Old Yang Exposed

The next two days passed in complete calm, and the street loafer An Yue seemed to have quieted down as well.

Yu Ziqing could tell that although he appeared the same as the previous days on the surface, he seemed to have lost any intention of continuing his investigation. When he ran into people, he would still greet them and chat, but the topics shifted toward food—he even pulled out some small snacks from who knows where and shared them with the villagers.

Even Er Han was willing to exchange a few words with him.

Yu Ziqing knew his instincts were right; Er Han, for all his simple looks, was more focused and sensitive than anyone in certain matters. He felt that after An Yue went to the back mountain and examined the deceased elderly, he had likely given up.

Yu Ziqing didn't know exactly who Old Yang was. Old Yang had already said that if he dared to reveal his identity, danger would follow, but that didn't stop Yu Ziqing from speculating on his own.

Putting himself in the shoes of those searching for Old Yang, the focus of their hunt wouldn't be on the Wasteland either, because too much time had passed. At most, out of caution, they'd include the Wasteland as an afterthought, and Jinlan Village was just a routine sweep along the way.

Daylight broke, and breakfast was unusually lavish.

Today was delivery day, and also the village's collective rest day—none of the miners had to risk going deep underground to dig ore. Yu Ziqing relaxed a bit too. The oil pressed from Jinlan Mushrooms had been tested, and after several days, it hadn't spoiled or turned toxic, so he could afford to be a little extravagant and make plenty of fried delicacies.

With the successful experience of oil pressing and days of tinkering, he had extracted starch and made vermicelli from it, which also hadn't gone bad. This wasteful process had squandered most of the Jinlan Mushroom's medicinal value and nourishing substances, leaving behind only its value as food. But there was a benefit: after being processed, the vermicelli, once dried, could be stored for a long time without spoiling or turning toxic.

Outside, such practices would get a person beaten to death, but the villagers loved it. Their only concern had always been filling their stomachs. The aunties in the kitchen, who insisted on teaching a dish for every task they helped with, immediately promised that Yu Ziqing wouldn't have to haul Jinlan Mushrooms anymore. If he hadn't stopped them in time, they'd have even taken over his chopping work.

The open space in the middle of the village was packed with people, a rare and lively scene. Some even used water they'd normally be reluctant to waste to wash their faces and hair.

As the head chef, Yu Ziqing was swamped with work. Er Han crouched nearby, constantly sniffing the air, savoring the delicious aromas.

The Village Chief hobbled over with his cane, eyeing the large basin of fried goodies with amazement, a smile in his eyes. Like everyone else in the village, he didn't care how valuable the Jinlan Mushrooms were—he only cared that everyone had enough to eat and didn't starve. That lowest of needs was already the greatest hope here. How could he not look favorably on Yu Ziqing, who used what was available to create food that could be stored for a long time?

"Er Han, you teach Young Master Yu his boxing well, and make sure he builds up his strength. If you slack off, I'll break both your legs."

"Grandpa, don't worry, don't worry."

Yu Ziqing smiled, listening to the affectionate exchange between the old man and his grandson, occasionally sweeping his gaze across the crowd.

An Yue was in the crowd, chatting with a group of villagers about something. From a distance, everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The venue was bustling with activity, people coming and going. No one noticed that two new villagers had slipped away from the crowd and headed toward the Earth Den. Even if someone saw, they wouldn't have paid it any mind.

"Are you sure this will work?" one of them, sallow-faced and thin, hesitated. "If that Yu guy finds out, he'll definitely turn on us. The Village Chief thinks very highly of him."

"Do you want to stay here forever?" the other gritted his teeth, his face twisted with barely concealed resentment. "Stuck digging mines every day, until one day a cave-in buries you alive."

"But at least we can eat our fill here. You know what it's like outside. I think it's fine—as long as we work hard, no one skimps on our food." The sallow-faced man was still wavering.

"What do you know? Didn't you hear that man say the Great Qian he comes from isn't cold at all? Their grain harvests are so plentiful that when the wind blows, it ripples like waves. No one starves there. If we can go with him to Great Qian, it'll be better than this no matter what. Don't you want to go?"

"I do, but I don't think this is right."

"So what if we offend him? After today, we might be leaving. That man said the other day that the fresh mutton he ate in Great Qian, just boiled in plain water, was the finest delicacy—but he never got to taste it again after coming out on business. Don't you get what that means?"

"What? He wants us to steal that sheep from Young Master Yu?"

"No." The grim-faced man sneered coldly. "What do you know? Young Master Yu was captured along with us, but he wasn't affected by the curse. That sheep he keeps—eight times out of ten, it's a person in disguise. If it weren't, why would he keep raising it?"

"Uh, I don't follow."

"There's only one sheep left alive in the whole village. That man from Great Qian hinted at it to us several times over the past couple of days, afraid we wouldn't catch on. He's been beating around the bush asking questions. Does he really think we're too ignorant to notice? He's looking for someone, and now that he hasn't found them, he wants to see if Young Master Yu's sheep is the one."

"Did he say he'd take us with him?"

"No, but are you willing to gamble? If you do, there's a chance to leave and go to Great Qian. If you don't, you'll dig mines here for the rest of your life and die in a pit one day." The grim-faced man's expression grew even more savage, like a gambler who'd lost all reason, unwilling to let even a sliver of possibility slip away.

"I..."

"If you're not coming, I'll go alone!" He tossed the words over his shoulder and turned to leave.

Seeing the other walk away, the sallow-faced man hesitated, then gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and chased after him.

The two arrived at Yu Ziqing's Earth Den. They ducked inside and saw Old Yang lying quietly on a pile of hay, his hooves tucked under his belly. He slowly opened his eyes, his rectangular pupils reflecting the intruders.

The grim-faced man grinned at the sight of Old Yang. He pulled out a rope belt and carefully looped it around the sheep's neck, acting as if he were afraid of hurting it, muttering to himself as he worked.

"Hey, whether we brothers die a miserable death or soar to the skies and feast on the good life—it all depends on you. If that General An is looking for you, you won't have to suffer here anymore. We're doing this out of necessity, so please don't hold it against us."

The two led Old Yang out of the Earth Den, skirting along the base of the mountain until they reached the gathering crowd.

And there was An Yue, chatting with a group of people about something, looking especially cheerful. When he saw the two brothers leading an old sheep toward him, the smile at the corners of his mouth grew even wider.

In the distance, Yu Ziqing, still cooking, kept glancing up. Seeing that An Yue was still there, he continued stir-frying. But this time, when he looked up again, he saw those two worthless bastards leading Old Yang into the open space.

Yu Ziqing's body went rigid, as if someone had doused him with ice water in the dead of winter. His whole being went numb, and a thousand thoughts crashed through his mind like an avalanche, battering his reason.

He had calculated everything, steered the investigation, let An Yue sweep the whole area and give up searching here—but he never imagined that some blabbermouth would actually open his trap and tell An Yue that he still had a sheep.

And An Yue, probably realizing he hadn't seen Old Yang in days, had grown suspicious. But he had kept his composure for two days, only making his move right before he was about to leave.

Even if it was just a sheep, he had to confirm it himself.

If it wasn't the one he was looking for, then it wouldn't be a falling-out—at most a minor hiccup, not affecting the later transaction, nor anything else.

If it was, though... that was another story.

"Er Ganzi, I'll fuck your grandpa! You dare touch my sheep?!"

Yu Ziqing snapped out of his daze with a furious roar, dropping the spatula in his hand and grabbing the Bone-Cleaving Knife beside him as he charged over.

The noisy crowd paused for a moment, all eyes on the two brothers leading the old sheep.

The smile on the Village Chief's face vanished instantly, his gaze sharpening. He glanced at Er Han beside him and said softly.

"If that An bastard dares make a move, no matter how you do it, beat him to death."

"Got it, Grandpa." Er Han let out a simple-minded chuckle, clenching his fist as his bones cracked like thunder.

Seeing Yu Ziqing charging over, the two brothers hurriedly pulled the old sheep closer to An Yue.

An Yue stood up, shouting as he approached.

"What's all this about? Hurry up and give the sheep back to Young Master Yu."

In the span of a breath or two, An Yue had already taken the old sheep from the two brothers, looking for all the world like he was mediating.

He untied the long sash looped around the old sheep's neck, and one hand casually brushed against the sheep's body. But in that instant, his expression flickered with a hint of confusion.

The old sheep's eyelids drooped lazily, utterly calm. Its rectangular pupils reflected An Yue's image, its mouth slowly chewing a few strands of dry grass.

In a flash, a look of relief surfaced in An Yue's eyes, and he shook his head with a faint, self-deprecating smile.

One hand steadying the old sheep, he looked at the charging Yu Ziqing and said with a smile.

"Young Master Yu, don't get worked up. It's just a misunderstanding."

With that, he pushed the old sheep toward Yu Ziqing.

Yu Ziqing rushed up and threw his arms around the old sheep, the hand gripping the knife trembling.

He was genuinely ready to kill.

Countless questions surged through his mind, but for now, he could only force them down.

His face dark, he said nothing, leading the old sheep back the way he came. He had no appetite or heart left for the meal.

The usual platitudes about clearing up the misunderstanding followed, but they were meaningless. He didn't want to hear them. If he stayed any longer, he feared he'd slip up.

Once he'd brought the old sheep back to the Earth Den, the heat that had rushed to Yu Ziqing's head subsided, leaving his face pale.

The old sheep, meanwhile, remained as calm as ever.

Er Han followed along, and seeing Yu Ziqing was fine, he stood guard nearby.

When noon passed and someone came to call Er Han—the Village Chief wanted him—Yu Ziqing learned that the transaction was already complete and An Yue had left. Only then did his tense body finally relax, and he realized his muscles were sore all over, his back soaked with sweat.

He sat on the ground, staring at the old sheep with confusion.

The old sheep's eyelids drooped, a hint of amusement in its eyes.

"Didn't I already tell you? Nothing to worry about."

"How was I supposed to know it'd turn out like this..." Yu Ziqing's head was a fog. He still didn't understand why An Yue, after checking the old sheep, had acted like nothing was wrong and done nothing at all.

"Didn't you say I hadn't taught you? What have you learned now?"

"I don't get it. I really don't."

"I told you long ago—I have four stomachs now." The old sheep found a comfortable spot to lie down, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Do you think those third-rate Shepherds, with their shoddy Art of Beast Creation, could give me four stomachs? Even if you've never read a single text on beast creation and never dug into it, haven't you ever wondered?"

"This..." Yu Ziqing was deeply shaken.

"Remember this: fakes are fakes in the end. No matter how much effort you put in, they're still fakes. Only the real thing has no flaws."