Dazhuang remained silent, while his wife spoke up from the side, "It's all because Dazhuang's original supervisor left and a new one came in! The new supervisor just complained that Dazhuang's work was too rough, so he fired him! When the old supervisor was here, everyone said Dazhuang did a great job. But this new supervisor complained that Dazhuang's work was too rough! He just wanted to get rid of Dazhuang so his relative could have a better position!" Zhou Yunyun looked indignant, then sighed. After all, she was just a small person with no influence; what good was her indignation?
"Oh? What's that supervisor's name?" Ma Xiaoniu continued chopping tree branches.
"I think his name is something like Zheng something, hey? Dazhuang, say something, what's his name?" Zhou Yunyun nudged Dazhuang, who was slurping his food.
“Mr. Zheng.” Da Zhuang lowered his head, his face gloomy.
"Hehe, Dazhuang, Yunyun, don't worry, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Maybe something will happen and that supervisor will leave! Maybe Dazhuang can go back then!" Ma Xiaoniu chopped off a thick branch with a swift stroke.
"I hope so!" Zhou Yunyun clearly didn't take Ma Xiaoniu's words to heart. She had already been fired, so how could she go back? Besides, Zheng Shengxian was perfectly fine, so why did he leave?
The jujube tree's canopy was so large that it took Ma Xiaoniu a lot of effort to roughly prune it. Even though he's much stronger now, he was still exhausted! After getting off the tree, he washed up, changed his clothes, and moved a stool to sit in the yard.
The crown of the jujube tree was cut off by more than half. Da Zhuang and Uncle Ma collected the cut branches to use as firewood. The once completely shaded yard was finally bathed in sunlight again. The spring sun was just right, not as cold as the winter sun, nor as harsh as the summer sun. It felt warm and comfortable on the skin.
Ma Xiaoniu has now figured out another function of the manure spot: it allows plants to expel impurities and thus revitalize themselves. However, this ability is rather useless to Ma Xiaoniu because he has no need for it. Ma Xiaoniu then wondered what would happen if he used the manure spot on an inanimate object? Like that black gem in the corner of the room. Thinking it, he went inside and unhesitatingly activated the manure spot skill on the black gem!
The black gemstone showed no reaction, but within moments, its surface turned a dull gray, as if covered in a layer of dust. A few more moments later, even more dust accumulated, making it appear as if it were encased in a grayish skin. After about half an hour, the entire black gemstone had completely lost its original appearance, looking like a huge clod of dirt!
Ma Xiaoniu found a rag and wiped away the dust. The black gemstone was still a black gemstone, but the previous black gemstone was bright and reflective, while the current black gemstone was like a black hole, not only devoid of any luster, but also seemingly able to absorb even light! Ma Xiaoniu couldn't figure out what kind of change had occurred, but it seemed to have become much more sophisticated.
As long as it works!
Next, it was time to deal with Zheng Shengxian's matter. Of course, Zheng Shengxian's crime did not warrant death, so Ma Xiaoniu did not plan to go in person. Ma Xiaoniu called Wang Youcai and explained the whole matter. Wang Youcai readily agreed and guaranteed that there would be results by the afternoon!
Ma Xiaoniu still believed in Wang Youcai's abilities. After all, he used to be a powerful figure in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and he was the only one who could get away with anything in Caoxiang. If he couldn't handle Zheng Shengxian, what use would he be?
The sun was high in the sky; it was already noon. However, Ma Xiaoniu didn't plan to eat at home. Grabbing a lighter, he teleported to the entrance of the valley at Shenxianjia. The valley ran north-south, its entrance facing north. The entrance was only about two meters wide, but the valley itself stretched for over ten miles, surrounded by sheer cliffs, insurmountable—a truly ideal place. Ma Xiaoniu had considered living there more than once, and this idea seemed quite feasible. (Recently, there has been significant encoding issues, which motivates us to update faster. Please exit reading mode if you find this helpful. Thank you.)
===Chapter Twenty-One===
Stepping into the valley, after walking forward for about ten meters from the entrance, the space gradually opens up on both sides, and after another ten meters, the space suddenly becomes open and bright.
Looking out into the distance, the valley is flat and lush with vegetation. In the middle of the valley lies a large blue lake. To the north of the lake is a clearing several tens of meters in diameter, surrounded by various fruit trees, some in full bloom. Butterflies and bees flutter among them, creating a breathtaking scene. The south side of the lake remains pristine, with a variety of vegetation interspersed with strangely shaped rocks. Ma Xiaoniu plans to transform the south side of the lake into a private garden.
The open space north of the lake, surrounded by fruit trees, is where Ma Xiaoniu plans to build a house. Of course, this may have to wait until later, since it is almost impossible to build a house deep in Shenxianjia. So we can only wait for a suitable opportunity in the future!
The little mongrel, now known as White Tiger, lay basking in the sun on the open ground south of the lake. Its massive body was awe-inspiring. The Azure Dragon had vanished, perhaps in a cave or sleeping in a tree. The Black Tortoise was certainly in the lake, though invisible, but the Vermilion Bird was clearly visible, pacing back and forth in the orchard not far from White Tiger.
Ma Xiaoniu teleported to an open space. The white tiger, which had been sunbathing, saw Ma Xiaoniu, jumped up, and ran to his side, sticking out its tongue to lick his face. Ma Xiaoniu quickly dodged to the side. He was joking; he wasn't the little mongrel he used to be anymore. With this size, a lick would be terrible! It would be like giving him a bath!
The white tiger looked at Ma Xiaoniu with a puzzled expression. Ma Xiaoniu smiled awkwardly, wanting to pat the white tiger's head, but finding he couldn't reach it, he could only pat its legs. The white tiger became happy again, jumping and frolicking, making the ground seem like an earthquake. Ma Xiaoniu was speechless. "Damn it," he thought, "who can stand living here with earthquakes happening all the time? And this guy is still a cub..."
The Vermilion Bird, who had been catching monkeys in the orchard, also came running over in a flash. Being a chick, its fur was fluffy, making it look like a huge red and yellow ball of fluff rolling towards them. Ma Xiaoniu quickly teleported to the side. Although it was a chick, it was bigger than a tank; if it jumped on him or pecked him on the head, he'd be dead for sure. It seems necessary to teach them a lesson; they can't just come near us like that anymore!
Ma Xiaoniu teleported to the side of the Golden Cave, squeezed in through the gap on the side of the cave entrance, and then used his "Dung Point" skill on the cave full of gold!
Half an hour later, the cave entrance was covered by a layer of gray soil, and the gold inside was no longer visible. Ma Xiaoniu dug away the soil, revealing the gold inside. The gold in the cave had shrunk; it had previously filled the cave completely, but now there were gaps about two fingers wide around the edges. The color of the gold had also changed. Although the original gold was said to be 24K gold, it was dark in color, but now it was smooth, bright, and shimmering. Moreover, it seemed that some other anomaly had occurred; like a black gemstone, it no longer appeared to be pure gold or a black gemstone.
Teleporting to an open area on the north bank, I checked my watch; it was already past 12:40, and my stomach was rumbling. I quickly found some stones and built a makeshift stove. Then, with another teleport, I grabbed a rabbit, skinned and gutted it by the lake, washed it, and started roasting it on the stove. The aroma of the roasting meat quickly filled the air, and the White Tiger was already standing nearby, drooling. However, compared to its enormous size, a small rabbit wasn't even enough to satisfy its appetite. A moment later, the Azure Dragon slithered across the lake, its massive body creating ripples. It then swam onto the land, coiled up beside me, its long forked tongue flicking and hissing. The Vermilion Bird also came running over, lying down beside me and staring intently. After a while, the lake surface suddenly churned, and a huge turtle rose from the water, slowly walking out.
Ma Xiaoniu was speechless as he watched the four mythical beasts gather, all staring intently at the little rabbit. "Seriously, you guys actually want such a tiny bit of meat?" he thought. Helpless, he teleported again and caught a few more rabbits, processed them, and continued grilling. Half an hour later, the rabbit meat was ready. The four mythical beasts, each with a rabbit, scattered to enjoy their meal. Only then did Ma Xiaoniu leisurely tear off a piece of rabbit meat and slowly begin to eat. Wild rabbit meat was indeed different from domesticated rabbit meat; it was chewier and more fragrant.
The midday sun bathed the valley in a soft, yellowish glow, creating a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere. After finishing the rabbit meat, Ma Xiaoniu tidied up a bit, looked around, and saw that the four mythical beasts had long since finished their food; some were hunting, others were fast asleep, all enjoying a leisurely life.
Ma Xiaoniu yawned, feeling a bit sleepy. He teleported home, washed up, and went to bed.
Around 3 PM, Ma Xiaoniu woke up, full of energy. Just as he was about to sit down in the living room for a drink of water, there was a loud knocking on the front door.
"Little Cow, Little Cow? Are you home?" Da Zhuang's voice came from outside the door.
"Huh? Dazhuang?" Ma Xiaoniu got up and opened the door, only to see Dazhuang and his wife standing there, looking at him with strange expressions. Ma Xiaoniu quickly invited them to sit in the yard.
Under the jujube tree, the three sat around a stone table.
"Xiao Niu, the factory boss just called me and told me to come to work tomorrow. What do you think is going on?" Da Zhuang and his wife stared intently at Ma Xiao Niu.
"Huh? What else could it be? This is a good thing!" Ma Xiaoniu already understood the purpose of these two people's visit.
"No, look, I only told you this today, I didn't tell anyone else, so why did the boss ask me to go to work this afternoon?" Da Zhuang was still staring at Ma Xiao Niu without blinking, but his meaning was already very clear.
"Haha, maybe the boss thinks you've been a good worker and it would be a shame to let you go, so he regrets it. Who knows? Who knows what he's thinking? Hey? Why do you ask that?"
"Did you ask someone to intercede for you?" Da Zhuang's wife, annoyed by Da Zhuang's vague explanation, went straight to the point.
"How could that be? You all know I'm just a lowly teacher, and due to some special circumstances, I'm currently unemployed with a meager salary. How could I possibly have such a big face? No, no, it wasn't me." Ma Xiaoniu waved his hands repeatedly. How could he possibly admit it? And even if he did, how could he explain it? They were complete strangers; why would a big factory manager give him face? Did his teacher have that much influence?
Before Da Zhuang and his wife could ask any more questions, Ma Xiaoniu spoke up first: "Look, I haven't had lunch yet, why don't you two eat here?"
"Oh dear, it's already four o'clock and you haven't eaten yet? Well, we won't keep you any longer, you hurry up and cook something to eat! Da Zhuang and I will head back first!" Da Zhuang's wife was a sensible person and could tell that Ma Xiaoniu didn't want to talk, so she quickly pulled Da Zhuang. Da Zhuang had no choice but to say goodbye and leave with his wife.
After closing the courtyard gate, Ma Xiaoniu returned to the living room, sat down, and took a sip of water from his teacup.
Whew! — With a sigh of relief, Ma Xiaoniu smiled. It seemed Wang Youcai had done a good job. Then he opened his laptop and logged into the Demon Forum.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the forum was bustling with activity. As soon as he logged in, he saw his private messages flashing incessantly, so Ma Xiaoniu opened them.
"Hero! Benefactor! Thank you for avenging me! At this moment, I truly don't know how to express my excitement. I... I wish I could stand up and kowtow to you several times, but I can no longer stand. I'm sorry! Hero, I've decided that from today onwards, I will enshrine your spirit in my home! From now on, you will be my faith! If one day I can stand up again, I will definitely learn from you and kill all the unfaithful people in the world! I hereby swear this oath, and I hope the hero will be my witness!"
Ma Xiaoniu was moved, but what did it mean to offer sacrifices to the dead? Aren't sacrifices reserved for the dead? Huh? You little rascal, come here, I'll make you regret this!
I opened the case submission area and browsed through it; there had been quite a few more cases submitted.
"Help! I've been scammed out of 5 million yuan, and the fraudsters are still at large."
"Help! My girlfriend ran off with someone else!"
"Please help! My uncle died in a house fire, but I suspect it was arson."