Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 35 - 34: Hot Pepper Village
Three days later.
Chen Xuan pushed open the back door of room 201 with supplies bought online. This time the entrance and exit had changed again, moving from the top of the hill to a cave at the edge of the mountain. According to Liu Shuyue, as long as she regarded a place as her residence and it had certain room features, room 201 would connect to it.
For instance, this cave... it didn’t even have a window, just a wooden door, and a straw bed inside could count as a dwelling.
Liu Shuyue was not in the cave.
This was quite normal, as she had been very busy recently, either leading everyone to explore resources around the mountain or heading to the central part of Qing State to guide new refugees to this place. To ensure Chen Xuan could find her at any time, Liu Shuyue not only entrusted him with the room card but also left five Sound Transmission Talismans, saying that she would rush over as soon as there was news.
Chen Xuan walked out of the cave, and a little boy immediately came over and cupped his hands, saying, "Greetings, Shopkeeper Lord!"
He recognized the boy as Xue Xiaojin, a child with a high aptitude among the first batch of refugees, who had been able to cultivate the Purifying Heart Technique and Spirit Sword Technique to the third level after being stimulated by Dragon Blood.
"The Immortal Master Lord has gone to explore the mountain, and said that if you arrived, you could take a look around the village, and I would guide you."
"What’s the date today?" Every time Chen Xuan came, the first thing he did was confirm the date.
"November 5th," Xue Xiaojin replied fluently.
And the Dragon-slaying Day happened three weeks ago.
When he came yesterday, only 15 days had passed on this side.
This meant that unless the door of room 201 was always kept open, the time on both sides would lapse at different rates without any predictable pattern.
Of course, there was a general rule, which was the closer the connection between the guest and the shop, the smaller the time ratio. For example, before, when he didn’t see Liu Shuyue for a few days, five years passed in a flash.
"Give this to the person in charge of farming," Chen Xuan said, taking off his backpack and tossing it to Xue Xiaojin.
The latter immediately got excited, saying, "Could the things in this bag be the ’Immortal Seeds’ the Immortal Master Lord mentioned before?"
"Yes. The vegetables that can be grown are written on the package. If done well, we might get a harvest before winter."
"I’ll deliver them right away, please wait here!"
"Hmm, I’ll go take a look by the lake."
Seeing the look on the boy’s face as if he was holding a treasure, Chen Xuan couldn’t help but smile. They weren’t anything precious, just some high-quality seeds bought online, including spices like scallions and garlic, as well as easy-to-grow vegetables like cabbage and water spinach. There were also two big bags of potato and tomato seeds, costing less than five hundred yuan in total. But their genetic quality was excellent, and with spell-enhanced growth, the final farming results should be quite pleasing.
On the shimmering lake surface, a few simple rafts were patrolling back and forth, casting fishing nets. Of course, these nets were also bought by him, and they could catch several thousand fish a day.
By the lakeside, there was a drying field where densely arranged wooden racks were not only laden with fish meat but also beast meat and hide. The latter were results of the Hunting Team — they made top-notch bows, arrows, knives, and shields with the dragon muscles, teeth, and hide, effortlessly becoming the overlords of all living things here. Undeniably, the natural resources here were extraordinarily abundant. In the crystal-clear lake, entire schools of fish could be seen swimming with the naked eye. In the forest, wild wolves and foxes would boldly approach to ask for the refugees’ discarded offal.
Come to think of it, calling them refugees isn’t quite right anymore.
Liu Shuyue named the village Hot Pepper.
So they were now residents of Hot Pepper Village.
As for why that name was chosen...the reason Liu Shuyue gave made Chen Xuan laugh and cry. The village couldn’t have been built without his help, and there was a signboard for spicy hot pot hanging at the entrance of his shop.
Looks like changing to a formal store name sooner has become imperative.
"Shopkeeper Lord, the seeds have been delivered!"
Xue Xiaojin cheerfully ran back.
"Hmm. How many people are there now?"
"About thirty-one thousand."
"Not bad."
"Indeed, the Immortal Master Lord said once we reach forty thousand, we’ll have another Dragon Blood Bath, so those who came later can catch up with us."
Chen Xuan nodded. In Liu Shuyue’s eyes, every part of the dragon was a treasure that had to be squeezed for all its value. He had witnessed the creature’s magical properties firsthand, as even after so long, the blood and flesh still did not decay, as if life still lingered.
"Kid, how do you find life here? Do you regret coming to this wasteland?"
"Do you even need to ask, my lord? These days have been like a dream!" Xue Xiaojin answered without hesitation, "In the past, I couldn’t even get a full meal, always fearing I’d get eaten on the road. Every time I closed my eyes, I worried I’d never make it to the next day until the Immortal Master started distributing food aid. Now, my mom and I can eat meat every day and study Immortal Techniques, and I have energy to spare!"
"What about before the famine?" Chen Xuan was somewhat curious.
"If it weren’t for the disaster, it would’ve been best... At least my father and brother wouldn’t have died," the boy’s voice dropped a pitch, "But it has happened, and I don’t wish for everything to return to how it was. From now on, I’ll protect my mom!"
"That’s determination."
"Can you grant me a capability better suited for combat? I feel more fit for the Hunting Team than logistics!"
"That’s not up to me; it needs Immortal Master Liu’s approval. Besides, the Hunting Team only recruits adults. You still have some time."
While chatting, Chen Xuan suddenly saw a column of black smoke rising from the mountain behind him.
"What’s that smoke?"
"It’s a signal fire," Xue Xiaojin’s expression turned serious immediately, "A single column means unknown forces are approaching from the north."
The north... Chen Xuan thought for a moment; it should be referring to the heartland of Qing State since the refugees had already fled to the edge of the Southern Territory.
"Shopkeeper Lord, may we ask for your assistance in defending the village?" he asked urgently, "The Immortal Master Lord should arrive shortly, but until then, we need your strength."
Darn it, did Immortal Master Liu not tell them the shopkeeper wasn’t adept at fighting face to face?
However, Chen Xuan wasn’t particularly worried, as Liu Shuyue was still within the Wanshan Wilderness, meaning she could return to the village in a short time. Moreover, nearly everyone in the village was skilled in Qi Sensing, which would be considered an entry-level Cultivator outside, making ordinary enemies not much of a threat.
"Alright, you lead the way."
Arriving outside the village, which was originally the Dragon-slaying Land, Chen Xuan saw the "unknown forces." Their numbers were not large, about a hundred, with half of them armored, seemingly a well-trained army.
These people came to suppress the refugees of Qing State?
But a hundred people seemed far too few. Even if the refugees hadn’t bathed in Dragon Blood, thirty thousand of them was enough to tear them to pieces.
The warriors of Hot Pepper Village were already prepared.
Nearly five hundred young men gathered here, dressing like tribal savages, wearing beast pelts and wielding primarily wooden spears and longbows. Judging from their appearance, no one would associate them with lofty Cultivators. But combat prowess had nothing to do with appearance; once a fight started, each of them could face ten opponents alone. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"Chen Xuan!"
A fragrant breeze blew from the side.
Before the words were finished, Liu Shuyue made a sudden stop and landed beside him.
"Did you use a Wind Riding Talisman again?" Chen Xuan nodded at her, "Aren’t such precious Talismans getting rarer with each use?"
When slaying the dragon, she used this technique to soar into the sky and cut down the Demon Dragon.
Liu Shuyue smiled, "Recently, my Talisman making skills have improved; I can already refine them with Dragon Scales, so I don’t have to be too stingy, especially when I sense you coming this way."
To Chen Xuan, they were apart for only a day, but to her, they hadn’t seen each other for fifteen days.
Her smile made the glistening greenery around a bit dimmer in comparison.
Chen Xuan always felt that since arriving in the Wanshan Wilderness, her mood had improved a lot, as if she had completely lifted some burden.
"They don’t seem like enemies," Liu Shuyue glanced at the distant hillside, "With General Gong’s audacity, he wouldn’t dare come looking for trouble with me with so few men."
Chen Xuan used the Divine Eye Technique to look closely and suddenly spotted an unexpectedly familiar face among the crowd.
"Oh? Why did he come here?"
"Who?"
"Governor Zhangwei, Shen Fang."
