The cost of making iron birch arrows was five for one copper coin. Black Ox's two martial uncles happily accepted this price. The two of them could produce around 340 arrows per day. Truly, ancestral craftsmanship was in a league of its own—far superior to Liu Weian's half-baked skills. The arrows they made were uniform in size and length, with a margin of error no greater than 0.2 millimeters. The embedding of the arrowheads, the number and direction of the fletchings, even the specific part of the feather used—all of it followed strict traditional standards. When Liu Weian compared their work to his own, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
However, he still gave them one suggestion: aesthetics didn't matter. These were disposable arrows—function over form.
For the two uncles who had spent a lifetime perfecting their craft, appearance was second nature. Though they didn't go as far as carving patterns into the shafts, the elegant swirls and flourishes remained. After accepting Liu Weian's suggestion, their output increased to about 400 arrows per day.
That worked out to 40 copper coins per person per day—a wage far above average. The typical laborer earned only 8 to 10 coins daily. Black Ox, who made a decent living driving carts, earned 12. Liu Weian felt a pang of shame; before fortune favored him, he'd only earned six a day, barely scraping by.
Now that arrows were no longer a concern, his efficiency in killing ghouls skyrocketed. When he was hungry, he ate; when he was tired, he used power seeds to replenish his stamina. From dawn till dusk, he was immersed in nonstop slaughter.
At night, he would log out and use power seeds to strengthen his body. After a night's sleep, not only was he fully recovered—he was stronger than the day before.
On day one, he killed 300 ghouls. Day two: 330. Day three: 350. On the fourth and fifth days, he hit 360. By the sixth day, it was 370.
Liu Weian began to notice that the initial explosive boost from the power seeds was starting to diminish. Though they were still enhancing his physique, the effects were now gradual, almost imperceptible.
He felt a tinge of regret but understood the reality. Power seeds were advanced elixirs—not divine miracles. They had already done more than enough.
Despite the grueling pace, Liu Weian was in high spirits. Earning a fortune each day—what could be better?
In six days, just the sale of ghouls earned him 6,624 silver coins. Thanks to Sun Shouwu and the "Not Dead Yet" pharmacy, he got a premium price; otherwise, he would've earned just a third of that. Including the loot from the meat sacs, his total savings had surpassed 7,000 silver coins. He rode with the cart every day, though he never caught a glimpse of the young lady, much to his disappointment.
It's worth noting that the Sun family wielded considerable influence. After they claimed all the ghouls, no one dared mess with Black Ox's caravan. Whether Liu Weian was there or not made no difference.
Black Ox and his companions had been just as busy—ferrying corpses back and forth—but like Liu Weian, they wore their exhaustion with pride. Making over a hundred copper coins a day—where else could they find such work? If this kept up, a comfortable life was just around the corner.
After logging off, Liu Weian removed his helmet and collapsed, utterly drained. Still, he didn't complain. After a quick dinner, he lay down and began taking power seeds. His strengthened body now required more energy—he swallowed thirty seeds before stopping. On day one, he'd only needed five.
The night passed quietly.
The next morning, Liu Weian awoke feeling the power coursing through his veins. He made a quick call to Zhou Xingchen, who happened to be finishing his last night shift for the month. After changing clothes, Liu Weian headed out.
They say clothes make the man, and it was true. After ditching his ragged attire, his whole demeanor transformed. He was already a handsome young man—slightly malnourished before, but now with meat in his diet and physical enhancements, his frame had filled out. His height had jumped from 168 cm to about 172. The new clothes, combined with his now-sharper features, made him a striking figure.
Walking down the street, Liu Weian noticed more heads turning his way. Sadly, few of them belonged to women—and the ones that did were mostly aunties and grannies. The only two young women he saw weren't worth mentioning. It made sense though; the truly beautiful ones wouldn't risk coming out so early. It wasn't even 7 a.m. yet.
The effects of last week's slave revolt were gradually fading. On street corners and under eaves, slaves had begun to gather again—some digging through trash, others begging with broken bowls in hand. Their eyes were cold, their faces expressionless.
Citizen Identity Department
"This is sixty gold coins," Liu Weian said, placing the money on the counter along with two sets of documents. "There are two more applicants."
"No problem," Zhou Xingchen's eyes lit up. Big business like this hadn't come by in a while. "As long as the money's right, anything can be arranged."
"Process mine first. The other two can wait a bit. Don't worry, you'll get your full cut," Liu Weian replied.
Zhou Xingchen pocketed the coins and glanced over the documents. He knew full well they were fabricated, but who cared? As long as the gold was real.
"Wait for my call."
Liu Weian nodded and left. He wasn't worried about being scammed—he'd done his homework. These people were greedy, but they had a reputation to maintain. As long as the money was good, they delivered.
He picked up a package, bought breakfast, and went home. With his recent wealth, he'd returned to three meals a day instead of one—or none. He didn't pay much attention to Zhao Nannan, but Zhao Xin, the younger girl, had noticeably healthier skin these past few days.
After breakfast, he logged back in.
The Cemetery
By now, the graveyard had become his private domain. It was remote, and the toxic miasma kept others away. Even though antidote pills were available now, most people turned away after seeing the price tag.
Five days flew by. Liu Weian was now killing 400 ghouls a day. But he noticed something unsettling: the numbers were dropping. The graveyard was running out. Before, he only had to shout and they came flooding out like ducks. Now, he had to actively search for them.
Boom!
The ground erupted as a rotting coffin burst open. Ghouls leapt out, the air thick with corpse stench and moaning. Liu Weian's bow was in constant motion, every arrow finding its mark. Four ghouls were already dead in midair; two more were hit the moment they landed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The last arrow's sharp whistle cut through the noise, piercing one ghoul's skull and driving through another behind it. A double kill. He'd mastered the skill just the day before.
Though the ghouls were numerous, Liu Weian remained calm. His seemingly erratic shots always struck the most dangerous targets first. Not all ghouls were equal—some were faster, some stronger. Subtle differences, but he'd been here long enough to spot them at a glance.
Eighteen ghouls in total. Only one managed to get within a meter of him—and even it died before making contact. Liu Weian didn't take a single step back. Ten days of hard training had paid off. Within ten meters, unless there were over twenty ghouls, none could push him back.
He had killed 200 ghouls already. His arms were sore, but he still had strength for about ten more shots. But as he ventured deeper into the graveyard, an unease crept in. He didn't want to risk pushing his limits.
Just as he began collecting loot, a thunderous boom echoed nearby.
Twenty meters away, a hillside exploded. Dirt sprayed in all directions, sizzling as it flew. The sheer force was terrifying. A high-pitched screech rang through the valley. A shadow blurred into motion—a massive figure charged forward, slicing the air with a deadly wind.
In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance.
Whoosh!
Liu Weian fired a shot at its chest—he'd aimed for the forehead, but the creature was too fast. What happened next nearly made him bite off his own tongue.
Thud!
The arrow shattered against the creature's skin as if it had struck stone.
Now within a meter, Liu Weian finally saw what it was: a Ghoul Walker—a more advanced form of undead. It looked similar to a regular ghoul but was larger, with rock-hard, withered muscles. Unlike the rotting flesh of a ghoul, its body was stiff and dense.
Twang!
Two arrows fired in quick succession, striking the chest again. Both snapped instantly—but the combined force stalled the creature for a fraction of a second.
That was all he needed.
In that brief pause, Liu Weian let loose another arrow—faster than the last. The moment the first hit its forehead, he had already nocked the second.
Thwack! Thwack!
Its skull was absurdly hard. The first arrow broke on contact. The second embedded itself slightly, just enough to crack the surface.
Whoosh!
As its two-inch claws slashed toward his throat, Liu Weian released a third shot—straight between the eyes.
Shunk!
The arrow entered through the forehead and exited the back of its skull, trailing a bloody shard of bone.
But its claws had already landed.
Liu Weian twisted back at the last moment, but still took a brutal swipe across the chest. Five deep gashes tore through his flesh to the bone, spraying blood across his now-ruined shirt. The impact sent him flying like a rag doll.
He crashed a dozen meters away, vomiting blood midair. His whole body felt shattered. Pain overwhelmed him, nearly knocking him unconscious.
The Ghoul Walker toppled to the ground, its massive form twitching once—then going still.