Volume One: Another World Chapter Fourteen: The Uncle Watching Goldfish

When Li Yu quietly pulled Mu Yinhua inside, they could already hear, through the door, a rough voice loudly bragging about his past experiences.

As expected! Truly, I am a living Zhuge Liang!

Listening closely, Li Yu sighed: They were late; now the conversation had drifted to tales of peeking at girls bathing at fifteen or sixteen.

The two squeezed quietly onto the table, and Old Mu noticed, giving them a smile.

On the other side of the table, the portly middle-aged man who had just descended from the strange beast was also sizing up Li Yu; within the slit formed by his crowded flesh, a sharp glint appeared.

Extraordinary—judging from his refined attire and delicate complexion, Li Yu seemed out of place among the others at the table, as if he belonged to another world.

The middle-aged man pondered this.

“Lin Sangin, how long does your new caravan plan to stay in the village?” Old Mu asked.

“Oh, Old Mu, I’ve told you, just call me Lin!” the fat middle-aged man replied cheerfully. “We set out for the next village the day after tomorrow. I’ve made things quite convenient for Stone Village; you should consider if there’s anything you need.”

Only then did Li Yu learn the name of the village.

From Lin Sangin’s words, it seemed Stone Village was different from other places, receiving special treatment. As Li Yu pondered this, he didn’t even consider that it might just be a polite remark.

Of course, this thought quickly faded, for Li Yu heard Old Mu bring up the subject of divine items, and instantly he listened intently.

“Old Mu, these things are in high demand. Next time, next time I’ll be sure to save some for you,” Lin Sangin apologized, spreading his hands.

“Well, you must keep your word—next time, set some aside for me,” Old Mu stroked his beard, saying no more.

But Li Yu, listening nearby, was utterly crestfallen: it was as if thunder had struck on a clear day.

The meal soon ended amid lively conversation. The caravan announced they would go out to sort their goods, and in the afternoon, villagers could come see what they needed.

The people of Stone Village, eager to help, were politely refused but remained undeterred, instead preparing the items they intended to trade.

Both groups, in harmony, went about their tasks.

As they neared the strange beast, Lin Sangin patted his large belly, squinting in thought before saying, “Scar, Third, you two go get a sense of the village, especially that young man, understand?”

“Boss, the one at the table?” Li San flicked her tongue across her lips, showing a flirtatious expression. “Delicate-skinned youths are rare.”

“Got it, Boss.” Scar was a middle-aged man; a giant scar ran from the corner of his eye to his chin, making his face fierce—the nickname Scar was well earned.

Elsewhere.

Li Yu and Mu Yinhua walked along the road.

“How do you usually cultivate?” Li Yu asked, his mood already recovered from disappointment.

“When there aren’t any aids, I can only practice sensing honestly,” Mu Yinhua replied, a bit helpless. “The caravan was frightened by bandits, so it’s rare for one to travel out. The villagers ahead naturally won’t let the divine items slip by.”

Li Yu nodded; he’d anticipated this, but one always hopes for more.

Back at the wooden cabin, Mu Yinhua said he’d go see if the caravan needed help, and parted ways with Li Yu.

Creak.

Li Yu pushed open the cabin door and sat cross-legged on the bed.

Stone Village was quite primitive; even the bed was lined with some unknown dry grass. Though Li Yu wasn’t the sort to sense a pea under ten mattresses, he wasn’t stubborn—he’d brought a full bedding set from Blue Star to improve his “starter village” conditions.

After playing some mobile games to digest his meal, Li Yu guessed the caravan had finished sorting things, so he stepped out, heading toward the strange beast to see if anything caught his interest.

Shortly after he left, the side window was quietly pushed open, and a figure slipped inside.

Li San was cautious; confirming there was no one else, she closed the window, and was immediately drawn to the bedding on the wooden bed.

She strode over, coarse fingers gliding over the sheet, her eyes captivated by the exquisite five-clawed dragon: “How can there be such a fine quilt? That young man’s identity must be remarkable.”

Her voice was raspy. Lifting a corner, she found a phoenix on the sheet, and her eyes filled with shock, her voice even rougher—such wondrous things she’d never seen!

Had Li Yu been here, he’d scoff; this whole set cost barely two hundred yuan on Blue Star, and he could easily buy enough to pile up Stone Village.

“Such refined salt?”

Li San put the quilt back, about to slip away, when a transparent bag on the table caught her eye—it was Li Yu’s salt, which he planned to take to the kitchen that night to improve his meals.

Now Li San had found it. She hesitated for a long time, suppressing the urge to steal it, and after confirming no one was outside, retraced her steps.

At the square, Lin Sangin listened to Scar’s report, pondering, when he saw Li San hurriedly returning.

“Boss, you won’t believe how astonishing that young man’s room is!” Li San said, unable to hide her excitement, her voice rising.

Lin Sangin frowned; Li San realized her slip, quickly glanced around to ensure she hadn’t drawn attention, and relaxed.

Scar lowered his voice, “Third, you think that’s shocking? Let me tell you, Thunder Bloodline—the young man has the Thunder Bloodline!”

“What’s so special about Thunder Bloodline? I’m telling you, that young man’s quilt—only important people can afford it!” Li San frowned, about to retort, but suddenly realized, blurting out, “Thunder Bloodline?!”

“Yes, the villagers weren’t on guard, and they let it slip during casual conversation!” Scar whispered. “Boss, so what do we do?”

“Let me think,” Lin Sangin’s eyes flashed. He looked at the young man in front of the strange beast, who was picking and choosing; after a moment’s thought, he strode over.

“Nothing interests you? I have some fine items, would you like to see?” Lin Sangin asked.

No one could fathom what lay behind those slit-like eyes, but Li Yu turned to see the middle-aged man smiling warmly at him, and a strange thought crossed his mind.

“Why does he look so much like an uncle showing goldfish to a child?”

“No, thanks. I’ll just look at these,” Li Yu waved him off.

Though he didn’t know why, he always felt these people were odd, and held to the belief that “unsolicited kindness is often deceitful.” Li Yu made clear he had no interest.

Lin Sangin didn’t push further—after a few polite words, he turned away.

Li Yu watched Lin Sangin’s retreating figure for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the items scattered on the cloth.

He was almost used to being coaxed into buying souvenirs at tourist spots; besides, these were exotic specialties, and Li Yu was full of curiosity.

He even found bundles of ginseng, well-sized and shaped—two especially large ones caught his eye: surely the size of millennium-old ginseng!

There were many other intriguing items—colorful stones, oddly shaped wood, and more.

“This—sugar—how much can I trade for these?” Li Yu, excited, took out some sparkling rock sugar and asked the young vendor.