Chapter 33: Not Enough Points

Deep into the silent night.

At the northern edge of the village, in the depths of the forest, a black, ominous door suddenly manifested on the rock where Xiao Qing had drawn her sigil. The black space twisted and warped.

From within the door, two figures leapt forth—it was Meng Yao and Xiao Qing.

In the darkness, the two exchanged a knowing smile. Everything was understood without words.

Xiao Qing’s ability was not a storage space at all, but a gateway through space itself. First, she would draw the symbol for the door with her own blood. Then, within a set period, she could summon a door at any location and return to the site where she had marked the symbol.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Meng Yao had deliberately betrayed Xiao Qing—this had been their contingency for unforeseen circumstances all along.

When Qin Xiaofan demanded that Xiao Qing demonstrate her power, she controlled the size of the door, reached inside, and retrieved the bra she had left in front of the rock earlier, creating the perfect illusion of a storage space and successfully deceiving Qin Xiaofan.

Now, Xiao Qing bent down, picked up the black bra from the ground, dusted it off, and, without a hint of embarrassment, took off her shirt in front of Meng Yao and put the bra back on.

Meng Yao stared, almost dazzled. Comparing herself to Xiao Qing, she couldn’t help but sigh with envy, “Sister Xiao Qing, your figure is so captivating—it makes my heart flutter.”

“Don’t worry, Yao Yao. You’re only nineteen. You’ll grow into it,” Xiao Qing reassured her, lifting a hand to gently stroke Meng Yao’s forehead. “Yao Yao, your antenna was broken off by that scoundrel. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Earlier, Qin Xiaofan, wary of Meng Yao invading others’ dreams again, had snapped off the antenna on her forehead while she was unconscious.

Meng Yao touched her own forehead and smiled indifferently. “It’s nothing. It’s like a fingernail—it’ll grow back in time. Its main function is to enhance the stability and strength of my ability. Even without it, I can still use my powers.”

“So, should we go search for the Queen now?” Xiao Qing asked, picking up the bamboo flask of Civilization’s Water. “I still have some left—it should be enough to revive the Queen.”

Meng Yao thought for a moment. “If we can find the Queen, of course we should revive her. But the world is vast—who knows where she is? We can try our luck. If we can’t find her, finding that person will do.”

Xiao Qing was surprised. “You mean… that fat man?”

“That’s right!” A sly smile crept onto Meng Yao’s lips. “As long as we find that oaf and revive him, the recipe for Civilization’s Water will mean little to us…”

Her eyes glinted with a fervent light.

Xiao Qing took Meng Yao’s hand. “Let’s go. We shouldn’t linger here.”

Meng Yao straightened her pink cheongsam. Suddenly, as if recalling some humiliating memory, she bit her lip hard, turned toward the village, and cursed fiercely—

“You scoundrel! One day, I’ll make you pay!”

Under the cover of night, the two soon vanished into the darkness.

From afar, Meng Yao’s indignant mutterings could still be faintly heard.

…

“Achoo!”

Inside the cave, Qin Xiaofan sneezed suddenly and inexplicably. Then, in a fit of frustration, he punched the wall, making the entire cave tremble and frightening everyone inside half to death.

When Xiao Yan and the others discovered that Meng Yao and Xiao Qing were missing, they were all stunned.

Indeed…

A woman’s heart is as mysterious as the ocean!

Each more cunning than the last—they had managed to deceive everyone.

Now, everyone could empathize with Qin Xiaofan’s mood. After all, as the leader, he had just been played by two women—who wouldn’t be furious?

But anger was all it amounted to.

Once he calmed down, Qin Xiaofan reflected for a moment and then let it go. Because, though Meng Yao and Xiao Qing had escaped, he hadn’t really lost anything; if anything, the moles in their group had been weeded out.

Moreover, Qin Xiaofan was convinced that those two women couldn’t possibly survive. Neither Meng Yao nor Xiao Qing were combat specialists—their self-defense abilities were weak at best. They might well perish at the claws of some mutated beast.

Sensing everyone’s eyes on him, Qin Xiaofan cleared his throat. He couldn’t lose face now!

With all eyes on him, he spoke with heartfelt gravity—

“Ah, what a pity. I could have spared their lives, but they chose the path of death themselves. I could have stopped them, but I relented. Everyone has the right to choose their own fate—I respect their choice.”

Having said this, he stood with hands clasped behind his back, striking a regal pose.

Everyone stared blankly for a moment.

Then, the cave erupted with a cacophony of flattery—praise flying in from all sides, each compliment more extravagant than the last!

…

Xiao Yan, standing aside, was speechless. He felt particularly dejected, as his beloved pink cheongsam was gone for good, leaving his heart inexplicably empty…

Morning.

Sunlight bathed the earth—the dawn of a new day.

The bright morning rays seemed to dispel all gloom. After a night of being “comforted” by his companions, Qin Xiaofan’s mood had improved considerably.

Soon, he left thoughts of those two women behind and turned his attention to the wheat.

After several days under the scorching sun, the wheat’s husks had started to crack.

Next came the critical hulling process.

The method was simple: smashing with stones.

Indeed.

Using stones.

He dug a half-moon pit on a rock, poured the wheat in, added a little water to moisten it, then pounded it with a smooth stone.

Even force was key.

If no smooth stone could be found and one didn’t mind some extra effort, one could just pick up the statue and use its head to smash—the statue couldn’t be damaged anyway.

This method was primitive, but effective.

As the unhulled wheat took the rhythmic blows of the stone, the sun-baked husks gradually peeled away, and the pale yellow kernels settled at the bottom.

After several rounds, the hulling was basically complete.

It was exhausting work, but with superhuman stamina, the powered individuals could manage. Under Qin Xiaofan’s direction, they dug dozens of pits in the rocks and worked tirelessly.

Soon, a large pile of hulled wheat accumulated in the cave.

Qin Xiaofan grabbed a handful and tossed it into his mouth.

At once, he felt invigorated.

Crisp! Fragrant! Sweet!

He estimated that after a full day’s effort, they’d hulled about two hundred catties of wheat—not bad at all.

With the husks removed, they could finally attempt to make wheat porridge and flour—the delicacies everyone had been longing for.

To make wheat porridge, one needed a pot.

Fortunately, the points shop sold iron pots. Otherwise, making one from scratch would be a nightmare.

Qin Xiaofan opened the tools section to check the price—and was dumbfounded. An iron pot cost five thousand points.

He only had 3,600 left.

Not enough points…

It seemed he had no choice but to revive another batch of humans.

Late at night, while everyone slept, Qin Xiaofan quietly left the cave.

He proceeded cautiously.

After ensuring he wasn’t being followed, he arrived at a secluded spot and, using the newly improved formula, brewed a large barrel of Civilization’s Water.

As dawn broke, Qin Xiaofan carried the barrel back to the cave.

Immediately, everyone was roused from sleep, their eyes blazing with fervor as they stared at the barrel of Civilization’s Water…