Volume One, Chapter 16: The Bear Clan's Occupation

The interior of the cave was somewhat deep, but fortunately, despite the dim lighting, the surroundings were still visible. The ground was relatively clean, showing that the little bear was quite diligent. At the deepest part of the cave lay a nest made of leaves and branches, evidently belonging to the little bear. The bear’s den was now his domain.

Moreover, Zhuang Fan made an unexpected discovery. In one corner of the cave, there was a pile of large fruits—about fifty of them! Seeing these fruits, their mouths watered instantly. These were likely the stored food of the Wind-Rushing Bear, and now they belonged to them.

“Can we eat these?” Xing Xiahan asked excitedly, bouncing with joy as she tugged on Zhuang Fan’s arm.

Zhuang Fan was equally surprised. “They’re edible, so we should be able to eat them. Let me try first.”

He eagerly picked up one of the massive fruits, so large it was hard to hold with one hand.

[Heavenly Treasure Fruit (Ripe): A delicious and nutritious fruit, rich in vitamins and minerals.
Quality: Common
Effect: A very small chance to improve physical constitution upon consumption.]

Zhuang Fan was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected the fruit to not only be edible but also to have the potential to enhance physical fitness.

Wiping it clean with his hand, he took a big bite. The fruit was sweet, juicy, and wonderfully flavorful! After eating one, he felt fully satisfied and figured he wouldn’t need to eat again tonight.

[Constitution +0.1]

Seeing the system notification, Zhuang Fan couldn’t help but eat voraciously with both hands.

“This is so delicious! You have to try it!” he exclaimed, his mouth wide open as he chewed.

“Really?” Xing Xiahan immediately grabbed a smaller one and began nibbling at it. Compared to Zhuang Fan’s ravenous eating, her small, delicate bites looked quite charming.

She was truly a sight to behold, and Zhuang Fan admired her while eating.

He had heard from Xing Xiahan before that she was a local of the Magic City, unlike himself, a mere migrant worker. Though she never spoke much about her family background, her personality and demeanor suggested she came from a wealthy or noble household.

Unfortunately, her health seemed fragile. Since arriving in this other world, Zhuang Fan had often seen her enthusiastically exercising.

After finishing one fruit, Zhuang Fan said, “I forgot to tell you, I ran into someone I know in the chat channel today.”

“Such luck! Was it a guy or a girl?” Xing Xiahan paused, then asked.

“The campus beauty from university, Ke Mengyao,” Zhuang Fan replied after a moment’s hesitation. “She even gave me some water. I’ll share some with you later.”

“Campus beauty? Is she really pretty…” A trace of jealousy unexpectedly flared in Xing Xiahan’s heart.

Zhuang Fan wasn’t foolish; noticing her unnatural tone, he quickly said, “She’s about the same as you.”

In truth, both women had their own charms—one a tsundere little darling, the other a serene campus beauty—equally matched in looks. But in terms of figure, the campus beauty held the advantage, especially with her longer legs.

Of course, this was a thought Zhuang Fan dared not let the little miss know.

“Oh~ In that case, we shouldn’t take her gifts for free. You should send her some food,” Xing Xiahan said expressionlessly, then turned back to eating.

She had guessed what Zhuang Fan was thinking—he wanted to send food to the campus beauty. She wasn’t stingy herself but disliked beating around the bush.

Hmph!

Zhuang Fan sighed in relief. Although he had worked hard for this haul, there was no way Xing Xiahan could oppose who he chose to gift. Still, out of consideration for their relationship, it was better to inform her first.

Now that she had brought it up herself, Zhuang Fan didn’t have to worry about how to approach the topic.

He picked up two fruits and sent them to the campus beauty through the system, telling her that if she encountered the Wind-Rushing Bear, she might try rummaging through its home—there could be some good stuff.

“Awoww~"

As if sensing Zhuang Fan’s full mischief, the little bear’s cries came again from outside the cave.

Zhuang Fan and Xing Xiahan exchanged a glance and hurried out to check.

Behind a large tree, a clumsy-looking head peeked out, occasionally staring into the cave and softly calling.

As soon as they appeared, the little bear dashed away hastily.

Its speed was still impressive; in the blink of an eye, it vanished again.

Seeing how timid it was, Zhuang Fan was somewhat speechless. Bears are really easy to bully.

“Forget it. Let’s block the cave entrance for now.”

“Okay.”

The sky gradually darkened. Zhuang Fan and Xing Xiahan quickly gathered branches and dry wood to barricade the entrance, preventing monsters from disturbing them at night.

Indeed, from now on, this cave was their home.

As for the Wind-Rushing Bear, Zhuang Fan had no intention of dealing with it. If it dared to come in, he would be sure to give it a proper welcome.

Kind-hearted Xing Xiahan, however, felt a bit embarrassed and had even tried several times to invite the bear inside to live with them. The little bear never fell for it, only pitifully calling outside.

As the sun slowly slipped below the horizon, the land once again was engulfed in endless darkness.

Unable to see a hand before his face, Zhuang Fan returned to his small nest.

He gathered some weeds and laid them in the nest originally belonging to the Wind-Rushing Bear, then comfortably stretched out to rest.

Xing Xiahan didn’t squeeze in with him but made another nest not far away.

Though a bit regrettable, Zhuang Fan helped her out.

After all, a full stomach breeds desires; once satiated, if they shared a bed tonight, Zhuang Fan couldn’t guarantee he would remain innocent.

“Awoww~"

Outside the cave entrance, the poor little creature still occasionally whimpered, seemingly begging Zhuang Fan to return its home.

Zhuang Fan paid no mind. He chatted with Xing Xiahan while simultaneously messaging the campus beauty, Ke Mengyao, through the system.

The long night stretched on with nothing else to do, so he passed the time through conversation.

The number of people in the regional channel had dropped to 133,082, indicating many had lost their lives.

Moreover, many were desperately pleading for food and water.

Though Zhuang Fan’s life was quite comfortable now, he wasn’t foolish enough to waste precious food by giving it away indiscriminately.

Of course, the campus beauty was an exception.

He had just sent two fruits to Ke Mengyao, who quickly reciprocated with two units of water as thanks.

Zhuang Fan gladly accepted and shared updates and information with her.

Hearing that Zhuang Fan had met someone so soon, Ke Mengyao couldn’t help but admire his luck.

Zhuang Fan himself considered his fortune not too bad. Despite many dangers, his gains were quite good.

Plus, with Xing Xiahan, the tsundere little darling constantly fussing around, his loneliness was greatly diminished.

Unfortunately, in the campus beauty’s messages, Zhuang Fan found no trace of jealousy.

For this, he could only sigh deeply.

Back in school, Ke Mengyao had been his unattainable white moonlight—a bright, distant love.

After chatting happily for a while, the campus beauty grew tired and went to rest.

Only then did Zhuang Fan remember to check the messages from Lou Yijia.

As usual, they were full of flirtatious teasing.

“Brother, you’re so bad!”

“Brother, how about this? [Images][Images][Images]”

“There’s even more scandalous stuff, but I’m too hungry to take pictures now.”

“Brother, please be kind and give me some food. I promise I’ll make it worth your while. [Image]”

Seeing these messages, a slight smile crept onto Zhuang Fan’s lips.

He clicked to open the images, curious to see just how sincere her intentions were.