Chapter 13: In the Shadows

“Second brother? Fourth brother?”

The burly giant’s eyes turned red; his long sword let out a dragon’s cry, flashing several inches of blade light in the darkness as he slashed horizontally!

Puff!

The sword cut across the wild boar beast, leaving a long gash of blood.

A wound that would be fatal to a human meant nothing to this boar beast—it only stoked its ferocity further.

Huff! Puff!

It raised its hooves high and slammed down violently!

Boom!

The ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake.

A ring of earth-yellow light emerged and spread rapidly outward.

The third brother was instantly engulfed by the light; several earthen spears sprouted from his chest, pinning him to the ground.

“Third brother?!”

The burly giant knew he was done for; without hesitation, he pulled a bright yellow talisman from the leather pouch on his chest and tore it open with solemn care.

Ding!

A circle of golden radiance appeared around him, faintly taking the shape of a giant golden bell.

Several earthen spears struck the golden bell, emitting dull thuds.

After activating this hard-won “Golden Bell Talisman,” the burly giant did not hesitate—he turned and ran!

In the darkness, a streak of golden light fled desperately ahead, while a massive black shadow with blood-red tusks chased behind—utterly conspicuous.

After both had departed, a whirring sound suddenly emerged from the air.

A small, pitch-black drone descended; its mechanical claws extended, snatched up some small objects on the ground, and vanished swiftly into the night.

…

Temporary camp.

“Blade light? That man’s strength is truly at the Rough Jade level—and he also uses talisman arts? What is this… cultivation? Dao practice?”

Fang Xing stared at the surveillance footage, his face filled with shock; he looked up at the sky.

“Here it comes.”

He piloted the drone to land and reached out to collect the retrieved items.

“No wonder these are interstellar-era drones—cheap, with vastly improved endurance and payload capacity…”

With a sigh, Fang Xing put on rubber gloves and began sorting the items.

The most dazzling among them were naturally several “Crimson Dragon Grass” specimens!

After all, these men had died for them—they must be valuable.

“Hmm, there are quite a few transcendental species nearby; their nests seem to harbor strange herbs…”

Fang Xing studied the Crimson Dragon Grass, stroked his chin, and suddenly conceived a way to make money.

That was to use drones to harvest rare herbs!

This approach had many advantages—first, it was perfectly stealthy!

To most beasts, drones were just inanimate objects, nearly impossible to detect.

Combined with flight capability, speed, and the ability to strike unseen, success rates would be very high!

Of course, if directly spotted by a beast, the drone would surely be destroyed.

But that brings up another advantage—cheapness!

Even if a beast discovered it, you’d only lose one drone.

In Maple City, that’s practically a child’s toy—extremely inexpensive.

“Risk it all—bicycle to motorcycle!”

Fang Xing sighed, then turned his gaze to the other items.

The looted goods were few: a jet-black dagger, its blade gleaming coldly—clearly razor-sharp.

In addition, a small money pouch.

The pouch seemed made of tanned beast hide, dull and unremarkable in appearance.

When he pulled open the mouth, inside were three peculiar ores and four tiny crystal grains, each the size of a grain of rice.

“The pouch was tied tightly—clearly the original owner feared losing these little grains…”

Fang Xing placed one crystal before him, examining it closely; it was transparent as jade, with what seemed to be a swirling mist inside.

Moreover, under the external light, it appeared to be wrapped in a faint, illusory, multicolored glow.

“Clearly something valuable.”

He set the items aside and stared at the electronic map on screen.

After days of reconnaissance, Fang Xing had gained a rough understanding of the surroundings.

“Many transcendental species, many ferocious beasts… a dangerous place.”

“Combined with the route these four took today, the human settlement must lie to the east?”

“Go back, buy a few more toy drones, and explore eastward…”

With a thought, Fang Xing set the drone to auto-cruise and launched it again.

Then, silently counting three seconds in his mind, a silver-white glow appeared before him.

The light flared brightly, swallowing him whole.

When he came to his senses again, he stood in his bedroom.

“Known: I can now freely cross between worlds—just a three-second delay, no other cost required…”

“As for the destination, it seems to be based on my current location?”

“Lastly, items and even living creatures—like the white mouse—from this world can be taken to the other world, and vice versa…”

Fang Xing looked at his palm—the small money pouch lay quietly in his hand.

“Valuable, yes—but I dare not take it out for appraisal, let alone sell it…”

“Even the supplies I bought earlier were already suspicious; if I start bulk purchasing now…”

Though the Federation values privacy and citizens are free to buy anything not on the prohibited list,

Fang Xing had a habit of keeping things hidden.

“Maybe I should cultivate an outdoorsy survival-enthusiast persona?”

“For now, buying but not selling isn’t too risky…”

He confirmed one more thing—or rather, his future rule: items from the other world must never be sold under this official identity!

“Looks like… I can’t avoid the black market after all.”

Fang Xing sighed.

…

Oak Park.

Endless green vegetation stretched out; lawns rolled on, with colorful flowers blooming along the edges of flowerbeds.

Night had fallen; the lights were dim.

Paths paved with colorful pebbles saw few pedestrians; every so often stood long benches shaped like small animals.

Due to its tranquil environment and beautiful scenery, it was a favorite spot for lovers in Maple City.

Liu Wei held a bouquet of flowers, nervously waiting, when a soft, delicate voice suddenly reached his ear: “Ah Wei, I’m here…”

“Lian… Lianyi.”

Liu Wei seemed startled, then instinctively tried to hide the flowers behind his back—but realized it was pointless, caught between awkwardness and embarrassment.

“Why did you call me?” Bai Lianyi was not wearing her usual training attire but a white dress, her demeanor even more refined.

“I… I…”

Liu Wei, having prepared himself mentally, finally spoke: “I’ve thought it through clearly—I don’t love Ouyang Qianqian… I love…”

Bai Lianyi’s eyes held both amusement and sorrow as she shook her finger, stopping him: “It won’t work…”

“Why? Because of what happened at Huizhong Jiangfu? I know—I know everything. I’m not a fool… I just… don’t care…”

Liu Wei’s face flushed crimson; even his acne seemed to tremble.

“What’s there to care about? I just dated a wealthy boyfriend,” Bai Lianyi answered calmly. “I’m not stupid—I won’t say the same things those jealous girls do.”

Liu Wei fell silent.

Indeed, that was exactly what his investigation had revealed.

Bai Lianyi wasn’t as bad as the other girls claimed—but there were other things.

For instance, her wealthy boyfriend was rather old…

“In white people’s culture, finding a sugar daddy isn’t seen as shameful—especially when it’s for education, even kind of inspiring…”

A strange thought surfaced in Liu Wei’s mind; he then swore: “I promise I’ll treat you well—I’ll get into university, I…”

He suddenly stumbled, realizing the boy had nothing—indeed, he was in debt.

All he could offer was the future and hope!

But those meant nothing compared to now!

This was the bitter, green first love of a teenage boy!

“Mm…”

Bai Lianyi twisted her fingers: “I’ll cheer for you—and for Ah Xing too…”

“Ah Xing?”

Liu Wei felt an odd sensation: “Why bring him up?”

“Because…” the girl’s eyes seemed to gleam: “Ah Xing is so incredible—he’s already reached Stage Two of the Great Dragon Stake cultivation; he’s very likely to pass the college entrance exam.”

“I…”

Liu Wei fell silent suddenly, feeling like a defeated dog.

Compared to him now, he couldn’t match that man.

Compared to him in the future, he still couldn’t match Ah Xing.

He had already stopped caring—even admired the girl before him, wanted to give her security—so why had things turned out like this?

In an instant, his heart turned to ash; he didn’t even know what he said, and stumbled away.

…

The night wind was cold and still; all was silent.

The surveillance camera above the park lamp clicked, as if short-circuiting.

A shadow suddenly appeared behind Bai Lianyi, as if it had been silently observing everything.

“Good, I’ve successfully stirred up his resentment… Now that you’ve come to him, using Fang Xing as a comparison and offering investment, he’ll accept.”

Bai Lianyi’s voice was cold, like snow lotus from Mount Tianshan.

“Yes, now we have another ally. Once he’s witnessed those great things, he’ll surely agree.”

The shadow spoke in a deep, resonant tone: "But compared to this, I have more faith in his classmate."

Bai Lianyi’s elegant brows slightly furrowed: “Xia Long pays more attention to Fang Xing, and recently Fang Xing has been staying indoors, stopped working—despite me throwing out several baits through Liu Wei, he never took them. It’s strange. Could he have been terrified by the last envoy’s arrival?”

“Not impossible… The mental shock brought by the envoy can subtly and completely alter a person.”

The shadow fell silent for a moment, then replied: “If so, he’s useless—no value. The talent we need must at least pass the college entrance exam, or there’s not even a sliver of chance to rise to the Federation’s upper echelons!”

“But such things may require waiting… very, very long.”

Bai Lianyi sighed.

The Federation’s average lifespan is now extremely long—especially among the upper tiers.

Martial cultivation is the cheapest path to evolution, yet even after the Fourth Stage, it greatly extends life.

Self-evolution, gene surgery, serums, psychic abilities—various life-extension methods allow the Federation’s elite to hold power for extraordinarily long periods.

“Heh… To those great beings, time is utterly meaningless!”

The shadow’s voice gradually faded, until it vanished…