Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 769

Chapter 769: Chapter 769

Yang Fan looked at the enthusiastic woman, feeling a bit hesitant inside.

He didn’t want to accept wedding gifts from a graveyard.

But he was also worried that rejecting them might anger these people.

The rotting fox from earlier was nowhere to be seen; maybe it had transformed and was hiding among these people.

After hesitating for a moment, Yang Fan said, "I’m just a passerby. Other than offering my congratulations, I didn’t bring any gifts to celebrate. It feels inappropriate for me to accept a return gift from the hosts, so I’d rather not intrude further."

The woman smiled and said, "What does it matter? You’re a friend from afar. Just receiving your congratulations has already brought great honor to us. The gift should still be taken, though; please don’t dislike it. It’s part of our custom."

The other party was being overly polite.

Since Yang Fan couldn’t decline any further, he could only say, "Then, thank you very much."

The woman turned and went back into the graveyard. When she returned, she was holding a long red box.

Yang Fan half-squatted in front of the graveyard and reached out to take the item from her hands.

Compared to these people, he was far too tall, like a giant. If he didn’t squat down, they could barely reach up to his calves.

"The guest has come from afar, bringing with him the aura of the mortal world. That scent is so distant and unfamiliar that I almost didn’t recognize it earlier. Normally, the gifts we give to our guests are things useful along this yellow mud road, but since the guest comes all the way from the mortal world, it must be for something very important. So I took the liberty to change the gift," the woman explained with a kind smile.

"Inside is a piece of Grave Grass. To us, it’s considered quite cheap and even disrespectful. But for you, it should prove quite helpful. It can guide you to the right path, and, when the Grave Grass withers, it’ll mean it’s time for you to return home."

"If we are ever in the same realm, you’re welcome to visit us again."

Yang Fan was slightly surprised.

The woman’s attitude suddenly gave him a new perspective on this place and filled him with a strange illusion.

He carefully put away the red box and said sincerely, "Thank you for your kindness, madam. If I have the chance, I’ll come back another time to pay proper respects."

"We’ll always welcome you," the woman replied with a smiling demeanor.

She was truly approachable, looking every bit like a refined and well-educated gentlewoman.

After thanking the woman again, Yang Fan stepped back slowly onto the yellow mud road.

The thick fog covered those three graves once more as he left.

The path ahead was now completely obscured, with only faint and distant sounds of joyous music drifting in the air.

Yang Fan cautiously scanned his surroundings, tucked the Blood Palm Print Lantern under his arm, and opened the red box.

Inside, there was a stalk of dog-tail grass. Its root was half-black and half-white, while its leaves gleamed an emerald green, as vivid as if carved from jade.

If dog-tail grass weren’t such a common sight, anyone would mistake it at first glance for a jade carving.

Yang Fan even began to doubt whether this item was really just an ordinary piece of grass.

He inspected it thoroughly and, only after confirming that it posed no immediate threat, packed it up again carefully.

The events that had just unfolded left him feeling somewhat unsettled.

He still didn’t have enough means of self-preservation.

He had only been walking aimlessly, and already encountered so many bizarre occurrences. Who knew what other unusual entities were waiting for him further ahead?

He needed to find a way to enhance his defenses.

Yang Fan pulled the embroidered shoe out of his pocket and stared at it, speaking in a low voice, "Let’s discuss something."

"How about you change some of those rules of yours? From now on, you do what I tell you to, and I’ll ensure you always have your fill of incense. Deal?"

The embroidered shoe remained silent.

"Do you even understand what it means to always have your fill? It means I’ll give you as much incense as you want! Oh, and to keep you from overeating and turning against me, I think we should add another condition: no matter the circumstances, you can never betray me!" Yang Fan added cautiously, still uneasy.

Judging from its recent behavior, the shoe seemed to harbor a certain craving for incense.

And wherever there was craving, there was room for negotiation.

"...Contract established."

Suddenly, a voice echoed within Yang Fan’s mind.

It was still cold and devoid of any emotion.

But it had agreed.

Yang Fan’s face lit up with joy—he had taken the right gamble.

"Then it’s settled," Yang Fan replied.

With the five rules no longer binding it, the embroidered shoe could now truly act as his companion.

Otherwise, those restrictions would be too burdensome.

Just like before, when he was nearly devoured, there wasn’t even time to light incense properly, yet the shoe demanded it for sustenance. At that point, it wasn’t supporting Yang Fan anymore—it was practically aiding his enemies.

"With this agreement, I feel much more at ease now," Yang Fan muttered to himself.

Although his curiosity about his surroundings hadn’t diminished completely, he still trusted Mr. Fan’s judgment.

Yet after witnessing so much unbelievable phenomena, his sense of security remained scarce.

Yang Fan put the embroidered shoe away, gripped the wooden mace in his right hand, raised the lantern high, and resumed calling out Chen Wen’s name as he continued forward.

Eventually, Yang Fan found Chen Wen trembling amidst a pile of rubble. That eerie, rotting fox from earlier hadn’t shown up again. After its failed attack, it seemed to have withdrawn decisively.

Once Chen Wen was safely sent back, things became significantly smoother over the next few attempts.

Yang Fan encountered far fewer strange incidents and managed to locate the others he was tasked with retrieving without much hassle.

In the meantime, he had explored roughly a hundred meters of the yellow mud road.

It seemed Mr. Fan, when compiling this list, had made some advanced predictions.

The sequence of names corresponded almost perfectly to the individuals’ positions along the road, except for two outliers.

This pattern struck Yang Fan as peculiar.

How had Mr. Fan pinpointed their locations so accurately?

Yang Fan had successfully brought back thirteen individuals, and the white candle had only burned down by a third.

Its longevity was astounding.

Back before electricity was widely available, such a candle would have dominated the market as a top-tier product.

After confirming the candle’s condition, Yang Fan took out the list again.

The fourteenth person—Wang Daqiang.

Yang Fan’s pupils contracted sharply. It was Old Wang’s turn.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Fan once again entered the visualization state.

The candlelight gradually transformed into a blood moon in his vision.

Along this yellow mud road, he returned to where he had stopped earlier.

"Old Wang... Wang Daqiang... Wang Daqiang, it’s time to come home!"

Drawing out his voice, Yang Fan called Wang Daqiang’s name loudly.

In front of him, the fog churned, opening a path forward.

Suddenly, a small yellow mud house appeared by the roadside.

The house was square and much larger than the small courtyards Yang Fan had encountered earlier. At the entrance stood a pole made of three wooden sticks lashed together, from which hung a tattered, dark-red flag.