Chapter 46: Finding the Mutated Yuan Crystal

Zhao Gen was the person Jiang Xincheng was looking for. He was also the poor teenager recorded in Tales of the Unusual who received a great fortune. He lived in the back half of Feilei Street and depended on his elderly grandmother for survival.

After asking around, Jiang Xincheng learned that Zhao Gen’s parents were killed by fighter plane bombs during the Fourth World War. Only he and his elderly grandmother were left in the family. They struggled for years, living a poor and difficult life.

About a year ago, his grandmother got a serious illness. She needed surgery costing hundreds of thousands of Credit Points. Otherwise, she would not live much longer. Besides taking care of his grandmother and his own daily needs, Zhao Gen spent most of his time collecting scrap. He tried hard to save enough money for his grandmother’s surgery.

This was a pitiable yet respectable teenager. When Jiang Xincheng found him, he was digging through a garbage heap. He was thin, short, about fourteen or fifteen years old, covered in dirt. His small face was especially black, like coal.

His strength was not high. He was only at the Initial Stage of Muscle Training. He desperately squeezed out the small amount of Primordial Force inside his body to dig out more valuable trash. He wanted to earn more money to cure his grandmother.

Jiang Xincheng silently watched from afar. He observed the teenager secretly. He waited for Zhao Gen to find that incredibly magical Mutated Yuan Crystal. Then it would become his own fortune.

Jiang Xincheng did not dare to disturb Zhao Gen. He was afraid of disrupting the course of events from his previous life. He feared that Zhao Gen would not get that incredibly magical Mutated Yuan Crystal. He tried his best not to influence this pitiful yet strong teenager.

Zhao Gen kept picking up trash. From five in the evening until after ten at night. Only then did he carry a large bag of garbage. He slowly moved toward home.

On his way home, Zhao Gen bought a few steamed buns and two cups of soy milk. That was dinner for him and his grandmother.

Jiang Xincheng followed Zhao Gen all the way. Around eleven o’clock, Zhao Gen finally returned home. Zhao Gen’s home was a broken two-story building. The second floor was half destroyed by an explosion. The first floor was still somewhat intact. It looked very dangerous. This was the home where Zhao Gen had lived since he was little.

“Grandma, I’m back.” After putting down the garbage and washing his face and hands, Zhao Gen took the steamed buns and soy milk. He quickly ran into his grandmother’s room.

Hearing Zhao Gen’s voice, an old voice came from the bed in the room. “Little Gen, you’re back. Have you eaten yet? Did you meet any bad people?”

“Not yet, Grandma. These are the steamed buns I bought. You like the red bean bun and leek egg bun best. And here’s my pickled vegetable bun and meat bun.” Zhao Gen’s small face was full of smiles. He placed several steamed buns and a cup of soy milk by the bedside. He also took a cup of soy milk and several buns for himself and began to eat.

The elderly person on the bed was over sixty years old, her face full of wrinkles. She looked extremely weak. Looking at Zhao Gen in front of her, a smile appeared on her aged face. She stretched out her right hand covered in age spots and stroked Zhao Gen’s small head. “Good, Little Gen is so sensible. It’s Grandma who has burdened you, making you suffer so much.”

Zhao Gen pouted. “What are you saying, Grandma? If it weren’t for you, Little Gen would have died long ago. And if Grandma weren’t with me, I would have no more relatives left in the future. I wouldn’t be able to go on living. Grandma, you must not die.”

“Okay, okay, okay. Grandma will keep on living and staying with our Little Gen.” The old woman’s face was full of smiles as she started to eat her steamed bun. Zhao Gen crouched beside his grandmother and also began to drink soy milk and eat his bun. Grandmother and grandson both had smiling faces, radiating warmth.

Jiang Xincheng watched all this from outside the window and sighed softly. According to Tales of the Unusual, Zhao Gen’s grandmother seemed to die not long later. The reason was lack of money for the surgery. Zhao Gen alone set out on the path to become strong. He trained diligently and relentlessly, sparing no effort, and eventually became a somewhat famous expert in Nanhai City.

But from then on, Zhao Gen became a teenager with no smiles, no family or friends, and no happiness or joy. He was all alone, nothing like the happiness he had now.

If he successfully obtained that Mutated Yuan Crystal, he might as well help him. That magical Mutated Yuan Crystal was extremely valuable. Compared to his own efforts, that Mutated Yuan Crystal was far, far more precious.

After that, Jiang Xincheng remained behind Zhao Gen and his grandmother’s room, cultivating Primordial Force. He constantly observed Zhao Gen’s movements, making sure not to miss that incredibly magical Mutated Yuan Crystal.

He dared not be the slightest bit careless about such a great fortune. If he missed it, it would be a lifelong regret.

Early the next morning, around four o’clock, Zhao Gen got up to collect garbage. Jiang Xincheng immediately ended his cultivation and stopped practicing Primordial Force. He quietly followed him.

Zhao Gen’s strength was very weak. He was only at the Initial Stage of Muscle Training. How could he detect Jiang Xincheng, who was at the Peak Initial Stage of Tendon Training? So Jiang Xincheng’s tracking went smoothly.

From morning to night, from evening to dawn, day after day passed. Several dozen days went by in the blink of an eye. But Jiang Xincheng still did not see Zhao Gen obtain any Mutated Yuan Crystal. He began to feel a little doubtful. Could he have remembered the wrong time?

That couldn’t be. That book Tales of the Unusual said it was June. The chance of error was very small. He would wait a bit longer. Jiang Xincheng continued to follow Zhao Gen. Several more days passed in a flash.

Soon June was about to end. Jiang Xincheng began to feel restless. Could he really have remembered wrong this time? Or did that Tales of the Unusual record the wrong time, or even the wrong person?

A bad feeling rose in Jiang Xincheng’s heart. In the blink of an eye, it was already June 28th. In two more days, June would be over. But Zhao Gen still had not found any trace of a Mutated Yuan Crystal. Every day it was just scrap and more scrap, not even one strange item.

Jiang Xincheng sighed. He looked at Zhao Gen rummaging through a garbage heap not far away. Disappointment began to well up inside him. But Jiang Xincheng did not give up. No matter what, he had to wait until June was over. Then he could think of other methods. No matter what, Jiang Xincheng would not easily let go of this Mutated Yuan Crystal that could be considered a great fortune.

“Eh, what’s this? The Primordial Force inside feels so pure.” Right at that moment, from a garbage heap in the distance, Zhao Gen dug out a black-red stone. He noticed that this black-red stone seemed to contain extremely pure Primordial Force, and the amount was quite high.

Zhao Gen held this black-red stone in his hand and examined it carefully. At the same time, the tiny amount of Primordial Force inside his body surged out, helping to probe this somewhat strange stone.

“A Yuan Crystal! Haha, this must be a Yuan Crystal! Such a large piece can be cut into at least more than ten standard Yuan Crystals. Even if it’s only a first-grade Yuan Crystal, it’s worth over a hundred thousand Credit Points! Grandma will be saved now!” Zhao Gen cheered while holding the black-red stone. After careful examination, Zhao Gen discovered that the Primordial Force content inside this black-red stone was at least over 99%. It had broken through the bottleneck of Yuan Stone. It fully qualified as a Yuan Crystal. He was so happy he almost jumped up.

Not far away, hearing Zhao Gen’s cheers, Jiang Xincheng suddenly stood up. He looked over with a face full of surprise and joy.