Chapter 13

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Cen An almost immediately realized that this must be Yu Fei’s residence.

Suddenly, a hoarse, dry voice came from behind, “You heard it.”

Cen An whipped around—it was Yu Fei.

In the rain, clad in black robes, with intermittent screams piercing the air, Yu Fei looked like the protagonist of some eerie ghost story.

Cen An barely had time to think before swiftly drawing his iron sword from his backpack, having heard no footsteps indicating Yu Fei’s approach.

“Space-type? No, you’re not an ability user,” Yu Fei curled his lips, a smile playing on his face—unclear whether it was mocking or impatient. “Are you one of their people?”

Cen An responded coolly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s raining, and I’m in a hurry to get home. Could you please step aside?”

Perhaps he should improve his combat skills, he thought. Lately, all his energy had been spent on improving his quality of life. He definitely needed to make more weapons soon...

Yu Fei snorted oddly and reached out a hand to grab him.

Cen An immediately turned to dodge, swinging the iron sword without hesitation.

Yu Fei froze, his sleeve slashed open. He glanced down, muttering, “Strange iron sword…”

Cen An frowned. The iron sword, produced by the system, was of excellent quality with attribute bonuses. How could it only tear a small hole in the fabric?

Suddenly, his vision blurred; it felt like he was weightless, and a headache began to throb...

【You are under psychic ability attack】

Psychic ability? A rare power!

Cen An gritted his teeth against the discomfort and looked up. Sure enough, Yu Fei’s dark eyes had turned purple—a sign his ability was activated.

Clenching his sword tightly and lowering his gaze, Cen An thought: Since “Happy Farm” has a combat system, naturally it has skills—but they come at a heavy cost.

Not that he couldn’t use them!

Yu Fei’s lips curled again, shifting from offensive psychic power to control.

Cen An stared coldly, the tip of his iron sword glowing faintly white...

Suddenly, a weak call came from inside the thatched hut, “Brother, is a friend here?”

Both men froze.

Cen An then realized the chilling screams had long since stopped. Judging by the voice, it sounded like a young man.

Yu Fei’s expression darkened, even with a hint of hatred in his eyes.

He didn’t reply. The person inside was quiet for a moment before speaking again, with a hint of excitement, “Brother, are you inviting a friend over?”

A young man, no older than twenty, sounded very weak—and judging from the earlier screams, it was likely the same person. Yu Fei’s... younger brother?

Cen An lowered his gaze. He didn’t think Yu Fei would actually invite him in as a guest. Best not to fight if possible—after all, he couldn’t afford to use his combat skills right now...

The system’s battle skill icon flickered briefly before dimming.

【Sky Strike: consumes 50 crystal cores upon use.】

Such a heavy price.

Cen An sheathed his sword, about to turn away, when Yu Fei hoarsely said, “Please come inside.”

Cen An frowned, thinking: Are you crazy? We were almost at each other’s throats just now, and now you’re inviting me back as a guest?

Yu Fei replied calmly, “I have lime at home.”

Cen An was taken aback.

Yu Fei said, “I know you’ve been asking about lime, clay, and bamboo groves. I have all of those. If you want other minerals, we can negotiate.”

Cen An looked at him, “Just to invite me in as a guest?”

Yu Fei: “Just as a guest.”

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—

Cen An followed Yu Fei into the dilapidated thatched hut.

Inside was even worse than outside.

Unbelievably, Yu Fei had lived here for three years, yet the place was in such disrepair.

The hut was slightly larger than Cen An’s own small shack, containing three rooms. The outer room was cluttered with some wood and food.

In the middle room lay a person, emaciated and pale, wearing a weak smile. If he were unconscious, his condition would seem a hundred times worse than Liao Yongzhi’s.

This young man was completely different from Yu Fei. He had short flaxen hair and kind eyes. He invited Cen An to sit and smiled, “Brother hasn’t brought friends home in a long time. I often worry he doesn’t have good relationships outside.”

Cen An thought to himself that this worry was quite justified.

He examined the young man carefully. Beneath his pale skin, black currents of energy flickered erratically, and wherever they touched, the skin leaked faint traces of blood. His clothes were stained with blood—fresh stains from today—with no odor.

His body trembled slightly, as if enduring immense pain.

Cen An guessed that this strange illness flared up from time to time, causing unbearable agony—the source of those screams.

It was hard to imagine that amidst such suffering, his mental state seemed more stable than Yu Fei’s.

“I’m Yu Lin, a wood-type ability user,” he said with a smile. “There are flowers I’ve planted in the courtyard outside. Would you like to take a pot with you when you leave? I like giving flowers to friends.”

Cen An’s expression grew subtle. When he entered, he had indeed seen several pots of dried grass by the door and thought they were just for kindling—but they were flowers?

Yu Fei suddenly interrupted, “I’ll help him choose. You don’t need to worry!”

Yu Lin sighed, “Brother, be gentler with friends.”

Cen An’s expression became stranger still. How could Yu Fei, with such an angelic younger brother at home, have grown into such a stubborn and unlikeable person?

Yu Lin winked at him, “Brother Cen, my brother’s temper is like that. If he ever makes you angry, just tell me—I’ll deal with him for you.”

...

Cen An dryly replied, “Oh.”

He wasn’t good at this kind of casual conversation. More importantly, he wasn’t used to going from almost fighting one moment to a friendly atmosphere the next.

Yu Fei clearly found it harder to endure than him. He suddenly stood up, saying, “Alright, you should rest. I’ll take him to get some things.”

The two left, while Yu Lin lamented, “Eh? Not staying a bit longer?”

They walked into the innermost room.

Inside were many precious materials.

Besides the lime and clay Cen An needed, there were iron ore and copper ore he had searched mountain after mountain for without success, as well as rare minerals like turquoise and citrine. Even the obsidian, rarely seen in the game, was stocked here in several batches!

Cen An couldn’t help but wonder if Yu Fei had secretly stolen a mining area...

A hoarse, unpleasant voice asked, “What do you want?”

Cen An thought it over: “Thirty units of lime, twenty units of copper ore.”

Yu Fei nodded and motioned for him to take it himself.

Cen An glanced into the adjacent room, “I also want five units of turquoise and one unit of obsidian.”

Yu Fei slowly turned his gaze. “You’re getting a bit greedy.”

Cen An met his gaze without fear. “You know I make medicine.”

Yu Fei must have observed him for a long time or he wouldn’t know about the lime and clay. And he definitely knew about Cen An’s medical skills.

Yu Fei’s expression shifted. Cen An continued, “I can alleviate his symptoms, for now.”

When he entered earlier, he had checked Yu Lin’s condition.

He was immediately overwhelmed by a series of negative statuses: 【Ability Out of Control】【Poisoned】【Miasma Inflicted】【Cursed】【Dream Entangled】...

This was no longer a person—it was a walking debuff!

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When Cen An played games in his previous life, he never collected so many negative statuses.

In this state, no restorative ointment or healing potion could cure him. But with the healing potion, some debuffs could be eased, alleviating symptoms.

Yu Fei didn’t hesitate and immediately handed over the precious turquoise and valuable obsidian.

They came out from the inner room, and Yu Lin was still awake, smiling, “Brother Cen, have you taken everything? Want to play a bit more? I can weave little rabbits from leaves. Want to see?”

“Maybe not today,” Cen An smiled faintly. He took out a small vial of healing potion. “Here, drink this.”

“Mm.” Yu Lin glanced at his brother, opened the vial, and drank the green liquid inside. “It tastes like mushrooms... ugh!”

He frowned, a mix of pain and surprise. “This medicine...”

Yu Fei caught him, his hoarse voice nearly cracking, “How does it feel?”

Cen An watched his status carefully. The 【Miasma Inflicted】 and 【Dream Entangled】 debuffs vanished immediately; the 【Cursed】 status eased from “critical” to “severe,” while others remained.

The black currents beneath his pale skin slowly dissipated.

Yu Lin opened his eyes, shining brightly as he looked at Cen An. “I... I seem to...”

“Not healed yet,” Cen An shook his head. “Just a bit lighter.”

“That’s enough!” Yu Lin sat up abruptly. “Once I recover a bit more, I’ll go hunt beasts with my brother!”

That would be difficult. Cen An looked at his condition. Even if the other symptoms were bearable, 【Ability Out of Control】 was unaffected by the healing potion. Although his medicine could ease it somewhat, he wasn’t keen on getting more involved with Yu Fei right now...

“Brother Cen, wait!” Yu Lin was about to get up.

Yu Fei hurried to find shoes for him. “Don’t move, no barefoot!”

Yu Lin put on his shoes and spun around. “Where’s my seed pouch? Brother, where’s my seed pouch?”

Yu Fei pulled a small green pouch from his chest and handed it over.

Yu Lin took it, beaming as he opened it and pulled out a strangely shaped seed. He pressed it into a flowerpot, and green light radiated from his hand...

The seed sprouted from the soil in the pot, a thin green stalk growing a large, toothy mouth, with sharp teeth clacking as if ready to bite.

Sweat beaded on Yu Lin’s forehead as he smiled brightly and handed the pot to Cen An. “Brother Cen, this is for you! I wish I could use more of my ability to give you a mature one. This is a carnivorous plant; it can guard your home, recognize its owner, survive with just watering, and grow faster if fed crystal cores.”

Cen An looked at the flower pot. “Your brother already gave me a gift.”

“That’s not the same.” Yu Lin was cheerfully sent back to bed by his brother. “His gift is his; mine is mine. Besides, I want to be friends with Brother Cen, to cling to him!”

“How about you come again in a few days? I can help you grow some strangler vines—they not only guard the house but can be carried around...”

Cen An hesitated, then, using the basket as cover, took two small cabbages and placed them by the bed.

Both Yu Lin and Yu Fei were stunned.

He whispered, “Vegetables sold to the Ability Squad, you know.”

—

Leaving Yu Fei’s house, the sky was filled with stars.

Fortunately, he was still in the village, so it wasn’t too dangerous.

By chance, he ran into a patrol squad. Wang Lie led the younger members with a cheerful greeting, asking if he wanted a ride home.

Cen An was taken aback for a moment but shook his head.

Since arriving in this other world, he constantly reminded himself not to expose himself, not to trust easily, and to hide well...

Yet, why did he feel the connection to this world growing ever stronger?