With the courtyard settled, it was time to tackle the house.

Cen An started by building a cupboard, which he placed next to the hearth in the front room. Made from 60 units of wood, the cupboard had a top shelf for bowls and chopsticks and a bottom shelf for food.

With this arrangement, the outer room immediately felt spacious and airy.

As for the inner room…

That was a bit more difficult.

He still had no place to put the iron ore and copper ore in his backpack.

Hundreds of pounds of ore—was he supposed to just pile it in the bedroom?

As for leaving it outside? He’d have to be crazy to do that. Basic ores may be called “basic,” but that’s only in comparison to high-grade ores; it doesn’t mean they’re worthless. If he piled a heap of iron ore in the yard, he’d practically be inviting thieves into his home…

Besides, he didn’t have anywhere to put the high-grade ores either! There was also a pile of colorful gemstones in his backpack…

Rubbing his temples as he rummaged through his backpack, he wished he had more Space Stones. Space Stones could be used to craft storage gear—it wasn’t like he didn’t have the recipes… Sigh, the room really was just too small.

“Ah, how could I have forgotten this…” Cen An tapped his forehead lightly, spotting another item in his backpack: fresh flowers.

With so much stuff in his backpack, he’d completely forgotten about these hundred or so flowers.

Now that he’d remembered the flowers, Cen An naturally recalled another item: the Hundred Flowers Divine Offering Plate.

He hadn’t prayed to the divine statue for several days since leaving home, so he must have accumulated quite a bit of luck. And since he was currently wearing the lucky charm, maybe his wish would come true!

Without further hesitation, Cen An took out the flowers and wood and crafted a Hundred Flowers Divine Offering Plate.

The palm-sized flower tray bloomed brilliantly, its fragrance sweet and intoxicating, beautiful and vibrant.

Cen An took out the obsidian deity statue, placed it upright on the table, set the flower tray in front of it, and offered a devout prayer.

The obsidian deity statue, with its indistinct features, held no grudges; it soon emitted a silver glow.

Cen An’s eyes lit up. Silver light—a rare item!

The silver light gradually faded, and with a clatter, a wooden box fell in front of the statue.

Cen An picked it up in puzzlement. The box didn’t even look new; rather, it appeared to be something someone had discarded after using it. The corners were patched with strips of cloth, making it extremely plain and unadorned.

He grimaced. “Is this really a rare item?”

【Congratulations on obtaining the Spatial Storage Chest!】

【Spatial Storage Chest:

Rarity: Rare

Type: Equipment

Function: A spatial item containing 100 square meters of storage space.】

Cen An was startled. “100 square meters?”

Is a storage item with 100 square meters of space actually considered just a rare item?

But as he read on, he understood.

【Note: This item is a defective product. Time flows within the storage box; once items are placed inside, the box’s weight increases by an equivalent amount.】

No wonder it was a silver-tier item—it was a defective product.

Although 100 square meters of space is plenty, due to the weight restriction, this spatial item is basically unsuitable for carrying around; it can only be used at home. Plus, time flows inside, so it can’t preserve items.

Despite its many flaws, it’s just right for Cen An right now!

He finally has a place to store his hundreds of pounds of ore!

He placed the battered junk box by his bedside, dumped the ore into it with a clatter, and his backpack was immediately more than half empty.

He then organized the other herbs and odds and ends in his backpack, drying what needed to be dried and turning what needed to be made into pills.

As for the remaining fresh flowers, he used them to make two bottles of Hundred Flowers Elixir.

With both the inside and outside of the house tidied up, the place had undergone a complete transformation.

The open space by the door was enclosed by a brand-new fence, finally taking on the appearance of a small courtyard. Inside the courtyard, on the right were two haystacks—one large and one small—while on the left stood four wooden racks—two large and two small.

Bamboo baskets sat on the wooden racks, filled with dried herbs and mushrooms, exuding the warmth of daily life.

In the center of the courtyard stood a small, clean stone mill. After use, it would appear as if dusted with powder—a hazy white—carrying the scent of grain.

Stepping inside the house revealed even more changes: the hearth still stood in the center of the outer room, and the floor swept spotless. In front of the hearth sat a small wooden table and four chairs; behind it stood a large cupboard, with all odds and ends neatly stowed away, making the room tidy and spacious.

As for the right side of the hearth, there was a pitcher plant. The thing had already grown taller than Cen An, and its stem was thicker than his arm.

With plenty of monster meat at home, Cen An hadn’t starved it, so it just kept growing taller and taller… Cen An was considering moving it outside; it was too much of a hindrance inside. He was just afraid that once it was moved out, mice would start running rampant in the house.

Moving further in, the inner room held two bamboo beds, one large and one small, each topped with a matching set of soft, down-filled animal-skin quilts—made by Cen An especially for Xiao Yi.

At the head of the bed sat a dusty, old storage box. Few would suspect that this worn-out box was actually a priceless storage item, containing ore of various grades worth a fortune.

Opposite the bed stood a grain jar and a storage cabinet.

The storage cabinet was one Cen An had just built to hold everyday items.

The once noisy and cramped little shack, once tidied up, immediately felt comfortable and truly like a home.

Cen An smiled as he ruffled Xiao Yi’s hair. “What do you think? Is it nice?”

Xiao Yi nodded without hesitation. “Yes! Big Brother’s house is the best!

Cen An laughed heartily. “What do you mean by ‘Big Brother’s house’? It’s our home.”

Xiao Yi looked at his smile and nodded firmly, “Mm-hmm! Our home!”

After packing his backpack, Cen An finally went to check on his vegetable patch.

It wasn’t that he didn’t care—he just knew full well that after being delayed for several days, the vegetables in the patch must have all ripened. With no room left in his backpack, there was nothing he could do.

Standing at the edge of the plot, he peered inside—

Sure enough, the field was packed to the brim with a riot of colors—all fully matured vegetables!

The Chinese cabbage and white radishes, needless to say, stood tall and vibrant, with droplets of water still clinging to their leaves.

The sweet asparagus had been harvested several times already; each stalk stood as straight as a little soldier, its tender green skin enveloping translucent stems—just looking at them made one imagine their sweet, juicy flavor.

Cen An smiled as he examined each one, then turned his gaze to the last variety—the first vegetable he’d ever harvested: the rainbow tomato.

Round fruits hung from the branches. On the outside, the colorful tomatoes looked no different from regular tomatoes—except for the color… No wonder they’re called colorful tomatoes; the fruits were actually multicolored—red, orange, yellow, green, every shade imaginable. Cen An even spotted a green one that was fully ripe.

He was instantly curious: was it just the skin that was colorful, or was the flesh colorful too?

With that in mind, he picked a yellow fruit, wiped off the dew, and took a bite.

A rich tomato aroma filled his nose, accompanied by a hint of sweetness. The sweet-and-sour flavor made his mouth water, and the juice was so abundant that as soon as he pulled his mouth away, it trickled down the broken skin…

Cen An’s eyes widened. This was even better than the cherry tomatoes from his past life!

He looked down—the flesh inside was red and had a sandy texture.

That was fine by him. He really didn’t want to stir-fry a dish of tomatoes and eggs only to have it turn green or blue; that would be a total turn-off. Red was definitely better…

Just as he was eating, his sleeve suddenly twitched, and a little green head poked out. “Cheep cheep!”

“Ah…” Cen An felt a bit embarrassed. “I completely forgot about you. Want some?”

He tore off a small piece of the colorful tomato and handed it to the Green Shade Mouse. The little mouse sniffed it, took it, and began eating it in big bites.

Cen An smiled. “I have another very cute little one at home. When I’m not around, the two of you have to get along well, okay?”

The Shade Mouse: “Cheep cheep.” It nodded.

It was essentially quite friendly, except when it came to ferocious beasts like Su Rui…

Cen An munched on the colorful tomato with one hand while gathering the vegetables with the other.

【Congratulations! You have gained 15 EXP】

【Congratulations! You have gained 15 EXP】

Before long, the Green Shade Mouse, having finished the tomato, came over to help.

True to its nature as a magical creature specialized in caring for plants, even though it used its paws and teeth, the vegetables it picked were completely unharmed.

Cen An smiled: “It looks like you’ll be able to help harvest the vegetables even when I’m not home.”

With the Green Shade Mouse’s help, the entire vegetable patch was harvested in less than half an hour.

His empty backpack was immediately filled with a pile of vegetables.

He opened the seed purchase page again.

He now had 2,160 crystal cores and 17 silver crystal cores—he was quite well-funded.

After much deliberation, he purchased two more plots of black soil. Combined with his original six plots, his total land holdings reached eight.

With Chinese cabbage, white radishes, sweet asparagus, and colorful tomatoes, he could plant exactly two plots of each.

Finally, Cen An turned his attention to the Cold Jade Melon.

A packet of Cold Jade Melon seeds costs 500 Crystal Cores, and the sandy soil required for planting costs another 500 Crystal Cores per plot—totaling 1,000 Crystal Cores, making it a true luxury item.

However, it was a luxury item that Cen An could now afford.

Without hesitation, he bought a packet and planted it.

【You have gained 25x EXP】

Cen An was startled—the Cold Jade Melon actually granted 25 EXP? True to its status as a luxury item, even the EXP was top-tier.

That’s fine, though; it means leveling up will be faster.

With the help of the Green Shade Mouse, Cen An finished planting all nine plots.

The nine plots were arranged in a 3×3 grid in the courtyard. The sandy soil where the Cold Jade Melons were planted was a dull yellow—it probably looked out of place to others, but not to Cen An: This is the scent of crystal cores!

The sprouts of the baby bok choy had already broken through the soil and were fluttering in the breeze. The other seeds weren’t quite there yet—they were probably working hard underground, going “heyo, heyo.” In a few more days, it would be time for the next bountiful harvest!

Cen An wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and opened the system. The page had already changed to:

【Farm Name: Harvest Farm

Level: 3

Experience: 11,550/50,000

Wealth: 17 Silver Crystal Cores, 360 Crystal Cores

Land Owned: 9 (Fertile Black Soil x8, Fertile Sandy Soil x1)

Building Upgrade System: Unlocked

Fish Pond: Unlockable with 1,000 Crystal Cores

Livestock Shed: Unlockable with 3,000 Crystal Cores

Backpack: Axe x1, Hoe x1, Pickaxe x1, Iron Sword x1……】

“Big brother, the chicken soup is ready.” Xiao Yi poked his head out from the house but didn’t come over, just calling out.

“Got it, I’ll be right there.” Cen An picked up the Green Shade Mouse, intending to introduce the two little ones to each other, when he heard a commotion outside.

His dwelling was far from the village, so he usually didn’t hear much noise. Curious, he looked out and saw a group of people heading toward his house.

The leader…

Cen An felt he looked familiar. After a moment’s thought, he realized—was this Shi Jie? Shi Long’s good-for-nothing younger brother?

No wonder Cen An hadn’t recognized him at first glance; Shi Jie had changed quite a bit.

The last time they met, Shi Jie had been surrounded by a gang of henchmen, slick-haired and powdered-faced, looking like a cocky little thug who didn’t know his place.

This time, however, he was dressed in standard adventurer’s garb, looking rather bedraggled. As he made his way over, he shouted, “Don’t block my way! I’m here to confront that Cen An! What did my brother ever do to him? Why is he framing my brother?”

“And you lot! You ungrateful bastards! You’ve all been living off my brother’s generosity, and now that you can beat him, you don’t give him a second glance, do you? What right do you have to lock him up?”

The people blocking him were members of the Supernatural Squad. Upon hearing this, Qu Yue replied sternly, “Shi Long ordered the Supernatural Squad to break into ordinary people’s homes to steal things, and he had people follow Xiao Yi to rob him. Doesn’t he deserve to be locked up? And as for ‘eating your brother’s food’—we’re eating the Supernatural Squad’s food!”

“Pfft!” Shi Jie’s face flushed with anger. “Is this the first time you’ve ever met my brother? He’s a rigid, old-fashioned stick-in-the-mud. Do you really think he’d do something like that? He must be possessed or something! I’m not talking to you guys. Where’s Cen An? Get him out of here! You guys, get him out of here! Cen An!”

Shi Jie bellowed twice like a funeral wail. When he turned around, he saw Cen An standing at the gate of the small courtyard, calmly looking at him. He froze.

“Xiao Cen!” Qu Yue was also startled. “You’re back?”

Wang Lie hurried over and whispered, “Brother Cen, I heard you went up the mountain a few days ago and hadn’t come back. Are you okay?”

Cen An nodded and asked quietly, “What’s going on here?”

Wang Lie replied, “Isn’t Team Leader Shi locked up? From the very first day he was detained, he’s been asking to see us. But neither Sister Qu nor I went… Later, Shi Jie went to see him once. I don’t know what Team Leader Shi told him, but he’s been telling everyone that Team Leader Shi is innocent—and that you’re the one who framed him.”

Wang Lie sighed softly.

Shi Long had sent word long ago that he wanted to see them, but neither he, nor Qu Yue, nor Zhao Wu had gone.

They didn’t want to go, and they didn’t dare to go. What would they say if they went? Watch the deputy captain who had once raised them like a father and older brother weep bitterly before them? Or listen to a stranger beg for forgiveness?

Shi Long… Cen An had almost forgotten this man entirely, until Lin She’s earlier warning, “Watch out for the one who often feels pain in his heart,” brought him back to mind.

From their very first meeting, he’d had no fondness for Shi Long; the man’s hypocrisy and arrogance were never even concealed.

Compared to the Shi Long described by Qu Yue and the others, he was practically a different person…

A thought crossed Cen An’s mind. He glanced at the still-arguing figures and said calmly, “Shi Jie.”

Shi Jie, who was being held back by Qu Yue and the others, flinched. For some reason, being called by his full name by his older brother felt oppressive… But then he remembered this man had no special abilities—he wasn’t even as capable as him—so he immediately relaxed and asked defiantly, “What do you want?”

Cen An: “You say I’m framing your brother. Where’s the evidence? Your brother had people break into my house in the dead of night. The evidence is irrefutable—they were caught red-handed. Everyone on the Supernatural Ability Squad can vouch for it. You think it’s a frame-up, but where’s your evidence?”

Shi Jie froze, his small brain struggling to process it. “Wh—what do you mean by ‘irrefutable evidence’? My brother already said it was Jiang Ming and his crew who got caught—my brother was just called in by you guys! The one who broke in was Jiang Ming, and the one who was tailing us was Jiang Ming too. Jiang Ming is the real culprit!”

Cen An nodded. “Hmm, you’re right. But Jiang Ming and his group claim your brother instigated this—after all, your brother is Jiang Ming’s superior. So by saying this, are you implying that Jiang Ming has wronged your brother? Then you should go find Jiang Ming. What business do you have with me?”

“Go find Jiang Ming…” Shi Jie’s eyes darted around. He thought to himself, Cen An is right…

But then he remembered his brother’s instructions…

Shi Jie stiffened, thinking to himself, “Forget it.” He continued to stand his ground, saying, “Don’t bring that up! Anyway, you’re involved in this. Why don’t you explain why Jiang Ming came to your house? Are you hiding crystal cores or strange beasts? What’s so attractive to psychics? Maybe you and Jiang Ming are working together to frame my brother!”

He thought about it for a moment, convinced he had a point, and said smugly, “Anyway, if you’ve got nothing to hide, go face my brother right now!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint look of understanding flashed across Cen An’s face. “Oh… so that’s how it is.”

Shi Jie was a little frightened by his impassive expression and forced himself to ask, “Wh-what do you mean?”

Cen An certainly wouldn’t answer him; he merely thought to himself, so Shi Long wanted to see him.

But what could he possibly want? Given Shi Long’s level of ability and the fact that he was locked up in the stone cell, there was surely no danger… So, Cen An decided to go see him.

His intuition told him that Shi Long’s situation wasn’t as simple as he’d thought.

With that in mind, Cen An beckoned Xiao Yi over and handed him the little mouse he was holding. “Xiao Yi, this is the Green Shade Mouse I’ve been raising. Let it keep you company while you wait. I’m going out for a bit, okay?”

Xiao Yi shot a cold glance at Shi Jie in front of him, but when he turned back, he put on a shy, obedient expression. “Okay. I’ll wait for you to come back so we can eat chicken noodle soup.”

Cen An ruffled his hair. “Such a good boy.”

Shi Jie felt a chill run down his spine under Xiao Yi’s gaze. He glanced at the sky in puzzlement. Could it be getting colder? That couldn’t be—it was early summer after all…

Quyue, however, seeing that Cen An had agreed, quickly whispered to him, “Xiao Cen, you…”

Cen An gave a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, Sister Qu. It won’t hold anything up. I’ll just take a quick look and be right back. At least, we’ll know what he’s up to.”

Quyue sighed, said no more, and led the way ahead.

The stone dungeons of Yongning Village were located on the eastern side of the village, on the nearest mountain. This mountain had no other distinguishing features except for numerous caves of varying sizes carved into its rock face.

Most of these caves were shallow; once their entrances were sealed off, they became natural prison cells.

There were currently four stone dungeons in use: one large and three small.

The large one held the psychics who had previously served under Shi Long. Though they hadn’t acted of their own free will, they had, after all, committed crimes. For breaking into Cen An’s home at night and following and robbing Xiao Yi—two offenses combined—they were sentenced to one year of hard labor.

These individuals were actually quite compliant with Sen Wan’s discipline. Now, every morning, squad members would lead them out to the mountain to hunt down beasts, and at nightfall, they’d be locked back up.

Although it’s unpaid labor and far more dangerous than before, none of them have any complaints. They even pooled their crystal cores and asked the squad members to deliver them to Cen An and Xiao Yi as a token of apology.

However, neither of them accepted the gifts. Cen An even passed on a message to them, telling them to reform themselves properly and start fresh once they’re released.

In any case, for now, these people are all quite content and have no complaints.

As for the remaining three small cells, one of them holds a pair of brothers. The two shared a cell, but last month they got into a fight over something—they even drew knives. Normally, the Special Abilities Squad wouldn’t get involved in such matters, but the two accidentally injured their cellmate.

The Special Abilities Squad locked them up and sentenced them to a month of hard labor. During the day, they have to go out and work for their neighbors, and at night, they’re locked back up.

The cell next to theirs holds Jiang Ming. The reason Jiang Ming is kept in solitary confinement is not only because he screams and shouts every night, disturbing everyone’s rest, but also because, while everyone else is doing this out of coercion, he’s actually enjoying it.

This man must have a screw loose; to this day, he remains convinced that Cen An harbors a secret powerful enough to bring Yongning Village to its knees, that there’s a conspiracy behind the vegetables he sells, and he spends every day urging the Supernatural Squad to arrest Cen An.

Moreover, he firmly believes that Shi Long is a ruthless yet selfless hero dedicated to the village, which is…

In short, because his mental state is so unstable, the Supernatural Squad dares not let him out to perform labor; they just keep him locked up until he comes to his senses.

The other person exempt from labor is Shi Long.

The reason Shi Long doesn’t have to perform labor is simple: those performing labor require an escort when they go out, and no squad member is willing to guard him.

Plus… everyone knows he’s not very skilled and lacks experience dealing with beasts. What if he gets injured or…

In short, he’s been locked up in prison ever since he was captured.

Cen An listened with his head bowed as Wang Lie went on and on explaining things to him, nodding occasionally.

He understood all of this.

Stone Prison Mountain was steep and difficult to climb. Cen An lost his balance and nearly fell, but someone beside him gave him a steadying hand.

“Thank you…” Cen An turned to look and realized it was someone he knew.

Qi Yangze met his gaze with a stony expression, his hand remaining completely still. “Be careful.”

Cen An steadied himself and looked away.

Qi Yangze’s expression tightened. “I—I want to say I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Cen An continued climbing, taking care to place his feet firmly to avoid causing trouble for those around him.

Qi Yangze: “I’ve tried your vegetables. They really do soothe supernatural abilities. I judged you by my own petty standards—it was my fault… Please, don’t take it personally.”

To this, Cen An’s reply was still: “Oh.”

Qi Yangze’s voice dropped a few notches. “Then… can I still buy your vegetables in the future? … I can pay extra.”

Cen An glanced at him. “No need to pay extra. I’ve said it before: business is business. Come on, let’s settle up.”

Qi Yangze paused, then bowed his head. “Thank you, Mr. Cen!”

He’d wanted to call him “Brother Cen” like everyone else… but was afraid the other might find it annoying.

Cen An waved his hand dismissively, not giving the matter a second thought.

Behind him, Wang Lie patted Qi Yangze on the shoulder; the obsession that had lasted over a decade was finally laid to rest. 

Finally arriving at the stone dungeon, Shi Jie called out urgently, “Brother, I’ve brought them here!”

A cough echoed from inside.

Cen An saw Shi Long again; in less than ten days, the man had aged considerably.

Although he wasn’t required to perform manual labor, the conditions in the stone cell were appalling. Locked inside, he saw no sunlight and could not move about… In a sense, those performing manual labor were actually better off.

Cen An’s gaze swept over the hand pressed against Shi Long’s chest as he asked in a calm voice, “I hear you want to confront me?”

A surge of grief and anger welled up in Shi Long’s eyes. Damn it! It’s this guy! It’s all because of him that he can’t even see the members of the Supernatural Squad!

At first, he said he wanted to see Qu Yue and the others, but the Supernatural Squad told him that Cen An had gone missing on the mountain, and Sister Qu and the others had all gone out to look for him.

Fine! He’d wait! After all, it wouldn’t take more than a few days to find someone!

A few days later, he sent someone to ask about Qu Yue again. The reply came back: Cen An had gone missing on the mountain again, hadn’t returned for several days, and they were currently searching the mountain.

Shi Long: …

Damn it, if you don’t have what it takes, just don’t go up the mountain, okay! You go missing every single time—can’t you just give it a rest!