Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Qin Ying replied quickly, her stance firm and resolute.

Her phone buzzed repeatedly as several voice messages popped up in succession.

She didn’t need to listen to a single one to know what her second uncle, Qin Zhizhou, was going to say. It would be the usual drivel about family ties and how he only had her best interests at heart.

Qin Ying’s fingers flew across the screen as she typed.

[The last time you tried to scheme against me, my eldest uncle broke your leg before I even got the chance.]

[I only added you as a contact because Grandma is gravely ill and I didn’t want her to leave this world unhappy. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.]

[Know your place!]

Qin Ying never hesitated to use her words as weapons against her enemies.

Before the other side could react, she sent a “get lost” emoji and blocked him.

Qin Ying had two maternal uncles, and their personalities were worlds apart.

Her eldest uncle, Qin Zhiguo, was upright and responsible, with no major flaws other than being a workaholic and having smelly feet.

Her second uncle, Qin Zhizhou, was a mediocre loafer. He had spent his younger years in the freight business, earning some money but picking up a slick, oily personality in the process, always looking for shortcuts.

Years ago, this bastard of a second uncle had calculated Qin Ying’s age and tried to treat her like a resource, attempting to set her up with a Second Generation Heir.

Qin Ying wasn’t known for having a good temper. When that Second Generation Heir suggested paying her ten thousand yuan to be his kept woman, she dumped a cup of coffee over his head.

She then detoured to a sporting goods store, bought a baseball bat, and headed for her second uncle’s house.

However, she was a step too late. Her second uncle’s left leg had already been broken by her eldest uncle-under the personal supervision of Qin Ying’s grandmother.

The old lady had been so furious over that incident that she refused to speak to her second son for a long time.

It was only when her grandmother fell seriously ill that Qin Ying reluctantly resumed contact with her second uncle’s family to keep the peace for the elderly woman.

Thinking about her hypocritical second uncle clutching his phone and fuming with rage made Qin Ying feel much better.

Inside the box, Han Lie was leading Wu Er and the others toward the Commandery Governor’s Mansion. There wasn’t much to see at the moment, so she focused on her phone.

Now that she knew people in this world were searching for mysterious phenomena, she couldn’t just leave the box sitting haphazardly in her bedroom.

There were two guest rooms on the third floor of Qin Ying’s house. She could renovate them and design a dedicated safe room for the box.

The items she brought out from the World in the Box also needed a specialized room for storage.

Take the Fuzhu, for example; there might be more little creatures like it coming through in the future. If they were relatively safe, she could keep them as pets!

She needed to build an ecological habitat room and a storage vault!

As Qin Ying planned, she followed her habit of keeping one eye on the box while opening her notes app to jot down her ideas.

She searched her contacts and sent her thoughts to a profile with a robot avatar.

[Qin Ying: I’m renovating the third floor of my old house. I need a design blueprint by tomorrow. You already have the square footage and floor plan.]

A reply came back almost instantly.

[Ah Cai: Piss off!!!!!]

The five exclamation marks were enough to convey Ah Cai’s annoyance toward Qin Ying, and the status bar continued to show “typing…” as he likely brewed more colorful language.

[Qin Ying: It’s an express job. I’ll pay extra!]

Ah Cai is typing…

Ah Cai retracted a message.

[Ah Cai: Certainly, Sister Ying! No problem at all, Sister Ying!]

[Ah Cai: I am your most loyal servant. (Puppy hugging leg.gif)]

[Qin Ying: Get lost!]

Ah Cai scurried off to get to work.

Qin Ying stretched her neck and looked back into the box.

The time she had spent messaging was just enough for Han Lie’s group to reach the Commandery Governor’s Mansion.

Inside the Commandery Governor’s Mansion, the group led by Wu Er stood in the front courtyard, which was piled high with Rubber Bands, and let out a collective, synchronized string of curses.

“Dammit, why are there so many Monstrous Beast dorsal tendons here?” Wu Er stood before the mountain of ‘Rubber Bands,’ unable to even find a place to step.
The hair ties Qin Ying had given them were of excellent quality, many of them encrusted with rhinestones and other glittering trinkets.

Under the supervision of Chief Clerk Li, people from the Commandery Governor’s Mansion used a two-man crosscut saw to saw through the Rubber Bands, prying off these glittering plastic gemstones to be inventoried and stored in the warehouse.

Having witnessed ‘miracles’ twice and having been inspired by two interpretations of them, Chief Clerk Li was now a changed man.

Holding a bamboo slip, he pursed his lips and moistened his brush with ink, recording: “Sun Stone, one… one piece or one stone?”

As he hesitated over the unit of measurement, a shadow flashed beside him.

The Scar-Faced Man, Wang Chang, wrapped both arms around a single artificial diamond.

He huffed a breath onto it and then used his filthy sleeve to rub it until it shone.

“To think such a treasure exists! Were these all bestowed by the Supreme Deity?”

On their way there, Han Lie had briefly explained the matter of the Deity appearing to save the world.

Wang Chang was a straightforward man; before Chief Clerk Li could scold him, he turned and knelt on the ground.

*Thump, thump.* He kowtowed nine times.

“Supreme Deity, from this day forward, I, Wang Chang, shall be your most loyal believer!”

“If you have the chance, please bestow a gemstone upon me as well!”

He voiced his wish with blunt honesty.

“You rogue, how dare you?”

Chief Clerk Li finally reacted, raising his foot to deliver a kick.

However, Wang Chang had spent years hunting beasts in the wild, and his body was a mass of solid muscle as hard as rock.

When the kick landed, Wang Chang didn’t budge an inch; instead, Chief Clerk Li twisted his own ankle.

Han Lie frowned and stepped forward, saying to Wang Chang, “Do not be disrespectful!”

Being scolded by a junior from the Jade Balance Army like Han Lie made Wang Chang feel he was losing face.

But seeing Han Lie’s expression, he didn’t dare to act out. Usually, he might rely on his seniority to boss others around, but when it came to a real fight, he was no match for this kid.

With an awkward, displeased look, he stood up sheepishly. “Just a joke, I…”

Under Han Lie’s cold stare, he silently shut his mouth and stood up properly. “I’ll stop talking.”

He then feigned a casual air and looked toward the Rubber Bands.

Wu Er knew his temperament all too well. He grabbed Wang Chang’s hand and whispered, “Don’t cause trouble, you stupid pig!”

He pointed at the mountain of Rubber Bands. “Can you recognize which Monstrous Beast these tendons came from?”

Accustomed to being called a stupid pig, Wang Chang took no offense. He examined the Rubber Bands closely and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“I’ve participated in Ranyi hunts before; these aren’t Ranyi tendons.”

A Ranyi’s dorsal tendon was a single long strip; they weren’t circular like this.

Wu Er, who was deep into his own worldview regarding tendons, asked again, “Then looking at the size of these Monstrous Beast tendons, can you guess the physical scale of their former owners?”

Wang Chang might be dim-witted, but he was experienced. He thought for a moment and sucked in a cold breath.

He pointed a finger at the Rubber Bands. “These… were they all hunted by the Su-Su-Supreme Deity?”

Things of such terrifying size-and she killed so many?

He opened his mouth wide and looked up. “Bloody-Handed, *hiss*-”

He had intended to say some nickname like ‘Bloody-Handed God-Slayer,’ but Wu Er’s boot heel came down hard on his foot, grinding into it.

Suddenly, his hiss was louder than the Fei Yi outside.

Wu Er gave him a warning look. “Shut your dog mouth!”

Wang Chang nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Han Lie’s expression softened slightly. He asked Chief Clerk Li where Commandant Lin had been taken for treatment, then led the group over.

Before they even got close, they could all smell the stench of rotting flesh permeating the air.

Everyone knew exactly what it was: the Fei Yi venom taking effect.

They happened to run into a physician wearing a face mask. Upon seeing Han Lie, the physician immediately grew anxious.

“Squad Leader Han, the Fei Yi were running rampant everywhere before the drought, and the Commandery is short on medicine.”

“There is… nothing I can do!”