Chapter 11: A Test Meal

Could it be, that the obvious signs of destruction he had

seen were caused by himself? Impossible! He was only at the 2nd

lev..

What?? When did I

progress to the 3rd level of Absorption? How did I progress so fast? But, there's still no way I could cause such a scene!

Jia Yuan only just realized that he had progressed, which

was rather normal. When he had progressed to the 3rd level of

Absorption, his soul was still in the process of returning to his body and he

was not yet aware of any changes in his body.

But still, this speed was simply too frightening! Wan Shi

didn’t know, but Jia Yuan understood that he had progressed from the 1st

level of Absorption to the 3rd level of Absorption in mere minutes!

Usually, progressing required hours upon hours of training

in both the body and the soul. In addition, although Jia Yuan did not know, the

Song of Swords had the rather dangerous requirement of only being able to

progress when the owner’s life was in sufficient danger. For example, a battle

or a fight to the death.

Jia Yuan realized that his body and mind must have been put

through an even higher level of exertion than he had imagined, and at the same

time realized that he had been the cause of the destruction. Come to think of

it, when he came to, the ground around himself had been covered by scorch marks

and the bodies of dead bandits.

Quick, I need an

answer!

Wan Shi was still standing in front of Jia Yuan, puzzled at

his silence. He was starting to feel as if he had asked too much.

“It’s okay, young one. If you do not wish to answer, it is

fine. I was just curious and I shouldn’t of asked so much.”

“Nono, mister. It is just that I only just realized that I

had caused the destruction I saw earlier. I am very deeply sorry.”

“It is fine young sir, it is just as the Elder’s son said.

If you hadn’t intervened, we definitely would’ve suffered many more losses and

may even have been wiped out. If that had happened, it truly would have been

tragic. At least with your help, we should be able to survive.”

Jia Yuan calmed down, and he and Wan Shi swapped some small

talk until the women and children of the village returned.

A woman burst through the door of the house, followed by a boy and a girl, both looking to be around Jia Yuan’s age.

“Honey, are you alright?”

“I’m alright, I’m alright. Look at you, worrying so much.

Hey, calm yourself, we have a guest!”

“Oh! Sorry! How are you?”

She turned to look at Jia Yuan. What she saw puzzled her. Why

was child who was obviously not from the village in her house? Why were his

clothes so tattered?

“Honey, meet Jia Yuan, Jia Yuan, meet my wife Guo Yi. Dear,

if it wasn’t for this child, the village may have been overrun.”

“Truly?” Guo Yi faced Jia Yuan and bowed “Thank you for

saving the village! Here, we’ll treat you to a feast!”

Wan Shi was actually a rather successful farmer, and so

while his family was not able to be wasteful, they could acquire some extra

food for occasions such as these. Thankfully, their farm was on the far side of

the village, and had not been harmed by the bandits.

Guo Yi was still confused, but she went to prepare the feast

for Jia Yuan. She decided that she would ask her husband about it later.

After about half an hour of preparation, she had finally

prepared all of the dishes.

Jia Yuan had been watching the entire time, and at this

point, the dishes he saw on the table combined with the aromas floating through

the air had caused him to salivate tremendously.

Guo Yi saw, and laughed. “Alright everyone, dinner is ready!

Enjoy!”

Everyone crowded around the table of dishes and started

eating. As for Jia Yuan, he started wolfing down the world as his he had six stomachs.

How can you blame him? He was a slave, and only ever ate

congee. His meal with piece of unseasoned meat was probably the best meal he

had ever had as a slave. Now, in front of him, he had vegetable congee, eggs,

and various meats, along with some fermented cabbage: kimchi.

The eggs and meats were beautifully seasoned, and the smell

was mouth-watering. The kimchi looked beautiful as well.

However, this in part was a trap laid by Guo Yi and Wan Shi.

They were very curious as to what kind of background Jia Yuan had, and

tableside manners are a great indication.

If he was a noble or even an evicted son of a noble family,

he should have great table manners. With the strength he had shown earlier, Wan

Shi was almost completely convinced that Jia Yuan was in some way connected to

a noble.

However… the way this child ate was simply too unrefined!