Jiang is old, his legs are weak—perhaps he was accidentally carried off by those thieves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Liu Qingshi’s eyes narrowed sharply, his foot slammed down, and his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, racing after the fleeing refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey—Liu brother!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had meant to tell Liu Qingshi that Jiang Ye, the old gatekeeper, was almost certainly dead, urging him to accept it and not delay their journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected Liu Qingshi to charge after the refugees without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guo Wei had lost an arm and was critically wounded; Liu Qingshi was now the strongest fighter in the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he went chasing after refugees, this was madness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if they encountered more seven-killing sect demons?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu brother!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Chen shouted loudly, trying to call Liu Qingshi back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Liu Qingshi’s speed was too great—in a few breaths, his figure blurred and vanished from everyone’s sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good man... please spare my life!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A filthy, disheveled refugee was lifted by one hand by Liu Qingshi, his face twisted in despair, weeping and begging:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I swear, I never saw a seventy-year-old old man!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, we only kidnap women!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The usually kind Liu Qingshi stared coldly at the weeping refugee, his eyes filled only with icy killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slammed his palm directly onto the refugee’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dull, heavy sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His powerful, overwhelming force crushed the refugee’s body into pulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingshi, unwilling to give up, pressed forward in pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after capturing over a dozen fleeing refugees, their answers were nearly identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had seen the seventy-year-old man; no one had taken him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good man, spare me... ahhhh—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid a piercing scream, another refugee was reduced to pulp by Liu Qingshi’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qingshi’s light blue robe was now drenched crimson with blood, yet his fury showed no sign of abating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood motionless for a long while, his face etched with guilt and pain, murmuring softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Jiang, you once saved my life... yet I...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He longed to keep chasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his remaining reason told him: he must not pursue further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, Liu Yiyi, the Lady, and the Su family’s group would be left vulnerable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhhhhh!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, his guilt and pain erupted into a roar of helpless rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under cover of night, Jiang Ye pursued the seven-killing sect demon at a steady, unhurried pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His figure moved like a spirit deer weaving through the mountains and forests—each step light as if treading on clouds, silent as falling snow, not even stirring a single dry blade of grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire aura was completely suppressed, as if merged with heaven and earth—this was the true essence of the Deer Form he had just realized: Startled Deer Leaves No Trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very moment the chaos erupted, he had slipped away from the group unnoticed, vanishing into the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no impulsive act—it had been planned since the moment Liu Qingshi announced they would travel with the Su family to Fucheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: publicly, he was merely a frail, elderly gatekeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He possessed the power of Hua Jing, yet could never reveal it before others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t tell Liu Qingshi that after receiving the Five Animals Fist manual from him, he had mastered Hua Jing in half a month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such an impossible advancement defied all logic; the secret of the Divine Ascension Path was his greatest lifeline in this chaotic world—he could never expose it to anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, hiding in the chaos, shifting from light to shadow, was his best choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this way, he could remain hidden, protect the Liu family from afar, and decide whether to act based on the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could advance or retreat at will—far more flexible than openly trailing the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the recent battle, he had watched everything from the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven-killing sect’s ugly man had been severely wounded by Liu Qingshi’s punch and fled, spitting blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye knew this was a prey he could not let escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the man returned to report, more seven-killing sect demons would come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this man had committed countless atrocities—he must have amassed a fortune through unjust means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this chaotic age, silver and elixirs were power; resources offered so openly must not be refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For any reason, this man must die by his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in the wilderness, a sparse grove of hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short, grotesque man, his face twisted like a night demon, staggered into the grove and collapsed among thick wild grass, gasping for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deep indentation on his back from Liu Qingshi’s punch was horrifying—each breath pulled at the wound, bringing up bloody froth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, I misjudged this one—there was a real monster in this herd of sheep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gritted his teeth, took a breath, and spat another mouthful of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not trained in hardened body arts, his flesh far stronger than an ordinary man’s, Liu Qingshi’s punch would have shattered his spine outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s all that damn Black Wu’s fault for not showing up to meet me—if we’d teamed up, what sheep couldn’t we have devoured?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ugly man cursed bitterly, “That lustful bastard is probably off screwing some woman right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll find him once I’ve recovered... as for those sheep, they won’t get away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ugly man carefully pulled a jade vial from his chest and poured out a red elixir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the elixir appeared, the air around it filled with a foul, bloody stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ugly man brought the elixir to his nose and inhaled deeply—the stench, to him, seemed like the sweetest fragrance, bringing a look of rapture to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the pain in his back seemed to ease slightly with that single breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This... this is the taste...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He murmured, opened his mouth, and placed the elixir inside—just as he was about to swallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A piercing sound, sharp enough to tear the air, suddenly exploded behind his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ugly man didn’t even have time to turn around—before he could react, a withered fist slammed hard into the back of his skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>THUD!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A muffled crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skull was unusually hard; this powerful punch didn’t shatter it outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But sometimes, being tough means enduring greater torment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two bloody eyeballs were violently shaken from their sockets by the force, trailing blood and shattered tendons, rolling onto the ground, caked with dead leaves and dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight was eerie and chilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“AHHHH!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shrill scream, inhuman in its agony, ripped through the silence of the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ugly man clutched his empty eye sockets with both hands, collapsing forward like a puppet with its strings cut, writhing wildly on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood elixir he hadn’t yet swallowed rolled out of his gaping mouth, smeared in blood, and vanished deep into the grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this moment, beyond unimaginable agony and rage, what filled his heart most was an overwhelming flood of terror and despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had trained in hardening arts for years; his senses far surpassed those of ordinary men. Even a master at the peak of Hua Jing could not approach within three zhang of his back without being detected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instinctively, he wanted to turn around, to see the face of his attacker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had already lost his eyes—he would never know what his killer looked like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? His head’s surprisingly hard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his opponent’s skull withstand a single punch, Jiang Ye’s aged eyes flickered with surprise, then he swung two more punches without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>THUD! THUD!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two thunderous crashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ugly man’s incredibly tough skull finally gave way, exploding violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grotesque body twitched a few times, then fell utterly still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After killing him, Jiang Ye efficiently began looting the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? What’s this...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye reached out casually and pulled two hidden manuals from the ugly man’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was The Blood Moon Blade, its strokes sharp and steeped in bloodlust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was The Golden Hardening Body Art, its characters ancient and weighty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye’s aged eyes instantly gleamed with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>",1768,"2026-06-20T12:57:27.461Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d905d416ec1a6203363cbfbde05addb9ba51c89e0423c9192d698acc1facb391","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-40","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-38",268,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdon-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-cover.jpg"]