A hundred units of tree sap is no small amount; Xie Xiuping didn’t have enough stock on hand, so they agreed on a delivery time.

As Cen An stepped out of the Xie residence, he saw Yu Lin waiting at the entrance across the street.

The man completely ignored Su Rui. As soon as he saw Cen An, he waved excitedly: “Brother Cen, come here! I spotted you a moment ago. Want to come eat some strawberries?”

Strawberries?

Curious, Cen An walked over. Where did these strawberries come from? He hadn’t seen any in the woods.

Seeing him approach, Yu Lin smiled and spread his arms wide. As if by magic, green vines sprouted from his fingertips, winding their way up his arms. Tiny white flowers bloomed and fell, then bore fruit that quickly grew larger… A dozen seconds later, clusters of large, red strawberries hung from his body, their sweet fragrance wafting through the air.

He smiled even sweeter than the strawberries. “Cen An, come pick some—they’re all for you!”

Cen An was taken aback by the surprise. Whatever else might be said, this was indeed a rare sight. He smiled and was about to reach out to pick one to taste when he suddenly felt a tight grip around his waist—Su Rui had lifted him into the air.

A gust of wind swept past. A precisely controlled wind-element ability struck Yu Lin, and tendrils of wind wrapped around every strawberry, plucking them off and carrying them away.

In an instant, all that remained on Yu Lin’s body was a tangled mess of leaves.

Yu Lin: …

Hovering in midair, Su Rui flashed a mocking smile. “Thanks. The strawberries were delicious.”

Yu Lin stomped his foot in frustration. “Su Rui, you’re despicable!”

Once they landed, Cen An, furious, kicked Su Rui twice.

The Great White Wolf took the blows with a serious expression, then finally held out a large handful of strawberries. “Here.”

Cen An laughed in exasperation. “So you’re just using someone else’s work to take credit for yourself, and you think you’re in the right?”

But since the strawberries had already been picked, there was nothing to be done. They didn’t keep well, so Cen An washed a handful, and the whole family ate them—they were indeed fragrant and sweet.

He simmered the rest with honey to make strawberry jam, giving most of it to Yu Lin and sharing the rest with a few friends.

It wasn’t until evening, after working nonstop, that Cen An remembered there was a secret chest in his backpack.

He was quite familiar with opening these things. He casually took three copper ores and crafted a key using the recipe.

With a click, the blue box opened, revealing its contents.

“A piece of paper? It looks like a map…” He pulled it out.

The paper was made of an unknown material, much thicker than ordinary paper, resembling tree bark.

A rough sketch of the terrain was drawn on it, with a mark made in one spot. Cen An unfolded his own map to compare it and confirmed that this was indeed a map of the area near the village.

On the back was a line of text: “This cave was washed out by a torrential rain; it has a strange aura. I’m going in to investigate. If I don’t return on time, the rest of you must be careful.”

“This handwriting…” Cen An furrowed his brow, then looked further down. The signature read “Shi.”

It was indeed Captain Shi. Earlier, when Qu Yue and the others were looking through Captain Shi’s past records, Cen An had glanced at them as well, which was why the handwriting looked familiar.

This meant it was a message Captain Shi left before heading into the cave. So he really did go in alone?

If that’s the case, there really must be something inside that cave…

Perhaps he should find time to go take a look.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

A few more days passed, and a new batch of Chinese cabbage and white radishes had ripened.

Since each vegetable served a different purpose, Cen An didn’t adjust the planting ratios. He still allocated two plots of 【Fertile Black Soil】 for each vegetable, plus one plot of 【Fertile Sandy Soil】 planted with Cold Jade Melons.

Whenever a plot of vegetables was ready, he would harvest them and replant immediately. He’d wait until he’d gathered a full batch before selling them, which saved him quite a bit of trouble.

Today was market day. Cen An arrived at the Ability-Users Squad’s base. Before he even stepped inside, he heard a voice shout, “Brother Cen!”

Cen An turned around and smiled. “Xiao Ji, are you feeling better?”

“I’m much better, Brother Cen!” Xiao Ji grinned sheepishly, quickly pushing the door open for him and eagerly taking the basket from his hands. He looked just like a little yellow dog greeting its master.

Xiao Ji would always remember that moment. His consciousness had been a blur; he’d been falling, falling endlessly in the darkness… until a bottle filled with vitality and moisture was poured into his mouth. When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was Brother Cen frowning as he bandaged his wounds.

Xiao Ji’s grandmother was getting on in years and was always muttering about divine protection and how the gods were watching over them. Xiao Ji hadn’t believed in such things before, but now, he suddenly felt that if gods truly existed, they would probably look just like his Brother Cen.

It wasn’t just Xiao Ji; in fact, the other members of the Special Abilities Squad had also begun to view Cen An with a subtle shift in attitude.

Although they had always been grateful and respectful toward him before, there had always been a barrier between a psychic and ordinary people; their attitude toward Cen An was essentially that of “respecting an outsider.”

But ever since the incident with Xiao Ji and the wooden talisman, the vast majority of the Ability-Users Squad now regarded Cen An as a benefactor and one of their own.

Cen An himself hadn’t noticed, but in reality, his standing was now higher than Shi Long’s—and even Liao Yongzhi’s.

If anything were to happen in the village, the moment he spoke up, the entire Ability-Users Squad would undoubtedly rally behind him.

Upon entering the room, he found it packed with people, all of whom stood up to greet him.

“Brother Cen.”

“Xiao Cen, how come you have time to drop by today?”

Cen An glanced around. Aside from the three with the Mark, everyone else was present—even Old Geng was there—so he guessed there must be something important to discuss.

Looking toward the center, he saw a simple map spread out on the square table.

Wang Lie explained, “Lately, more and more beasts have been gathering on the mountain. The first wave of beasts is coming soon, and we’re discussing how to respond.”

Cen An nodded in understanding. “Then you all go ahead and discuss the matter.”

Qu Yue, naturally, had no reason to be wary of him, so she picked up where they’d left off.

As a small village, Yongning Village has managed to survive wave after wave of beast attacks for so many years for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost is the tireless dedication of the ability-users squad, which has kept the beast hordes at bay.

Secondly, the village has a small population. Since the beasts crave human flesh, densely populated areas attract far more of them. With a population of just over 500, Yongning Village never attracts more than 2,000 beasts during each wave.

Finally, Yongning Village’s geographical location is quite unique. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the village is naturally protected. For the beasts to attack the village, they must first gather in large groups on the mountains. For the special abilities squad, who deal with them year-round, this is the best opportunity to take them down.

And right now, the beasts are gathering in the mountains.

Cen An didn’t understand any of this; he was just listening casually, occasionally glancing at the map on the table… But upon looking, he realized something was wrong. “Isn’t this map drawn incorrectly?”

Qu Yue and the others, who were in the middle of discussing a strategy, immediately stopped. “Where?”

Cen An unfolded his own map to compare it and became even more certain. “Here—the scale of this valley is off. The river next to it isn’t that deep.”

Qu Yue and the others looked where he was pointing. That spot was precisely the location they had been discussing as the best place to deal with the beasts!

Their original plan had been to set up the first line of defense here, followed by a second and third line, ensuring the wave of beasts would be wiped out before it even reached the village.

Unexpectedly, the problem had arisen right at the first line of defense.

Qu Yue said solemnly, “Who drew this map?”

Wang Lie’s face darkened. “It was me. I drew this map six months ago, and the terrain was indeed like this back then.”

Cen An’s expression also grew serious. The system map was accurate, and besides, he had been here before—it matched the system map exactly… which meant someone had altered the terrain here in just six short months.

Was that even humanly possible?

“Now is not the time to discuss that,” Qu Yue hurriedly interjected. “The monster tide is the top priority. Cen An, please help us check if there are any other discrepancies on the map.”

Cen An nodded and began comparing it with the system map, one by one. Sure enough, he found several more discrepancies. Without a doubt, these were all the locations where they intended to set up their defensive lines.

By the time Cen An finished correcting the last spot, the expressions on Qu Yue and the others’ faces were beyond grim—they were nothing short of a disaster…

Admittedly, once the plan was finalized, they would be able to verify the actual terrain upon arrival and make adjustments as needed. But how much time would be left by then? Could they find more suitable locations in such a rush?

It was easy to imagine just how much trouble the Ability-Users Squad would have faced in the upcoming beast tide battle if Cen An hadn’t shown up today…

Since Geng Hui had rejoined the Ability-Users Squad a few days ago, he’d heard phrases like “Brother Cen is amazing” and “Brother Cen is awesome” countless times from these young men and women. He’d simply assumed it was just young people exaggerating.

It wasn’t until now that he truly realized what “Brother Cen is awesome” really meant.

He reached out to ruffle Cen An’s hair, but then felt he had no right to do so… so instead, he patted the handsome young man on the shoulder. “Young Master Cen, this old man is truly impressed.”

Cen An was at a loss for words—the old man’s pat on his shoulder was surprisingly firm and quite spirited.

Since Cen An had been such a huge help, the members of the Ability Users Squad were even more impressed by him. They went so far as to bring over a stool so he could take a look.

Mr. Cen thought to himself, I really have no idea how to fight off a monster horde… but seeing their earnest expressions, he had no choice but to sit down reluctantly.

The squad leaders re-selected the location for fighting the monsters, and then began discussing how to set up traps.

Cen An listened, but something still didn’t feel right. “Um, excuse me.”

Everyone at the table turned to look at him in unison. “Brother Cen, go ahead!”

Cen An was startled. “Well, um, the Sharp-toothed Rats’ path isn’t entirely random. They move in a wave-like pattern, tracing a large arc before attacking…”

The more he spoke, the more their eyes lit up, until finally Cen An didn’t dare say another word. He just silently muttered: …So, based on my late-night analysis, I suggest you dig short trenches.

“Brother Cen, tell us more details!” Wang Lie pushed past Zhao Wu to get closer. “What about the Howling Rabbits?”

Cen An sighed helplessly. “The Howling Rabbits’ sonic waves can deal damage, but they won’t jump upward. You can dig those cylindrical traps—once they fall in, they can’t get out.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “Actually, I suggest you place a bonfire inside the trap. Howling Rabbits have very low resistance to fire; their health bars will be wiped out in no time… I mean, they’ll die in no time.”

As a gamer, Cen An knew more about the beasts of this world than most people here. But since his physical body had been transported here, his own clumsiness hindered him in combat, and as for setting traps, he didn’t have enough materials in the early game.

But if you asked him how to deal with a specific beast, he could rattle off quite a few methods.

He’s basically the otherworldly version of Wang Yuyan…

Of course, monsters like Su Rui don’t count. Sometimes Cen An even felt that Su Rui resembled a monster more than a human—specifically, something like a wolfhound…

While Cen An was pondering this, the room grew increasingly lively, punctuated by the crowd’s eager questions: “Brother Cen, how do we deal with the purple-skinned frogs?”

“What about the golden-striped snakes?”

“Can we use traps against Level 3 beasts?”

Cen An’s mouth was getting dry from talking so much, so he simply offered a straightforward solution: “Why don’t you plant a patch of Absorbent Grass and Dodder up front? Get the villagers to help collect the seeds, and find a Wood-type ability user to accelerate their growth.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the ability users across from him exchanged puzzled glances and asked in unison, “What is Absorbent Grass?”

Cen An looked at the pairs of wide, inquisitive eyes and sighed, gazing up at the sky. “Alright, I’ll start from the beginning. Absorbent Grass is…”

He wondered why these locals had such a limited understanding of this world. They didn’t realize that, due to the lingering energy of the Blood Moon, the plants in this world had been undergoing frequent mutations. Food that was edible just a few days ago might become poisonous today.

This process of change only ceased in the last hundred years—or even just the last few decades—so naturally, people’s understanding of plants was limited.

By the time Cen An finished explaining, all the traps for the entire Beast Tide had been set up.

Qu Yue, Wang Lie, and Old Geng were all grinning from ear to ear. In the past, whenever a monster tide struck, no matter how thoroughly they prepared, they never felt truly confident.

This time, however, was different. Looking at the map covered with various traps and the notebooks filled with notes, they were certain that even if this monster tide were twice as intense as last year’s, they could still emerge unscathed!

And they knew exactly who was responsible for all of this.

No need to thank him for such a great favor—Cen An’s actions were far beyond what a simple “thank you” could express. The ability users didn’t say a word; they simply kept it in their hearts.

They did, however, remember something. “Oh, right, Brother Cen, did the new produce come in today?”

“Ah, finally! My little Chinese cabbage! My white radish!”

“Sweet asparagus, colorful tomatoes!”

“Brother Cen’s here! Veggies!”

The atmosphere, which had been somewhat formal just moments ago, was instantly shattered, and Cen An was suddenly surrounded by the crowd.

In that instant, without exaggeration, Cen An felt like he’d lost a game of Plants vs. Zombies…

“Alright, alright, one at a time. There are two batches of baby bok choy and white radishes, and a bit less of the sweet asparagus and colorful tomatoes.”

“Right, we have the colorful tomatoes too. This is the second batch from the same plants—I wonder if the taste is any different.”

Cen An took out the vegetables one by one, his ears ringing with everyone calling him “Brother Cen” this and “Brother Cen” that, until sweat started beading on his forehead…

“Brother Cen, I’ll take 20 Chinese cabbages and 10 white radishes too.”

Cen An instinctively started packing the vegetables, but then paused, realizing something was off. He looked up, caught between laughter and exasperation. “Old Geng, why are you calling me ‘Brother Cen’ too? I really can’t accept that.”

Old Geng smiled kindly. “The accomplished come first. Having received so much kindness from you, it’s only right that I call you ‘Brother Cen.’”

A faint floral scent drifted over from somewhere. Cen An shook his head helplessly and packed the vegetables for him. Only after watching him walk away did it occur to him that he could have asked where all those flowers came from—fresh flowers had many uses, and he could go pick some when he had time.

Over the next few days, the Ability Users Squad devoted itself entirely to preparing for the impending wave of beasts, and the atmosphere in the village grew increasingly somber.

The squad still set aside a portion of its members each day to form gathering teams, leading villagers up the mountain to forage.

However, they were short-handed, and the size of the foraging teams gradually dwindled from an initial 150 people to the current 70. This meant that only 70 villagers could accompany the Special Abilities Squad up the mountain each day.

For Yongning Village, with a population of 500, this number could only be described as barely sufficient to meet the villagers’ most basic needs.

Even so, supplies never ceased to arrive at Cen An’s home. Villagers still came down from the mountains, scraping together whatever they could to bring him.

Those with more to spare would send a bunch of wild greens, a few mushrooms, or some wood and stones; those struggling would send a few strands of dry grass or a couple of twigs.

Cen An couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. He didn’t think he’d done much for the village, yet the villagers were so grateful to him.

“Big Brother, aren’t you going out today?” Xiao Yi, having obediently finished sweeping the courtyard, saw Cen An still standing in the same spot and immediately came over to him.

“I’m not going out.” Cen An ruffled his hair. “How about I go set traps with Xiao Yi today?”

Wang Lie was supposed to accompany him up the mountain today, but Cen An could see how busy the Special Abilities Squad was, so he naturally declined, telling Wang Lie to go handle whatever needed doing.

He’d already gathered most of his supplies; skipping a day in the mountains wouldn’t set anything back. As for setting traps… the spot where Xiao Yi set his traps was at the foot of the mountain—it wasn’t even considered outside the village.

Xiao Yi was naturally thrilled. Though his expression remained stiff, his steps were much lighter. He immediately ran inside and brought out two small traps. “I’ll take Big Brother there!”

Seeing how well-behaved he was, Cen An couldn’t help but give him a hug. Then, smiling, he took the boy’s small hand and led him toward the foot of the mountain.

The two—one big, one small—arrived at the foot of the mountain.

As the spot closest to the village, there were practically no resources left here. Without the vegetables Cen An had planted, catching game here would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

Xiao Yi, however, was quite familiar with the area. He pulled Cen An over and sat him down on a flat boulder. “Big brother, sit here. I’ll go set the traps.”

Cen An watched him bustling about with amusement. “Don’t you need my help?”

“No.” Xiao Yi even held out his little hand to check the wind direction; satisfied that it wasn’t too strong, he relaxed. “Big brother, just sit here and enjoy the view. I’ll be done in no time.”

Cen’an didn’t argue with him and, sure enough, sat down with a smile.

A look of relief spread across Xiao Yi’s face. He then skillfully took out the trap, found a suitable spot to set it, and pulled a wilted Chinese cabbage leaf from his bosom, tearing off a tiny piece to place inside.

Cen An found it increasingly amusing. He knew Xiao Yi would use Chinese cabbage leaves as bait, but he hadn’t expected the child to be so frugal. With a leaf barely larger than a fingernail, would the prey really be able to smell it?

What he didn’t know was that, in Xiao Yi’s mind, the vegetables he grew were simply the best. If it weren’t for his brother’s love of meat, Xiao Yi wouldn’t have been willing to use the leaves as bait at all!

The child followed the same procedure to set a second trap, then began covering up the tracks around it. Some games were very clever; they’d run away the moment they spotted any human traces.

Cen An watched and thought Xiao Yi was doing quite well; no wonder he could bring back a game or two every few days.

He looked around. Although there were no supplies here, it was a patch of green grass, and in early summer, a field of small flowers had just bloomed.

Naturally, Cen An wasn’t going to pass up the flowers. Too lazy to stand up, he simply stretched out his arm and picked them one by one, gathering a dozen or so in no time.

He suddenly chuckled softly, opened a recipe, and crafted a flower wreath. “Xiao Yi, come here for a moment.”

“Big Brother!” The child obediently ran over, and the wreath was placed on his head. The gentle floral scent enveloped him, and he immediately felt his mind clear, his fatigue dissipating significantly.

Peering through the gaps between the petals at the person smiling even more tenderly than the flowers, Xiao Yi blushed and whispered, “Big Brother… I’m a boy…”

Cen An laughed even louder. “I know, I know. Just keep it on a little longer so Big Brother can see.”

Xiao Yi stood still, his face flushed.

The boy was actually quite handsome. Having been well-fed and pampered by Cen An lately, his cheeks had filled out. It was just that his usual expression was too composed, making it hard to associate him with a child’s cuteness, so people had overlooked his exceptional good looks.

Now, wearing the flower wreath and blushing, he did look a bit like a child, three times more delicate than any child star Cen An had seen in his previous life.

Seeing that Cen An kept smiling at him, the boy’s face finally flushed crimson, and he whispered, “Big brother, I’m going to set the traps…”

Just as he was about to turn away, a whistling sound cut through the air, and Cen An grabbed him by the arm.

Whoosh—

A sharp arrow whizzed past them, plunging straight into the ground. Two-thirds of the shaft was buried in the earth, while the exposed tip still trembled slightly, a testament to the immense force behind the shot.

“Big Brother!” Xiao Yi’s first instinct was to throw himself onto Cen An, shielding him with his body as he watched the front warily.

Cen An patted his on the shoulder and looked over as well.

It was Sun Yuanhao.

He was nowhere near as arrogant as he had been during their last meeting. A vicious, ferocious expression made his already ordinary features look even more repulsive. His clothes were wrinkled and dirty, and his left leg was wrapped in a bandage. Leaning on a stick with his left hand and holding an iron crossbow in his right, he spoke with a menacing tone: “Cen An, I’m going to kill you today! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up in this goddamn mess!”

Sun Yuanhao had indeed been having a rough time lately.

After Old Geng had spoken those words to him that day, Sun Yuanhao had assumed Old Geng had heard about some new misdeed of his and was angry with him.

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Old Geng was an upright man; whenever he heard Sun Yuanhao bullying villagers, he would treat him coldly. Usually, all it took was for Sun Yuanhao to admit his mistake and offer a few words of appeasement for things to blow over.

Sun Yuanhao had assumed this time would be no different. He went to see Old Geng several times, but to his surprise, Old Geng was unusually firm this time, showing him not a shred of leniency… During their final meeting, Old Geng even told him the truth.

Sun Yuanhao didn’t understand. Shaking his head, he said, “What do you mean I owe money? What do you mean, they set you up? What is all this, Grandpa? I don’t get it. Didn’t you say you and my grandfather were best friends? Was your friendship all a lie? Just because of a single letter?”

He grew more and more agitated as he spoke. “Maybe that letter was fabricated by that pretty-boy Cen An! He just wanted to frame me! If I’d known, I would’ve killed him…”

Old Mr. Geng was completely disappointed in him. He hadn’t told Sun Yuanhao the truth before precisely because he had his best interests at heart.

After all, Sun Yuanhao had grown up under his watch; no matter what, they shared a bond. He didn’t want the boy to know that his grandfather and father were men who would stop at nothing…

But he hadn’t expected that, after he revealed the truth, Sun Yuanhao’s first reaction would still be to curse Cen An.

Old Geng even found it somewhat amusing. “Why would Cen An want to frame you? What do you have that would make him want to frame you? Are you more capable than he, or do you have more support from the villagers? Do you know that everyone in the village now regards him as a benefactor?”

Seeing that Sun Yuanhao still looked completely bewildered, Old Geng closed his eyes and said disappointedly, “Never mind. I’ve made everything clear to you. Don’t come here anymore. I hope you’ll follow the village rules from now on and stop hurting people for no reason!”

Seeing Old Geng’s expression, a wave of panic washed over Sun Yuanhao. “No, Grandpa, don’t cast me out! I’ll be good. I’ll do whatever you say, Grandpa…”

Deep down, he knew exactly what he was. In all his years, he had never once gathered supplies on his own, let alone hunted! If Old Geng rejected him, what would he eat or drink from now on? Was he supposed to go up into the mountains himself, just like those peasants?

No, he couldn’t live like that! He couldn’t endure such suffering!

But what was even harder to bear was that later that afternoon, while walking alone on the road, he was chased down and beaten by a group of people! They even broke his leg!

He wailed and wept in agony on the road for a long time, but not a single passing villager offered a helping hand. In the end, he had no choice but to crawl home on his own.

Faced with these successive blows, instead of reflecting on his own shortcomings, Sun Yuanhao grew to hate Cen An even more!

Although the attackers had their faces covered and didn’t speak, they must have been sent by Cen An! Only he—only that pretty-boy—had the power to gather so many people to beat him up!

The other villagers, having been bullied by him for so many years, didn’t dare utter a word! Besides, the only ones who knew he’d been disowned by that old geezer were Cen An and those guys from the Ability-Users Squad!

Sun Yuanhao had come to hate Cen An with a passion. A man like him would never reflect on his own mistakes; in his eyes, everything was Cen An’s fault.

It was Cen An who brought that letter; it was Cen An who told the old geezer the truth!

If it weren’t for Cen An, he’d still be Grandpa’s favorite grandson right now—not a cripple!

Sun Yuanhao raised his crossbow, his expression frenzied. “I’m gonna kill you today!”