Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 36 Man is Iron

The old man typed on the keyboard: "Okay, registration is complete."

As for where to stay...

The old man glanced at Hong Kou and Po Xiao holding hands: "You two are a couple, right? Then live together."

Without waiting for their consent or refusal, the old man handed over the key and the house number.

"There happens to be a spare room over there, and the people living next door are also from out of town. If you don't understand anything, you can ask the neighbors, or other people in the village."

Hong Kou took the key and the house number with slightly stiff movements.

Yang Chen thanked the old man and turned to look at Hong Kou and Po Xiao, who were still somewhat uneasy.

"Alright, that's just a quick registration. You must be hungry now, right? I'll take you to eat."

Hong Kou and Po Xiao nodded subconsciously.

From descending from the lighthouse, experiencing a life-or-death crisis, to being brought to this dreamlike village by Yang Chen, his mental state remained highly tense.

Only when Yang Chen lifted her up did she realize that her stomach was empty.

"Follow me." Yang Chen led the two out of the Population Management Department and back along the stone path, this time heading towards the more bustling central area of ​​the village.

Not far away, a rich and enticing aroma of food wafted through the air, a mixture of sauces, oils, and the various scents of stewed ingredients.

It was quite different from the monotonous smell of the synthetic food on the lighthouse.

The aroma instantly awakened their most primal appetites.

Their gazes were involuntarily drawn by the aroma, eventually landing on a small shop with a wooden sign hanging at the entrance.

The signboard bears three powerful characters: "Food is steel."

Several tables of diners were already seated inside the small shop, engrossed in enjoying their steaming hot food.

The sounds of conversation, chewing, and clinking bowls and chopsticks mingled together, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

Yang Chen led them straight to an empty table and sat them down: "Let's take this place. It's an old restaurant in the village, and the food is pretty good."

He looked up and called out into the shop, "Xiao Yuan, bring me a few of our signature dishes!"

"Alright! Mr. Yang, please wait a moment!"

A middle-aged woman wearing an apron and a friendly smile poked her head out of the kitchen when she heard the noise. She saw Yang Chen and greeted him warmly.

Her gaze swept curiously over Red Knife and Dawn, but she didn't ask any further questions and went back to her work.

Hong Kou and Po Xiao sat on the stools somewhat awkwardly, nervously looking around.

The table is set with simple bamboo chopsticks and rough earthenware bowls, which looks very homey.

At the next table, diners were picking up a piece of glistening braised pork and putting it in their mouths, smacking their lips in satisfaction.

The color and aroma of the meat made the two men, who had only eaten bread and canned food at the lighthouse, involuntarily swallow.

"Please sit down for a while, take a look at the menu, and order more if you're not satisfied," Yang Chen said, pointing to a wooden sign on the wall covered with the names of the dishes.

"I'm going home for a bit. I'll call someone down to have dinner with me. It'll be quick." With that, he stood up and walked out of the store.

Hong Kou and Po Xiao watched Yang Chen's departing figure, then exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief and a hint of unease in each other's eyes.

"Is this... really the ground?" Dawn lowered his voice, his gaze sweeping over everything around him.

Steaming hot food, people chatting and laughing, the distant sounds of children playing, even an orange cat lazily sunbathing in a corner...

All of this challenged their understanding of the formation of the lighthouse.

"Could it be that we were actually killed by the Devouring Beasts, and this is the afterlife?"

“Hmm…” Hong Kou nodded, her voice a little hoarse.

"Who exactly was that person just now?"

Dawn couldn't help but look again in the direction where Yang Chen had disappeared: "He can unleash flames with a wave of his hand... he can fly... he can instantly heal my wounds... is this really human power?"

Hong Kou shook her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "I don't know, but one thing is certain: he saved us, and the people in this village have no ill intentions."

"Don't think too much about it, let's wait and see." They had so many questions they wanted to ask her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions.

Just then, the shop owner came over with a large tray and quickly placed several plates of cold dishes and a pot of steaming tea on the table.

"This is what Mr. Yang ordered. Have this to tide you over. The hot dishes will be ready soon! Try them!" The owner smiled broadly, put down the food, and hurried back.

Looking at the brightly colored cold dish they had never seen before, Hong Kou and Po Xiao picked up their chopsticks and tried to pick up a small piece and put it in their mouths.

A flavor they had never experienced before hit their taste buds, and the two of them stopped almost simultaneously, their eyes widening slightly.

This stuff tastes much better than the food on the lighthouse; the common people only eat bread and some synthetic jam.

The common people could only eat insect cakes.

Although the lighthouse has a rooftop farm, the variety and flavors are nowhere near as rich as those here.

All the dishes had been served when Yang Chen reappeared at the shop entrance, accompanied by a silver-haired woman.

"You're here." Yang Chen naturally pulled out a chair next to Bai Yuekui for her to sit down, and then sat down next to her himself.

He pointed to Bai Yuekui and introduced her to Hong Kou Po Xiao: "This is my wife, Bai Yuekui. She is in charge of most of the village affairs."

wife?

Do old-world family relationships still exist on the ground?

"Hello." Hong Kou and Po Xiao spoke almost simultaneously, their tone reserved.

Bai Yuekui simply nodded slightly in response, his gaze sweeping over the two of them again.

"Don't be shy, start eating. The food won't taste as good if it gets cold." Yang Chen picked up his chopsticks and first placed a piece of tempting braised pork into Bai Yuekui's bowl, then picked up a piece of fried pork chop for himself.

Bai Yuekui picked up his chopsticks with elegant and nimble movements, took a bite of the braised pork in the bowl, and nodded.

Hong Kou and Po Xiao exchanged a glance and then picked up their chopsticks.

The food on the table was quickly devoured.

"Are you full? You can order more if you're not full." Yang Chen looked at the two of them.

"That's enough!" The two nodded in agreement.

After a brief silence, Hong Kou finally asked the question she had been wanting to ask all along.

"Have you always survived like this?"

Yang Chen nodded: "More or less."

"This," Hong Kou and Po Xiao remained silent.

Bai Yuekui, observing their reactions, spoke in a cool voice: "You two must be upper-class citizens in the Lighthouse, right?"

Hong Kou was startled; the other party seemed to know a lot about the Lighthouse.

She suppressed her doubts and answered honestly, "Yes, I am the former commander of the Wilderness Hunters, Red Bandit. He is my adjutant, Dawn."

"Hunter of the Wilderness"

Hong Kou hesitated for a moment: "You seem to know a lot about lighthouses?"

Bai Yuekui nodded: "Yes, I visited the Lighthouse more than 20 years ago, but at that time you hadn't yet distinguished between the Upper People and the Common People."

"Wh-what?" Dawn couldn't help but ask, her voice filled with surprise and doubt.

The woman in front of me looks to be only about twenty years old. She went to the lighthouse more than ten years ago? Then she must be forty or fifty years old now.
"Then why isn't there any information about this place at the lighthouse? And..."

Red Bandits wondered why, since life on the ground was so good, they didn't unite with the Lighthouse.

But before he could finish speaking, Bai Yuekui interrupted him.

"The way you live in the lighthouse is your own choice, and we don't want to interfere."

"Moreover, when I went to the lighthouse back then, I had a very unpleasant encounter with your people."

(End of this chapter)