Cen An’s heated argument with the villagers ended in a complete defeat.

He asked who had delivered the supplies, but not a single one admitted to it; he was so furious he said he’d throw everything away, and the villagers cheerfully pointed the way: “There’s an open space at the foot of the mountain over there—you can toss it all there.”

Cen An felt like crying but couldn’t. Behind him, Qu Yue stifled a laugh. “They’re just taking this opportunity to express their excitement. Everyone’s actually really happy that you’ve become the leader.”

Cen An snorted in exasperation, “I’m going to get them back.”

Everyone laughed at him. “How are you going to get back at them?”

Cen An glared at them. “Follow me.”

They helped him push the items back home, and along the way, they ran into Leader Shi, whom he also dragged along. Cen An led them into the courtyard, smiled, and said, “Watch closely—don’t blink.”

He opened the system interface, found the Reality Protection System, and turned it off.

To everyone’s eyes, a veil of water seemed to appear in the courtyard. It slowly faded away, revealing the scene behind it. Colorful plants, bountiful vegetable patches, the fragrance of the plants…

The group was stunned!

They never imagined that in this world after the Cataclysm, they would still be able to witness such a scene…

Cen An had been preparing for this day for a long time; on the fertile black soil, every vegetable was ripe.

The Chinese cabbage and white radishes, most familiar to the squad members, were so fresh and plump they seemed almost ethereal, neatly arranged on the visibly fertile black soil; sweet asparagus stood straight and tall, like miniature bamboo stalks; colorful tomatoes were large and round, resembling colorful lanterns, reflecting a full, rounded glow.

Then there were the winter melons, unfamiliar to most—round, plump fruits lazily sprawled on the ground, their blue-green rinds looking as if they might crack at the slightest tap…

Seeing this scene, Cen An felt deeply moved. He recalled how, back in the day, he would even tuck a strand of hair into the doorframe whenever he left, to prevent anyone from entering.

But now, he could openly reveal his secrets to his friends without hesitation.

……It was a bit of payback, he supposed. Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, Cen An smiled again.

As expected, Team Leader Shi was the first to snap out of it. He even scooped up some water to splash on his face before he could confirm he wasn’t dreaming. “…Chief… Mr. Cen… Young Master Cen, you gave me quite a scare.”

Cen An laughed. “Surprised? Unexpected?”

Team Leader Shi gave a wry smile. “Both surprised and delighted.”

Wang Lie, standing nearby, held out his hand with a sheepish grin. “Leader Shi, I want some water too.” 

“Me too…”

Team Leader Shi hadn’t quite processed what was happening yet, but he poured a little water into each of their palms. They all wiped their faces.

Although they had never investigated Cen An’s vegetables, they had plenty of theories. At first, they suspected the vegetable patch was on the mountain; later, they suspected it was hidden somewhere in the village.

Those with wilder imaginations (like Wang Lie and Xiao Ji) even suspected that Brother Cen had a mysterious storage device containing soil and water for growing vegetables…

But no one could have imagined that the vegetable patch was actually right inside Cen An’s house… That was just too…

As the group reflected on what had just happened, they couldn’t really say Cen An had been careless. Not only that, but the fact that Cen An was willing to reveal this secret today showed he truly considered them friends. They were all deeply grateful.

Tian Yuan was the first to chuckle. “Brother Cen, are you asking us to help out with something again?”

“You guessed it?” Cen An laughed. When it came to being observant, Tian Yuan was indeed the sharpest.

He gathered his thoughts for a moment and said, “You might not know this, but on black soil… oh, this kind of farmland, the vegetables grow very quickly. Chinese cabbage matures in three days, and white radishes only take five… Winter melons take a bit longer, about fifteen days.”

“These nine plots of land were already enough to meet the needs of the ability-users squad, so I didn’t expand any further. But now that we’re supplying the villagers, we need to add more farmland. With that, I won’t be able to manage it all by myself.”

The Green Shade Rat scampered out of the vegetable patch, ran up his pant leg, and chirped twice, as if to say, “I can help too.” Cen An patted its head. “It’ll still be tough for just the two of us.”

The others were even more astonished to hear the harvest timeline. No wonder Cen An could single-handedly supply the entire ability-users squad with vegetables…

Team Leader Shi crouched down, running his fingers over the rich black soil, a faint flicker of excitement in his eyes… Three hundred years had passed since the Cataclysm, and few people still remembered the world before it.

Everyone seemed to have grown accustomed to the fact that the land was barren, that food had to be fought for against mutant beasts, that people lived from one day to the next, their lives as fragile as floating duckweed…

But now, they had found land suitable for cultivation—not just one or two plots, but a full nine! Enough to grow hundreds of vegetables!

And from what Cen An implied, this fertile land could even expand!

Could they, then, dare to hope that this land might one day cover the entire Yongning Village… or even the entire mountain range?

“Alright…” Leader Shi began, only to realize his voice was choked with emotion. He composed himself for a moment, then looked up. “Alright, Chief, that’s a great idea. I’ll select the right people to help you tend the vegetable garden.”

When it came to business, his emotions immediately settled. He pulled out a small notebook. “Right now, the villagers don’t have many points, and there aren’t many vegetables they can exchange for them. We can start with a small expansion first, then gradually expand as the points increase. As for the quantities…”

He looked up and scanned the vegetable garden, recalling the uses of various vegetables. “Let’s start by expanding to six plots: four for sweet asparagus and colorful tomatoes, and two plots for bok choy and daikon radishes…”

Cen An nodded as he listened. By the time Leader Shi had finished speaking, he had already set up the newly purchased 【Fertile Black Soil】—right on the empty lot behind the house—and had even bought the seeds.

Team Leader Shi looked around. “Chief, this railing is excellent. We should install one in the backyard, too. Since this is for the village, the ability-users squad will cover the cost of the materials.”

Cen An was flustered. “Why? It’s a railing for my own home—why use squad supplies?” The supplies at his house were practically piled up like a mountain; if he didn’t use them now, when would he?

To make his case more convincing, he turned to his friends, his expression asking: Who’s going to speak up for me? 

Friends: Averted their gaze.

Only Xiao Yi, who had been tidying up late, ran over, took his hand, and said firmly, “It’s okay, big brother. Even if we use their materials, we’ll just make sure they don’t help us build it.”

Cen An：……

The child meant well, but it didn’t seem to offer much comfort…

In matters like this, Team Leader Shi demonstrated the efficiency expected of a deputy captain.

He didn’t even bother checking if it was a holiday; he immediately brought the ability-users squad over. Not only did they help Cen An plant all six extra plots of land, but they also quickly built the fence in the backyard. Of course, the raw materials were still transported over by the ability-users squad.

Cen An looked at the fence forming a complete circle around the front and back yards: …Aren’t you guys working a little too fast?

Not only that, but Team Leader Shi also organized the wood-elemental ability users from the ability-users squad into pairs, taking turns to come by and check on things every day. Cen An no longer had to handle even this small daily workload; he only needed to come by once during harvest and planting season.

This act of revenge seemed to have worked, yet it also didn’t…

Once everyone had finished their work, they left. Team Leader Shi said he needed to go back and tweak the points system. Cen An rubbed his face, then remembered something and called out, “Xiao Yi, I’m going out for a bit.” 

A young boy’s voice called back from afar, “Okay, big brother, be careful on your way.”

Cen An walked into the house and came out of the kitchen carrying a small bamboo basket.

The small bamboo basket was newly made, exuding a fresh bamboo scent. It was lined with leaves and held a bundle of wrapped dumplings. They were still raw and would need to be cooked before eating.

He carried the basket all the way to the western edge of the village. Upon entering the wooden gate, he saw a man lying on a bamboo chair in the courtyard, gently rocking it back and forth as he watched the sunset on the horizon.

“Senior Lin,” he said as he stepped inside, his tone tinged with the playful deference one might show an elder. “It’s the Sun Festival today. Why aren’t you out taking a look? The little market is bustling.”

Lin She slowly lifted the cup from the table and took a sip. “What’s there to see? It’s just too chaotic.”

Cen An didn’t seem to mind. He held out the basket for him to see. “I brought you some food. I set up a stall selling this today—it’s been a big hit.” Lin She shot him a sidelong glance, a smile playing on his lips. “Selling? I’d say you’re practically giving it away.”

Surprised by how accurate his guess was, Cen An thought for a moment before retorting, “I could actually sell them if I tried.”

He ran into the house and pulled out a larger clay stove. “Senior Lin, why haven’t you used this stove? Didn’t I bring you the firewood?”

He rummaged through the bowls and chopsticks again. “You haven’t used any of these. How do you usually eat?” 

Outside, Lin She pressed his hand to his forehead and muttered under his breath, “Such a nag…”

“Senior Lin!” Cen An happened to hear that. “I invited you over for dinner, but you refused, saying my cooking didn’t suit your taste. So you’ve been drinking the air at home?”

He suddenly sensed something, leaned in, and sniffed. “Wine? Where did the wine come from?”

There was definitely no alcohol in the village. He could brew it himself, but he hadn’t even built the brewing barrels yet.

Lin She lazily lifted his cup and took another sip. “You have storage items—why can’t I have one too?”

That was true… Cen An thought for a moment. “Oh, so you have food in your storage item.” Lin She rolled his eyes elegantly. Silly boy.

Cen An came out carrying a clay stove, lit a fire, and put water on to boil. As the water came to a boil, Lin She handed him something. Cen An picked it up and looked at it, startled. “A Phantom Mirror?”

This was the item Lin Dao had originally used to create the illusion. It was precisely with this that he had deceived Old Qi’s family, creating the illusion that Old Qi was still alive.

After Lin Dao’s death, they had found this item, but Lin She had taken it.

“Is this for me?” Cen An asked curiously. “Didn’t you want it?” 

“Just taking a look,” Lin She said, gazing leisurely at the sunset.

Cen An turned it over and over in his hands. “How does this thing work?”

“The Illusion Mirror has two functions,” Lin She said absently. “First, it can create illusions, and only the person holding it can distinguish between reality and illusion. Second, it allows you to see the person you’re thinking of.”

Cen An followed his instructions, and before he knew it, the mirror flashed, and Su Rui appeared inside. Even in the mirror, the guy was grinning arrogantly. “I’ll come see you in a month.”

Cen An recognized it immediately—this was the scene from his last trip deep into the mountains. It was indeed the scene from his memory, exactly the same.

The images in the mirror shifted rapidly, flashing by: Yin Xiang, then a few friends… Finally, the image froze on that chubby little silver-furred dog they’d met earlier.

Cen An thought about it for a moment. He saw his friends every day, and Su Rui would be back in a month anyway, so there wasn’t much to miss. But it had been a long time since he’d seen that chubby little dog… A few months had passed; surely the little dog must have grown up by now? Maybe it wouldn’t even recognize him anymore.

Come to think of it, who else was Senior Lin hoping to see with that Phantom Mirror?

He looked up and saw that Lin She still wore his usual impassive expression. The setting sun cast a golden halo around him, yet it couldn’t warm the chill that seemed to freeze time around him.

The sound of crackling flames rose from the clay stove.

Cen An shifted forward in his seat and tilted his head curiously. “Senior Lin, what exactly happened between you and Lin Dao? Why does he hate you so much?”

Lin She glanced at him. “Why do you ask?” 

“Just curious,” Cen An leaned in closer.

“You’re curious about that?” Lin She snorted derisively, but didn’t refuse. He simply said, “He’s my younger brother—half-brother.”

“He’s been in poor health since childhood and has been on the brink of death several times. If our family hadn’t found him a healing-type ability user, he probably wouldn’t have lived past fifteen.”

Cen An realized, “No wonder he’s so afraid of dying.”

Lin She gave a mocking smile. “There are plenty of things he’s afraid of—being looked down upon, having people walk all over him, and not having a place in the family. Remember this, An: once a person becomes greedy, they cease to be human. They’ll drive themselves mad and then devour everyone around them, leaving nothing but bones. You must keep your distance from people like that.”

Cen An nodded.

Lin She glanced at him again. “Forget it. What could you possibly remember? You look so dumb.” Cen An shot him a disgruntled look. It was one thing to insult Su Rui, but why was he insulting me too?

Lin She leaned back in his chair. “Your friends aren’t half bad. You should listen to their advice more often in the future. Oh, and don’t listen to that dumb dog—he’s even dumber than you.”

Cen An pretended not to hear the last remark and kept nodding; naturally, he trusted his friends.

Lin She continued, “Later, a few strange individuals showed up at our settlement. I was young back then and hadn’t taken over the family business yet, so I didn’t know what these people were up to. All I knew was that Lin Dao was very close to them.”

“Lin Dao obtained a strange magical array from them and spent a long time studying it. It was only later that I realized that the array could absorb others’ life force and use it for his own purposes.”

“After all that research, that fool Lin Dao concluded that the life force of blood relatives was more effective than that of strangers. I was the first one he set his sights on.”

Cen An couldn’t help but ask, “Why? Because you’re superior to him in every way—was he jealous?” 

Lin She looked at him. “How did you know?”

“Just… a hunch,” Cen An said, picturing Lin Dao’s half-human, half-ghost appearance. “Judging by his aura, he’s nowhere near your level.”

Lin She finally smiled. “That’s possible.”

Cen An continued, “What happened next?”

The smile on Lin She’s face slowly faded. “Later… later, he decided to kill one person first.”

Finishing the last sip of wine at the bottom of his glass, Lin She said calmly, “I have a close friend who’s practically inseparable from me. Lin Dao was convinced that unless he killed this person, he couldn’t kill me. After all, that magical array takes a long time to take effect, and he was afraid someone might show up just then and ruin his plan.”

Cen An realized something. “That person was…”

“His name was Mo Wenxuan.” Lin She uttered the name calmly, a wave of desolation washing over him.

“Lin Dao used his psychic powers to control me and kill Mo Wenxuan. But he never expected that, at the very last moment, Mo Wenxuan would transfer all his psychic powers to me, helping me break his control. His first attempt failed, so he had no choice but to flee.”

Cen An listened calmly, yet a storm raged within his heart. To be controlled and forced to kill his own best friend with his own hands… What kind of feeling must that be?

Just the thought of it filled him with despair. If he had been forced to kill Su Rui, Tian Yuan, or Xiao Lin… he would have hunted down the culprit to the ends of the earth.

No wonder the raw material for Senior Lin’s small crossbow was Touch of Ashes. Only the poison of Touch of Ashes could reduce a person to ashes in an instant… That was a method only someone driven mad by hatred could conceive.

Sure enough, Lin She said, “Later, I tracked him down, made some preparations, and finally succeeded in taking my revenge.” Cen An looked at him and asked cautiously, “Then, what is ‘Spring Blossom’?”

“Spring Blossom…” Lin She’s tone was calm. “Mo Wenxuan’s ability is Spring Blossom. It’s the most potent form of life force among all healing abilities. But when he approached me, he disguised himself as an ordinary person—even my own family didn’t know.”

Cen An continued to realize: no wonder Senior Lin had laughed so heartily when he learned that Lin Dao was searching for “Spring Blossom.” Lin Dao’s only hope had been dashed by him the very first time he’d made his plan. How could that not be funny?

At the same time, another thought occurred to him. Since Chunhua was the most potent healing ability in terms of life force, why hadn’t Senior Mo been able to save him…? Could it be because…

Cen An lowered his head to hide his sadness, but upon hearing a sound, he quickly looked up. “Ah, the water’s boiling—time to drop in the dumplings!” Lin She closed his eyes. As he heard the dumplings plop into the hot water, certain voices involuntarily echoed in his mind. 

【“A-She, this is what I found… a lucky charm. I’m giving it to you. I hope it brings you good luck.”】

【“Do you like me?”】

【“Wh-what? Why all of a sudden…?”】 

【“I said yes.”】

【“……”】

【“You don’t like it?”】

【“No, no, no, no! I do like it!”】

【“Thank you, A-She. The love of my life—I’ll never let you down, come what may.”】

A shadow fell across his vision; that chatty kid was standing in front of the lounge chair, holding a bowl.

“Senior Lin, it’s time to eat.”

Lin She waved his hand. “Leave it there.”

Cen An set it down, along with the phantom mirror.

“Senior Lin, this mirror is for you.” Cen An straightened up and turned back with a smile. “Although people should look forward, memories exist for a reason.”

He scratched his head. “I’ve lived far fewer years than you, so I don’t understand all those profound truths. But I do think people are a little happier when they don’t overcomplicate things.”

The look in his eyes said it all: If you want to think, think; if you want to look, look. Does forcing yourself not to think or look really make you feel any better?

Lin She paused for a moment.

In his life, he had gained with full awareness, lost with full awareness, and sought revenge with full awareness. He understood others’ hearts and his own, knowing all too well that what he cherished would never return. There was no point in wallowing in the past or doing things that served no purpose.

Some called him ruthless, others called him cold, but no one had ever called him stubborn. Stubborn…

Lin She finally laughed out loud and waved his hand. “Get out, get out, get out!” 

Cen An ran off, clutching the little basket.

Silence returned to the courtyard, yet it didn’t feel as unbearable as before.

After a while, Lin She finally picked up the dumplings on the table and took a bite.

A wave of spiciness shot straight up his throat… “You little brat!”

After the Day of the Sun Festival, the weather grew increasingly hot.

Those in the village who could afford it had switched to summer clothes, and Cen An had made new outfits for himself and Xiao Yi. He’d also made one for each of their friends. There were two more left over—one for Su Rui and one for Yin Xiang.

Meanwhile, the village’s credit system was being implemented in full swing.

On the very first day the Reality Protection System was turned off, someone in the village had already discovered the vegetable patch at his house.

Yet not a single person made a fuss; there wasn’t a whisper of it in the village. At first, Cen An even wondered if he’d misremembered—had he accidentally reactivated the Reality Protection System?

It wasn’t until the ability-users squad revised the point system and news of those vegetable patches spread that the village began discussing it again. Even then, everyone carefully avoided any mention of their “Little Boss Cen.”

People living in the aftermath of the Anomalies knew all too well what it meant to “possess a treasure and invite disaster.” The villagers themselves were loyal, but what if an outsider were to enter? Though their village was remote and difficult to reach, and they rarely saw a stranger all year round, there was always a chance!

That man named Lin Dao had only just died, after all!

In short, the villagers went to great lengths to ensure that even if a stranger happened to eavesdrop on their conversations, they wouldn’t have a clue what was going on! Anything that couldn’t be spoken of outright was simply referred to as “that”!

This quickly became an “unspoken rule” in the village. The only problem was… they forgot to inform their leader. By the time Cen An discovered this, the unspoken rule had already been in effect for several days.

That day, instead of going up the mountain, he went to deliver some cold jade melons to the ability-users squad. He overheard two villagers talking.

“Hey, there’s a new one over there today. Are you going?”

“Whoa, they’re restocking today? Of course I’m going. They’ve been restocking so fast lately—I wonder if that person is getting tired.”

“I’m worried too… Maybe we should just swap a little less of that stuff? If the consumption goes down, they won’t have to restock so often.”

“No way, no way. That guy’s got a good handle on things. If the consumption suddenly drops, he’ll get worried. Don’t worry, let’s go talk to them and get them to find a few more people to help out. If they won’t let us go during the day, we’ll just sneak in at night!”

“You’re absolutely right—you’re the smart one! I signed up too. My mom says our family has generations of farming experience, so we’re good at growing that stuff! I might actually have a knack for it!”

Cen An stood nearby, completely baffled. He wondered to himself, What on earth is that… and who is “that person”… 

He wanted to step forward and ask, but the two villagers turned pale with shock the moment they saw him and scrambled away in a panic.

Cen An froze, standing there pondering for a long while. Suddenly, a realization struck him: “Oh no! Could it be that someone selling fruit cigarettes has snuck into the village?” Ever since learning about fruit cigarettes from Wang Yuxiang, he’d been on high alert.

And he just couldn’t figure it out! Who in the village was so taboo that they had to use “that” as a euphemism?

“This is bad!” Judging by how familiar those two villagers were with it, fruit cigarettes might have been popular for quite some time!

Cen An didn’t even have time to deliver the cold melon; he tossed the basket aside and ran toward the ability-users squad. “Captain Shi, I have an urgent report!”