Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Yuan Qing wasn't particularly afraid of Xuan Ying. Dangerous as he was, Xuan Ying was like a leashed beast; as long as Ying Yuanxing was present, his threat was greatly diminished.

So, even when she noticed a hint of dangerous killing intent, Yuan Qing paid it little mind, focusing instead on attempting to replicate the ability for Xuan Ying.

This was a spatial ability of sorts. If its range hadn't been confined to Ying Yuanxing's farm, Yuan Qing would have been reluctant to pass it on. But now, to prevent Ying Yuanxing from dropping by unannounced, it was best to transfer it to Xuan Ying as soon as possible.

Noticing they still had much to do, Ying Yuanxing rose to take his leave. Yuan Qing glanced at Xuan Ying, then thought of Yuan Xiu still in the bedroom, and didn't try to detain Ying Yuanxing.

"Xuan Ying, study hard here. I'm leaving now," Ying Yuanxing instructed, giving Xuan Ying a final reminder.

Xuan Ying nodded obediently, though his body instinctively leaned towards Ying Yuanxing.

Unable to resist, Ying Yuanxing reached out and gently ruffled the two small black tufts atop Xuan Ying’s head before suddenly looking up at Yuan Qing.

Seeing Yuan Qing's expression unchanged, Ying Yuanxing mused, it seemed Yuan Qing already knew Xuan Ying's true identity.

Otherwise, when Xuan Ying had previously visited the Yuan household, he had been in disguise. Now that he was here in his true form, Yuan Qing should have been startled if she hadn't recognized him.

Leaving the Yuan residence, Ying Yuanxing didn't notice Yuan Xiu watching him through the window. He quickly mounted his horse and rode towards the village.

Passing by the dilapidated general store, Ying Yuanxing slowed, hesitating for a moment before dismounting.

Though the store was run-down, its door was tightly shut, and Ying Yuanxing couldn't enter. He could only stand outside and look.

[Why is the Streamer looking at this shop? Does he want to rent it too?]

[Honestly, I don't think he needs to rent any stores. He could just sell everything online, even the fishing gear.]

[But all those creatures keep lining up to buy. If he stops selling, it might cause problems.]

[Would they really dare cause trouble for him?]

[Enough talk. The Streamer clearly really wants this general store.]

The comments weren't wrong—Ying Yuanxing truly wanted the general store.

After learning the world's true nature from Xuan Ying, Ying Yuanxing maintained a calm facade, but the gnawing unease made it impossible to relax.

Teaching Lan Ying to water the crops had provided a temporary distraction, but once he left the farm, the anxiety came flooding back.

Especially when recalling the past. Before, Ying Yuanxing had simply thought some villagers were odd. Whenever he noticed someone watching him and followed their gaze, he'd either see a curtain twitching by a window or a pair of partially concealed eyes. Back then, he'd found it strange but hadn't thought much of it.

But now, knowing this world’s habit of devouring humans from Xuan Ying, he couldn’t help but wonder—had they wanted to eat him?

Even those he’d thought were friendly, like Yuan Xiu—even Xuan Ying himself—had once entertained such ideas. So how could strangers not feel the same? Cannibalism was this world’s tradition.

Ying Yuanxing knew that if he continued like this, these doubts and fears would eventually break him. Would he then completely lose hope, or would he resort to eating others before they could eat him?

The latter seemed far more likely.

If Ying Yuanxing were alone, starting down that path would be difficult—his current combat ability made preying on others a challenge. But with Xuan Ying, who followed his orders without question and whose sense of right and wrong came from him, it would be all too easy to rationalize consuming others to strengthen himself.

But would he still be himself then?

Ying Yuanxing didn’t mind his personality changing—he’d still be himself. But the thought of such a transformation chilled him to the bone, even leaving him despondent.

It wasn’t a change he wanted, but one thrust upon him by this twisted world. If his current self met that future version, he might not even recognize—or want to acknowledge—him.

If he wanted to gain strength without eating people, there was only one way: farming.

Buying products from Hongxing Supermarket or other stores might also help, but considering their prices, farming seemed the most practical option.

According to Xuan Ying, everything he grew contained that mysterious substance—even the hay. Even the fish that ate the hay had it, which was why they sold so quickly.

He couldn’t bring himself to eat hay, but he could eat crops. If he consumed enough of them, his strength would grow nearly as fast as if he’d eaten people.

But there was another problem: the world was too dangerous, and his current method of gathering seeds by harvesting weeds was too slow. Strawberries produced more seeds, but would those strawberries even contain the mysterious substance? Or if they did, would the concentration be too low?

Either way, it all pointed to one issue—he was limited by seed acquisition. Without enough seeds, strengthening himself would be difficult.

In the game, the general store was always the best place to buy seeds, unless they were special varieties that required the Seed Maker.

But the Seed Maker wasn’t available for now—he hadn’t unlocked its blueprint, nor did he have the materials to craft it. The shortage of regular seeds could only be solved by purchasing them from the general store.

Yet now, the store was closed, its owner gone. He was completely…

Then it hit him. Xuan Ying had learned carpentry from Yuan Qing, gaining the ability to rearrange farm buildings. What if he became an employee of the general store? Could he gain a similar ability?

Or better yet, what if he became the store’s owner? Would that grant him the power to procure seeds?

Before, Ying Yuanxing wouldn’t have considered this—how could seeds just appear out of nowhere? But in a world with supernatural abilities, some unscientific elements weren't out of place.

After all, the game’s mechanics allowed players to sell unlimited crops and buy infinite seeds from the store as long as they had money—neither of which was particularly realistic.

…

When Ying Yuanxing brought up the general store, the village chief wasn’t surprised. In fact, he almost felt relieved—like he’d been waiting for this.

Ying Yuanxing had been unusually quiet these past few days, which had made the chief nervous. He’d been bracing for some major disruption, so this request—to ask about working at the closed general store—was almost a relief.

It wasn’t even strange that the store in question was shut down.

"I’ll ask for you," the chief said, dialing a number. When the call connected, the background noise was chaotic, as if the person was in some disorderly place.

Ying Yuanxing faintly heard words like "lost" and "can still win it back," making him frown. Was this a gambling den?

Immediately, he sensed his plan to become an employee was doomed. Even if he offered to work for free—or even pay for the privilege—someone deep in gambling wouldn’t care for such small, steady sums.

Unless he could offer more, but feeding a gambling addict’s demands was a bottomless pit. The more he gave, the more they’d try to manipulate him, making it impossible to escape.

Sure enough, after a few curses from the other end, the call ended. The chief looked at Ying Yuanxing awkwardly. "You heard him. He’s not looking to hire."

Ying Yuanxing didn’t mention his willingness to pay for the job. A normal store owner might find the offer odd but wouldn’t extort him. A gambler, however, was another story.

"Then, Chief, could you ask how much it would cost to buy the store?" Ying Yuanxing asked after a moment’s thought.

"You want to buy it?" The chief gave him a surprised look. "Even though it’s closed, it won’t be cheap."

Especially since the owner was on a losing streak. He’d likely demand an exorbitant price. Now was a terrible time to negotiate.

The chief’s real concern wasn’t the price—it was Ying Yuanxing’s reaction if provoked. The store owner was far away and safe, but the chief was standing right in front of Ying Yuanxing, inside his own home. If Ying Yuanxing got angry, getting hurt was one thing, but if the house got destroyed…

"Chief, just ask first," Ying Yuanxing insisted, noticing his hesitation.

His resolve was firm, so the chief reluctantly made another call. But whether the other party was annoyed or not, several calls went unanswered. Trembling, the chief glanced at Ying Yuanxing, relieved to see no anger on his face, and tried once more.

This time, the call went through—only to be met with a torrent of curses. The chief’s face flushed, then paled, but he suppressed his temper and relayed Ying Yuanxing’s offer to buy the store.

"Selling what? My family's old house, not selling, not selling..." The voice on the phone said impatiently, while someone nearby seemed to be inviting the person to gamble elsewhere. Excited by the offer, they hung up immediately on the chief.

"This..." The village chief hesitated. "He doesn’t want to sell either."

"I heard him. But I’d still appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for me. If he calls back wanting to sell, please ask for the price," Ying Yuanxing nodded.

"Alright, I’ll notify you immediately if there’s any news," the village chief agreed quickly, relieved that Ying Yuanxing wasn’t angry.

Seeing the fear hidden in the village chief’s words and actions, Ying Yuanxing said nothing and left his house.

From the village chief’s behavior, Ying Yuanxing guessed that the man probably thought he was some powerful supernatural being. Or perhaps, he was especially afraid because of Xuan Ying, who had nearly eaten the village chief. Keeping Xuan Ying by his side might have made the village chief fear that Ying Yuanxing would devour him in a moment of anger.

This world really was...

Xuan Ying in his black horse form seemed to sense Ying Yuanxing’s low spirits and affectionately nuzzled his arm, lowering its body slightly to signal for him to mount. It didn’t want Ying Yuanxing to stay in this place that made him unhappy.

"I’m fine. I just noticed some things I hadn’t before," Ying Yuanxing sighed.

Though knowing the truth made country life seem less idyllic and peaceful, it was still better than remaining ignorant.

Besides, this situation wasn’t hopeless—it just depended on how much he was willing to sacrifice.

"Let’s go to the fishing gear shop," Ying Yuanxing patted the black horse’s cheek and mounted it. The best part about Xuan Ying being his mount was that he didn’t need to give directions—Xuan Ying would take him wherever he wanted to go. That was pretty satisfying.

Having been delayed on the way, Ying Yuanxing arrived at the fishing gear shop to find a crowd lined up outside, murmuring in confusion about his absence.

"Boss, is this your new mount? It looks really magnificent!" Chen Yuan immediately praised when he saw Ying Yuanxing riding an unfamiliar black horse.

The other creatures, unsure what to say at first, quickly jumped in with praise. But with so many of them, the later ones scrambled to find new compliments, fearing Ying Yuanxing would find their praise insincere. As a result, their words grew increasingly outlandish.

Seeing their attitudes, Ying Yuanxing understood—they were worried he’d refuse to sell them Weird Food if they displeased him.

Being flattered was hard not to enjoy, but remembering the reason behind it made Ying Yuanxing sigh.

Having superpowers in this world was great, but it also had its downsides. When Xuan Ying first explained, Ying Yuanxing thought that without mysterious substance, people would just lose their powers—still tragic, but survivable. He hadn’t realized it could be worse: they could weaken and die.

So, mysterious substance was like food to the people of this world, and this was a famine-like era, with his customers being the starving refugees.

Ying Yuanxing walked to the shop entrance and unlocked it. The creatures watched eagerly as he displayed the Weird Food, but despite their excitement, they knew the rules after queuing for so long—no pushing, no grabbing, just orderly lines.

"How’s your fish doing after eating this premium fish food?" Ying Yuanxing asked casually while selling.

The creature being questioned found it odd but, thinking of their family members who'd gotten better after eating the Weird Food, smiled. Though the reply was vague, Ying Yuanxing could tell from their expression that the results were positive.

Those who bought Weird Food didn’t leave immediately—they’d developed a habit of waiting. Carrying Weird Food alone made them ambush targets, but leaving in groups was safer. Even if one unlucky creature got targeted, the odds were much lower.

After asking most of the creatures, Ying Yuanxing finally made a decision: temporarily close the fishing gear shop.

Ever since launching the online store, the physical shop had become less important to Yuan Xing—even a hassle, since he had to restock in person, wasting at least an hour each trip.

With the online store, he just had to list the products, and they’d sell instantly. He didn’t even need to worry about deliveries.

Of course, the real reason for closing the shop was to reduce the farm’s real-world presence.

His small-scale sales hadn’t drawn attention from chains like Hongxing Supermarket—forty customers barely registered to them.

But if he successfully bought the general store and gained the ability to procure or even generate seeds, the physical shop would become a vulnerability.

Trash can deliveries were fast and left little trace, but a real store could be tracked. Ying Yuanxing hadn’t forgotten how Hongxing Supermarket treated competitors—or even non-competitors who just created unique products. They’d strong-arm them into surrendering their products or becoming forced laborers.

Ying Yuanxing refused to end up like that. Fortunately, the offline customer base was small—otherwise, keeping them quiet would’ve been difficult.

There were two ways to silence them: force or persuasion.

Ying Yuanxing studied his customers. They didn't look much different since their first visits, yet they’d bought Weird Food repeatedly—clearly, they weren’t eating it themselves but giving it to those in need.

He noticed Liang Yue beside Chen Yuan. He remembered her well—she’d looked terribly weak when she first came, and he’d even suggested she see a doctor. Now, it was obvious she'd been starving from lack of "food."

Now, Liang Yue’s eyes shone with vitality, her complexion healthy as she chatted with Chen Yuan, a faint smile on her face.

Chen Yuan, noticing someone staring at Liang Yue, shot a protective glance—only to relax when he saw it was Ying Yuanxing. Still, he instinctively moved to protect her. It wasn’t distrust, just protective instinct.

Even knowing Ying Yuanxing wouldn’t harm her, he couldn’t risk leaving her vulnerable.

The other creatures noticed Ying Yuanxing’s gaze too, confused but acting on instinct protecting those beside them.

Ying Yuanxing didn’t know all his customers or who they gave the "food" to, but their actions made it obvious.

Since waking up, Ying Yuanxing had been bombarded with disturbing truths, leaving him depressed. But the creatures’ behavior reminded him that this world wasn’t entirely hopeless.

In these famine-stricken times, people couldn't afford to care for many, reserving what little love they had for those dearest to them—hence their cruelty to others.

Of course, Ying Yuanxing figured some probably enjoyed preying on people, but not all were like that.

Was there a way to distinguish them, or to identify those who ate out of sheer desperation? In an ordinary world, it’d be hard—but this was a world with superpowers. There had to be a way.

"Boss, is something wrong?" Chen Yuan asked cautiously.

"Tomorrow, bring the other group," Ying Yuanxing said, collecting his thoughts.

The creatures froze, their thoughts racing with one idea: Ying Yuanxing knew. He knew they’d been controlling the numbers, even rotating their purchases after discovering the shop only had forty servings.

"I’m closing the shop for a while. If you keep buying, they’ll never get a turn," Ying Yuanxing said casually.

"Closing the shop?"

"Boss, please don’t!"

"Is the price too low? We can pay more!"

Panic immediately set in. Though the Weird Food had improved their health, without a steady supply, they’d waste away again.

Facing their pleading eyes, Ying Yuanxing felt a twinge of guilt. But keeping the shop open left traces. Once he grew stronger, it might not matter—but for now, he had to stay under the radar.

Raising prices was out of the question. Five hundred bucks every couple days was already a stretch for their budgets. Any higher, and they might resort to desperate measures.

Ying Yuanxing stayed silent, and the creatures’ voices died down. They realized his decision was set in stone. They probably couldn't stop him.

After the initial shock, Chen Yuan didn’t protest. Seeing Ying Yuanxing’s resolve, he sighed—but it wasn’t surprising.

A powerful creature like him, selling rare Weird Food at low prices, was probably just killing time. That the shop had stayed open this long was already lucky.

"Boss, are you really not selling anymore?" one creature couldn’t help asking.

"Maybe we'll cross paths again," Ying Yuanxing fought the temptation to mention the online store—that’d just bring trouble. Better to leave it to chance.

Exiting and locking the shop, Ying Yuanxing spotted Li An still fishing by the river, as still as always. The familiar sight brought a smile to his face.

If there's anyone in the village who acts most like an NPC, it would undoubtedly be Li An—always standing by the river fishing, looking like your typical fisherman...

Wait, Ying Yuanxing suddenly remembered that Xuan Ying had mentioned Li An possessed the ability to control water. Moreover, he'd shown up out of nowhere right when Ying Yuanxing wanted to rent the fishing gear shop. Could it be that Li An was actually the fisherman? As for the drowning incident, it was probably just an excuse.

After all, judging by his demeanor, he seemed completely not interested in minding the store, only wanting to fish. Using drowning as an excuse to escape work was entirely plausible.

Noticing Ying Yuanxing's gaze, Li An glanced over. Sensing a somewhat familiar aura from Ying Yuanxing, he frowned briefly but soon dismissed the thought and resumed fishing.

The next day, after serving the second group of customers, Ying Yuanxing left under the wistful stares of the other spirits, instructing Xuan Ying to escort them out.

Seeing Xuan Ying appear, the spirits knew there was no changing their minds and dared not make any moves, simply following Xuan Ying as they departed.

Once they reached the edge of the woods, Chen Yuan and the others were waiting outside for news. When the returning spirits shook their heads, the others sighed, realizing the decision was final and they had no choice but to leave.

Chen Yuan hovered at the tree line, testing the waters by stepping in. Before he could go far, Xuan Ying appeared, putting Chen Yuan on edge.

"Give me your contact info," Xuan Ying said.

Chen Yuan was taken aback but quickly recited his details, worried afterward that he might have spoken too fast for Xuan Ying to remember—though he didn’t dare ask.

"If there’s an opportunity, the boss will contact you," Xuan Ying added.

Though unsure what that opportunity might be, Chen Yuan nodded eagerly. He wasn’t afraid of Ying Yuanxing needing him for something—he feared losing the connection, as Liang Yue’s health depended entirely on those high-grade fish food.

"Did you get it?" Ying Yuanxing asked when Xuan Ying returned.

Xuan Ying nodded and rattled off a phone number, which Ying Yuanxing noted down.

Originally, Ying Yuanxing wasn't planning to call, but another thought crossed his mind. The farm had grown so large that even with Xuan Ying’s Clone assisting, managing it was getting to be too much. If the farm expanded further—which wasn’t impossible, given the lingering mist at its edges—he might need to hire help, which would require management.

Ying Yuanxing knew he wasn’t particularly skilled at management, nor did he want to waste time on it.

In that case, why not find someone to handle it for him? In the modern world, he might worry about being sidelined, but in this world, as long as he controlled the farm’s core, no one could undermine him. That was how Chen Yuan caught his attention—bold, meticulous, cool-headed, and deeply devoted to his wife (though that could also be seen as a vulnerability).

Most importantly, simply collecting contact details meant no loss if things didn’t pan out.

As Ying Yuanxing pondered this, the village chief arrived to inform him that the general store owner was trying to sell his shop again.

Of course—once the gambling den learned the man still had assets, they’d inevitably find ways to make him lose. In the real world, they might not be so ruthless, but this world was especially cutthroat.