The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 524: Hidden Energy

Chapter 524: Hidden Energy

Xu Feng had learned his lesson...mostly...

He didn’t clean out the man’s supply completely this time. He bought enough seeds to seem suspicious, but not so much that anyone could point to him as a hoarder stashing supplies just out of sight.

From the older man to other survivors hawking strange flowers and dried plants, Xu Feng quietly made his way through the market, gathering what he could without drawing too much attention.

If anyone had been watching closely, they might have noticed something odd—he was collecting far more than his bags could reasonably hold. But to most passersby, he just looked like a poor man trying to stretch his resources as far as possible.

Even those trailing him were likely more focused on the crystal nuclei he had purchased earlier, unaware of the treasure trove of seeds he was amassing.

It must have seemed ridiculous to watch someone spend so much on what appeared to be worthless seeds. But that was fine with Xu Feng. Let them think he was wasting his money.

Even the animal remains for sale caught his eye—strange-colored furs, and oversized bones from mutated creatures. They were rare, but not enough to tempted him to make a purchase.

Most people avoided such items anyway, seeing them as dangerous or contaminated. Mutated animals were considered taboo by the more fortunate survivors, and those who ate them were looked down on even further.

Xu Feng was curious but decided to pass. For now, his focus remained on seeds and supplies for his children.

It wasn’t obvious if Feng Yujie had noticed just how much Xu Feng had purchased or if she realized his bags didn’t quite match the volume of goods he’d been collecting. If she did notice, she didn’t let on.

She was focused on her own shopping, picking up various knick-knacks, mechanical parts, and miscellaneous items that seemed to serve a purpose only she knew.

Xu Feng had already shared more with Yujie than he ever expected to with someone he had just met, so he didn’t ask any questions. He figured they were both here for their own reasons. No need to push boundaries.

What did catch his attention, though, was the way Mingjun and Mingyue seemed to guide their mother toward certain stalls, pointing out items that caught their eye. At first, Xu Feng thought the boys were just curious, but he soon realized there was more to it.

The items they pointed out were more than just trinkets. Many of them had a faint energy attached to them, similar to the jade stones in the ability users’ market but what was sold here was priced at a fraction of the cost.

These items took various forms—lockets, old mirrors, and stones with unusual patterns—but all had one thing in common: they contained power.

Xu Feng remembered what Yujie had said earlier about raising her children for life on a higher plane. She wasn’t just collecting crystal nuclei; she was gathering objects of power, hidden in plain sight in this world.

These might have once been cultivation tools or artifacts, now long forgotten or overlooked by those with no knowledge of their true value.

A small smile crept across Xu Feng’s face as he pieced it together. He even joined in the fun, quietly pointing out a few items to Mingjun that had slipped under the boys’ radar. Mingjun would then nudge his mother, leading her to these treasures without drawing too much attention.

Xu Feng wasn’t going to compete with them for these items. Instead, he was mentally taking note of what to look for when he returned to Dongzhou. His children could benefit from these kinds of items, too.

And now that he was paying more attention, he realized how much potential there was in his own world. Xu Feng could feel this power too when he knew what to look for. This was a good training for him.

He thought back to the snake he had eaten in the mountains of Nanshan. At the time, he hadn’t paid much attention to the energy it carried, but now it seemed obvious that the creature had been brimming with power.

The beast’s energy had been far more potent than anything he’d encountered here. Dongzhou might lack spiritual energy on the surface, but there were hidden pockets of power if he knew where to look.

His greenhouse, for example, was filled with plants that were likely teeming with energy. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much-untapped potential there was back home.

If the few remains he saw were anything to go by, then even the strange mutated animals here could be sources of power. There were so many possibilities here and back in Dongzhou.

Xu Feng’s thoughts raced as one idea after another clicked into place. He was definitely planning to return to Xu Zeng’s base, not just to gather supplies, but to raid the greenhouse for anything that could help his children.

And if the plants he had left behind were still growing well, he would harvest whatever he could. Xu Zeng had chosen a perfect place for himself to lock down in. It was almost too perfect.

Yujie glanced up at the sky. Though it was difficult to tell in this permanently overcast world, she knew time was passing. Xu Feng didn’t need an explanation when their eyes met. He understood.

It was time to leave before it got "dark." Not completely because of the zombies outside, but because of the humans inside. Zombies were terrifying, but people could be much worse.

When they finally made it back to the van, Xu Feng felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He had secretly hoped to bump into those who had bullied his brother, maybe to get some sort of revenge.

It felt like something straight out of a novel—wasn’t he supposed to get his face-slapping moment? But the reality was different. Making it back to the safety of the van was more important than some petty revenge.

...

His life was more important. He needed to stay in one piece.

As they prepared to unload their items into the van, Yujie’s voice suddenly rose. "Let’s get the last of the items we can trade!" she announced loudly.

Xu Feng looked at her, confused. What was she doing?