Chapter 7: Advanced Spirit Soil

At noon, Hong Qi and Chu Wei Zhong went to Aunt Wang’s house but found no one there. It was only after Chu Wei asked around that they learned the three others were at the village entrance.

When they arrived at the village entrance, they saw the three lying on a patch of straw pulled out from who knows where, squinting their eyes as they took a nap.

Hong Qi and Chu Wei Zhong exchanged looks.

“This is definitely an endless dungeon, right? Why do you three look like you’re here on vacation?!”

They had been running around the village under the blazing sun searching for clues, while these three just lounged around like this?

Not only Chu Wei Zhong, even the usually good-natured Hong Qi felt a bit resentful and was about to speak up.

“You’re here too? I just made some corn juice, want to try?”

Xia Wulei waved to them, pouring two cups of a golden-yellow drink.

“I borrowed some coarse gauze from Grandpa Wang at the village entrance. Despite its roughness, having a cup of this in such hot weather is quite refreshing.”

The corn was freshly peeled kernel by kernel, crushed by Zhu Chen, then wrapped in gauze to squeeze out the juice. It was cooled in the well with icy water, creating an all-natural corn beverage.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have a blender here; otherwise, adding some rice and millet would have made it even better, Xia Wulei thought with a hint of regret.

But the produce grown in the space tasted far better than anything they had ever eaten before, and Xia Wulei and the others were quite satisfied.

Hong Qi, still harboring some resentment, thought to quench his thirst first before confronting them.

But upon tasting it, "Wow, this is delicious."

Hong Qi looked at Xia Wulei with surprise and longing, then sat down on the straw pile as well.

Chu Wei Zhong was puzzled but soon sat down too.

“That’s the house diagonally opposite Aunt Wang’s, the old zombie’s home,” Chu Wei Zhong said while sipping the drink, motioning Zhu Chen to sit in the shade since she didn’t want to be exposed to the sun.

“There’s a sleazy-looking man there who followed me. I casually extracted some information, and he spilled everything.”

That sleazy man was Li Fugui, a confirmed bachelor.

A few days ago, he had stayed out late playing cards. When he finally opened the door to his home, he saw a figure sitting in the middle of the room and was so terrified that he grabbed a sickle nearby, pointing it at the figure.

Unexpectedly, the figure said nothing but let out hoarse growls and lunged at him.

Li Fugui screamed in fear and ran, only to find a yard full of dead chickens when he reached the backyard.

His family, hearing the commotion, came out holding torches. Under the firelight, Li Fugui realized the figure resembled the old grandfather he had seen in his childhood.

The old man fled at the sight of the firelight, and the Li family kept the incident a secret, telling others the chickens had accidentally eaten rat poison.

Upon hearing this, Hong Qi’s eyes lit up. “So he’s afraid of fire. That’s a lead. We can prepare torches.”

Xia Wulei frowned and checked the clue details again. “The clue says he sucks blood all over and will become a thousand-year-old zombie in seven days. His strength will likely increase.”

Hong Qi nodded. “You’re right. But if we prepare more tools, our chances will be better.”

“The things zombies generally fear are sunlight, red beans, garlic, glutinous rice, pot ash, black donkey hooves, peach wood swords, ink lines, roosters…”

Xia Wulei was speechless.

Wow, how many classic Uncle Ying zombie films has he watched to know so much?

Seeing their various reactions, Hong Qi felt a bit embarrassed. “Well, I watch old movies quite a bit…”

Xia Wulei waved her hand. “Get whatever we can find in the village. It’s getting late. I’ll make you something to eat, and then we’ll look for clues in the afternoon.”

No one objected, and as they walked back, they suddenly realized they might be getting led around by a newcomer girl.

But once they smelled the food back at the house, Hong Qi and Chu Wei Zhong quickly lost their temper.

Good food is the best mother.

Xia Wulei traded corn and potatoes with other farmers for some flour and eggs. Aunt Wang’s kitchen didn’t have staple food, but the seasonings and oil were well-stocked.

The main dishes were corn pancakes, stir-fried pepper and salt potatoes with a crispy, fragrant skin, and a golden-orange corn griddle cake that made mouths water.

Xia Wulei was skilled in cooking. Although she ate enough not to let her family go hungry, she never skimped on her own meals.

Everyone hurriedly gathered around the table, waiting for Xia Wulei to bring the dishes.

Sitting at the head of the table, Xia Wulei lifted the tablecloth to reveal—sure enough.

Hu Wang was there too.

“Come out, I made a portion for you as well.”

Except for Yu Huaiyu, the other three were startled by Hu Wang.

Yu Huaiyu pulled Hu Wang out and served him some food. “Here, eat this. Sister made it, it’s delicious.”

Xia Wulei was speechless, thinking to herself how shameless Yu Huaiyu was for stealing credit.

But she said nothing. If Yu Huaiyu could get information from Hu Wang, that was best.

Hu Wang ate heartily; this novel dish was something he had never tasted before and he seemed eager to devour every last bit.

When Aunt Wang passed by the kitchen and saw this scene, she pursed her lips and walked away.

Xia Wulei withdrew her gaze from Aunt Wang and looked at Hu Wang.

“Hu Wang, are there no children in your village?”

Hu Wang’s hand paused mid-bite. Yu Huaiyu, worried, said, “Sister Lei, Hu Wang is still young…”

Xia Wulei thought, …Really thinks she’s the mother of all children, huh?

But Hu Wang’s lips twitched and he slowly spoke, “There are…”

It seemed he hadn’t spoken for a long time; every word was labored: “All, hiss…”

“Hiss, hissed…”

All dead?

Everyone was stunned. At that moment, the system notification appeared.

[ Ding! Congratulations to player Xia Wulei for discovering a clue fragment: The Missing Children! ]

[ Missing Children: The village’s children are down to only Hu Wang. Where have the others gone? ]

Hong Qi’s face turned grave. “Looks like these children are related to the Mountain God…”

“Hm? How so?” Xia Wulei asked curiously.

“Only main storyline clues come in fragments; other clues appear whole once found. And the main ghost in the storyline is often the strongest in the entire dungeon.”

This time, it wasn’t Hong Qi speaking, but Chu Wei Zhong.

“My new player dungeon has only two minor ghosts and the main ghost. Once two clue fragments are found, you can basically piece together the whole story.”

Chu Wei Zhong’s expression was complicated as she glanced at Zhu Chen and Xia Wulei.

“The two fragments found so far seem unrelated, and it’s only the second day of the game. The difficulty this time might be much higher than what we’ve experienced.”

Hong Qi nodded heavily. Yu Huaiyu and Zhu Chen’s faces also darkened.

Except for Xia Wulei, who was deep in thought.

The Mountain God and such were baffling; she put them aside for now. What she was considering was that thousand-year-old zombie.

Hong Qi mentioned red beans and garlic, which she could plant, even peach trees and roosters could be arranged, but the soil quality was insufficient.

Where to find high-grade soil?

Xia Wulei looked at the clues again and finally fixed her gaze on a certain place, a faint smile curling on her lips.

[ …Unexpectedly, that piece of land is infused with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth… ]

[ That piece of land ]

[ The land ]