The timeline system has gone awry; they insist that steamed buns are a magic pill.

Li Qingqiu led his family members and Yin Yi, a wandering outer sect cultivator, on a journey to test their skills against the Blood-Eyed Demonic Beast.

"This place is indeed filled with demonic energy."

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, the snow seemed to have gotten heavier, the snow piled up to twenty centimeters thick, making it difficult to walk. "We'll be there soon, just follow my instructions."

"Comrade Li Qingqiu, are you sure you can still find the rat hole you mentioned earlier?"

The earth was a vast expanse of white, covered with only a few scattered black dots. It was impossible to find a mouse hole or even see the road.

Don't worry.

The area at the foot of the mountain is a rocky patch, not far from the main hillside, so there's no need to worry about getting lost in the snow. "We're almost there. See that patch of bushes? The mouse hole is right below it. When we get there, let's clear the bushes first."

"It'll make good firewood; I'll share some with you later."

"Did you bring a machete?"

"Don't worry, I brought it with me."

Li Qingqiu patted the machete tucked into his waistband, turned to Li Xianle, Xianning, and the others, and said, "Stay close, listen to your third uncle. We're going to dig a big one today, so your grandparents and parents can see. Digging a rat hole isn't any worse than earning a few work points."

Actually, Li Xianle was already regretting it. With such thick snow covering the ground, he couldn't see anything, so where was he going to find a mouse hole? But since he was already here, he decided to trust his third uncle this time. He hoped that his third uncle would be reliable this time, otherwise he would probably get a scolding when he got home today.

Upon arriving at the rocky area at the foot of the mountain, Li Qingqiu pulled up the map of the Blood Pupil Monster Cave and studied it carefully for a while, marking its approximate location with a stick.

"Show the signs, show the signs, and stick small sticks on all four sides." With these markings, comparing the cave map becomes much easier.

Li Xianshu and Li Xianqing obediently followed Li Qingqiu's instructions, sticking small sticks into the snow. Li Qingqiu would occasionally move the sticks around to mark the spots on the map.

"Comrade Li Qingqiu?"

Yin Yi asked, puzzled, "What's this?"

"Let's confirm the location first."

Seeing that twenty or thirty tree branches had been planted and their approximate locations marked, Li Qingqiu said to Li Xianshu and Li Xianqing, "Alright, that's enough for now."

"What's next?"

"Of course, we should look for mouse holes."

Li Qingqiu teased Yin Yi, and Yin Yi's round face puffed up. Everyone knows how to find a mouse hole, but with this thick layer of snow, how are you supposed to find a mouse hole?

"But before that, let's clear the bushes first."

He called Li Xianle and the others over to clear the snow around the bushes. He didn't rest, immediately using a machete to chop down the tangled bushes and some thorny vines. After more than an hour, he finally cleared a patch of land. "Alright."

Several bushes were cleared to reveal the cave entrances, and Li Qingqiu grabbed some sticks to locate them. "Xianle, this is your job. Clear the snow first. The entrance is under the rocks, so be careful. Once you've cleared the snow around it, make sure the cave is sealed up."

These blood-eyed demonic beasts are no ordinary creatures. There are more than a dozen entrances to the entire cave, of all sizes. Li Qingqiu plans to leave only four and use cages to trap them later.

"Third Uncle, are you sure?"

Li Xianle was somewhat skeptical. His third uncle just randomly pointed to a spot and called it the entrance to the cave; that seemed too far-fetched.

"Don't worry, let's clear the snow first."

Li Qingqiu patted Li Xianle on the shoulder and continued marking the next hole with a small stick. With a map and reference marks, the hole was easy to locate. "Xianning, this hole is yours. Make sure to block it with stones, or the rats will escape through your side."

"Don't worry, Third Uncle."

Li Xianning was also quite skeptical, but compared to Li Xianle, Li Xianning was more honest and obedient. It has to be said that children really do resemble their parents.

Compared to Xianning, Li Xianye, the second son of the second brother's family, is usually naughty and troublesome outside, but he pretends to be a good child at home. He has known how to please others since he was a child, and he has learned all of his parents' little tricks.

"Xianye, come over here."

Li Qingqiu marked two more openings, which were quite close together. "There are two small openings here; you'll need to seal them up later."

"Okay, Third Uncle."

Li Xianye's eyes darted around, he agreed verbally but didn't actually do anything. "This kid, forget it," Li Qingqiu muttered as he continued marking, while Yin Yi watched for a while.

"I'll do this." She was full of curiosity. Could there really be a mouse hole down there when Li Qingqiu just pointed like that?

"Okay, I plan to set up a trap at this entrance. You should clear the snow around here first."

Seeing that Yin Yi was giving him a strange look after he finished speaking, but showed no intention of making a move, Li Qingqiu asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything on my face?"

Are you sure?

"Ah, I'm sure, why wouldn't I believe you?" Li Qingqiu chuckled. The Blood-Eyed Monster map provided by the system couldn't be wrong. "How about we make a bet?"

"I'd better clear the snow first and see what happens."

Although Yin Yi was young, she wasn't stupid. She looked at Li Qingqiu with a half-smile, knowing he was preparing to make a fool of himself. She was determined not to let him get away with it.

"She's quite smart."

"That's right."

The little round-faced girl snorted, wrinkled her nose, and began clearing the snow around her. In no time, she had cleared about half a meter square, revealing rubble and mud underneath. "Nothing there?"

"You're not lying to me, are you?"

"What's underneath the rock?"

Li Qingqiu kicked the stone. It was quite large, about 20 or 30 centimeters square and as thick as a fist. It was also quite heavy.

"Move aside, let me pry the rock open first." Li Qingqiu used his shovel to loosen the rock by one corner and then used some force to loosen it.

"There really is a hole."

Yin Yi exclaimed in surprise, "How did you find out?"

"Hunter's instinct is hard to explain in a short time. First, clean up the area around the entrance of the hole, and then seal the trap tightly. Make sure there are no gaps, or the rats will escape." Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "I have a cheat code. Otherwise, how would I know that these mountain rats are so cunning? The entrance of the hole is well hidden by a large rock and has not been discovered by anyone for many years."

"I see. I didn't expect you to be so capable."

Yin Yi fully understands this instinct and talent. She is very talented as a chef. While other senior students may take ten days or half a month to learn a dish, she can learn it in three days at most.

"well enough."

"Third Uncle, there really is a cave entrance."

Although Li Xianle is somewhat clever, he is still a practical person, unlike Li Xianye, who just looks around without doing any work, his eyes darting around, waiting to see what his brother's results are before taking action.

"It's been plugged with gravel, to make it more secure."

"Third Uncle, I see some weeds at the entrance of the cave. It's probably an abandoned cave."

"Just in case, let's block it first."

The system map marks the entrance to the cave, and it's even a connected main cave. Could this be a deliberate deception by the mountain rats? "Be careful, there might be snakes in these abandoned caves."

"I know, Third Uncle. I'm not afraid of snakes. I'm an expert at catching snakes."

Li Xianle waved his hand dismissively. He knew snakes and rats were all in the same nest, but he wasn't afraid of snakes. He often caught snakes in the summer to earn money to go to school in the commune and buy ice cream.

"Let's be careful."

Although snakes hibernate in winter, it's still possible to get bitten if you encounter one and startle it. Li Qingqiu didn't want any accidents to happen. These kids came with him, so safety was a top priority.

Over the next period of time, the snow was cleared out of more than ten holes, or they were blocked with rocks or sealed with soil. Only four larger holes were left to be blocked with cages, and the cages were sealed with soil and gravel around them.

"Start digging."

The main passage has been identified by Li Qingqiu. Excavation has begun. Although there's a lot of loose rock here, the mountain-opening shovel is different. It's very easy to dig, and it even cracks small stones with a single blow. System-made products are always top-notch. "This main tunnel is actually quite deep."

A group of mountain rats dug a hole, which was quite large and had an absurd number of passages. Li Qingqiu dug for about an hour.

"Don't move." Li Qingqiu activated his stealthy skills, which greatly enhanced his hearing. Squeak, squeak, squeak—the sound of mountain rats was coming; they were about to dig to the main burrow.

"Be careful, there are quite a few rats in this nest."

Li Qingqiu said to Li Xianle and the others beside him, "Check the cages. Yin Yi, keep an eye out for any rats that run out from our side. Slap them hard. We can't let them get away."

Don't worry.

Yin Yi gripped the hoe, her eyes fixed on the hole. The others busied themselves, checking the traps or picking up stones. They were finally digging close to spotting the mountain rats. "Third Uncle, how many mountain rats do you think are in such a big hole?"

"There are probably quite a few."

Are there only ten?

"more than."

Li Qingqiu gripped the shovel and tapped it a few times at the cave entrance, startling the rats. The rats squeaked and scurried about, making Li Qingqiu even more excited. "They're here! Watch out! Make sure you hold the trap down, don't let them escape!"

"Don't worry, Uncle."

As Li Qingqiu's shovel struck the rocks, the sound grew louder and louder, and not only Li Qingqiu but everyone else could hear it.

How many rats are in here?

Yin Yi was puzzled; the voice was rather frightening.

"Quite a few, they've arrived."

The mountain rats, scurrying about, began to escape, some even blocking other burrow entrances; there was already movement inside the cage.

"Third Uncle, a mouse has gotten inside my room."

"We've got it under control, don't let it escape, there's more."

"Third Uncle, I have one here too." Li Xianning pointed excitedly to the cage at his feet.

"Don't let it get away."

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle, I have so many rats here."

Li Xianye was a little flustered. Although he was a bit cunning, he was still just a child. The squeaking and scurrying around in the cage were getting louder and louder, probably because there were several mice in it. He was somewhat panicked.

"Suppress it."

Li Qingqiu wasn't listening; he kept hitting harder and harder, occasionally digging with a shovel.

"Hey, quick, swat them!" Several rats suddenly darted out of the hole he was digging, but Li Qingqiu was too fast to catch two of them.

Yin Yi, being a girl, was startled. Although she slapped a few times, she only managed to catch one mouse. Li Xianshu, on the other hand, was quick and efficient. "Third Uncle, Third Uncle, I caught two mice!"

"Well done."

Li Qingqiu took out a piece of candy and stuffed it into Li Xianshu's hand. The little girl grinned happily, noticing that the other children were all looking at her. "Everyone has one, everyone has one." Since the candy wrapper was no longer available, he could only hand it out one by one.

"what?"

Yin Yi looked at the candy being offered to her lips with some surprise. "For me?"

"Of course, we can't give it to it."

Li Qingqiu kicked the rat that had been swatted to death beside his feet, and smiled, gesturing for Yin Yi to eat it quickly. "To replenish your energy."

"Thanks."

Yin Yi didn't stand on ceremony anymore. It was the first time she had ever eaten candy that a man had personally handed to her, and it felt quite different for her.

"Wait, be careful, there might still be rats coming out."

Li Qingqiu estimated that there were probably more than a hundred of them, and at least half of them were still in the cave. Perhaps some of them ran into the cave and blocked it, or ran into some hidden caves, but most of them should have escaped through the dug-out entrance or run into the cages.

"Keep digging."

This enormous blood-eyed monster's cave is not something that can be completely excavated in a short time. Li Qingqiu is currently working on two tasks: driving the rats into the traps and digging out their granary. With so many rats, there could be at least a hundred kilograms, or even several hundred kilograms, of grain.

"Huh?"

"What a huge tree root."

After digging for a while, I was surprised to find myself blocked by a root about the thickness of a bowl at a depth of about a meter. "These rats really know how to dig holes."

"Have you dug to the bottom yet?"

"No, those rats are quite cunning."

Li Qingqiu stared at the tree roots. The granary was probably around the roots. These mountain rats were really cunning. Sure enough, in one seemingly enclosed area with a few rocks, the soil color was different. "Here."

"here?"

"Let's dig a couple of shovelfuls and see."

Li Qingqiu was certain. Sure enough, according to the system map, there were more passages and caves behind them, several cave-like structures arranged in a row.

"Yes, there really is."

Yin Yi was somewhat surprised; Li Qingqiu was indeed quite capable. As they dug, one "granary" after another appeared before their eyes.

"So many?"

Not only was Yin Yi surprised, but Li Qingqiu was also quite taken aback; this granary was truly abundant.

"This is corn, this is sorghum, and some peanuts. This is rice, and these are wild fruits?" Li Qingqiu thought to himself, these mountain rats really know how to sort through five or six granaries.

"Third Uncle, how much grain does that take?"

Li Xianle's mouth dropped open in astonishment. So much grain! He'd struck it rich.

"It must weigh at least one or two hundred pounds in total."

"Xianle, go back and tell your grandma to take a few more baskets. It would be a waste not to put all this grain back. I just checked, and the granary is quite dry. The grain hasn't gone moldy, so it's perfectly fine to feed it to the pigs." As for human consumption, forget it. After all, rats carry all sorts of viruses and germs, so it's better to be safe than sorry.

Li Xianle immediately turned and ran. With so much food, he knew they would be shocked if he went back to feed them.

"Slow down."

Li Qingqiu was both amused and exasperated. The grain couldn't escape, but the rats could. Li Qingqiu followed the system map, intending to dig out all the little dots, but unfortunately, a few still managed to escape into the snow.

"They run pretty fast."

Li Qingqiu muttered to himself, "Why isn't the mission to exterminate the Blood-Eyed Demonic Beast horde complete yet? Could it be that they've all been wiped out? There's no point in trying to catch a few more." He continued, "Let's take a break and deal with the rats in the cage first."

"Let's kill them all and see," Li Qingqiu began to act. Since killing them in the cage was quite easy, he simply smashed the cage with stones, which was the easiest way to save effort.

"Let me do it," Yin Yi said, stopping Li Qingqiu from smashing the cage as well.

"If you do that, the rat skin will rot, and the price will be much cheaper."

Yin Yi pulled out a small knife. This girl always carried a small knife with her, and it looked quite sharp. Yin Yi skillfully pinched the mouse, cut it with the knife, and let it bleed. How cruel! Li Qingqiu shuddered.

He had only ever killed rats by swatting them, this was the first time he had ever bled them out like this. As the rats were bled one by one, Li Qingqiu's eyelids twitched.

[Side Quest Trial: Destroy the Blood-Eyed Demonic Beast Horde - Completed, Earn +10 Points]

[Host: Li Qingqiu (Lazy Eater Destiny)]

Cultivation Sect: Core disciple of the Li Clan (receiving special attention from the clan leader)

Cultivation Techniques: Basic Immortal Cultivation Method (Beginner), Lazy Eater Method (Beginner).

Cultivation Techniques: Spirit Plant Cultivation Technique (Beginner), Beast-Catching Spirit Rope Weaving Technique (Unsophisticated), Spirit Cage Weaving Technique (Unsophisticated), Sneaky Technique (Entry-level).

Magical items: Beast-catching rope (beginner level), Spirit-enhancing talisman (basic level), Clan Contribution Points Book (low-tier), Pig Beast Taming Skill Card (basic level), Mountain-splitting shovel

Elixirs: One bottle of Blood-Replenishing Pill (78/100), one Agar-agar Nutmeg Pill, one Jade Shell Nourishing Essence Pill

Items: 0.26 yuan Gold Spirit Coupon, 2 jin Silver Spirit Plant Coupon, 2 liang Spirit Oil, 1 Wicked Oil (Common item, can be sublimated)

Physical condition: 6+1+

Agility: 7+

Strength: 6+

Spirit: 8

Points: 42

Sign-in requirements: 0/120 (One sign-in opportunity is granted for practicing the Lazy Eater Method for one hour each day)

Points-based lottery: Eligible participants can enter beginner, intermediate, and advanced lottery draws.

Task: Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate a young man's potential. Task completion rate: 40/1000; Dual cultivation partner task completion rate: 2/100.

Li Qingqiu refreshed the system page and was surprised, yet not entirely surprised, that the completion rate of the dual cultivation partner task had increased by 1 point. Could it be that as long as he spent some time with Yin Yi, the completion rate would increase?

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "I'll test it out tomorrow." He didn't expect that Yin Yi's round face would fit the description of a lazy mother. Could it be that Yin Yi also has a heart that loves to eat and is lazy? It's not hard to see that she loves to eat, and she does know how to eat quite a lot, but he didn't really notice her laziness.

Never mind, since it can increase points, it's good to stay a little longer. Besides, the little girl has a pretty round face, she's cute and suits Li Qingqiu's taste. Although she's a little young, she'll grow up eventually.

"Let me be a tool for now," Li Qingqiu thought to himself. "She can earn points, cooks well, is pretty and cute, has a decent character, and speaks very comfortably. If you think about it, she's actually a pretty good person."

While Li Qingqiu was pondering the matter of cultivating with his partner, Li Xianle ran home at breakneck speed, not caring whether his pants were wet or not. He was shouting and yelling, which startled Li Qingmei and Li Xianjing, who were making shoe uppers at home.

"Hey, Xianle, what brings you back? Weren't you supposed to be digging mouse holes with your third uncle?"

"Where are my aunt, grandma, grandpa, and my parents?" Li Xianle asked anxiously after catching his breath.

"Your grandpa and your dad went to the production brigade."

"Your grandma and your mom are in their private plot in the backyard."

The Li family's backyard had a private plot of land, a pigsty, firewood, and an outhouse. Because there were many people, they had two outhouses, which was quite unusual in Lijia'ao.

"Why did you come back first? Are you alright?"

Seeing Li Xianle's anxious expression, Li Qingmei's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that someone had been bitten? What should she do? She should have advised her third brother; at worst, she could have gone with him.

"No, it's nothing. My aunt, my third uncle dug up the rats' granary. There's so much grain, so much grain. My third uncle said it's probably several hundred pounds. He told me to come back and tell Grandma to get some big baskets to fill it up." Li Xianle was excited when he mentioned the granary. Several hundred pounds, so much grain.

"What did you say? Uncle dug up several hundred kilograms of grain?"

Li Xianjing exclaimed in surprise, "How can there be so many?"

"My third uncle found a big rat nest with lots of rats. He killed more than a dozen of them, and he also caught at least a few dozen more with cages." Li Xianle became more and more excited and proud as he spoke.

"What's wrong?"

Just then, Shi Lanhua and Lin Xiu returned carrying baskets filled with several radishes and cabbages, fresh vegetables they had just taken from the cellar.

"Grandma, you don't know..."

"Several hundred kilograms of grain?"

Shi Lanhua exclaimed, "Oh my god, how capable is this third son?" "Xiao Mei, quickly find the basket, and the carrying pole too. Oh, and the basket too! Come on, let's go together."

"Xianjing, go and tell your mother."

"Grandma, I'm going right now."

Li Xianjing hurriedly put down the shoe uppers she had made, and the whole family went out the door in a grand procession, carrying baskets and hampers.

"What happened?"

Li Fuhai and Li Qinghua, who had just returned, were bewildered by the scene.

"The third brother dug a mouse hole and found several hundred kilograms of grain."

"What did you say?"

Li Fuhai thought he had misheard. "Several hundred kilograms of grain, dug up by the third brother?"

"Mom, did my third brother say that?"

Li Qinghua was a little skeptical. What a joke! He hadn't heard of digging up hundreds of kilograms of grain from rats in years. The year before last, Old Headhunter dug up a rat hole and found more than 30 kilograms of grain. The whole team went to see it.

If we dug up hundreds of kilograms, that would be incredible, impossible!

"Dad, I saw it with my own eyes. Third Uncle told me to come back and report the news, and also to ask Grandma to bring more baskets." Li Xianle was unhappy.

"You saw it with your own eyes?"

"Of course! Not only grain, but also rats. We caught dozens of them. Uncle said that we'd each get 50 cents from selling the rat skins." Li Xianle was excited when he talked about splitting the money.

"What?! We even found dozens of rats! And that rat hole is huge!"

Li Qinghua couldn't believe it. "Did we dig up the ancestor of all rats?"

"Never mind that for now, let's go and see what's going on." Shi Lanhua was really concerned about those hundreds of pounds of grain. Even if people couldn't eat it, that much grain would be excellent for feeding pigs and chickens.

Furthermore, Gang Xianle also said that the grain was quite clean and might still be edible. There were several hundred kilograms of it, which was no small amount.

"Yes, yes, hurry up, it's snowing today, don't let the grain get wet."

Li Fuhai and Li Qinghua followed without even entering the door.

"Where is this family going?"

Jiang Mei, the widow living next door, glanced at it with some confusion.

Sixth Aunt had been keeping a close eye on Li Qingqiu's family. Seeing them leave, she was filled with curiosity and went to find Big Foot Sister-in-law first. "Could something have happened to that boy Li Qingqiu?"

"What's wrong with digging up rats?"

"Haven't you heard? There are three snakes in ten rat holes. Maybe they got bitten by a snake. They're probably out there carrying people now." Sixth Sister-in-law's words made a lot of sense to Sixth Aunt. Otherwise, why would they bring a carrying pole, rope, and baskets?

"How about we go check it out?"

"Call Lan Hua and the others; they're free right now, let's go see what's going on."

At the foot of the mountain, Li Qingqiu was helping Yin Yi kill rats. Surprisingly, as they killed them, it didn't seem so disgusting anymore. "That's about enough. We'll put these entrails and stuff away later; they'll be good for composting."

"It just smells a bit bad."

Animal offal is definitely a valuable commodity nowadays. Compared to excrement, composting offal produces much more fertilizer. However, most households don't have much offal available, and it's rare to throw it away after slaughtering a pig. "You should rest for a bit. We'll get it done when my mom and the others come over."

"Wipe your hands with snow first."

Li Qingqiu thought for a moment, then took out a bottle of Waiwai Oil and handed it over. Yin Yiren had helped kill so many rats, so this Waiwai Oil was a token of his gratitude.

"A gift for me?"

Yin Yi was somewhat surprised, but Li Qingqiu said with a smile, "I bought some from the commune the day before yesterday. You've helped me so much, it wouldn't be right to let you go empty-handed."

"Okay then, thank you."

You're too kind.

Li Qingqiu smiled to himself, thinking to himself, "This girl isn't shy at all; she has a pretty easygoing personality."

"Third Uncle, we're here."

This kid runs pretty fast. Li Qingqiu stood up and took a look. Good heavens, the whole family had come running.