The food street was on the other side. After Mu Anqi chose the restaurant, the navigation appeared again. They walked along the street, safely crossed the road once, and arrived at the opposite food street. This entire street was full of snacks and delicacies. The game didn't pop up any new options, seemingly letting them choose freely.
"Ye Jue Food City… What a strange name." Mu Anqi was speechless for a moment. Ignoring the small shops on either side, she walked directly into the food city. She randomly found an empty table, took out the [Unremarkable Thermos Cup] from her storage ring to claim the spot, and then looked around the various stalls with Ji Huaichu.[T/N: 'Ye Jue' literal meaning: too superb?? Ye= also, too and Jue= ultimate, excellent and unmatched.]
They didn't have the local currency, but that wasn't a problem either; they could exchange with any passerby. With Guansi in hand, Mu Anqi didn't worry about money. She exchanged 10 Guansi for 800 local dollars, not bothering to haggle too much. After the exchange, she bought a set of hot braised food, a portion of rice noodles, and a plate of fried rice. Finally, she bought a full-sugar bubble tea for Ji Huaichu. Their small table for two was soon filled.
Just as Mu Anqi sat down ready to eat, a young man rushed somewhat recklessly into the food city. It seemed to be pouring heavily outside again. His red umbrella kept dripping water, yet his hair was still wet. Looking closer, it seemed more like sweat.
He looked towards the table next to Mu Anqi and Ji Huaichu—very close to them—walked over, and placed the red umbrella beside the table, on Mu Anqi's side. Then, he hurried off to buy food from the stalls.
Mu Anqi looked at the red umbrella and poked the braised thousand-layer tofu with her chopsticks: "General, the umbrella."
Ji Huaichu sipped her bubble tea, looking extremely calm. "Eat your meal first."
"Alright then." Mu Anqi picked up the rice noodles and started slurping. Across from her, General Ji finished her bubble tea first before starting to eat the fried rice in small bites. The fried rice didn't seem to suit her taste; Ji Huaichu ate only a few mouthfuls before stopping and started on the hot braised food instead.
About ten minutes later, the young man came over carrying a large bowl of braised noodles. He placed the bowl on the table, went back to get a bowl of mung bean soup, and then sat down to eat. By the time he started his meal, Mu Anqi was almost finished eating.
Mu Anqi didn't wait for a game prompt. Thinking it over, she decided to improvise. She politely inquired, "Excuse me, did you get this red umbrella from the convenience store?"
"Ah, yes! Are you an employee from the convenience store? I paid for it; I left the money on the counter… I'm really sorry, I was in a hurry to deliver documents to my boss then, so I couldn't wait for you to come back." The young man swallowed the noodles in his mouth nervously and hurriedly explained, "You can check the surveillance footage."
"That's not the issue, it's just… this umbrella is very important to me and isn't for sale." Mu Anqi shook her head, took out a hundred-dollar bill, and placed it on the table towards him. "When you used the umbrella, did you notice anything unusual?"
"N-no, this is too much…" The young man looked flustered and searched his pockets, seemingly unable to make change for Mu Anqi. As for her question, he thought for a moment and said, "Unusual? Well, it was very cool when using this umbrella! Is it originally a sun umbrella? Also, its craftsmanship is exquisite. The canopy, the ribs… they feel great to the touch. Even strong winds couldn't blow it inside out." As for the feeling of a soft voice whispering in his ear when opening the umbrella, the chill on the back of his neck while hurrying, or the occasional sensation like hair falling on him brushing against his skin causing itchiness… these strange feelings seemed inappropriate to mention. They felt more like hallucinations from his frantic rush. Coupled with the heavy storm, maybe it was just the rain and wind playing tricks.
"It's pouring outside, and asking for the umbrella back really troubles you. Please, you must accept this." Mu Anqi stuffed the money into the young man's hand and stood up. "We've finished eating and have matters to attend to, so we must leave now… Thank you."
The young man looked puzzled and somewhat helpless. He felt the money in his hand was burning hot, but Mu Anqi had already picked up the red umbrella and left the food city quickly with Ji Huaichu. Clutching the money, he took a big mouthful of braised noodles. For some reason, a sense of relief washed over him. His icy hands and feet and chilled body seemed to gradually warm up.
How strange, did the food city turn on the heating? He looked up at the ceiling, took a sip of the mung bean soup, and continued eating his noodles.
Meanwhile, the moment Mu Anqi picked up the red umbrella, she felt a surge of Yin energy pouring directly into her body. Mu Anqi hadn't held it for long before Ji Huaichu took the umbrella from her. General Ji stared coldly at the umbrella. Although she didn't appear to do anything rough or damaging to it, Mu Anqi abruptly heard a sharp female scream.
"Is it raining again?" The heavy rain poured down in sheets. Mu Anqi felt that the stormy weather was the red umbrella's doing. She thought again of the perverse clerk at the convenience store who made the red umbrellas. This strange tale seemed to have its own logic.
Ji Huaichu opened the red umbrella. Mu Anqi, shielded by her mental defence looked up inside the canopy and saw a woman's face faintly floating appear within. She looked frantic and uneasy. When she made eye contact with Mu Anqi, her expression revealed anger and hatred, as if she wanted to burst out of the umbrella and kill her.
But before she could make any move—only a strand of hair had extended beyond the canopy—Ji Huaichu expressionlessly grabbed that strand and pulled the entire lock out.
Mu Anqi seemed to hear another scream.
The red umbrella finally settled down. Ji Huaichu held the umbrella, sheltering Mu Anqi beneath it. This time, let alone reaching out to rest a hand on Ji Huaichu's shoulder, the woman inside the umbrella didn't even dare to let a single hair fall. It behaved just like an ordinary umbrella, simply shielding them from the heavy rain.
There should be another strange tale nearby in the snack street area. Since they were here, it was better to handle it together. They already had the umbrella; they could deal with it anytime. Mu Anqi and Ji Huaichu strolled aimlessly down the street, sensing each shop they passed.
"Do you know of any other strange tales around here?" Mu Anqi asked the red umbrella.
The red umbrella had backbone and remained silent. Mu Anqi looked up and saw the woman inside the canopy making a disdainful face.
Mu Anqi nodded slightly without saying a word, instead complaining directly in her heart to General Ji: "The red umbrella refuses to cooperate with me."
Ji Huaichu's response was extremely direct. She channeled the Yin energy within her body to her right hand. Unlike the passive resistance when the red umbrella attacked her before, Ji Huaichu actively poured her own Yin energy into the umbrella. As she walked calmly, several black ghostly shadows materialized beside her. They were only vaguely humanoid and now pounced on the umbrella's canopy like wild beasts—
"I know, I know!—The Cursed Buns! The buns from the bun shop are made with human flesh! Whenever a suitable person goes to buy buns, the shop owner invites the customer to wait inside the shop, then offers a cup of hot water. If the customer drinks the hot water, they fall unconscious and are turned into bun filling!" The woman inside the umbrella shrieked, revealing the entire strange tale. "These buns have a strange magic; anyone who eats them will bankrupt themselves desperate to eat them again!"
[The red umbrella has revealed information about a strange tale. Regarding this:]
[A. Believe the umbrella; go directly to the bun shop to kill.]
[B. Kill the donkey after it's done grinding; deal with the red umbrella first.]
[C. Suspect a trick; torture the red umbrella to find out more strange tales.]
"What kind of options are these…" Mu Anqi was somewhat speechless. She directly chose option A to get the navigation to the bun shop.
It seems these strange tales know each other… The bun shop… who knows if it has a grudge or a friendship with the red umbrella. Mu Anqi took the red umbrella from Ji Huaichu and tentatively tried to put it into her storage ring. Unexpectedly, it worked!
[Cursed Red Umbrella]: Special item. Cannot be taken away from this place.
"What have you done to me? Let me out!" The moment it was placed in the storage ring, Mu Anqi could directly hear the red umbrella's voice. The red umbrella seemed utterly frantic, screaming and yelling in her mind. Mu Anqi was silent for a moment, then said plainly, "If you want to come out, get beaten up, and then be put back in, keep making noise."
The red umbrella: "…"
Quiet achieved.
"It seems we can deal with the bun shop first. This red umbrella definitely knows quite a few other strange tales. Let's keep it as a lead and clear out all the strange tales in this Black Mirror Vortex." Mu Anqi said this, then added, "To have the focus to create so many strange tales, the ghost behind this Black Mirror Vortex either has a special ability or is incredibly powerful."
"Clearing the strange tales weakens its strength," Ji Huaichu said. "Ghosts that indirectly create Black Mirror Vortexes like this usually either have special abilities, are so powerful they're bored, or aren't strong in direct combat." As she spoke, she asked, "Does the red umbrella affect you? If it's uncomfortable, it's fine to take it out." Even if they were exposed early, Ji Huaichu didn't think a bun shop could pose any real threat to her.
"It can't cause any trouble inside my storage ring," Mu Anqi replied truthfully. Apart from being noisy, the red umbrella seemed to have no other usable abilities left.
Once the red umbrella was stored away, the rain gradually lessened. Mu Anqi took out two clean tracksuits, gave one to Ji Huaichu, and they simply draped them over themselves before heading towards the bun shop.
The red umbrella said the bun shop owner only acts when a suitable person arrives. However, the "suitable person" in a strange tale is usually the "protagonist," and the protagonists of this Black Mirror Vortex were clearly Mu Anqi and Ji Huaichu. Therefore, they weren't worried at all about the bun shop not choosing them. Even if it didn't, so what? If we're going to wreck your shop, do we need to pick a specific day?
"Shopkeeper, ten jin of buns with lean meat filling, don't let there be even a bit of fat on it. Another ten jin of buns with fatty meat filling, don't let there be even a bit of lean in it. Then make twenty more buns with chives and vermicelli filling, slightly spicy." Mu Anqi stood at the entrance of the navigated bun shop, raised her head slightly, and announced loudly, "Money is no issue. If you don't have the ingredients, go buy them now. Don't be ungrateful, if you refuse me, I'll hit you!"
Bun Shop Owner: "…?"
Author's Note:
The ending dumped ten jin of minced meat.
[T/N: The slang "十斤臊子梗" roughly means "a punchline or meme that completely ruins the mood"]
Everyone, if you like it, keep reading. If not, we'll meet again if fate allows. I'll write when I can, and when I can't, I'll wait until I can write again.
If no one is willing to continue reading, or if I can't come up with new dungeons, after the next world/realm travel arc, I can just summarize everything else into epilogues and finish it. That wouldn't count as a rushed ending either.