Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After selling all the fish, Ying Yuanxing had originally planned to buy a few things at the market. However, sensing the unfriendly atmosphere, he quickly abandoned the idea. He could always take the bus to the city; there were more options there, even if the prices were slightly higher.

But after a quick calculation, Ying Yuanxing realized his shopping list was short. Selling all the fish had brought in a good profit, so there was no need to be overly concerned about minor expenses.

Packing up his belongings, he noticed Xiao Hei Cat still crouching at his feet. Tentatively, he picked the cat up. When it didn’t resist, he held it securely and headed straight for the bus station.

Unbeknownst to him, a group of malevolent entities, or “Weirds,” from the market had quietly begun to follow him. These were the same ones who had been lurking around earlier; Wang Hua, who had been injured by Xiao Hei Cat, was among them.

Normally, these Weirds wouldn’t dare provoke a powerful entity. Instead, they relied on Wang Hua’s keen eyesight to bully weaker Weirds and engage in petty theft. Even when encountering slightly stronger Weirds, their sheer numbers usually deterred serious retaliation; most would simply reclaim some Weird coin and let the matter drop.

But after Wang Hua was injured by Xiao Hei Cat, they knew they had encountered a formidable opponent. Yet, if they did nothing, their standing in the market would be ruined.

Seeing Ying Yuanxing leave alone, they seized the opportunity and followed.

Wang Hua had joined them, not just for revenge—though the pain from the cat’s claws had been the most excruciating experience of his existence—but also because he had noticed something extraordinary about those claws. If he could somehow graft them onto himself, the sheer agony they could inflict made his greed surge.

Of course, he hadn’t shared this thought with his companions. If he had, he knew he wouldn’t be the only one coveting the claws.

His eyes fixed hungrily on Xiao Hei Cat, Wang Hua failed to realize that his mind had fixated solely on the claws, unable to think of anything else. Meanwhile, the dark mist from his wound had already seeped deep into his body.

Xiao Hei Cat, nestled in Ying Yuanxing’s arms, turned its head and meowed. Ying Yuanxing, assuming it was just being affectionate, gently stroked its head.

"Brother Wang, should we make our move?" one of the Weirds asked, observing Ying Yuanxing’s apparent lack of caution.

Wang Hua, who had been staring at the ground, slowly lifted his head. His eyes were clouded, as if veiled in a gray mist—clearly, something was amiss.

The questioning Weird grew uneasy, not out of concern for Wang Hua himself, but because if Wang Hua’s vision was compromised, their ability to intimidate others would suffer.

Occasionally, they might accidentally provoke a stronger Weird, but they could usually pay their way out of trouble. If it happened too often, though, they wouldn’t survive.

"Wang—" the Weird began, only to suddenly notice something strange about their surroundings. Had the fog always been this thick?

And why, despite the heavy mist, had he been able to see Ying Yuanxing so clearly just moments ago?

Where were the other Weirds who had followed them? Why was everything so eerily silent?

Panic set in. Though life-and-death struggles were rare in the market, dulling his sense of danger, he now unmistakably smelled death in the air.

A chilling thought struck him. He turned to Wang Hua, who was still staring blankly ahead, motionless. The Weird instinctively took a step back—only to feel his body sink into an icy mist. The last thing he saw was Wang Hua suddenly raising his head, revealing eyes completely shrouded in fog.

Did his own eyes look like that now?

That was the last thought he had before his consciousness vanished entirely.

As the mist swallowed another Weird, it grew denser. A wisp of pure black mist drifted from Wang Hua’s eyes, merging with the surrounding fog.

Wang Hua’s dazed expression cleared slightly, as if waking from a dream. He looked around in confusion at the thick mist before remembering—he had been following Ying Yuanxing with his companions. But where were they now?

Instinctively activating his ability to see through the fog, he spotted scattered black ashes on the ground, still clinging to traces of Weird Qi. The energy felt familiar.

Xiao Hei Cat?

He looked ahead sharply. Xiao Hei Cat lay lazily in Ying Yuanxing’s arms, leisurely licking its paw. A surge of terror shot through Wang Hua, and he spun around to flee—only to plunge into the mist, vanishing without a trace.

Ying Yuanxing heard a faint noise and turned toward the source, spotting a familiar thin figure—the thief from earlier.

With Xiao Hei Cat in one arm and his axe in the other, Ying Yuanxing braced himself, watching the figure warily.

The thin figure trembled slightly before lifting its head, revealing a somewhat youthful face. It seemed to be trying to smile at Ying Yuanxing, but its facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, twisting the expression into something grotesque.

It was eerie yet ridiculous.

Ying Yuanxing had never seen someone fail so badly at making an expression—it was as if the person had never smiled before. He had to look away to keep from laughing.

Despite his amusement, he remained cautious. The fact that this person had followed him likely meant trouble. Scanning the area, he confirmed the thief was alone, which made him relax a little.

After all, if it came to a fight, it’d be two against one.

Meeting Ying Yuanxing’s wary gaze, the young man finally managed to control his expression. "I… I came to apologize," he said. "Earlier, while you were away, I stole your fish."

An apology?

Ying Yuanxing frowned. He doubted a mere scratch from Xiao Hei Cat could inspire such genuine remorse. More likely, this was a setup for something worse.

When Ying Yuanxing didn’t respond, the young man continued, "I want to work at your farm to atone for it. Would that be acceptable?"

Ying Yuanxing froze. He had never mentioned his farm at the market—how did this person know?

The young man didn’t seem to realize how alarming his words were. He simply stared at Ying Yuanxing with earnest sincerity, an expression oddly reminiscent of Xiao Hei Cat’s focused gaze. Yet to Ying Yuanxing, it only made the act seem even more suspicious.

Was this a stalling tactic while waiting for backup?

His eyes darted to the approaching bus in the distance. Deciding to humor him until he could escape, Ying Yuanxing replied, "But farm work is hard, and it’s pretty far from here. Are you sure you want to go?"

The young man nodded without hesitation. His offer had stemmed from seeing how exhausted Ying Yuanxing was—he simply wanted to help make things easier.

Ying Yuanxing drew a sharp breath. The young man’s confidence confirmed he knew about the farm.

He could run now, but that would leave an unresolved problem. Perhaps it would be better to lead him to the farm first; once there, Ying Yuanxing would have the home advantage to figure things out.

But before agreeing, he impulsively asked, "What about wages for your work?"

Wages?

The young man didn’t voice the question aloud. Instead, he searched Wang Hua’s memories and found the answer: wages meant money. In Wang Hua’s group, every Weird had to contribute part of their earnings as a protection fee. Was that the same as wages?

Feigning a search of his pockets, he was actually inspecting the remains of the Weirds he had absorbed. Since Weird coins were a physical form of Weird Qi, he had already consumed most of them—only the few Wang Hua had carried remained.

"I only have this much. Is it enough?" He handed Ying Yuanxing the Weird coin—a meager sum of just over three hundred. "If it’s not, I can get more."

As for where to get more, the market was full of Weird coin. He could tell Ying Yuanxing seemed to like them.

Ying Yuanxing was completely confused. He remembered Xiao Hei Cat had scratched the young man’s hand, not his brain. Why did he seem to have a screw loose now?

Should he really take him back?

But before he could decide, the young man naturally stepped closer. Ying Yuanxing now noticed his tattered clothes—as if he’d been in a fight. If he had come alone, maybe he was looking for shelter. And if he knew about the farm, perhaps he had learned it from the village chief.

After all, Ying Yuanxing had arrived at the market with the chief. If the chief had mentioned something, it wouldn’t be strange.

His mind raced, but as the bus arrived, Ying Yuanxing stopped worrying and boarded. To his surprise, the driver was the same one from his trip here. The young man followed without hesitation.

After paying his fare, Ying Yuanxing noticed the young man fixated on the ticket machine. The driver still hadn’t closed the door—clearly waiting for payment.

Wait… hadn’t the guy just given all his money to him?

Ying Yuanxing hesitated about paying for him when the young man abruptly turned to him and said, "This bus is too old and sluggish. I’ll take you back myself instead."