The Lord of Qilin City was pleased. As long as Long Teng accepted their offerings, that was all that mattered. As for the others in Long City, as far as he knew, they all deferred to Long Teng's men. The Base Chief wasn't as popular as the Long Teng captains.
The teammates were also quite happy. Xu Ruyi eagerly approached the captain, her smile unrestrained.
"Captain, with these things, aren't we one big step closer to our goal?"
"Yes." Overall, the captain was satisfied with these unexpected gains, as they were more than what they got from going out to fight monsters, and there was also that large chunk of raw ore. They should be content.
As the captain finished speaking, Yang Xinjie began to chatter.
"Let's put in extra effort today, and our wish will surely come true soon."
"If you ask me, the Lord of Qilin City is too stingy. It would be great if he gave us a few more raw jade stones. Those things aren't worth much now, and they just take up space when given away," Xiao Ai said with a pout, showing utter disdain.
"Exactly. Only our Xin Ci wants them now; others wouldn't even glance at them," Pang Dun'er also expressed some displeasure.
"Alright, they gave us what they could, so we should be content. As the saying goes, contentment brings happiness." The captain remained optimistic. "With these items, Xin Ci will surely be happy."
"The captain is right. These items only become valuable in others' eyes because Xin Ci likes them," Xu Jiacan thought as long-term as the captain.
"Mm."
"Right."
"Heh heh, the captain sees things more clearly than we do."
The Long Teng teammates all laughed, and the Base Chief was also happy.
But in the blink of an eye, the captain gave him a knowing look and prepared to lead his teammates off to fight monsters.
Following behind them, several mercenary teams and people from various factions also joined them.
It was good to be together, able to look out for each other. These days, all the teams traveling together felt this way.
"Heh heh, it's quite a spectacular sight with so many people acting together."
The Lord of Qilin City looked enviously at the receding figures of the group. He only saw such a scene when the city was in danger and facing large numbers of monsters.
The esper spontaneously coming together, he had only seen this in Long City.
The Base Chief felt quite proud when this matter was brought up.
Even though many teams in Long City didn't know Long Teng's plans, they followed them every day, seeing them toil and fight monsters.
Under such circumstances, a sense of tacit understanding developed between the teams, and their bond grew stronger.
This was all something the Base Chief was happy to see.
Of course, other teams were also willing to fight monsters alongside the Long Teng teammates.
Who wouldn't admire the strong?
As night fell, Fu Xinci learned that Long City had given her a huge surprise.
Heh heh, she also liked that entire piece of raw jade. Of course, she thought the same as the captain: it would have been better if there were a few more pieces.
As for those jade ornaments, shaped like eagles, boats, cabbages, and cranes, she liked them too.
Since they were given away for free and were treasures that could help her space upgrade, the more the better, she wouldn't be picky.
She even generously gifted the Lord of Qilin City a whole pig and two whole sheep.
The moment he saw this meat, the Lord of Qilin City's eyes changed. How long had it been since they had eaten such pure meat? He himself couldn't remember.
He wiped his face, unsure of his emotions.
Was it excitement, or impulse? He couldn't figure it out himself, only knowing that his mind seemed to be suddenly filled with something.
To be honest, they had never dreamed in their wildest dreams that they would be able to eat such pure meat in this lifetime.
Pure meat, not the meat of mutated beasts, meat that only had the fragrance of meat.
Just thinking about it made his mouth water uncontrollably.
Seeing that Fu Xinci's face was always beaming, the captain secretly passed her a note to discuss.
"How about we go to Qilin City and get a few more of their raw jade stones?"
"No, I absolutely cannot agree to this." After reading the captain's suggestion, Fu Xinci flatly refused. "Captain, you don't have a spatial ability. Traveling hundreds of miles, let alone safety issues, food is an insurmountable problem."
After reading the note Fu Xinci sent back, the captain nodded silently, admitting that Xin Ci was right. He had been rash again.
Fearing that the captain still had the idea of going to Qilin City in mind, Fu Xinci quickly spoke to reassure them: "Captain, I believe we can resolve this matter without going to Qilin City."
Fu Xinci decided that tomorrow she would go to the mountains with Xiao Bai. If she happened to find any old ginseng, wouldn't that be even better?
"Okay." The captain, also afraid of Xin Ci's worry, immediately agreed.
Fu Xinci went to bed early, unaware of the lively scene in Long City.
The people from Qilin City were like they were celebrating the New Year, cooking and boiling meat overnight.
The Lord of Qilin City personally instructed them to cook large chunks of meat in big pots, to boil the entire pig, and share it among everyone.
In the quiet night, his voice carried far. The people of Qilin City also cheered loudly. Many people in Long City and Phoenix City heard it, but no one mocked them.
Heh heh, they had all come through this period before, and they didn't have the courage to laugh at others.
The next day, after breakfast, Fu Xinci informed her grandfather that she wanted to take Xiao Bai for a walk in the mountains.
Grandpa Meng was worried, and Qi He was even more so. Fortunately, he was on leave today and decided to accompany his Sister Fu up the mountain.
Before going up the mountain, the two of them set off without Ning Er. This was Fu Xinci's idea; the place they wanted to go today was a bit far, and it would be inconvenient to bring Ning Er.
Along the way, it was evident that Qi He was the happiest. He hadn't gone out alone with his Sister Fu to play for a long time.
This opportunity today was extremely rare for him.
They rode their horses all the way to the foot of the mountain. Gazing at the lush greenery, Fu Xinci effortlessly stored the two horses into her space.
Qi He was already accustomed to it. He habitually asked nothing and silently cleared the path for his Sister Fu.
He would occasionally look back and gently remind Fu Xinci, "Are you tired? We can rest for a while if you are."
"Not tired," Fu Xinci said with a faint smile, tilting her head up, revealing the faint, small pear dimples at the corners of her lips.
Qi He smiled infatuatedly, extending a large hand, calloused with hard cocoons, and gently enfolded Fu Xinci's soft, small hand in his warm palm.
Neither of them spoke again. In the forest, apart from the chirping of birds, there was only the sound of each other's breathing.