Chapter 53: Select
Bean Village.
“This, this, the little hamster has fainted!” Cheng Yue cried anxiously, wanting to pick up the little hamster.
“No, no, don’t move!” the old village chief quickly stopped her. “The little hamster might be controlled by Chu Jiu’s ability. If we touch it carelessly, we might end up hurting Chu Jiu!”
So everyone was anxious and flustered, but also helpless.
What to do? What to do?
The thing in the box hadn’t been dug up, they didn’t know if there would be more demons, and Chu Jiu was unconscious, his life or death unknown…
At this most critical moment, Lin Wen shouted, “Up ahead, someone!”
Everyone looked up, and indeed there was someone! Someone was striding over from the wasteland!
Who was it?
Under the moonlight and firelight, they could see the other person was dressed in black, with a cold expression, and was carrying someone in their arms.
Cheng Yue, with the best eyesight, recognized them and exclaimed in a low voice, “Chu Jiu! That person is holding Chu Jiu!”
Ignoring all obstacles on the road, this person strode to the side of the road sign, gently placed Chu Jiu on the dry grass nearby, and said coldly, “I am Chu Jiu’s friend.”
“He asked me to come and retrieve the thing under the road sign.”
With that, he made a “scatter” gesture.
His voice, demeanor, and posture all carried an irresistible aura of authority.
Everyone silently dispersed.
Irene and Cheng Yue retreated to Chu Jiu’s side, looking worriedly at the unconscious boy.
At this moment, the capybara also moved its four paws and ran to Chu Jiu’s side, gently placing the little hamster on its back into Chu Jiu’s arms.
Then, everyone watched in astonishment as the little hamster disappeared into thin air!
…Everyone opened their mouths, initially surprised, but then remembering that the little hamster had also appeared out of nowhere, they felt it seemed quite normal.
Old Du whispered, “This, is this also an ability?”
Old Zhao: “Yes, it must be an ability. That kind of animal-type ability.”
Old Du: “But isn’t Little Jiu’s ability space-based?”
Old Zhao: “Can’t our Little Jiu have several abilities at the same time? Such a wonderful child.”
Old Du: “True.”
Meanwhile, the black-clad man had already walked to the bottom of the road sign, looked at the pit they had dug and the wooden box thrown aside, frowned slightly, and raised his right hand wearing black gloves, grabbing into the pit—
The sand and soil rustled loudly, and there was a faint sound of rocks cracking and breaking.
Everyone couldn’t help but feel apprehensive: What on earth was it that was hidden in such a deep place?
The man raised his right hand slightly higher, his five fingers spread open, then closed—
A black shadow swooshed into his hand!
Before everyone could see clearly what it was, the man had already put the black shadow into the wooden box.
He handed the box to Chu Jiu’s pet capybara and said to everyone at the same time:
“There’s no need to worry about demon invasion anymore.”
“The thing in the box is the cause of this riot.”
“I will temporarily entrust it to Chu Jiu for safekeeping.”
“Do not open it again.”
When everyone first heard “There’s no need to worry about demon invasion,” their faces lit up with joy.
But hearing his later words, everyone’s expressions became complicated again.
The old village chief was both shocked and suspicious:
The cause? Wasn’t the riot just now a sudden loss of control by the demons, but rather something with a cause?
If there was a cause, didn’t that mean…it could have been manipulated by someone?!
The old village chief’s face, which had been flushed with excitement from fighting the demons, gradually turned pale again.
The next moment, the black-clad man made a gentle gesture:
From the darkness ahead, a small, white, fluffy ball hopped out—
It was actually Chu Jiu’s “pet rabbit.”
This small rabbit had three human-shaped bundles on its head. Following the man’s instructions, it dropped the three bundles to the ground:
They were three people with their hands and feet tied, muttering nonsensical ravings.
Using his long spear as a crutch, the old village chief walked forward to take a look: Wasn’t this the “merchant” who had come yesterday to discuss selling goods!
These people had disguised themselves during the day to come to Bean Village, wandering around under the pretense of “looking at the goods,” and then secretly sneaked back at night…?
The pet rabbit grabbed one of the people’s clothes and pulled hard, and a box fell from this person!
This box was exactly the same as the box the black-clad man had just taken out!
At this point, everyone could see that someone had deliberately wanted to harm Bean Village, taking advantage of the absence of the stronger people in the village to try and destroy the entire village with demons.
The old village chief, finally understanding the connection, his lips trembled a few times, his face deathly pale, had many questions he wanted to ask the black-clad man in front of him.
But in the end, the first question he asked was:
“How is Little Jiu?”
The black-clad man held Chu Jiu in his arms again, carefully adjusting his posture so that Chu Jiu’s head rested comfortably on his chest.
Only then did the man reply, “He’s fine, just overused his ability and needs rest.”
He glanced at the pet rabbit and the capybara, then looked at everyone and said, “There are demon corpses everywhere near the Pioneer’s Hut, it will take two days to clean up. Does anyone have spare rooms where Chu Jiu can rest temporarily?”
Among these people, or rather, among everyone in Bean Village, Irene, whose family had the best conditions, immediately said, “Come to my house! I’ll prepare a room for Little Jiu!”
*
Chu Jiu had a wonderful dream.
In the dream, his beloved Little Can turned into a very large black cat—large enough to carry his whole body.
Then Little Can really carried him.
He lay on Little Can’s warm and soft back, hugging its neck, enjoying the cat snuggles to his heart’s content.
Little Can obediently let him snuggle while… flying into the sky.
And it flew very high, so high that it seemed the moon was within reach.
All around him was the sound of the wind whistling past.
It should be very cold so high up, right?
Fortunately, the fur beneath him was very warm.
Chu Jiu subconsciously hugged the big cat even tighter.
Unfortunately, the big cat didn’t carry him flying for too long.
After only a moment, the big cat landed on the ground.
And then…
Then he seemed to hear Lu Qingyan’s voice?
That steady, exceptionally reassuring voice, saying in his ear again and again:
“Don’t be afraid.”
“Nothing will happen.”
Mmm…
Chu Jiu’s eyelids fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.
Huh? Where is this?
An unfamiliar bed, unfamiliar pillows and bedding…
His own pillows and bedding were stuffed with cotton, but the pillows and bedding here were all filled with duck down. This couldn’t be cheap, right?
How much did a duck down quilt cost again?
Chu Jiu, whose mind wasn’t fully awake, was subconsciously pondering the serious question of “bedding prices.”
Until he heard a voice:
“Awake?”
Chu Jiu’s body jolted, and he rubbed his eyes to look at the person sitting by the bed: It really was Lu Qingyan!
Chu Jiu’s mind was still a mess, and he couldn’t even completely separate dreams from reality.
He barely propped himself up to sit, staring blankly at Lu Qingyan. “Lu Qingyan! Am I still dreaming?”
Lu Qingyan: “No.”
Chu Jiu rubbed his eyes again, his brain clearing up a bit. He suddenly realized something, and his voice changed abruptly. “Demons, the demon riot…”
Lu Qingyan: “It’s over.”
Chu Jiu: “…Ah?”
Lu Qingyan: “Your judgment was very accurate. We found the thing in the box and stopped the demon riot.”
“The village is fine.”
“The spirit beasts, the villagers, the village, all are safe.”
It took Chu Jiu a long while to come back to his senses. The expression on his face finally relaxed a lot, and he murmured, “That’s great…”
That’s great…
Realizing this, Chu Jiu suddenly felt extremely sleepy again. His body was so weak that he couldn’t sit up straight. He didn’t even have the strength to ask clearly “where exactly is this?” He closed his eyes and fell back onto the pillow.
Hmm, thankfully it was a down pillow.
If it were a hay pillow, he probably would have fallen quite hard.
Chu Jiu’s thoughts began to wander again in a scattered way.
At this moment, he felt a slight coolness on his forehead—
It felt like Lu Qingyan was using his hand to check his temperature.
Confused, Chu Jiu mumbled, “Lu Qingyan?”
Lu Qingyan slowly withdrew his hand. “Hmm?”
Chu Jiu: “Did you save me again? I even dreamed that my little cat turned into a big cat and flew me back…”
“But I think I also dreamed of you…”
“Actually, you and my little cat look quite alike.”
“Such beautiful eyes… so beautiful…”
Lu Qingyan’s lips gently pursed.
Chu Jiu’s eyebrows and eyes curved into a smile, and he fell asleep again.
At this moment, someone gently knocked on the door. “Mr. Lu?”
Irene walked in carrying a glass of honey water on a tray. “I thought I just heard Little Jiu’s voice?”
Lu Qingyan: “Yes, he woke up for two minutes and then fell asleep again.”
Irene smiled and placed the honey water by Chu Jiu’s bedside. “It’s good that he’s awake, good that he’s awake. It’s been two days—”
“Mr. Lu, you’ve been guarding him here for two days too. Why don’t you rest for a bit and let us watch over Little Jiu?”
Lu Qingyan: “No need, thank you.”
Irene didn’t ask any more questions and left with the tray.
*
After Irene left the guest room, she gently exhaled.
Douglas walked over and asked softly, “Little Jiu woke up?”
Irene said, “Yes, he said he woke up for a while and then fell back asleep. Lu Qingyan is still with him.”
Douglas sighed. “This time, everyone is safe and sound, all thanks to Little Jiu.”
Irene added, “It’s also good that Little Jiu has Lu Qingyan—ah, you didn’t see the way Lu Qingyan looked at Little Jiu just now…”
“Hehe, I knew I definitely wasn’t wrong!”
Douglas: “…”
Douglas had returned to Bean Village the morning before yesterday.
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, the group eagerly jumped out, and then were overjoyed to discover:
Everything in the village was as usual!
The old people picking herbs, the children carrying water, everything was the same as when they had left, except for not seeing Aman, who always liked to wander around outside!
Douglas rushed home, while Reg was planning to run to the Pioneer’s Hut to see Little Jiu, but saw Mary running towards him:
“Dad! Uncle! Brother Chu Jiu is at our house!”
After listening to Irene’s explanation when he got home, they finally understood what had happened in Bean Village last night.
Douglas was so shocked that he couldn’t speak for a long time.
His shock wasn’t just because of the sudden “large-scale riot.”
It was because this riot had actually been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes.
And this man-made disaster had almost been single-handedly resolved by Chu Jiu.
That no one in the entire village had died after encountering a demon attack, and that they had even forced the demons back into the wilderness, was unheard of and unseen.
Coupled with what Irene had said, “Chu Jiu turned into a little hamster,” “in the form of a little hamster, he took out many props for us and blocked the demons together with his other pets”…
Douglas felt that the knowledge and experience he had accumulated over the past thirty-odd years were not enough to explain everything that had happened last night.
What exactly was this child Chu Jiu…?
Douglas steadied himself, thinking that at this moment, instead of trying to figure out what Chu Jiu’s abilities were, it was better to go see Chu Jiu quickly.
He was about to go to the guest room when Irene quietly reminded him, “It might not be very convenient for you to go in now.”
Douglas was very puzzled. Irene said, “Lu Qingyan is in there with him.”
Douglas: “Lu Qingyan?”
Irene: “Ah ah, I just forgot to say, he was the one who sent Chu Jiu back, he’s also an ability user. I thought you had met him…”
Douglas was stunned. “At that time, it was Chu Jiu’s usual pet—that pet is probably a strange beast controlled by his ability—that black cat grew bigger and carried Chu Jiu away before us.”
“It wasn’t any ability user who sent Chu Jiu away.”
Last night, the dwarf beastman had very confidently told everyone that the “big cat” was indeed the little black cat that Chu Jiu always kept by his side.
Given the dwarf beastman’s talent in “beast identification,” Douglas didn’t doubt this statement.
Moreover, they had been guarding outside the carriage at the time, and it was indeed impossible for any other demon to bypass them and directly break into the carriage.
As for what exactly the big cat was, the dwarf beastman couldn’t say for sure either.
Douglas guessed that it was probably some kind of strange beast living in the wilderness.
Since there were spirits and goblins in the wilderness, it wasn’t surprising that there were a few strange beasts as well.
Irene hesitated and said, “Ah, we didn’t see any big cat…”
“It was this man named Lu Qingyan who carried Chu Jiu out of the wasteland.”
“Later, he was also the one who used his ability to pull out that strange thing buried in the ground, and then the demons really calmed down.”
Douglas frowned. “Then I need to go take a look even more.”
As a result, a rather mysterious smile appeared on Irene’s face. “Oh dear, don’t go in and disturb them.”
“Little Jiu couldn’t sleep soundly at first and kept tossing and turning. Lu Qingyan is holding him now.”
Douglas: “Huh?”
Irene then told him that after letting Little Jiu lie down in the guest room last night, they discovered that Little Jiu might be a bit particular about beds. He kept tossing and turning in bed and always kicked off the quilt.
With this weather, wouldn’t he catch a cold if he kicked off the quilt?
Irene was a little anxious, thinking about whether to use a thicker quilt to weigh Little Jiu down, but Lu Qingyan directly sat down by the bed and said calmly, “It’s okay, he’s always been a restless sleeper.”
After saying that, this person actually picked up Little Jiu and let him sleep leaning against his chest!
And Little Jiu, who had been rolling around restlessly, now obediently grabbed Lu Qingyan’s clothes, even nuzzling his head against his chest, and slept very soundly with a slight smile! This looked like a very comfortable, familiar, and reassuring position!
Speaking of this, Irene couldn’t help but show a strange smile again. “Doug, do you know what this means?”
Douglas was completely confused and had no idea what Irene was smiling about. He could only tentatively ask, “This shows…”
“This Lu Qingyan and Chu Jiu…”
Irene looked at him with a smile, encouraging him to finish the sentence.
Douglas: “Lu Qingyan and Chu Jiu are really good friends?”
Irene rolled her eyes and whispered, “What good friends! Would you hold Lauren while he sleeps if he was sick?”
Douglas: “…”
That was indeed impossible.
Irene said, “As for me, I have an idea now. However, I need to talk to Lu Qingyan first to see what his identity is before I can confirm my idea.”
Douglas: “…”
That afternoon, Lu Qingyan came out of the guest room.
This person told Douglas that he was indeed a friend of Chu Jiu’s. He happened to be nearby this time and noticed the demon riot, so he rushed to the Forgotten Forest, only to see Chu Jiu’s “pet cat” carrying Chu Jiu back.
This person also said that it wasn’t an ordinary pet cat, but actually a strange beast controlled by Chu Jiu, which could transform in an emergency to protect Chu Jiu in this way.
These explanations did correspond to the situation at the time.
In addition, the other party was indeed very familiar with Chu Jiu and had also heard about Douglas and Reg from Chu Jiu.
Not only that, but Douglas also found that this young man named Lu Qingyan had an imposing air about him despite not being angry.
Although the other party was unwilling to reveal his true identity, it was clear from a brief conversation that this person’s status was likely extraordinary.
Powerful ability, high status but unwilling to disclose it, carrying an inherent authority but not being overbearing…
Based on his many years of experience dealing with ability users, the association, and the royal family, Douglas judged that only one type of person fit the above conditions:
A member of the special guard directly under the royal family.
In the evening, he told Irene this conclusion.
As a result, that mysterious smile bloomed on Irene’s face again, and she said excitedly:
“Oh dear, oh dear, I knew it!”
“They must be secretly in love—no, no, it must be that Lu Qingyan is temporarily in unrequited love and is still pursuing him bitterly, but in the end, they will definitely overcome obstacles and become a sweet and loving couple!”
Douglas: “Huh?!”
What was all this nonsense?!
Irene pulled Douglas into the kitchen and lowered her voice. “Royal guards, their marriage partners have strict requirements, right? Like the spouse must stay in the royal city for a long time or something.”
Douglas: “Hmm…”
What did that have to do with Chu Jiu?
Irene: “But our Little Jiu is such an excellent pioneer!” “He must really love pioneering, love farming, love a free and unrestrained life!”
“How could his scope of activity be limited to the royal city!”
“And Lu Qingyan, respecting Little Jiu’s wishes but unable to disobey his own mission, so—”
Douglas unconsciously widened his eyes. “Huh?”
Irene: “So, Lu Qingyan can only secretly admire Little Jiu and can never confess his feelings!”
“But as long as Little Jiu encounters danger, no matter how far away he is, he will come to help Little Jiu!”
Douglas: “Huh?”
Irene glared at him. “Do you only know how to say ‘huh’? Don’t you have any other thoughts?”
Douglas: “…Oh…”
“…What thoughts should I have?”
Irene: “You should think: Wow, what pure feelings these two young people have! One is reserved, the other is straightforward, one is ready to act, the other is still ignorant! Ahhh, I really hope they can get together soon!”
Douglas: “…”
He really wanted to ask his wife if she had been too engrossed in those old story collections like “The Knight Captain and His Little Page” to have such thoughts.
But he didn’t have the courage.
Therefore, he could only nod. “Makes sense.”
“Indeed.”
“Hope they can get together soon.”
Irene was very satisfied with her husband’s reaction.
However, she added another sentence: “I think Little Jiu still doesn’t know Lu Qingyan’s feelings—otherwise, when I asked him before if he had a lover, he had no concept of it at all.”
“Let me tell you, if one day Little Jiu suddenly starts asking you questions like ‘What do you think of Lu Qingyan as a person,’ then he’s finally about to figure it out!”
“At that time, you absolutely must not mess things up, understand?”
Douglas, who had spent a lot of effort pursuing Irene back in the day, nodded in deep agreement. “Understood.”
*
After sleeping for a whole day, Chu Jiu finally fully woke up and could get out of bed and walk around.
That morning, as soon as he came out of the guest room, Irene greeted him with a smile:
“Little Jiu, are you feeling better?”
Chu Jiu nodded. “Yes, I’m quite well. I’ve troubled you these past few days…”
He had briefly woken up again last night and learned from Lu Qingyan why he was here, and also confirmed again that Little Can and the others were all safe and sound at the Pioneer’s Hut.
Irene hurriedly said, “What trouble or no trouble, don’t be so polite.”
“Come, come, quickly have breakfast.”
Breakfast?
Chu Jiu looked at the dining table and was surprised to see a steaming bowl of sliced noodle soup!
He was a little surprised: people here didn’t have the habit of eating hot food in the morning, usually just nibbling on some dry bread or dry buns. As for noodle soup like this, not to mention eating it for breakfast, people here probably didn’t even know how to make it.
He sat down at the table, scooped up a spoonful and tasted it—it was actually a fish broth, with shredded ginger to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor.
This method…??
When he was at the Pioneer’s Hut, or when camping in the wasteland, he would occasionally make breakfast like this.
A warm bowl like this could warm both body and mind.
But Irene could also make noodle soup like this?
Chu Jiu was both surprised and couldn’t help but eat several large mouthfuls in a row.
Irene said with a smile:
“Delicious, isn’t it?”
“When Mr. Lu went out this morning, he said you should wake up today and asked me to make breakfast according to the recipe he gave me.”
“He said you don’t like cold food in the morning and prefer something warm. I thought it was really strange at the time, but now that I see you eating so happily, I know Mr. Lu was right.”
Chu Jiu wiped his mouth, thinking that it was actually Lu Qingyan who provided the recipe.
But… how did Lu Qingyan know this recipe?
…It couldn’t be that the little cat told him, right?
Just as he was thinking, Irene said again, “Mr. Lu has been staying in the house with you most of the time these past few days, afraid that something might happen to you.”
“Speaking of which, when he brought you back then, his face was also terrifyingly pale. It was obvious he was scared by the way you fainted.”
Chu Jiu had also learned from Lu Qingyan last night that it was the “big cat” that carried him all the way back to Bean Village, and then he happened to be encountered by Lu Qingyan, who had rushed over to stop the demon riot, and was thus rescued by chance.
Thinking this way, Lu Qingyan’s pale face was probably also due to the unexpected demon riot last night.
Chu Jiu didn’t say anything, just nodded vigorously in agreement when Irene praised “Mr. Lu is really a good person.”
*
Although he had been unconscious for a few days, Chu Jiu quickly learned what had happened during breakfast while eating and chatting:
No one in the village, except the old village chief, had suffered any serious injuries. As for the old village chief, Douglas had found a doctor to see him, bandaged him, and applied herbs, so there wouldn’t be any major problems.
The other facilities in the village, whether the fields or the apiary, were all intact, and even the bees were fine.
As for the three people who secretly buried the box, when Mr. Lu brought them out that night, they were already in a state of madness and soon all died. Later, after a doctor examined them, he said that the three people hadn’t been scared crazy, but had been poisoned. Reg and the others also discovered that the silver coins carried by these people were indeed coated with poison.
In other words, the person who hired them hadn’t intended to leave any survivors from the beginning.
As for who hired them, although everyone didn’t say it out loud, they all had a conclusion in their hearts.
Now, according to Mr. Lu’s suggestion, in order to confuse those people, everyone in Bean Village had the same story:
That night, the village was robbed. The old village chief fought with them and was injured as a result. Several thieves later went mad and died on the spot, and no one knew what exactly happened.
As for any box or demon riot, it never happened.
“Demon riot? How could that be? If there really was a demon riot, Bean Village didn’t have a single ability user at the time, and it would still be intact? Don’t joke around.”
In this way, the news quietly spread in Emerald Town, and presumably had already reached the ears of the “person who hired them.”
After finishing breakfast, Chu Jiu got up and thanked Irene again, saying that he had to go back to check on his pets.
Speaking of this, Chu Jiu’s tone faltered slightly, remembering that he hadn’t explained why Kakaba was so human-like.
Unexpectedly, Irene smiled and said first, “Go quickly, go quickly, your little friends should all be waiting for you.”
“The night before last, Mr. Lu even brought them to see you, saying that these ‘pets’ are actually strange beasts you tamed with your ability, not ordinary animals, and you have a very deep bond with them.”
Hearing this, Chu Jiu felt relieved and couldn’t help but laugh. “So that’s it!”
“I thought it was a dream at the time, but they really did come!”
“Lu Qingyan thought of everything so thoroughly—”
Irene smiled meaningfully. “Yes, Mr. Lu is very considerate.”
When Chu Jiu rushed back to the Pioneer’s Hut, all the demon corpses on the ground had been cleaned up and had become part of the [Natural Fertilizer Pile].
The area around the hut was clean and tidy, unknown purple flowers bloomed in the yard, and the cobblestones embedded in the ground glittered in the sunlight.
Before Chu Jiu even stepped into the yard, Glup-Glup flew out. “Glup glup! Chu Jiu’s back! Wuwuwulululu!”
Then Rawr Rawr Rabbit and Kakaba also ran out. “Chu Jiu! Chu Jiu, you’re alright!”
After hugging the three little ones one by one, Chu Jiu looked around. “Where’s Little Can?”
Kakaba blinked his eyes. “Dang dang dang, Little Cansaid it gets a little tired after growing big, so it’s small again now and sleeping.”
Oh, so that was it.
Chu Jiu asked half-casually, half-intentionally, “That night, did the big Little Can send me back?”
The three little ones: “Yes, yes, it carried you back as fast as flying!”
Chu Jiu: “And then… handed me over to Lu Qingyan?”
The three little ones: “Yes, yes!”
That’s right, the big Little Can had turned back into Lu Qingyan.
After receiving the affirmative answer, Chu Jiu still felt a bit strange, an indescribable feeling.
He shook his head, tossed these inexplicable strange thoughts aside, and ran upstairs to see Little Can.
*
Little Can was indeed sleeping.
It was curled up in a small ball in its can cat bed.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt that Little Can was sleeping more quietly than usual today.
Chu Jiu slowly squatted down beside it and said softly:
“Little Can, thank you for saving me…”
“I didn’t even know you could turn into such a big, big cat.”
“If it weren’t for you… I don’t know what would have happened.”
At that time, his spirit energy value was only 1 point left, and his stamina had also been exhausted.
If it hadn’t been for Little Can, no, Big Can, bringing him back in time and letting the little hamster “return to its place,” he was afraid he would have died long ago.
As for what the “little hamster” actually was, Chu Jiu guessed that it should be some kind of special mechanism of the system.
As he spoke, Little Can slowly opened its eyes, its beautiful ice-blue eyes fixed on Chu Jiu.
Chu Jiu lowered his head and kissed the little guy’s furry forehead.
Little Can’s tail stiffened, and it muttered softly, “I told you not to kiss cats casually…”
However, it didn’t avoid him.
On the contrary, it used its little paw to gently touch Chu Jiu’s face.
*
After waking up, Chu Jiu had many things to do.
For example, the [Field] he had hastily reclaimed earlier wasn’t in a suitable location for cultivation; for example, he needed to recapture the [Gratitude Earthworms]; for example, he needed to build a passable road in that temporary [Barrier Strip] he had dug out…
However, to Chu Jiu’s surprise, he thought he would receive many system prompts after waking up.
But the system was unusually quiet.
It was almost as if the system had also crashed and was undergoing maintenance.
Chu Jiu was just about to draw up a schedule when he heard the long-lost sound of a bell.
It turned out to be Douglas.
Douglas said that the old village chief was much better today. A few of them wanted to discuss the recent “riot incident” with Chu Jiu.
*
The discussion was held in the living room of Douglas’s house.
Besides the old village chief and a few villagers, Douglas and his wife, and Reg, Chu Jiu also saw Lu Qingyan.
For some reason, seeing this person there, a subtle joy welled up in Chu Jiu’s heart.
Great, he didn’t leave.
…Why would I think that?
It must be because I haven’t properly thanked him yet.
*
Although Lu Qingyan was present, he didn’t say much.
Douglas did most of the talking.
Douglas told everyone that although all three of them had died, before that, they had used some means to get some information out of them.
The three confessed that the client had said that “Bean Village had offended some people” and “these people wanted to teach Bean Village a lesson.”
In the current Carrot Continent, the only entity with the motive and the ability to use such an unbelievable and inhumane method to “teach someone a lesson” was likely the Association.
If the Association failed to “teach Bean Village a lesson” this time, unless Bean Village laid low from now on, and the villagers and products of Bean Village never appeared in big cities like Sea Moon City again, there would be a second and third “lesson.”
In other words, from now on, Bean Village had two paths:
The first was to keep their tails between their legs. To forever remain a remote, poor little village where everyone had to count corn kernels to cook and gather dry grass for warmth, so that the Association would completely forget about this incident. This way, everyone would be safe.
The second was to desperately plant, weave, brew honey, and make soy sauce, etc., so that everyone could be well-fed and clothed, but they would have to withstand the possible threats from the Association and similar “lessons.”
Douglas said that Chu Jiu had contributed the most and was also the most severely injured in this riot.
Therefore, he wanted to hear Chu Jiu’s opinion first.
Chu Jiu had already frowned when he heard Douglas’s previous words.
Now, he simply blurted out:
“Even if we swallow our pride, the Association might not necessarily let us off.”
“Besides, we haven’t done anything wrong. Why should we be the ones to endure and admit defeat?”
“Indeed, the Association is stronger and richer than us now. They even possess such strange and ingenious skills as ‘being able to trigger demon riots.'”
“But we can too—”
“We can create things they can’t create, we can possess technologies they don’t have.”
“Don’t we have them now?!”
“Are we always going to be just a small village, easily wiped out by a random demon riot, without even leaving a trace?”
“We can be a prosperous Bean Town, a developed Bean City, we can have our own guard, we can be a formidable city that anyone would have to think twice about before attacking, and then wouldn’t dare to!”
“We… who says we can’t do it?!”
After saying all this in one breath, Chu Jiu, who had never been talkative or good with words, was stunned himself, thinking, “Ah ah, I was too impulsive just now.”
Building Bean Village into Bean City, with the system’s support, might not be a pipe dream.
But three years later, he would leave with the pioneer points—
Those who would truly stay here and withstand the Association’s threats were the villagers of Bean Village.
Thinking this, his face couldn’t help but turn red, and he anxiously wanted to make amends, his heart filled with apprehension, his gaze subconsciously sweeping towards Lu Qingyan beside him.
Hmm?
Was he mistaken?
Why did Lu Qingyan seem to have no expression, but the look in his eyes was full of approval?
Chu Jiu turned his head to look at the old village chief and Douglas again:
Why was everyone smiling?
Thank you for the update