Chapter 266: 262 Nail and Hammer

Clang—

The doorbell chimed, and a man covered in dust and grime hunched his shoulders as he stepped into the shop with "Miaomiaowu" written on the entrance. He peered around cautiously and whispered, "Excuse me, is anyone here?"

After arriving in this forest, he had spent some time exploring and found this strange little shop hidden away. He couldn't find any other place to stay for the time being, and he was afraid of accidentally getting into the same kind of trouble as before, so he thought he would come in and take a look.

"Welcome to our shop." Just as Fang Mu stepped inside, a man in red who had appeared out of nowhere stood by his side. His voice was neither high nor low, yet it was deafening.

Fang Mu shuddered, his gaze traveling from the man in red's toes, up his thighs and torso, all the way to that slightly pale, gentle smiling face.

"H-hello." Fang Mu nodded with a dry laugh, his tense heart relaxing slightly.

Although it was strange—ever since entering the mountains, everything had been as bizarre and unfathomable as a dream, and the progression of events felt disjointed—at least he had finally met someone he could talk to.

Of course, Fang Mu did not think that someone capable of running a shop in this place could be an ordinary person.

"Hello, my name is Wei Jiang, I am the shop assistant here." The man in red nodded and smiled as he led Fang Mu toward the counter. "Please, follow me."

"Um... may I ask what exactly this place is?" Fang Mu followed closely behind the man in red, glancing at the goods on the shelves that were arranged without any pattern, and asked curiously. When he saw a golden statue of a toad on a shelf, he couldn't help but want to touch it.

"I wouldn't recommend touching that directly." Just as Fang Mu was about to reach the wooden box, Wei Jiang grabbed his wrist and said with a serious expression, "It's a bit dangerous."

The other party did not explain the reason for the danger, but looking into eyes that did not seem to be lying, Fang Mu only felt a chill. The man's hand was cold, his words were cold, and the reason hidden behind them was even colder.

"Sorry, it just looked a bit familiar." Fang Mu withdrew his hand weakly and continued to follow behind Wei Jiang, not forgetting to glance back at the Golden Toad Statue a few more times.

How was this Golden Toad Statue so similar to the toads he had seen in the cave earlier? It was just a different color... and perhaps its expression was a bit softer?

Arriving at the counter, Fang Mu saw a young man lounging in a recliner, looking quite at ease. Judging by his appearance, he seemed younger than himself.

But when the young man's gaze slowly swept toward him, Fang Mu felt pressure from those eyes. The young man's pupils held a turbidity only found in the elderly, which made him subconsciously think: Could it be that this person only looks young?

From the demeanor the young man displayed, Fang Mu had already guessed that the person before him was the owner of this Forest Cabin. The woman in white playing with a cat at the Shrine in the corner, the man in black cleaning the shelves, and Wei Jiang in red waiting beside the young man were all the young man's employees... or more accurately, his subordinates. That kind of reverence and obedience did not look like a simple boss-employee relationship.

Fang Mu also showed his respect, greeting the shop owner solemnly and politely.

"This is our boss," Wei Jiang introduced. "If you have any needs, you can bring them up to our boss."

"It wasn't easy getting here, was it?" Lin Ling looked at the man's disheveled appearance. Instead of rushing to ask about his needs, he smiled softly, "Our restroom is equipped with a shower. If you need it, you can borrow it to rinse off."

"Sorry, I must look quite a sight. How embarrassing." Fang Mu felt a bit awkward and blushed slightly. Aside from mud and sweat, he also smelled of those strange toads. Now that he had relaxed, he realized with a pale face that he might have accidentally sat on or stepped on quite a few of them, and there might still be bits of their flesh and bodily fluids on his hiking boots and clothes.

Wei Jiang pointed out the direction of the restroom and explained how to use the shower. Fang Mu thanked him and walked quickly into the restroom with his head down.

Twenty minutes later, Fang Mu emerged from the bathroom, his appearance clean and tidy. He was wearing a cheap light blue polo shirt and khaki trousers. He expressed his gratitude to Lin Ling and Wei Jiang once more, "Thank you for your help, and thank you for the clothes."

Whether it was psychological or not, he felt that after bathing and changing, his energy and spirit had improved significantly—more refreshed than if he had slept for a whole day after being exhausted. Thinking back on the terrifying encounter in the cave, it didn't seem so scary anymore. Moreover... the body wash used by this shop had a very special scent, like a mixture of several plants, with a medicinal aroma that made one feel at ease just by smelling it.

"You're welcome," Lin Ling said with a smile.

"I will pay for these clothes," Fang Mu said earnestly, then took out a SIM card he had removed from his broken phone with some embarrassment. "I wonder if you could lend me a phone? I need to log into a payment app to transfer the money to you."

"No need to pay for the clothes," Lin Ling shook his head, a playful expression appearing on his face. "As long as you don't mind that they are clothes from someone's burial."

Hearing this, Fang Mu's expression stiffened, and he laughed dryly: "B-burial clothes? Aren't those specifically tailored funeral shrouds? Boss, you really know how to joke."

Wei Jiang explained from the side: "It's like this. Generally speaking, you are correct, but if the deceased's body cannot be recovered or no longer exists, the family and friends of the deceased will often consider setting up a cenotaph, using the clothes, jewelry, or daily items the deceased favored or used most often during their lifetime as a substitute for the body to be buried."

Fang Mu remained silent; he actually didn't want to know such clear details.

"You seem to have encountered some trouble that is bothering you. We have many 'very useful' items here that might be able to help you." Lin Ling stood up, walked to one of the shelves, took down a Straw Man wrapped in countless yellow paper talismans, and said with a smile.

Fang Mu pursed his lips and looked up at the sky, feeling that if he didn't pay some price to buy something today, he might not be able to walk out of this shop.

After thinking for a moment, he laid his cards on the table for Lin Ling and the others regarding his encounter. "I have run into some trouble..."

After finishing his story, Fang Mu took a deep breath and said in a tone tinged with pleading and pity: "I wonder if you have any way to help me get out of this situation."

"A diary of the future's past, a sleeping ancient unknown god, an ancient civilization... Hmm, not exactly fresh, but still interesting." Lin Ling nodded, evaluating Fang Mu's story, then turned to the third shelf from the left, took down a pair of Nail Hammer, and smiled. "Take this."

"... What is this?" Fang Mu looked at the pair of Nail Hammer, feeling a sense of unease for no reason.

"As you can see, it's just a Nail and a Hammer."