From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 1 Identifying Bones

The North, Black Wind Ridge.

In autumn, the mountains are nothing but withered yellow.

Lin Yan squatted outside his cave dwelling, using a chipped woodcutter's knife to whittle a dead branch.

The sawdust fell, revealing the solid core inside.

This isn't firewood; it's for making bone skewers.

The so-called bone skewers are made by grinding bones collected in the mountains into skewers and selling them to shops in the city. A good skewer can be exchanged for half a box of brown rice.

In the refugee settlements, this was one of the few ways to make a living besides digging for wild vegetables to exchange for food.

"Yan'er, it's windy, let's go inside the cave." His mother called to him from inside the cave, her voice tinged with cough.

"It's bright outside, you can see clearly." Lin Yan kept moving while pondering in his mind.

He has been in this world for more than half a year. The original owner of this body was also named Lin Yan. He went into the mountains in the rain to collect bones and fell to his death.

This land, now known as the Great Yan Dynasty, has stood for three hundred years, but is now in decline.

The imperial court had strict laws, dividing the people into nine classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, each content with their place.

Below the ninth rank, there were even more "vagrants," like rats in the gutter: bone collectors, executioners, musicians, prostitutes...

These professions are passed down through generations. They cannot leave their registered residence, cannot marry ordinary people, and are not even allowed to be buried in ancestral graves after death. Their bodies are left to rot in the wilderness or hastily buried.

The Lin family were among the bone collectors in this place, living off the land, specifically the mountain of the dead.

"I got nothing in my past life, and now I've transmigrated, and I'm still starting out in hell."

Lin Yan smiled bitterly to himself, but his hands moved deftly.

His mother is ill, and his younger sister is still young, so he has to be careful with his money.

My mother, Chen, suffers from a cough caused by years of overwork and malnutrition. It worsens when the weather gets cold, so she needs a stable environment and better food to recover.

My younger sister, Lin Xiucai, is ten years old. She is so thin that she looks like a ghost, but she is already so sensible that it breaks your heart. She never complains of being hungry or cold.

"Brother, how about this one?"

At this moment, Lin Xiu emerged from the cave, holding a small handful of carefully selected bones in her little hands, her eyes sparkling as she looked at them.

The little girl's padded jacket, made from an adult's old clothes altered to a smaller size, had empty cuffs and patches upon patches on top of patches.

Lin Yan took it, and the moment his fingers touched it, a sense of awareness arose in his mind.

This is... a deer leg bone. It's dense but cracked, so it can only be used for short skewers.

That bone, which looks like a human finger bone, would be perfect for grinding into a small ornament...

[Skill: Bone Identification (Beginner)]

Progress: (189/500)

[Function: Enhances eyesight and tactile sensitivity, enabling basic bone identification]

This is the cheat code he recently awakened.

By focusing on a particular skill, you will improve and see tangible improvements in your abilities.

For the past two weeks, thanks to his increasingly refined skill in bone analysis, the family of three has barely managed to avoid starvation and freezing to death in this harsh and cold place.

"The deer bones are good, but the human bones... let's keep them for now. The shop doesn't buy many, so the prices are low."

Lin Yan placed the finger bone back in his sister's hand, smiled gently, and encouraged her, "Xiuer's eyesight has improved."

Lin Xiu smiled happily after receiving the praise, and then carefully put the bones away.

Inside the cave dwelling, Mother Chen leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), her face pale, with three earthenware bowls filled with warm water in front of her.

Firewood was precious in those days; it could only be used to boil some water while cooking, and people dared not use much.

Lin Yan pushed the slightly warmer bowl towards her, "Mother, how's it today?"

Madam Chen forced a smile, reached out and touched Lin Xiu's hair as she leaned closer, "Same as always, it's alright, it's just that you two kids have suffered..."

Lin Yan interrupted her, "What are you saying, Mother? We're family, why talk about hardship? When spring comes and the weather gets warmer, your cough will definitely get better. Xiu'er is growing up too. I'm thinking that I can't let her run around the mountains with me anymore. I have to find a way to send her to learn some proper skills."

Madam Chen looked worried: "What skills can a woman from a nomadic family learn? Nothing more than rough work like washing and mending..."

"I heard that the Jinxian workshop in town sometimes hires outside workers to do odd jobs. Although it's considered lowly work, at least it's indoors, sheltered from the wind and rain. If I could go in and learn slowly, maybe..."

Lin Yan didn't continue, but the look on his face showed that he had already thought about it many times.

Removing her citizenship is a distant dream, but there is some hope that my sister can live a life that is at least somewhat human.

Lin Xiu listened quietly, holding the ceramic bowl, sipping the hot water, her eyes fixed on the flickering flames, lost in thought.

As they were talking, a series of noisy footsteps and commotion came from outside the cave dwelling, approaching from afar and soon reaching the vicinity of this cave dwelling area.

Lin Yan frowned slightly, signaling his mother and sister to be quiet, then walked to the entrance of the cave and peered out through the crack.

There were seven or eight men surrounding a middle-aged man in a cotton robe, kicking down the doors of each cave dwelling and shouting orders.

The middle-aged man was holding something that looked like an account book. His triangular eyes drooped, and his face showed obvious impatience.

It was Zhou Dahu, the tax collector, and his gang of ruthless yamen runners.

"Listen carefully, everyone! From now on, the security fee for mountain dwellings will be increased by 30%, collected per household. The fee will be doubled for those registered as migrants. If you don't pay for a month, your cave dwelling will be confiscated, and you'll be kicked out of the mountains!"

The crowd erupted in chaos, filled with pleas, cries, and curses.

Zhou Dahu glared at him: "If you make another sound, I'll have you arrested and sent to work on the river project!"

Everyone fell silent instantly.

I know all too well that nine out of ten people who go there never come back.

Subsequently, the constables began smashing doors and looting, taking anything of value as payment.

Lin Yan retreated back to the cave dwelling, quickly hiding most of the copper coins and the best bone skewers, leaving only a few in plain sight.

I had just hidden myself when the door was kicked open.

A cold wind blew in, and the fire went dark.

Zhou Dahu strolled in, his triangular eyes scanning the room: "Oh... Widow Chen's house, three hundred coins."

"In previous years... wasn't it one hundred coins?" Chen asked in a trembling voice.

"This year, it's based on households. Your family owns a kiln, isn't that considered a household? The fine for those registering as exiles will double, three hundred coins, not a penny less!"

He waved his hand: "Search!"

The bailiff grabbed the copper coins, glanced at the bone slips, and threw them on the ground.

"That's all?"

"This year... there are few mountain products," Lin Yan said, head down.

The constable spat and immediately went to move the basket of bones, saying, "This junk will do as payment!"

Lin Yan stopped him, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "Sir, this is all raw material, it's not worth much... Please give us some more time, we'll definitely gather the rest."

Zhou Dahu sized up Lin Yan and said with a smirk, "Kid, I heard you're pretty good at recognizing bones?"

"A few days ago, some people died on the north side of the mountain, right? Some soldiers and some bandits. The higher-ups... cough, the county government lost some important items, which might be mixed in with those corpses. If you can help find any clues..."

He dragged out his words and didn't continue.

Lin Yan immediately understood.

This is probably not an ordinary additional donation; it's likely that they are using the guise of donating money to force these refugees, who are familiar with the mountain conditions, to search for something for certain people.

He had heard from the villagers in the area north of the mountain that there had been a fierce battle a month ago, and that some government troops had lost their belongings, which had been secretly investigated.

Lin Yan looked terrified. "Master Zhou, I... I only recognize animal bones. Human bones are rare, let alone..."

Zhou Dahu's face darkened. "Enough nonsense. Either hand over three hundred coins within a month, or go search in the northern part of the mountain. There's a reward if you find it, but if you don't, well..."

He gave a sinister smile, glanced at the sickly Chen Shi and the trembling Lin Xiu, and said coldly, "Then you two shouldn't stay in this kiln either."

After saying that, he led his men away in a long stride.

The cave dwelling was deathly silent, save for the sounds of coughing and the crackling of firewood.

Lin Xiu stood close to her mother, her face pale.

Looking at her son, Chen's eyes were filled with helplessness.

Lin Yan stood at the door, watching the departing figure, and then looked back into the kiln.

Three hundred coins a month...

Even after working day and night to cut up the required number of slips, I still couldn't collect enough.

Going to the north of the mountain is a dead end, and you might even run into unexpected trouble.

Lin Yan still managed a forced smile: "Mother, Xiu'er, don't worry, I'll find a way to donate the silver. I'll go into the mountains a few more times these next few days."

"We can't go to Shanbei!" Chen coughed anxiously.

"If I don't go to the north side of the mountain, I'll go to the deeper old forest. There are more animal bones there, and maybe I can find something else."

The other thing he mentioned was that one could find some odds and ends left behind by defeated soldiers and fugitives deep in the mountains, even though it was dangerous, the rewards were higher.

This is an open secret in the refugee community, and it is also the last desperate choice for many.

Lin Xiu looked up, her large eyes brimming with tears: "Brother, I'll go with you, I can help you find..."

Lin Yan immediately said, "No! You stay home and take good care of Mother, and wait for me to come back."

The night was as dark as ink, swallowing up Black Wind Ridge.