Chapter 86: Star Chasing Journey (7)
Aside from a leaky roof, the room only had a few straw mats, making for a very poor living environment.
The only commendable thing was that lying in the room allowed for a clear view of the starry sky.
It was unclear how much the so-called Universe Exploration Travel Agency charged, but given the accommodation conditions, it was truly a rip-off.
However, Yu Jinling wasn't really here to gaze at the stars.
She saw Chen Shanyuan and his two companions, “She Chan,” and “Liu Weiwei” each form their own groups and leave their rooms, heading into the Cosmic Village.
Turning to Song Ru, she asked, “Do you want to go out for a walk together?”
Song Ru, however, remained motionless, sitting on the straw mat with her knees hugged to her chest, sobbing with her head bowed.
Yu Jinling was somewhat speechless, stepping forward and slapping her hard twice.
“Ah! What are you doing?!” Song Ru shrieked in pain, covering her face and looking up.
Her face was streaked with tears, her hair matted to her face by the tears, and her eyes were filled with confusion and shock.
“I’d like to ask what you’re doing?” Yu Jinling said coldly, “Do you still remember where you are?”
She knew Luo Lu’s death must have been a huge blow to her, but they were still in a Weird Domain, fraught with danger, so how could she allow herself to wallow in sorrow?
One must know that Guai Qi is best at amplifying emotions; once careless, one can fall into extreme emotions and then into the trap of weird objects.
Song Ru understood these principles and stammered, unable to speak.
She just wanted to properly mourn her Senior Brother; was she wrong?
Thinking of all the time spent with her Senior Brother in the academy, sorrow welled up even more, and she couldn't help but wail.
“Hunting weird objects is a matter of risking one’s life. You good students probably still think it’s child’s play, don’t you?” Yu Jinling said sarcastically upon seeing her state.
But Song Ru still said nothing, just cried.
Yu Jinling shook her head; this person was beyond saving.
So, seeing that “She Chan” and the others hadn't gone far, she quickly went out and called after them, “Wait for me!”
Although that “She Chan” had low cultivation and was dragging a burden, she seemed quite clever and should be a good help in navigating this Weird Domain.
Yu Jinling naturally didn't see that Song Ru, who had been crying behind her, had stopped crying and was looking at her back with eyes full of resentment.
And Song Ru didn't know that behind her, a pair of hands were slowly reaching out from the darkness, extending towards her…
…
“Where are you going?” Yu Jinling asked with a curious expression.
“The Science Museum.” Liu Sheng replied.
“Do you know where it is?”
“No idea.”
Yu Jinling stumbled, seeing Liu Sheng walking so confidently with Wen Weilan, she had thought they knew the way.
Then she heard Liu Sheng say, “But we can guess where it is.”
“How do you guess?”
“Look, it’s the one selling skewers at the entrance.” Liu Sheng pointed to a place ahead where a chaotic pile of small stalls was set up.
Upon closer inspection, the small house half-blocked by the skewer stall indeed had “Universe Exploration Science Museum” written in red paint on its door.
From ancient times to the present, street vendor economies have always thrived at scenic spots.
It’s just that here, there was no way these small stalls could earn money, so there was no economy to speak of.
There was only their tour group in the Cosmic Village, and only seven real tourists were left, none of whom seemed to have any interest in patronizing these small stalls, right?
As Yu Jinling thought this, she saw Liu Sheng walk up to a pancake stall and wake up the pancake vendor, who was almost asleep with his head down.
“Boss, two pancakes, please.” Liu Sheng said, then turned to Yu Jinling, “Do you want one?”
Yu Jinling was shocked and whispered, “No! How dare you eat here? Aren’t you afraid they’ll… tamper with it?”
Liu Sheng shook her head: “They are not weird objects.”
Not weird objects?
Yu Jinling watched as the vendor began to make pancakes, his two hands busy, but he also had two small, underdeveloped arms under his armpits that helped pour sauce and sprinkle green onions, looking very strange.
But Liu Sheng and Wen Weilan didn't mind at all.
Liu Sheng even leaned over and asked, “Your craftsmanship seems good, Boss. Were you also a pancake maker before?”
“Not really, this is a business I only started after coming here.”
The vendor skillfully rolled green onions, crispy fritters, pickles, and other ingredients into the paper-thin pancake, divided it in half with a spatula, wrapped it in oil paper, and handed it to Liu Sheng.
“But you make it so delicious! What did you do before?”
Liu Sheng took a bite of the pancake, her mouth filled with a crispy, fragrant, and flavorful taste.
How could one make this without ten years of experience?
“Oh, I used to be a teacher in a school, but my mother sold pancakes, so I learned a few tricks from her since I was little.”
The vendor had a calm expression, his hands constantly spreading a circle of batter, preparing to make the next pancake.
However, looking at his greasy appearance now, one could no longer tell that he was once a teacher who educated people.
Yu Jinling suddenly realized something: “You, did you just come here recently?”
“Yes, I was originally going to visit a student’s home, and while walking in Changxing Mountain, I somehow ended up in this remote valley. Fortunately, I found this Cosmic Village.”
“How… long has it been?” Yu Jinling had an ominous premonition.
“I can’t remember either. The years here are especially long and peaceful; it feels like a lifetime has passed.”
“What season was it when you arrived here?” Liu Sheng asked.
“It seemed to be autumn, right? The mountains were all golden, it could be said, ‘The wanderer has not returned, autumn leaves fill his sleeves.’ ”
At this point, the vendor showed a hint of scholarly pedantry, but then immediately returned to his wooden expression, handing the freshly made, warm pancake to Wen Weilan.
The three exchanged glances.
According to what they had learned before, this Weird Domain should have started ten days ago.
But if it was truly as the vendor said, it should be even earlier.
“Then you don’t want to leave?” Yu Jinling asked cautiously.
“What for? I was always looked down upon because of these two hands on my body.” The vendor pointed to the two small arms on his body, “So I could only keep them tightly bound to my body since I was little. Do you know how much it hurt?”
“Later, I got into the academy, but because I couldn’t cultivate, I had to find another path. Later, someone in my family found me a job at a rural school, saying that the children in the mountains had no one to teach them, and thought my education was sufficient, so why not give it a try?”
“I did that for decades, nurturing hundreds of Disciples, but no one truly managed to leave the big mountains. However, I felt that as long as I could help them escape ignorance, my life would be worth it.”
“Then one day, a Disciple came to ask for guidance at night and happened to see me binding my small arms. And then, all my students ran away.”
“But students still need to go to school, right? I had to go door-to-door to ask them to come back to school, enduring cold looks again and again, and being turned away repeatedly.” As he said this, the vendor’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had already come to terms with the past.
“Later, I came to the Cosmic Village, and everyone was very friendly, working towards the same goal. Naturally, there wouldn’t be that human foolishness of ‘I look down on you, you look down on me.’ ”
“My arms no longer need to be hidden, and I finally feel much more comfortable.”
Liu Sheng caught a key phrase: “The same goal?”
“Of course, it’s to welcome the aliens!” The vendor raised an eyebrow, saying with a matter-of-fact expression.
Next week, I’ll have another homepage recommendation slot. Thank you all for reading, and I’m very grateful for your monthly votes, recommendation votes, and comments! Endless gratitude.