Chapter 135: Crashing in the Tent

A thousand-mile horse truly lives up to its name—at full speed, it was even faster than they’d imagined.

In just over half an hour, they soared out of the vast Northern District, crossing the border.

The boundary of the Northern District was easy to spot: inside, the sky was a perpetual gray, as if shrouded year-round by a thin veil of ash. Outside the border, however, the sun blazed fiercely, the sky no longer gloomy and oppressive.

It wasn’t quite the clear blue skies and fresh air of Earth Village, but it was still bright and vibrant, with excellent visibility.

All in all, it was a huge improvement over the Northern District.

The second most obvious difference outside the Northern District was the land itself. Unlike the endless red earth and scorched ground inside, the soil out here was at least passable.

Looking down from horseback, Yun Qimu and the others could see clusters of deep green plants on the ground. They didn’t look particularly lush, but there was still plenty of green.

Once they’d left the Northern District, and after Pei Yu described the major cities of the Exile Star, they decided to head first to Chaos City in the west.

Their reasons were simple: first, Chaos City was in the Western District, making it the closest; second, the city was a jumble of competing factions, a real mix of characters. Unlike Mercenary City, which had an official city lord, Chaos City’s lack of centralized control made it the perfect place to do business.

They were all here to make serious money, after all, so naturally they wanted to go where they could earn the most energy coins.

After Yuan An shared his thoughts, Wu Xingyu and Yun Qimu immediately agreed, giving him a look of approval.

Yuan An scratched the back of his head, grinning. His family had built their fortune on business, and their legitimate assets ranked high on the Empire’s wealth list. As a direct descendant, he’d grown up immersed in commerce, so he had a sharp business sense.

They pressed on at full speed, but once the “Heavenly Steed Soars” card wore off, they had to continue on foot for nearly two hours before finally stopping.

They were now just a few hundred meters outside Chaos City, its outline visible in the distance.

“Let’s find a place to rest for the night,” Pei Yu suggested, his handsome face looking rather worse for wear, sweat beading on his brow and matting his stylish hair into clumps. “The city gates are locked at night, and getting in or out is a pain.”

After two hours of walking, his legs felt like they were about to give out. He was dying to chug a bottle of red potion to fix his aching feet, but at 20 spirit coins a bottle, that was still a luxury for him. He hadn’t even started making money yet—no way was he going to spend it now.

So he gritted his teeth and pushed through for two hours. Just as victory was in sight, darkness fell, and he had no choice but to call for a halt.

Wu Xingyu squinted ahead, thought for a moment, then agreed to the rest.

But they didn’t stop immediately. Instead, they found a small grove nearby.

After confirming the mutated trees inside weren’t dangerous, they picked a clearing and set up camp, planning to spend the night there and enter the city in the morning.

“Hey, your tent looks pretty nice—way better than the ones from the system,” Yun Qimu remarked, eyeing the deep green tent Wu Xingyu had set up, its color blending almost perfectly with the surrounding trees.

It was even a two-story tent, with an upper and lower level, complete with a bathroom, table, chairs, and a sofa.

Calling it a tent was almost an understatement—it was more like a mobile home.

Of course, it had its drawbacks: it was a bit small, and there was no water or daily necessities—they’d have to bring those themselves.

It couldn’t compare to the little wooden houses in Earth Village, but it was miles better than the basic system-issued tents that were just a bed.

She circled the tent, inspecting it inside and out, and finally decided to crash there—choosing Wu Xingyu’s largest tent.

“We spent a lot of time traveling in the interstellar wilderness, so tents like these are a must,” Yuan An said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. But when he noticed Wu Xingyu’s unreadable expression, his smile turned a bit strained. He knew their third brother didn’t like people invading his personal space.

So, after a quick glance, he tried to persuade Yun Qimu, “Village Chief Yun, why don’t I give you my tent? It’s only one level, but it’s big enough for you alone. I’ll just squeeze in with Yun He.”

Before Yun Qimu could reply, Pei Yu objected loudly, “No way! With your round body, you’d take up the whole bed. I’ve seen the beds in those tents—they’re not big. Yun He and I can barely squeeze in as it is. If you join us, we’ll have to sleep on the floor.”

He had no intention of sharing the small tent with Yuan An, the “fatty.”

As for Wu Xingyu’s tent, Pei Yu didn’t dare even think about it. He was afraid that this hard-to-handle kid would turn him back into a fertilized egg in his sleep—he wouldn’t survive that. No way was he risking his life for a better bed.

Faced with such blatant rejection, what could Yuan An do? He felt bitter, his chubby face scrunched up in grievance. “Then I’ll sleep on the floor?”

Pei Yu continued to shoot him down. “Still no. There’s barely any space in the tent. If you lie down, there won’t be any room left. What if I get up at night and accidentally step on your face? If I flatten your already squashed little nose, I’ll feel guilty. And then if you can’t find a wife because of your pancake face, you’ll blame me.”

Yuan An: …

Why does Uncle Pei have to be so dramatic?

His face darkened as he forced himself to stay calm. “Come on, that’s too much. At most, I’ll take up a third of the space. If you’re careful, you won’t step on me.”

“Says who? What if I sleepwalk at night? Listen, little fatty, you can’t just count on luck. If something happens, the consequences could be serious.”

Yuan An: (▼皿▼#)

Back and forth they went, their bickering escalating to personal insults, and it looked like they were about to come to blows. Yun Qimu watched with great interest, but her stomach ruined the mood by growling loudly.

The rumble was loud enough for Wu Xingyu, who was standing nearby, to hear.

He tilted his head, his dark eyes suspicious. “Hungry?”

Yun Qimu rubbed her stomach and nodded, resigned but straightforward. “Yeah, I’m hungry.”

“Then let’s get dinner ready. Are you going to cook?” Wu Xingyu looked at her with a hint of anticipation.

Yun Qimu raised an eyebrow, a sly glint in her eye. “I’ll grill some meat. If you want to eat, you’ll have to provide the ingredients and seasonings. I won’t charge you a cooking fee, and since you’re letting me crash in your tent, I won’t kick you out. Just give me one floor.”

Wu Xingyu pressed his lips together, recalling the pumpkin cakes Yun Qimu had made before, and agreed without hesitation. “Deal.”"