Chapter 2436: Were You an Actor Before?
The three of them went to fetch water together, exchanging casual pleasantries along the way. Xu Huo mentioned that he had come from Granny Yi's place and brought up the waterproof coat she had given him.
The young man recognized Granny Yi. "I was only a little over ten when she moved away. It's been almost ten years now, and I've never gone to visit her."
"There are a lot of people here, and it's safe. Why did she move?" Xu Huo asked. "Wouldn't it be better to look out for each other as neighbors?"
The young man didn't know the details. He simply said, "People in the village come and go all the time. Some follow their children away, some want to rely on friends. If you've lived in one place for a long time, moving somewhere else isn't a bad thing."
Xu Huo smiled. "Have you ever thought about going out to see the world?"
The young man was interested in this topic and immediately replied, "Of course I have. Every now and then, outsiders like you come here. They tell us the outside world is huge, not all foggy—you can see a thousand meters away at a glance. Unfortunately, we're just ordinary people. Mutants are everywhere out there. Only by living here can we be a little safer."
As he spoke, he pointed to the vines wrapping around a nearby tree. "I've heard from people who came before that this plant used to be carnivorous. In many places, it's mutated to become even more aggressive. But here, not only does it not eat meat, its roots, stems, and leaves have evolved to be sweet. If you're thirsty, you can just break off a piece and eat it."
The Painting Woman walked over and plucked a few leaves. Sure enough, juice dripped from them. Without a second thought, she stuffed them into her mouth, then picked a few more to offer to Xu Huo.
Xu Huo casually handed two leaves to the young man. The young man was much more rough-and-tumble, shoving the leaves directly into his mouth and chewing.
Xu Huo took a sip of the juice. It was indeed sweet. "This really is a good place to live."
The young man lifted a full bucket of water and set it aside, speaking with a hint of a smile. "It's all foggy, can't even see the sky. Do you really think it's good?"
Xu Huo understood what he meant. "The place I live doesn't have an environment like this. Staying a few days is fine, but any longer wouldn't work."
"I've lived here since I was a child. I'm used to it," the young man said. "But if I ever become a player one day, I'll definitely go out and take a look."
"I see quite a few people in the village. Hasn't anyone become a player?" Xu Huo asked.
"There was one when I was little, but once he left, he never came back. Probably died out there." The young man spoke without much emotion. "Too bad he couldn't return to his roots."
As they talked, three buckets were filled. He lifted two at once, leaving the third for Xu Huo.
Xu Huo just smiled. "I'm a player. I'm stronger than you."
"Strength is one thing, hospitality is another," the young man said. "The older folks in the village really don't like outsiders, but I do. I'd like it even more if you could tell me about the outside world."
"I have some videos and holographic files. If you want to see them, I can give them to you," Xu Huo offered.
"No need for that." The young man was very open-minded. "Just hearing about it is enough."
So on the way back, Xu Huo told him about some ordinary districts he had seen.
When they re-entered the village, they happened to run into Bubble Bean and the Yin-Yang Master, who were coming the other way.
The moment the two saw Xu Huo and his group, their expressions changed drastically, and they immediately grabbed their items.
Xu Huo smiled at them. "What a coincidence, Bubble Bean."
The pair hadn't expected him to greet them so calmly, and their faces grew even uglier. The young man instinctively stepped aside, but Grandpa He, as if oblivious to the tense atmosphere, chuckled and said, "Oh, you know each other? That's great, you can keep each other company."
Bubble Bean and his companion were still fuming from being toyed with earlier, and seeing the culprit shamelessly acting as if nothing had happened only made them angrier. But having fought him before, they knew Xu Huo wasn't easy to deal with, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger.
Bubble Bean snorted coldly and walked into the house first.
Watching the door close, Xu Huo turned to Grandpa He and said, "They have bad tempers. Don't mind them."
"Young people have energy, it's nothing, nothing." Grandpa He saw them off and then left.
The young man carried the water into the yard and left the buckets behind.
When the Painting Woman was drawing water in the yard to wipe down the tables, she happened to see the Yin-Yang Master spying from the window. She took out her communicator and asked him, "Do you need to do some cleaning?"
The Yin-Yang Master yanked the curtains shut.
Although the house was cleaned from time to time, it hadn't been lived in, so some obvious spots definitely needed tidying. Xu Huo had planned to let the housekeeping robot handle it, but the Painting Woman took the initiative and seemed quite happy to do it.
They didn't need much water for drinking and eating, but they still had to wash up. Here, they didn't have the luxury of paying to get things done like at Granny Yi's place. They had to be self-sufficient.
Seeing Xu Huo carrying the bucket out again, the Yin-Yang Master was puzzled. "Is he really planning to stay here long-term?"
Bubble Bean also couldn't figure out what role Xu Huo was playing, so he gave a few instructions and followed him to the stream.
Watching Xu Huo seriously filling the bucket, Bubble Bean sneered, "Still putting on an act? Were you an actor before you became a player?"
Actually, yes.
Xu Huo tossed the bucket into the stream, then fished out a few colorful stones from underwater, examining them as he spoke. "What do you want?"
"Is Deng Guang dead by your hand?" Bubble Bean cut straight to the point. "I've been thinking it over. The chances of Deng Guang lying or leaving on his own are very slim. You're a Super Evolver, and with the natural magnetic field of the forest as cover, moving someone out wouldn't be that hard for you."
Xu Huo gave him a strange look. "If you think so, why bother asking?"
Bubble Bean took two steps and leaned against a tree. "I'm just wondering if your Spiritual Power is really that strong."
He suspected Xu Huo had killed Deng Guang, but he was even more afraid that Xu Huo had killed Deng Guang.
After a shift in his gaze, he tested the waters. "Are you the 'Hidden Friend' now?"
"If I had killed your companion, you and the other one would probably be dead by now. Same logic applies if I were the Hidden Friend." Xu Huo tossed the stones back into the water and repeated, "I told you before, I'm not a player in this Instance. You're the ones who insisted on causing me trouble."
Bubble Bean looked skeptical. "If you won't tell the truth, I can't force you. But since that's the case, we'd better keep to ourselves. Don't cause me trouble, and don't interfere with our Instance clearance."
Xu Huo walked out of the stream and gave him a dismissive glance. "As long as you don't start anything."
He picked up the bucket and turned to leave. As he passed Bubble Bean, his gaze swept over the man's hand, and he let out a light laugh. "Whatever you're planning, if you come at me again, it won't end so easily next time."