Chapter 221
Chi Hao stared at the message board in disbelief.
After realizing that he, Lan Yunqing, An An, and Zhou Qi were not in the same shop, he gradually calmed down.
But the real question was—who was this person?
Very few people dared to call him that in real life. Besides his sister and Old Xie, everyone else who tried had been “dealt with” by him, so…
[Greenish Blue]: Sis?
Had Hong Li also been recruited by the mysterious merchant?
[Xiang Tianshi]: …
[Xiang Tianshi]: Do you really think this name belongs to your sister?
Chi Hao froze. He knew usernames could be very different from a person’s real identity, so he hadn’t paid much attention. But now that it was pointed out…
His heartbeat suddenly sped up, and his steps unconsciously halted.
A passerby bumped into him, snapping him back to reality. He quickly picked up his pace, found a secluded corner, and crouched down.
Xiang Tianshi… Xiang Tian… Chaori?
That was impossible… It couldn’t be…!
His hands trembled slightly. Fortunately, the message board didn’t require both hands to operate, so he quickly typed a reply.
[Greenish Blue]: Make a private paid post on the forum!
[Greenish Blue]: We’ll talk there!
Within seconds, Chi Hao saw a new paid post appear on the forum—with the exact same title as the ones he used before.
Xiang Tianshi had only set the entry fee to 500 points. It still hurt Chi Hao’s wallet, but he didn’t hesitate to pay.
[Greenish Blue]: Who are you?
[Xiang Tianshi]: You still can’t guess?
[Greenish Blue]: Cut the crap! Say it yourself!
[Xiang Tianshi]: Your scam awareness is impressive. Guess my teaching wasn’t wasted on you. [Xiang Tianshi]: Who else could I be?
Then, Chi Hao saw a single word in reply:
“Xie.”
Tears streamed down his face in an instant.
Chi Hao wiped them away quickly. His mind was flooded with a thousand questions, and since it was a private thread, he didn’t hold back.
[Greenish Blue]: You’re not dead? You weren’t eaten by the beasts?!
[Xiang Tianshi]: No.
[Greenish Blue]: Then where the hell did you go?!
[Xiang Tianshi]: The way you phrase that… I’m still in Desolate City.
[Greenish Blue]: How did you survive?!
[Xiang Tianshi]: I was rescued by the mysterious merchant’s subordinates.
Chi Hao was stunned. Had the mysterious merchant heard his wish? Did they really save Old Xie?
[Greenish Blue]: Tell me everything that happened!
[Xiang Tianshi]: You know what the center of Desolate City is like. After being severely injured, I suffered a backlash, and then…
Reading Xie Chaori’s explanation, Chi Hao immediately thought of Little Risheng and Hai Jing’s daughter.
So the mysterious merchant didn’t only seek out children in dreams?
Their subordinates were so powerful that they could come and go freely even in the heart of Desolate City?
Chi Hao was shaken. His first thought was of the divine envoys, Silver Light and Dark Moon. They were the most mysterious figures on the forum.
[Greenish Blue]: What are you planning to do next? Have you contacted my sister? I’ve already reached the fortress. Should I report your situation to headquarters?
[Xiang Tianshi]: Not yet. I won’t be able to return anytime soon.
[Greenish Blue]: Why?
[Xiang Tianshi]: I owe the mysterious merchant’s subordinates a rescue fee of one million points. I have to pay it off before I can leave…
Chi Hao was speechless.
One million points!
But to him, Old Xie was worth every single one of those points, no matter how expensive.
[Greenish Blue]: I’ll help you pay some of it once I earn enough points in the fortress.
[Xiang Tianshi]: That’s my good brother!
[Greenish Blue]: You’re paying me back later!
[Greenish Blue]: If you’re still in Desolate City, you can ask my sister for help, right?
[Xiang Tianshi]: In a few days.
Chi Hao didn’t understand why he needed to wait. In his eyes, Desolate City was a barren wasteland. How was he supposed to earn points there?
Then again, it was possible that the mysterious merchant had assigned Old Xie a task, so he didn’t press further.
After all, with the spatial rift at the center of Desolate City, the mysterious merchant must have been aware of it before saving Old Xie.
Now that he knew the mysterious merchant had saved his friend, Chi Hao’s opinion of them skyrocketed.
Even if the rift eventually turned the mysterious merchant into an enemy of Qingmu Fortress, Chi Hao didn’t care.
There were only a few people in this world that mattered to him, and Old Xie was one of them.
Besides, it was just a spatial rift—Qingmu Fortress wasn’t unfamiliar with those…
[Greenish Blue]: So should I still report you as dead to headquarters?
[Xiang Tianshi]: Stick to the original plan.
Xie Chaori knew Chi Hao too well. If he returned to the fortress without confirming Xie’s death, it was obviously to rally reinforcements.
[Greenish Blue]: Got it!
[Greenish Blue]: Should I say the same thing to the Xie family?
[Xiang Tianshi]: Yes. But keep an eye on their reaction and report back to me.
Chi Hao agreed.
Just as he was about to end the conversation, another message popped up from Xie Chaori.
[Xiang Tianshi]: By the way, what’s with your username? “Little Green Bro”??
[Greenish Blue]: ………
[Greenish Blue]: SHUT UP!
Chi Hao angrily closed the employee forum.
He had already embarrassed himself once in front of Lan Yunqing, so what was one more time?
But then a thought struck him, and he reopened the post to issue a warning.
[Greenish Blue]: You are NOT allowed to call me by my nickname ever again!!!!
[Xiang Tianshi]: Which one? Haozi?
[Greenish Blue]: AHHHHH DELETE THAT!
*
Peace Grocery Shop, Attic.
Tang Yu’an pressed the accelerator on the drifting bottle and, as expected, received drifting bottles from Tang Xueyun and Tuls.
He eagerly opened Tang Xueyun’s bottle first.
After listening to Tang Xueyun’s message, he took out his optical brain and played the video recorded by his three family members for him and Zhou Qi.
They sat in the attic watching the video, not missing a single moment of the images left behind by Tang Sheng and the others.
“This is great! The magic tent is really useful!” Tang Yu’an’s eyes were red after watching the video, but a smile remained on his face.
Zhou Qi gently patted his head in comfort and added, “Uncle Tang and Aunt Tang have awakened abilities. I wonder if they can cultivate?”
“Then we should send more energy crystals back!”
Before sending the magic tent, he had given Hei Tuan Tuan a whole box of energy crystals, but those were meant to maintain the tent’s function. If they were to be used for cultivation, additional ones would be needed.
“From Uncle Tang’s description, it sounds like a mysterious-type ability, similar to the owner of the Jade Pavilion Inn.”
Tang Yu’an rubbed his chin. If that were the case, energy crystals might not work for cultivation…
“Oh, right! We still have materials to make constitution-enhancing eggs! We can make them for Dad, Mom, and Xinxin to strengthen their bodies!”
“We’re out of Spirit-Gathering Grass, so we’ll need to buy more from Teacher Gu.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
Tang Yu’an nodded and immediately made a video call to Gu Qianli to place an order.
“Ten Spirit-Gathering Grass plants? That’s fine.” Gu Qianli agreed.
Previously, Tang Yu’an and the others had used a miniature space capsule to expand the drifting bottle, increasing its capacity to 10 liters. Storing ten Spirit-Gathering Grass plants was no problem at all.
Besides expanding the drifting bottle, they had also sent pastries and two Star-chain Fruits to him.
“Thank you for the Star-chain Fruit seeds. I’ll give you these ten mid-grade Spirit-Gathering Grass plants for free,” Gu Qianli suddenly said.
Tang Yu’an was startled and quickly waved his hands. “That’s not right…”
Gu Qianli raised his hand to stop him and said, “Ten mid-grade Spirit-Gathering Grass plants are far less valuable than these seeds. Just accept them.”
If his ability were stronger, he would have given them even more.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and asked, “Teacher Gu, does the Star-chain Fruit have any other special effects besides its roots enriching the soil?”
Gu Qianli was momentarily stunned. “You don’t know?”
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi both shook their heads.
“One of the Star-chain Fruit seeds you gave me sprouted and developed intelligence,” Gu Qianli said with excitement.
“I’ve never seen such a spiritual plant before. It can absorb resentment energy from the environment and convert it into spiritual energy.”
The ancient battlefield where Gu Qianli resided was thin in spiritual energy, and the pervasive mist was filled with the lingering resentment of fallen spirits, creating many dangerous zones.
Thus, he had to be extra cautious when moving around the battlefield.
But the Star-chain Fruit sapling he had just cultivated had already demonstrated the ability to absorb resentment energy and transform it into spiritual energy.
This was astonishing.
By relying on the spiritual energy produced by the Star-chain Fruit sapling, he could cultivate even more Spirit-Gathering Grass. For Gu Qianli, this sapling was priceless.
“So that’s how it works!” Tang Yu’an suddenly understood.
The Star-chain Fruit vines at their home in the Desolate City were ordinary plants without intelligence, so they had never noticed this trait.
Besides, they didn’t even know how to distinguish between resentment energy and spiritual energy.
As expected, a fruit created by the gods was extraordinary!
“So in the future, if you ever need Spirit-Gathering Grass, just ask. As long as I have it, I won’t refuse,” Gu Qianli promised sincerely.
“How can we accept that?” Tang Yu’an waved his hands. “Being able to nurture intelligence in the Star-chain Fruit vine is your ability, Teacher Gu. It has nothing to do with us.”
“If you hadn’t sent me the seeds, how could I have cultivated an intelligent Star-chain vine?”
Gu Qianli insisted, “You should just accept it. Cultivators value karma. If I receive a favor and don’t return it, it will become a heart demon in my cultivation path.”
Since he made it sound so serious, Tang Yu’an had no choice but to nod in agreement.
“Then, thank you, Teacher!”
Gu Qianli let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Do you have any more questions today? If not, I’ll go prepare your Spirit-Gathering Grass now.”
“No more questions. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
With that, they ended the call.
Since they had just used the accelerator, they would have to wait three days before receiving the Spirit-Gathering Grass. Tang Yu’an decided to shift his attention elsewhere.
He opened Tuls’ drifting bottle and took out an optical brain and a miniature stone cabinet.
To his surprise, Tuls could understand their language! That meant they could communicate using the optical brain now!
Perhaps because Tuls didn’t know how to operate it, the optical brain recorded both sound and video.
The footage was dark but showed a young man with long curly hair and… a tiny fairy, about the size of a palm, with transparent wings that shed stardust as it fluttered!
Tuls had a fairy companion!
In the recording, Tuls first expressed his gratitude before explaining the history and function of inscription patterns. The inscriptions he casually carved were filled with elegant and mysterious beauty.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi couldn’t help but be captivated.
However, since the content was quite lengthy, they decided to continue watching it later when they had more time.
As for the space bags they had commissioned, Tuls had come up with a concept and was currently testing a prototype. He estimated that it would take another month or two before he had a finished product.
Tang Yu’an wasn’t in a hurry. In ancient times, even dyeing fabric took several months, so it made sense that crafting such a powerful item would take even longer.
They opened the stone cabinet to check out the new batch of equipment.
This time, in addition to sturdy armor and sharp spikes, there was a new addition—Swift Feathers.
These feathers were made from materials traded from the beastmen’s plane. They could be used as hidden weapons, flying out at high speed, and regardless of whether they hit a target, they would always return to their owner.
Moreover, this time, McKesson and his team had engraved a speed inscription on each feather.
The already fast feathers had reached a new level. When Tang Yu’an casually threw one, even Zhou Qi had trouble dodging it.
If they added the power of wind, the speed would be even more terrifying—practically impossible to defend against.
Tang Yu’an was very satisfied and kept the feathers for himself, while the reinforced armor and sharp spikes were handed over to Old Li for equipping the patrol team of the home base.
After delivering the items, they returned to the alternate dimension.
Xiao Hong chirped loudly, sounding heartbroken, as if it had been abandoned.
Meanwhile, Wang Cai and Yin Bi were crouched outside the incubation room, peering through the window—they didn’t like the high temperatures inside.
Tang Yu’an walked over and saw tiny, finger-sized spiders crawling up to the ceiling of the incubation room. Then, they dangled down from their silk threads, landing right above Xiao Hong before…
Plunging straight into Xiao Hong’s mouth.
The reason Xiao Hong was crying so loudly wasn’t because it had been abandoned but because the spiders’ aim wasn’t always accurate. Sometimes, they missed.
Whenever a spider missed, Xiao Hong would chirp anxiously.
But soon enough, another spider would drop from the ceiling, and it would quickly open its beak to gobble it up.
Tang Yu’an: “…”
He looked at Wang Cai—and sure enough, its eyes had turned green. It was clearly controlling the spiders.
Noticing Tang Yu’an’s gaze, Wang Cai wagged its tail excitedly.
Tang Yu’an had never expected Wang Cai to have such an ability!
He reached out to pat its head, praising and encouraging it to continue feeding Xiao Hong.
Finally, there was no need to worry about Xiao Hong going hungry!
Seeing that Wang Cai and Yin Bi were taking good care of Xiao Hong, they felt reassured and went back to watching Turs’s video recording.
Turs seemed to be on a roll, talking for over an hour before finally stopping and bringing up the trade deal.
“We hope to receive more magic crystals and food.”
Tang Yu’an naturally agreed. Over the past three months, they had collected plenty of materials from the Great Wood Forest and stuffed them all into the stone cabinet.
For food, they provided the same types as before. After seeing the environment Turs was living in, they also included paper, pens, and several fire stones wrapped in temperature-resistant cloth.
After confirming everything was in order, they placed the items back into the drift bottle, along with some seeds—
While the stone cabinet couldn’t store living things, the drift bottle had no such restrictions. Turs and the others couldn’t survive on meat alone; they needed some plants for a balanced diet.
Once everything was packed, they sealed the bottle and sent it into the Dream Sea.
Since making the physique-enhancing eggs would take time, Tang Yu’an decided to send those in the next shipment. For now, he sent his parents the Crimson Sleep Pillow and Speed Feathers.
With the Level 3 Crimson Sleep Pillow, his parents would be much safer even if they went out on trips!
The second Crimson Sleep Pillow had just upgraded to Level 2.
To evolve the shop’s essence into the powerful Level 4 category, they still needed three more pieces of Level 3 magical furniture. They had to keep gathering materials.
“We’ll check again when the seven-day special sale refreshes,” Zhou Qi suggested.
“Mm!”
*
Three days later, on the outskirts of the Desolate City—
The ability-user squad from Green Wood Fortress finally arrived.
This time, besides Hong Li and her guards, they were also accompanied by a local faction from Jufeng Mountain—Li Li’s team.
“We need to find a suitable base camp first,” Li Feng said.
Although Jufeng Mountain was already close to the Desolate City, traveling with such a large group had still taken two to three days.
Going back and forth wasn’t an option, so setting up a base in the Desolate City was a must.
Hong Li had no objections, but she didn’t move. Compared to her, Li Li—the direct descendant of the Li family and her longtime rival—was eager to take charge.
Soon, over a hundred ability users split up to scout for a suitable base.
Most of them had hunted in the Desolate City before and were familiar with the environment. Now that they had a large group backing them up, they were much bolder.
Before long, they reached the outskirts of the Desolate City Haven.
The patrol team spotted them first. Initially, they planned to capture them as usual, but they quickly realized something was off—There were too many of them!
Hiding in the shadows, the patrol team counted at least several dozen, possibly over a hundred people. They quickly retreated and reported to Old Li.
“These people came to the Desolate City?” Old Li’s expression grew serious as he read the report.
Two days ago, the shop’s channel had mentioned unusual movements from Jufeng Town’s guards, noticed by Xiao Cao and Lan Lin at the grocery store where salt was sold.
However, they hadn’t figured out where the squad was headed.
Turns out, they were coming straight to the Desolate City…
“They found the Desolate City Haven!” Another message came through the communicator. “Some of them ran off, while others are regrouping nearby. Looks like they’re planning to come over.”
“Old Li, what should we do now?”
After the great flood, the Haven had taken in a few new residents, but the total population was still under sixty.
Of them, only about two-thirds were ability users.
Meanwhile, Jufeng Mountain’s group had at least two to three hundred people, and they were all ability users. There was no way they could win a direct fight.
Old Li checked the time—there were still five hours until 6 PM… Would their current defenses be enough to hold off so many ability users?
He hadn’t expected Jufeng Town to attack the Desolate City Haven so soon!
The flood had only happened a few days ago… Even if they had discovered the resident, shouldn’t their decision-making have taken longer?
“Old Li, we’ve spotted Hong Li, the Mountain Lord!”
The light brain once again displayed an image—clearly showing Hong Li, Li Feng, and the others.
Old Li’s expression grew even more serious. He had realized something—this wasn’t Hong Li leading an attack on the Desolate City Haven. Instead…
Greenwood Fortress had arrived!
Old Li said in a deep voice, “Don’t panic. Fall back and let them in first.”
“Old Li?”
“Do as I say!”
Only Old Li knew that everyone from the Jufeng Mountain area had been added to Tang Yu’an’s “Overnight Stay List.” As long as the walls remained intact, these people would be bound by the overnight stay rules even if they entered the base.
Even if Hong Li got inside, she wouldn’t be able to do anything to them.
The only variable was the few outsiders who were clearly from the fortress…
Old Li quickly contacted Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi. The current situation was beyond what he could handle alone.
At the very least, they needed to summon Yuan Bao and the others back to maintain control.
Soon, a reply popped up on the message board.
[Message Board (Shop Channel)]
[Handsome Zhou]: It’s fine. If they enter the home base, treat them with courtesy.
Old Li furrowed his brows. If An An had said this, it would have been normal, but Zhou Qi…
Why would he say that?
Did something happen that he didn’t know about?
Old Li glanced at Zhou Qi’s message, then at the patrol team’s footage. Finally, he gritted his teeth and told the patrol team, “Withdraw to a safe distance. Ignore them.”
*
Outside the Desolate City Haven.
The ability users from Jufeng Mountain, including Hong Li, were quite surprised to see the towering walls of the base.
When had a new force settled in the Desolate City?
Li Feng and the others stared at the tall walls ahead with dark expressions.
Had someone beaten them to it?
“We found the main gate! It’s over there!” A scout quickly reported. “There’s even a sign hanging at the entrance!”
“What does it say?” Li Feng asked immediately.
“I… I can’t read…”
“… Let’s go take a look!”
The entire group followed the scout to the front gate of the home base. Soon, they saw a newly built small house.
Desolate City Grocery Store.
For a brief moment, Hong Li’s expression turned strange, but she quickly hid it.
Li Feng, staring at the sign, found it utterly ridiculous.
A grocery store? In such a remote, desolate place?
And that wall they just passed—it had to be at least several hundred meters long!
“Hong Li, what’s going on here?” Li Feng questioned.
“I have no idea,” Hong Li replied bluntly. “This isn’t my territory.”
“Let’s go in and check it out!” Li Feng ordered.
Since the grocery store’s door was tightly shut, a scout stepped forward and knocked.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hearing the knocking, Lan Lin—who had rushed back from Jufeng Town upon receiving the news—turned to Old Li and said, “I can freeze the door.”
Old Li was uncertain about the situation. After thinking for a moment, he nodded. “Do it.”
Lan Lin immediately released an ice energy attack, freezing the door solid.
At that moment, Xie Chaori also arrived.
Seeing that things hadn’t escalated further, he quickly said, “Old Li, I know them. Let me go out and talk to them!”
“No need for now. Let’s wait,” Old Li said calmly.
Since Zhou Qi had said there was nothing to worry about, and An An had no objections, he chose to trust them.
Xie Chaori watched Old Li’s composed demeanor and couldn’t help but wonder—did the Desolate City Haven have some hidden trump card he didn’t know about?
Just then, Lan Lin froze the door shut—a signal that was anything but friendly to the outsiders.
“Hmph, just an ice door? You think that can stop us?” Gu Zhenfei sneered. He stepped forward and threw a flame attack at the frozen door. But…
Before his flames could even take effect, he vanished.
Poof—
The others were still shocked by Gu Zhenfei’s sudden disappearance when they heard a strange sound.
Turning back, they saw Gu Zhenfei ten meters away, clutching his chest and coughing up blood.
Li Feng hurried over to check on him and found that he hadn’t been attacked. Instead, his ability had suddenly backfired mid-cast.
Shocked, he turned to look at the walled compound ahead.
And then—three more members from Greenwood Fortress disappeared and reappeared nearby.
One after another, more people vanished, only to reappear in different locations. Some remained where they were—Hong Li among them.
She looked just as confused and wary as the others.
What kind of power was this…?
Everything happening outside was being recorded by the light brain on the wall and transmitted to the people inside the home base.
Lan Lin was stunned. “Old Li, what’s going on?”
Xie Chaori also looked over with curiosity.
Old Li remained calm, as if he had expected this all along. In reality…
He had no idea what was happening!
*
Building 1, Apartment 901, Balcony.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi glanced at each other as they watched the footage transmitted by the light brain. Then, almost simultaneously, they both broke into smiles.
On Tang Yu’an’s interface, the screen was locked onto the Achievement Titles section, displaying a new title he had earned the previous day after completing a drift bottle trade—
[Town Philanthropist]
[Obtained by: Completing 100 loss-making sales with customers]
[Description: In the era of wasteland survival, resources are incredibly precious. Yet, you have generously made 100 loss-making deals with your customers. Whether it’s sheer foolishness or true kindness, you are worthy of the title “Town Philanthropist.”]
[Reward: While wearing the “Town Philanthropist” title, you passively gain the “Troublesome Customers Begone” aura—any customer harboring malicious intent will be unable to enter your shop.]
