Cen An looked at him, then turned to look at Su Rui. “Well, I ran into a spider in the woods, and he saved me.”

Su Rui didn’t hesitate to take the credit. “It was nothing. Don’t mention it.”

Cen An rolled his eyes inwardly.

“Saved you?” Yu Lin leaned in with a light chuckle, holding out his palm where five or six little straw-woven rabbits were perched. “Cen An, do you really need him to save you?”

He shoved the rabbits into Cen An’s palm, then grabbed his sleeve. “Let’s go, Cen. We’re heading home. This crappy stone cave clearly isn’t fit for human habitation.”

A silver spear suddenly appeared across from him.

Su Rui snorted with a laugh. “Stupid bunnies. I stopped playing with those when I turned three. You want to take him away? Did you ask me first?”

“Uh…” Cen An looked awkwardly from side to side, trying to resist this bizarre turn of events…

“Alright, we finally found him. Let’s rest first. Xiao Cen is tired too.” Now that they’d found him, Qu Yue felt relieved. She stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, “Since this gentleman saved Xiao Cen, let’s not keep shouting and threatening him. We should head back now and notify the people left in the village.”

The fact that someone with such obvious supernatural abilities lived in these mountains naturally made Qu Yue wary. However, for Cen An’s sake, she didn’t press the matter. This wasn’t a matter of letting her emotions get the better of her, but rather a belief in Cen An’s character: he would absolutely never allow anything or anyone dangerous to the village to go unchecked.

The squad members naturally obeyed her; after saying goodbye to Cen An, they headed down the mountain.

The only ones left behind were Yu Fei, Yu Lin, Xiao Yi, Tian Yuan, Wang Lie, Qu Yue, and her husband.

Su Rui had intended to send these people away as well, but he relented after Cen An shot him a stern look.

As the group followed him into the cave, a rich, intoxicating aroma flooded out… The scent was enticing enough from outside, but upon getting closer, they truly understood what it meant to have one’s mouth watering and to be ravenous… ahem.

Since everyone had skipped dinner while searching for the missing person, the rumbling of their stomachs instantly turned into a chorus within the cave.

Cen An was just about to ask Su Rui if he could treat his friends to a meal, promising to return the favor once he’d caught a sheep.

Before he could even voice the question, Su Rui suddenly roared, “Yin! Xiang!”

The spear he hadn’t yet used shot out of his hand with lightning speed, flying like a silver streak and plunging silently into the ground, sinking a full third of the way in.

Qu Yue and the others were stunned. They wondered to themselves, “Why such a brutal move? Has he encountered an enemy?”

Just then, a figure leaped high into the air from where it had been standing. A gentle breeze stirred through the enclosed cave as wind-based abilities lifted the figure, sending it soaring and tumbling through the air. It deftly dodged the spear’s trajectory and darted toward Cen An, accompanied by a piercing scream in a boy’s voice: “Ahhh! Brother Cen, save me! My brother’s trying to kill me!”

Qu Yue and the others were just wondering—could the enemy be his younger brother?

Cen An instinctively shielded Yin Xiang with his arm. Glancing forward, he saw a pile of bamboo skewers scattered on the ground. The circle of lamb skewers around the fire pit had been eaten down to a third of their original number. With so many people to feed, it looked like each person would only get two or three skewers to sample…

Good grief, so while they were outside, full of misunderstandings and nearly coming to blows, this kid had been inside, tucking in with gusto…

Cen An silently stepped aside, revealing the person behind him clutching their head—as if to say: Go ahead and beat him, then hurry up and eat.

The sound of a child being spanked echoed through the cave.

Amid the screams, Cen An quickly stir-fried a plate of lamb offal over high heat in a large wok, then went to lift the lid of the massive clay pot.

But no one dared let him do that—the pot was scalding hot! Wang Lie took over the task, scooping out the meat inside under Cen An’s direction and pouring the broth into a large wooden basin.

The wooden basin was already lined with ground pepper, bright green scallions, cilantro, and garlic chives. As the milky-white meat broth was poured over them… the aroma wafted upward.

Slicing the meat was, as always, Tian Yuan’s job. He was now quite the expert, slicing the chunks of meat, offal, and blood from the pot one by one into thin slices—filling a large basin to the brim!

Once all the food was set on the table, Cen An instinctively clapped his hands. “Let’s eat…”

Only after speaking did he realize he wasn’t at his own home. A figure flashed by—Su Rui had just finished beating the child and appeared at his side, holding out his hand. “Give me the biggest bowl. You guys can split the rest.”

Cen An had no choice but to bring it over to him.

Yin Xiang also hobbled over, his face covered in bruises. After getting beaten, he looked completely relaxed and, acting as if he knew everyone, said, “Sis, that bowl is mine.”

Qu Yue handed it over with an embarrassed look.

Today was a feast for lamb lovers.

The lamb soup had indeed simmered into a milky white broth. Whether it was due to the quality of the meat or not, the soup actually had a milky aroma—not a trace of gaminess!

Cen An held a wooden bowl bigger than his face and gulped down several mouthfuls. What a treat!

The lamb soup was rich and savory, sliding smoothly down his throat and warming him to the core. A hint of pepper lingered on his tongue, complemented by the fresh notes of scallions and cilantro—it was truly irresistible.

If only it were winter, with a cozy fire burning inside, a pot of warming lamb soup simmering, and light snow falling outside… that would be pure bliss!

But then again, considering how harsh the winters are in this part of the world—it might actually kill you—maybe I’d rather pass.

If the soup is this good, the lamb itself is absolutely divine—tender, melt-in-your-mouth, and leaving a lingering aroma in your mouth…

After eating until he was half-full, Cen An brought out some lamb skewers to share. Though there wasn’t much left, it was still nice to have a taste.

Lamb skewers—that’s a flavor that’s taken all of China by storm. Anyone who eats lamb simply can’t help but love them!

Skewers grilled over proper charcoal have an extra hint of that smoky, charred aroma. That scent burrows straight into your heart; before you know it, your mouth is watering.

The meat was carefully selected—three parts fat to seven parts lean. Some of the fat had been rendered out, crisping the outer layer, while the rest remained sealed inside. With a single bite, savory juices mixed with fat burst out, so delicious it felt like you might just swallow your own tongue.

Cen An wolfed down two skewers in one go, paused briefly, then grabbed two more. He carefully separated the meat with his chopsticks, rinsed the chili flakes off the surface with hot water, and placed them in Xiao Yi and Yu Lin’s bowls. “You two mustn’t be greedy—just have a little taste. I’ll make this for you again later.” He ruffled Xiao Yi’s soft head.

He said that, but deep down he felt quite at ease. After all, one was obedient, and the other innocent—both were good kids.

Xiao Yi rubbed his cheek against his palm obediently, and Yu Lin flashed a smile. “I know, Cen Ge!”

Over there, Su Rui spoke up again. “Are you done eating? If not, give it to me.”

Cen An shook his head. “I’m done.”

There was still a small amount of lamb and soup left in his bowl. First, the bowl was too big, and second, Tian Yuan had taken advantage of his position to load it with extra slices of meat—he simply couldn’t finish it all.

Su Rui reached out to take it.

Yu Lin narrowed his eyes and reached out as well, saying, “Brother Cen, I want some too!”

His feeble strength had little effect on Su Rui. Su Rui set his empty wooden bowl aside and began eating from Cen An’s bowl.

Cen An felt something was off… Although they’d shared a table with Su Rui before, this kind of behavior seemed a bit too intimate…

But then he thought about it: on previous occasions, when there were leftovers on the table, Su Rui would ask him if he wanted any more, and if not, he’d take it all himself… It didn’t seem that different. So he didn’t pay it much mind.

He didn’t care, but Yu Lin was so furious he could barely contain himself. Ever since they met, Su Rui had been intentionally or unintentionally flaunting his familiarity with Cen An and his possessiveness, acting like a stray dog marking its territory—it was exceptionally annoying!

Yu Lin narrowed his eyes, finding him increasingly unbearable.

Just as Su Rui reached for a skewer of meat on the table, Yu Lin snatched it up first. Before he could gloat, Su Rui pulled a metal wire from his fingertip, coiling it back around the skewer.

Yu Lin froze. Seeing Su Rui reach for another skewer, he hurried to intercept it, even mimicking the move by secretly extending a slender vine…

A fierce yet discreet battle unfolded on the table.

Qu Yue, Tian Yuan, and the others watched silently, too afraid to speak. While Cen An was unaware of Yu Lin’s true nature, they certainly knew it. If they offended this guy, they’d be in for a world of trouble.

Yin Xiang dared not speak at all; he simply clutched his bowl and ate voraciously, terrified that his older brother might notice him and beat him up again.

As for Yu Fei… he had already eaten his fill and was now sleeping… resting his eyes.

Yu Lin—let alone being injured—even if he weren’t, his ability level was no match for Su Rui’s… There were six skewers in total, and he hadn’t managed to snag a single one. Fuming with rage, he turned around and looked pitifully at Cen An: “Brother Cen, look at him! He’s bullying me—he won’t even let me have a single skewer of meat!”

Su Rui shoved a skewer of lamb into his mouth and chewed, “You’re practically dying, and you’re still guarding your food?”

The Silver Moon Wolf could sense vitality, and this man’s wasn’t exactly robust—at least, not as robust as the others present.

Yu Lin flew into a rage. “You!” He clenched his right hand, and countless tiny vines burst forth from between his fingers, winding and twisting toward Su Rui like willow branches swaying in the wind.

Su Rui sneered coldly. He flipped his right palm, and a large sword appeared in his hand—as if to say, “I’ve been waiting to fight you for a long time!”

One of them was a Level 4 Psionic, the other’s ability status unknown. Aside from Yu Fei, the other ability users present all sensed a peculiar pressure, instantly becoming restless.

Even Yu Fei, in the midst of his busy work, opened his eyes briefly to check. Seeing that Cen An was unharmed, he closed them again.

Seeing the two of them on the brink of a confrontation, Cen An felt a headache coming on. He pressed his hand to his forehead. “Stop fooling around! If you’re not going to eat, get out!”

The two didn’t dare provoke him further, so they could only glare at each other coldly, withdraw their abilities, and obediently start eating.

The others breathed a sigh of relief. Tian Yuan even quietly gave Cen An a thumbs-up—their “Brother Cen” was truly formidable.

Only Xiao Yi slowly lowered his head; his longing for supernatural abilities had reached its peak… Without them, he didn’t even have the right to compete for his attention…

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

By the time they finished dinner, it was already very late.

The group from Yongning Village headed back to the village.

Cen An was personally escorted back by Su Rui. Besides Cen An himself, Su Rui also brought a burlap sack full of ingredients—a hodgepodge of all sorts of things.

After returning home, Cen An sat for a moment before beginning to take stock of what they’d gathered on this trip up the mountain.

The trip up the mountain had been fraught with danger, but the rewards were extraordinary: 【Lumber x96, Hay x72, Various wild vegetables and fruits, White Reed x8, Star Grass x5, Purple Mist Grass x6, Spider Silk x18】

In addition, there were four corpses of Binding Silk Blood Spiders and 4 crystal cores.

The timber and hay need no explanation, nor do the wild vegetables and fruits. The few medicinal herbs, however, were top-notch.

Among them, White Reed was the most common. Made into White Reed Soup, it could restore a small amount of stamina. Though the amount was modest, there was no limit on how many times it could be consumed—as long as he could stomach it, he could drink an entire vat. Right now, Cen An needed to gather a large quantity of basic materials, so stamina was exactly what he needed.

Star Grass, when combined with several other herbs to make pills, can enhance night vision. Cen An currently has no need to go out at night, and since he hasn’t found the other required herbs, he simply stored it away carefully.

Purple Mist Grass… This is the most useful of the three herbs! Combined with several other herbs, Purple Mist Grass can be used to craft the Purple Mist Hundred Herbs Pill, which boosts defense by 30%!

With this, combined with the lightweight snake-skin armor he wore, Cen An’s defense could reach 50%. Even if he encountered another Binding Silk Blood Spider, he wouldn’t have to fear it—he could simply wear it down until it died!

After carefully stowing the Purple Mist Grass as well, Cen An turned his attention to the four crystal cores.

These four crystal cores were unlike ordinary ones: at their core was a silver vortex the size of a grain of rice, causing the entire crystal core to glow with a silvery light.

They were identical to the three crystal cores Su Rui had given him earlier.

Cen An reached in and retrieved the other three, bringing the total to seven silver crystal cores.

Level 1 mutant beast | Contains 1 ordinary crystal core; Level 2 mutant beast: 2; Level 3 mutant beast: 3… By Level 4 mutant beast, there’s 1 special crystal core inside. So, for a Level 5 mutant beast, would there be 2 special crystal cores? What about higher levels? Are there other types of crystal cores? And what are the differences between them?

Cen An tried depositing one special crystal core into the system, and sure enough, the system interface changed:

【Wealth: 1 Silver Crystal Core, 112 Crystal Cores】

So these crystal cores are called Silver Crystal Cores… He just doesn’t know what the differences are or what the exchange rate is within the system.

But since they’re usable, there’s no need to worry.

He added the remaining six Silver Crystal Cores to the system and turned his attention to the 18 portions of spider silk.

Spider silk is a valuable resource—it can be used for so many things! For starters, once the fish pond system is activated, he’ll need fishing rods to catch fish, and those rods require spider silk.

Additionally, there’s the clothing Cen An desperately needs right now—the fabric for those garments can be synthesized using spider silk!

Speaking of clothes, the outfit he was wearing was actually the one he’d brought with him when he traveled through time! Every two or three days, he’d wash it at night and hang it out to dry so it would be ready to wear the next day. It was certainly clean, but it was a fall outfit—it had been fine to wear before, but it would get too hot to wear as the weather got warmer.

As for the snake-skin light armor… equipment that looked like leather armor would look a bit odd to wear in the village.

Cen An decided to open the recipe right then and get to work!

3 spider silks can craft one piece of fabric; 18 spider silk is exactly enough to craft 6 pieces of fabric.

He then opened the clothing recipes. The clothing recipes didn’t have as many styles as those on Taobao in his previous life, but they were all simple and elegant designs.

Cen An randomly picked a white long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of pants, using a total of 5 pieces of fabric.

The two garments were neatly stacked and dropped onto the table by the system.

With one piece of fabric left, he decided to make a top for Xiao Yi. The kid’s pants fit fine, but the top was too loose.

After searching for ages… he finally found the children’s patterns at the very end of the clothing recipes. Good thing he had a habit of collecting recipes; otherwise, he’d be in a real bind right now…

A tiny top also appeared on the table.

Since he hadn’t added any dye, all three pieces of clothing were white, making them look a bit like matching parent-child outfits.

Cen An picked up the little shirt and examined it; it seemed to fit perfectly. He turned to look for Xiao Yi to try it on, only to find that Xiao Yi hadn’t returned yet.

Was he delayed by something? Was he playing around?

Impossible—Xiao Yi wasn’t the type to just disappear without a word… Remembering that someone had been following and bullying him before, Cen An grew anxious and stood up to go look for him.

Just as he pushed the door open, he saw the child standing right there in the doorway, staring blankly at the firelight inside… That expression was exactly the same as when he’d run away earlier.

Cen An’s heart went out to him instantly. “Why aren’t you coming in? Isn’t it cold out there?”

Xiao Yi stared at him blankly and shook his head instinctively. “No…”

When he reached out to pull him in, Xiao Yi snapped out of it and struggled slightly. “I…”

But Cen An didn’t wait for an answer; he simply pulled him inside.

The room was bright. The fire pit blazed, its light banishing the darkness and illuminating his world.

Xiao Yi’s nose began to sting again.

But he couldn’t stay here any longer. Today, Qu Yue had told him that the few ability users who’d been tailing him had already been punished, and the Ability Squad had even fixed up his shack. He could go back and live there today…

He hung his head low, stammering, “M-my home is already… already fixed up. I just… just came to tell you that I’ll be going back to live there tonight…”

He’s bound to hate me. I’m such an ungrateful kid.

Tears welled up in Xiao Yi’s eyes, but could he really just stay at his place and eat and drink for free? He had no abilities; he’d nearly gotten into trouble just going up the mountain to find food. It was hard enough just to support himself…

The child tried desperately to convince himself, his throat aching from the effort, before forcing a lighthearted tone: “My home is nice, too—really. Someday, I’ll invite you over as a guest…”

In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to finish and bit his lip.

Then, he heard a sigh filled with understanding.

A warm, soft hand fell onto his head, gently ruffling his hair. Cen An crouched down, his voice gentle and soft. “Xiao Yi, don’t you want to live with your big brother?”

Xiao Yi stared at him blankly. “I…”

Cen An smiled. “But your big brother really wants to live with you. What should we do?”

“Look, Big Brother is so busy every day; there are so many things I need help with. I don’t want to sleep alone either—the bed is cold and damp. It would be so nice if someone could warm it up for me…”

“Big Brother has to go up the mountain every day, but there’s no one at home to watch the house. I’m always worried—there are so many things here. What if someone steals them…”

“Big Brother can cook, but it’s such a hassle—washing and chopping vegetables, then washing dishes and scrubbing pots. My hands are always greasy…”

He spoke slowly, managing to make his comfortable, secure life sound like a great hardship, before adding with a light laugh, “But Xiao Yi, you’re really good at all these tasks. If you’re willing to help me, things would be so much easier for me. So, are you willing?”

“I…” Xiao Yi looked at his face—a face that would only appear in the most beautiful of dreams—“I’m willing!”

“I can do all these things. I… I’ll do them very well…”

Cen An wiped the tears from his face, his expression a mix of relief and delight. “That’s truly wonderful…”

And so, Xiao Yi moved into Cen An’s home.

In this day and age, there’s no formal procedure for adopting a child, but Cen An still set up a simple banquet, inviting his friends over to gather and announce: From now on, Xiao Yi is his little brother.

The reactions of the few present were quite interesting: Qu Yue and Zhao Wu, being a bit more mature, simply smiled and offered their congratulations.

Yu Lin grunted a couple of times; after all, he thought Xiao Yi was a bit cuter than Su Rui, so if he was staying with Brother Cen, then so be it.

Yu Fei: Zzzzz… 

He’d occasionally open his eyes to check if it was time to eat or time to kill someone.

Tian Yuan, on the other hand, joked a bit, saying he’d guessed from the start that Cen An was going to adopt Xiao Yi. “That guy’s heart is as soft as can be—how could he stand by and watch such a little kid live alone?” He added, “It’s a good thing Yongning Village only has this one orphan. If there were a few more, Cen An’s little shack probably wouldn’t even be big enough to house them all.”

Wang Lie didn’t care about anything else—he just focused on eating. He had a bit of a “family first, justice second” personality; once he backed someone, he’d support whatever they did.

As for Su Rui… that bastard’s first words after Cen An finished speaking were: “Why did you pick up some unwanted kid? It’s not like he’s going to feed you.”

His second words were said cheerfully: “Does that mean I can move in too?”

In response, Cen An smiled and walked right past him, pretending not to hear a word.

Though it wasn’t his original intention, once Xiao Yi moved in, Cen An did indeed find life much easier. Every time he returned from the mountain, hot water and tea were ready at home, the house was spotless with not a speck of dust, and sometimes even the side dishes were prepared.

This well-behaved child had indeed taken care of everything he could handle. Cen An knew he was still uneasy inside, so he chose not to press the matter, instead lavishing him with praise until his cheeks flushed red, though his expression grew increasingly serious.

On the second day after moving in, the boy put on the shirt Cen An had made for him, and he carefully trimmed his hair short with a pair of scissors.

Xiao Yi turned out to be quite handsome; it was just that he’d been malnourished before, looking pitifully thin, and had gone unnoticed while dressed in rags.

Now that he was all spruced up, he immediately caught the attention of every child in the village the moment he stepped outside.

Never mind orphans—even children with parents rarely got to wear new clothes! Especially since the shirt was white, as pure and clean as snow. The fabric fluttered in the breeze, clinging to his body; it looked incredibly soft. Hardly anyone in the whole village owned clothes made of such fabric…

So, the whole village knew that Xiao Yi was now the younger brother of someone—he was no longer neglected.

Xiao Yi, however, didn’t care what the whole village thought. From start to finish, there was only one person he cared about.

“Is Brother going up the mountain again tomorrow?” The boy washed the dishes and utensils, then brewed some Sparrow Tongue Bud tea and brought it over.

Cen An smiled as he took the hot tea and sipped it, feeling a sense of leisurely contentment—as if his son were there to take care of him in his old age. He nodded. “Yes, and tomorrow I’ll be going a bit further.”

Xiao Yi looked worried. “Are you going deep into the mountains? It’s dangerous…”

“Don’t worry,” Cen An said, ruffling his soft hair. “I’ll ask Su Rui to come with me.”

Xiao Yi still wasn’t entirely convinced. “But, Brother, he doesn’t seem very reliable.”

Well…

Cen An lowered his head and sipped his tea slowly. “At least he’s good at fighting…”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Although Cen An had previously wanted Su Rui to take him foraging near the cave, he hadn’t found the time.

Upgrading the little shack required quite a few resources; wood and hay were the main priorities, while the rest weren’t urgent.

But recently, Cen An had changed his mind. The reason was that the little shack was already full to bursting.

The little shack’s space was extremely limited. The basic materials Cen An had brought back recently had filled up every inch of space; if he crammed anything else in, there wouldn’t even be room to stand.

So he had to pile them in the yard. But the area in front of the shack was just an empty plot with nothing on it. Although Cen An had long since planted it with vegetables, no one could see them!

So, you could call it Cen An’s yard, or you could say it’s part of the road—either way works… In any case, Cen An decided to build a fence to enclose the yard.

He had two options. One was to cut down bamboo to make a bamboo fence. The advantage was that the materials were easy to come by, and it could be finished in a single day. The downside was that a bamboo fence had a defense rating of only 20—virtually nonexistent—leaving his front door essentially wide open, good for deterring the honorable but not the dishonest.

The other option was to use 10 hardwoods and 100 pieces of lumber to build a sturdy wooden fence. A wooden fence has a defense rating of a full 100 points, and as the house is upgraded, the fence will also be upgraded; without the owner’s invitation, almost no one can enter. This way, he’d feel a bit more at ease leaving Xiao Yi home alone.

Cen An chose the second option without a moment’s hesitation. As a result, the hardwood—which he had originally planned to gather after collecting the timber—now had to be prioritized.