Now that a solution has been found, “How long will this take to resolve?” Cen An asked. Su Rui hesitated for a moment, then remained silent.

Cen An was puzzled and looked at the other two ability users present.

Yu Fei half-opened his eyes. “Our firepower isn’t enough.”

Su Rui snorted coldly.

Yin Xiang leaned in quietly and whispered, “My brother came up with this plan several days ago, but he’s tried it a few times and hasn’t succeeded.”

Cen An thought to himself, I can hear that from this distance—there’s no way Su Rui couldn’t hear it… 

But he still gave him the benefit of the doubt and asked in a lowered voice, “Why?”

“His psychic power level isn’t high enough!” Yin Xiang chuckled softly, “This entire chaotic space covers a vast area, and the spatial energy is highly aggressive. My brother can only manage to fight them to a standstill; he can’t completely release them. He just hasn’t been able to figure it out!”

Cen An glanced hesitantly behind him and gave him a meaningful look. “I see…”

“There’s more, Brother Cen!” Yin Xiang got even more excited. “The first time we tried, my brother almost got sucked into a spatial fissure. He barely managed to grab onto a boulder to save himself, hehehe…”

Cen An cleared his throat. “That’s no big deal. It’s all for the sake of the nearby creatures.”

“There’s more, there’s more!” Seeing he wasn’t fazed, Yin Xiang continued, “The second time we tried, a spatial fissure exploded, blowing his face to bits, pfft…”

A shadow fell over his head. Yin Xiang’s smile froze as he slowly turned around to see his brother standing behind him, his face ashen. Yin Xiang jumped to his feet and made a run for it!

Su Rui gave a cold laugh. “Who told you to step with your left foot first!”

Then he pinned him down and gave him a good beating.

Cen An sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead. All those subtle hints had gone to waste.

A moment later, Yin Xiang—his head now covered in bumps—meekly followed behind his older brother as they bid the two farewell. Cen An was still worried: “Didn’t you say we couldn’t handle it yet?”

“Just for now,” Su Rui grinned, acting as if he owned the world. “Within a month, we’ll definitely blow it open.”

Yu Fei lifted his eyelids. “A month isn’t enough, unless we have enough crystal cores.”

“I’ve never used a crystal core in my life,” Su Rui snorted. “I said a month, and that’s exactly what it’ll take. One day more, and I’ll admit defeat!”

Cen An sighed in exasperation. “Who’s betting with you at a time like this?” He pulled out a silver ring. “Here, take this.”

Su Rui took it curiously. “Is this… spatial power?”

Cen An nodded. “This is the Void-Shattering Ring. It boosts spatial attack power. I don’t know if it’ll be any use to you…” He fell silent. Su Rui had already slipped the ring onto his finger. “Not bad. It looks nice.”

He grabbed Cen An by the shoulders and gently turned him around. “Alright, let’s head back. I’ll come find you in a month. I’ll bring you… Hmm, do you want pork or beef?”

Cen An sighed, “Does it really matter which one?”

Yu Fei led him out of the chaotic space. He glanced back and saw Su Rui and Yin Xiang still in the distance. He suddenly waved his hand. “Don’t get hurt, okay!”

Su Rui broke into a smile. “No way!”

The small traps finally showed some movement.

There were six small traps in total, which had caught two partridges, one wild rabbit, and two wild ducks. Cen An absentmindedly put the game away.

Suddenly, Yu Fei’s voice came from nearby, “Are they all dead?”

“Hmm… Wait a minute!” Cen An snapped out of it with a start. “No, no, no! We’re supposed to catch them alive! I want to take them back to raise!”

He hurriedly stuffed the game into a leather pouch, only to realize that while Yu Fei had spoken, he hadn’t moved a muscle. He looked up suspiciously, trying to make out his expression. “Brother Fei, you aren’t joking, are you?” Yu Fei lowered his eyelids and remained silent.

Cen An thought about it—it made sense. Brother Fei was barely more alive than a corpse; how could he possibly be joking? He was overthinking it. But he didn’t notice the fleeting glimmer of amusement in Yu Fei’s eyes as he followed behind him.

The two returned to the village and happened to run into a few elderly villagers carrying bamboo baskets as they headed out—presumably to forage for wild vegetables.

The elders, upon seeing Cen An, naturally showered him with praise, from his character to his appearance. Then, spotting the animal-skin pouch on his back, they chuckled, “Young Master Cen, have you bagged some game? How wonderful—you’ll have meat for dinner tonight.”

“Young people should eat more.”

Cen An laughed, “I’m not eating any meat this time—I want to take it home to raise.”

The elders exchanged glances. An elderly woman spoke kindly, “Young Master Cen probably doesn’t know this yet, but these days, not only can the land no longer be cultivated, but we can’t even keep livestock alive! Don’t be fooled by how these creatures run and jump in the wild—if you keep them at home for ten days or half a month, they’ll surely die.”

“That’s exactly right,” the elders said slowly. Fearing Cen An might not believe them, they added, “If you really want to keep them, a few days is fine. But as soon as you notice they’re not eating, you’d better stew them up and eat the meat. If you wait until they’ve lost weight, you’ll lose several pounds of meat.”

Cen An didn’t get angry. He didn’t find the old folks’ rambling annoying; he just nodded repeatedly and smiled, “I’ll remember all that. If I raise them well, I’ll treat you all to meat and eggs!”

The elders all laughed, their faces full of kindness and affection. “Well then, we’ll be waiting.” After returning home, Cen An shuffled the little animals into the barn.

Ordinary animals don’t fare well in the wild; these little creatures were all scruffy and emaciated. Yet for some reason, the moment they entered the barn, their condition improved dramatically.

They didn’t even seem startled; instead, they began exploring the shed on their own. Cen An felt half his worries lift, and he opened the system interface.

【Your Barns: 1 

Category: Small Barn x1 

Animals You Own: 5

Types: Chickens x2, Rabbit x1, Ducks x2 

Buffs You Possess: 0

Tip: Your animals are hungry. Please feed them immediately.】

He quickly opened the feed trough, poured the feed from the storage tank into it, and filled the entire trough. The little animals immediately ran over to eat. He then turned on the water dispenser, and fresh water gushed out.

When he looked again, the prompt had changed to: 【Your animals are growing healthy and strong.】

【Would you like to name your little animals?】

Cen An thought for a moment. Since this was his first time raising animals, he decided to play it safe. He named them 【Pheasant No. 1】, 【Pheasant No. 2】, 【Rabbit No. 1】, 【Duck No. 1】, and 【Duck No. 2】. This way, system alerts would be more precise if any abnormalities occurred.

“Big brother, are we going to raise them?” Xiao Yi ran over and looked up at him.

“Yes,” Cen An smiled. “If we raise them, we’ll have meat to eat every day. And if we’re lucky, we’ll get eggs too.”

By “luck,” of course, he meant whether there were any females among the chickens and ducks.

“From now on, taking care of them is Xiao Yi’s job. You have to feed them every day, okay?”

Xiao Yi nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry, big brother. I’ll take good care of them.”

Xiao Yi rarely thought about whether “Big Brother might abandon me” anymore. What occupied his mind most these days was, “I need to do more so Big Brother can have it easier.”

Cen An smiled as he ruffled the child’s hair. For an orphan, the greatest fear is not finding one’s place in the world. Abandoned by their parents at birth, with no roots to anchor them, they have no choice but to do their best to find their way home.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Before they knew it, the Sun Festival had arrived.

The Sun Festival is one of the most important holidays of the year—a rare opportunity for people to let loose and relax since the Cataclysm.

About three days prior, the ability-users squad had begun going door-to-door to inform everyone of the Sun Festival rules: no taking others’ belongings without permission, no harassing others, and no entering people’s homes without invitation…

This was to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos and to ensure everyone’s safety while they enjoyed themselves.

These ability-users squads were seasoned professionals, and the villagers all knew the rules; if anyone actually broke them, it would likely be on purpose. In short, normal people just needed to enjoy themselves.

Cen An was also curious about this Sun Festival. Rumor had it that on the day of the festival, anyone could set up a stall at the market, and there would be no stall fees that day.

Cen An recalled that he and Tian Yuan had even rented a stall together back then, though since their vegetables had been selling well, he hadn’t been there in a long time. Hearing him bring it up, Tian Yuan chuckled, “Come to think of it, back then, our Brother Cen was actually holding a basket and hawking his wares.”

Yu Lin looked over curiously. “Brother Cen actually used to hawk goods?”

“I was just running the stall,” Cen An chuckled. “Don’t even get me started—back then, your brother almost smashed my stall.”

Yu Lin turned to look at his brother and nodded. “My brother looks like the type who’d smash someone’s stall.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Thinking back to when they first met, it really felt like a lifetime ago.

“Speaking of which,” Cen An looked at Tian Yuan, “how’s that investigation you were working on coming along?”

Tian Yuan’s smile faltered for a moment, then he shook his head nonchalantly. “Let nature take its course! Sometimes, no result is the best result.”

He added with a smile, “I once visited a medium-sized settlement where they celebrate the Sun festival. They select the best stall and award a prize. So everyone brings out their family’s most precious possessions—not to sell, but just to display for others to see. It’s quite a lively affair.”

Yu Lin rested his chin in his hand and asked, “Aren’t they afraid of getting robbed? After all, possessing a treasure invites trouble.”

“It was a settlement with excellent public order,” Tian Yuan said with a touch of nostalgia. “The leader was a very wise old man with a Level 6 ability to change his face. He’d often take on other people’s appearances and wander around town. Not a single ability user dared to act high and mighty, for fear of running into him.”

Cen An listened intently. “Where is it? Is it far from our village?” 

Tian Yuan sighed. “It’s gone now. Three years ago, it didn’t survive the beast tide.” 

Cen An paused for a moment. “I see…”

“By the way, what kind of stall are you setting up today, Cen?” Yu Lin asked with a smile. “Still selling vegetables?”

“Not exactly.” Cen An’s mind was diverted, and he stopped dwelling on his disappointment. He smiled at Xiao Yi. “It was Xiao Yi’s idea this time. We spent the whole night preparing.”

Xiao Yi obediently poured him some tea without saying a word; in fact, it was only because he saw his older brother’s interest in the Day of the Sun Festival that he had come up with the idea. To him, the Day of the Sun Festival had never been anything special.

“Cen, it’s about to start—come on!” Wang Lie ran in from outside. “Hey, why are you all here? You aren’t secretly snacking, are you?”

Yu Lin rolled his eyes. “What could we possibly be eating at this hour?”

Wang Lie remained skeptical, and you couldn’t blame him. Cen An’s place was always full of goodies, and he was so generous with his friends—he’d share just about anything… With so many people here today, how could there not be something good to eat?

“There are treats—you’ll see in a moment.” Cen An walked out carrying a large bundle, which Tian Yuan took from him, while Xiao Yi followed behind, holding a small clay stove.

“Let’s go to the little market.”

The Sun Festival had begun.

The small market was bustling with people coming and going, each with a smile on their face—a rare sight indeed.

Cen An also noticed that some people who were missing a leg or an arm had come as well. These people usually didn’t dare to go out, fearing danger, but today they were willing to come and take a look.

Wang Lie led the group to a makeshift tent set up beside the small market. “Leader Shi! I…” A stream of water shot out from inside, splashing him in the face.

He wiped his face and said meekly, “Team Leader Shi, Brother Cen is here.”

A cold snort came from inside. Team Leader Shi pulled back the cloth curtain and stepped out. “Greetings, Chief.”

“You’re too kind,” Cen An said, stifling a smile as he stepped inside. “Is there something you need me for?”

Inside the tent, Qu Yue and Liao Wanwan were also present. Seeing the group carrying their bundles, Team Leader Shi said, “It’s nothing major. We’re just about to announce your appointment as leader and the system for exchanging points for food. We’ll need you to come up on stage for a moment.”

“That’s fine.” Cen An nodded and looked around. “Did Captain Liao not come?”

Seeing that many people who usually didn’t like to go out had come, he wondered if Captain Liao should be able to get out of bed by now.

“Not yet,” Liao Wanwan said. “My father’s ability is mostly fine now, but the backlash from the ability may have damaged his body. He’s only awake for short periods and sleeps for twenty hours a day. But when he’s awake, he can already get out of bed.”

“That’s already quite good,” Captain Shi said reassuringly. “To have survived a psychic backlash, Old Liao is truly lucky.”

Liao Wanwan nodded, then looked gratefully at Cen An. To call it good luck—it was simply the good fortune of having met Brother Cen.

The sun slowly rose. At nine o’clock sharp, the sound of a gong rang out from the makeshift wooden platform in the center of the small market, and the villagers took their places below with practiced ease. Every year on the Day of the Sun Festival, the ability-users squad would announce the regulations for the coming year.

Team Leader Shi didn’t bother with any formalities; he went straight to the point and dropped a bombshell on the villagers: “Young Master Cen has agreed to become the leader of the ability-users squad. From now on, everything in Yongning Village will follow Young Master Cen’s lead.”

The crowd below froze in shock; a palpable silence fell over the gathering of several hundred people.

Cen An, standing behind Team Leader Shi, understood their reaction. After all, he was young and lacked experience as a village leader; it was only natural for the villagers to be skeptical. He was about to step forward to explain that Team Leader Shi would continue handling day-to-day affairs.

The villagers stared blankly at the stage. What had they just heard? Young Master Cen was going to be their leader?

The “Little Cen Boss” who could produce miraculous vegetables, magical tools, and miraculous medicines—the “Little Cen Boss” who had shouldered the entire village’s battle against the mutant beast tide—the “Little Cen Boss” who had always valued them, ordinary people, as equals—was he now going to become their leader and guide them?

The villagers weren’t highly educated; they didn’t know what the emotions churning within them were. They just wanted to shout it out loud, to let Boss Xiao Cen and the ability-users squad know that they were a thousand, ten thousand times willing!

The shouts below grew louder and louder. Cen An couldn’t make out much, so he raised his hand. “Everyone, speak up a little slower… a little slower…”

The shouts paused for a moment, then coalesced, growing louder and louder, like streams merging into a river, eventually forming a vast ocean—

Cen An instinctively turned his head and finally made out their chant: “May the Chief prosper eternally and remain immortal!” 

“May the Chief prosper eternally and remain immortal!”

“May the Chief prosper eternally and remain immortal!”

…

The overwhelming momentum of the shouts soared straight into the heavens. The mutant beasts on the nearby mountains retreated the moment they poked their heads out—they were scared. The people in this village were not to be messed with lately; better to find something else to eat.

Deep in the mountains, Su Rui, who had been struggling against the spatial rift, suddenly looked up, as if sensing something. Yin Xiang asked curiously, “What’s wrong, bro?”

Su Rui suddenly smiled lazily. “Nothing… Let’s pick up the pace and finish this quickly.”

Yin Xiang thought to himself, Isn’t it just because he wants to eat Brother Cen’s cooking sooner… Well, he wanted that too.

At the small market, Cen An heard the crowd’s shouts, froze for a moment, then blushed instantly. He quickly waved his hands. “Don’t do this—I don’t deserve it…” The villagers below stopped what they were doing and smiled at him. Suddenly, someone shouted, “Little Boss Cen is blushing!”

This sparked a wave of laughter.

Although he had become the leader, the villagers had given it some thought and decided that the nickname “Little Boss Cen” seemed to suit him better—it made them feel closer to Cen An. Cen An sighed, feeling that the villagers had all gone and picked up bad habits. “You used to be so polite to me before…”

But there was nothing he could do about it; the villagers didn’t mean any harm, so if they laughed, so be it…

Shi Long watched with a smile as he fled the stage in disarray, then stepped forward to announce the implementation of the points system, which, as expected, drew another round of cheers from the villagers.

As one elderly villager put it so well: “Life in Yongning Village is getting better and better!”

That’s right. Ever since the beast tide in Yongning Village left not a single person dead (not counting those who insisted on running out to their deaths), the villagers realized that Yongning Village was no longer what it used to be. Things would certainly keep getting better from here on out.

Over here, Cen An stepped down from the stage and made his way to his own stall.

Xiao Yi was already hard at work. At the set-up stall, a small clay stove had been lit, and water was boiling on it. On the small wooden table beside it, clean leaves had been spread out, and rows of plump dumplings were arranged on top.

The stall to the left belonged to Yu Lin. He’d set it up there just to be near Cen An; he didn’t really care much about it himself, so he’d just haphazardly placed a few flower pots there.

Seeing Cen An return, he immediately came over. “Brother Cen, are you setting up a stall to sell dumplings?”

At first, no one knew what dumplings were, but after eating them a few times at Cen An’s house, they’d come to recognize them. “Not for sale,” Cen An laughed. “They’re free today. But there’s a limit—only three per person.” It’s a holiday, after all, and he wanted everyone to have a good time together.

“Sign me up!” Yu Lin immediately raised his hand and squeezed his way over. “It’s been ages since I’ve had dumplings made by Brother Cen!”

To the right was Tian Yuan’s stall. He was even more half-hearted—he’d only laid out a few wild greens. Hearing this, he shuffled over, scratching his nose. “Is there any for me?” Sandwiched between the two of them, Cen An sighed helplessly. “When have you ever gone without food? Why do you have to fight with others over it right now?”

Yu Lin flashed a beaming smile. “I just want some… I’ll tend the fire!”

Cen An quickly reached out to stop him. “Don’t you dare knock my stall over… Go set up the dumplings.”

Yu Lin didn’t get upset; he obediently went to arrange the dumplings.

Tian Yuan watched from the side, rubbing his nose so hard it was almost raw—this guy was only this well-behaved in front of Brother Cen. If anyone else dared to talk to him like that, they’d have been crushed into flower fertilizer long ago.

Cen An didn’t mince words with him either. “Go chop some wood.”

“Got it.” Tian Yuan didn’t even realize he was being just as obedient; he grabbed the axe and got to work. The little clay stove was too small, so the firewood had to be chopped into tiny pieces to burn.

Before long, the water came to a boil. Just as Cen An was about to drop the dumplings in, someone stood in front of him.

Yu Fei：“…”

Cen An：……

He pointed behind him. “Come inside to eat. Don’t scare my guests away.” A few dumplings were tossed over.

Leader Shi’s group hadn’t dispersed yet; the villagers were still listening to his talk, so there was no need for them to rush. Sure enough, Cen An brought out a plate of dumplings first, handing out three to each person—even Xiao Yi got some.

The little boy held his bowl, looking a bit hesitant. Cen An stifled a laugh. “It was your idea—aren’t you going to try one?”

Xiao Yi looked at his smile, then scooped up a dumpling and popped it into his mouth. Just as he bit down, a thunderous cough erupted from beside him.

Tian Yuan covered his mouth and stared in horror at the dumpling in his bowl. Red chili sauce was oozing out from the half-chewed dumpling wrapper. “These dumplings are spicy!”

Cen An finally burst out laughing. “You insisted on eating them yourselves—don’t blame me.”

He rarely laughed so openly; a faint blush spread across his usually composed face, as vivid as a blossoming Hua. At the stall across from them, a young man accidentally glanced over and flushed instantly.

Tian Yuan shifted imperceptibly to block the view, his face grimacing. “These aren’t all chili-filled, are they?”

“No, no.” Cen An waved his hand. “Each of these dumplings has a different filling. But this is the only one with chili. The rest are all delicious.”

Tian Yuan: “…Then I guess I’m pretty lucky.”

Yu Lin, who was sitting nearby, had already finished one and asked curiously, “Mine’s mint-flavored. It seems to have a little meat filling in it—it’s really good.” Xiao Yi also took a cautious bite and immediately widened his eyes—his was red bean paste, sweet!

Cen An smiled at him. The red bean filling was easy to spot through the wrapper—he’d picked it out for Xiao Yi on purpose. As for Tian Yuan… well, that was just pure luck.

Looking further back, Yu Fei had already finished all three and had started to sleep… or rather, rest his eyes.

On the wooden platform, Shi Long finished explaining the points system in detail, then pulled Xie Xiuping up to explain to everyone what Cen An’s dishes were for. Actually, he didn’t really need to say any of this—in Yongning Village, as soon as Cen An’s name was mentioned, everyone would rush to grab them. Once everything was explained, the Sun Festival festivities officially began.

The crowd dispersed, then surged en masse into the small market, and it didn’t take long for someone to spot Cen An’s stall.

“Is Xiao Cen setting up a stall today too?”

“Wow, it looks like food—it smells so good!” “Oh no, my mouth is watering. I’ll take a bowl!”

“How much is it…? Never mind, I’ll get a bowl no matter the price!”

Cen An smiled and explained the rules to them.

Only three per person—a rule that didn’t sit well with the crowd. What upset them even more was the fact that it was free.

The villagers were worried. Why couldn’t their leader make any money? You’re the leader now—exploit us! We’re begging you to exploit us! Cen An had no idea they had such bizarre thoughts. With so many people crowding around, he was too busy to even think about it!

Pot after pot of hot water came to a boil, and batch after batch of dumplings was served out. The villagers soon discovered the secret of the dumpling fillings.

“Each one has a different filling! How fun!” “Ugh, it’s so sour… This one tastes like hawthorn?”

“Hahaha, you’re so unlucky! Mine’s egg filling! Hmm, or maybe a bird’s egg? It smells so good!”

Cen An smiled as he watched the surprise and excitement on their faces. If protecting all this was the price, he would gladly serve as their leader.

“Big brother, we’re out of water.” Xiao Yi tugged at his sleeve.

“Uh…” Cen An glanced at the dumplings on the table—they weren’t done cooking yet. “Why don’t we go back and get a bucket…”

A figure suddenly squeezed in.

Qi Yangze’s ears turned red. Without a word, he placed his palm over the empty bucket, and water gushed in.

Once the bucket was full, he gathered his courage and asked cautiously, “C-can I have a serving?”

“Of course.” Cen An looked at him in surprise, glanced at the dumplings, and spotted one with red bean filling. “Do you like sweets?”

Qi Yangze paused, then quickly nodded.

Cen An scooped out the red bean-filled one for him and added two more.

Qi Yangze picked up his bowl and began to eat. He had heard that Boss Cen was an excellent cook, and many members of the ability-users squad had already tried his food… He bit into a dumpling that was sweet and chewy, with a subtle bean aroma… It was indeed delicious; Boss Cen was truly amazing.

Qi Yangze slowly finished the three dumplings, washed the bowl clean, and then quietly slipped out.

Cen An shook his head behind him; he had long since put their earlier clash with Qi Yangze out of his mind. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Qi Yangze had merely said a few wrong things.

But every time this guy saw him, he looked like a mouse facing a cat. Was he really that scary?

The Sun Festival came to a lively close, and Cen An’s stall was ultimately voted the most popular stall of the festival. There was no official prize. (Cen An:? Should I just reward myself?)

But the villagers spontaneously gave him a reward…

Cen An took the last plate of dumplings over to Leader Shi. When he returned, he found the stall piled high with supplies.

Zhao Yougen, who was just about to leave, was caught red-handed. He chuckled, “Xiao Cen, that was terrifying just now. A strong gust of wind blew through, and all of a sudden, all these things came crashing down from the sky. Good thing no one was at your stall—otherwise, you’d have been hit. Haha.”

The villagers around them nodded solemnly, “Yeah, yeah.” Cen An: …

Do you really think I believe that?