Volume One: Another World Chapter Seven: Harmony in the Family Lies in the Details

What surprised Li Yu was that the old man did not continue to question him, but instead asked whether he was willing to stay and live here. Such a good opportunity—Li Yu naturally nodded in agreement. All the plans he had just prepared were rendered unnecessary, but he was not too disappointed. After all, when you start lying, every word you say demands more lies to cover it.

The old man and the youth conversed a little longer, discussing the environment and daily life in the area—drifting from topic to topic. Since the elder was willing to chat, Li Yu followed his lead.

Most importantly, Li Yu caught the undertone of the conversation. The old man seemed to be chatting idly, but in fact, he was giving a broad introduction to the place.

This meant the elder did not care at all where Li Yu was from.

As the old man became more engaged, he waved his hand and said a few words to the armored men. They all dispersed.

With the onlookers gone, only Li Yu and the old man remained in the spacious hall. The elder fetched two wooden stools and gestured for Li Yu to sit.

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Being surrounded by people—especially a group of strangers who could kill him with a single punch—was far too unnerving.

"Youth, when do you plan to go to the Grand Imperial Capital to cultivate?" The old man leaned against the back of his chair.

"The Grand Imperial Capital?" Li Yu was taken aback. The name sounded like the capital of a kingdom.

[Ding. Sign-in location updated: Otherworld Grand Imperial Capital.]

The system's electronic voice sounded in his mind, but Li Yu listened to the old man without betraying any emotion.

"Yes, the Grand Imperial Capital," the old man's cloudy eyes locked onto Li Yu. "I am willing to offer the village's best resources, if you can take one of our villagers with you."

Li Yu fell silent.

All the elder's previous conversation had been to set up for this moment; this was his true purpose.

This old man already knew Li Yu was not from here, yet he was certain Li Yu would go to the Grand Imperial Capital to cultivate. Moreover, during the earlier test, only when it came to his bloodline had the elder not used a grade or rank.

But... what did all this mean? Li Yu frowned. With so little information, analyzing the situation felt like groping in the dark.

"If you are unwilling, it doesn't matter. The village is still willing to provide you with some supplies." The old man fixed his gaze on Li Yu, saying nothing more, as if desperate for a reply.

"I am willing to take a villager with me, but not right now." Li Yu voiced the words the system translated for him.

With the system's help, the wisest plan was to accumulate some necessities before setting out. Still, he wondered what triggered the system to refresh the sign-in tasks.

At once, a smile broke across the old man's face. "No matter. You may go whenever you wish."

As expected!

Li Yu felt he had grasped the key: the focus was the Thunder Bloodline. Although the bloodline he received through the system was only rated five stars, that was the system's evaluation—here in this otherworld, his bloodline might be one in a million.

This was also why the old man did not care about his background—he cared only about the bloodline!

Realizing this, Li Yu stopped overthinking. Instead, he made his request openly: "Please arrange an independent house for me, and a qualified teacher. I want to study the written language in detail."

The independent house was to facilitate his travel between the two worlds.

As for the teacher, Li Yu's real purpose was to learn the language of this world. Relying on the system's translation was too cumbersome.

And no one could teach writing without exposing pronunciation.

"No problem at all!" the old man replied with a smile. In his eyes, Li Yu's request was a gesture of sincerity.

Now, Li Yu truly relaxed. In fact, if the elder had refused, Li Yu was prepared to return to the real world immediately—his life was the most precious thing.

After all, his request practically stated outright that he was not a native. If the other party had suddenly turned violent and detained him for interrogation... that would have been a disaster.

"Shall I arrange your lodging now?" the old man offered with a smile.

"Yes, please."

The old man watched as Li Yu left with an armored guard. After they had gone, the middle-aged man and woman who had seized Li Yu earlier emerged from the darkness behind. They had been hiding, ready to intervene if Li Yu tried to harm the elder.

"Old Mu, he's not from around here..." The middle-aged man frowned, eyes fixed on Li Yu's departing figure.

"Of course not," the old man laughed heartily, clearly pleased. "None of our village's children have such delicate skin. What matters isn't whether he's one of us, but the Thunder Bloodline. How long has it been since the kingdom last saw one?"

"What if he does something harmful?" the woman asked hesitantly. "If it becomes serious, our village..."

"The Thunder Bloodline is more important than anything! With the might of the kingdom, would they care about a single youth?" Old Mu replied. "Xiao Mu, you will accompany him to the Grand Imperial Capital. I'm too old now—time for me to rest."

"What?" Mu Yinhua exclaimed in surprise.

...

Li Yu knew nothing of what went on behind him, but that did not stop him from pondering the matter.

"The old man is so certain I'll go to the Grand Imperial Capital—he must think it's vital for me. The only likely reason is the Thunder Bloodline."

"In the real world, after I received the Thunder Bloodline, it lay dormant, clearly lacking a method of activation." Li Yu flopped onto the wooden bed, rolled under the covers, and mused, "The elder on the high platform could sense and connect with my Thunder Bloodline—so the Grand Imperial Capital must have a way to obtain such power. I have to go. Besides, the new sign-in location is there too."

"Let's go!"

Having made up his mind, Li Yu willed himself back to the real world.

The world of laws was far safer.

After a solid sleep, Li Yu stretched lazily and glanced up at the high-hanging sun.

"Truly, the morning is the best time to plan the day... or, well, it's noon."

After a quick wash, Li Yu headed out. He had nothing in particular to do—his main goal was to dispose of the breakfast he had skipped in the morning. Leaving it at home would expose his crime scene.

"Not many guys are this attentive to detail!" he mused.

When Huang Xiu returned from class, her beautiful eyes glanced at the table. Seeing that the breakfast she bought had been eaten, a pleased smile quickly appeared on her face.

Li Yu, watching covertly, finally relaxed: As expected, she didn't notice!

After their harmonious lunch together—

"System, check in," Li Yu said, multitasking as he washed the dishes.

[Ding. Check-in successful. Gained: 5 points of basic proficiency.]

"Proficiency again?" Li Yu clicked his tongue, but it was perfect timing—he had just the right use for it.

He would need this proficiency for the next steps in his plan.