Volume One: Another World Chapter Sixteen: The Village's Fate Is About to Change

"Boss, that might belong to a big clan..." Scarface furrowed his brows, hesitating.

"Tell me, how much do you think it could sell for?" Lin Sanjin paid Scarface no heed, his gaze sweeping across everyone in the room.

All the peddlers were gathered inside, listening to the exchange with blank faces, unsure what the two were talking about. They glanced at each other, but Lin Sanjin’s authority among them was undeniable, so someone eventually replied.

"Isn’t it obvious? We’d never have to worry about our next life!"

"That’s the Thunderblood lineage, you’re underestimating it! I saw the city’s notice boards—they’re all posting search notices."

"Heh, I meant everyone’s next life would be worry-free!"

Lin Sanjin listened to the heated discussion erupting in the room, nodding in satisfaction. He clapped his hands, and when everyone quieted down to look at him, he said, "Even if Thunderblood sells well, we need the goods first. As it happens, I’ve discovered a Thunderblood in the village!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then burst into even louder tumult, voices overlapping in skepticism.

"I know what you’re wondering. Bloodlines are tied to families; such an impoverished place couldn’t possibly produce Thunderblood," Lin Sanjin paused, then continued, "But what if he’s not from here? Some of you saw the boy at the dinner table, right? Anyone with eyes could see he wasn’t a local."

"That’s right, boss, I remember him."

"Yeah, tender skin—no villager could look like that!"

"Boss, his candy was delicious, I’ve never tasted anything so good!"

Some voices raised objections and doubts. Everyone knew the fame of Thunderblood; every town’s notice board had posted the signs of its awakening. The Empire was seeking these rare bloodlines. How could bandits like them handle a scion from a big family?

Lin Sanjin patted his stomach. "The boy is definitely Thunderblood. I’ve had several villagers confirm it. By my judgment, he really is from a big clan, but a bastard! The family doesn’t even know about his bloodline yet, otherwise he wouldn’t still be here."

Only someone from a big family could have such fine bedding. Lin Sanjin had gone to see it himself and was certain of Li Yu’s noble origins, but he had deduced something else as well.

How could the Empire leave such a bloodline outside? If Li Yu was still in this godforsaken village, there could only be one explanation—the news about his bloodline was known only to the people of Stone Village.

If Li Yu were here, he’d be speechless: What nonsense are you guessing? I’m just here because of a sign-in, not some family.

But no one in the room knew that. Lin Sanjin was convinced of his reasoning. He surveyed the room, "Brothers, are we doing this? This job’s big—I’ll go with whatever you say!"

"We follow you, boss!" "Whatever you say, why ask us?"

"Then," Lin Sanjin looked at the eager faces around him, basking in the feeling of being surrounded by supporters. He paused, drawing his hand across his throat, "no witnesses."

Next came the planning of their move.

After a while—

"Ahem." A cough sounded from outside.

A moment later, the two sentries outside pushed open the door, accompanied by Mu Yinhua.

"Why are you all gathered here? Dinner’s ready," Mu Yinhua was surprised by the silent atmosphere, puzzled, "Why are you all dazed?"

"We’re coming," Lin Sanjin smiled, taking the lead to go outside with Mu Yinhua. In a spot not easily noticed, he quietly waved his hand.

Inside, only five or six followed; the rest stayed behind with various excuses.

…

Li Yu worked like a diligent little bee, laboriously carrying three baskets of ginseng back to Blue Star.

In fact, there were countless plants here with better effects than ginseng, which explained why the people of this other world didn’t value ginseng. Li Yu could get those superior herbs, but dared not take them to Blue Star.

Those things didn’t exist on Blue Star. If he wanted to get rich using them, he’d never pass quality inspection.

Finally done, Li Yu even took some time to help Huang Xiu with a few problems in the living room before returning to Blue Star.

Back in the other world, after crossing over, Li Yu lay on the wooden bed for a while before getting up. With nothing urgent to do, he told Huang Xiu he needed a nap and decided to admire the night view of two moons in the other world.

He climbed onto the rooftop.

The starlit sky was bright, not only because of the twin moons but also the dazzling, multicolored stars—everything so unlike Blue Star. Li Yu was about to take a picture with his phone when he caught, out of the corner of his eye, thick smoke rising from the outskirts of Stone Village.

"Is that a fire?" Li Yu was about to alert the villagers, but saw smoke rising from another direction as well. With no time to think, he hurried down.

This wasn’t Blue Star; the houses here were made of flammable materials. If the fire wasn’t contained quickly, most of Stone Village would be gone.

"Emergency, emergency," Li Yu slapped his phone, muttering, "There’s no fire brigade in this world."

"Fire! Fire!" Li Yu shouted, and soon villagers emerged, grabbing buckets and basins to fight the blaze.

It happened to be dinner time, so most villagers were at home, surging towards the two fire sites.

"Something’s off," Li Yu frowned as he approached, sensing something strange.

The flames had already spread considerably. Though the area was relatively remote, there were still some households nearby—how had no one noticed?

The firefighting was chaotic: some directed, some fetched water, some fought the flames. The scene was a mess, loud and disorderly.

Li Yu grabbed two buckets and did his part. There was a well nearby, and though everyone was flustered, with so many people, the fire was soon suppressed.

Holding his breath, Li Yu dashed into the burning house to splash water, but tripped, spilling half the water before reaching the flames.

He looked back and saw the floor littered with debris—perhaps knocked over by others trying to fight the fire. One object, half crushed beneath a cabinet, caught his eye.

Humanoid, with a hint of roasted meat.

"A corpse!" His eyes involuntarily lingered.

It was Li Yu’s first time seeing a body. Fear gripped him, yet he couldn’t stop himself from looking. 'Have I seen this person before?' Wild thoughts tumbled in his mind, but none mattered, because another person rushed in with a bucket, kicking the corpse with force, flipping it over.

The face, scorched by the flames, was unrecognizable, charred in many places—no one could identify him now.

What does human flesh taste like? Crunchy like chicken?

The absurd thought crossed Li Yu’s mind, a joke from Blue Star, but his body acted sensibly—he dropped the bucket, ran outside, and shouted, "There’s a dead body! Dead body!"

Meanwhile, more corpses were found in other houses. The villagers, arriving to fight the fire, stared at each other. An imposing elderly man leaned on his cane, examining the bodies brought out.

"Knife wounds. Go fetch Old Brother Mu. You lot, prepare the armor and weapons!" the old man ordered coldly.

Li Yu happened to be outside, overhearing the command. Suddenly, he understood the strange behavior of the peddlers—and why he’d always found them odd.

"This village’s fate is changing," Li Yu muttered.

What would happen next? Li Yu was curious but dared not think deeply. With several lives lost under suspicious circumstances, how much more blood would be spilled in the days to come?