Chapter 22

Chapter 22

One fish led to another, and another. There weren't many fish left to begin with, and when Yu Laosan reached out, his hand came up empty—they had devoured every last one.

Yet, he felt like he had barely eaten anything, his stomach still far from full.

Yu Laosan thought back and glanced at Yu Laoer. If his memory served him right, Second Brother had eaten the lion's share.

Yu Laoer squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny. He hadn’t expected he'd wolfed down so many. He had only meant to sample a few more to check the fish, but before he knew it, he had eaten far more than intended.

Still, after consuming so many fish, Yu Laoer could confidently say that these fish didn't hook Weirds like drugs. The reason they loved them was simply because they tasted good.

"Elder Brother?" Yu Laoer looked at Yu Laoda.

"I didn’t detect any issues either," Yu Laoda shook his head.

"Should we try the pasture grass again?" Yu Laoer asked, then immediately retracted his words. "No, this pasture grass seems to be only grown at Ying’s farm. We don’t even know if they’ll sell it later. We should save it for Xiao Yan and the others."

After all, if they didn’t eat the pasture grass with pure Weird Qi, they'd just feel queasy at worst when consuming other Weird Food. Yu Fei could manage, but Yu Fei and Yu Ye couldn’t handle even a speck of impurity.

"Elder Brother, when Xiao Fei ate his usual Weird Food before, he had such a bad reaction. It means his body can’t absorb even a trace of impurities now. The slightest bit could throw his system out of whack. So, he can only eat the fish we bought and this pasture grass." As he spoke, Yu Laoer’s expression grew serious.

Yu Laoda understood what he was getting at. They didn’t have many fish left, and the pasture grass was in even shorter supply. Even if they rationed it, it would run out in months.

So, their options were either to find similar Weird Food elsewhere or to go to Ying’s farm to purchase more.

Yu Laosan, oblivious to the deeper meaning behind Yu Laoer’s words, also grew anxious.

"Let’s wait. According to Uncle Liu, he should come out to sell fish again," Yu Laoda said after a moment of thought. For the sake of the children, he didn’t mind being used—what he feared was going to Ying’s farm and still not getting what they needed.

Yu Laoer nodded, though his eyes gleamed with unspoken thoughts.

He recalled the seeds he had seen at the farm. Their fragrance had been exceptionally potent. He couldn’t discern the Weird Qi levels, but they likely contained more than the pasture grass. If they could get their hands on those seeds…

During his time at the farm, Xuan Ying had been dealing with Weirds lured by the scent of the seeds outside the farm. When fetching the fish, he had disguised himself as a small Weird, so Yu Laoer was blissfully unaware how deadly his plan was.

---

In the forest, Ying Yuanxing meandered, picking wild fruits along the way. The bright red fruits were vibrant in color and were pretty good.

Glancing at the sky, Ying Yuanxing saw it was still early, so he decided to stop and gather more. After all, seeing fruit and not picking it was a total waste—something he couldn’t tolerate.

Noticing Ying Yuanxing’s actions, Xuan Ying didn’t need instructions and began picking as well.

Ying Yuanxing had thought his own speed was impressive, thanks to his gathering skill, which instantly stored the fruits in his backpack. But Xuan Ying, despite seeming a bit not all there, was lightning-fast with his hands.

Wait—Xuan Ying was a thief. Of course, a thief would have quick fingers.

Ying Yuanxing glanced at him briefly before he got back to picking. He was so absorbed that he didn’t even notice the approaching footsteps.

The moment Yuan Xiu entered the forest, he knew something was wrong. The ever-present mist had lifted, and even the familiar presence had weakened.

Yet, the other party was still in the woods—and…

Yuan Xiu raised an eyebrow. There seemed to be two separate presences, though they were close together.

What was Shadow Weird up to?

Curious, Yuan Xiu followed the residual traces and soon detected a familiar presence between the two auras. It was…

Ying Yuanxing stood before a bush, carefully picking fruits. A small black cat, Xiao Hei Cat, followed at his feet, storing the fruits in its body. Meanwhile, a lean figure stood slightly behind Ying Yuanxing, also diligently gathering fruits.

Ying Yuanxing hadn’t noticed Yuan Xiu, but Xuan Ying had. He glanced back briefly before resuming his task as if nothing had happened.

Yuan Xiu almost barked a laugh. After knowing each other for so long, Xuan Ying acted like he was a complete stranger. He had thought Shadow Weird’s personality had changed, but clearly, it hadn’t.

If his personality hadn’t changed, why was he fixated on Ying Yuanxing?

A spike of irritation rose in Yuan Xiu’s heart. In his eyes, Ying Yuanxing was the one he had brought to Taoxi Village—his prey. For Shadow Weird to approach him in his absence was straight-up poaching.

Yuan Xiu ignored Xuan Ying. Continuing to engage with him would just work himself up without affecting Xuan Ying in the slightest. Instead, he turned his attention to Ying Yuanxing. After waiting a while, he realized Ying Yuanxing was genuinely absorbed in his task, didn't notice him at all despite the audible footsteps.

Yuan Xiu cleared his throat lightly, and only then did Ying Yuanxing turn around.

"Yuan Xiu?" Ying Yuanxing’s face brightened at the sight of him. After all, Yuan Xiu was the first friend he had made in Taoxi Village. "You’re back from your work?"

"Finished," Yuan Xiu nodded, leaving his business unspoken. "Picking fruits?"

Ying Yuanxing nodded. "They’re quite sweet. I’m gathering some to take back."

However, observing Yuan Xiu, Ying Yuanxing could tell he was in a funk. He thought for a moment and opened the favorability page. He hadn’t seen Yuan Xiu in days and thus hadn’t had the chance to give him any gifts. According to game mechanics, favorability might have dropped.

Sure enough, it had decreased slightly.

"Here, try one," Ying Yuanxing immediately chose to gift him a fruit, keeping their friendship meter charged. As he handed it over, he kept an eye on the favorability meter.

Just as expected, after giving Yuan Xiu the red fruit, his favorability rose a little—a tiny bump, but progress.

He wondered whether the fruit was something Yuan Xiu genuinely liked, was neutral about, or merely tolerated.

At least it wasn’t something he hated.

But seeing the favorability rise, a mischievous idea popped into Ying Yuanxing’s mind. In games, once a gift was given, it couldn’t be taken back—even if the recipient disliked it. Now that things had become reality, could he reclaim the gift? And if he did, would it affect favorability?

Yuan Xiu was clueless about Ying Yuanxing's mental gymnastics. He wasn’t particularly fond of the red fruit, but what pleased him was Xuan Ying's death glare, clearly wanting to snatch it back.

Yet, because Ying Yuanxing had personally given it to him, Xuan Ying had to bite his tongue.

Yuan Xiu sized Ying Yuanxing up. Though Ying Yuanxing’s thoughts were peculiar and his abilities mysterious, what made Shadow Weird shadow him so devotedly—even going against his nature?

In the end, Ying Yuanxing resisted the urge to take the gift back. Doing so in reality might get him punched and torpedo their friendship.

Besides, if he really wanted to test it, he could try with someone else.

Speaking of others, Ying Yuanxing glanced at the name at the top of his favorability list—Xuan Ying.

Six hearts.

For a moment, Ying Yuanxing did a double-take. But after checking multiple times, it was indeed six hearts—an off-the-charts favorability.

Was it the duckling syndrome?

Ying Yuanxing looked at Xuan Ying, recalling his flaky antics and stage-5 clinger behavior, and could only assume that was the reason.

His mood grew complicated. If Xuan Ying had remained as he was during their first encounter, Ying Yuanxing wouldn’t have felt much beyond disgust. But now, with Xuan Ying acting so foolishly, he found it hard to purely dislike him.

Ying Yuanxing sighed silently. The favorability list was a double-edged sword. If he hadn’t known, he wouldn’t have been affected. But now…

A beast’s instincts were sharp. Even though Ying Yuanxing had only glanced at him, Xuan Ying picked up on his mood.

Who upset Ying Yuanxing?

Xuan Ying scanned the area and looked at Yuan Xiu.

The once-bright sky suddenly darkened, and fog rose in the woods. It came so quickly that by the time Ying Yuanxing snapped back to reality and noticed the mist, only Xiao Hei Cat remained by his side—Xuan Ying had vanished.

"Xuan Ying?" Ying Yuanxing called out loudly.

While he'd gotten the name to prevent the other from getting lost, he was using it way too soon.

Ten steps away from Ying Yuanxing, Yuan Xiu’s face went pale, his dark nails growing unnaturally sharp as he tore through the black mist coiling around him. But the fog was formless—ripped apart one moment, it merged back together the next, always reforming to ensnare him.

Yuan Xiu hated fighting Shadow Weird the most. Though it seemed to have a physical form, grabbing at it just got you handfuls of air. Worse, it could manipulate shadows, turning the fight into a two-against-one, with one opponent being someone who knew all his moves. It was utterly disgusting.

"What's your problem?" Yuan Xiu frowned.

"Because of you, he’s unhappy," Xuan Ying growled.

Who was unhappy?

For a moment, Yuan Xiu didn’t react, but after a pause, he realized it was Ying Yuanxing and let out a bitter laugh.

"I wasn’t wrong before when I said you were like a wild beast. But I missed one thing—you’re more like a loyal hound," Yuan Xiu sneered.

"I’m not a dog. I’m a cat," Xuan Ying retorted. Ying Yuanxing had said his favorite animal was a cat.

Yuan Xiu fell silent, his will to fight draining away. Getting into a fight with Xuan Ying over something like this was completely absurd. Was there even any point?

"Xuan Ying, can you hear me? If you do, answer me! Stay where you are—don’t move! I’m coming to find you. Don't move a muscle!" Ying Yuanxing shouted, bringing up the map and zooming in to its fullest, all while begging Xuan Ying to stay put.

If the other stayed put, even without responding, Ying Yuanxing could search in widening circles. But if Xuan Ying moved, they’d easily miss each other.

Ying Yuanxing wasn’t worried about Yuan Xiu—he knew the area far better and would be fine even in the fog.

He called out several more times, making sure Xuan Ying heard him clearly, or didn't follow a faint sound and complicate things.

Xuan Ying threw Yuan Xiu a look but didn’t attack again, turning instead to head toward Ying Yuanxing—though not without taking his prize with him.

Yuan Xiu watched as his shadow was dragged away by Xuan Ying. He wanted to stop him, but the normally obedient shadow now struggled fiercely, fighting to break free and insisting on following Xuan Ying.

"What are you planning to do with my shadow?" Yuan Xiu demanded.

"You made him unhappy. You need to apologize," Xuan Ying said.

"So?" Yuan Xiu frowned.

"I could fight you, but I can’t control you—only your shadow," Xuan Ying admitted, a little frustrated. If possible, he would’ve preferred Yuan Xiu himself to apologize to Ying Yuanxing. But since his abilities fell short, he had to settle for making Yuan Xiu’s shadow atone in his place.

As he spoke, Xuan Ying responded to Ying Yuanxing’s calls, and soon enough, Ying Yuanxing found them.

"Thank goodness you stayed close!" Ying Yuanxing sighed in relief upon seeing Xuan Ying, stepping forward to grab his arm. Only then did he notice Yuan Xiu nearby.

"Yuan Xiu, you…" Ying Yuanxing felt like they’d only been apart for a short while, yet Yuan Xiu’s clothes were torn, looking rather disheveled.

"Got into it with some mutt earlier and fought it," Yuan Xiu explained.

"There are dogs in these woods?" Ying Yuanxing was surprised.

"Yeah, a stray that’s been wandering around. Seems like it’s found an owner now," Yuan Xiu smirked.

If it had been a stray, Ying Yuanxing might’ve considered adopting it as a guard dog. But since it had an owner, he dismissed the thought.

"Let’s head back. It’s getting late," Ying Yuanxing said, clutching a bit awkwardly Xuan Ying’s arm to prevent him from getting lost again as they made their way toward the village.

Yuan Xiu watched as his shadow was left behind by Xuan Ying, frowning. What was Xuan Ying's game by leaving his shadow there?