[{"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-43":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},2312535,4520,"Chapter 43: Calming! Life and Death! Sobs!","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>Moonlight spilled like water over the wilderness, just after a life-or-death battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old sir, if you feel guarding the herb garden is too idle a post, there are others...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the old man suddenly freeze, Wen Yueyao assumed he found the idle post beneath him and was about to suggest another assignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no no!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye waved his hands rapidly, his usually cold, hard face breaking into a rare smile, wrinkles bunching together: “An idle post is perfect! At my age, this is all I’m fit for! If you make me take another job, these old bones of mine won’t survive it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m glad you’re willing, old sir.” Wen Yueyao exhaled in relief, a genuine smile spreading across her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She added, “Though this idle post pays few contribution points monthly, rest assured, once you’re settled in the sect, I’ll transfer some of my own contribution points to you so you can quickly accumulate enough to exchange for a Qi Nourishment Method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then the old man thanks you, young lady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye smiled broadly and bowed deeply to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old sir, please don’t say that.” Wen Yueyao’s expression turned solemn, each word deliberate: “Compared to your life-saving deed today, this is nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words carried no falsehood, not a trace of pretense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye wasn’t just a savior to her—had he not acted in time...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would now be Black Old Five’s plaything, broken and abused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dared not imagine further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely the image flashing through her mind sent icy chills through her body, as if she’d plunged into a frozen abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worse than death”—for the first time, she truly understood those four words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She steadied herself, reached into her robe, and pulled out a token forged of black iron, offering it to Jiang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The token still carried the warmth of a young girl’s body, faintly emitting a delicate, maidenly fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By moonlight, the front bore a delicate character: “Wen.” The back held three bold, powerful characters: “Tianqing Sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old sir, I still have unfinished business and won’t return to the sect for several days,” Wen Yueyao explained. “This is my True Disciple token. Take it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go first to Fucheng. When you reach the Tianqing Sect’s Shanmen, present this token, and someone will arrange lodging for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll assign you an official post when I return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye took the token—it was heavy in his hand, clearly made of exceptional material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He studied it briefly, then tucked it into his robe, close to his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well. I’ll follow your arrangement and take my leave,” he said, lifting his gaze to Wen Yueyao, voice low and steady:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch your safety on the road!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not a meddling man, and did not ask what urgent matter she still had to complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she persisted in going despite her battered state, it must be something vital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asking would serve no purpose—he’d better stay silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You too, old sir, take care,” Wen Yueyao nodded slightly to Jiang Ye, her face breaking into a bright smile: “See you at Tianqing Sect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were decisive people, with no unnecessary formalities or small talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After bidding farewell, they turned and walked away in opposite directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye headed toward the Su family’s caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to catch up with them quickly and secretly guard Liu Qingshi’s family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Yueyao headed toward Anxi County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moonlight stretched their two figures long—one east, one west—until both vanished into the boundless night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within Anxi County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep in a secluded dwelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows across the room’s furnishings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man in a black robe stood silently by the window, dark energy swirling and coiling around him like living things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dark energy obscured his face, leaving only a pair of eyes as deep and still as ancient wells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand, he held a crystal ball the size of a fist, within which a thin strand of dark red blood drifted slowly, as if searching for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long moments passed. The blood strand halted, motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man shook his head slightly, voice hoarse and calm, as if speaking to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The blood sacrifice is complete, yet nothing stirs. The secret treasure isn’t here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A whisper of wind came from afar. The black-robed man sensed it, and tucked the crystal ball away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, an old man with half-gray hair and a long, narrow scar across his face entered like a breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Bai Lisan—the man who had infiltrated the Zhang household at night and coerced Zhang He into becoming an inside agent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, blood stained his lips, his breath ragged and uneven—he bore serious injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, the Tianqing Sect brats arrived quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lisan reported respectfully to the black-robed man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since they’re here, let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man spoke indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go?” Bai Lisan snapped his head up, eyes wide with disbelief: “Lord, aren’t we going to kill all these brats? With your strength...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t finished when a cold gaze settled upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t sharp—but it froze his blood as if it had turned to ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killing these little fish holds no meaning for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-robed man let out a scornful laugh, his deep eyes fixed on Bai Lisan: “And when did you gain the right to question my words? Do you truly think you’re one of the Qisha Sect now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gul...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meeting that haunting gaze, the blood-soaked Bai Lisan felt as if he’d plunged into an ice vault—every hair on his body stood on end, and he swallowed hard, fear undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not look again, instinctively lowering his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long moments passed before he forced down his terror and trembled slightly, lifting his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the black-robed man was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the County Magistrate’s mansion, the air was thick enough to drip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>County Magistrate Gao He sat nervously on the guest seat, restless as if needles pricked his seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes kept darting furtively toward the young man on the main seat—each glance tightened his chest further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man wore the green-and-blue robes of a sect disciple, his face refined and handsome, seemingly no older than twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the nobility and arrogance radiating from his brow made anyone dare not underestimate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More astonishingly, he radiated heat like a furnace, a faint flame-like aura clinging to his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even half a meter away, Gao He could feel the scorching warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was Zheng Feng, True Disciple of Tianyangfeng in the Tianqing Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With Zheng Zhenchuan here, the unrest in Anxi County should end soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao He forced a smile, cautiously breaking the suffocating silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zheng Feng merely glanced at him, showing no intention to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, two Tianqing Sect disciples strode into the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One carried a man like a dead dog, tossing him carelessly to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Brother Zheng, we’ve figured out why the city gate fell so quickly—it was this man who betrayed us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we found him, he was packing to flee—we broke both his legs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man thrown to the floor was Zhang He, head of the Zhang family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh... huh...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he bore no trace of a noble patriarch—hair disheveled, legs severed, gasping in pain like a dying stray dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang He? You were the traitor?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao He stared in disbelief at the broken man on the floor, exclaiming aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d known a traitor existed within the city—but never imagined it would be the Zhang family, a clan entrenched in Anxi County for generations, entwined with every other family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang He barely lifted his head, glancing at Gao He and the young man on the main seat. His eyes held fear and venom—but also a deep sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since he agreed to be the traitor, he’d known this day would come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never expected it so soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling his life of wicked deeds, a terrifying thought flashed through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be retribution?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why did the Qisha Sect demons target him and not some other noble family in the city?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Brother Zheng, what should we do with this man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One disciple looked to Zheng Feng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Need you ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Feng finally spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose, stepped forward—and stood before Zhang He in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scorching aura surged violently, like a volcano about to erupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his hand and brought it down lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A searing wave of energy exploded through the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heat wave was scorching, forcing Gao He to stagger backward, barely avoiding a fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Tianqing Sect disciples stood utterly still, only slightly narrowing their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaahhh—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a shrill scream pierced the air, Zhang He became a living flame in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson flames burst from every inch of his skin, lapping at his flesh, bones, and internal organs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thrashed wildly, rolling on the ground, his severed legs useless; he twisted and convulsed like a worm engulfed in fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scream rose higher, sharper, until it abruptly cut off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground remained only a charred, twisted heap of remains, still emitting thin wisps of smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stench of burnt flesh hung thick in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao He’s eyelid twitched violently—he saw this former acquaintance now truly turned into a “cooked” man—and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His family,” Zheng Feng turned, his voice as flat as if giving a routine order, “leave none alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!” Gao He bowed instantly, sweat beading on his brow, “Zheng Zhenchuan, rest assured—I’ll see this done right. Not a single fish will slip through!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After tonight, Anxi County will know no Zhang family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the first faint light of dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chaos within Anxi County gradually subsided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the shouts, screams, and footsteps faded, the city was filled instead with the weeping of common folk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Tianqing Sect disciples arrived in time, this night’s turmoil shattered countless families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless souls lost their dearest kin forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the weeping seemed to lament the world’s chaos and unrest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure stumbled and ran toward the Qingshi Martial Academy’s gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was none other than Shi Lei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, he and his mother hid in the cellar, listening to the shouts, screams, and footsteps outside, enduring the entire night in dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when dawn’s faint light appeared and the outside fell silent did he dare crawl out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first act was to rush to the academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope Master Liu and Jiang Lao are safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Lei stared at the academy’s once-thick gate now lying shattered on the ground, his heart tightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was his martial master; the other, the elder who inspired him to revive the martial way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hoped neither had come to harm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a deep breath, stepped over the fallen gate, and entered the chaotic courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the training yard, wooden dummies lay overturned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corridors, debris scattered everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several doors hung wide open, interiors ransacked, clearly looted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he saw no corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone that had weighed on his heart all night finally lifted a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi Shidi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice called from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Lei turned to see the academy’s senior brother, Zhao Gang, stumbling in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bore several wounds, his clothes stained with blood—none fatal, but his face pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhao Shixiong, you’re hurt!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Lei rushed over to support him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minor wounds, nothing serious,” Zhao Gang grinned, a hint of relief in his smile: “Given last night, just being alive is enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Lei nodded firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes met, each seeing the same emotion in the other’s gaze—alive, it was good to be alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi Shidi, the director and the others...” Zhao Gang paused, speaking softly, “they went to Fucheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Went to Fucheng?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Lei froze slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before leaving, the director told me—if fate allows, we’ll meet again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Gang gazed into the distance, his voice steady: “Once I break through Hua Jing, I’m going to Fucheng too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Lei followed Zhao Gang’s gaze, a determined expression settling on his face: “Zhao Shixiong, let’s work hard together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, in the wilderness:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ye finally caught up to the Su family’s caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>",2013,"2026-06-20T12:57:27.461Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5a6bd54f1a1ac88fa29f6f74db17e7c319e7eb165a2dca141fad35a16156c794","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-44","don-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-chapter-42",268,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdon-t-mock-the-poor-old-man-gains-a-year-of-cult-cover.jpg"]