The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799

by Watermelonian, 西瓜星人

  Normal people would not be able to utilize their qi this way, and therefore cannot perform this act on plants, so the plants would not be able to achieve their full potency. Many potent medicinal herbs from ancient times were simply weeds in modern times because no one knew how to use them.

  In a few minutes, he placed the herb into a bowl and pounded it with a pestle.

  An hour later, his task was complete. He poured the liquid into a small bowl.

  The liquid was bright green and had the pungent aroma of grass.

  Tang Hao was somewhat befuddled as he looked at this small bowl of medicinal liquid. He had concocted the potion, but he needed a test subject.

  On the subject of safety, there was no issue. The potion was made from all-natural ingredients and did not have any side effects.

  He was already lanky, and the potion would have no visible effect on him. He was stumped by this problem for quite a while.

  After pondering over the problem for some time, he suddenly had a brainwave. He realized that he could try the potion on animals instead of humans!

  It happened that his uncle next door reared ten pigs. Each one of them was strong and fat and were perfect subjects for the potion.

  He sneaked outdoors after midnight and mixed the potion with pig feed, then poured it into the trough.

  The pigs in the pigpen heard the commotion and gathered around the trough, eating greedily.

  “Good boys! Eat some more!” Tang hao could not help but laugh when he looked at the pigs.

  He then returned home and concocted the rest of the herbs, then slept soundly.

  He was awoken by shrill screams the next morning. He listened carefully and heard that they originated from beyond the back door. He immediately knew that his potion had taken effect.

  He rolled off the bed, put on some clothes and exited through the back door.

  A crowd had gathered around the pigpen and were discussing something while pointing at the pigs. Someone was wailing in the pigpen. “My babies! What happened to them!”

  Tang Hao squeezed past the crowd. He was stunned with what he saw in the pigpen.

  In the pigpen were ten pigs reduced to skin and bones. All of them were fat and round the last time he saw them, and their weight was reduced drastically overnight. He was shocked by the potency of the potion he had concocted.

  “Phew! Dodged a bullet right there!” Tang Hao was relieved that he did not immediately use the undiluted potion on humans. It would have been disastrous if someone was reduced to a bag of skin and bones.

  “This is so weird! I saw these pigs were still fat and round a few days ago, so fat that they could barely walk. How did this happen all of a sudden?”

  “I think they must have been scared by some supernatural being! It might have been Wong Tai Sin.” The villagers were discussing among themselves in low voices. (TN: Wong Tai Sin is a legendary Taoist deity who is widely worshipped in Hong Kong.)

  They stole glances at the mountain as they spoke.

  Tang Village was located next to a mountain. Legends have been passed down of Wong Tai Sin or snake spirits.

  “It must be aliens or chupacabras!” Some children were joining in the discussion.

  “What do you know, little whelps? You must’ve watched too much TV! How can there be aliens?” the adults jeered.

  Tang Hao also joined in the laughter. He was in a carefree mood. First, his concoction was a success. Second, he had taken his revenge on his aunt.

  He returned home and diluted the concoction with tea, then filled several bottles with it. He then rode on his little three-wheeled motorcycle and went to town.

  While delivering packages at Azure Sky Gardens, he gave President Biao a call.

  “Hello?” President Biao said over the phone.

  “President Biao, it’s me, Lil Tang!”

  “Hey, Lil Tang! What’s the matter? Is there a delivery for me today?”

  “No, President Biao, I have something better though!”

  “What could be better?” President Biao was doubtful.

  “It’s herbal tea. Family recipe. It can reduce heatiness and eliminate toxins from the body. You might even shed some weight too! I see that you’re always heaty from eating too much, so I brought you some to try.”

  Tang Hao did not immediately say that it was a weight-loss potion. Herbal tea was probably an easier sell.

  “Family recipe herbal tea? Oh! Sounds good. Let me try some,” President Biao replied.

  “Right away!” Tang Hao agreed and hung up.

  President Biao was already waiting for him when Tang Hao arrived at House Number 18. The bottle of the medicinal potion changed hands.

  President Biao opened a bottle and smelled it. “Hmm, smells good! This is good stuff! Thanks, Lil Tang, that’s very thoughtful of you.” He nodded, then took out his wallet and pulled out a red note and handed it to him. (TN: The 100-yuan note is red.)

  “Oh! No need for that, President Biao, it’s on the house.” Tang Hao waved his hands in front of him.

  “Oh… alright then!” President Biao could only return the note to his wallet when he saw that Tang Hao insisted on not taking the money.

  In the evening, Tang Hao received a call from President Biao.

  “Lil… Lil Tang! Oh my! Your herbal tea is unbelievable! Lemme tell you, your herbal tea is a miracle drug! Do you know, I lost weight! I lost a total of twenty pounds!”

  President Biao was ecstatic over the phone. His voice was shaking.

  “Your herbal tea is miraculous. Do you have more? Just bring them over tomorrow. Name your price,” President Biao said graciously.

  “Alright, President Biao, I’ll bring more tomorrow!”

  “Good, good, good!” President Biao was over the moon.

  Tang Hao exhaled a sigh of relief after hanging up.

  ‘It’s a success!’

  Chapter 4

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Early in the morning, Tang Hao rode on his little three-wheeled motorcycle to Azure Sky Gardens.

  “Lil Tang!”

  President Biao was already waiting for him. He excitedly ran toward Tang Hao when he was in view, as if he had just seen a long-lost relative.

  He was visibly slimmer. His potbelly probably lost a couple of pant sizes. Even so, his original corpulence meant that he still had a long way to go before being considered healthy.

  “Lil Tang, that thing you made is wonderful. Your ancestors must have been miracle workers.” President Biao said passionately while gripping Tang Hao’s hands tightly.

  His weight was a problem that plagued him for the longest time. He had always wanted to lose some weight, though unfortunately, his willpower was too weak. He despaired after trying and failing a few times.

  The weight-loss potion was a new ray of hope.

  He had never encountered a herbal concoction as miraculous as that before. Its effects were seen immediately, losing twenty pounds the same day he drank it. He did not feel ill after drinking it. In fact, he felt a lot more energetic.

  This was a miracle!

  No slimming pill or herbal tea in the market could compare to this.

  “You have any more, Lil Tang?” President Biao looked at Tang Hao with eager eyes.

  “Yes! No rush, President Biao!” Tang Hao smiled and produced five bottles from his backpack.

  He had diluted the four portions of his herbal concoction into twenty-odd bottles of tea to reduce its incredible potency. He brought only five of them this time.

  “Five bottles!” President Biao’s eyes sparkled. His joy was palpable. “One bottle can lose me twenty pounds. Five bottles, that’s a hundred pounds! I’ll be a stylish man again after drinking all that!

  “Haha, Lil Tang, I have to tell you. Don’t look at my sorry state now. When I was your age, I’m actually popular among the ladies because of my looks.

  “Give me a moment! I’ll get your money. Such a g
ood thing shouldn’t be cheap.”

  He ran into the house and retrieved a bag. From it, he took out three stacks of banknotes.

  “Here’s thirty thousand for you!” He shoved the stacks of cash into Tang Hao’s hands.

  “That’s… a little too much, no?” Tang Hao was shocked.

  “Hah, not at all! If this isn’t enough for you, just name your price and I’ll pay for it! Six thousand for a bottle of this miraculous potion is too cheap! I’m not short of money anyway!”

  “Alright then!” Tang Hao realized that he could not reject the money and therefore took it. He pinched the three stacks of banknotes and felt incredibly excited. ‘That’s thirty thousand yuan! I toiled for an entire year and only saved a little more than ten thousand.’

  This was the easiest thirty-thousand yuan he had ever earned.

  “Thank you, President Biao!”

  “Eh, don’t call me President Biao, just Bro Biao will do! Do you have any more of this stuff, Lil Tang? My wife has been complaining about her weight. That’ll be perfect for her.”

  “I still have some more, I can send them over tomorrow,” Tang Hao said.

  “Alright, it’s promised then! Right, Lil Tang, are you interested in marketing this miracle weight-loss potion? I don’t think anything in the market now can compare to this.”

  President Biao, shrewd entrepreneur he was, could sense the business opportunity in this herbal tea.

  Tang Hao had of course thought of that. However, he did not want to rely on someone else.

  “I’ve thought of it before, but it’s tricky to gather the ingredients and difficult to produce. I can’t mass produce this.”

  “Oh!” President Biao was a little disappointed. “Alright then, if you have some more of this stuff, I’ll buy them off you. Your Bro Biao has many friends and a lot of them are fatties. Don’t worry about the money, you’ll get your fair share.”

  “Roger that. Thank you, Bro Biao.”

  After delivering packages, Tang Hao clutched the thirty-thousand yuan in his hands and took another trip to the medicinal herb market.

  He gathered medicinal components for another potion called the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation.

  In ancient times, spiritual energy permeated the heavens and the earth. Qi masters of ancient times could inhale and exhale spiritual energy to cultivate their powers. In modern times, spiritual energy has been depleted, and only traces of it could be found in the air. Cultivators would find it very hard to extract spiritual energy from the air.

  The only way to cultivate one’s qi in modern times was through elixirs.

  The Liquid of Spiritual Condensation was not quite considered an elixir, but it suited his purpose.

  Before he could embark on his journey in cultivation, he had to ascend two states of being. The first was the State of Qi Channeling, and the second the State of Foundation Establishment. In the hospital, Tang Hao had sensed the presence of qi through practicing qi techniques. However, spiritual energy was weak in the heavens and the earth, and he could not ascend into the State of Qi Channeling.

  With the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation, he could finally ascend into the State of Qi Channeling and embark on his path of qi cultivation.

  The most important ingredient in making the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation was the lingzhi mushroom. Ideally, it would have to be more than fifty years of age.

  Lingzhi was a popular component in traditional Chinese medicine in modern times. It was very expensive and was usually sold in grams. A whole lingzhi mushroom could cost four or even five digits.

  He saw several shops selling lingzhi during his last trip to the herb market. He took another spin around the area and finally settled on a whole sixty-year-old mushroom which cost him fifteen thousand yuan. The other components cost him nine thousand yuan in total.

  The thirty-thousand yuan that he had just acquired only had nine thousand left.

  ‘This money won’t last too long!’ Tang Hao thought to himself. He felt that he needed to make more money so that he could successfully cultivate his qi.

  After gathering the ingredients for the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation, he went around the medicinal herb market one more time to gather the components of beauty enhancement potions and aphrodisiacs. He would try to concoct them tonight.

  He returned home and sat down in front of the table. First, he had to concoct the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation.

  The method of production was the same as the weight-loss potion. Activate the potency of the various medicinal components with the qi in his body, then mix them in a bowl and pound with a pestle until a liquid is produced.

  That was the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation.

  Two hours later, he was finally done.

  Tang Hao sat with his legs crossed. He inhaled deeply, then picked up the bowl, tilted his head back and drank this golden liquid.

  The liquid touched his throat and turned boiling hot. He felt like there was a fire burning in his stomach.

  He urgently aligned the qi gates in his body to fully absorb the liquid’s effects.

  The liquid was refined into qi in his body and permeated every cell. In this process, his body underwent changes and became stronger. A thick, black liquid oozed from his pores.

  Meanwhile, his physiology changed to become stronger. Even his face underwent minute changes.

  This was like being reborn.

  A full six hours later, Tang Hao opened his eyes. His eyes were full of spirit and shone like the stars.

  He had never felt so energetic before. His body was filled with strength and felt lighter. His surroundings were not illuminated but he could see everything clearly.

  Even his hearing had become more acute than before. His ears twitched as he could hear the sounds of heavy breathing and a shaking bed a few houses away.

  Tang Hao immediately blushed. He wondered why those people were not sleeping at such a late hour.

  Then, he smelled something that stank really bad. He frowned hard.

  He realized that the stink came from the black ooze that coated his body. He ran into the bathroom and gave himself a thorough shower. After the ooze was washed away, his skin was as fair and smooth as a newborn baby.

  He stepped in front of the mirror to look at himself. He was still himself, though his body looked somewhat unfamiliar. Tang Hao was shocked.

  After that, the shock became delight.

  He now knew that the journey on his life had diverted toward a different path.

  Chapter 5

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Tang Hao almost did not sleep that night. He ran into the mountain to test his strength.

  After imbibing the Liquid of Spiritual Condensation, his body had undergone a total transformation. His speed, strength, and reflexes were far superior to a normal person.

  Before this, his body was weak, and he could not even win a fight against a hooligan. Now, he could knock out one in a single punch.

  He toiled for half the night in the mountain, then returned home to concoct the two other types of potions.

  After a short nap, he left for work early in the morning.

  Uncle Li could not stop peering at his face that morning, as if he did not recognize his worker.

  “Hey, Lil Tang! Why do I feel that you’ve become stronger? And… is your skin fairer? It’s like you’ve stepped into someone else’s body,” Uncle Li said, puzzled.

  He then walked toward Tang Hao and pinched his shoulder.

  “Uncle Li, you might be mistaken! I don’t feel any difference.” Tang Hao pretended to be unaware of the change.

  Uncle Li continued to peer at Tang Hao, then shook his head and mumbled, “Looks like I’ve mistaken. Sigh! These old eyes aren’t doing me any good these days.”

  Tang Hao simply smiled. He loaded the packages into his ride and headed to Azure Sky Gardens.

  President Biao was also shocked when he saw him as i
f he had seen a ghost.

  “You’re… You’re Lil Tang? Did I remember wrong? Why do I feel that your skin is much fairer? You look different.” President Biao was confused too.

  Tang Hao smiled and retrieved a big plastic bag from his three-wheeled motorcycle. He passed it to President Biao. “Bro Biao, here’s what I have left. Sixteen bottles in total.”

  President Biao’s eyes shone and hastily grabbed the plastic bag. He looked into the bag and showed a face of delight.

  “This is great! Lil Tang, thank you so much!” President Biao was over the moon. He held on to Tang Hao’s hands tightly.

  “Sixteen bottles at six thousand yuan each. That’s ninety-six thousand. I’ll round it up to a hundred thousand. Lil Tang, do you want cash or should I transfer it to your account?” President Biao asked.

  “Cash is fine!” Tang Hao answered after thinking about it for a short while.

  The hundred thousand yuan would be used up very fast at the medicinal herb market. It was a lot more convenient to have cash on hand.

  “Alright, wait a moment!”

  President Biao went back into his house with the bag. When he emerged, he handed a black briefcase to Tang Hao.

  He opened the briefcase and looked inside. Ten stacks of fresh banknotes. He was dazzled by the bright redness. His breathing became a little faster. He had never seen so much money before.

  He inhaled deeply to regain his composure.

  “Thank you, Bro Biao!”

  “Eh! What do you mean, I should be the one thanking you! Remember, if you have more in the future, just send them over.” President Biao excitedly clapped Tang Hao’s shoulders.

  “You bet I got that. Oh! Right, Bro Biao, I’ve brought something else as well. I wonder if you’re interested?” Tang Hao said.

  “Oh? What’s that?” President Biao’s interest was piqued.

  Tang Hao opened his backpack and retrieved a small bottle from within.