I Live on the Land in Global Games-Chapter 478 - 461: The Little Boy Le Xi

In the Emerald World, along the country lanes of the Green Wall Kingdom, a Magic Carriage trudged along.

Mu Ying sat on the shaft of the carriage, with a piece of foxtail grass in her mouth and a horsewhip in her hand, which she held rather for show.

She wore a light green, countryside-style fitted blouse, layered with a tender yellow embroidered waistcoat, and had a pair of small leather boots on her feet, with a Dingling Flower pendant hanging at her waist.

Whenever she encountered travelers or small villages and towns in the countryside, she would spend money to have people tell stories, searching for clues to the remaining two fragments, but she had found nothing on this journey.

Recently, Mu Ying had even used Blessing Magic on herself, hoping she would find a clue soon.

In the distance, a wheat field appeared by the roadside where farmers were working, who, upon hearing the sound of the carriage and recognizing it as one only nobles could afford, bowed their heads in respect, though only the unknowing children continued to stare out of curiosity.

The carriage slowly came to a halt, and Mu Ying tossed out a purse of money, "Have any of you heard any real stories? Whoever tells a story that satisfies me will own this money!"

Asking for information, Mu Ying had become skilled, and still, using this straightforward, incentive-laden approach was the most efficient.

"Are you the girl who buys stories?"

A boy asked with surprise.

"What?" Mu Ying was baffled.

"A merchant who came by recently said there was a noble girl wandering around, spending money to listen to stories, very generous, is that you?" the boy asked.

Had the news of her inquiring spread that fast? Which merchant troupe could have moved so swiftly, even coming up with a nickname for her?

Mu Ying nodded, "So, you want to tell me a story? It has to be a real one."

"Yes, yes! I’ll tell you about our village’s story..."

The boy seemed only about ten years old, yet he told stories with skill. His narration was fluent, with rises and falls, and although it was just rural family gossip, it was quite interesting. Perhaps having heard the merchants, he had deliberately prepared for this.

"...How much is this story worth then?" the boy asked expectantly after finishing one story.

His father was sick and needed money for treatment, but they had no savings at home and the boy could only earn a bit of food by working for others. The fabled story-buying girl was his only hope.

Mu Ying gave him a silver coin.

Hope burst across the boy’s face; one story could earn a silver coin? Could he not gather five silver coins to buy medicine for his father by telling five stories?

"I have more stories!" he hurriedly said.

Seeing him actually getting the money, others immediately swarmed over.

"Wait, I have a story too!"

"Me too, me too!"

...

"Don’t rush, everyone line up, take turns. If we can’t finish today, we can continue tomorrow. I’ll be camped outside your village for two days," Mu Ying said.

With these words, they all began to look at her as if she were a god of wealth.

Mu Ying sat on the carriage shaft, listening to them rack their brains to tell stories that had occurred around them, or ones they had heard of.

Mu Ying had heard some stories before, and she would immediately indicate so, asking the storyteller to switch to another one.

Whether the narration was stammering or vague, as long as it was a real story that had occurred, Mu Ying would at least reward the person with a copper coin.

Even if it wasn’t the kind of story she was most eager to hear about the fragment, if it was well told or the storyteller seemed to be in poor living conditions, she would give a silver coin.

Having too much money to spend can be quite capricious.

As evening fell, although much money had been handed out, there was still no gain.

She let the villagers disperse, telling them to think of good stories and come back tomorrow to continue.

Mu Ying parked her carriage under a big tree outside the village.

She started a fire next to the carriage, took out a skinned and prepared rabbit, and slowly began roasting it.

When she was near human settlements, she seldom used magic to cook; she preferred to do it herself, which occasionally offered a different experience.

The aroma of the meat began to waft through the air, but Mu Ying’s gaze shifted to behind the shade of the tree.

It was the boy who had been the first to tell a story during the day. He swallowed hard, struggling to turn his gaze away from the rabbit and said to Mu Ying, "You should leave quickly, don’t stay here. There are some thugs in the village eyeing you. You’re alone, you can’t beat them."

Mu Ying didn’t respond but instead gestured for him to come closer, "Want some meat? Come and eat with me!"

The boy swallowed again and pursed his lips, shaking his head, "Don’t disbelieve me; I’m not lying. It’s because of the money you gave me that I could buy medicine for my dad. I’m really grateful, so I came to warn you. The Village Chief looks after us, they won’t target villagers, but they won’t let off a lone traveler like you who shows their money."

"What’s your name?" Mu Ying asked him.

She knew he meant well. Such things weren’t rare on journeys, but it was rare for someone to come and warn her.

"Le Xi, my name is Le Xi."

"Le Xi, don’t worry. I’m not staying because I don’t believe you, but because I’m not afraid. I can handle myself," Mu Ying said, tearing off a rabbit leg and handing it to him, "Help me share some of this meat!"

The boy called Le Xi, reassured by her words, held the rabbit leg in his hand and thanked Mu Ying again, "Can I take this rabbit leg back and share some with my dad?"

"What illness does your father have?" Mu Ying, suddenly feeling charitable, asked.

"The Village Chief said it’s because my mom passed away. My dad felt depressed, drank too much, ruined his health, and now he can’t withstand even a slight cold. He’s always drowsy," Le Xi explained.

"Take me to see him. I have mostly heard the stories from the villagers, but I haven’t heard your dad’s. If I can cure your dad, could you ask him to tell me a story?" Mu Ying asked.

"You can really cure illnesses? Are you a traveling doctor?" Le Xi asked excitedly.

Mu Ying nodded, "You could say that!"

Le Xi was thrilled, "Okay, I’ll take you to him right now. My dad is a great storyteller. If you can cure him, he will definitely have many stories to tell you!"

"Good," Mu Ying stood up, put out the fire, grabbed a rabbit leg for herself, and wrapped the rest in leaves for Le Xi, "You can take these back for your dad. Eat the leg you’re holding."

She led the carriage following Le Xi to his house.

Le Xi’s house was on a hillside to the west of the village, a bit far from the densely populated center, making it relatively secluded.

"Le Xi! What are you doing? I’m warning you not to mess up our plans, or even though you’re from this village, we won’t let you off easy!"