14: What my aunt is thinking!

"300,000 dragon coins!!!"

When Ye Ze saw the price, he suddenly wanted to slap himself. He only had 20,000 dragon coins in his pocket. Was this something he should be looking at?

Looking at other items,

"A basic Fireball Scroll costs 20,000 dragon coins!"

"Ah! A bottle of poison resistance potion costs 1,000 dragon coins!"

According to the latest expansion pack information about the Corpse Fiend Dungeon released on the official forum,

To challenge the Corpse Fiend Dungeon, poison resistance potion is a necessity, and one bottle is 1,000 dragon coins!

"How can I afford this?"

Ye Ze sighed, "I killed nearly two hundred Waste Rats and earned 20,000 dragon coins, which isn't even enough to buy a few bottles of poison resistance potion."

However, Ye Ze also knew in his heart,

He thought it was expensive, but it was actually because his current money-making ability was insufficient.

Higher-level Awakened have stronger money-making abilities.

He heard from senior students before that they could earn hundreds of thousands of dragon coins from one Corpse Fiend Dungeon...

...

8 PM, Trade Square.

Wei Xingyue was not alone; her entire team had come. It seemed they planned to make full use of the night to grind monsters, likely spending the night in the wilderness.

"We meet again," Wei Xingyue greeted with a smile.

"Mm," Ye Ze nodded.

Wei Xingyue didn't waste words, lightly rubbing the storage ring on her finger.

A flash of light,

A wooden box appeared in her hand.

storage ring—

Ye Ze's eyelids twitched.

Having just browsed the goods, he was extremely sensitive to such valuable items.

As expected of a rich family's child, she already possessed a storage ring right after awakening her profession. No wonder she had the beast fang fruit... Ye Ze muttered in his heart.

Ye Ze took the wooden box.

Opening it, a black and red fruit, about a dozen centimeters in size and shaped remarkably like a monster's fangs, lay quietly within the box.

It really was a beast fang fruit!

A hint of joy flashed in Ye Ze's eyes.

The first volume of the 'Spiritual Fruit Encyclopedia' introduced it—beast fang fruit, black and red in color, about a dozen centimeters long, named beast fang fruit because its appearance resembles a monster's fangs.

Closing the wooden box, Ye Ze handed the skill imprint stone he had prepared long ago to Wei Xingyue.

Wei Xingyue didn't even look at it, directly tossing the imprint stone to Qi Yan, who stood beside her holding a round shield.

"Do you know about the newly released Trial Instance?" Wei Xingyue asked.

Ye Ze nodded, "I've heard of it."

Wei Xingyue continued, "Currently, strong teams from the three major high schools are challenging this Corpse Fiend Dungeon, hoping to get the first clear reward."

"We plan to challenge this Trial Instance tomorrow."

Wei Xingyue's tone shifted, and she smiled, "If you can join our team, I believe our team will definitely be able to secure the first clear reward for the Corpse Fiend Dungeon."

"Sorry," Ye Ze shook his head, refusing Wei Xingyue's invitation again, "I currently have no plans to join any team."

Wei Xingyue still didn't give up, "Don't you want the first clear reward?"

Ye Ze said calmly, "If I clear it alone, won't I get more rewards?"

After speaking, he turned and left.

Wei Xingyue was stunned.

This guy,

What big talk!

He actually wants to clear it alone?

"This guy is too arrogant."

A boy in the team holding a scroll frowned disdainfully, "Who does he think he is."

"Perhaps it's because of me that he doesn't want to join our team," Xu Yan sighed.

"No need to force it," Wei Xingyue said lightly.

She invited Ye Ze twice because she saw his extremely high combat talent.

But Wei Xingyue also had her pride. Being rejected by Ye Ze twice in a row, she was also a bit annoyed.

"Let's go, let's buy some energy recovery potions and grind monsters to level up tonight."

"We'll spend tonight in the wilderness."

"Except for Qi Yan, Xu Yan, you all need to raise your level to 8."

...

...

10 PM late at night, Building 4, Unit 303, Yuhua Community.

The lights in the stairwell were already off, it was pitch black.

Click—

Ye Ze gently turned the key, and the door opened.

It was pitch black inside.

Whoosh—

Ye Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed his aunt had already gone to sleep.

Clatter—

However, when he turned on the light in the living room, Ye Ze's body instantly froze.

In the living room, a woman wearing a pale yellow long dress, with a gentle appearance, sat on a chair, looking at him with cold eyes.

Ye Ze forced a stiff smile, "Auntie, why aren't you asleep so late?"

The woman before him was Ye Ze's aunt, Lu Ying.

Lu Ying just looked at Ye Ze coldly and didn't reply.

Late at night, Lu Ying wasn't wearing makeup, but her delicate features had a natural beauty effect, and her figure was excellent and full of charm. It was impossible to tell she was already over thirty.

Lu Ying didn't reply to Ye Ze, just stared at him coldly.

Ye Ze cast a pleading look at his cousin Lin Shuang next to Lu Ying, but the girl shook her head and, like her mother, put on a cold face, looking at him expressionlessly.

"Haha."

Seeing no hope for help, Ye Ze chuckled and said, "Auntie, staying up late isn't good for your skin. You should go to sleep quickly."

Saying that, he yawned, "I'm so sleepy. I'll go to bed first, Auntie."

After speaking, he winked at his cousin beside him, then turned to walk towards his room, attempting to sneak past.

"Stop!"

Lu Ying's cold voice came over.

Ye Ze's heart sank. He turned around, his smile stiff, and said, "It's too late, Auntie. Can't we talk about it tomorrow?"

"No."

"Sigh..."

Ye Ze sighed helplessly and could only say,

"Auntie, you don't need to try to persuade me. I like fighting, but that doesn't mean I like danger."

"I will protect myself."

"Yes, fighting monsters is dangerous, but the monsters are right there."

"It's not that I don't want to live an ordinary life, but the monsters are right there, outside the city, they truly exist in this world," Ye Ze said sincerely.

He had read many books,

He knew what this world was like.

More than a hundred years ago, after the Celestial Pit Event, Dragon Country cities successively crossed from Blue Star to this world.

At that time, there were no Awakened, but the ancestors, relying on their own hands, managed to take root in a world full of monsters and rebuilt the Dragon Country civilization.

Only then did they have their relatively stable lives.

"I wasn't born strong."

Ye Ze sighed, his voice sincere, "It's just that after knowing the truth of the world, it's hard for me to settle down and be an ordinary Chef."

Following Ye Ze's sincere words, the living room fell into a brief silence.

Pfft—

A stifled laugh broke the silence.

Ye Ze looked over in confusion and saw his cousin Lin Shuang looking like she couldn't hold back her laughter.

After Lu Ying glared at her fiercely, his cousin Lin Shuang became expressionless again.

"Hmph," Lu Ying snorted coldly, turning her gaze to Ye Ze, "Did I say anything?"

Huh?

Ye Ze was stunned. Things didn't seem to be going as he expected.

He looked at Lin Shuang beside him, wanting a hint, but the girl's stifled laugh was really annoying.

Ye Ze scratched his head, hesitating to speak, "Then you..."

Lu Ying took out a card.

She gazed at the card in her hand, her originally cold eyes gradually softening, mixed with a hint of sadness.

Finally, she gently placed the card on the table and said to Ye Ze, "This card holds the compensation fund from your parents back then. I've kept it until now and never used it."

"This one is my savings from managing the cake shop for several years, a total of 200,000," she took out another card.

"I know I can't persuade you. Take these two cards and buy some good equipment." Her voice was resolute.

After speaking, Lu Ying got up and walked towards her room.

Ye Ze softly said, "Auntie, I..."

As if anticipating what Ye Ze was about to say, Lu Ying directly interrupted him, "If you don't accept it, don't call me Auntie anymore."

"I don't want to receive compensation funds for relatives again," she sighed, her voice revealing a hint of worry.

Ye Ze took a deep breath and smiled, "Okay, Auntie."

...

The next morning, as dawn was breaking.

After enjoying the delicious bread prepared by Lu Ying, Ye Ze said goodbye to her and set off on the road to Elite Town.

"Auntie, I'm leaving."

"Mm."

Lu Ying worriedly reminded him, "Remember to buy equipment."

"Got it."

Lu Ying watched Ye Ze's retreating figure as he went downstairs, her eyes full of worry.

"Don't worry, Mom, Brother isn't reckless. If he encounters a monster he can't handle, he won't fight head-on," Lin Shuang comforted her from the side.

Lu Ying nodded gently, not saying much more...

...