PFC Chapter 21. Village Market! A Duel Market?!
Chapter 21. Village Market! A Duel Market?!
The next second, Arya felt her stomach churning; the warm chunks of meat she had just swallowed now felt like a poison burning her reason.
She suddenly bent over and, before anyone could react, vomited the delicious food, along with all her undigested panic, onto the grass at the edge of the square.
"Cough! Cough cough..." She covered her mouth, and physiological tears welled up, choking her until her face turned pale and her whole body felt cold.
After a brief silence, a soft chuckle that couldn't be suppressed came from around the campfire, and then, waves of good-natured and understanding laughter spread out.
The villagers meant no harm; they were simply used to the interesting reactions of outsiders to local specialties.
"I knew I couldn't get used to it." You Feng sat on the rock, chuckled, and a knowing look flashed in his eyes.
When he first tried it, didn't he also have to endure psychological discomfort? Even though he was later won over by the taste, the very concept of goblin meat was still like a tiny thorn, occasionally making him feel uncomfortable.
If even he is like this, what about this little girl in front of him?
Liu Bingbing suppressed a laugh, quickly brought over a bowl of water, and gently patted Ailiya's back to help her catch her breath.
The old village chief shook his head and chuckled, his eyes still gentle and tolerant.
The Sea Emperor still had that lazy look, but the amusement in his eyes deepened.
Looking at Aria, who was vomiting and looking utterly disheveled, Youfeng's faint smile deepened, and he slowly added insult to injury: "What, didn't you just say... it was delicious?"
Arya: "..."
After a long while, she weakly waved her hand, her voice trembling with relief, "Never mind... I'll just... eat some ordinary animal meat."
His gaze swept over the other grills on the campfire, and he was only slightly relieved to confirm that the meat pieces were indeed normal and had no strange names.
However, while the food problem was temporarily solved, another practical problem arose.
She hesitated for a moment, but her gaze eventually fell back on You Feng—after all, he was the one who had taken her in.
"So...where will I sleep tonight?"
You Feng blinked and shook his head, saying, "Don't get your hopes up. I won't let you sleep with me."
Arya's pretty face froze instantly, then flushed bright red, her face practically contorted with exasperation: "Who, who wants to sleep with you?! I'm asking where I'm staying tonight...."
"Come sleep with me, sister," Qin Xue said, walking over at the right moment with a friendly smile that eased the awkwardness. "My room is quite spacious."
Arya breathed a sigh of relief and said with genuine gratitude, "Thank you so much."
Looking at the kind smiles of the villagers around her, listening to the crackling of the campfire and the faint sounds of laughter, a peculiar, warm, and reassuring feeling quietly washed over her.
This simple, lively life, free from class barriers and calculations, was something she had never truly experienced in the past decade or so amidst the opulent manor and elaborate rituals.
A feeling mixed with novelty, relaxation, and a faint longing began to grow in her heart.
A week later.
Arya gradually adapted to the pace of life in Luoshen Village.
She changed out of her tattered finery and into a simple dress with an oriental flair that Liu Bingbing had found for her, which surprisingly fit her perfectly. She helped Qin Xue tend to the herbs and learned some simple oriental pastries from Liu Bingbing, though she often failed. She even tried to understand the profound topics the villagers discussed about deck building and elf bonds.
The reserve and aloofness that belonged to a noblewoman on her face had faded considerably, replaced by a more vibrant energy that belonged to her age.
Of course, bickering with Youfeng remains a regular part of their daily routine.
Now that they're familiar with each other and not at all reserved, they've naturally started bickering.
Youfeng hasn't been idle this week either. Tianji Village honored their bet and delivered the 200,000 Dragon Coins as scheduled.
As expected, the Sea Emperor kept his word, slapping a thick stack of dragon coins worth 100,000 into his hand without even blinking.
"Here you go, kid. This is what you deserve." The Sea Emperor's tone was still lazy, but with an air of approval. "Spend it sparingly, but don't be too stingy. Don't be stingy when it comes to things you need to buy."
With money, Youfeng's mind started to wander.
The general store in Luoshen Village had limited resources, so he wanted to go to a bigger place to buy some cards he might need, see what the market was like in this world, and make more thorough preparations for the upcoming selection of the four villages.
Liu Bingbing was the one who took them out this time. Their destination was the Dongfeng Market, a large market located at the junction of four villages and open regularly every month.
At dawn, Liu Bingbing gracefully unfolded a card in the open space at the village entrance. After about three minutes of chanting, amidst a surge of light, a magnificent centaur, with the upper body of a strong male warrior and the lower body of a steed, emerged from the light. It skillfully harnessed itself to a spacious wooden wagon and waited quietly.
The group boarded the carriage, and the horses and animals moved with incredible speed, pulling the carriage smoothly and swiftly away from the village, heading towards the world beyond the mountains.
……
Dongfeng Market.
Before even entering, the cacophony of voices and a cacophony of smells assaulted the senses.
"Wow!! It's so lively here!" Qin Xue exclaimed, leaning against the car window and looking at the sea of people. It was her first time visiting such a large market.
"defecate--"
This time, it vomited wind.
He gets carsick.
This was something he himself hadn't expected.
Arya couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Finally, we see this cold-blooded guy in such a sorry state.
"You threw up just as much as I did that day."
Youfeng had absolutely no energy left to argue.
Finally, unable to resist any longer, he jumped off the carriage.
It took me a long time to recover.
"I really don't want to ride in this shabby carriage anymore."
Looking around, a thought stirred within me.
The market square was more spacious than he had imagined, paved with rough but solid stone slabs, with tents, sheds and stalls lined up one after another, extending into several streets and alleys.
The crowds were dense and shoulder to shoulder.
People dressed in various styles moved among them: there were villagers in short jackets and cloth clothes, adventurers dressed in leather armor, and a few merchants dressed in relatively fancy clothes, who seemed to be from larger towns.
The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, haggling over prices, children playing, and the faint neighing of livestock in the distance... all intertwine to create a vibrant symphony of everyday life.
This place is clearly a hub for trade and exchange, bringing together not only people from Luoshen Village, but also people from the surrounding four villages and even further afield.
In contrast, Arya's reaction was much calmer, with even a barely perceptible hint of indifference flashing in her azure eyes.
She gracefully stepped down from the carriage, lifting her skirt as her gaze swept over the goods on the stalls: mostly ordinary farm tools, animal hides, herbs, rough pottery, some common low-level cards, and basic materials.
It was certainly lively, but the quality and variety of goods were far inferior to the fine markets that she remembered regularly held in large Western cities and even aristocratic estates.