Chapter 28: Mockery Instead of Grandeur
Chapter 28: Mockery Instead of Grandeur
At the entrance of Shan Yue Village.
“Grandfather.”
As she watched the Pack Beast’s figure vanish into the vast wilderness, Shan Guoer tugged at the Elder Shaman’s robe, looked up, and asked, “Will Gao Jing come back? To bring me sugar cubes?”
Her innocent eyes held a sliver of anxiety.
The Elder Shaman smiled softly, rubbed the little girl’s head, and comforted her: “Don’t worry, he will definitely return.”
He could tell his little granddaughter wasn’t truly greedy for the sugar Gao Jing had promised.
She just missed Gao Jing, her “little” friend.
Although Shan Guoer had many playmates her own age in the Shan Yue Tribe,
she still seemed lonely.
The Elder Shaman knew this was because Shan Guoer had lost her parents.
And he himself was too old.
Until Gao Jing appeared, bringing unexpected joy into the little girl’s life.
Over the past two weeks, Shan Guoer had often carried Gao Jing around on her back as she ran through the village.
At night, she listened to Gao Jing tell stories.
The laughter on her face was much more frequent than before.
It was obvious Gao Jing also liked the little girl very much, treating her much like a father would treat his child.
Shan Guoer’s reluctance was completely understandable.
“Hmm.”
The little girl nodded firmly, then clenched her small fist: “If he doesn’t come back, then I won’t speak to him anymore!”
Her fierce little show of determination made the Elder Shaman burst out laughing.
His aged laughter was carried far away by the wind.
At that very moment, Gao Jing, now far from Shan Yue Village, felt something and turned to look back.
The earth stretched vast and empty, the towering mountains majestic; the valley where the village lay was already long out of sight.
Though the Giant Rhinoceros Beast looked thick and clumsy with short legs, it ran remarkably fast. Carrying Gao Jing, it had dashed enthusiastically forward, covering an unknown distance.
Gao Jing signaled it to slow down.
Scanning his surroundings, Gao Jing spotted no obvious dangers or threats. So, he simply brought the Pack Beast to a stop.
This was far enough; there was no need to go any further.
Going too far would just waste time and be less safe.
He leaped into the Vine Basket and began organizing the Bronze Anchor Storage Space.
You regret not having enough books when you need them; your cheat ability never feels big enough. When he first acquired the Storage Space, Gao Jing had been overjoyed, but now he was frustrated by its limited capacity.
The Copper Anchor Storage Space could hold around 100 cubic meters of items. Currently, it was largely filled with various supplies and the carcass of the Crimson Snake. It was impossible to fit all the Red Sandalwood in the Vine Basket inside.
So, Gao Jing had to take out all the food, drinks, and other provisions, along with daily necessities like the crossbow, tent, and cooking utensils.
He needed to free up space to load the Red Sandalwood instead.
But the snake carcass was essential to bring back. Every part of the creature was valuable; it needed to be fully utilized.
It was far more precious than the Red Sandalwood.
While collecting Rosewood in Shan Yue Village, Gao Jing had already considered the transportation problem.
He hadn’t been greedy, selecting only about 60 cubic meters of wood.
If he hadn’t held back, even 60,000 cubic meters wouldn’t have been a problem.
After fussing for over ten minutes, he finally got everything sorted out.
Gao Jing noticed the Power of Faith within the Copper Anchor was now almost depleted.
Using the Storage Space to store or retrieve items consumed Power of Faith. The more or bigger the items, the greater the consumption.
And in the Great World, he hadn’t received a single drop of Power of Faith.
With only outgoings and no income, it was perfectly natural that his initially small reserve of Power of Faith had run dry.
After returning this time, replenishing his Power of Faith would undoubtedly become a top priority.
He jumped back onto the Pack Beast’s back, leaned down, and patted the massive rhinoceros: “After Advertisement, Be Back Soon!”
Giant Rhinoceros Beast: Hmm?
Gao Jing chuckled, straightened up, and took a deep, long breath.
“Home!”
He returned to the Primary World in an instant.
Urban Village Rental Room.
It was still the same dim, cramped room, the air holding a faint, persistent scent of mildew. The constant noise drifting in from the street and neighbouring dwellings seemed like it would never cease.
But Gao Jing had never felt this deeply familiar environment as so comforting.
And so safe!
In the Great World, not just in the perilous wilds, but even within Shan Yue Village, a thread of tension always ran through his nerves; his vigilance never diminished.
Only here could he truly relax.
Eagerly pulling off his backpack and clothes, Gao Jing rushed into the bathroom.
He took a brisk shower with cold water.
After scrubbing himself clean and putting on fresh underwear, he threw himself onto the single bed.
He slept like the dead!
When Gao Jing finally woke up, it was already dusk.
He was roused by the incessant ringing of his phone.
“Your Majesty, a scoundrel wishes to see you, shall I behead him?”
Gao Jing reached over and grabbed his phone from beside the pillow. Without glancing at the caller ID, he answered. This ringtone was set specifically for friends in his contacts.
Gao Jing didn’t have many friends.
“Hello?”
“Old Gao, it’s Zhang Hongyuan. Hey, why didn’t you answer any of my calls? What you busy with?”
“Oh, Lao Zhang.”
Gao Jing tapped his head, apologizing: “Sorry, I was asleep and didn’t hear it. What’s up?”
Old Zhang, Zhang Hongyuan, was Gao Jing’s colleague at Jinhui Trading, used to work in Market Development. They’d known each other since Gao Jing first joined the company and usually had a good relationship.
While not exactly sworn brothers, Zhang Hongyuan still counted as a friend.
“I’m back, currently at Big Head’s Stir-Fry.”
Zhang Hongyuan’s voice was full of warmth and enthusiasm: “Come over quick, let’s knock back a few drinks!”
“Give me half an hour.”
Gao Jing replied without hesitation, “Order more dishes! I’ll pay, to celebrate your return.”
He was feeling very hungry!
“Ha!”
Zhang Hongyuan snorted dismissively. “Do I look like I need that? I’ll pay tonight, just get here!”
After saying that, he hung up.
Gao Jing chuckled quietly.
Zhang Hongyuan was a good guy, one of the few colleagues at Jinhui Trading that Gao Jing got along with.
But half a year ago, Zhang Hongyuan had been sent to another province to develop new business, so they hadn’t seen each other for a while.
They had only chatted on WeChat.
He got up and hurriedly changed his clothes, heading out to meet him.
Woof! Woof!
Just as Gao Jing stepped out of the alley, fierce barks suddenly erupted, startling him.
Ahead on the sidewalk, two Rottweilers were furiously barking at a woman in a white dress passing by.
Rottweilers were large, powerful, and aggressive dogs, so their angry display was frightening.
The woman in white was so scared she nearly dropped her phone, her eyes turning red.
“Come back!”
The Rottweilers belonged to someone. Their leashes were held by a bulky man with a thick build.
He yanked the leashes and gave a half-hearted shout, his greasy face full of mocking amusement.
Only arrogance, not a trace of apology!
Gao Jing recognized this man with his two dogs and a big gold chain. He was famously the local troublemaker and upstart in the Urban Village.
Having gotten rich from relocation payouts, he had nothing to do all day except gamble or show off by walking his dogs in the street.
Everyone disliked him.
Although Gao Jing scorned his behavior, he didn’t interfere unnecessarily, since no one was hurt.
He just frowned slightly.
The Gold-Chain Man walked over with his two large dogs, his gaze sweeping over Gao Jing’s face.
Scoff!
He snorted disdainfully through his nose.
He deliberately, or perhaps not, gave the dog leashes a slight shake.
Taking the hint, the two Rottweilers immediately bared their teeth menacingly, poised to lunge at Gao Jing!
The Gold-Chain Man had pulled this trick many times before.
He didn’t actually intend for his dogs to bite Gao Jing; he just wanted to see him embarrass himself in terror.
Truthfully, though Gao Jing had lived here for four years, he’d never had any dealings with the man – they were strangers with no ill will between them.
But the Gold-Chain Man just disliked Gao Jing.
So tall and handsome, yet still just a poor guy?
Who are you trying to impress? Watch how I mess with you!
The moment the Rottweilers adopted their aggressive posture, Gao Jing’s face darkened instantly.
He fixed his gaze on the eager dogs. Suddenly, his pupils abruptly became vertical, and an intangible aura radiated from him!
Whimper~
The two ferocious Rottweilers instantly looked like they’d been hit over the head. They collapsed right onto the pavement, defecating and urinating uncontrollably, trembling violently. Their earlier fierceness vanished without a trace.
They were terrified out of their wits.
Gao Jing gave a cold smile and walked straight past them.
“Damn it!”
The Gold-Chain Man was utterly dumbfounded, completely unable to understand why his beloved pets had suddenly turned so pathetic.
“Get up!”
His attempt to show off had backfired miserably.
Feeling deeply humiliated, he roughly tugged the leashes, trying to pull the two Rottweilers to their feet.
He even kicked at them: “Useless! Worthless!”
WOOF!
The next moment, along with the deep, angry bark of the large dog, a shrill, blood-curdling scream pierced through the street.
“AAAAAHH!”