Yang Kuifeng

If it weren't for worrying about attracting the attention of the Wildlings, Jiang Cheng would have wanted to laugh out loud

"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?" Yaya asked with concern when she saw it.

"Jiang Cheng, are you alright?" Tong Xiaorou asked anxiously. She was a little worried when she saw Jiang Cheng's body twitching.

"I'm fine, don't worry," he assured them, still grinning. He thought, 'So, this is the true method to fuse items.'

Jiang Cheng had learned that to fuse a material with a higher-quality main body, he needed to first improve the quality of that material. By doing so, he could continuously improve the quality of the main body.

Based on the experience so far, he concluded that the fusing skill could only synthesize items of the same quality level, or that the material to be fused into the main body had to be the same quality level or higher. He had also learned that if the grade of the material was too low, it would not fuse properly, or the success rate would be very low. In contrast, if the grade of the material was higher and the grade of the main body was lower, the success rate would be higher.

Jiang Cheng had previously fused items blindly without knowing this principle, but now he realized that he could keep strengthening a certain material and then fuse it into the Tang Dynasty Sword. Of course, this would require a large number of low-level materials to withstand the consumption and accumulate to a higher level.

Jiang Cheng also had his eye on the wealthy people in the shelter, who seemed naive and innocent. He knew that these people had never experienced the harshness of living in the wilderness and had no idea how cruel human nature could be. He believed that if he could trick them, he could potentially gain a lot from it. 

To be honest, Jiang Cheng didn't have a favorable impression of those who were able to enter a shelter.

While those in the shelter had access to technology that could produce food and water, the Wildlings were so hungry that they had no choice but to resort to eating the corpses outside. Some even traded their own children for food. Some even died of starvation and thirst along the entire journey, and their dead bodies were taken away and eaten by those who wanted to survive.

Jiang Cheng couldn't understand how those people in the shelter were able to enter the shelter in the first place. If the shelter was privately owned, it might be understandable that its residents didn't help the Wildlings. But if it was a public shelter meant to help rebuild humanity's homes, then that's a different story. Those residents didn't fulfill their duty after leaving the shelter, and the Wildlings were left to barely survive by working for them to food and water.

[HP +0.1]

Maybe it was due to the abundance of food, but after indulging in a feast, Jiang Cheng's HP unexpectedly increased once more. He couldn't believe his luck as good things seemed to come in pairs.

[Jiang Cheng (Rank 1): Level 10 (50.27%)]

[HP: 2.8]

[Gathering (Level 1)]

[Fusing (Level 1)]

Jiang Cheng had already reached an HP of 2.8. He calculated that, on average, one HP should be equivalent to the strength needed to lift 100 kilograms, regardless of attributes like physique and agility. He estimated that he now had the strength to lift over 200 kilograms, but he wasn't completely certain. If HP was positively correlated with strength, then theoretically, he might have the ability to lift a weight of around 280 kilograms — or 560 pounds — which was well above the average person's capability!

Across the campfire, Tong Xiaorou and Yaya had eaten their fill and were now rubbing their satisfied, slightly bulging stomachs. They couldn't recall the last time they ate so much — even a young child like Yaya had never eaten to the point of being bloated.

"By the way, can meat be fused?" Jiang Cheng was thinking aloud, suddenly curious. He pulled out two pieces of raw bison meat and attempted to combine them. After a short while, he succeeded.

[Bison Meat: Nutrient+1]

"Just an increase in nutritional level? In that case, there's no need to fuse it unless I need to make room in the future or want higher-quality food." Most importantly, there was a chance of failure in fusing items, and Jiang Cheng could not afford to waste it now.

After stowing the bison meat, he rose to his feet, grasping the Tang Dynasty Sword, ready to hone his cleaving skills. Abruptly, his brow furrowed as he glanced towards the Terrawheeler. A power armor was hurtling towards them at breakneck speed, covering over 20 meters per stride and reaching a velocity of over 100 meters per second. In a mere three seconds, it had traversed 300 meters with an awe-inspiring gust.

Tong Xiaorou and Yaya were both startled and stood up quickly. Jiang Cheng watched the power armor approach solemnly. "Don't be nervous. I mean no harm," said the middle-aged man inside the power armor. He tapped on the helmet a few times, and then the helmet opened, revealing his face.

Opening the protective mask and exposing their weakness was the most foolish thing to do in the wilderness. But it was also their way of showing genuine friendliness. They seemed unaware of the darkness that can lurk in human hearts, or perhaps they were just confident in their own strength.

"I'm Yang Kuifeng. I haven't had the pleasure of learning your name, the esteemed expert," said the middle-aged man with a friendly grin.

"I'm not worthy of such a title. Just call me Jiang Cheng. May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Yang?" Jiang Cheng asked politely.

Yang Kuifeng frowned as he looked at the campfire, but when he saw that the surrounding rotten leaves had been swept away, he relaxed his brows and smiled. "Do you still have the bison meat that you used to trade? We want to trade some more."

Jiang Cheng's heart skipped a beat, as he thought of something. However, he remained calm and replied, "I don't have any left."

"We're willing to pay more," offered Yang Kuifeng generously,"I can give you two catties of water for one catty of bison Meat."

Behind Jiang Cheng, Tong Xiaorou's breathing quickened slightly.

Jiang Cheng raised his eyebrows slightly. This was four times the original price. Despite this, he still shook his head as his evolution required a large amount of food. "Sorry, I don't have much left."

Seeing that Jiang Cheng still refused, Yang Kuifeng thought about it and suddenly asked, "Does your power have something to do with processing food ingredients, or it has something to do with culinary arts? Could you process some food ingredients for us?"

Jiang Cheng was stunned, thinking, 'Could these people have been eavesdropping on his thoughts and then sending themselves to his door to be tricked?' He revealed a vigilant expression on his face.

Noticing Jiang Cheng's expression, Yang Kuifeng quickly reassured him with a friendly tone, "Don't worry. The direction of human evolution is based on the spiritual will. Our technology is incapable of exploring an Evolver's abilities. We pose no threat to you and have no intention of becoming enemies."

He went on to explain, "We've been eating synthetic food for quite some time now. Have you ever tried it? It's a type of food paste that's unpalatable." He added sincerely, "Even Dr. Yang was impressed with your bison meat. We would be willing to offer you a high price for your assistance, and we would like to establish a friendship with you. In the future, you can expect better deals when trading resources with us."

Jiang Cheng was tempted. Considering his current situation and the style of the people coming out of the shelter. He quickly thought of a few things and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I need 100 pounds of water and two sets of well-fitting clothes for each of us three."

Although it was a bit risky, in this world, what was the reward for not taking risks? Jiang Cheng was also good at judging character, and these shelter folks seemed easy to communicate with. If it were someone from a camp, he would have stayed as far away as possible. There wouldn't be such a close conversation unless he was strong enough.

"These are all fine," Yang Kuifeng readily agreed.

"What's the price of the highest-grade knife that your tech can produce?" Jiang Cheng inquired.

Yang Kuifeng raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "I don't want to discourage you, but you definitely can't afford it. The highest grade of material we have is the material of my power armor. Even if we use the current water to trade, one gram of this alloy requires 1,000 catties of water, and we don't even have enough."

"Forget it then," Jiang Cheng said, slightly surprised. "I need high-strength alloy."

"I can only give you the ones that are within the value of your labor," Yang Kuifeng replied.

"All three of us need to take a shower and brush our teeth," Jiang Cheng added.

"You're asking for too much," Yang Kuifeng scoffed, thinking to himself, 'Typical Wildling behavior. Always wanting more, unlike us shelter folk.'

Jiang Cheng knew he had hit a nerve. He smiled and said, "Okay, how about this? I can help you process all the bison meat you hunted. But let's be real, I'm pretty dirty. You wouldn't want to eat food I've touched without washing up first, right? Plus, it's for your own good when I'm clean."

Yang Kuifeng hesitated slightly. The amount of water used for a shower was not small. Even if they were frugal, the three of them would need at least one hundred catties of water for a shower. Ten catties of water might be enough for a clean person who used the most scientific method to take shower. But these Wildlings were covered in a thick layer of dirt on their body. A hundred catties of water might not be able to wash them clean.

Jiang Cheng looked puzzled and asked, "You guys must have some high-tech stuff, right? In this situation, why don't you make artificial rain? You must have tools to fly into the sky, don't you? Honestly, I'm curious. How come you, who possess such advanced technology, also face a water shortage?"

"You actually know about artificial rainfall?" Yang Kuifeng asked in surprise.

Many Wildlings were illiterate and lacked knowledge, let alone knowing the concept of artificial rainfall.