Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 264

Chapter 264: Chapter 4 Settling Down

“Was this when the Heavenly Mother was crossing the sea… that Yan Gong?”

Li Yan's face showed a blend of shock and suspicion.

“Yes, those were two of his tentacles, somewhat similar to incarnations of thoughts. He probably wanted to go and test out other fruits,”

Lady Dan's words seemed casual, but Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

Even though Li Yan had been adrift in Yan Fu for over half a year and Lady Dan had come into his life from a different fruit, the thought that a bizarre creature like Yan Gong might follow him back to his hometown in Hejian gave Li Yan a strong sense of unreality.

No matter how exaggerated and bizarre the experiences in other fruits were, as long as he returned, those supernatural splendors would pop like bubbles.

Smog, highways, street stalls, “We want both gold and silver mountains, as well as clear waters and green hills” banners, bustling traffic, skyscrapers, people discussing wages and oil prices–this was the reality Li Yan had lived in for over twenty years.

It wasn't until these two pieces of charcoal fell that Li Yan realized, circulation between fruits was possible. Those strange spirits, miraculous sorcerers, and his own childhood environment were all on the same tree.

Of course, even a being as powerful as Yan Gong might not truly be able to shake this seemingly prosperous, peaceful, and lukewarm world. After all, being a modern person, Li Yan had a certain understanding of technological weapons.

If one disregarded the environmental damage, the destructive power of modern military weapons might not be much less than those mountains-moving, seas-filling monsters and demons touted on the internet…

“Heaven Jiazi Nine. Currently known to be the only fruit that produces walkers of Yan Fu…”

Li Yan seemed to remember that the earlier a fruit's sequence was, the wider its domain and the more terrifying the energy it contained.

In this light, he wasn't over-worrying unnecessarily. Moreover, it was clear that Yan Fu wasn't keen on stowaways like Yan Gong. Yet, as another odd being from the fruits, Lady Dan was accepted by Yan Fu. There was one major difference between them.

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Heritage.

Lady Dan held the Yan Fu Heritage that came from Taishuai.

Thinking of these things, Li Yan raised the six coins in his hand. The Black Rider Ghost bowed its head and transformed into a black stream, pouring into the square hole of the six coins. Bai Laotou, who was spitting peanut shells off his shoulder, was caught off guard, yelped, and was sucked in. Peanuts scattered everywhere.

“Let's see how Xiaodao is doing,” Li Yan remembered something, “By the way, since you can freely enter and exit Yan Fu…”

“I can only go in and out of different fruits by following you; without the requests of Yan Fu events, there are no rewards either.”

Lady Dan understood and raised her eyebrows slightly, “When you think about it, I and that Renegade called Feng Yi seem more like we're on the same side.”

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener intentional; however, Li Yan didn't say anything more, just silently noted it in his heart.

“We've hit the jackpot this time!”

Cha Xiaodao roared.

He slapped his thigh and stood up, his face full of excitement.

“The haul wasn't small, right?”

“You'll know when you see it next time.”

Both knew how to behave; there was no need for secrecy, and one would answer truthfully if the other had a need, but they also wouldn't actively ask about the other's gains and cards. It was enough to hint at the subject.

“By the way, I've caught a lot of precious ingredients during sea fishing. I can almost make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Let's meet up when we get back. I'm used to my kitchen.”

“Sure.”

Li Yan nodded, turned his hand over, and presented the refined Taiping Document to Cha Xiaodao.

“You'll find it useful.”

Cha Xiaodao, after reading the prompt, gave Li Yan a surprised look, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Three hundred and six methods, I'll use them until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse.”

“Anyway, I've taken advantage of you this time.”

Cha Xiaodao scratched his scalp.

“We'll talk when we meet up.”

“Sure.”

After Cha Xiaodao enhanced his heritage, the Taiping Document consumed about twenty more methods.

“How about your Lord of the Xiang River heritage? With six chances at 20%, your odds of getting it are pretty high.”

Li Yan's face darkened.

Cha Xiaodao didn't notice Li Yan's complexion as he held a pale golden tea canister in his hand.

“The one who brought me in said the storytelling jar is the most deceptive. Some people spent tens of thousands of points and just got a room full of junk. I don't usually buy, but this time I thought I'd give it a try.”

As Cha Xiaodao spoke, he turned his head, “Don't you want one too?”

Li Yan exhaled. It wasn't that he lacked the points, he just felt terribly frustrated.

“Forget it, maybe next time.”

“Crash~”

In the spacious courtyard, Li Yan wore a white hurdling vest and had a towel draped over his neck. He spit out a mouthful of toothpaste foam.

Comparing people really could be infuriating. When Mo first came to the audio store to find Li Yan, he had donned the same look as an old man from the North, also in his twenties. But with a potbelly sticking out, he looked utterly wretched.

If Li Yan wore the same attire, with his broad shoulders and thick back, his muscles taut and well-defined on his arms, eyes bright, and wet short hair dripping bead by bead down his jaw, he seemed vibrant after toweling off his face, a sight pleasant to any onlooker.

Li Yan took a deep breath, glancing at his reflection in the water.

“The overlap effect, General Li, Tianbao, heh heh.”

He murmured to himself, rubbing his face, then casually slung the towel over his shoulder and headed inside.

This was the sixth day since his return. There had been no news from Nine Luminaries' assessment, nor the auction for the Ten Masters' special supply series. Other than shaking spears and practicing boxing every day, as well as soaking in pricey medicinal concoctions, Li Yan actually felt a bit empty.

Whether it was chaotic fighting or scheming, those were affairs of the past. It made Li Yan somewhat consider visiting Xiu'er in the South Seas. After all, the flow of time for the two fruits was different, and he could rest longer there.

Inside the house, Lady Dan, donning a white sweater, was fiddling with the air conditioner. As she looked for the remote control, she opened a storage cabinet and found a copper-colored gramophone lying inside.

She furrowed her brows and stared at it for a good while, feeling more and more that the object seemed familiar.

“Today, we toast to our triumphs with hearty drink, our lofty aspirations unfulfilled, our oaths endure…”

Li Yan hummed a tune from a model opera as he walked into the inner room. He paced back and forth, rummaging through several drawers before he found an ear pick.

A woman's voice came from the outer room.

“Hey, that gramophone in the cabinet, when did you buy it?”

Li Yan, squinting as he cleaned his ear, didn't pay much attention and replied, “Last time in Yan Capital, I saw you liked it and bought it when I had a moment. It just so happened that Bai Laotou's funeral was happening and I got distracted and forgot. When I got back I discovered it seemed to be broken, so I didn't tell you. I was planning to have someone fix it someday.”

“Oh,” said Lady Dan as she closed the cabinet. She glanced around and, wearing sandals, stood on her tiptoes to reach for the remote on top of the cabinet. “I'll go get it fixed tomorrow.”

“I can do it. It's hard to find someone who knows how to fix those things now.”

Li Yan's voice came through.

This estate was Li Yan's ancestral property. Including the courtyard and the practice field, it covered over five hundred square meters, a bungalow. It could comfortably house six or seven people. Now mostly empty, Li Yan and Lady Dan each had their own room.

Their relationship was a bit ambiguous, but they hadn't crossed that line. Normally, Lady Dan would help clean the house, just living there and going online. Li Yan naturally didn't make any comments.

To be honest, for the first time, Li Yan felt having an extensive family property wasn't such a great thing…

Recalling this, he asked seemingly nonchalantly, “By the way, about what I said last time, about wanting to move, what do you think? It's not convenient around the old home here. Living in Jinhai City would have better conditions.”

Li Yan paused, “It's just that the house definitely won't be as big.”

Lady Dan, without looking up, said, “I think it's better to live somewhere more spacious. By the way, where are your keys?”

“In my room, on the bookshelf.”

As he finished speaking, someone knocked loudly on the door.

Li Yan frowned and walked a few steps to the front door. He unlatched it and as he saw the person outside, his irritation subsided significantly.

“Auntie, what's wrong?”

The person outside was a neighbor of two generations, whom he had addressed as auntie since childhood. Her surname was Cui, and she must be around fifty.

Mrs. Cui's eyelids were red and swollen, each wrinkle glistening with moistness, clearly having cried.

She grabbed Li Yan's wrist at once, her palm icy, “Dayan! I have no one else to turn to! I'm begging you, pull your uncle into line. If you don't step in, he's going to lose his life…”

Chapter end