Chapter 40: A Cousin Can’t Compare to a Flower

Mo Xie shot him a cold glance. “Heh. No.”

“Ah, why not? Aren’t I still your dearest cousin? This is my dying wish, and you won’t even give me a little pocket money? QAQ.”

Pei Yu pouted, nearly bursting into dramatic tears.

A vein throbbed on Mo Xie’s forehead. He had half a mind to give this melodramatic brat a good beating, but for the sake of his late uncle, he barely managed to restrain himself.

He just snorted impatiently. “Relax. Bad weeds live a thousand years—you’re not dying anytime soon. There’s Light Elixir and Holy Elixir here that can dispel dark matter. Just go buy a bottle.”

“Huh—” Pei Yu’s eyes widened in delight. “What? There’s actually a miracle potion like that? Hahaha, amazing! Even the heavens think someone as charming and lovable as me shouldn’t die—they’ve sent the miracle cure right to my doorstep!”

He bounced up excitedly, grabbing Mo Xie’s sleeve, his peach blossom eyes sparkling. “Cousin, cousin, where can I get this miracle potion? Take me there, hurry, hurry!”

Mo Xie yanked his sleeve free and gave Pei Yu’s head a firm smack, pushing him away. His deep voice was full of disdain. “Don’t you have legs? The village isn’t that big—go find it yourself. I’m in a hurry to get back and farm.”

“What the heck? Farming???”

Pei Yu’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, his face full of confusion. He was so shocked he missed the chance to cling to his cousin’s golden thigh, and could only watch Mo Xie’s tall, upright figure walk away in style.

Waaah, cousin doesn’t love me at all anymore.

Pei Yu stood there, wallowing in self-pity, but quickly comforted himself: Don’t be scared, Yu-yu, you have new friends now.

He wiped away imaginary tears and instantly revived, bouncing over to the cinnabar tree and calling out cheerfully, “Amos, my dear friend Amos, let’s go explore the village together! There’s a miracle potion that gets rid of dark matter~~”

Up in the cinnabar tree, a blue-haired, aloof boy froze, pausing mid-pick. He looked down at the annoying guy below, suspicion in his calm gaze.

Pei Yu flashed him a huge grin. “I’m not lying, really! My steady, reliable cousin told me himself.”

Amos pursed his lips, stood silently on the thick branch for three seconds, then nimbly jumped down. After handing the fruit to his clansmen below, he walked over to Pei Yu.

Pei Yu ran over happily, grabbed him, and dragged him along, excited as a hyperactive husky. “Come on, come on, I saw a really pretty building over there—let’s check it out first…”

A Hua cupped her round cheeks, beaming as she watched them go. “Yu and Amos get along so well.”

The other villagers grinned, showing off their big white teeth. “Yeah, they really do.”

Meanwhile, being dragged along at breakneck speed by the human husky, Amos’s hair flying everywhere, his face showed a look of utter resignation…

Looking at the thriving, laughter-filled village, the mainframe nodded in satisfaction, then glared fiercely at the slaves who were just now dragging themselves up off the ground after convulsing. It immediately started issuing missions like crazy.

[Ding-dong—A plant-destroying monster has appeared on the north side of the village. Go defeat it within 30 minutes or face a level-three electric shock penalty.]

[Ding-dong—Garbage has piled up on the east side of the village. Go clean it up within three hours or face a level-three electric shock penalty.]

[Ding-dong—Weeds are overgrown on the south side of the village…]

With each new order, the space pirates jumped up like their butts were on fire, tears streaming down their faces as they rushed to complete the tasks—finishing one and dashing to the next, working like a herd of diligent old oxen.

Only Haru, still on babysitting duty, escaped this round of brutal exploitation.

The mainframe lounged in its space, matchstick legs crossed, watching its energy reserves climb without having to lift a finger, inwardly exclaiming, “How wonderful!”

Slaves really are the best. Just make them do tasks and don’t even have to give rewards. If only it could get a dozen more like this.

The mainframe rolled around, giggling like a pig.

While Yun Qimu slept, the mainframe dreamed of getting more slaves, Mo Xie frowned and farmed, and Pei Yu dragged Amos off on another monster-hunting adventure…

After three days, the magnetic core storm finally subsided, and the village lockdown was lifted.

…

Yun Qimu had lain in bed for three days, her cheeks rosy. When she finally woke, she felt refreshed, her whole body lighter than before.

She blinked in surprise. Wait, that’s not right—wasn’t she gravely injured before she passed out?

Mainframe: [Well? Well? Don’t you feel amazing?]

Yun Qimu’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly opened her player info, and the newly appeared line—“Awakened Ability: Flowing Cloud Body”—was impossible to ignore.

A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. “Was this your doing?”

[Of course it was! Otherwise, how could a weakling like you awaken an ability on your own?]

The mainframe puffed out its chest, sneakily waiting for its host to burst into grateful tears.

But Yun Qimu just looked disappointed. “Oh. Then why didn’t you just level me up a few more times? E-rank is still weak—one gust of wind and I’ll fall over.”

The mainframe froze, its little matchstick face with just three red dots full of disbelief.

It exploded: [You greedy host! Awakening your ability is already a huge favor, and you want more levels? You must be dreaming! People shouldn’t be like this…]

Yun Qimu just shrugged, looking resigned. She knew this stingy mainframe would never be that generous.

She ignored the mainframe’s endless ranting in her mind, got up slowly, found the light blue top and brown plaid pants her thoughtful little brother had prepared, got dressed, and strolled out the door.

A lot had changed in the village over the three days she’d been asleep.

Most noticeably, Mo Xie’s yard next door and his fields were now bursting with colorful orchids.

Elegant bright purples, fiery reds, pure whites, gentle pale yellows—clusters of them bloomed, swaying in the breeze.

Dewdrops sparkled on petals and leaves, making them even more charming.

Standing at her own door, she could catch whiffs of the delicate orchid fragrance drifting over.

And that little wooden house surrounded by beautiful flowers—so envious! That man lives more exquisitely than any girl!"

"**Chapter 41: The Unlucky Ones in the Dark**

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! The magnetic core storm is finally dispersing this time—let’s go collect the bodies, let’s go, brothers...”

At the entrance of Earth Village, the villagers were calling out to each other, each one gripping a short sword, long sword, machete, or dagger, their eyes fixed intently on the world outside.

Even the natives had upgraded their weapons, swapping out their old gear for the unique weapons of Earth Village.

It seemed they’d adapted quite well during these three days in the village.

Yun Qimu stepped outside for a look—good grief, they’d even pitched tents under the Danmu trees and moved in.

Staring at the tents emblazoned with the words “Earth Village,” Yun Qimu felt a pang of jealousy. The main system must have made a killing these past three days.

“Ah, it’s receding, it’s receding! The magnetic core storm is over! Charge! Grab those bodies—!”

With an excited shout, adults and children alike took off running.

Meanwhile, the star pirates, who’d been bossed around by the main system like dogs, could only huddle in the corner, biting their handkerchiefs and tearfully watching everyone rush off.

As a slave, Haru was among the envious onlookers. Although the system hadn’t given him as much work these three days and he was treated far better than the star pirates, he was still a slave—working for free, with no pocket money.

He regretted it now. If he’d known Earth Village was such a paradise, he never would’ve tried anything shady. Wouldn’t it have been better to just join as a regular villager?

But regret was useless. All he could do was work hard, perform well, and hope to earn his way out of slavery and become an official villager.

Yun Qimu kept her eyes straight ahead, ignoring the hopeful looks from the slaves. She too picked up her pace, hurrying after the main group.

She could exchange bodies for spirit coins—absolutely.

She’d spent a huge sum of spirit coins to buy two bottles of Light Elixir, and it still pained her. Plus, recent events had made her feel a sense of crisis. She couldn’t let her father’s health drag on like this—she needed to help him recover as soon as possible.

And the brain damage that had made her father slow—just using Holy Elixir or Red Potion wouldn’t be enough to cure it. She’d need something much more advanced. After all, the human brain was incredibly complex—the hardest part of the body to heal.

So she needed spirit coins. Spirit coins! Spirit coins!

The land ravaged by the storm was a scene of devastation, littered with trash and reeking of a thick, foul stench.

But that didn’t dampen the villagers’ enthusiasm for spirit coins or their zeal for scavenging bodies.

Yun Xiaoyu clutched his silver crossbow, his little legs pumping as he dashed ahead. In no time, he’d spotted and claimed the corpse of a mutant cow. He slapped his small hand on it, declaring it his.

The others, seeing this, stopped in their tracks, looked on enviously, then quickly turned away to search for other bodies.

Yun Xiaoyu grinned, his face full of delight.

Then, like a squirrel hiding its stash, he glanced left and right, making sure no one was nearby except for Yun Dad, who was following him. Only then did he start whispering to the corpse.

“I want to exchange this for spirit coins.”

[Ding dong—Congratulations, player War God General, for finding a B-grade Berserk Bull. Given the freshness, nutritional value, and worth of the corpse, you may exchange it for 25 spirit coins.]

Yun Xiaoyu’s chubby little face scrunched up, and he slapped the berserk bull’s body, bargaining, “Fifty spirit coins.”

Main System: ...This little rascal is learning bad habits, aww~

So it played dead, replying in a mechanical monotone: [B-grade Berserk Bull can be exchanged for 25 spirit coins. Does player War God General wish to proceed?]

Yun Xiaoyu’s eyebrows twisted into caterpillars, his little face all wrinkled.

That’s not right—Yun Qimu could bargain before!

He pouted. “Okay, forty-five spirit coins. No less.”

The main system kept playing dead: [B-grade Berserk Bull can be exchanged for 25 spirit coins. Does player War God General wish to proceed?]

Yun Xiaoyu’s face turned red from holding his breath. “Thirty spirit coins. Really can’t go any lower.”

The main system desperately kept up its act. It was just a soulless repeating machine—no way it’d show mercy, even to a kid.

[B-grade Berserk Bull can be exchanged for 25 spirit coins. Does player War God General wish to proceed?]

“General, what are you doing here? I already found two berserk beasts and exchanged them for thirty spirit coins!” Zhu Zhu, the little girl, ran over, wiggling her hips. Seeing Yun Xiaoyu’s wrinkled, frustrated face, she blinked her big innocent eyes and curiously asked.

Yun Xiaoyu froze, mumbling, “N-nothing. I’ll be done soon, really soon.”

In the end, lacking both a thick skin and a true obsession with money, Yun Xiaoyu admitted defeat. He quickly chose “yes,” exchanged the corpse for 25 spirit coins, and hurried after Zhu Zhu to keep scavenging.

He might not get a high price, but with enough volume, he’d still make a lot of spirit coins. As a Yun family man determined to earn money and support his family, he would never give up.

On the other side—

Pei Yu and Mo Xie happened to arrive at the same corpse.

Pei Yu blinked his peach blossom eyes, putting his hands together in a pleading gesture toward his cousin. “Cousin, can you let me have this A-grade Berserk Pig? I still need a lot of spirit coins to buy Light Elixir.”

Mo Xie just looked at him with a blank expression, as if he were an idiot.

Pei Yu gritted his teeth, pinched his thigh, and continued to beg with teary eyes, “How can you bear to watch your beautiful cousin lose his mind and die young, cousin~~”

That shameless, melodramatic tone made Mo Xie’s skin crawl. He twitched his lips and replied mercilessly, “I can bear it.”

“If you want this corpse, we’ll do it the Mo Lan City way.”

Pei Yu grimaced, recalling the pain of being beaten up last time, and immediately shook his head warily. “No, no, cousin, you were here first. Let’s just go by first come, first served. The A-grade Berserk Pig is yours.”

With that, he took three steps back, then turned and ran for his life. No way was he going to compete with his cousin in a test of strength again—he’d be the one getting beaten up, guaranteed.

Mo Xie raised his eyebrows, a faint smile appearing on his cold, handsome face. He then bent down to exchange the corpse.

He’d already used up almost all of the ten thousand bottles of plant nutrient solution he’d bought over the past three days to grow Mo Lan, so he was in urgent need of spirit coins too.

Besides, with Earth Village’s good environment and food free of dark matter, his cousin wouldn’t die so easily. He could take his time saving up for Light Elixir—nothing was more important than his Mo Lan.

Typical “cousin not as good as a flower” vibes~~"