Chapter 7: The Age of Adventure
Lu Yunxi was nearly fuming because of that rubbish system inventory. She took several deep breaths to suppress her anger, then grabbed her bow and arrows and bolted out the door.
“Dad, I just remembered! I thought those field mice I brought back were useless, so I threw them away! I’m going to go catch a few more right now!”
Lu Dahu stood there, stunned for a moment. By the time he found his voice to react, his daughter was already a distant shadow. He hurriedly cupped his hands and shouted, “One will do! Just make sure you’re back before noon!”
Yunxi gave a quick wave without even looking back.
Having gained some experience from her kills the day before, she managed to take down a field mouse within half an hour. Once she returned home, Lu Dahu wasted no time in whisking her away to the ancestral hall to complete the ceremony.
The so-called ceremony was actually quite simple—just a brief session of offering worship to the ancestors.
Originally, Yunxi hadn’t taken the ritual seriously, until she happened to glance at her attribute panel and noticed her status had changed.
[Identity: Mushroom Village Villager]
Previously, it had described her as a “little girl from Mushroom Village.”
She felt a flicker of confusion. Does this mean that those who haven’t entered the ancestral hall aren’t actually considered true villagers?
“Ah, Xi’er,” her father said, giving her a look full of complicated emotions. “It’s thanks to your talent that we don’t have to worry about your future. The village has a strict rule: anyone over the age of eighteen who hasn’t defeated a field mouse on their own is kicked out of the village to become a vagrant.”
“What?! They’re driven out?!” Yunxi gasped, her lips thinning. “But some people truly can’t catch them, right? Take Brother Liu, for instance. He took that bad fall and was injured—it’s a miracle he can even walk now! Isn’t his situation an exception?”
Lu Dahu sighed and shook his head. “Xi’er, I know you think it’s unfair, but the world is cruel. This is the law passed down by our ancestors, and no one can change it.”
She clenched her fists, a heavy tightness forming in her chest.
She had always thought that while the villagers were loud and prone to bickering, they were a united front that helped one another in times of trouble. She hadn’t realized there was such a cold side to their traditions.
After learning the truth, Yunxi stayed silent for the rest of the day, but she appeared to return to her normal self by the next morning.
The title of “official villager” didn’t change her daily routine. She still spent half an hour every morning exercising and practicing archery with her father; in the afternoons, she would either daydream by the stream or run around with her friends.
Until Li Daya suddenly showed up at her door.
“Xiaoxi, Brother Liu is leaving tomorrow. Do you want to come see him off?”
“What?!” Yunxi froze.
“Did you forget? Tomorrow is Liu Erge’s eighteenth birthday!” Daya sighed, imitating the tone of the village elders like a little adult. “He’s finally old enough to go out and explore the world. My, how time flies!”
Daya’s mimicry was so spot-on that Yunxi almost laughed. But a second later, she remembered the village rules, and the smile died on her lips.
Eighteen years old.
She remembered exactly what her father had said. If a villager reached eighteen without hunting a field mouse, they were cast out as wanderers.
“It’s so exciting! Brother Liu finally gets to go out!” Daya rested her chin on her hand, her eyes full of envy. “I still have so many years until I’m eighteen. I want to go see the outside world sooner! It’s such a shame we have to wait until we’re adults to leave the village.”
Hearing those longing words, Yunxi’s knuckles turned white.
Because every villager “left” at eighteen, she had subconsciously assumed it was a rite of passage where the older generation finally let the young ones go. The other children clearly thought the same.
But now she knew better. Those who left at eighteen weren’t necessarily seeking adventure; they were being exiled because they had failed their mission.
She lowered her head, hiding the sharp, uncontrollable sarcasm that flashed across her face.
That evening, as the sky darkened and the scent of hearth fire rose through the air, a cool breeze drifted through the east wing of the Liu family house.
Liu Er frowned, feeling a tickle in his throat, and couldn’t help but cough twice. He carefully put his pen away and walked to the window to close it, only to see a dark shadow suddenly flash into view.
His pupils shrank. Who is it?! A thief?
Just as he was about to shout for help, a childish, familiar voice hissed at him.
“Brother Liu, don’t scream! It’s me!”
The shadow pulled back the black cloth covering its face. Liu Er took a closer look and realized the “intruder” was just a little kid who didn’t even reach his waist.
The child was dressed in all black, looking for all the world like a pint-sized bandit with a chubby face. Liu Er rubbed his forehead, exhaling a long breath of relief.
“Xiaoxi, you can use the front door next time you visit,” he said, trying to steady his racing heart. “Climbing through the window is going to give me a heart attack.”
“Second Brother Liu,” Yunxi said, skipping the pleasantries. She glanced around to ensure they were alone before getting straight to the point. “I heard you’re leaving tomorrow, right?”
Liu Er smiled gently. “That’s true.” He poured her a cup of tea, gesturing for her to sit.
But she remained standing, her expression deadly serious. She had no interest in tea. Taking a deep breath, she looked him in the eye.
“Brother Liu, I know your secret. You aren’t leaving voluntarily, are you?”
Liu Er’s hand trembled, and tea splashed onto the table. He hurriedly grabbed a cloth to wipe it up.
Yunxi stepped forward and held his hand, ignoring his shocked expression. After a moment of heavy silence, she finally spoke.
“If you don’t want to leave, I can help you hide.”
She hadn’t initially planned to interfere, but perhaps because she had lived in this village for so long and grown fond of its leisurely beauty, she found herself unable to stomach the darkness of this tradition.
Being driven out just because you couldn’t kill a field mouse? It was absurd. Failing to hunt a rodent wasn’t an unforgivable sin.
Liu Er was stunned for a long moment. Then, a pale, tired smile touched his lips.
“Thank you,” he said, lowering his eyes to hide the swirl of emotion within them. “But the rules of our ancestors cannot be broken. Go home, Xiaoxi. I’ll pretend I never saw you tonight.”
He lowered his head, lost in thought for a moment before looking up with that same gentle, firm smile, officially refusing her help.
Seeing his determination, Yunxi’s lips parted, but she ultimately said nothing more.
“No matter what happens, my offer stands,” she promised solemnly before turning to leave. “If you ever decide you want to stay in the village, you can come to me at any time.”
