My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

Chapter 35: Chapter 34: No Chicken Past Six, No Dog Past Eight

The scene that followed was too much to watch. Li Xiang covered his face and fled.

’That lecherous old rooster... no, the Star Lord of the Pleiades may be a degenerate, but it’s just an animal. I can’t hold it to human moral standards.’

Even for Li Xiang, who had grown up in the mountains, the two largest Red Dragon Centipedes were an extremely rare sight due to their size. He took them to the kitchen and scalded them with boiling water to remove their venom and impurities. Then, he shaved two thin bamboo slivers, each the length of his forearm and the width of his pinky finger. He skewered the two potential Tier Two Exotic Beasts, stretched them straight, and hung them under the eaves. Once they were air-dried, he could add them to the jar of Medicinal Wine.

The next morning, Li Xiang finished breakfast, packed some dry rations and water, and headed back into the deep mountains to dig for Solomon and record his video. This time, he brought two large back baskets, as he wouldn’t be filming the entire process.

It wasn’t a livestream, so all he needed was enough footage for editing later. He had already filmed most of what he needed yesterday; today was just for gathering a little more.

Without having to worry about camera angles or providing commentary, his speed at digging up Solomon increased dramatically. He harvested twice as much as the day before. In addition, he also gathered some termite mushrooms, matsutake, and bigfoot mushrooms.

With such a bountiful harvest, he was naturally in a good mood. Li Xiang hummed a little tune as he walked through the forest.

Suddenly, he stopped. He saw something on a nearby hillside and broke into a happy smile.

Two fat rabbits were fighting.

Both rabbits were standing upright on their hind legs, their front paws continuously smacking each other’s faces. Their punches were surprisingly fast, making them look like a pair of brawling boxers.

Li Xiang remained perfectly still. He quietly slipped off his bamboo baskets, set down his shovel, and took out only his High-Density Blade. Using the trees for cover, he crept closer. By the time he was within ten meters, both rabbits had noticed him, but they were so caught up in their fight that they paid no mind to the intruder.

Perhaps they thought he was still too far away. To them, two-legged creatures like humans were slow and stood no chance of catching them.

Within ten meters, the system still hadn’t reacted. This meant the two rabbits were merely Mortal Items. Li Xiang wasn’t too surprised. After all, potential Mutated Creatures were quite rare. Besides, they would at least have to survive until the Apocalypse to even have a chance to transform.

Many animals, limited by their lifespans, simply wouldn’t live another ten years.

The two Gossipy Dragons back at his house, however, did have that potential.

This was because Li Xiang had grown up hearing a story about a poor Scholar in ancient times. Despite repeatedly failing the imperial examinations, he continued to study diligently, hoping to one day pass and bring honor to his family.

His wife was also incredibly supportive. Even though they often didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, she never complained. She single-mindedly managed the household inside and out so the Scholar could focus on his studies.

One year, the Scholar left home to take the provincial-level imperial examination in the capital city. But the roads were treacherous and travel was difficult, so the round trip took a full three months. When the Scholar returned home, he was covered in dust from his journey, looking like a beggar.

His wife’s heart ached for him, but they had spent most of their money on his travel expenses, and there was no presentable, nutritious food left in the house. So, steeling herself, she killed the old hen they had raised for many years.

The main reason was that the hen was so old it had barely laid any eggs since the previous year. But because they had raised it for so long and it had once laid many eggs, contributing greatly to the family, they had grown attached and couldn’t bear to kill it.

Now that there was nothing else to eat, she had to force herself to do it.

The old hen didn’t have much meat, making it incredibly precious to the family. She stewed it all in a pot, and every last bit went into the Scholar’s stomach. The Scholar’s wife couldn’t bear to eat a single bite.

After the meal, the Scholar’s wife heated water and prepared a bath for her husband. While he bathed, she went back to her chores.

But a long time passed, and her husband didn’t come out. Curious, the Scholar’s wife pushed the door open to see—what the hell? The room was empty. The Scholar’s clothes were draped over a chair next to the wooden tub, but he was gone.

The water in the bathtub was incredibly foul.

The Scholar’s wife searched everywhere, but the neighbors all said they hadn’t seen him. Helpless, she had no choice but to report the case to the authorities.

When the County Magistrate heard the story, he immediately formed a theory: the woman must have despised the poor and yearned for the rich. While the Scholar was away taking his exam, she had an affair, then conspired with her lover to murder her husband and destroy the body.

She was probably afraid the neighbors would get suspicious, so she was playing the victim to throw everyone off the trail.

Then, he had the Scholar’s wife severely tortured, beating her until her skin split open and she fainted several times. But the Scholar’s wife was a stubborn one and refused to confess. The County Magistrate, at a loss, had no choice but to temporarily throw her in the dungeons.

When the Scholar’s neighbors heard about this, they all rushed over to report that the Scholar’s wife was virtuous and hardworking. They said the couple was deeply in love, and she would never do something so depraved. If she had a lover, there was no way it would have escaped everyone’s notice.

The County Magistrate had a massive headache. If he couldn’t solve the case, wouldn’t it become a cold case?

Later, the County Magistrate’s Senior Brother came to visit. The Magistrate treated him to a fine meal and drinks. After dinner, the two played a game of Go. The Magistrate made a brilliant move, and his Senior Brother slapped his thigh and exclaimed, ”Junior Brother, your move is as vicious as an eighteen-year-old hen!”

The County Magistrate quickly asked what he meant. His Senior Brother explained, ”There’s a saying in my hometown that a hen raised for eighteen years becomes extremely poisonous. Whoever eats it will dissolve into a pool of filthy water, leaving not even bones behind.” The County Magistrate slapped his own thigh and shouted, ”I get it!” He immediately abandoned his Senior Brother, rushed to the court, and summoned the Scholar’s wife for questioning.

After questioning her, it was confirmed: the hen from the Scholar’s house had been raised for a full twenty years! That was two years past the eighteen-year mark!

And so, the Scholar’s wife was finally exonerated, and the story became a legendary case for a time.

Because of this legend, there was a saying in Li Xiang’s hometown: ”Chickens no more than six years, dogs no more than eight.” This meant you shouldn’t let a chicken live past six years, or a dog past eight.

If they exceeded that age, there would surely be problems.

There was another saying: ”A chicken of six, a dog of eight, a cat of ten, will surely bring disaster.”

However, Li Xiang figured the real reason for ”chickens no more than six years” was probably that after six years, a hen lays fewer eggs. Keeping it around would just be a waste of grain, so the owner would kill it.

As for roosters over six years old, both the texture and nutritional value of their meat declined, so there was no reason to keep them either.

There were also many legends about cats and dogs becoming spirits, like a dog that would impersonate its dead master, only revealing its true form after drinking too much.

As for centipede demons, there were even more stories. In any movie, centipede demons were always the standard, powerful, evil villains.

Li Xiang’s own rooster and two yellow dogs had only been with him for two or three years, yet they were already ”beginning to show signs of being Spiritual.” If they could survive until the Apocalypse, when Extraordinary Particles emerged, it wasn’t impossible that they could soar to new heights and transcend their station.

The two fat wild rabbits were still fighting, tearing and biting at each other ferociously, sending tufts of fur flying. An idea struck Li Xiang. He took out his phone and started filming. ’This is great content!’

He recorded for over thirty seconds. The two rabbits, perhaps tired from fighting, looked like they were about to flee. Li Xiang quickly put his phone away and shot forward like a bolt of lightning.