The Mouse That Ate Itself to Death

Lin Qi ran along the streets for much of the day, asking at every tavern and general store in the south of the city. The soles of his feet ached by the time he finally spotted that familiar, towering figure in a tavern called the Old Oak Tavern, fragrant with the scent of ale.

The hunter was sitting at a wooden table by the window, an empty glass before him. His rough fingers rubbed the rim as he stared absently at the street outside.

Delighted, Lin Qi pushed open the door and hurried straight over to him. He sat down so quickly that the gust he stirred up startled a drinker at the next table into looking up.

"Barkeep, a barrel of ale!" Lin Qi called toward the counter.

The barkeep soon came over carrying a heavy barrel of ale. He set it on the table with a thud, sloshing a few drops onto the wood.

Lin Qi pushed the barrel toward the hunter, a broad smile on his face.

The hunter scratched his head, somewhat puzzled as he watched Lin Qi push the great full barrel of ale in front of him.

"Need something, young man?"

Lin Qi picked up the hunter's empty glass, filled it to the brim with ale, and handed it over, speaking as naturally as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"Uncle, I just wanted to ask where you hunted the Card Beast you sold me a few days ago. My girlfriend's birthday is coming up, and I'm planning to get some more fur to make her a coat."

"Oh? You need a lot of fur?"

The hunter's previously dull eyes lit up at once.

His burning gaze fell on Lin Qi, making him feel a little uneasy.

"Yeah, but I need fur in a pretty color. Like that fox from last time, its tail was pink. Girls love pink fox-fur coats."

"I do! I've got some!"

The hunter slammed a hand on the table.

He leaned forward excitedly and lowered his voice.

"I've got a whole stock of low-rank Card Beasts at home, and all of them have at least a bit of pink fur.

"I was going to wait until I had more and take them somewhere else to sell, but if you want them, I can take you to see them right now!"

"Really?"

Lin Qi's heart leaped with excitement.

He had only meant to coax the location where the hunter had caught the fox out of him. He hadn't expected an unexpected bonus, and now he might be able to save himself a lot of trouble.

He suppressed his delight and kept his face calm.

"That's great, Uncle. Sorry for the trouble, but please take me to see them. If they're suitable, I'll buy them all!"

"Come on, let's go!"

The hunter scooped up the barrel of ale, hoisted it onto his shoulder, and strode out of the tavern. His steps were light, and there was no trace of his earlier gloom.

The two headed west through the city, one behind the other. The houses grew sparser as they went, until they finally left the city and came to a clearing near the Black Wind Forest.

From a distance, Lin Qi spotted a yard enclosed by a fence of rough logs. Several strings of dried beast bones hung by the gate, swaying gently in the wind and creaking.

"We're here!"

The hunter pushed open the gate, and a thick stench of blood hit them.

A layer of dry grass covered the ground in the yard, with more than a dozen dead Card Beasts laid out on it.

Quite a few traps had also been dug around the yard, with sharpened wooden stakes planted inside them, clearly to keep Card Beasts from the forest from breaking in and stealing the meat.

"These are all low-rank Card Beasts I hunted recently. I was going to dry the meat and sell it bit by bit, but if you need the fur, I'll sell them all to you!"

The hunter patted a Card Beast beside him, a hint of pride in his voice.

"This..."

Lin Qi swept his gaze over the Card Beasts in the yard.

Burrowing Bean Mice, Hopping Rabbits, and Greenleaf Sheep-all of them had varying amounts of pink fur.

Excitement surged through him, but he kept up a calm front, deliberately frowning as he examined the Card Beasts.

"Uncle, don't you have any fox-type Card Beasts left? I'd still prefer fox fur. It makes a prettier coat."

The hunter shook his head regretfully. "No, I really don't. The foxes in the forest have been hiding deep these past few days. I only caught one, and this is all the game I have."

Lin Qi sighed, stepped forward, and gently nudged the Hopping Rabbits and Greenleaf Sheep on the ground with his toe.

"The Hopping Rabbit fur is decent enough. It would make a nice vest, and the Greenleaf Sheep have plenty of wool for a sweater."

He paused and looked up at the hunter.

"Uncle, I'll take all these Card Beasts. How about a hundred Ka'en?"

The hunter's face lit up at once.

The Greenleaf Sheep were the most valuable of the lot, but each was worth only fifty Ka'en. All the other assorted game put together wasn't even worth twenty.

"Deal! Absolutely!"

He nodded hurriedly, afraid Lin Qi would change his mind.

Lin Qi pointed at the game. "But you'll have to help me deliver it to my shop."

"Sure, no problem!"

Without another word, the hunter raised a hand and summoned a card glowing with white light.

There were no star-rank markings on the card, only a picture of a rope.

Lin Qi understood.

Looks like Uncle is just like me, a Card Apprentice who hasn't even gotten started. Though a rope is still a little better than my bone...

White light flashed, and a thick hemp rope appeared in the hunter's hand.

He skillfully tied the Card Beasts together and slung them over his shoulder, working with practiced speed.

Lin Qi walked ahead with his hands behind his back, leading the way while chatting with the hunter in an apparently casual manner.

"Uncle, did you hunt all these Card Beasts in the Black Wind Forest up ahead?"

To be on the safe side, Lin Qi still wanted to ask about places where there might be Pink Fluorite.

If there wasn't enough Pink Fluorite inside these Card Beasts, he could go try his luck there. He needed a fallback.

The hunter carried the Card Beasts along at a light pace and answered casually.

"Yeah, I caught them all in the Black Wind Forest.

"Head west into the forest and you'll find a hidden cave. I set a trap there, and that's how I caught this Greenleaf Sheep."

"I see."

It dawned on Lin Qi.

*Greenleaf Sheep usually gnaw on rocks to get salt.

*It must have eaten rocks containing Pink Fluorite powder by accident, turning its fur pink.

There might be a lot of Pink Fluorite in that cave!

Once the hunter delivered the game to the shop, their deal was complete.

Lin Qi didn't see Lin Feng anywhere, and he couldn't help feeling a little anxious.

But then he remembered that Stone Iron Mountain was dozens of li from Stone Iron City. Even by carriage, the trip took several hours, so it was normal that he wasn't back yet.

"Uncle, here's a hundred and ten Ka'en. The extra ten is for your trouble. Thank you for helping deliver everything."

Lin Qi held out the Ka'en to the hunter.

The hunter hurriedly waved his hands, refusing to accept it.

"How could I take that? You've already paid so much. Delivering it was the least I could do."

"It's fine. Take it."

Lin Qi insisted and pressed the Ka'en into his hand.

He had gotten a huge bargain this time and ought to have paid the hunter more.

But one must not intend to harm others, nor fail to guard against them. After thinking it over, Lin Qi had given him only ten extra Ka'en.

After the hunter left, Lin Qi carried the game into the kitchen piece by piece, working up a sweat.

"This body is still too weak. If I can break through to a star rank, I'll definitely get stronger, and I won't have to wear myself out like this."

He gulped down a glass of cold water and rested for a bit, then picked up a boning knife and began dissecting the Card Beasts.

"I'll start with the Greenleaf Sheep. It's so big, it might have quite a bit of Pink Fluorite."

Lin Qi drew the knife down the Greenleaf Sheep's belly and slit open its stomach with the tip.

Inside were clumps of undigested grass and bits of stone.

He searched carefully for a long time but found only one small piece of Pink Fluorite, no bigger than a fingernail. He couldn't help looking disappointed.

"Such a big Greenleaf Sheep, and this tiny piece is all it had? That's way too little."

Unwilling to give up, he picked up a Hopping Rabbit and dissected it next.

Fortunately, the Hopping Rabbits didn't disappoint him.

He found three pieces of Pink Fluorite in the three Hopping Rabbits. None were large, but they were better than nothing.

Lin Qi put the Pink Fluorite in his cloth pouch and counted it. There were only four pieces in all, still more than halfway short of the ten Alicia wanted.

"Looks like I'll have to wait for Dad to come back and try my luck at that cave."

Lin Qi put the four pieces of Pink Fluorite away with a sigh, then casually picked up a Burrowing Bean Mouse and placed it on the chopping board.

"This little thing looks pretty plump. I could roast it on a spit tonight."

He sliced open the Burrowing Bean Mouse's belly. He was just about to clean out its organs when his fingertips touched something hard.

"Why is this little thing's belly so hard?"

Puzzled, Lin Qi reached in and pulled out the hard object.

When he saw what it was, his eyes went wide.

"Oh. My. God!"

It was a fist-sized chunk of Pink Fluorite.

Lin Qi hurriedly rinsed the Pink Fluorite clean and checked it again and again.

"I thought you'd been hunted, but it turns out you ate a stone and stuffed yourself to death!"

Beaming, Lin Qi held up the Pink Fluorite for a closer look. Sure enough, it was sparkling and translucent.

"The God of Source Cards may not look after me, but I've still got the heavens on my side. Dear old heavens, tonight I'll burn you some of this world's paper money for a change of flavor."

He gave the Pink Fluorite an affectionate kiss, then put the meat outside to dry before returning to the shop.

"When I have money someday, I'm definitely buying a Storage Card! Then Dad won't have to drive a carriage when he goes to buy stock, and he'll be safer too."

Lin Qi waited anxiously in the shop, unable to focus on cultivation.

Not until night fell and the surrounding shops had all closed did a clattering finally sound from the street.

"Son, come out and unload the goods!"

As soon as the carriage stopped, Lin Feng jumped down from it, his voice booming and no sign of distress about him.

Lin Qi hurried over and looked Lin Feng up and down.

His clothes were a little dirty, but he had no obvious wounds, and his complexion was ruddy. The worry weighing on Lin Qi's heart finally eased.

"Dad, what happened this time? Why did that gang of bandits target you?"

Lin Feng grinned, showing a mouthful of big white teeth.

"It was nothing. We just happened to run into each other. Their chief even wanted me to join their mountain stronghold, but I turned him down."

Looking at how relaxed his father was, Lin Qi knew things couldn't have been that simple.

"All right, leave the goods in the back courtyard and unpack them tomorrow. There's food for you in the kitchen. Get some rest as soon as you've eaten."

Without another word, Lin Qi turned and went straight upstairs.

Lin Feng watched his son leave and shook his head with a smile.

He unloaded the goods from the carriage and carried them into the back courtyard, then obediently went to the kitchen to eat.

Back in his room,

Lin Qi shut the door, pulled the fist-sized chunk of Pink Fluorite from his cloth pouch, and took out his Vortex Natal Card, placing them on the table.

He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes, beginning to circulate the Source Power within him.

Now that Lin Feng had returned safely and the Pink Fluorite was accounted for, he could finally cultivate in peace.

"Just wait. Once I figure out how to use this card, those bandits will all get on their knees and beg me for mercy."

Lin Qi swore to himself that he would go to Stone Iron Mountain someday and avenge his father.