In Cen An’s imagination, Shi Long should have been a burly man with a left Azure Dragon and right White Tiger aura.

But in reality, he wasn’t even as tall as Shi Jie. Wearing black-rimmed glasses and a gray-blue shirt with a fountain pen tucked in his breast pocket, he looked more like a physics teacher than an ability user.

Cen An could hear these two speaking, and the ability users naturally heard them even more clearly.

The group exchanged glances and greeted him in unison: “Captain Shi.”

“Good day, Captain Shi.”

Shi Long adjusted his glasses and approached. “What are you doing?”

Qu Yue frowned slightly but replied, “Buying groceries.”

“White radishes.” Shi Long glanced at them, his tone stern. “Is this beneficial for ability users? Has it been verified? Were there control groups?”

Cen An instantly felt transported back to high school…

Qu Yue sighed helplessly. “It’s been verified. Everyone except us was in the control group.”

Shi Long nodded. “Alright. If you need help, let me know.”

Then he turned and walked away.

He hadn’t glanced at Cen An once, though it wasn’t deliberate neglect—it was more like his attention was elsewhere.

Shi Jie remained unconvinced. “Bro, just like that? Won’t you ask about that medicine or the life-saving favor? You’re almost the captain now, and these people won’t tell you anything…”

The two walked farther and farther away, yet Shi Long never uttered another word.

Cen An frowned slightly. Shi Long’s personality seemed different from what he’d imagined…

Qu Yue rubbed her temples. “Are you scared, Xiao Cen? Don’t worry. Captain Shi may look stern, but he’s actually quite kind.”

Wang Lie was still munching on the radish he hadn’t finished earlier. “If you ask me, Captain Shi is great in every way—except he really needs to rein in Shi Jie. That kid never does anything worthwhile.”

Cen An pondered for a moment before speaking up, “I heard that since Captain Shi took over the little market, villagers aren’t allowed to set up their stalls before paying the stall fee. And there’s talk he might raise the fees. Is that true?”

Qu Yue froze. “Really? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

She glanced at Wang Lie, who also froze, his brow furrowing. “The small market was organized by Captain Liao. From day one, villagers were allowed to set up stalls first and pay later. If Captain Shi really changed that…”

Zhao Wu interjected, “Given Shi Jie’s reputation among villagers, could this be just a rumor they’re spreading?”

Cen An shook his head. “Unlikely. I personally saw an elderly couple distressed because they couldn’t enter the market.”

Wang Lie’s expression turned serious. “I’ll check with the brothers in charge of the stalls.”

He stood up and walked toward the Ability Squad’s stall.

Cen An felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Qu Yue frowning. “Xiao Cen, don’t you trust Team Leader Shi?”

Cen An was about to say “No,” but looking into Qu Yue’s eyes filled with concern, he paused before finally saying, “Sister Qu, I just think someone who genuinely cares about the villagers wouldn’t let his own brother bully others.”

Qu Yue’s brows knitted. “Well, it’s not that… Shi’s family… Never mind. If you don’t trust him, you don’t trust him.”

Her voice dropped lower. “Don’t worry. Team Leader Shi’s ability level is only early-stage Level 3—lower than both mine and Old Zhao’s. He’s not known for combat. And Captain Liao… he’s recovering well too. No matter what, Old Zhao and I will protect you. Go ahead and sell these vegetables!”

Cen An froze for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile, like a faint ink painting suddenly coming to life. “Okay, Sister Qu, I believe you.”

Only after he turned to tidy his basket did Qu Yue slowly inhale, rubbing her chest.

So… this is what having a little brother feels like? Damn it, Qu Yue felt like ripping her own heart out!

Cen An seemed gentle, but he kept others at arm’s length. Haven’t you noticed he still refuses to let anyone go to his house? Over a hundred white radishes—he’d rather haul them himself than have someone make a single trip to pick them up.

Qu Yue had always believed that regardless of what Cen An thought inside, she treated him like a real younger brother. So what if he was cold? Everyone had their own temperament and nature, right?

But she never expected this young man to flash her that kind of smile…

This child must never have been treated kindly. So when someone showed him even a hint of warmth, he couldn’t help but crack open his shell and reveal his tender core.

Qu Yue suddenly bristled with fury.

Zhao Wu looked bewildered. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Qu Yue snapped, “Is there another piece of cloth at home? Go find it! I’m making Xiao Cen a new outfit! His current clothes are fine for now, but it’ll get too hot in a few days!”

Zhao Wu was utterly baffled. “Fine, I’ll make it. But you don’t have to be so fierce… Wait, don’t you start, let me handle it!”

Wang Lie, who had gone to gather intelligence, returned with an even more grave expression. “It’s true.”

All eyes turned to him.

Wang Lie reported, “The person in charge said that last month, Team Leader Shi announced no more credit for stall fees. Everyone must pay up front to enter. He said it’s because the team’s funds are running low.”

The group exchanged glances. Shi Long had always managed the team’s finances, and they couldn’t tell if this was just an excuse.

Wang Lie spoke up, “Brother Cen, you shouldn’t get involved in this. Pretend you don’t know anything. The rest of you, don’t let it slip either.”

This was to protect Cen An. Even if Shi Long wasn’t skilled in combat, as a Level 3 ability user, he was undoubtedly stronger than Cen An, an ordinary person.

Cen An nodded. He truly didn’t want to get involved in this matter. However, since he would inevitably sell goods at the small market in the future, he hoped the market could remain stable.

Returning the empty cart to Qu Yue, Cen An carried the remaining twenty carrots home.

The fields at home still hadn’t been planted!

Upon returning home, he didn’t rush to tend the fields. Cen An ate lunch first.

Lunch consisted of braised radishes, bok choy dumpling soup, and a cold salad of wild greens.

The bok choy had been stored in his backpack, looking much the same as the one he’d dug up from the field the night before. Only a little remained, though—the next time he could eat it would be after replanting.

The wild vegetable salad was made from yesterday’s purchase of sparrow-tongue buds. He picked out some mixed wild greens to assemble a bowl of cold salad.

As for the sparrow-tongue buds themselves, they were dried by the hearth to make herbal tea.

The stewed radish used today’s bountiful harvest of white radishes. Though he’d been in this world for ages, Cen An couldn’t help but marvel—the system’s produce truly tasted divine!

These radishes lacked the earthy tang of ordinary ones. Cooked, they turned sweet and tender, melting on the tongue.

Cen An finished his meal with contentment and calm, though he felt it lacked a bit of meat.

Since the dog owner last appeared, he hadn’t tasted meat at all. He really needed to set traps for live game soon—he couldn’t keep relying on others for meat every day.

After finishing his meal, he grabbed a handful of Bird’s Tongue Tea buds to steep in his kettle, then headed out to start planting vegetables.

520 crystal cores—more than enough to buy everything he wanted.

Opening the seed purchase page, he bought a packet of white radish seeds first, planting each one carefully.

【Congratulations! You have gained x8 EXP】

【Congratulations! You have gained 8 EXP】

He wasn’t sure how long the system announcements had been playing when a page suddenly popped up before Cen An, accompanied by cheap fireworks effects popping and crackling.

【Congratulations! You have reached Level 2!】

A smile spread across Cen An’s face. Finally, a level up!

The crop unlocked at Level 2 was…

Before he could even check, the system delivered another surprise:

【Detected player reaching Level 2. Map function activated! Please explore freely!】

A map?

Cen An froze. Of course, the game had a map—it was available from the start.

After his transmigration, the map function vanished, but he hadn’t paid it much mind. After all, expecting a real-time map in the real world was a bit much.

Unexpectedly, upon reaching Level 2, the map function unlocked!

He immediately opened the map page. Centered on Yongning Village, the vast Ten Thousand Mountains were densely packed within the map’s scope. His current location was marked by a red dot.

On the map, areas he’d traversed appeared in color, displaying local specialties and the types of mutant beasts present. Unexplored regions remained gray, showing nothing—as if they hadn’t been unlocked yet.

A smile touched Cen An’s eyes. This map arrived at the perfect moment!

He studied it carefully before opening the seed purchase page.

Level 2 seeds were indeed unlocked.

【Sweet Asparagus Seed

Price: 150 Crystal Cores

Type: Vegetable

Growing Requirement: Prefers Rain

Growth Time: 7 days 8 hours】

【Colorful Tomato Seed

Price: 200 Crystal Cores

Variety: Vegetable

Growing Requirements: Prefers Sun

Growth Time: 8 days, 10 hours

Note: Mature plants can be harvested 3 times】

Right, Level 2 crops start having specific growing requirements.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, the tomato was clearly the better choice. But the growing requirements didn’t match—after all, it was still the rainy season.

Cen An pulled out his crystal cores. Today’s harvest of 520 crystal cores, combined with his previous stock, totaled 533 crystal cores.

After purchasing white radish seeds, he had 433 left. He still needed to buy a plot of black soil for 200 crystal cores, leaving him with 233… Hmm, sweet asparagus was affordable now.

The land purchase page showed no changes. Cen An bought another plot of black soil and placed it next to the white radish field.

The grayish-white sandy soil rolled away as fertile black earth seemed to bubble up from deep within the ground.

Cen An bought another packet of sweet asparagus seeds.

Seed by seed, he planted them.

【Congratulations! You have gained 12 EXP】

【Congratulations! You have gained 12 EXP】

By the time he finished planting the entire packet of sweet asparagus, the system interface had transformed dramatically:

【Farm Name: Harvest Farm

Level: 2

Experience: 1900/10000

Wealth: 83 crystal core

Land Owned: 2

Fish Pond: Unlockable with 1000 crystal core

Livestock Shed: 3000 crystal core to unlock

Inventory: Axe x1, Hoe x1, Pickaxe x1, Iron Sword x1, Baby Bok Choy x5, White Radish x19, rat Meat x21】

Cen An smiled as he reviewed the page several times before closing it and stepping inside.

The water in the kettle had cooled. He picked it up and took a few gulps. The water infused with sparrow-tongue buds tasted sweet and crisp, carrying a fresh, herbal fragrance.

Then he grabbed his basket and headed up the mountain!

This time, Cen An intended to search for bamboo groves. With a water tank secured, he could start crafting traps and fishing rods.

Additionally, he hoped to find some unusual materials… but that would depend on luck.

The drizzle persisted, but Cen An, equipped with his straw raincoat and conical hat, paid it no mind.

What surprised him, however, was the number of villagers already on the mountain. Many, clad in tattered raincoats, had come out to gather supplies.

Had something happened? Or was something about to happen…

He didn’t feel like asking unfamiliar villagers for information. Frowning slightly, he pressed on toward his goal.

He’d already marked a small bamboo grove on his map. The path wasn’t far, and nearby were only low-level mutant beasts, along with game like bamboo partridges and wild ducks.

Once he cut the bamboo, he could even set traps right there. With a bit of luck, he might have meat for dinner tonight…

Behind him, a flash of black fabric vanished into the rain curtain.