Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Lu Mingfei never imagined that he, the God of Games in Dragonbone Village and a future hero who might save the world, would one day be like a miner, wielding a hammer and hammering at a giant skeleton.

"Clang... Clang..."

The rhythmic tapping echoed through the empty space of the rock wall. Lu Mingfei, supporting his aching back, looked down at the basket on his back, where several more irregularly shaped, shimmering objects—medullary crystals—had appeared.

Yes, he is mining myelin.

A week has passed since the last thrilling mission, and life seems to have returned to a certain "normal".

This morning, Bai Yuekui shoved a worn-out basket and a heavy mining hammer into his hands, informing him in an unquestionable tone: "It's your turn to mine marrow crystals this week, for three days."

Lu Mingfei was completely bewildered: "Marrow crystal? What marrow crystal?" Of course he knew that marrow crystal was the energy source of Dragon Bone Village. Maiduo had already explained to him that the massive Devouring Beast skeleton above his head, which resembled a mountain, was the "vein" of marrow crystal.

He just didn't understand why he was suddenly being asked to do this. Shouldn't he be continuing to train his marksmanship, or going out to shoot at the Devouring Beasts?

The way Bai Yuekui looked at him then was as if he were looking at a lazybones trying to shirk his duties: "Missions aren't every day, but energy consumption is. Mining marrow crystals is the duty of every able-bodied man in the village, three days a month. You didn't go before, which is already a privilege. What, do you really want to be a young master who plays games every day and has money delivered to his door?"

Lu Mingfei was speechless. He really wanted to argue that he hadn't just been playing around. After returning from the mission, he pestered Maiduo to fulfill her promise to teach him marksmanship.

That day atop the snow-capped mountain, the image of the girl wielding a long spear, dancing with it in a dazzling display of silver light, was etched into his mind like a brand.

These days, apart from basic training, he spends most of his free time learning basic shooting stances from Maido. Although the process is clumsy, he enjoys it.

However, doing something different seems like a good idea. But... as Lu Mingfei mechanically tapped the protruding, crystal-covered parts of the skeleton, he couldn't help but glance out of the corner of his eye at a gleaming bald head not far away, staring at him with an extremely displeased look.

That was Ulan Haisang, Ulan Maiduo's older brother, and also the son of Instructor Aodeng.

When Lu Mingfei first met him, he secretly wondered if this young master who was already "top-notch" was some kind of hidden monk.

He was even more surprised when he learned that it was Brother Maiduo. Not to mention Maiduo, Instructor Aodeng clearly had a full head of hair. Although it was all white, it was not bald, so what did his baldness mean?

A pang of sympathy welled up in Lu Mingfei's heart, but he was mostly puzzled. We're all here today to do our part as fellow miners, so why are you staring at me like I stole your family heirloom? I, Lu Mingfei, consider myself to have a fairly good relationship with Mai Duo. I haven't offended you, my older brother, have I?

Finally, when that gaze was almost burning two holes in him, Lu Mingfei couldn't hold back any longer.

He put down the hammer, walked up to Ulan Haisang, and tried to make his tone sound innocent and polite: "Brother Haisang, why...why are you staring at me like that? Do I have mypes simplex crystals on my face?"

Ulan Haisang's facial muscles twitched, suppressing his anger as he forced out a voice through clenched teeth: "You've been spending a lot of time with Maiduo lately, haven't you? She's been leaving early and coming home late these past few days. Tell me! What have you two been up to?"

Oh—! Lu Mingfei instantly understood. So she's a hardcore siscon!

Seeing Wulan Haisang's "You won't leave here alive until you explain yourself" attitude, Lu Mingfei quickly raised his hands as if to surrender, and explained in detail: "Brother Haisang, it's a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding! I'm just learning marksmanship from Maiduo! She promised me before that she would teach me after I mastered Guiyuan. Really, it's just practicing shooting, I'm at the training ground every day, many people can testify to that!"

After hearing this, Ulan Haisang's tense expression eased slightly.

He didn't dare to ask Maido directly, fearing that his sister would think he was meddling too much and ruin their sibling relationship.

But why wouldn't he dare ask his sister, or "interrogate" this new, somewhat "dangerous"-looking boy?

He had noticed Lu Mingfei long ago. The kid was completely different from when he first arrived, especially his face, which stood out among the generally weathered villagers. This made his alarm bells ring incessantly.

"Really just practicing shooting? Didn't you do anything else?" Ulan Haisang narrowed his eyes, trying to find a flaw in Lu Mingfei's face.

Lu Mingfei was taken aback by the question. After thinking carefully, he honestly added, "Oh, yes, we did play games together."

"Just the two of you?" Ulan Haisang frowned again, his fists clenching slightly.

"How could that be!" Lu Mingfei immediately rattled off a string of names like reciting a menu, "Xia Dou, Shan Shihui, Xu Tong sometimes come too... There are so many people! They all come to me to learn game skills!"

He specifically emphasized "many people" to show that he was being aboveboard.

Hearing that they were all familiar young people, Ulanhaisang's tense nerves finally relaxed, and his clenched fists loosened.

He thought to himself, maybe Maido just became interested in games? Although she used to only read comics and novels... He shook his head and didn't delve any deeper.

But he still stepped forward, closing in on Lu Mingfei, staring intently at him with a gaze carrying a strong warning: "You..."

Startled by the sudden approach, Lu Mingfei instinctively took a half-step back: "I... what happened to me?"

"Maido, she's only sixteen." Ulan Haisang spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone heavy as if announcing a law of the Xiyao world, "Do you understand?"

Lu Mingfei was a little confused by these nonsensical words, and subconsciously nodded: "I understand."

But in my heart I was thinking, so what if I'm sixteen? When I was sixteen, I was already the king of internet cafes... no, I was already working part-time... okay, I was already playing games.

"Good to know." Ulan Haisang looked at Lu Mingfei with a deep gaze, as if he had completed an important mission, and turned back to his position to continue knocking on the marrow crystal. However, the force seemed to be a few degrees heavier than before.

Lu Mingfei stood there, scratching his head, muttering to himself, "Sixteen years old...sixteen years old..."

Suddenly, a thought struck him like lightning! He realized the deeper meaning hidden behind Ulan Haisang's "Do you understand?"

Holy crap! This guy... this guy is afraid that I... have inappropriate thoughts about Maido?!

Lu Mingfei's face flushed red instantly, half from embarrassment and half from a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

He silently walked back to his seat, picked up the hammer, and mentally ranted, "Ulan Haisang, you're such an ultimate siscon! Putting aside the age difference, even if you don't know me, don't you know your sister? That girl, Maiduo, she's fierce when she brandishes a gun, but her personality is as cheerful as a little sun. She probably treats me more like a buddy!"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but lower his head and let out a very soft chuckle, tinged with helplessness and amusement.

This faint sound did not escape the ears of Ulan Haisang, who was not far away.

He paused in his tapping, his sharp gaze sweeping over again, his eyes saying, "Hey kid, what are you laughing at? You have a problem with my sister?"

Just then, a clear and lively voice came from below, breaking the silent exchange between the two.

"Brother! Dinner's ready!"

It was Maido. She had somehow arrived at the platform below the mining area and was waving upwards.

In that instant, Lu Mingfei witnessed what "Sichuan Opera face-changing" was all about.

Just moments before, Ulan Haisang had been fierce and had a murderous look in his eyes. In an instant, the ice on his face melted away, and a gentle smile that could be described as "kind" appeared on his face. Even his bald head seemed to soften a bit.

"Hey! Maido! I'm coming right away! Wait for me!" he replied, his voice so soft it could melt water, and his hands moved much faster as he quickly collected the marrow crystals he had just knocked down.

Lu Mingfei stared in disbelief, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor. This…this really is the same person?

"Hey? Lu Mingfei, you're here too?" Mai Duo noticed Lu Mingfei next to her and greeted him warmly, "Want to come to my house for dinner?"

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to smile and say "Okay," he felt a cold, tangible warning gaze lock onto him again. He didn't even need to turn his head to know it was Ulan Haisang.

The "okay" that was on the tip of her tongue got stuck in her throat and turned into a slightly stiff refusal: "Uh... no, no, thank you, Maido. I... I'll go eat at Boss Bai's, she should have it ready by now."

"Oh, is that so? Okay then." Maiduo didn't think much of it and called out to her brother, "Brother, hurry up! I'm going back to help Dad set the table!" After saying that, she skipped away.

After watching his sister's figure disappear, Wulan Haisang slowly packed up his things. As he passed Lu Mingfei, he gave him a "you know what's good for you" look before leaving satisfied.

Lu Mingfei watched his retreating figure, inwardly rolling his eyes and silently shouting:

He's such a siscon! He's hopeless!

The mining operation finally ended before sunset. Lu Mingfei, dragging his tired body and carrying a heavy basket of marrow crystals, went to the village's energy warehouse to hand in his mission.

The old man in charge of registration looked at his results, nodded, and made a mark in his notebook: "Hmm, not bad, kid. Not bad. Continue tomorrow."

Lu Mingfei grimaced as he moved his aching shoulders and arms, feeling as if he had been run over by a heavy truck.

This work of mining myelin crystals looks simple, but it actually requires both physical strength and skill. If you use too much force, you can easily break the myelin crystals, and if you don't use enough force, you can't break them off. A day of this is more tiring than training with Instructor Ulan Aodeng.

He walked listlessly toward Bai Yuekui's house, his head drooping. The setting sun cast a long shadow over him, adding to his pitiful appearance.

As soon as he reached the door, he smelled the enticing aroma of food wafting inside. He sniffed, feeling his empty stomach grow even more restless.

Pushing open the door, Bai Yuekui was carrying two plates of food out of the kitchen. Seeing his "refugee" appearance, he raised an eyebrow: "Oh, our great hero is back? It seems the marrow crystal mining business has taken a toll."

Lu Mingfei slumped into a chair, groaning, "Boss Bai, please stop making fun of me... I feel like my arm isn't even mine anymore. This job is even more tiring than fighting the Devouring Beast!"

"Stop being so glib." Bai Yuekui placed the dishes on the table: a plate of stir-fried wild vegetables and a plate of chewy dried meat. "Fighting the Devouring Beasts is risking your life, mining marrow crystals is building the village. Both are contributions to the village, so why differentiate between them? Go wash your hands and eat."

Lu Mingfei struggled to wash his hands, then returned to the dining table. Looking at the simple meal, he found it more tempting than any delicacy. He wolfed down several mouthfuls before finally feeling better.

"By the way," Bai Yuekui asked casually, "did you run into Hai Sang today?"

Lu Mingfei paused, recalling Wulan Haisang's doting brotherly attitude, and couldn't help but complain, "It's not just about meeting... Boss Bai, you didn't see it, that guy is practically a terminal case of a siscon! Just because Maiduo and I practiced shooting for a few days and played some games, he treats me like a thief! He even specifically warned me that Maiduo is only sixteen! My god, am I that kind of person?"

Bai Yuekui listened, a faint smile playing on his lips, as he slowly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks: "That Hai Sang kid has always been especially protective of Mai Duo since he was little. Their mother passed away early, and Instructor Ao Deng is very busy. As the eldest brother, he's like a father to them, so it's normal for him to be a little nervous."

"But you can't be this nervous, can you?" Lu Mingfei muttered. "It's like I'll make Mai Duo disappear if I look at her a couple more times."

"What's wrong?" Bai Yuekui looked up at him, a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Are you uncomfortable being treated like this? Could it be... you really have feelings for Maiduo?"

"Absolutely not!" Lu Mingfei immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face flushed red. "I only see her as a younger sister! As a good friend! Boss Bai, don't talk nonsense!"

He's a pure love warrior, and he still has Chen Wenwen in his heart! Although... it seems he's been thinking about Chen Wenwen less and less lately.

Seeing his flustered expression, Bai Yuekui smiled and stopped teasing him: "That's good. But don't worry too much about Hai Sang. He's not a bad person, just a bit... direct. In time, he'll understand your character, and everything will be fine."

Lu Mingfei sighed and sat down to eat again. He thought to himself: Hopefully. Being watched every day by a bald, seemingly powerful but actually siscon (brother complex) with unknown combat abilities is quite stressful.

After dinner, Lu Mingfei volunteered to wash the dishes as a way of thanking Bai Yuekui for taking him in and providing dinner. Although his body was still aching, he felt much better after eating and drinking his fill.

Back in his little nest, Lu Mingfei collapsed onto the bed. Outside the window, the lights of Dragon Bone Village lit up one after another, like stars scattered across the valley.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind flashing back to the hardships of mining marrow crystals that had happened that day, Ulan Haisang's "death stare," Maiduo's sunny smile, and Bai Yuekui's teasing yet caring words.

Although there were some minor hiccups and it was a bit tough, this was his life in Dragonbone Village.

There are tasks, training, obligations, interactions with friends, and some frustrating annoyances.

No longer is there only fear and confusion like at the beginning, nor is it like the daily fighting and killing that I imagined.

He rolled over and closed his eyes. He'd have to continue mining marrow crystals tomorrow, and the day after. Then he could go back to Maido to learn marksmanship.

Thinking of that gleaming silver spear, Lu Mingfei's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

Well, although having a brother who's obsessed with his sister is a bit of a hassle, life like this... isn't so bad.

With a touch of weariness, a hint of anticipation for tomorrow, and a small resentment towards that bald-headed siscon, Lu Mingfei fell into a deep sleep.