Chapter 19: The Newly Joined Father and Son

""Spare us, good sir! Please, have mercy! We really mean no harm—we just happened to be passing by and heard a child shouting, so we came to take a look…""

Voices came from outside the courtyard. Yun Qimu turned her head and saw her father standing beside the berserk beast with a rabbit’s head and a pig’s body. He held a dagger in his hand, his face stern and eyes sharp as he stared down the two strangers.

One of the newcomers was scruffy, unkempt, and looked rather disheveled. His eyes, however, were bright and alert as he peered into their little courtyard. The other, younger man was the complete opposite: he wore a faded blue shirt and black pants, looking clean and tidy from head to toe.

The handsome young man wore a fawning smile and was gesturing frantically at Yun’s father, sweating as he tried to explain something.

Yun Qimu, whose face was usually gloomy, suddenly brightened. New residents for Earth Village had come knocking at her door.

She straightened her clothes and composed herself. Glancing around the yard, she saw that only two or three chickens remained, now being chased in a frenzy by a few cubs who had gotten a taste for it. She reminded them to keep an eye on the cucumbers, then strolled unhurriedly toward the gate.

“Dad,” she called.

Yun’s father’s severe expression softened a little as he turned to look at her.

The young man, parched from explaining, also turned. His eyes, blue as the sea, lit up as if he’d seen a savior. He called out excitedly, “Miss, my name is Tang En. My father and I were just passing by—we truly mean no harm. Please, could you explain this to your father?”

Yun Qimu’s delicate, pretty face wore a gentle smile as she walked over and nodded politely to the father and son.

“Mr. Tang, you have such a kind face. I’m sure you’re not bad people. My father was just being cautious—sorry if we were rude.”

Tang En looked flattered and quickly waved his hands. “No, no, not at all! There are so many dangers on this exile planet, and plenty of people who look nice but aren’t trustworthy. Your father’s caution is only natural.”

“Tch, you brat—see a pretty girl and you can’t help but talk yourself down. Look at you!” The scruffy old man beside him finally tore his gaze away from the courtyard and mercilessly mocked his son.

“Dad!” Tang En’s handsome face flushed red and twisted in embarrassment as he shot his father a warning glare.

But Old Tang just raised his chin proudly, completely unfazed. “This time, I’m not afraid of your threats. Don’t give me water if you want—I like this place. The mountains are beautiful, the water is clear… Seems like a good spot for my grave.”

Yun Qimu, who had been watching the show, twitched her brow and looked over warily.

“A grave? Sir, you look strong and healthy—you could live for centuries yet! Why talk about graves?”

She wanted to recruit the living, not the dead!

Tang En pursed his lips, his eyes dimming as he explained in a low voice, “My dad’s dark matter accumulation is almost at its limit. After he was exiled here, he’s been looking for a scenic spot to die in peace. He’s checked out a lot of places but wasn’t satisfied—now it seems he’s taken a liking to this one.”

Tang En looked at the lush, vibrant courtyard, surprised. So much greenery, and the sky even looked a few shades brighter—such a place was rare on the exile planet. Even the best city, Molan, didn’t have an environment this nice.

Old Tang’s bearded face showed no particular emotion, and his eyes betrayed neither fear nor gloom. In fact, he looked completely at ease, as if he wasn’t the one at death’s door.

What a cheerful old man!

“Oh? So if the dark matter could be removed, you wouldn’t need to seek death anymore?” Yun Qimu stroked her chin, her eyes sparkling with a mysterious smile.

“Miss, do you have a way?” Tang En’s eyes lit up, but quickly dimmed again. “But even those elves with light-element powers couldn’t remove the dark matter from my father’s body.”

Yun Qimu blinked and smiled mysteriously. “Anything is possible in this world. Did you see the sign I put up?”

Tang En and his father followed her pointing finger, then nodded awkwardly, not quite understanding. “We saw it…”

“That’s good enough. So, would you like to join?”

“Uh…”

Tang En looked even more confused. What did joining Earth Village have to do with his father’s dark matter problem?

Yun Qimu smiled and said leisurely, “All the produce from Earth Village—like the veggies from our fields and the wild chickens we catch—are completely free of dark matter.”

Tang En’s pupils dilated in shock. “Zero dark matter content? Pure ingredients?”

“Of course. The detector doesn’t lie.” Yun Qimu grinned, grabbing a leftover cucumber in one hand and a dark matter detector in the other.

“Beep beep beep. Scan complete. Dark matter: zero. Dark matter: zero.”

The emotionless mechanical voice sounded like heavenly music to the father and son, leaving them utterly stunned.

“My god, there really are ingredients in the galaxy with zero dark matter? That’s… That’s unbelievable! And they’re here, on the exile planet where dark matter is thickest!”

“Food without dark matter means eating it won’t add any more burden to Dad’s body. He could keep on living for years and years!”

Tang En, who usually complained about his father, was so moved he nearly cried.

Even Old Tang, who had been ready to face death calmly, looked dazed for a moment. Then he straightened up, his expression firm. “Alright, I’ll join! I’ll join Earth Village. Even if it’s just for those fresh veggies, it’s worth it!”

He laughed heartily. He was already close to death—what did he have to fear from being tricked by a little girl? As for his son…

He glanced at Tang En, who looked so excited and gazed at the girl as if she were a fairy. Old Tang snorted and turned away.

That brat still judged people by their looks. Even if this was a scam, maybe it’d teach him a lesson.

Tang En grinned and nodded repeatedly. “I’ll join too! I’ll join too!”

And so, the father and son found the door to a new world opening before them.

[Ding-dong—Congratulations to Tang Hongmao and Tang En for joining Earth Village. Please contribute to building a beautiful Earth Village.]

[Please create your game names.]

Father and son exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. It seemed they had joined something extraordinary.

At the same time, Yun Qimu received a system notification.

[Congratulations, Host, for adding two new residents to Earth Village. Mission progress: 2/20. Please keep up the good work and continue to build a beautiful Earth Village.]

She curled her lips into a smile. What a great start!"