"Stop, let's not get too excited. We need to consider the significant difference in our current physiques. If we're too enthusiastic, my small frame really can't handle it."
Fu Xin Ci, having finally broken free from the clutches of the two, raised the white flag and surrendered.
Yang Xin Jie glanced at Fu Xiao Niu's now slender frame and felt guilty. They were used to this kind of roughhousing, and in their excitement, they had completely forgotten that Fu Xiao Niu's body was still that of a child.
Seeing their self-reproachful expressions, Fu Xin Ci chuckled and quickly moved on to the next topic.
"You guys keep cultivating, I'm leaving now." After speaking, she activated her wood-element ability and vanished in an instant before her companions. She feared another surge of excitement from her friends would truly overwhelm her.
Her only strategy was to make a swift exit.
"What the heck, Xin Ci's abilities are so advanced now that she can come and go without a trace," Fatty Dunder stared in the direction Xin Ci had left, his eyes filled with indescribable envy.
"We can only envy her. Let's chase her on wind firewheels," Xu Jia Can said, also salivating as he watched Xin Ci's retreating figure.
Captain: He felt the same, but he didn't say it.
Xiao Ai began to blame herself. "Alas, it's all my fault. When I get excited, I just want to give a hug."
"Hugs are fine, but what you call a hug is more like a bear hug. You even hung onto Xin Ci with all your might. With your current weight, you're at least 110, if not 120 pounds. For Xin Ci's current small physique, it's a testament to her strength that she wasn't crushed by the two of you just now."
Fatty Dunder's words immediately resonated with everyone. "From now on, everyone must not play with Xin Ci like this."
The Captain's words served as a reminder to everyone. Such hugs should be used sparingly.
Fu Xin Ci left her companions and found a secluded spot to enter her space. She needed to tidy herself up properly. Otherwise, if she returned home in her current state, people would mistake her for a robbery victim along the way.
She sighed as she looked at her messy hair in the mirror and resigned herself to restyling it.
At dusk, the Captain sat on a hillside, watching the evening twilight descend and wisps of cooking smoke rise in the valley.
Alas, every day now felt like a dream.
"What are you thinking about?"
The sudden voice didn't surprise the Captain. He replied, "Why are you so idle today?"
"I'm taking a break," Xiang Tong said, panting heavily, and sat down beside the Captain.
The Captain glanced at Xiang Tong's sweat-soaked T-shirt and hesitated for about ten minutes before placing something in Xiang Tong's hand.
Xiang Tong's heroic face instantly changed color.
The Captain had known him for many years and had never seen him so flustered. He teased, "You don't need to be so touched. I'll say this upfront: this portion of yours is something I squeezed out with great difficulty; there's none for anyone else."
In an era where strength was paramount, the Captain didn't want to be a leader. He found it too tiring. Managing just these few people was enough; he didn't want any more.
Considering they might encounter powerful enemies, the Captain had pondered for an entire afternoon and decided that Xiang Tong should accompany them. This way, they wouldn't flinch even if they faced an army.
"It's from Fu Xiao Niu."
This was a statement, not a question. The Captain didn't admit it immediately but wore a smug expression and said, "Isn't it possible that we brought it ourselves?"
"Impossible."
"Did you bring it before?"
"Mhm."
"And then?" The Captain was very curious about this.
"After we were teleported here, I discovered that the crystal cores in my ring had disappeared."
"You still can't suspect Xin Ci. I'm telling you, Xiang Tong, the crystal cores Xin Ci gave us were the ones those people in Dragon City used to exchange for supplies. We didn't accept them then because we were afraid of jealousy."
"I know, and I don't suspect Fu Xiao Niu. It's just that when you think about it, Fu Xiao Niu's space teleportation system is too heaven-defying. It discards anything that is not conducive to this era."
"What do you mean?"
"Xin Ci didn't tell you that many people who were teleported later had private goods in their luggage, and the teleportation system detected them all."
"Those scoundrels," the Captain cursed, then he couldn't help but ask, "What happened next?"
"Under pressure, those people took out their items. Brother Fa, living up to his reputation as a seasoned veteran, gathered everything and eventually traded it all to Fu Xiao Niu."
"That's more like it."
Xiang Tong: Long Teng is the ultimate protector of its own. If they claim second place, no one dares to claim first.
The Captain, unaware of Xiang Tong's internal monologue about him being protective, earnestly inquired, "Did she really not leave any for you?"
"Is there any falsehood in that? It's truer than pearls." Xiang Tong's heart ached thinking about the high-level crystal cores he had saved.
The Captain, upon hearing this, said with schadenfreude, "I suspect Lan Tian Yao must have the same expression as you right now."
"Mhm." Xiang Tong wouldn't dispute this.
The Captain, imagining the constipated expressions of these powerful figures, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Xiang Tong didn't take offense. After the Captain finished laughing, he asked, "How many crystal cores does Fu Xiao Niu still have?"
"I estimate we should be able to reach level three without any problems. Anything beyond that will be difficult."
"Level three is enough," Xiang Tong thought, yearning to start cultivating right away, recalling the frustration of being without abilities for days.
The Captain felt the same. In this sweltering heat, his level-one ice-element ability was utterly insufficient.
No matter, he had to find a safe place to begin cultivating.
Xiang Tong thought the same.
Their companions were also doing the same.
Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun, like old steeds, aimed for distant horizons.
...
It had been a while since Fu Xin Ci last used her wood-element ability to accelerate plant growth. Today, as she looked at a batch of grain in her space nearing maturity, she suddenly had the idea of accelerating the growth of crops again.
Of course, she wasn't referring to the plants in her space, but those outside.
Currently, the fields under their name, and all the fields near Mengjia Town, were planted with seeds she had improved in her space.
These grain seeds were not only resistant to floods and droughts but also had high yields and matured early, making them less susceptible to pests. Everyone who had planted them praised them.
In the past two years, after the autumn harvest, farmers and landowners who came to her family to buy seeds were endless.
At times, the grandfather and grandson would secretly say that it was fortunate they had so much land, otherwise, the origin of these grain seeds would be hard to explain.
Thinking about the origin of the grain seeds, Fu Xin Ci wanted to discuss with her grandfather and father about acquiring more land.
This way, their family could have more grain seeds.
After dinner, while the family was sitting in the courtyard to cool off, Fu Xin Ci brought up the matter of buying land to her grandfather and parents.
As the saying goes, "Ginger is spicier when it's older." Grandpa Meng quickly guessed his granddaughter's intentions, and the old man felt this approach was feasible.
However, Fu Yu had a different opinion. "Father, given our family's current situation, I believe it would be best for us not to make any large moves."