Chapter 15 – Merchant Level +1
Lin Zhen looked at the sleeping Old Li but ultimately decided not to wake him to ask for details.
She turned back to the two teenagers and met Tang Yu’an’s bright, attentive gaze—which was, more precisely, focused on the parrot perched on her shoulder.
Lin Zhen smiled and let the parrot hop onto her hand. She introduced, “This is my companion, A-Mu.”
The parrot proudly puffed out its chest.
“I am the smartest parrot in the world, A-Mu! You guys…”
The parrot spoke fluently and clearly, but when it met Tang Yu’an’s sparkling eyes, it suddenly faltered.
Perhaps driven by animal instincts, it fluttered its wings and flew behind Lin Zhen, peeking out cautiously.
Lin Zhen was a bit surprised by her partner’s “shyness” today, but she didn’t think much of it. Looking at the two teenagers, she asked, “What are your names?”
After Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi introduced themselves, she continued, “Can you tell me how you saved Old Li?”
Only then did Tang Yu’an shift his gaze from the parrot to Zhou Qi.
“We found him on the rooftop of a building. His calf had been bitten by something and was seriously injured,” Zhou Qi explained.
“Did you see a giant lizard?” Lin Zhen frowned.
Zhou Qi shook his head.
Lin Zhen glanced at Old Li’s wound. His calf was properly bandaged, the bleeding was minimal, and there was a faint scent of medicinal powder.
He wasn’t running a fever nor showing signs of poisoning; his condition was much better than she had imagined.
“Thank you for saving him,” Lin Zhen said, looking back at the two teenagers.
“You’re welcome,” Zhou Qi replied.
“Grandpa Li has already thanked us,” Tang Yu’an said with a smile. “Sister, are you staying to take care of him?”
“Yes,” Lin Zhen nodded.
“That’s great.”
As he spoke, Tang Yu’an pulled out a bottle from his backpack. “Since you’ve agreed to look after Grandpa Li, I’ll give you this bottle of alcohol.”
Lin Zhen was taken aback and accepted the half-full bottle of alcohol the boy handed her.
This was what they had originally in their grocery store. They had nearly used it up when cleaning Old Li’s wound, leaving only this small amount.
“If Grandpa Li develops a fever at night, you can use this to help cool him down. You can also use it to disinfect his wound.”
Lin Zhen examined the clear plastic bottle in her hand and sniffed it, confirming it was alcohol. She couldn’t help but feel surprised.
“Are you… really giving this to me?”
“Yes. Please take good care of Grandpa Li,” Tang Yu’an added, “But when it’s used up, I need the bottle back.”
They were truly generous…
Lin Zhen hesitated for a moment but then nodded. “Alright.”
[You have completed a loss-making transaction with a new customer. Experience +3]
[Experience full. Merchant level increased by 1]
[Merchant level reached Lv2. New items available for exchange in the store: soybeans, matches, and cooking oil. For details, please check the ‘Wholesale Market’]
[Personal storage space increased by 1 cubic meter. Received a ‘Seven-Day Special Refresh Card’]
[Please select a delivery address]
Wow! Not only did they unlock new items, but their portable warehouse expanded by 1 cubic meter, and they received a ‘Seven-Day Special Refresh Card’!
Looking at the level-up rewards, Tang Yu’an cheered inwardly. Seeing that Lin Zhen was still looking at him, he gave her a bright smile and said, “Thank you, Sister.”
Lin Zhen felt something was a bit off, but the boy’s smile was so endearing and innocent that it unconsciously lowered her guard.
When she reached out to pat Tang Yu’an’s head, Zhou Qi stepped forward and gently deflected her hand.
“Thank you. We’ll be leaving now.”
Although they could still conduct two more effective transactions with Lin Zhen, today’s gains were already plentiful. Zhou Qi thought it would be wise to hold off for now.
Since Tang Yu’an had given her half a bottle of alcohol, offering more might attract unwanted attention.
Given Lin Zhen’s skills, he had to remain cautious. If it came to a fight, he wasn’t sure he could win, so it was best to leave quickly.
“Sister, we’ll come back tomorrow.”
Tang Yu’an didn’t argue. Since Zhou Qi wanted to leave, he cooperatively bid farewell to Lin Zhen.
Before leaving, he couldn’t help but glance at the parrot again.
Although he wanted to borrow it to hatch chicks and ducklings, he knew it would be too abrupt to ask during their first meeting, so he decided to wait.
Lin Zhen didn’t insist on them staying and personally saw them to the road.
Watching the two teenagers disappear around the corner, a glint flashed in her eyes. She subtly twisted her body and quietly followed them.
The effect of the Lightness Technique had already worn off, leaving only one use remaining. Tang Yu’an applied it to Zhou Qi as before and climbed onto his back.
“Are you ready?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Tang Yu’an clung to Zhou Qi’s shoulders, excitedly sharing the level-up rewards with him as he opened the map.
But after a glance at the map, he suddenly paused and let out a soft exclamation.
“Brother Qi, Sister Lin is following us.”
Without turning around, Tang Yu’an leaned close to Zhou Qi’s ear and whispered.
Zhou Qi’s footsteps faltered slightly. His expression turned serious, and he said, “Well, let’s see if she can keep up.”
With that, Zhou Qi accelerated, increasing his already swift pace.
Lin Zhen had been carefully keeping herself hidden, but when she noticed Zhou Qi speeding up, she hurried to increase her own speed.
They weaved through the ruins, one ahead of the other. Eventually, Lin Zhen forgot to stay concealed, but even so, after four or five minutes, she lost track of them.
Lin Zhen was incredulous.
She couldn’t keep up—they were too fast!
Panting in frustration, she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she sensed her surroundings and continued to pursue in a certain direction.
However, halfway through, her parrot A-Mu flew back, flapping its wings.
“Lost them! Lost them!”
Lin Zhen’s eyes widened. “Even you lost them?”
Despite her words, she took out a small piece of dried fruit from her waist pouch to feed the parrot.
But A-Mu turned its head away, refusing her offering. It hopped on her arm in displeasure. “Lost them! Lost them!”
Lin Zhen gently stroked its feathers with her finger, comforting it. “It’s okay; we’ll probably see them again tomorrow.”
The boy named Tang Yu’an had said he needed the bottle back after using the alcohol, so they were bound to visit Old Li again.
She wondered where these two teenagers had come from. If they were from the Fortress, why were they in the Desolate City?
In the Fortress… are even children their age this strong?
Frowning in thought, Lin Zhen decided not to continue the pursuit. Letting the parrot settle on her shoulder, she turned back the way she came to return to Old Li’s house.
When she got back, Old Li, who had been lying in bed asleep, was awake. He was sitting up, holding an earthen pot and eating something.
The subtle aroma of congee with cured meat filled the room.
“Old Li, what are you eating?” Lin Zhen couldn’t help but ask as she approached.
“Congee—with meat and refined salt.”
The usually taciturn old man was wolfing down the congee but still took the time to answer her, a hint of pride in his tone.
“Did those two kids make it for you?”
Lin Zhen hadn’t noticed the congee in the earthen pot earlier.
Old Li glanced at her. He had woken up when she was checking his wound, so he knew she had met the two teenagers.
“Yes,” he nodded with a sigh.
He had felt a bit reluctant when he gave them that crystal as a thank-you gift, but now he didn’t mind at all.
How many years had it been since he had eaten such delicious congee? Old Li couldn’t remember.
He scooped another spoonful of congee with his wooden spoon, shakily bringing it to his mouth.
The rice aroma carried a subtle saltiness, mixed with the flavor of meat. The warm congee filled his stomach, making his whole body feel comfortably warm.
Old Li squinted his eyes, a look of happiness and contentment on his face.
“Let me have a taste!” Lin Zhen couldn’t help but say.
“Get your own.”
“Oh, don’t be so stingy…”
*
“Sister Lin has gone back.”
Seeing the silver dot on the map moving further away, Tang Yu’an breathed a sigh of relief.
The real-time display feature of the map was incredibly convenient; with it, they didn’t have to worry about being followed.
“I wonder why she was tracking us…” Tang Yu’an muttered as he marked the dot on the map, feeling a bit displeased.
He had wanted to borrow her parrot to hatch chicks. If Sister Lin was a bad person, his plan to raise chickens might be ruined.
“Maybe she was just curious,” Zhou Qi comforted.
“Mm…”
Tang Yu’an didn’t dwell on it and instead looked at the map. “Brother Qi, should we do that extermination task?”
The Lightness Technique still had two hours left. Given Zhou Qi’s speed, they could return to the grocery store in about half an hour. Not doing the task felt like a waste.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
Zhou Qi agreed. Their experience dealing with the giant lizard had proven that using the Cat Teaser and Frisbee in combat was effective.
If they acted quickly, completing this task wouldn’t be a problem.
Zhou Qi moved closer to the grocery store’s location. According to the map, there were dangerous creatures lurking around the store.
The closest red dot to the store appeared at the spot where Zhou Qi had first seen Granny Guo planting a sapling.
That small tree had been chewed beyond recognition. He had thought Wang Cai was responsible, but it seemed there were quite a few mutant creatures near the grocery store.
They approached the red dot.
When they were several hundred meters away, Zhou Qi stopped. Carrying Tang Yu’an, he looked around and, after finding an open area, took out a plastic bag from his portable warehouse.
The bag contained the items stained with Old Li’s blood. Since they had been stored in the warehouse, the blood was still fresh.
“Brother Qi, are you planning to lure the mutant creature here?”
“Yes.”
Approaching the creature’s location might mean entering its lair, which would be dangerous. It was safer to lure it to a location of their choosing.
While Zhou Qi was setting up, Tang Yu’an thought of something and said, “Oh, right! We got a lucky draw chance from the weekly task and the emergency rescue reward. Should we use them now?”
“Sure,” Zhou Qi nodded.
Tang Yu’an opened the Lucky Wheel. Focusing on the ‘Skill’ and ‘Item’ slots, he silently prayed.
Skills, skills, skills…
Items, items, items…
[Congratulations! You won 1 credit.]
Ah… did he just get the consolation prize? Feeling a bit disappointed, Tang Yu’an clicked to spin again. This time, when the system prompt appeared, he was momentarily stunned and then cheered aloud.
By this time, Zhou Qi had emptied the contents of the plastic bag. The strong scent of blood spread, carried far by the wind.
He didn’t have time to ask what Tang Yu’an had won. Turning around, he was about to find a place for them to hide when he suddenly felt a chill.
Almost instantly, Zhou Qi grabbed Tang Yu’an and leaped away.
“Boom—”
On the map, the red dot that had been at some distance was suddenly overlapping with theirs!
