Chapter 277 - 182: Change

Chapter 277: Chapter 182: Change

Even so, Lu Yuan was very happy.

Xiao Ku, who worked in the Spirit Fruit Garden outside the city, was carrying some fruit. They radiated a faint Spiritual Qi and looked quite fresh, but their quality wasn’t very good. They must have been picked recently.

Xiao Mie, on the other hand, held a bundle of vegetables Lu Yuan had never seen before. They were likely a specialty of the Ancient Wilderness. He supposedly worked in the Spirit Vegetable Gardens of some families outside the city; the vegetable leaves looked like they had been nibbled on by insects.

Xiao Li was building houses with his neighbors in the shantytown outside the city. The Spirit Crystals he earned each month were barely enough for himself, so he had come empty-handed.

Li Qing worked with him and was also just scraping by.

As for Mangu Tun, Mangu Hun, Manliang, and Man You, the four of them were carrying a strange-looking little beast. While it wasn’t large, it looked like it had over ten pounds of meat on it.

Clearly, after arriving in the world of the Ancient Wilderness, all of them had found a way to make a living.

Life was a struggle, but they were getting by.

When they all saw each other, their faces lit up with joy. After all, Lu Yuan had always been their backbone, and now that he was here, it felt as if they had found their anchor.

Xiao Clan was also quite happy. She looked at everyone and said, "Well, well. When Yuan wasn’t here, none of you even stepped through the door. The moment he arrives, you all come running."

She teased them, a wide smile on her face.

In the past six months, these people had helped her and her daughter a great deal. They had taken turns bringing them Spirit Cleansing Pills; otherwise, the two of them might not have made it.

Mangu Hun rubbed his bald head. "You’ve got it wrong, Big Sister. It’s just that we’re usually too tired to clean ourselves up. We come back from a hunt covered in blood and grime, and we were afraid you wouldn’t like it."

Since arriving in this new world, Xiao Clan had told everyone to call her "Big Sister" and forbid them from addressing her as "Your Majesty" any longer.

As for the members of the Xiao Family, they addressed each other according to their family seniority.

Now, they were more like a family, huddling together for warmth.

There were many such groups in the shantytown. They moved in small bands, which at least helped them avoid being bullied when they were out and about.

Otherwise, if people found out you were alone, you’d quickly become a target. You could die out there, and no one would ever know.

Compared to their original world, this place was far more lawless.

Here, strength was the only thing that mattered.

The only ways out were to meet the requirements to enter a sect and become a Sect Disciple, which allowed you to live in the city, or to develop into a family powerful enough to establish its own estate outside the city under a sect’s protection.

Otherwise, they had to endure their current way of life.

Lu Yuan looked at Mangu Hun. "I heard you were injured. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah. Someone pinned me to my own wall with a knife. I never saw who did it, but I must have offended someone while hunting. It’s nothing, though. This old body of mine is pretty well-trained." Mangu Hun patted his chest as he spoke.

Lu Yuan smiled. "That’s good to hear."

Next, everyone started preparing the meal. In less than two hours, a table was laden with food and wine.

Everyone gathered around the small table.

After a cup of wine, Lu Yuan finally voiced the question on his mind. "Where are Fu Chuan and Meng Ke? What are they up to?"

After all, they had all arrived at the same time.

They should still be together.

But now, they were nowhere to be found.

Hearing Lu Yuan’s question, Li Qing took a sip of wine and spoke softly, "Fu Chuan didn’t stay with us. He joined a merchant caravan as a guard escorting goods. He knows a lot of people now and lives a more respectable life than we do. We still hear from him now and then, but he rarely visits."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan understood. ’To each their own; you couldn’t force someone to stay.’

Back in Great Qin, Xiao Clan was the Empress and Fu Chuan was a Great Qin official. But now, in this new place, it was a fresh start for everyone. They all had to rely on their own skills to survive.

If Fu Chuan hadn’t had the opportunity to join the caravan, he might have stuck with the Xiao Family. After all, there’s safety in numbers.

But he found a better path, so naturally, he couldn’t be bothered to stay in touch with people from his past. They slowly drifted apart. It was only human.

Then, Li Qing continued, "As for Meng Ke, his situation is even more amazing. Some of his Xirong ancestors were transported here a long time ago. One of them was once an Outer Disciple of the Evergreen Sect.

Now, with the sect’s backing, his family has established an estate outside the city. The family itself has several hundred members, and they employ over a thousand workers.

When Meng Ke was transported here, his family came and picked him up. Not too long ago, he even came by and asked if we wanted to go work for the Meng Family. None of us took him up on it."

Li Qing said slowly.

’Lu Yuan knew what they were all thinking. The main reason was likely that Xiao Clan had chosen not to go. After all, she didn’t know Meng Ke well—their countries had even been enemies in the past. And since she had her daughter with her, she naturally had to be more cautious. That’s why the others had stayed behind as well.

Still, the ones who chose to stay were the ones truly worthy of his trust.

Meng Ke’s behavior was also quite surprising. After all, he had been forced to abdicate his throne and surrender.

To come here and still think of them... that was more than enough.

As for Fu Chuan, since the man had chosen a new beginning, Lu Yuan would respect his decision.

After all, everyone was just trying to survive and live a better life. He didn’t blame anyone.

He just had a clearer picture now of who was close to him and who was drifting away.’

Then, as if remembering something, Lu Yuan looked at Xiao Clan and asked, "Mother, didn’t Great Qin have ancestors who were transported here, too? Do they not know you’ve arrived?"

Meeting Lu Yuan’s gaze, a trace of sadness appeared in Xiao Clan’s eyes. "Of course, they know. It’s just... no one has been transported from Great Qin for many years. Too many generations have passed; there’s not much family feeling left.