Shi Hao, or the little one, with his big black eyes, was curiously observing Li Yi. He had never seen this "big brother" before.

"Hello," Li Yi crouched down and extended his hand. Shi Hao seemed a bit confused.

After a moment, he reached out with his chubby little hands and grasped Li Yi’s hand. "Hello," he replied in a soft, milky voice, his expression adorable and very cute.

Shi Yunfeng couldn’t help but smile when he saw Shi Hao’s reaction.

However, Shi Hao was distracted by the jar in Li Yi’s hands. He kept staring at it, trying to reach for it.

Shi Yunfeng set the jar down, allowing Shi Hao to look at it, though he held it tightly in both hands, unwilling to let go.

Shi Hao touched the white salt inside the jar, which felt similar to the milk he usually drank, but at the same time, it was different. He giggled as he poked the salt, feeling its softness, which was both itchy and pleasant.

Trying to dip deeper into the jar, Shi Yunfeng immediately picked him up. White salt was precious, so it wasn’t for play. He let him see it, but quickly took it away to store it, planning to use it later when necessary in the village.

"Please rest here, guest. I still have some matters to attend to," Shi Yunfeng said as he prepared to leave.

Li Yi quickly replied, "My name is Li Yi. You can call me Xiao Yi or A Yi, whatever you prefer. Please don’t be so formal; I’m not used to that."

He chuckled a bit awkwardly after saying that, and Shi Yunfeng smiled too, nodding in approval.

"Alright, Xiao Yi. You can call me Uncle Yunfeng from now on," Shi Yunfeng said.

This change in address was a sign of their relationship becoming closer. Li Yi had gone from being a mere guest to becoming half a part of the family, exactly what he had hoped for.

Shi Yunfeng disappeared quickly. Despite his age, he was still full of energy and moved swiftly.

Li Yi pushed the cart under the table and spent some energy points to exchange for a book and ten kilograms of refined iron.

The book wasn’t made of paper, but rather something resembling the hide of a wild beast, about two fingers thick. The title seemed to be "Great Wilderness: A Bestiary" or perhaps "Record of the Beasts of the Great Wilderness." The characters were written in a form similar to ancient Chinese oracle bone script. Li Yi could understand a little from the context, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to read it all.

Although he couldn’t read the book fully, it was undoubtedly worth a lot in this world.

He tucked the book into his clothes, while the ten kilograms of refined iron weren’t one solid block, but five smaller ones. He took three of them out and placed them on the table, leaving the other two in the cart.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Young man. Xiao Yi."

Li Yi heard someone calling from outside and hurried to open the door. Two strong, middle-aged women, both around fifty, stood there. One carried a clay pot, and the other had several pieces of animal hide.

They immediately entered, one laying the hides on the stone bed, while the other placed the clay pot on the table. The pot contained large, steaming chunks of meat.

The people of Shi Village were simple and hospitable. They hadn’t seen outsiders in a long time, and when a guest arrived, they would bring out the best food they had.

"Alright, eat up," one of the women said, pressing chopsticks into Li Yi’s hands and patting his shoulder. "You’re a good young man."

Li Yi staggered slightly from the pat. The women of Shi Village were just as strong as the men. But that was normal, considering that Shi Hao could carry stones weighing ten thousand pounds around at such a young age.

The two women were warm and friendly but knew that Li Yi was hungry, so they didn’t stay and chat. The room fell quiet again. Li Yi walked to the pot and took a deep breath.

There were no spices in the meat, just the pure, unadulterated smell of roasted meat. He hadn’t eaten since morning and was both thirsty and hungry by now.

The meat was prepared very roughly, in large chunks, each probably weighing a pound or so. When Li Yi picked up a piece with the chopsticks, there was no fishy smell. It didn’t taste like anything he could identify, which made sense. There were countless rare and dangerous beasts in the Great Wilderness, and many of them were unrecognizable.

After eating a piece of meat and drinking a couple of sips of soup, Li Yi didn’t feel full yet, though he felt quite satisfied. A pound of meat wasn’t too much for a man his age, but it filled him up quickly, and he began to feel an overwhelming sense of warmth. His face flushed, as though he had consumed a tonic.

He had suspected that the meat from these rare beasts contained immense energy, and it acted like a potent tonic for him. He couldn’t eat too much, though, or his body might become overwhelmed.

The effects of the meat were incredible. As he ate two more pieces, he felt even stronger, the warmth growing more intense. He soon realized that the meat was far more effective than he had imagined. He quickly shed his excess clothes, feeling the heat build inside him, and lay on the stone bed.

It wasn’t long before he felt a distinct change. His body felt more powerful, and breathing was smoother. He grabbed a block of iron and found that it felt lighter than before, not because it had actually become lighter, but because his strength had increased.

He had no idea how much stronger he had become, but the sensation of growing stronger was intoxicating. After finishing all the meat and drinking the soup, he lay back down, feeling his body grow even stronger bit by bit. However, each subsequent meal had a lesser effect than the first.

Exhausted, Li Yi fell into a deep sleep, his body still humming with newfound energy.

When he woke up, the sun had set. There were many people gathered at the village entrance, creating a lively scene. The sounds of children crying could be heard as several men carried their children to the village entrance like small chickens.

Li Yi walked closer and saw nine large cauldrons filled with blood and various herbs, the blood boiling as it emitted a potent, medicinal fragrance. Just smelling it made Li Yi feel a surge of energy.

Shi Linhu looked at Li Yi, curious. He knew that people traveling through the Great Wilderness were often weakened from injury. He had heard from Erhu and Dazhuang that Li Yi seemed unusually frail—perhaps he had been wounded. Seeing Li Yi's eagerness near the cauldrons, Shi Linhu instantly understood.

Li Yi had likely fought with a dangerous beast and was now in need of healing. This explained why he had been in such a rush to rest. And the weakness in his body was a result of his injuries.

Shi Linhu had already discussed with the village elder how to repay Li Yi for the precious white salt he had given them. Although one medicinal bath couldn’t compare to the value of the salt, it was the best they could offer.