Deep in the mountains.

The last spatial fissure closed.

Su Rui’s eyes lit up instantly. It was finally over. Today was the twenty-seventh day, with three days left until the one-month deadline. So, time to go home for dinner!

He touched the Spatial Rift Ring on his hand. White spatial energy drifted out like silk—the prelude to teleportation.

“Bro! I found someone!” Yin Xiang waved at him from afar as she rushed toward him. Once she arrived, she crouched down like a puppy. “Come quick and look—this person is so strange. Should we take him to Yongning Village?”

The man on the ground was twitching intermittently; he had already fallen unconscious, yet he was still muttering to himself, “Run!” 

“No, don’t come over… Run toward Yongning Village…”

Su Rui glanced down, hoisted the man up, and vanished in a flash.

“Ah! Bro, take me with you!” Yin Xiang stamped his feet, then had no choice but to chase after him, stirring up a whirlwind: “Save some dinner for me! I haven’t had a meal made by Brother Cen in a whole month!”

Cen An and Xiao Yi arrived at the foot of the mountain.

This was the very spot where Xiao Yi had set his trap before, and where Cen An had been snatched away by the fake Shi Long.

Since then, Xiao Yi had rarely come here and had moved his traps to a different location. He’d rather catch fewer prey than go near this place.

“It’s fine, this place is still safe,” Cen An said with a smile as he ruffled his hair. “Last time, we were ambushed by the villagers. Now, no one in the village would dare harm us.”

Xiao Yi thought about it for a moment, then nodded. Not only would no one harm them, but his brother’s authority in the village was absolute. Especially since the mediation affairs group had been established.

The villagers had never seen such a thing before, and at first, no one knew what it was for. Perhaps it was simply out of trust in Cen An, but when the Ability Squad brought in low-tier ability users to work, most people didn’t refuse.

Their general attitude was: “Let’s see how this plays out.” Later, it was that old man Zhao Yougen who stirred things up.

Zhao Yougen was the kind of old man who was a bit stubborn yet somewhat endearing. Because he trusted Cen An, he listened to whatever Cen An said—if told to attend a lecture, he went; if told to register his household belongings, he did so.

So, when he heard that Cen An had set up another mediation affairs group, he got curious and started hanging around the group’s entrance every day.

It was actually quite convenient. When the mediation affairs group was first established, Zhao Wu was in charge of the day-to-day operations. He found an empty house to serve as the group’s headquarters, which happened to be right near Zhao Yougen’s home.

The old man had been lurking by the doorway for several days, watching as many ability users who hadn’t made it into the Ability Squad came and went every day. They didn’t do much else—Shi Long, Zhao Wu, and Cen An took turns teaching them.

That day, the old man finally couldn’t hold back any longer. He asked Shi Jie, who was coming out, “Captain Shi’s younger brother, what exactly do you guys do in there?”

Shi Jie was about to brush the old man aside, but then he suddenly recalled the lessons he’d been teaching these past few days. He took a deep breath and said patiently, “Nothing much, just attending training sessions. This is the mediation affairs group. Do you know what we do? If you have a conflict with someone, are dissatisfied with someone, or need any kind of help, you can come here.”

Zhao Yougen paused to process this. The old man didn’t quite grasp the meaning of “disputes,” but he certainly understood “dissatisfaction with someone”!

He grabbed Shi Jie’s arm, his eyes lighting up. “So, you’re the one who settles things for us! I’m not satisfied! I’m really not satisfied! Will you help me resolve this?”

Shi Jie felt a little uneasy. He’d only been in training for a few days—what could he possibly solve? … But remembering the work ethic Cen An had emphasized, he could only say timidly, “I-I guess so. Take me to see it…”

Zhao Yougen grabbed him and led him away. Along the way, when someone asked, the old man explained, “Young Boss Cen is standing up for us. Anyone who’s unhappy with something can go to the mediation affairs group to file a complaint!”

Naturally, the villagers were curious, and a crowd of people followed along in a throng.

Several who were familiar with Zhao Yougen even joked, “Old Zhao’s definitely heading to the Liu family’s place!” 

“You bet. I heard the two families arguing the other day.”

“That whole thing was a mess—can this so-called Affairs Group even handle it?” 

“Let’s see…”

Sure enough, Zhao Yougen dragged Shi Jie over to the Liu family’s house. Standing at the door, he bellowed, “Liu Ming, get out of here! I’ve brought Boss Cen’s people to settle our issue!”

Liu Ming happened to be home. He pushed open the door and stepped out, looking exasperated. “Uncle Zhao, I’ve already told you it’s got nothing to do with me. Why won’t you just let it go?” 

Zhao Yougen curled his lip. “That’s none of my business. Anyway, this has to be resolved. It’s the middle of summer—how can we manage without water?”

Liu Ming glanced at Shi Jie, furrowing his brow slightly. Everyone in the village knew him—he was Team Leader Shi’s good-for-nothing younger brother—so he felt a certain distrust from the start. “Fine, then. How are we going to resolve this?”

Shi Jie scratched his head, trying to recall what he’d learned in training. “First, tell me what happened, then state your demands.” 

“I’ll explain!” Zhao Yougen was in a hurry; he spoke up before the other two could agree.

The matter wasn’t actually complicated.

It was simply a matter between the Zhao and Liu families, two longtime neighbors, who had always shared an old well. But for some reason, the well had run dry in the past few days.

Since the Liu family had drawn the last bucket of water, Zhao Yougen was adamant that they had drained it dry and insisted they restore it. Naturally, the Liu family couldn’t do that, and besides, wells do run dry during droughts.

Liu Ming naturally pointed this out, but Zhao Yougen stiffened his neck. “What are you young folks talking about? There hasn’t been a drought anywhere this year—the little river at the village entrance is still flowing just fine. Maybe it’s because you young people weren’t careful when drawing water and dropped some dirt in there, offending the well spirit.”

Liu Ming’s lips twitched. “Don’t spout nonsense just because you’re old. We’ve been using this well for years—when have we ever been careless?” 

For the first time, Shi Jie felt a headache coming on. He caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye and immediately looked at him as if he were a savior. “Xie Xiuping!”

Xie Xiuping, who was passing by, turned to look, and Shi Jie hurriedly called out to him, “Come quick! This old… this villager has gone to the administrative office to complain!”

Xie Xiuping walked over. Thanks to the increased intake of vegetables lately, his legs had improved significantly; walking on flat ground, you could hardly tell anything was wrong. “Boss Cen said our current level isn’t ready for practical application yet.”

Shi Jie grimaced. “What can I do? He’s already here—I can’t just kick him out, can I?” That was true… Xie Xiuping nodded and asked the two men a few questions.

He seemed far more reliable than Shi Jie. After listening, he said, “So, your request is to restore the well, right?” Zhao Yougen and Liu Ming both nodded.

Xie Xiuping said, “Where’s the well? I’ll go take a look.”

“Well…” Zhao Yougen hesitated. “Young man, that well’s been in use for many years. It’s deep down there—it’s dangerous. If something happened to you, wouldn’t Boss Cen be heartbroken?”

Xie Xiuping felt warm inside as he listened to the first part, but by the second part, he was at a loss for words… “It’s okay, we’re both water-type ability users—we’ve got nothing to fear.” 

Shi Jie, standing beside him, looked dumbfounded. “Huh? I have to go down, too?”

Xie Xiuping pushed him down.

The well opening wasn’t very large, and the walls were rough and untreated. There were seven such wells in the village, all dug by the villagers on their own initiative. This one, for example, was dug jointly by the older generations of the Zhao and Liu families and was shared by both households.

The villagers above waited curiously. It wasn’t until half an hour later that a dripping wet head finally emerged. Shi Jie gasped for breath and said, “The spring inside hasn’t dried up. If you use water-type abilities to gather it, water comes out. But there’s a lot of water plants—it’s pretty clogged up.”

He reached in and tossed a large clump of water plants out. “Ouch! Don’t push, don’t push—I’m out of strength. Wait a sec… someone give me a hand…” Liu Ming pulled him up, while Xie Xiuping, behind him, braced himself against the well rim and jumped out, shaking his head. “There’s already water in the well.”

Curious villagers peered inside and indeed saw a glistening streak of water at the bottom of the well, slowly rising. “There really is water!”

Looking at Xie Xiuping and Shi Jie, both their shirts and pants were soaked and caked with mud.

Immediate applause erupted at the scene.

“That’s amazing! Before, when a well ran dry, we’d just have to move to a new spot and dig another one—it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and there was no guarantee we’d find water.” 

“We don’t have water-based abilities, do we? Ability users really are something else.”

“Thank you, thank you all!”

When Shi Jie saw the villagers raising their hands, he thought they were about to hit him, so he instinctively ducked his head. It wasn’t until he heard the sound that he realized they were clapping.

Looking around, he saw that the villagers’ gazes were filled with admiration and gratitude—a far cry from before, when they’d looked at him as if he were an annoying fly they couldn’t shake off.

Shi Jie rubbed his chest. He didn’t know what this feeling was, but it was good… well, good… anyway, it was better than before!

Xie Xiuping was much more composed. He pressed his hands together to signal for silence, then began speaking according to protocol: “We are the Yongning Village mediation affairs group, formed at the suggestion of our Boss Xiao Cen. If anyone needs help, please feel free to contact us. You’ve all heard about Aunt Zhang’s situation, right? Please don’t resort to extreme measures—every problem can be resolved.”

The crowd, which had just quieted down, erupted again. “Mr. Cen, that’s exactly it! I knew no one else would pay attention to such a trivial matter.”

Xie Xiuping turned to look at Zhao Yougen and Liu Ming, his expression turning serious again. “The well you two cooperated to dig was meant to be shared. If there’s a problem, both parties need to work together to solve it. How can you just focus on blaming others? Does blaming others solve the problem? Does it make water flow from the well?”

These words were directed at Zhao Yougen. The old man’s face flushed red, and he waved his hands. “No, no, I won’t do that again. From now on, I’ll make sure to speak politely to Young Liu and discuss things together whenever there’s an issue…”

Xie Xiuping then turned to Liu Ming: “You certainly aren’t to blame for what happened today, but you’re still young. The old man just couldn’t think straight in the heat of the moment. Please be a little more understanding.”

Liu Ming nodded in agreement; he was fully convinced. “From now on, when I go to fetch water, I’ll bring a bucket for Uncle Zhao too.” The villagers watching clapped once more.

Their feelings now were somewhat similar to Shi Jie’s—they’d never witnessed a scene like this before, yet their hearts felt warm. It was like… like… They weren’t well-educated and couldn’t put it into words, but they simply hoped that scenes like this would happen more often, much more often, and not just be a fleeting moment.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up: “I wonder how much good karma we must have accumulated in our past lives to have met Young Master Cen?” Everyone burst into laughter. No matter how much good karma it took, Young Master Cen was theirs now.

That afternoon, the mediation affairs group brought a breath of fresh air to the village.

They said that Boss Cen had declared: the mediation affairs group would resolve every conflict—even domestic fights—because domestic violence was not a private family matter. Many single women who had fled to Yongning Village years ago shed tears and quietly set up memorial tablets for Cen An in their homes.

They said that Boss Cen had declared the mediation affairs group would not only resolve conflicts but also reason with the villagers, helping them understand right from wrong. After that, whenever a team member went out, parents would send their children along.

What? Work? No need to work—go listen to reason, go make yourselves better people.

After that, Yongning Village seemed somehow different—it was hard to put into words exactly how, but it had definitely become a better place.

That same afternoon, when Cen An went out, he saw Shi Jie sneaking around again. Somehow, the guy had managed to chop a huge basketful of firewood and was huffing and puffing like a dog as he dragged it to his doorstep.

Cen An thought to himself, How does this guy manage to chop wood that looks uglier than anyone else’s? 

“Take it back. I already told you, Team Leader Shi won’t find out about that.”

Shi Jie huffed and puffed for a while, “No, no, not that thing…”

Cen An was puzzled. “Then what is it?” Had this guy accidentally done something bad again?

Shi Jie hesitated for a moment, then simply turned and ran away. “Anyway, it’s not that thing… I’ll never do anything bad again!”

Thinking back on Shi Jie’s final outburst, Cen An still found it a bit amusing. He had no idea how that guy’s brain was wired—it was like it was full of bubbles. Nowadays, some mischievous kids would even mimic Shi Jie and shout, “I’ll never do anything bad again!”

Back in the day, Shi Jie wouldn’t have put up with that. Whether they were kids or adults, he’d have given them a good beating. But now? He’d just huff and puff for a moment, then run off with a red face. The villagers, however, were starting to take a liking to him.

“Brother, is this the spot?” The two had arrived at the location marked on the rabbit’s treasure map. Cen An studied it carefully. “This is definitely the place.”

He looked down and smiled again. “Looks like there are quite a few small animals around here—lots of footprints. Should we put the traps back?” Xiao Yi thought for a moment and shook her head. “Let’s not.” After all, he still didn’t feel comfortable here.

Cen An pulled out a shovel and dug into the ground.

【You have obtained Rabbit Grass x3】

【You have obtained Rabbit Grass x5】

【You have obtained a Strange Bird Whistle x1】

“Hmm, over a dozen Rabbit Grasses—not bad.”

Rabbit Grass is the most commonly dropped herb in rabbit treasure caves; it restores Mental Health.

In the game, characters don’t have a specific “Mental Health” stat, but if battles drag on too long or you die too many times, you’ll get a 【Mental Trance】 debuff and start seeing hallucinations.

That’s when Rabbit Grass comes in handy—just pop one in your mouth, and you’ll be fine. Plus, there’s no recipe for Rabbit Grass; you just chow it down, just like a rabbit.

“I wonder if it tastes good.” Cen An put the herb away and looked at the last item. “A bird whistle? What’s that for?”

He’d never seen this thing before—it wasn’t in the game, and in real life… bird whistles were supposed to mimic bird calls, right?

This bird whistle was made of some kind of metal. Who knows how long it had been buried in the ground—it was covered in rust, twisted and warped, with only a trace of its original color remaining. It must have been quite beautiful when it was first made.

He was a bit puzzled, though. In a world like this, where resources were scarce, would anyone really make such an elaborate toy? Or did it have some function he wasn’t aware of?

“Xiao Yi, you… Xiao Yi? Xiao Yi? What’s wrong?” Cen An looked down at him with concern.

Ever since Xiao Yi had seen the bird whistle, his face had gone pale, and the fingers clutching Cen An’s sleeve had gradually tightened. After a long moment, he shook his head. “I’m fine, big brother. It’s probably just too hot. I’ll be fine after I go home and take a shower.”

“Are you sure?” Cen An gave him a hug. “If there’s anything wrong, you have to tell your big brother.”

Xiao Yi hesitated for a moment, nodded, and finally fell silent.

Cen An ruffled his hair again. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. Everyone has the right to keep their own secrets.”

Xiao Yi’s fingers turned white from the force with which he was gripping them. He looked up, gazing at his older brother and at the blue sky above his head. “Big Brother, I’ll protect you with all my might.”

Cen An smiled and didn’t refuse. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Xiao Yi.” With the treasure in hand, the two—one big, one small—set off toward the village.

The sun had already set, and the air was growing cooler.

“Has Young Master Cen returned?”

“Did Young Master Cen leave the village? Why didn’t he bring the ability users with him?”

Cen An smiled and greeted the villagers one by one. “I didn’t go out far—just took a stroll at the foot of the northern mountain, so I didn’t have anyone follow me.” 

“You should still be more careful,” the old woman scolded playfully. “A little kid like you running around all over the place.”

Cen An couldn’t do anything about the old lady; he gave a helpless smile and hurried on, pulling Xiao Yi along. Along the way, they ran into two groups of members from the administrative team who were out on an errand.

They stopped immediately: “Ah, Brother Cen!”

Cen An felt awkward. “Hello.”

He didn’t know where this tradition came from, but everyone who joined the Ability Squad called him “Brother Cen.”

The man in front of him looked to be nearly forty… Young Boss Cen cleared his throat. “Busy lately? Do you need me to ask Captain Shi for more manpower or something?”

“Not that busy, really!” the forty-something man laughed heartily. “Our administrative team was just established, you know. There are some lingering issues from previous years that need resolving. But the villagers are very understanding—they say they’ve been waiting a long time, so a few more days won’t make a difference. They’ve let us set up a schedule and take our time.”

Cen An was aware of this, so he just nodded and let them get back to work.

As he walked further in, he heard a voice with a hint of a child’s tone say, “Wait a minute, Uncle! Do you know about the newly formed Administrative Team? Would you like me to explain our responsibilities to you?”

“Auntie, don’t go! Just take a minute to learn about the Affairs Group—I’ll explain it quickly! Fast and clear!”

The woman couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re part of the Affairs Group, too? How come there’s a kid here?” 

Sun Xiaoshu puffed out his chest with pride. “I’m an ability user too!”

The auntie was delighted to tease him. “Then why aren’t you out there helping with the mediation?”

Sun Xiaoshu sighed like a little adult, “It’s because I’m so young. The older kids snatched up all the missions, so I got stuck with publicity.”

The term “publicity” was actually coined by Cen An, and everyone had picked it up.

His aunt was thoroughly amused and asked him to give a little “publicity” speech. After he finished, she laughed, “I already know all that.” Then she looked at his scrunched-up little face.

Sun Xiaoshu sighed, thinking adults were so boring… “Big Brother, you… Oh, Big Brother Cen!” The little guy came running over, full of energy. “Big Brother Cen, did you like the fish we had last time?”

Cen An was surprised. “You caught that fish?”

“Of course! I’m great at catching fish. My dad’s a pro at it—I got it from him!” After boasting, he turned to Xiao Yi. “Yi, let’s go out and play sometime. That trap method you taught me last time was super useful!”

Xiao Yi looked at him coldly. “No way. I didn’t teach you—you were just peeking.” Sun Xiaoshu looked up at the sky.

Cen An smiled as he watched the two kids talk, then headed home.

Suddenly, something flashed before his eyes. Before he could even react, a familiar presence closed in on him, and he immediately brightened. “Su Rui, you’re back?”

Su Rui grunted twice, appearing beside him. He buried his head in Cen An’s neck and sniffed deeply. “Hungry.”

“If you’re hungry, let’s go home and eat.” No sooner had Cen An finished speaking than his vision blurred again, and he found himself standing at the doorway. A pig was lying there.

“What a huge pig! Are we having braised pork today? Maybe some cold-dressed pig’s ears too… Huh? Why is there a person here, too?”

There was indeed a person lying next to the pig. The pig twitched, and so did the person; the pig grunted, and so did the person. Cen An hadn’t actually noticed at first.

“Who’s this? Can’t be from the village—I’ve never seen him before…” Cen An crouched down to check the man’s condition: 【Mental Trance】, 【Lacerations】, 【Burns】…

He gasped. “Could this person have escaped from the beast tide? Xiao Yi, go get Team Leader Liao, Team Leader Shi, and Sister Qu. Tell them Su Rui brought someone back. And invite them over for dinner tonight. Oh, and let Senior Lin know too.”

Xiao Yi, who had just run up from behind, gave a quick reply and dashed off again.

Su Rui was still sniffing all over Cen An, who inexplicably felt like he was being pestered by a large dog. “Back off. You’re burning up.”

Su Rui lifted his head slightly. “What do you have on you? There’s a strange smell.”

“Herbs?” Cen An thought for a moment. He’d been sorting through the pile of medicines Aunt Zhang left behind these past few days, so he’d probably picked up a bit of the scent. Su Rui shook his head and pointed to the left pocket of Cen An’s shirt. “What’s in there?”

Cen An pulled it out and was taken aback himself—it was that bird whistle.

He hadn’t put it in his backpack; he’d originally planned to throw it away but had forgotten about it. He handed the bird whistle to Su Rui. “Do you know what this is? What’s it for?”

Su Rui examined it briefly, then tossed it into his storage space. “No idea. Doesn’t look like anything good. Why don’t we cook up a bowl of noodles first?” 

Cen An shot him a glare. “Of course, we save the person first!”

He didn’t believe Su Rui would actually be starving in the woods; at most, he was just craving a snack. Compared to a mere appetite, a human life was naturally more important, and he could see the man on the ground wasn’t in good shape.

Using his wind-based ability, he swept the man into the house and laid him flat on the bamboo mat. Cen An first examined his injuries; thankfully, he had the right medicine for each one.

External injuries were the easiest to treat; a single application of rejuvenation paste stopped the bleeding. As for the burns, Zhang Xuedong had left a jar of burn ointment—he’d checked it, and it worked quite well.

By the time he had finished treating all the wounds, someone had already come in.

“Brother Cen?”

“Xiao Cen, has Su Rui come back?”

Everyone made their way past the pig on the floor and entered the house. “Whoa, so you really did bring someone back.”

“Team Leader Shi, come take a look. Do you recognize this person?” Cen An beckoned.

Shi Long stepped forward, studied him closely, and shook his head. “I don’t recognize him.”

Liao Yongzhi also leaned in. “Definitely not from our village… Whoa, those injuries—did he escape from the beast tide?”

“That’s what I thought at first,” Cen An said, pulling aside the ragged strips of clothing. “But look here.”

There were five scorched burns, stretching from his neck all the way down to his abdomen, deeply seared into his flesh.

Wang Lie grimaced. “What’s this…”

“They’re probably handprints.” Cen An raised a hand, made a grabbing motion, and swiped downward, indicating: A fire-type ability user, with flames burning on their hands, had struck him like this.