Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Watching Ying Yuanxing’s retreating figure, the village chief let out a long sigh of relief. He turned to his wife, a hint of relief in his voice, "Thank goodness you reacted quickly and pretended someone needed my help. Otherwise, Ying Yuanxing would have mooched another meal from us."

His wife simply stared at him, saying nothing. The chief was taken aback—could there really be a missing young Weird?

It wasn't like the old days. Back then, if a young Weird went missing, it was most likely just lost. But now, if one disappeared, there was a high probability it had been eaten by another Weird.

"Which family's young one is missing?" the chief asked, though he already suspected the situation might be grim.

In the past, the chief had little fondness for these young Weirds. But nowadays, surviving Weird young were becoming increasingly rare, with many already having dissipated. As for reproduction, most Weirds were struggling just to survive and wouldn't spare the Weird Qi to bear offspring.

Even those capable of reproduction likely wouldn't, given how unpredictable the Weird world's deterioration had become. Everyone was focused on self-preservation.

Now, every young Weird lost was one less in the world. If he could help, the chief was willing to lend a hand.

"The Yus'," his wife said gravely. "They reported it missing last night."

"Not the two runts, right? Are we sure it's missing and not... dead?" The chief still had some impression of the Yu family.

After all, the two small Weirds from the Yu family should have long since dissipated, given how depleted their Weird Qi was. It was only because the Yu family kept feeding them various Weird Food that they had held on this long.

But with Weird Qi dissipating faster these days, the chief suspected those two small Weirds were on their last legs. He didn't want to spend time searching only to find out they had withered away quietly from Weird Qi depletion.

"Not just those two—the eldest of the Yu family's young ones is also missing," his wife added, shaking her head.

The chief nodded. The two little ones aside, the eldest was definitely missing. No wonder the Yu family had come to him.

"The Yu family said if we can find them—even just one—they'll pay this much." His wife held up three fingers.

"Three thousand?"

"Thirty thousand."

The chief sucked in a breath. The Yu family was clearly desperate. Thirty thousand Weird coins was a king's ransom. If some Weird had captured those three young ones to eat them, thirty thousand Weird coins could buy far more Weird Food than the Qi gained from consuming them.

The problem was getting word to whoever took them—otherwise, it would be too late. Hopefully, they hadn't eaten them too quickly. Even just one left breathing would do.

"I'll help, then..." the chief mused.

"They'll pay five thousand Weird coins regardless of whether we find them."

It was less than thirty thousand, but just for asking around, it was a decent sum. Especially since Ying Yuanxing had eaten so much of his high-grade Weird Food yesterday, the chief urgently needed to replenish his coffers.

As the chief of Taoxi Village, he had some authority. While others might get attacked just for asking questions, he could at least get a civil conversation.

But after visiting house after house, the chief found nothing to go on. He observed carefully—none of the Weirds seemed to be lying, though their attitudes were downright hostile.

By the end of his rounds, only two places remained unchecked: the farm where Ying Yuanxing lived, and the Yuan family's residence in the hills out back. There was also one household whose owner was away, leaving only pets behind. But the chief remembered those pets had been injured by Yuan Xiu and were still recovering. Even if they wanted to capture a Weird for nourishment, they couldn't have pulled it off against the Yu family's eldest.

Come to think of it, the entire Yu family were water-dwelling Weirds—in other words, fish.

Could it be Li An?

The chief considered it briefly but dismissed the idea. Li An loved fishing, but he only fished for regular fish, not small Weirds. If one of them bit his hook, he would just fling it back into the river. There was no way they would go missing because of him.

If it was the Yuan family, the chief doubted twenty thousand Weird coins would make a difference. As for Ying Yuanxing, the chief never once considered him a suspect.

Still, he was reluctant to approach Ying Yuanxing. But with five thousand Weird coins on the line, he decided to take a distant look, scouting for traces on Ying Yuanxing's person.

He definitely wasn't scared of Ying Yuanxing.

Hesitantly, the chief made his way to the riverbank, where Ying Yuanxing was fishing—standing in the exact spot Li An used to occupy. It seemed this really was a prime fishing location. Too bad Li An was gone; otherwise, they might have fought over it.

As he watched, the chief noticed Ying Yuanxing got a bite. Even though he had no interest in fishing, he couldn't help but watch curiously.

The fish was clearly a big one—the rod bent sharply, and Ying Yuanxing was fighting to land it. But the chief noticed something odd: Ying Yuanxing wasn't channeling any Weird Qi. He was fishing like an ordinary human.

Despite his earlier tests, this sight made the chief doubt himself. Had he been mistaken? Maybe Ying Yuanxing wasn't a Great Weird at all—just someone with other abilities, putting on airs.

After all, the chief had never met a Great Weird as easygoing as Ying Yuanxing.

As he observed, the chief cautiously inched forward. Ying Yuanxing's attention remained fixed on the rod, completely unaware of his presence. The chief's suspicion deepened. Slowly, he reached out...

With a splash, Ying Yuanxing hauled a massive fish out of the water.

Relieved, Ying Yuanxing examined his catch. This had to be some premium catch—it had nearly escaped several times. If he had been any slower, he would have come up empty-handed.

But this fish looked oddly similar to the bully fish he had caught yesterday. He didn't remember much about other fish, but those three bully fish had stuck in his memory.

Two of them had been easy to catch—only the largest one had been tricky. So why was this one so difficult? Same breed, yet such a huge difference.

Suddenly sensing someone behind him, Ying Yuanxing turned.

"Chief?" Seeing the chief standing there dumbfounded, Ying Yuanxing assumed he needed something. "Need something?"

The chief's legs trembled. He wanted to bolt. That'll teach you for being suspicious! The "fish" Ying Yuanxing had just caught wasn't just any fish—it was the Yu family's third child, their strongest Weird, a cut above the chief himself.

Watching Ying Yuanxing hold the Yu family's eldest like an ordinary fish, the chief couldn't help but recall Ying Yuanxing's earlier words: "I'll catch a few fish to cook." Suddenly, it felt like he was one step away from becoming the next dish.

"N-nothing! I just... wanted to ask if you'd like to come over for dinner," the chief stammered. He couldn't tell if Ying Yuanxing had noticed his earlier actions. Maybe this oblivious act was just a ruse to see how he would react.

If he didn't offer something, the chief feared he might not make it home.

"Really?" Ying Yuanxing perked up. He had thought today's meal was a lost cause, but the chief was inviting him?

"Chief, take this fish. You gave me that water tank earlier, and now you're treating me to a meal—I can't just take without giving." Ying Yuanxing reluctantly eyed the fish. It was the same species, but much larger. Selling it would bring in decent coin, but now wasn't the time to be stingy.

"No, no! Your farm's just starting—you need the money more. Sell this fish. I can't accept it," the chief insisted, watching the motionless fish in Ying Yuanxing's grip with tension.

"Besides, my wife and I wouldn't make a dent in such a big fish anyway." Only then did Ying Yuanxing relent, though he immediately pulled out a few smaller fish from his bag.

"Chief, these aren't as big. Take them." Ying Yuanxing smiled.

The chief glanced at them—ordinary fish. Knowing refusal would be awkward, he reluctantly accepted.

As they headed back, the chief noticed Ying Yuanxing suddenly stop, take out two fish, and place them where his fishing spot had been. After a few bows, he caught up.

Noticing the chief's gaze, Ying Yuanxing grinned. "Chief, didn't I say yesterday I'd leave some offerings?"

Now that's prompt service!

The chief couldn't shake the feeling Ying Yuanxing was reminding him to keep his word. And his word had been—dinner!

Once home, the chief urged his wife to start cooking while he tallied up his Weird coins. Gritting his teeth, he took money to buy ingredients. The remaining food at home couldn't hold a candle to yesterday's, but today's meal had to at least match it.

But his pockets were light. Then it dawned on him—the Yu family.

Though he hadn't seen it himself, there was a high chance Ying Yuanxing had "fished" all three of the Yu family's young ones. The question was whether they had been eaten yet.

But the chief wasn't just going for the reward. If he didn't speak up soon, given Ying Yuanxing's fishing frenzy, the entire Yu family might take the bait.

After all, the third one had been caught before you could blink. If Ying Yuanxing landed the whole school, where would that leave the chief's payout?