Chapter 34: Spicy Village

Three days later.

Chen Xuan, carrying the supplies he had purchased online, pushed open the back door of Room 201. The entrance and exit had shifted once again, moving from the top of the hillside to a cave on the edge of the great mountains. According to Liu Shuyue, it seemed that as long as she designated a place as her residence and it possessed the basic characteristics of a room, Room 201 would connect to it.

For instance, this cave—lacking even a window, furnished only with a wooden door and a bed of grass—was sufficient to count as a dwelling.

Liu Shuyue was not in the cave.

This was to be expected; she had been swamped with endless tasks lately, whether leading the people to develop resources around the mountains or heading to the center of Qingzhou to guide new refugees to this sanctuary. To ensure Chen Xuan could find her at any time, not only had she entrusted the room key to his safekeeping, but she had also left five sound-transmission talismans, promising that she would rush to him as soon as she received word.

Chen Xuan stepped out of the cave. A young boy at the entrance immediately cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Shopkeeper!"

He recognized the boy as Xue Xiaojin, one of the more gifted children among the first wave of refugees. Since being invigorated by dragon blood, he had already mastered the Clarity Heart Technique and the Spirit Sword Technique to the third level.

"The Immortal Master has gone to explore the mountains. She said that if you arrived, you could wander around the village first, and I would be your guide."

"What is the date today?" The first thing Chen Xuan did whenever he arrived was to confirm the time.

"November 5th," Xue Xiaojin replied fluently.

The Dragon-Slaying Day had occurred three weeks ago.

When he arrived yesterday, only fifteen days had passed on this side.

This meant that unless the door to Room 201 was kept open at all times, time on both sides would pass at a relative, irregular rate.

Of course, there was a general rule: the closer the bond between the guest and the shop, the smaller the time disparity. For example, he had previously not seen Liu Shuyue for a few days, yet five years had jumped by in the interim.

"Give this to whoever is in charge of the farming." Chen Xuan took off his backpack and tossed it to Xue Xiaojin.

The boy was instantly excited. "Could the items in this bag be the 'Immortal Seeds' the Immortal Master mentioned before?"

"That’s right. What kind of vegetables you can grow is written on the packaging. If you plant them well, you might even get a harvest before winter."

"I’ll go deliver them right away! Please wait for me, sir!"

"Go ahead, I'll go check the lakeside."

Chen Xuan smiled as he watched the boy hurry off as if clutching a treasure. They weren't anything precious—just premium seeds bought online. There were spices like green onions and garlic, easy-to-grow vegetables like cabbage and water spinach, and two full bags of potato and tomato seeds, all totaling less than five hundred yuan. But their strength lay in their superior genetics; combined with the growth-promoting spells, the final yield should be quite gratifying.

On the sparkling surface of the lake, several simple rafts were patrolling back and forth, casting fishing nets. Naturally, these nets were also bought by him, and they caught several thousand fish every single day.

The lakeside served as a drying ground. Dense rows of wooden racks were hung not only with fish but also with beast meat and hides. The latter were the spoils of the hunting team—they had crafted superior bows, arrows, knives, and shields from dragon tendons, dragon teeth, and dragon hides, easily making them the masters of all living things in this region. One had to admit that the natural resources here were incredibly abundant; one could see schools of fish swimming in the crystal-clear blue water with the naked eye, and wolves and foxes in the forest would boldly approach to beg for the innards discarded by the refugees.

By the way... it was no longer appropriate to call them refugees.

Liu Shuyue had given the village a name: Mala (Spicy).

They were now residents of Mala Village.

As for why she chose that name... her answer left Chen Xuan both amused and speechless. The village could not have been established without his help, and the sign hanging above the shop he operated read "Malatang."

It seemed it was time to change to a more formal shop name.

"Shopkeeper, the seeds have been delivered!" Xue Xiaojin came running back, beaming.

"Good. How many people do you have now?"

"About thirty-one thousand."

"That’s quite a lot."

"Yes, the Immortal Master said that once we reach forty thousand, we will conduct another dragon blood bath so that the latecomers can keep pace with us."

Chen Xuan nodded. In Liu Shuyue's eyes, that dragon was a treasure trove; she would certainly squeeze every ounce of value out of it. He had seen the miraculous nature of that creature—even after being stripped for so long, the blood and meat refused to rot, as if life still lingered within.

"Kid, how is life here? Do you regret coming to these wild, barren mountains?"

"That goes without saying, sir! These days have been like a dream!" Xue Xiaojin said without hesitation. "Before, I couldn't even get a full meal. On the road, I was terrified of being eaten by others. Every night when I closed my eyes, I wondered if I would make it to the next day. It only got better when the Immortal Master started distributing relief grain. But now, my mother and I can eat meat every day, and I can learn immortal arts. I feel like I have endless strength!"

"What about before the famine?" Chen Xuan asked, curious.

"If there hadn't been a disaster, that would have been best... at least my father and younger brother wouldn't have died." The boy's voice softened slightly. "But it has already happened, and I won't waste time wishing things could go back to the past. From now on, I will be the one to protect my mother!"

"A fine resolve."

"Then, could you adjust my ability to something better suited for combat? I feel like I'm better suited for the hunting team than logistics!"

"That’s not up to me; you'll need the Immortal Master's approval. Besides, the hunting team only recruits adults, and you’re still a long way off."

In the middle of their chat, Chen Xuan suddenly saw a pillar of black smoke rising from the mountain behind them.

"What is that smoke?"

"It's a beacon fire," Xue Xiaojin said, his expression turning serious. "One plume means unidentified forces are approaching from the north."

The north... Chen Xuan thought for a moment. That should refer to the heart of Qingzhou, as the refugees had already fled to the edge of the southern border.

"Shopkeeper, could you please come to the front of the village to support us?" he asked urgently. "The Immortal Master should be here soon, but until then, we need your strength."

Great. Hadn't the Immortal Master told them that the Shopkeeper wasn't particularly good at direct combat?

However, Chen Xuan was not panicked. Since Liu Shuyue was still within the Wanshan Wilderness, it would only take her about fifteen minutes to return to the village. Plus, almost everyone in the village could sense qi, which would count as being an initiate cultivator in the outside world; ordinary enemies really couldn't do much against them.

"Fine, lead the way."

Arriving outside the village, at the original site of the dragon-slaying, Chen Xuan saw the "unidentified force." They were not many in number, about a hundred people, half of whom were armored, looking like a well-trained army.

Were these people here to suppress the Qingzhou refugees?

But a hundred people were far too few. Even if these refugees hadn't bathed in dragon blood, thirty thousand people would be enough to tear them to shreds.

The warriors of Mala Village were already prepared.

Nearly five hundred young, able-bodied men had gathered here. They looked like tribal savages, wrapped in animal skins, their weapons primarily wooden spears and longbows. Looking at their appearance, no one would associate them with high-and-mighty cultivators. Yet, combat power had nothing to do with attire; once the fighting started, each of these people could take on ten.

"Chen Xuan!"

A fragrant breeze blew from the side.

Before the sound had faded, Liu Shuyue landed beside him with a sharp braking motion.

"You used a Wind-Riding Talisman again?" Chen Xuan nodded at her. "Isn't such a precious talisman meant to be used sparingly?"

When she killed the dragon before, she had used this very move to soar into the sky and strike the demon dragon down with a single sword stroke.

Liu Shuyue smiled. "My talisman-making technique has improved recently. I can now refine them using dragon scales, so I don't need to be too stingy, especially when I sense that you have arrived."

To Chen Xuan, only a day had passed, but in her eyes, they had been separated for fifteen days.

Her smile made the surrounding lush green fields seem to dim in comparison.

Chen Xuan always felt that since arriving in the Wanshan Wilderness, her mood had improved significantly, as if she had completely cast off some kind of restraint.

"They don't look like enemies," Liu Shuyue said, sweeping a glance at the distant hillside. "Given General Gong's cowardice, he wouldn't dare bring only this many people to cause me trouble."

Chen Xuan used his Divine Eye to inspect them carefully, and suddenly, he spotted an unexpectedly familiar face in the crowd.

"Oh? Why is he here?"

"Who?"

"The Prefect of Zhangwei, Shen Fang."