What are the shortcomings that can be exchanged for a better outcome? I'm lacking everything!

Chapter 3: Zaiqinyi, Folk Porcelain Kilns

The diligent person has appeared!

What is Bu Che waiting for?!

For Bu Che now, it's like a lifeline in his drowning state!

Without hesitation, Bu Che chose to activate the Dao Seed "Multi-Diligence Seed".

As it was activated, the cracked sword in Bu Che's mind suddenly vibrated, and a light that seemed to emanate like the aurora borealis emanated from it.

It flowed around the sword and finally drifted out from between Bu Che's eyebrows, like a wisp of green smoke, and merged into the old man's body.

The old man standing before us, dressed only in thin clothes despite the freezing winter snow, revealing his two muscular arms, was the leader of this caravan.

Bu Che was able to go to work in the county town safely and return safely all these years because of the permission of the old man in front of him.

According to the memories of his predecessor, he had great respect for this old man, not only because the old man gave Bu Che the opportunity to follow the caravan into the county town to work and earn money for safety.

Even more so because...

This old man was a "ghostly martial arts master" who was extremely rare in Xiali Village!

"Master Xu...Master Xu!"

Bu Che quickly stood up, braving the wind and snow, and shouted a phrase based on the description in his memory.

"Plop," Old Master Xu took a puff of his pipe. Although he looked old, his eyes were extremely sharp. He glanced at Bu Che, nodded slightly, and exhaled two puffs of smoke from his nostrils.

"He's not dead?"

Master Xu's voice was hoarse, like the sound of stones rubbing against each other.

"The village is small, but your story has spread quite a bit. I've naturally heard about it too. Judging from your appearance, it seems you've come to your senses and are planning to go back to work and earn a living peacefully?"

Master Xu said calmly, still having some appreciation for this stubborn yet honest child he remembered.

After all, most of the people who followed their caravan into the city never returned; they secretly stayed behind, hoping to find work in the county town to make a living.

Only Bu Che followed their caravan into the city, and after starting work, he returned to Xiali Village with the caravan, day after day, just to earn that meager peace money.

It was eccentric and straightforward enough that Master Xu noticed it.

Hearing that the money Bu Che had risked his life for to ensure his safety had been completely taken by his family, he felt quite saddened. Indeed, honest people are easy to bully.

I thought that Bu Che's absence these past few days might be due to his despair or that he had died somewhere.

Unexpectedly, Bu Che has reappeared today.

"I can't survive. I don't have the money to buy a porcelain statue of a ghost or god. I have to find a way to live and I also want to move to a different place to live."

Bu Che breathed out warm air and rubbed his hands together.

Master Xu puffed on his pipe, unsurprised by this: "The porcelain statues of ghosts and gods in the caravan can only ensure your safety on the journey, but they cannot protect you from worry day and night."

"Even if you go to the county town and secretly stay, you can't stay long because you have no money, and your household registration is in Xiali Village, so... if you want to settle down in the county town, you need to transfer your household registration there first."

"Master Xu said calmly."

Bu Che felt a chill run down his spine; he hadn't really paid attention to this matter.

Looking at the bewildered Bu Che, Master Xu shook his head slightly: "Kid, when you went to work in the county town before, you were probably just carrying clay at the official porcelain kilns to earn a living, right?"

One could guess what kind of work Bu Che did just by looking at him every time he came back covered in dust and mud.

"That job can be done by anyone, and anyone can replace you, so naturally it can't help you transfer your household registration."

"If you really want to stay in the county, you'll have to find a different job."

"That's what Master Xu said."

However, Master Xu did not give Bu Che any detailed advice on what job he should change to.

Master Xu glanced at the sky, frowned, and turned to leave, heading towards the shrine in front of the caravan.

Bu Che was scratching his head in frustration, but he didn't dare to ask, because Master Xu was about to get down to business. He could only calm down and study the situation of the "multi-season seed".

Upon seeing Master Xu arrive, the two caravan workers at the front of the procession, who were responsible for carrying the shrine, quickly stood up.

Master Xu shook off the ashes from his pipe and tucked it into his waistband.

Then, he took out three incense sticks and began to worship the ghosts and gods in the "kowtow incense" posture that Bu Che was familiar with.

The porcelain statues of gods and spirits in the caravan were made of white porcelain, smooth and clean, without any cracks, and were newly arrived.

However, a porcelain statue of a ghost or deity can only last for about five days on a trade route. It is less useful than a regular porcelain statue of a ghost or deity used for protection and safekeeping. After all, in the desolate wilderness, the spiritual energy of ghosts and deities is stronger, making it easier for evil spirits and corpses to breed.

"Set up the niche! Go on a trading trip!"

"May the gods and spirits protect us, open trade routes, and may everyone follow!"

Master Xu roared, his voice like that of a tiger roaring in the mountains. Several snowflakes falling around him were shattered into snow powder by his roar.

Then everyone moved. No one squatted down anymore. They all stood up and followed behind Master Xu, who had taken the first step. They trudged through the snow and followed the caravan toward the county town, not daring to fall behind.

Bu Che crossed his arms inside the sleeves of his tattered cotton-padded coat, and slowly withdrew his gaze from Master Xu.

In his mind, the Broken Sword, covered with endless cracks, trembled slightly and shone brightly.

Then, it was as if a phantom image flashed through my mind.

In the scene, smoke swirls and incense ash drifts.

In his hazy vision, Bu Che seemed to see Master Xu devoutly and humbly burning incense and kowtowing from an overhead perspective, using the standard "kowtow incense".

He was worshipping ghosts and gods, but what he was worshipping...

It looks like it's me.

hum-

My mind was buzzing, and the images before my eyes vanished like smoke.

……

[Improving the Dao of Life: Diligently Cultivating (Ninth-Rank Dao Seed, currently on cooldown)]

[A collection of diligent individuals, reflecting on ten years of hard work, offered as a token of mutual encouragement]

Before my eyes, light shimmered and intertwined.

Bu Che's heart was pounding violently, pumping blood throughout his body and causing a surge of warmth to rush through his body, which was almost frozen stiff in the cold winter snow.

This is... a gesture of goodwill from Master Xu!

Bu Che felt that "diligence" was hidden in his body, as if it could be released at any moment.

However, he hasn't yet decided on a direction for his hard work.

Therefore, this diligence was temporarily stored up and not used.

woohoo-

The north wind blows fiercely, and the weather is freezing cold.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the official road was a white expanse. The trees on both sides were withered, with only jagged, bare branches dancing wildly.

The caravan trudged through the snow with great difficulty.

After paying respects to the spirits in the shrine ahead, Master Xu had to continue leading the way, so he never looked for Bu Che again or said another word.

With his hands tucked into his sleeves and a bag on his back, Bu Che silently followed the group. In addition to the caravan itself, the traveling merchants also included villagers who had come seeking protection.

This was also an opportunity given by Master Xu. For someone like Bu Che, who was not a member of the caravan, to receive protection from the caravan for free was already a testament to Master Xu's kindness.

The weather was so cold that the pace of their journey was greatly slowed down.

What used to take an hour and a half now may take three hours or even longer.

An hour later, Master Xu ordered a 15-minute break.

In the sudden silence of the snow-covered mountains, the caravan members quietly searched for a place to rest, took out their dry rations, and began to eat.

Grandpa Xu lit the tobacco in his pipe with a match, then slowly walked over to Bu Che, who was huddled under a tree, and plopped down in the snow, not caring at all about the cold.

"Master Xu!"

Bu Che quickly got up, wanting to give the wooden stool he was on to Master Xu.

Master Xu couldn't help but chuckle, exhaling a puff of smoke as he said, "Come on, don't let your youth fool you. Your small frame is far inferior to mine."

Bu Che gave an awkward laugh. Indeed, Master Xu was a "Ghost God Martial Master," whose blood and qi, fused with the thoughts of ghosts and gods, were powerful and intense, far surpassing what Bu Che could achieve with his youthful vigor.

"As I told you before, if you want to move your household registration out of Xiali Village, you'll have to find another job. Carrying mud at the official porcelain kiln won't work. Anyone can do that job; it's just hard work, and it's not a stable job."

Master Xu puffed out smoke from his pipe, squinted, and said, "If you want a stable job, it has to be a skilled trade, or a trade that others dare not do but you dare to do..."

He truly admired Bu Che; his unwavering dedication over the years was much like his own when he was young.

He was just luckier than Bu Che. He didn't encounter such a family. He saved up enough money for peace and safety, entered the porcelain kiln, gained the qualification to learn martial arts, and happened to have a little talent for martial arts.

Unfortunately, he was too old when he entered the kiln, and missed the golden period for martial arts training. In the end, he only managed to achieve the fusion of ghost and god thoughts by relying on decades of persistent hard work and barely opened the second stage of "body tempering" in the Ghost and God Martial Master!

Perhaps it was fate, but Master Xu decided to give Bu Che a way out.

Of course, it was just guidance; whether he could survive... depended on Bu Che's luck.

"Kid, how much peace money do you have right now?"

Mr. Xu took a drag of his cigarette.

"Fifty," Bu Che told the truth.

If Master Xu wanted to rob him of his peace money, he wouldn't need to ask.

"Fifty coins... that's a bit meager, but there's still a chance."

"Once you get to the county town, don't go to the official porcelain kiln. The official porcelain kiln has many rules, requires a lot of money to knock on the door, and has high requirements. Too many people want to get in, and the competition is too fierce. Your conditions are too poor; you don't even have the qualifications to try."

"If you compete with others, you'll easily be trampled to death."

"Master Xu said calmly."

"So, let's abandon official porcelain and find a folk porcelain kiln."