Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 3 - 3 3: Handle LifeSpan!_1
Previously on Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant...
Chapter 3: Manipulating Lifespan!
Old Sun adjusted his Daoist robe and swayed unsteadily as he retreated toward his sleeping quarters.
He tossed a final remark over his shoulder before disappearing.
“No need to count them; there are exactly 32 egg-laying hens in this batch.”
“The one you’re clutching isn’t ready yet—it needs another full year!”
“Ah... Yes, understood, Elder!”
Standing frozen in place, Wang Ba felt a tempest of emotions surging within his soul!
Could it be a golden finger? After enduring so much misery, had his cheat finally manifested?
In a state of disbelief, he pulled his hand away.
The mystical interface that only he could perceive vanished instantly from his vision.
Anxious, he hurried to thrust his hand back beneath the large hen.
The screen materialized once more.
[Target lifespan: 19.2 years]
[Current remaining lifespan of host: 71.7 years]
[Dispersible items: None]
[Extraction/Input?]
It was genuine! It was actually real!
Wang Ba struggled to suppress his physical trembling, casting a frantic glance toward Old Sun’s bedroom to ensure the old man wasn’t watching.
Quickly, he carried the large hen back into his own small room.
He made sure to bolt the door and latch the windows securely.
The living space was cramped.
He set the hen down directly on his bedding, completely unconcerned about whether the bird would soil his quilt.
Extraction... Input...
First, he would attempt extraction!
Wang Ba focused his intent and lightly tapped the "Extraction" option.
A progress bar immediately manifested before his eyes.
As he manipulated the slider, the digits on the interface began to shift.
[Target lifespan -10 years]
[Host lifespan +1 year]
[Current remaining lifespan of the host: 72.7 years]
“Cluck, cluck...”
The hen tilted its head, looking at Wang Ba with a confused expression.
With its limited intellect, it sensed a vague, invisible loss.
However, its simple mind was incapable of grasping exactly what had been taken from it.
Ten years of a Precious Chicken's life only grants me a single year of my own?
Still, that makes sense. How can a mere chicken’s life be equivalent to a human’s?
Wang Ba shut his eyes, trying to feel the change within himself.
Yet, he detected no physical difference at all.
Is that it?
A wave of disappointment washed over him.
What about inputting?
After a moment of deliberation, he slid the bar in the opposite direction.
[Target lifespan +11 years]
[Host lifespan -2.2 years]
[Current remaining lifespan of the host: 70.5 years]
He still felt no internal change.
However, Wang Ba noted that when transferring his own life force to the hen, the conversion ratio was 1:5.
Was there a significant loss of energy during the transfer process?
Wang Ba felt a twinge of regret at the waste.
This experimentation had effectively cost the Precious Chicken five years of its life for nothing.
But then he noticed something startling: the hen he was holding down was transforming!
Its previously dull feathers had taken on a vibrant sheen.
Even the bird's struggles against his grip had grown noticeably more powerful!
Subconsciously, Wang Ba had to press down harder to keep it still.
“Cluck cluck cluck!”
The hen turned its head and called out to him.
He didn't know if he was hallucinating, but it felt as if the bird was pleading:
“Gentler... be more gentle...”
Damn it!
Wang Ba shook his head violently!
He was definitely losing his mind!
The question remained: was the change in this hen tangible or not?
After some thought, he adjusted the progress bar one more time.
[Target lifespan +1 year]
[Host lifespan -0.2 year]
[Current remaining lifespan of the host: 70.3 years]
This time, the results were undeniable.
The hen’s body visibly filled out, becoming rounder and plumper before his very eyes!
It even tilted its head, squinting its eyes contentedly as it pecked at him softly.
It appeared to be in a state of absolute bliss.
“Coo-coo.”
The sound it made was mature and strangely alluring.
Wang Ba was momentarily speechless.
Nevertheless, a surge of adrenaline raced through him!
He realized he had discovered the true utility of this golden finger!
Accelerated maturation!
Even if it drained lifespan through a wasteful process.
He could harvest lifespan from a multitude of common chickens and funnel it into a select group of breeders.
By forcing them to mature rapidly, he could bypass the long wait for them to reach their prime!
Then, he could breed them at an incredible rate!
This was his path to satisfying the monthly quotas demanded by the Sect!
But with Old Sun nearby, I can’t be too obvious, or I’ll be found out.
Wang Ba pondered silently.
He needed to move forward with caution.
Having reached a conclusion, he marked the hen that was still lounging on his bed and tossed it back into the yard.
He intended to monitor its progress before taking further action.
Although he had sacrificed 1.4 years of his life today, it would be a small price to pay if his theory proved correct.
He shut the door once more.
Pushing the quilt aside, he lay down on the hard wooden planks, tossing and turning in excitement.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he bolted upright.
Wait! If I can gain lifespan, doesn't that mean I can actually afford to cultivate the Body Strengthening Scripture?
Even if reaching the thirteenth layer requires 8,191 years—and accounting for the transfer loss—that only totals about eight thousand Precious Chickens!
Eight thousand Precious Chickens.
To others, they were priceless treasures that were nearly impossible to acquire.
But here in the chicken farm, opportunities were everywhere!
Of course, that depended on him being able to maintain his position here.
Motivated, he climbed out of bed and retrieved the Body Strengthening Scripture from its hiding spot.
He began poring over the text again.
The manual wasn't overly complex, consisting of roughly a dozen physical postures. While they seemed simple, their true power lay in consistent, long-term practice.
Wang Ba attempted the movements. He found that while the poses weren't complicated to look at, executing them correctly required immense physical exertion.
He practiced throughout the night, and by the time the first rooster crowed, he had only just grasped the basic forms.
This was merely the foundation. To truly reach Stage I would normally require a year of dedicated effort.
Consistency was everything.
Just then, the interface flickered into existence.
[Current Remaining Lifespan: 70.3 years]
[Applicable expenditure: Body Strengthening Scripture Stage I, overall qualification/status/constitution, requires an estimated 9 years of lifespan]
His initial surprise was quickly replaced by shock at the cost!
Nine years?! Wasn't it supposed to take only one year of practice?
The price was exorbitant!
It was nine times the duration of natural cultivation.
Despite the high cost, Wang Ba hesitated for only a moment before choosing to proceed.
He had no alternative.
He couldn't realistically wait eight thousand years to see results.
Too many variables could change in such an immense span of time.
[Lifespan of Original Body -9 years]
[Current Remaining Lifespan: 61.3 years]
In the following instant,
A dull, throbbing sensation spread through his arms and legs, followed by a feeling of burgeoning physical power.
Yet, deep within his core, a hidden fatigue also emerged.
This jarring contradiction between raw strength and internal exhaustion made him feel momentarily sick.
The screen remained unchanged.
[Current Remaining Lifespan: 61.3 years]
[Applicable expenditure: Body Strengthening Scripture Stage II, overall qualification/status/constitution, requires an estimated 18 years of lifespan]
After a brief internal struggle, Wang Ba closed the interface.
Reaching Stage I of the Body Strengthening Scripture in a single night could be explained away as having prior experience.
But progressing any further would be far too suspicious.
Even with only Old Sun around, he had to do everything possible to avoid drawing attention.
He rose from the bed.
The stiffness from a night of seated meditation made his lower back ache.
He pushed open the door.
To his surprise, he found Old Sun standing in the middle of the courtyard, cradling a remarkably plump hen. His usually stoic face was a mask of utter confusion.
“This makes no sense... Why did it suddenly lay an egg?”