Chapter 26

Chapter 26

With the influence of the Fuzhu gone, the rain across the entire city ceased.

By the next day, the floodwaters that had submerged the streets had receded. Amidst the damp, humid air unique to the ancient city, Qin Ying woke up early, sporting dark circles under her eyes.

She first opened her wardrobe and glanced into the box.

Inside the box, it was midday. Yunwu County City, within that tiny world, was gradually regaining its vitality. The streets were noticeably more prosperous and bustling with people.

The little earthen city was square and compact, resembling a ceramic model unearthed from a Han dynasty tomb, exuding an ancient charm. The tiny people were busy with their respective tasks, creating a living panorama of daily life.

However, the bottled water container Qin Ying had dropped in earlier looked somewhat out of place. The water inside was already gone, and the citizens of Yunwu County were kneeling in worship around the empty bottle, clearly treating it as a sacred object. They had placed numerous offerings around it, and some people were incessantly chanting toward the plastic bottle.

After catching a few snippets of their prayers, the pragmatic Qin Ying couldn’t help but frown. These people were pinning their hopes and future on praying for the charity of a deity, which was truly not a good sign.

She made up her mind to retrieve the empty bottle and the disposable paper cups from the Commandery Governor’s Mansion late at night when everything was quiet. Instead of kneeling, praying, and singing praises while neglecting production, these little people would be better off sweeping the streets or joining the teams transporting relief grain.

Just as she was thinking this, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky. It was raining in the World in the Box.

It was the Fuzhu.

The Four-Horned White Deer, which Qin Ying had sent back into the box, was loitering at the city gates, refusing to leave. It had set aside its hostility and was wandering around, no longer clashing with the soldiers in Yunwu County City.

Since the humans wouldn’t let it enter the city, it showed decent adaptability by camping out beneath the city walls. Like a mud-loving pig, it had dug itself a pit and spent its days rolling around in the sticky, churned-up slurry.

When it was time to eat, its keen sense of smell would pick up the scent of steaming food from the city, and it would walk to the base of the wall to let out a bleating howl. It didn’t dare use force to ram the walls, but it would vibrate its throat to emit high-pitched cries that disturbed the residents, throwing the entire city into a state of unrest.

Han Lie arranged for men to drop some rice from the top of the wall. The Fuzhu wasn’t a picky eater; as long as there was food, it could make do with anything. These grains of rice, which were nearly half the size of its head, were nibbled up and crunched down like biscuits.

After a period of mutual testing, Han Lie donned a straw raincoat and climbed down the city wall using a hemp rope. Seeing him, the Fuzhu’s eyes lit up, and it stood up from the mud pit.

Its fur was water-repellent, so the mud slid right off its snowy-white coat without leaving a stain as it slowly trotted over. Rain hammered against Han Lie’s raincoat. He looked up at the massive creature, the muscles beneath his clothes tensed. Man and beast stood there in the curtain of rain, staring each other down.

Ultimately, it was the thick-skinned Fuzhu that lowered its head first. Its steel-blue deer eyes looked at Han Lie as it let out a few soft cries.

It, the Great Lord Fuzhu, had come to work by order of the Supreme Deity!

Han Lie’s hand slowly relaxed its grip on his sword hilt as he tentatively negotiated with this brazen Disaster Beast.

From then on, Yunwu County gained an unofficial beastly member. The Fuzhu would travel throughout Yunwu County, bringing rain to alleviate the drought and specifically ensuring water for agricultural production. Every three days, it would return to collect its rations of grain, wine, and meat.

This negotiation was highly significant for both parties. Eager to prove itself, the Fuzhu didn’t haggle. It raised a mud-stained hoof and struck Han Lie’s calloused palm three times to seal the pact. Then, with a mischievous streak, it leaped in place, splashing Han Lie with mud from head to toe before skipping away like a silly roe deer.

Han Lie good-naturedly wiped the mud from his face and let out a long breath.

Watching the deer eating and drinking heartily below the city, Qin Ying shook her head with a faint smile. Shifting her gaze, she saw Han Lie leading his troops out, appearing to be heading off to suppress the Bandit Menace.

There wasn’t much to see in the soldiers’ march, so Qin Ying closed the box. She had to listen to her uncle today and head to the Cultural Center to see exactly what kind of job was worth such importance in his eyes.
She needed to take a detour to buy some rubber bands or find something else to replace the Bowstring of the Ranyi Crossbow.

The Cultural Center was only a few minutes’ walk from her house, so Qin Ying took her time getting ready.

Opening her door, she happened to see several neighbors standing just to the right of her entrance.

The most prominent among them was Granny Shi.

The old lady had spent the entire previous day at the mahjong table. She was currently sharing some gossip she had overheard, clicking her tongue in disapproval every now and then.

Surrounding her were the street’s most well-known busybodies.

Qin Ying didn’t want to be cornered by a group of aunties asking about her job or when she was getting married. Taking advantage of their distraction, she slipped away quietly.

Granny Shi sensed something and turned her head, but she only caught a glimpse of Qin Ying’s back as she disappeared around the corner.

The town’s Cultural Center was located behind the ancient wooden pagoda.

All sorts of eccentric characters from across the city gathered in this vicinity. The surrounding faux-antique streets were filled with shops selling handicrafts, ginger candy, musical instruments, and fake antiques designed to swindle the unwary.

Of course, the most common sight was the charlatans sitting on small folding stools, soliciting customers along the street.

They offered Da Liuren, Liuyao, Meihua Yishu, the Four Pillars and Eight Characters, and Ziwei Doushu.

There was face reading, palmistry, and even predicting the future by examining chicken leg bones. Tucked away in the corners, one or two people even played with Tarot Cards and gazed into a Crystal Ball.

In short, it was a chaotic mess.

This old street had originally been a den of iniquity, a high-crime area notorious for fraud and theft. It was only after several rounds of organized crime crackdowns that the atmosphere had improved a little.

But only a little.

As Qin Ying stepped onto the street, countless gazes turned toward her.

A middle-aged woman stood up from her stool to solicit business. “Little girl, want some Villain Hitting?”

Qin Ying shook her head. “No thanks.”

Although her ex was a piece of work, Qin Ying felt there was no need to waste money on Villain Hitting; he wasn’t worth it.

She replied in the local dialect.

Hearing this, the woman realized there was no deal to be made and sat back down on her stool, bored.

After crossing the street, Qin Ying stood before a wooden door coated in black tung oil.

This was her destination.

An old man in a loose security uniform sat in front of the door. He was hunched over his phone, where a round-faced streamer was smiling sweetly and calling out “Big Brother.”

Seeing Qin Ying approach, the old man grunted. “The center opens at ten-thirty. It’s not visiting hours yet.”

He took her for a tourist, scanning her up and down as he spoke.

Before Qin Ying could explain, he suddenly slapped his thigh. “Are you… that little girl from the Qin family?”

“You’ve grown so much in the blink of an eye!”

He stood up and greeted her warmly. “Come in, come in. Your uncle already told me about you.”

On this old street, anyone you pulled aside was a neighbor or an acquaintance, but Qin Ying truly couldn’t remember who this old man was. She simply gave a polite, all-purpose smile. “Hello, Grandpa.”

The old man led her inside, navigating a winding path until they reached an office.

A thick scholar tree stood before the office door, and the brownish-maroon windows looked like relics from another era.

“Go in and take a seat,” the old man said, pointing inside. “Look around more, and keep your eyes peeled…”

He gave her a knowing look before turning to leave.

Look around more?

Qin Ying raised an eyebrow as she mulled over his words. She was here for a job interview, yet instead of telling her to wait patiently, he told her to look around and keep her eyes peeled?

Qin Ying lowered her gaze and stepped into the office.

To the left of the entrance were several old wooden desks. Behind the desks stood row after row of display cabinets.

The cabinets were covered in dust, and various boxes and jars were scattered across them in a disorganized heap.

Qin Ying’s footsteps faltered.

She caught the faint, unmistakable scent of formalin.