This bracelet was different from the simple 1,000-cubic-meter thin bracelet he had purchased last time. It was a wider, flat design featuring fifteen hollow slots, each of which could hold a “space bead.”
Much like space rings or earrings, space beads came in various specifications. Embedding fifteen of them onto one bracelet avoided the cumbersome issue of carrying a bunch of separate space equipment, and it allowed him to categorize and store different types of supplies in each bead. If one bead ran out of space, it could be replaced with a larger one at any time—a very flexible and convenient solution.
After casually putting on the bracelet, Lu Xuan bought nine 100-cubic-meter space beads and clicked them one by one into the slots.
Lu Xuan touched the empty slots and glanced at his remaining balance of just over 3,000 points. He was about to close the mall when he suddenly remembered he hadn’t checked the limited-time discount items for the day. Since he hadn’t found anything good in the past few days, he didn’t hold much hope.
That was until he saw that among the daily necessities refreshed today, there was an incredibly practical item. He instantly felt a surge of excitement.
—Toilet paper!
They actually refreshed such a great thing!
Lu Xuan’s spirits were incredibly high. If one were to list the inconveniences of the ancient world—drafty living quarters, no internet or electricity, a lack of entertainment, rugged roads, backward medical conditions—Lu Xuan could actually endure all of them. The one thing he absolutely could not stand was the lack of toilet paper when going to the restroom.
It wasn’t that “grass paper” didn’t exist, but because it carried the name of “paper,” even commoners had to be able to afford it for bathroom use. Most households used a cechou (toilet spatula), which was, to put it plainly, just a strip of wood or bamboo. And the level of difficulty and unfriendliness toward men—no, toward all of humanity—that this cechou presented was something only those who had used it would truly understand.
The first day Lu Xuan arrived here, after discovering the problem, he immediately threw away the cechou in the Lu family latrine and went to the mountains to find some soft, non-toxic leaves. Although it still wasn’t very comfortable, at least it was better than the cechou. Because this problem was “close enough” to being solved, he had completely forgotten he could use his remaining silver to hoard a batch of grass paper when he went to the prefectural city.
Of course, now he had a much better option. Modern toilet paper was already very good, and the toilet paper used in the more technologically advanced Interstellar civilization would only be better. With soft, breathable toilet paper, who would ever look at grass paper again?
Lu Xuan looked at the price: 100 points for a 50-roll pack. Today’s discount price was only 70 points, which was quite cheap. Without a second thought, he clicked to purchase the maximum quantity allowed.
The maximum purchase limit for toilet paper was ten sets. Buying all ten only cost him 700 points. After the points were deducted, the items appeared before Lu Xuan shortly after. A 50-roll pack of toilet paper had a considerable volume; ten sets together nearly occupied the entire floor of his already small room.
Lu Xuan stored away nine of the sets, tore open one of the rolls from the remaining set, and tore off a piece to test the texture. Indeed, it was much softer than the toilet paper of his modern life.
Although his points were once again reduced to a pittance, Lu Xuan’s mood was even more joyful than when he had first acquired the space ring.
This is what living like a human being is.
“A-Xuan is here, come on in.” Li Tie, who was sitting on the kang smoking his long-stemmed pipe, waved at Lu Xuan. “Come sit. What’s the matter?”
Lu Xuan sat across from him and dropped a bombshell: “I came to tell you that this land we live on will soon face an unprecedented catastrophe. The Lu family has received quite a bit of care from the village over the years; if possible, I hope the village can prepare as early as possible.”
“Cough, cough, cough—” Li Tie was suddenly choked by the smoke, his face full of disbelief. “What nonsense are you spouting, boy? What catastrophe? Where did you hear this? You can’t just talk like that.”
He couldn’t help but worry about Lu Xuan’s mental state, suspecting that perhaps after his “silly illness” was cured, he had contracted some other ailment. Otherwise, why would he be saying such things for no reason?
Lu Xuan’s expression remained calm. “I am not spouting nonsense. Counting from today, in ten days, a massive earthquake will occur, enough to shake the very foundations of the earth. Afterward, there will be months of continuous drought and high temperatures that could bake a person alive; the ground will crack, and not a blade of grass will grow. After the drought will come endless, heavy rain…”
Temperatures reaching fifty degrees below zero, extreme cold enough to freeze thousands of miles; endless nights where the sun is never seen, like the end of the world; tornado swarms capable of sweeping through entire cities; terrifying tsunamis capable of overturning the Central Plains…
As Lu Xuan spoke more and more, Li Tie’s complexion shifted from disdain to shock, horror, dullness… until, at last, his face turned ash-gray.
He slammed the table hard and shouted sternly, “Lu Xuan, are you sure you know what you are saying!”
Lu Xuan replied: “Why do you think I went into the mountains for several days in a row, and then went to the city for several days before returning? It was all to hoard enough supplies so that my family can eat and drink well during the disaster.”
Li Tie was stunned; he hadn’t expected that. Recently, the villagers had been discussing the Lu family quite a bit. Even he and his wife had whispered privately about how Lu Xuan had suddenly become so spendthrift after his head cleared up, acting as if he didn’t know how to live a simple life. If Lu Xuan was preparing in advance because he knew a catastrophe was coming, it all seemed to make sense.
But…
Li Tie said with a dark face: “Words alone are not proof. These things you talk about are too unbelievable; how can you expect me to believe you? Furthermore, how do you even know all this?”
Lu Xuan raised his arm and unfolded his palm right in front of him.
Li Tie: “?”
Lu Xuan infused the energy within his body into the seed in his palm. Almost instantly, a sprout broke through the seed’s shell. Under Li Tie’s astonished gaze, it grew rapidly—in the blink of an eye, it had grown into a succulent, fresh Napa cabbage.
Li Tie gasped, terrified beyond words. “This, what is this—!? How could the seed, this vegetable—!”
It wasn’t just Li Tie who was shocked; the live stream audience, who had been silently watching, also became excited.
Showing off a plant on the spot like this was too impressive!!! And he even grew it to maturity in one go!
One had to know that for a low-level Wood-type ability user, just getting a seed to germinate at once was already good, and getting it to maturity would take at least several days. The streamer had actually completed the step from seed to mature crop in an instant!
At this moment, the audience was absolutely certain: the streamer’s ability was definitely no lower than Level 5!
Li Tie stammered: “How did you do this?”
Lu Xuan placed the Napa cabbage on the table, allowing Li Tie to poke and prod it to confirm it was real, and dropped another bombshell: “This is a celestial art I gained after receiving divine guidance from an immortal. The reason I could foresee the coming disasters in advance is also because the immortal told me.”
Li Tie: “???”
Live Stream Audience: ??? What the hell?
【Good lord, I am speechless!】
【”Divine guidance” my ass! I thought the streamer would find a way to persuade the village head, but I never expected the streamer to just lie through his teeth and pretend to be divine!】
【Pfft, hahahaha—”Divine guidance” is hilarious. So, is the “immortal” actually a bigwig from the Research Institute? Does the bigwig know he’s actually an “immortal”?】
【No, no, no. The streamer is using his Wood-type ability to fake a celestial art, which means ability users are the real immortals! I’m an ability user too; by extension, starting today, I’m also a member of the immortals! Hahaha!】
【??? Can we just switch races like that without any warning?】
Li Tie stared blankly at Lu Xuan, opening his mouth to say “don’t joke,” but looking down at the succulent, plump Napa cabbage on the table, he fell silent. He had just secretly plucked a small piece to taste—it was no exaggeration to say he had never eaten such a delicious Napa cabbage in his life. The crisp, tender, and sweet taste was peerless; it was as if it were a completely different species from what the villagers usually ate. Not to mention that this cabbage had grown from a seed on the spot—other than calling it an object of the immortals, it was indeed hard to explain otherwise.
Lu Xuan said: “Now do you believe me?”
Li Tie: “…”
Although “divine guidance” or “celestial art” sounded inconceivable, but… seeing is believing; he couldn’t help but believe it. Once he believed it, and recalled all those disasters Lu Xuan had mentioned—disasters he couldn’t even imagine how to survive—cold sweat broke out across his forehead and his entire back.
He wiped his face forcefully, attempting to calm down, but it was in vain; instead, his heart beat faster and faster, nearly jumping out of his throat.
Lu Xuan: “Time is tight. Uncle Tie, it would be best to notify the villagers as soon as possible to prepare for the disaster.”
He didn’t offer any more persuasion; once he had said what he needed to say, he took his leave cleanly.
Li Tie subconsciously started to rise to see him out, but when he looked up, he saw his wife, Miao Jinfeng, standing at the door with a deathly pale face; she had clearly heard Lu Xuan’s words.
Li Tie reached out to pick up the pipe he had dropped, but his hands were shaking so hard he failed to pick it up several times. He sighed to himself, said nothing to Miao Jinfeng, and after Lu Xuan left, he stayed holed up in the house alone for half the day. It wasn’t until dusk, when his two sons returned from the fields, that he sent them to notify the villagers.
“One person from each household! Tell them to come to the threshing ground for a meeting immediately!”
The Threshing Ground.
“It’s not a holiday, and they’re suddenly calling for a big meeting. I wonder what the village head wants to say.” The villagers gathered in groups of two or three, whispering among themselves.
The Zhang family and the trio of Lu Xuan stood together, equally puzzled. “Do you know what the village head wants to talk about?”
Lu Qing and Lei Yan exchanged a look and answered vaguely: “We’ll know in a minute.”
“The village head is here.”
“Li Jing, Li Tuo, over here!”
Those who had good relationships with the village head’s two sons hurriedly pulled them over to secretly ask if there was any inside news, but unfortunately, the brothers were just as confused. They guessed their mother might know, but when asked, she wouldn’t say, only that, judging by her ugly expression, it was likely nothing good.
The brothers, therefore, frowned and remained silent. The other observant villagers noticed this, and their hearts sank: Did something really happen?
Li Tie looked grim and said loudly: “Alright, everyone be quiet and listen to me.”
The noisy discussions gradually died down. The villagers, their hearts in their throats, silently pricked up their ears, curiously awaiting the village head’s words.
Li Tie said in a deep voice: “I gathered everyone here today for only one thing. I have received reliable information that before long, here—no, the entire Central Plains will erupt in a massive disaster, and this disaster will last for several years without stopping!”
Li Tie neither exaggerated nor hid the truth to avoid panic. He laid it all out: the high temperatures that could bake a person alive, the endless heavy rains, the extreme cold that would freeze thousands of miles, the long nights, the tsunamis… he told them everything.