Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The moment Chen Yuan laid hands on the herb, he knew his search was over.

Even before tasting it, Chen Yuan could sense the pure Weird Qi emanating from it. To be safe, he cautiously plucked a small piece and put it in his mouth.

For years, to replenish his wife’s Weird Qi, Chen Yuan had essentially become a Weird Qi purifier himself, consuming impure Weird Food and extracting the refined essence.

Now, with his wife in critical condition, Chen Yuan was hardly better off. The weaker his body grew, the more profoundly he felt the herb’s potency—like a parched plant in dry soil, revived by a single drop of water.

Chen Yuan couldn’t recall the last time he had absorbed such pure Weird Qi. Instinctively, he yearned for another taste, but before he could indulge, his deep concern for his wife jolted him back to reality, curbing his desire. His eyes gleamed with wild joy.

Meanwhile, Ying Yuanxing watched Chen Yuan eat the grass and was suddenly reminded of a former colleague who owned a cat. Whenever they bought cat food, the colleague would taste it themselves to check the flavor.

Honestly, pet owners are way too indulgent!

Then again, he wasn’t much better. Ying Yuanxing’s gaze drifted momentarily. These past few days, he had been cooking fish daily and would occasionally prepare meals for Xiao Hei Cat as well, sometimes even tasting them to check the flavor.

Chen Yuan clutched the bottle, thrust five hundred yuan at Ying Yuanxing, and turned to leave—only to be halted by Ying Yuanxing’s voice from behind: “Hold on.”

Chen Yuan’s body tensed. He longed to bolt, but the herb’s effects and his wife’s dire state compelled him to turn back.

Watching Chen Yuan’s movements, Ying Yuanxing inexplicably felt the customer was putting on an act, though it didn’t truly matter.

“Mr. Chen, we’re currently running a special promotion. If you can bring five new customers to purchase our premium fish food, we’ll give you a complimentary portion,” Ying Yuanxing stated with a straight face, betraying no hint that the idea had just occurred to him.

“Five new customers…” Chen Yuan murmured. He had known it wouldn’t be that simple.

With a solemn nod, Chen Yuan finally departed.

Ying Yuanxing blinked. This customer—he suspected the man had been an actor or worked in a related field. Otherwise, why did every expression and movement carry such a theatrical quality?

Concerned that Elder Brother Yu might introduce more customers later, Ying Yuanxing waited at the village entrance for a while, but no one showed up.

It was then that Ying Yuanxing realized he had been too caught up in his money-making schemes. If he were in their shoes, and a friend recommended a good product, he’d ask for the store’s name and address if buying offline, or a link if online.

But he had no store address, and his business hours weren’t fixed. That Chen Yuan had managed to find him was sheer luck. Waiting for other customers like this was no different from hoping a rabbit would run into a tree stump.

So, if he wanted to make money, he needed a proper store first.

“You want to rent a shop in the village?” The village chief was surprised. It had only been a few days since he last saw Ying Yuanxing, and yet the man had already given him another surprise.

Ying Yuanxing nodded. “I want to rent a shop to sell some farm goods. Otherwise, customers won’t know where to go.”

“Which shop are you thinking of renting?” Though the village chief asked, he had already braced himself for Ying Yuanxing to say the village store. Instead, Ying Yuanxing replied, “I’d like to rent the fishing gear shop.”

Originally, Ying Yuanxing had considered the village store, but it was larger and likely more expensive. Plus, the owner was nowhere to be found, making negotiations difficult. The fishing gear shop, on the other hand, was different—the fisherman was gone, so renting it would be easier.

Most importantly, since he was selling herb as premium fish food, he could also sell some fish on the side.

“What kind of farm products are you selling? Wouldn’t a fishing gear shop be inconvenient?” The village chief forced a smile.

“Chief, I’ve been fishing, raising fish, and selling them lately. I’ve developed a premium fish food—everyone who’s tried it swears by it. Several customers have even come to the village entrance looking to buy it from me. That’s why I thought I might as well open a shop,” Ying Yuanxing explained.

The village chief regretted his earlier decision. If only he hadn’t taken Ying Yuanxing to Li An’s house—then Ying Yuanxing wouldn’t have started fishing, wouldn’t have sold fish, and naturally wouldn’t be thinking about opening a shop now.

“Chief, is there a problem?” Ying Yuanxing asked when the village chief remained silent for too long.

Looking at Ying Yuanxing’s smiling face, the village chief suddenly snapped to attention. Wait—was Ying Yuanxing really just trying to open a shop?

Ying Yuanxing’s disguise was too effective. His strange behavior had made the village chief forget that Ying Yuanxing had come to Taoxi Village for another purpose. If so, his intention to rent the fishing gear shop was anything but ordinary.

“No, nothing. If you want to rent it, I’ll help you ask,” the village chief gave in. After all, he couldn’t afford to offend Ying Yuanxing—or Li An, for that matter. Might as well let them deal with each other directly.

“Great, thank you, Chief.” Ying Yuanxing expressed his gratitude and casually handed the village chief a wild fruit.

The village chief stared at the red fruit in his hand, his hand trembling slightly. He had never met a Great Weird as shameless as Ying Yuanxing—someone so powerful, yet the only gifts he gave were wild fruits.

Before, it had been tolerable. When the village chief helped Ying Yuanxing find Li An, he had at least done him a favor, so a single fruit was just a token gesture.

But the village chief was actually misjudging Ying Yuanxing. The wild fruit was simply the most abundant and frequently seen item in Ying Yuanxing’s backpack.

Lately, Ying Yuanxing hadn’t just been giving these fruits to the village chief—Yuan Xiu, Yuan Qing, and Xuan Ying had all received the same gifts. Xuan Ying, who had once been upset when Ying Yuanxing gave Yuan Xiu a present, had long since gotten used to it.

Of course, this only applied to wild fruits.

That night, the village chief stood anxiously by the river, worried that Li An might not come out to fish. Fortunately, after a short wait, a pale figure emerged from the water.

Seeing the familiar fishing rod in Li An’s hand, the village chief stiffened. Ying Yuanxing had left him somewhat traumatized, and the fishing rod was practically Ying Yuanxing’s signature—especially since this one even had the same cursed markings. Could it really be Ying Yuanxing’s rod?

If there was no fishing rod, would Ying Yuanxing still want to rent the fishing gear shop? Even though he suspected it was just an excuse, the village chief couldn’t help but hesitate.

Before leaving, however, the village chief took another look at the rod in Li An’s hand and noticed a difference—this one was completely new, unlike the old rod Ying Yuanxing used.

Li An ignored the village chief entirely, walking straight to the shop entrance. He glanced down at the two numbers on the ground, slightly blurred by the wind but unchanged. Clearly, Ying Yuanxing hadn’t broken his previous fishing record today.

Though the village chief wanted to leave, he gathered his courage and approached, explaining Ying Yuanxing’s intention to rent the fishing gear shop.

After hearing him out, Li An didn’t respond immediately. The village chief didn’t dare press him, so he lowered his head and stared at the ground, where the two numbers caught his eye.

He didn’t need to guess—those numbers had to have been written by Ying Yuanxing.

Aside from him, no one else in the village would come to the fishing gear shop, let alone write on the ground in front of it. Most Weirds in the village knew better than to provoke Li An. Only Ying Yuanxing would dare—first taking his fishing rod, then occupying his usual fishing spot, and now scrawling numbers at the shop entrance. It wasn’t the least bit surprising.

But what did those numbers mean?

The village chief found himself puzzling over them, if only to distract himself from the overwhelming pressure of facing Li An.

“Length and weight,” Li An said, startling the village chief—he hadn’t realized he’d muttered the question aloud.

A seasoned angler would have understood Li An’s meaning, but the village chief had little experience with fishing, so he couldn't make the connection. Still, he didn’t dare ask for clarification.

“Ying Yuanxing wants the fishing gear shop?” Li An continued.

“Yes,” the village chief nodded.

If Ying Yuanxing had been there, he would’ve objected to the village chief’s wording. He didn’t *want* the shop—he just wanted to rent it. Though he might consider buying it later, that wasn’t his intention now. But since he wasn’t present, he couldn’t stop the village chief from phrasing it that way.

Li An gave a soft laugh, then walked over to the spot where Ying Yuanxing had stood during the day. He cast his line and said, “Tell him to come here tomorrow night at eight. I’ll talk to him myself.”

Relieved to have a clear answer, the village chief excused himself and left.

...

After leaving Taoxi Village, Chen Yuan, who had been tailing Elder Brother Yu, became concerned that someone might be following him as well. But with his wife’s condition so dire, he didn’t dare waste time with detours and made a beeline home.

His hunch was right—someone *was* watching him. However, since Chen Yuan returned directly without any suspicious behavior, the observer assumed he had come up empty and stopped paying attention.

“A-Yue,” Chen Yuan called out nervously as soon as he entered the house, hearing no movement inside. His heart pounded with fear.

After a while, there was some movement in the bedroom. Chen Yuan quickly walked in and saw his wife, Liang Yue, lying on the bed, struggling to sit up. He hurried over to support her.

"Yuan-ge, you're back," Liang Yue said softly, smiling at Chen Yuan. There was no trace of the ferocity typical of a Weird in her eyes.

"A-Yue, try this. It’ll definitely work," Chen Yuan said as he helped Liang Yue sit up. He took out a bottle containing grass, opened the lid, and urged her to eat it.

Liang Yue looked at the grass in the bottle and then at Chen Yuan's weary, battered appearance. She knew this Weird Food must have been obtained through great hardship. For her sake, Chen Yuan had already gone through so much. He might not think it was hard, but she felt it was enough.

"A-Yue, just try this once. I’ve tasted it—it’s better than anything we’ve found before," Chen Yuan said anxiously. His agitation made it hard for him to maintain his normal appearance, and his face twisted into the ferocious visage of a Weird.

Liang Yue hugged him without hesitation and whispered, "Yuan-ge, listen to me. Just this time. After this, don’t go looking for more."

She knew how much Chen Yuan had sacrificed for her. At this point, all she wanted was to see him a little more each day. Even after all these years, she still couldn’t get enough of him. Before death, she just wanted to see him a little longer.

After all, humans might turn into Weirds after death, but no one had ever heard of Weirds becoming anything else after they died.

Chen Yuan didn’t respond, but under Liang Yue’s firm gaze, he gave a stiff nod.

But he hadn’t given up. He was determined that if Liang Yue died, he would consume other Weirds and living flesh to survive.

Before, when he became a Weird, he could make Liang Yue one too. As long as he lived, even if Liang Yue died, she could still be revived.

Liang Yue didn’t know Chen Yuan’s thoughts. Thinking he had listened, she took the bottle and sniffed it. The tart, grassy scent of the grass reminded her of the food she had eaten when she was alive. The world of Weirds rarely had such fresh smells.

She took a bite of the grass. The sour fragrance spread in her mouth, like the warmth of autumn sun.

Even though the world of Weirds seemed to have a sun, it wasn’t the same as the one the living experienced—it felt colder. But the warmth from this grass was different, a warmth Weirds weren’t meant to feel.

It wouldn’t necessarily hurt them, but it made them uncomfortable.

Weirds without memories of being alive didn’t mind—they had no reference to miss. But for those with such memories, it was painful.

"No effect?" Chen Yuan asked worriedly when Liang Yue stopped after one bite, his heart pounding with worry.

This was the most refined Weird Food he had found after searching for so long. If it didn’t work, he didn’t know what else could save Liang Yue.

"Yuan-ge, try some," Liang Yue said, holding the bottle to his lips and forcing him to take a sip.

"Do you feel it?" she asked eagerly, her eyes shining with excitement.

Chen Yuan hadn’t dared to eat much—just a little, though more than when he’d tasted it before. The fresh scent of grass under autumn sunlight filled his nose. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he were lying in the warm sun.

He shuddered, afraid to open his eyes. Even as the grass dissolved in his mouth, the warmth was gradually replaced by the familiar chill.

If he had never known warmth, the cold wouldn’t bother him. But once he had felt it, the chill became unbearable.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, and his view of Ying Yuanxing flipped entirely. Before, he had thought Ying Yuanxing was scheming something, and he had only participated for his wife’s sake.

Now, he believed that no matter what Ying Yuanxing’s intentions were, anyone who could create such Weird Food had to be a uniquely benevolent Great Weird. Such pure Weird Qi—even if there were side effects—was worth far more than 500 Weird coins. The warmth alone could sell for 5,000 or even 50,000 Weird coins, with Weirds clamoring to buy it. Yet Ying Yuanxing had only charged 500.

Chen Yuan suddenly recalled rumors of Weird Food that caused addiction. He didn’t know how those worked, but he was certain that any Weird who tasted Ying Yuanxing’s creation would crave it—not from addiction, but from the warmth.

"Eat it quickly," Chen Yuan urged, tearing his gaze away. Otherwise, he might be tempted to take another bite.

Liang Yue took another sip, closing her eyes as the warmth washed over her. The chill of the wind softened, reminding her of autumn trips in her past life.

After several sips, a third was left. Liang Yue stopped, and when Chen Yuan tried to speak, she interrupted.

"Yuan-ge, it’s enough. I feel much better than before," she said, getting out of bed. She wasn’t sick—just drained of Weird Qi, which had left her immobile. Now, with the replenishment, she was fine.

Even if the Weird Qi only lasted a short while, she could move freely again.

"Yuan-ge, this couldn’t have been easy to get. Did the other party have any conditions?" Liang Yue asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer. "Whatever it is, take this along. It might help."

Chen Yuan hesitated but finally accepted. He remembered his promise to Ying Yuanxing—to bring in customers. With such precious Weird Food sold at such a low price, it must be hard to obtain. He had to secure that free bottle of high-grade fish food.

...

To draft a shop-opening plan, Ying Yuanxing burned the midnight oil. But the plan remained unfinished—after all, he had only ever worked for others. Running his own shop was a first. His draft was a jumble. Looking at the mess, he sighed and turned off the light to sleep.

Ah, well. He could always consult a professional—though he wasn’t sure how much that would cost.

He woke up at six the next morning, feeling wide awake. Glancing at the draft on the table, he flipped through it and decided it was passable after all. For a new shop, it didn’t need to be too formal. He just needed to stock and sell goods. Even if things didn’t sell, they wouldn’t spoil in storage. No cost for stockpiling.

The thought relaxed him. After watching TV and learning a new recipe, he had a flash of inspiration in the kitchen—only to produce a few middling or downright awful dishes.

But there was nothing to be done. With limited ingredients, he had to improvise and hope for the best.

Ying Yuanxing packed the dishes into his backpack, grabbed a watering can, and headed out to water the crops. Aside from fishing, watering had become the most backbreaking task.

Chopping wood and mining stones? Xuan Ying could help with those. Ying Yuanxing had even learned a bit from him. Though his results weren’t as good, they were serviceable.

But watering? That was brutal. The amount needed varied daily—even for the same crops planted at different times. Once Ying Yuanxing realized this, he ranked watering as even more challenging than fishing.

The silver lining was that his crops thrived. One plant grew unusually fast. At first, Ying Yuanxing didn’t recognize it, but as fruit appeared, he realized it was a strawberry.

Though he had wanted vegetables, the strawberry seeds were a happy surprise. Strawberries could be harvested repeatedly, unlike single-harvest crops.

Plus, he was short on seeds, but a single strawberry yielded many. If he collected enough, strawberries might be his ticket to selling produce—if they grew just as fast when replanted.

To protect the strawberries (and other crops) from birds and insects, Ying Yuanxing assigned Xiao Hei Cat round-the-clock guard duty in the fields, on alert for any trouble.

After watering, Ying Yuanxing noticed the strawberries had grown larger, and the other crops were doing well too.

Soon, he’d have a proper vegetable meal.

Though the vegetables weren’t fully mature, could he pick a few leaves now?

His eyes landed on the garlic. Not fully grown, but the greens were edible. Even without meat, a simple stir-fry would taste good.

After days of fish, crackers, rice, and wild berries, Ying Yuanxing craved vegetables so badly he was green with craving.

The garlic looked healthy. Would snipping a few leaves harm them?

After some hesitation, he carefully picked a few, hoping the plants from a game made real were resilient enough to handle it.

As he wrapped up his inspection, he realized it was almost time for Yuan Xiu and the others to arrive. He headed to the kitchen to prepare some fish.

Yuan Qing loved fish. Though Ying Yuanxing was fed up with it, she never tired of it.

After cooking the fish, he washed the garlic greens, chopped them, and quickly stir-fried them, logging a new recipe: Stir-Fried Garlic Greens.

The taste nearly made him tear up. He had thought he could endure the lack of vegetables, but one bite showed just how much he had missed them.

As he happily took another bite, he suddenly sensed someone behind him. Startled at first, he quickly realized who it must be and turned around with a huff.

Sure enough, Xuan Ying stood there, watching him with concern.

"When did you come in?" Ying Yuanxing asked, genuinely puzzled. Even if he had been engrossed in the garlic greens, how had he missed Xuan Ying’s entrance?

Xuan Ying is such a character—though he has a rocky relationship with Xiao Hei Cat, he moves just like one. Sometimes, when Xuan Ying stays silent, even Ying Yuanxing can barely spot him.

"Here, try this." Without waiting for Xuan Ying to respond, Ying Yuanxing pushed the plate toward him, gesturing for him to taste it.

Xuan Ying glanced at Ying Yuanxing, verifying his earlier observation was correct—Ying Yuanxing had indeed shed a tear. Supernatural beings rarely cried, and when they did, it was always due to extreme suffering. So, had Ying Yuanxing eaten this and felt pain?

Was Ying Yuanxing sharing his suffering?

Realizing this, Xuan Ying’s eyes lit up. Sharing suffering was an intimate act among supernatural beings. If Ying Yuanxing was willing to share with him, didn’t that mean their bond had deepened?

Without hesitation, Xuan Ying took a bite of the garlic shoots. The fresh, spicy flavor tingled his tongue, but that was all. Was this Ying Yuanxing’s suffering?

Xuan Ying didn’t understand.

"So? Delicious, right?!" Seeing Xuan Ying frozen in place, Ying Yuanxing raised an eyebrow smugly and boasted, "So good it brings tears to your eyes, huh?"

Over the past few days, Ying Yuanxing and Xuan Ying had been chatting off and on, and he’d learned that the other rarely ate vegetables.

This world was messed up—technology was advanced, but agriculture lagged behind, as if no one wanted to farm.

After looking into it, Ying Yuanxing had a theory: in a dog-eat-dog world, farming was labor-intensive and time-consuming, while stealing took only an instant. Naturally, few were willing to farm—after all, "my neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns; my neighbor is my granary."

And Xuan Ying, having been a thief in the past, had little access to vegetables, living mostly on processed food and occasionally dubious meat.

"Good enough to cry?" Xuan Ying felt dazed, realizing he might have misunderstood. "Not suffering?"

"Why would eating vegetables be suffering?" Ying Yuanxing was baffled. "Unless it’s something you dislike, but if this dish caused pain, I wouldn’t have given it to you!"

He wasn't some kind of sadist who enjoyed others’ misery.