Before he knew it, he’d been here for nearly two weeks, and Zhang Shuguang had kept himself busy with all sorts of things to distract himself.

He had once clung to a faint hope that he might be able to return.

Later, he realized that this hope was nothing more than a fantasy. He had accepted this world, yet he still missed his loved ones.

There was no contradiction in that.

When Mang Jiu heard his words, he paused for a moment. His first instinct was to turn and glance toward the cave entrance; upon hearing and seeing no one else approaching, he turned back around.

The faint sadness in Zhang Shuguang’s heart dissipated considerably when he saw this gesture. This man was no relative of his, yet he gave him the greatest sense of security, acceptance, and understanding. He opened the videos recorded on his phone, selected the first one, and turned down the volume.

“Mom, look at these vegetables you’ve grown—they’re all wilted, though they are a vivid green.” Zhang Shuguang’s voice came through with a smile. The camera panned over a few small green leaves on the ground,then shifted to the attractive middle-aged woman standing nearby. “I told you this would be a waste of time.”

The beautiful middle-aged woman, Cuilan, turned her head and glared at him fiercely, snapping, “It must be the seeds you bought that are no good. I took such good care of them, and yet they didn’t grow as well as the last batch!”

Zhang Shuguang’s voice: “It’s precisely because you’re taking such meticulous care of them—watering them eight times a day. I told you from the start that I didn’t buy aquatic plants!” Cuilan raised her hand and slapped him across the face, and the video ended.

Mang Jiu was filled with astonishment. He stared at the paused video screen and didn’t breathe for about five seconds. Just now, he had watched those twenty-odd seconds of footage with bated breath.

It was as if the moment he made a move, this miraculous scene would vanish.

Zhang Shuguang was startled by his heavy breathing. He turned to see Mang Jiu’s eyes wide with undisguised astonishment.

“Um… how am I supposed to explain the technology behind this thing? I want to explain it, but I don’t even understand it myself,” he said, looking troubled. Mang Jiu chuckled. “No need to explain. Even if you did, I probably wouldn’t get it.”

Zhang Shuguang chuckled softly, moved a little closer to him, and whispered, “This little gadget is called a cell phone. Back home, almost everyone has one. It’s used to contact others—you can reach people very, very far away, and you can even see each other like this. Things like video chatting when there’s internet, chatting on QQ, or WeChat—he wouldn’t understand that anyway, so I just left it out.”

Mang Jiu nodded, indicating he understood. “That’s pretty amazing.”

Zhang Shuguang couldn’t stop laughing and tapped on the second video to show him.

“Dad, can you stop looking so stiff? Look, even though Mom’s over fifty, she’s still a charming, beautiful, and youthful lady, right? Why does your expression look so stiff when you’re standing next to her?” Zhang Shuguang’s voice came through, accompanied by a low chuckle of delight at teasing his parents and a slightly shaky video feed.

“Little brother, stop talking nonsense. Come over here and let’s take a picture together.” Zhang Chenyang adjusted his bow tie as he stepped into the frame; the crisp black suit made him look even more handsome and tall.

“Coming!” The video shook slightly, then stopped, followed by a rustling sound as a handsome young man wearing the same white suit stepped into the frame with a smile.

The two brothers stood on either side of their parents, their arms draped over their shoulders, beaming with joy.

“Oh my, I feel like Dad’s smile always looks so stiff in our annual photos.” Zhang Shuguang’s face came closer and closer; he picked up the phone, which was still recording video, and then the call dropped.

The moment the video cut out, he heard Zhang Chenyang call out, “Little brother, come eat!” Zhang Shuguang exited the video and opened his photo album.

Later, he asked the photographer for a raw copy of the family portrait. He’d always post it alongside the retouched version to tease his dad, saying that even without editing, his mom was a total beauty, but his dad wasn’t—even after editing, his face didn’t look much fairer. Then he’d get ganged up on by both his parents, with his older brother and sister-in-law cheering them on.

He zoomed in on the photo and pointed at each person in turn: “My dad, my mom, my brother, me, my sister-in-law, my nephew.”

Mang Jiu extended a finger and tentatively tapped the screen. The cool, smooth sensation intrigued him. He mimicked Zhang Shuguang’s gesture, swiping across the screen with two fingers, then moved his finger to Zhang Shuguang’s face.

He stared at it for a moment, zoomed in, looked again, zoomed in further, until it was as large as possible.

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched slightly as he said helplessly, “It’s all distorted now. Can you even tell what’s different?” Mang Jiu slowly zoomed out of the photo until it returned to its original size.

He studied it for a long while, then turned to look at Zhang Shuguang, his gaze sweeping inch by inch down his face. “It’s exactly the same,” he said.

Zhang Shuguang rubbed his face, feeling rather uncomfortable. “I’m at least twenty jin thinner than I was in that photo.”

Worried that Mang Jiu might not grasp the concept of twenty jin, he added, “That’s about the weight of those two long-eared beasts you caught earlier.”

Mang Jiu ran his hand over Zhang Shuguang’s face, then down his chest, and finally around his waist. “Hmm, you are pretty skinny. You should eat more.”

Zhang Shuguang’s face flushed crimson from the touch, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

“Just say what you want—don’t get all handsy!” Not even through a leather vest was acceptable! Mang Jiu chuckled softly and withdrew his hand. “Anything else? I’d like to see more.”

Zhang Shuguang snorted and tapped to open the next one.

He used the fifteen-minute free video viewing reward he’d earned from a mission to watch videos with Mang Jiu—all of them featuring the Zhang family.

There were clips of his dad at work, his mom tending the fields, his older brother and sister-in-law playing with their kids, and the whole family happily gathering together.

It wasn’t until Xiao Cai reminded him that the free viewing time was up that Zhang Shuguang reluctantly put his phone away. Watching the phone disappear from view, Mang Jiu’s initial surprise had faded.

He looked at Zhang Shuguang, who was hanging his head and biting his lip, raised his arm, draped it over his shoulder, and pulled him forcefully into his embrace.

“If you want to cry, just cry.”

Zhang Shuguang pouted, let out a soft “mmh,” and tears silently streamed down his cheeks.

Mang Jiu felt the dampness against his chest. Looking down, he saw Zhang Shuguang with his eyes closed and his lips clenched, and his own heart tightened in response.

After watching those videos, Mang Jiu also realized how important family was to Zhang Shuguang, the love between them, and the loneliness Zhang Shuguang was feeling now.

“I’ll be your family.” The words slipped out before he could stop them, and he fell silent as soon as he’d spoken. Zhang Shuguang jerked his head up, his face streaked with tears as he stared at him.

“What did you say?” His voice was hoarse and strained.

Mang Jiu cleared his throat, pressed his hand against the back of Zhang Shuguang’s head, and pulled his face back against his chest. “I said, um, I’ll be your family. Don’t be too upset.”

Zhang Shuguang snorted so hard snot bubbles nearly popped out of his nose, crying and laughing at the same time.

“You’ve seen it yourself—I’m not exactly reasonable with my family. I’m especially prone to throwing tantrums.”

Mang Jiu: “Mm-hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I also have all sorts of little quirks I don’t even know about myself.”

Mang Jiu: “Mm-hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I might develop all sorts of minor ailments again because of the change in environment.” 

Mang Jiu: “Hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang leaned in closer and asked him, “Is ‘hmm’ all you’ve got to say?” Mang Jiu replied calmly, “You’re doing well.”

Zhang Shuguang sat up straight and raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re younger than me. You’re the little brother, you know that, right?” Mang Jiu raised an eyebrow at him in return. “So what?”

Zhang Shuguang began to nag, “As the younger brother, you must always give in to your older brother. The older brother is the boss; no matter what he does, he’s always right. What he says must be remembered. You have to be good to your older brother and can’t have any complaints about him.”

Mang Jiu’s lips curled up slightly as he asked, “Is that how it is?” 

Zhang Shuguang blinked. “Right, that’s how it is now!” 

Mang Jiu nodded. “Good.”

Zhang Shuguang was a little unsure and asked suspiciously, “Did you just say ‘okay’?” 

“Yes, I said ‘okay.’” Mang Jiu looked serious.

This man really is… ah, so damn attractive!

Zhang Shuguang chuckled softly, resting his forehead against his shoulder. He laughed so hard his whole body trembled, but as he laughed, he suddenly burst into tears.

This time, it wasn’t the silent tears of before; he was wailing so loudly it shook the heavens. Mang Jiu was wrapped around his neck, his ears filled with Zhang Shuguang’s wails.

The three sleeping cubs were startled awake, all bristling with alarm. Three pairs of eyes stared at Zhang Shuguang and Mang Jiu, the cubs completely baffled.

“Waaah!!!! Waaah!!!!” Zhang Shuguang cried with his eyes closed, as if he were trying to vent every ounce of his grievances, frustrations, and joy.

The sound was so piercing that the Beastmen, who had been excited by the rain, were startled out of their skin. They looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

What on earth was going on? It wasn’t as if the sky had fallen—why was he crying like this?

A-Si was the first to react; he turned and ran toward the cave, and the others hurriedly followed in a rush. Inside the cave, Zhang Shuguang burst into a fit of sobbing, only to pass out from oxygen deprivation.

When A-Si burst into the cave, he saw Mang Jiu holding Zhang Shuguang in his arms, while Zhang Shuguang had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep. He let out an awkward “Ah” and found himself stuck—unable to move forward or back.

The beastmen who followed in saw the two of them as well, but any teasing remarks they might have made were silenced by a single glare from Mang Jiu.

Seeing that their parents were safe, the three cubs huddled together and licked each other’s fur—though, of course, Tangdou was just the one getting licked. Afterward, they snuggled up and fell asleep.

Licking each other’s fur has always been the right way to bridge the gap between them. The mix of cat, dog, and bird scents? Absolutely fantastic.

When Zhang Shuguang opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning, with the sun high in the sky. The air was humid, and standing at the edge of the cliff, he looked out over a sea of fresh green.

“How many days have I slept?” Zhang Shuguang rubbed his eyes and asked, looking completely bewildered, “I’m afraid I might have slept for over ten days, right?”

Mang Jiu knew what he was wondering and explained, “After the first rain following the snowmelt, the weather gets hotter and hotter, and all the plants grow very quickly.”

“The plants growing faster? When is the rainy season?” Zhang Shuguang furrowed his brow slightly.

Mang Jiu said, “According to what you’re saying, the rainy season will begin in about forty days or so, but it won’t rain very often at first. The period when it rains most frequently is actually the hottest time of the year.”

Zhang Shuguang nodded, then paused mid-nod. “Oh my, doesn’t that mean the seeds I planted have already sprouted?” Mang Jiu: “Mm-hmm.”

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go, let’s go—we’re heading back.”

After a quick breakfast, Zhang Shuguang climbed back onto Mang Jiu’s back. The Beastmen carried stones, and the group set off on their return journey. Because they were heavily laden, they didn’t move very fast.

Zhang Shuguang had slept all the way to the Wild Plains on the way there, so on the return trip, he looked around with curiosity.

“Xiao Cai”

Xiao Cai: “Master, I’m here.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Activate navigation.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, navigation is active. There are no edible crops nearby. Also, Master, you only completed one task yesterday; the others have been carried over to today, so the task rewards will be halved.”

Zhang Shuguang: “It’s fine. We’ll just count them all together today.” Xiao Cai: “Master, will you accept today’s missions?”

Zhang Shuguang: “No, I won’t. Go into hibernation.”

Xiao Cai: “Okay, Master.”

Zhang Shuguang leaned against Mang Jiu’s shoulder and whispered, “I need to pee.” Mang Jiu stopped in his tracks, not understanding what he meant.

“?”

Zhang Shuguang ground his teeth. “Pee!”

“Oh.” Mang Jiu broke away from the group, took a few steps to the side, and stopped.

Zhang Shuguang tapped him. “Go a little further!” It was shameful enough to relieve himself in public, but to do it in front of others? Was he trying to make him die of shame and humiliation? 

Mang Jiu: “Alright.”

He turned to the others and said, “You guys go ahead.” The group nodded and continued on.

Mang Jiu, with Zhang Shuguang on his back, and Zhang Shuguang, carrying the three kids, headed toward a distant grove of dwarf trees.

Though called “dwarf trees,” they were actually three or four meters tall.

Zhang Shuguang lifted the three kids out of the backpack and set them on the ground, letting them run around and stretch their legs. He walked over to a tree and…

After relieving himself, he noticed a yellowish-white, flaky substance near the tree trunk not far from his feet.

“Xiao Cai!”

Xiao Cai: “Master?”

Zhang Shuguang: “Turn off the GPS. I know there are lots of mushrooms around here.” Before Xiao Cai could even say the word “GPS,” the device nearly froze up! 

Xiao Cai: “Master…”

Zhang Shuguang: “Help me figure out if this mushroom is poisonous.” 

Xiao Cai: “Master, you really do make the most of everything.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Stop all that nonsense. Hurry up—is this mushroom poisonous?”

Xiao Cai: “No, it’s edible.”

Zhang Shuguang was satisfied. He turned to Mang Jiu and said, “Come on, let’s pick some mushrooms!” 

“Are they edible?” Mang Jiu walked over and took a look at the mushroom.

Zhang Shuguang patted him on the arm. “Don’t pick that one. Look around over there.”

Mang Jiu chuckled, picked up his basket, and walked over to the side. “Very few people in the tribe eat mushrooms.” Zhang Shuguang replied, “I know. They can’t tell if they’re poisonous or not, so they’re afraid of getting sick.”

There were plenty of low-growing trees in this area. The two of them made a circuit through the woods, filling both backpacks.

“There are still plenty left over there,” Zhang Shuguang straightened his back and gave it a rub, glancing at the empty basket he’d left behind—that one was meant for the kid. Mang Jiu said, “You know how to weave baskets from vines. Why don’t you just weave one?”

Zhang Shuguang paused, realizing he was right—it didn’t have to be a bamboo basket. He really had been thinking too narrowly.

“Hurry up and find me some vines. I’ll go through these mushrooms and toss out any that aren’t edible.” The two of them were scouring the area, picking up anything that wasn’t brightly colored and tossing it into the basket—it wasn’t just about picking mushrooms.

He had Xiao Cai helping him identify which ones were poisonous, but he couldn’t be sure about the ones Mang Jiu had picked.

Mang Jiu nodded and went to gather vines, while Zhang Shuguang sat down on the ground. Three little ones playing nearby ran over.

Tangdou chirped twice and flapped her little wings.

Zhang Shuguang shifted his attention from the mushrooms to Tangdou’s wings and held out his hand.

“Sweetie, hop onto Daddy’s hand.” Tangdou looked at his palm and took a few little steps.

Zhang Shuguang placed Tangdou on his lap, gently touching the wing with the small splint with his fingertip.

“Does it hurt?” Tangdou looked at him with big, pleading eyes, neither moving nor making a sound.

Zhang Shuguang counted the days, reached out to untie the thin vine binding it, and then removed the splint.

“Sweetie, try moving it.”

Tangdou chirped and fluttered her wing, but it wasn’t as agile as the other one.

“Cheep, cheep, cheep!!!!”

Hearing her frantic cries, Zhang Shuguang reached out and gently stroked her. “Good girl, don’t worry. You just had the splint removed, so it’ll take some time to recover. Don’t rush to fly just yet.”

Tangdou chirped softly.

Zhang Shuguang sighed. He wasn’t sure if she understood him, so he’d just have to keep a close eye on her. Maodou and Naidou sat obediently in front of him, both tilting their heads in the same way.

Zhang Shuguang patted each of them on the head and said, “You guys need to keep an eye on Tangdou.” 

He pointed to Tangdou’s wings. “She’s just recovered and can’t fly yet.” He raised both hands and made a sweeping motion, then waved them. “Got it?”

The two little furballs twitched their ears in unison. Zhang Shuguang raised an eyebrow. “Got it?”

The two little furballs twitched their ears again. Very good, they really did understand.

Zhang Shuguang smiled and ruffled their heads one by one. Good boys, smart little ones.

“You have to help Daddy keep an eye on Tangdou. Don’t let her fly too high.” He stood up and made a flapping motion with both hands, then looked at the three of them with a serious expression. “No!”

This time, not only did the two little furballs twitch their ears, but even Tangdou chirped softly.

Zhang Shuguang sat down and mimed flying again. “That’s okay,” he said with a smile, repeating, “Okay.” The three little ones nodded in agreement.

Zhang Shuguang ruffled their hair. “Alright, go play. Daddy needs to sort the mushrooms.”

After saying that, he paid them no mind and began sorting through the basketful of mushrooms that Mang Jiu had picked.

Xiao Cai spoke up at that moment: “Master, there’s a mushroom-picking quest today. Would you like to accept it?” Zhang Shuguang: “If I accept it, will it be completed right away?”

Xiao Cai: “Yes. Since this is a quest that requires turning in items, the reward will be halved. You’ll receive 10% energy, 10 points, and 200 experience points.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I’ll take it. Accept any similar quests in the future.” 

Xiao Cai: “Yes, Master.”

While Zhang Shuguang was sorting the mushrooms, Tangdou watched from the side. Whenever he picked up a poisonous mushroom, she would chirp twice.

At first, Zhang Shuguang thought she was just drawn to the colorful ones, but since this happened every time, it was a bit surprising. He tilted his head to look at Tangdou, who tilted her little head back to look at him.

Zhang Shuguang held a non-poisonous mushroom in his left hand and waved it in front of her; Tangdou showed no reaction. He then held a poisonous one in his right hand and waved it—Tangdou chirped!

He tried it three times, and it happened every single time.

“Little one, you can even help Daddy tell the poisonous mushrooms apart! You’re so amazing!” Zhang Shuguang was overjoyed; he picked up Tangdou and gave her a kiss. Tangdou let out a cheerful chirp, her little head turning nimbly as she rubbed against Zhang Shuguang’s face several times.

With Tangdou’s help, Zhang Shuguang sorted the mushrooms faster. He no longer had to pick through them himself while asking Xiao Cai if they were poisonous; instead, he set aside a pile for Tangdou, who proved quite capable, using her little paws to push the poisonous mushrooms to the side.

Naidou and Maodou curiously crowded in, wanting to help too.

But the two of them only got in the way—not only could they not tell which ones were poisonous, but their paws ended up crushing quite a few of the mushrooms.

Although he knew the little ones meant well, this was a classic case of good intentions gone wrong.

Zhang Shuguang ruffled the two pups’ heads and said sternly, “You two go play over there. Don’t cause trouble here.”

Naidou and Maodou instantly drooped their ears, looking utterly pitiful.

Zhang Shuguang chuckled and gave them a light tap. “Where did you learn that? You even know how to play the victim now.” The two little rascals came over, trying to curry favor, and started rubbing up against him.

Zhang Shuguang sorted through the basket of mushrooms quickly, setting the broken ones aside and placing the larger, intact ones into his backpack.

Mang Jiu returned just as quickly. He’d found some thin vines, and Zhang Shuguang immediately wove them into a simple mesh bag—just like the one he’d used back in the coastal forest to carry the kittens on his back, though this one had tighter mesh so the mushrooms wouldn’t fall out.

“Can’t we eat these?” Mang Jiu asked, noticing the two piles of mushrooms Zhang Shuguang had set aside.

Zhang Shuguang pointed to the pile with the brighter colors. “These are poisonous,” he said, then gestured toward the broken pieces. “These are crushed. I’m not sure if it’s safe to eat these mushrooms fresh.” He remembered his mother saying that wild mushrooms should ideally be sun-dried before eating.

Mang Jiu said, “If they’re broken, just throw them away. They’re a hassle to carry.” Zhang

Shuguang sighed, “It’s a bit of a waste.”

Mang Jiu sighed helplessly. “There are so many mushrooms after it rains. The ones growing on the back mountain alone are enough for you to eat.”

“The people in the tribe can’t tell the difference between mushrooms. If they could, they’d pick them too—it’s not as bad as you make it out to be.” In the end, Zhang Shuguang put the broken mushrooms back into his basket. Even a tiny mosquito is still meat; just because there’s plenty of food doesn’t mean we should waste it carelessly!

Mang Jiu chuckled and asked him, “Why did you pick those out?”

Zhang Shuguang rolled his eyes at him and puffed out his chest. “I’m bored!” Seeing he was getting annoyed, Mang Jiu quickly said, “Come on, let’s pick some more.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Just don’t pick any more poisonous ones—I don’t want to waste my time sorting them out again.” It didn’t actually take that long. Mang Jiu nodded obediently, “Got it.”

The two of them worked for a while longer, filling their vine baskets. Since Mang Jiu was also carrying a bamboo basket on his back, they had no choice but to walk hand in hand.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at their intertwined fingers, feeling a bit puzzled.

Since when did I get used to holding hands with a man like this?

He asked himself in confusion. Aside from when he was in kindergarten, he didn’t think he’d ever even held a girl’s hand, let alone that of an adult man!

His thoughts were wandering too far, or perhaps he trusted Mang Jiu’s ability to lead the way too much. Zhang Shuguang’s gaze went blank, his mind filled with a jumble of thoughts, when, without thinking, his foot kicked something very hard.

“Ouch!” The pain made him double over, but because of the backpack on his chest, he couldn’t reach his foot. Mang Jiu was startled and turned to look, seeing his face go pale and his brows furrow.

Glancing at the rock on the ground, he guessed Zhang Shuguang must have kicked it.

Mang Jiu quickly crouched down, set the backpack aside, and reached out to grasp Zhang Shuguang’s ankle.

“Don’t move. Let me take a look.” Zhang Shuguang’s eyes were brimming with tears from the pain; just a moment ago, he’d nearly cursed out loud from the agony.

He plopped down onto the ground and said to Mang Jiu, “It shouldn’t be a broken bone.”

Mang Jiu grunted, took off his straw sandals, and examined the injury closely. The spot where he’d kicked the rock was on the big toe of his right foot; it had been a hard blow. The nail had been torn off, and there was quite a bit of blood.

Zhang Shuguang only realized how serious the injury was when Mang Jiu mentioned the bleeding. He took off his backpack, bent down, and took a closer look.

“…It’s all bloody,” he said. His toe was throbbing and numb. Glancing at the lifted nail, he knew there was only one way to treat it.

Gritting his teeth, he said, “Pull it out.”

“Huh?” Mang Jiu froze, looking at him in surprise. “Pull it out?”

Zhang Shuguang retorted, “If I don’t pull it out, I’ll be constantly worried it’ll tear off. Besides, this part’s already lifted up—there’s no way to push it back in. Pushing it back down would be pointless.” He took out his water pouch and rinsed the wound, then gritted his teeth as he examined it. “It’s barely attached. You do it. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

If anyone else had said that, Mang Jiu would have jumped right in to pull out the nail without a second thought, but the one who said it was Zhang Shuguang, and he didn’t want to do it at all.

Zhang Shuguang’s face was pale, and beads of nervous sweat had broken out on his forehead. He’d spent ages trying to psychhimself up—telling himself things like “pulling out a fingernail doesn’t hurt”—but Mang Jiu stood there motionless.

“Hurry up!” Zhang Shuguang raised his hand and tapped him on the shoulder. “Stop dawdling!”

Mang Jiu pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. He glanced at Zhang Shuguang, then pinched the half-lifted nail with his fingers and yanked hard.

“Ugh!” Zhang Shuguang’s face instantly turned from pale to red, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Waaahhhhh, it hurts sooo bad, it’s killing me!!!!”

That scream was like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

Mang Jiu rinsed the wound with water and pinched his toe to stop the bleeding.

Zhang Shuguang was a tough guy at times—he grabbed a handful of grass, hastily bandaged the wound himself, then started a fire right there. Seeing his hands shake from the pain, Mang Jiu took over the task of starting the fire without asking what he was up to.

Zhang Shuguang gathered some dry grass and, after obtaining some wood ash, immediately unwrapped the makeshift bandage.

The wound was still bleeding, so without a word, he poured the cooled ash onto it.

“Don’t…” Mang Jiu reached out to stop him, but was too late.

Zhang Shuguang’s face was a mix of sweat and ash, making

him look rather comical. Mang Jiu asked, “Doesn’t that hurt?”

Zhang Shuguang took a deep breath and glared at him. “What do you think?” The way he gritted his teeth made it look as if he wanted to pounce and bite Mang Jiu.

Mang Jiu raised his hand and wiped it across Zhang Shuguang’s face. “That’s a pretty good way to stop the bleeding.” He pointed at the wound, now covered in grayish-black ash, the blood having been clotted by the ash.

Zhang Shuguang scoffed, “Well, it’s better than just slapping mud right on top of it.”

“You rest up. I’ll have them go back first to drop off our stuff.” Mang Jiu traced a circle around him with his foot, making sure there were no large beasts nearby before quickly leaving.

Zhang Shuguang looked at his battered feet and sniffled.

What a stroke of bad luck!

The consequences of not watching where you’re going! Serves you right!

You’re just letting your mind wander!

Are you one of those smart people? You just go and think all sorts of nonsense!

Karma’s come back to bite you!

He despised himself.

Seeing he was okay, the three little ones ran off to play nearby. Tangdou’s little wings had just regained their freedom and were now fluttering awkwardly upward, but no sooner had she risen about a meter off the ground than Naidou pounced after her, with Maodou following close behind, making a hissing sound.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at the three little ones, made sure they were staying within the designated play area, and then called Xiao Cai out.

He needed to do something to take his mind off things; otherwise, he’d keep thinking about that half-inch of nail that had been torn from his finger.

“Xiao Cai.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, I’m here.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I just threw all the leftover peanuts on the ground. Is there no task to plant peanuts?” Xiao Cai: “Master, not today.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Alright, then. Can I just cut the sweet potatoes and yams into chunks and bury them in the soil?” Xiao Cai: “Technically, they need to be grown from seedlings.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Oh, then just cancel those two tasks.”

Xiao Cai: “……”

Xiao Cai: “Master, you really have no aspirations these days.”

Zhang Shuguang burst out laughing. “What do I need to strive for? As long as I have enough power, that’s all that matters. I’ve come to terms with it—I don’t want to see or have anything to do with the original story’s plot or the stuff in your points store anymore.”

Xiao Cai: “Why!? The original story’s plot is really useful.”

Zhang Shuguang rolled his eyes, “How is that useful? With so many chapters, how many points would I have to spend? Besides, even if I knew the original story’s plot, so what? That’s someone else’s life. You said it yourself—from the moment I woke up, the fate of the minor character has already changed. So your original story’s plot is really of no use to me.”

Knowing why Aila has that superpower and what he can do?

Never mind anything else—he and Aila were worlds apart. Even if they happened to run into each other someday, would Aila really dare to come up to him and demand to know why he was still alive?

Since he already knew Aila had ulterior motives, he’d just keep his guard up. There was really no need to waste too much energy on him.

It wouldn’t be too late to deal with it once they actually met and had more interaction. Xiao Cai was once again left speechless for a moment.

Zhang Shuguang: “I’m not doing the jerky quest either. Let’s cancel it.”

Originally, he’d thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to return to the tribe today and bake some jerky for the quest, but his current condition wasn’t suitable for traveling too far. They’d also picked so many mushrooms; if they wanted to make it back to the tribe before sunset, the only option would be for Mang Jiu to transform into his beast form and carry him.

Riding a bear, a rhinoceros—even a wolf would be fine.

Riding a giant python… Forget it. Maybe when his mental block isn’t so strong in the future, he could give it a try. But not now, no way—he just couldn’t handle it.

Xiao Cai: “…Master! You still need to finish your meal! Just turn the meat for dinner into jerky, and you’ll complete the task!” Zhang Shuguang had a sudden realization. “Right, you’ve reminded me.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, please, don’t mess with me.”

Zhang Shuguang: “I wasn’t messing with you; I really didn’t think of that just now.”

Xiao Cai: “Master, would you like to check out the new items in the Points Store?”

Zhang Shuguang hummed in acknowledgment. A virtual screen appeared before his eyes, and when he checked the Points Mall section, he discovered there was actually a new cookbook!

“What on earth is this?”

Xiao Cai: “It’s a newly added cookbook, obtained from another world.”

Zhang Shuguang didn’t ask which world it was from; he wasn’t interested in such things, and what good would knowing do anyway?

However, the cover art of this cookbook was quite peculiar; at least none of the illustrations looked familiar to him.

He glanced at the exchange price listed on the back—300 points—and snorted. “That’s a rip-off. I’m not interested in this.” 

Xiao Cai: “How can you not be interested? Many hosts in my app’s friends list have already redeemed it.”

Zhang Shuguang: “So what if they’ve redeemed it? What’s that got to do with me? Am I saving points or something? Besides, you’re suddenly so eager to recommend this recipe to me—could it be that you guys have sales quotas to meet? Do you get a commission if I buy something from the store?”

Xiao Cai：“……”

Zhang Shuguang snorted coldly, “Don’t bother with these useless things in the future. It wastes power.” 

Xiao Cai: “……”

Zhang Shuguang: “Settle my power usage first. Put that jerky mission on hold for now.” 

Xiao Cai: “Yes, Master. I’ll settle it for you right away. Yesterday’s completed task: planting rapeseed. Reward: 20% power, 20 points, 400 experience points. Power consumed yesterday: 6%; power consumed from chatting: 1%.

Today’s completed task: picking mushrooms. Reward: 10% power, 10 points, 200 experience points. Today’s power consumption: 6%; power consumed from chatting: 1%.

Current power: 159%, points: 215, experience: 3550/3900, APP Level 4. You currently have 300 grams each of Chinese cabbage, lotus, chili, and rapeseed seeds, plus 3 jin of granular fertilizer.” 

“300 grams?” Zhang Shuguang paused in surprise. “Wasn’t there no weight limit before?”

Xiao Cai: “Master, the vegetable seeds you bought before were only 100 grams per bag.” Zhang Shuguang: “Right, I bought so many bags of each kind—why didn’t you tell me?”

Xiao Cai: “Master, please have mercy on me! I was really just following the system’s instructions!”

If it had a physical form, it would probably be breaking down in tears right now.

Zhang Shuguang: “The seeds in your points store are way too expensive. I’m filing a complaint.” 

Xiao Cai: “…But didn’t you say you wouldn’t exchange items from the store?”

Zhang Shuguang: “You’ve swindled me out of so many seeds, and I haven’t even held you accountable yet—how dare you question me?” 

Xiao Cai: “…Master, I’ll report this for you right away.”

Zhang Shuguang: “Just write this in the complaint: ‘Unscrupulous system, unscrupulous store, deceiving consumers, exploiting labor.’” 

Xiao Cai: “……” I’m requesting a system crash!

The complaint was processed quickly. Xiao Cai looked at the response and felt like she might be experiencing a textperception disorder.

The main system actually said he could redeem the seeds in the points store for points at a 10% discount? Xiao Cai couldn’t help but ask: “Why?”

Main System: All the seeds he bought have been absorbed into the app—not just the box he’s holding, but also the few other boxes he didn’t get a chance to move out.

Main System: If he found out, what do you think his reaction would be? 

Xiao Cai: …

Knowing the host as it does, what kind of reaction? It definitely won’t end well! Slowly draining its power until it dies—that would be the merciful option!

Xiao Cai: “Master, all vegetable seeds in the Points Store have been discounted for you. You can purchase them at 10% of the original price.” Zhang Shuguang narrowed his eyes. “Have you been up to something shady behind my back?”

Xiao Cai: “……” Is it too late to resign? I can’t do this job anymore!