After testing several times, he proceeded along the tunnel into the cave where the warehouse sat, admiring its seemingly divinely chiseled exterior— a massive, hollowed-out green jade boulder.
He remarked in awe.
"So glossy..."
Wang Kui stepped forward, pressing his cheek against its surface, savoring its warm, smooth texture. Grinning widely, he planted his hands on his hips in a triumphant pose.
Walking in, he came up outside the "Mustard Seed Room".
He thrust out his index and middle fingers together as he would a sword.
The emerald-green mist permeating the warehouse instantly responded to his command, sweeping up the copper pipes stored and setting them swirling through the air.
...
After amusing himself for a while.
Wang Kui finally stepped out of the warehouse, sat by the entrance, and looked up at the cave ceiling overhead. His expression grew distant.
How long had it been since he'd been this happy?
Thirteen years...
Even a dog raised for thirteen years deserved decent treatment, right?
He'd thought he would be stuck with what he'd had—until the rainy season's early arrival.
He wondered at which moment his fate had shifted.
Was it the moment he learned Chen Fan's identity and sent Qiu Junior to befriend him?
Or when he had realized the early arrival of the rainy season and came to take Chen Fan along as they were about to evacuate?
After a long while.
He burst out into laughter.
Actually, he felt grateful to himself. Even after thirteen stagnant years in the Wang Clan, he hadn't given up. He'd kept seeking opportunities, and when he met someone who might be his benefactor, he'd done all he could—never surrendering to despair despite years of failure.
"Time to work."
He took a deep breath, stood up, and left for the old warehouse. He cherished what he had at the moment; all he had to do was perform well.
He'd figured it out these past few days.
Here.
He didn't need to worry about climbing the ladder.
In a rapidly growing force, as an early member without glaring red flags, even a nobody could rise to prominence. His stagnation in the Wang Clan was largely because even the Wangs couldn't work their way up the hierarchy—no vacancies opened up for him.
Hard work did matter.
But where you did it mattered more.
In the quiet camp.
A panting Wang Kui was moving items on a cart from the old warehouse to the new one. Then, he left them to the mist for sorting and arranging. The mist was confined in the warehouse and could only be used there.
"These Eerie Stones... put them in the Mustard Seed Room."
"Mmm... this is the octopus for Heyhey tomorrow. Better stored in the 'Vitality Room'—wouldn't want it drying out."
"These bones go in the Mustard Seed Room. Neatly, neatly."
Muttering to himself, Wang Kui, from the warehouse corridor, directed the emerald mist to arrange everything in orderly rows like stacking blocks.
...
The night flew by.
Darkness receded as usual, yet the overcast drizzle still screened the sun.
Much later.
Well into the late morning, the camp gradually stirred to life, regaining its human buzz. Chen Fan lay on a recliner on the city wall, gazing at the unceasing drizzle outside, and sighed softly.
"Once the rain stops, I must get my fill of sunbathing."
"Haven't seen the sun in so long."
"Meal's ready!"
Qi Chong's bellow echoed through the camp. Porridge, steamed buns, and side dishes were brought onto the wall. Everyone gathered for lunch.
"Station Master."
Wang Kui, with a bowl of millet porridge in hand, reported in high spirits, "I stayed up a bit late last night—finished inventorying the resources."
"Currently, the camp has 2,922 Eerie Stones."
"Over a thousand Eerie Creature corpses, assorted Eerie materials like bones, and two Extraordinary Treasures—all in the warehouse."
"Only that many Eerie Stones?"
Chen Fan frowned. "Last night's octopus was called Qian Fu, one of the Eerie King's four deputies. It brought a year's worth of accumulated Eerie Stones. Weren't they anywhere?"
Wang Kui froze, turning to Zhou Mo and the others, then instinctively shaking his head. "No, only this many Eerie Stones have been transferred to me..."
Almost instantly.
Crippled Monkey realized something and set down his bowl, then limped on his Divine-Slaying Spear toward the canyon without hesitation.
That realization dawned on Zhou Mo, too, who dashed deep into the camp, mounted his Skeleton Horse, and charged out, soon overtaking Crippled Monkey.
Several minutes later.
Zhou Mo rode back, skidding to a halt below the wall, shouting anxiously, "Station Master, no Eerie Stones in the canyon!"
By now, everyone had arrived on the same page.
Since the stones weren't found last night, those Eerie Creatures must have left them somewhere before launching the assault.
"..."
Chen Fan's brow furrowed slightly. Could there have been a group of Eerie Creatures left in the canyon to guard the stones, and they had retreated after things went badly?
Didn't make sense.
Qian Fu itself had joined the fray—could it have kept anything in reserve?
And if they had been in the canyon, when the wall had risen at the canyon-abyss pit junction, they should have attacked the wall from outside.
He comforted Zhou Mo in a calm voice from the parapet.
"Don't panic."
"You and Dayu split up. Search thoroughly around outside the canyon, and check the seaside. They came from the sea last night."
"That horde was powerful. Wherever they passed, ordinary Eerie Creatures wouldn't dare approach."
"Those Eerie Stones might still stay untouched. Go look."
"Yes, sir!"
Zhou Mo and Dayu swung themselves onto the horses and galloped out of the canyon to search.
"Tsk..."
Chen Fan sat back down, picking up his bowl and sipping at it from the rim. If these Eerie Creatures had left guards who retreated when things turned ugly, he'd resign himself to it.
If even Eerie Creatures could be that cunning, what could he do?
"What a loss."
Crippled Monkey, back on the wall, seethed quietly. "These Eerie Creatures were too sly."
"Loss? What loss?"
Chen Fan glanced at him, chuckling. "Not gaining is considered a loss now?"
"Well... the camp could've had five more large chests."
Crippled Monkey smiled sheepishly.
"Relax."
Though somewhat regretful, Chen Fan hadn't been disheartened.
"If gained, it's fortune; if lost, it's fate."
"What's mine will come. Take it easy."
"And besides..."
"I'm seventy percent sure they're by the seaside. Zhou Mo would likely be bringing them back soon."