Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Pushing open the not-so-heavy door, the afternoon sunlight, filtered through optical lenses, softly blanketed Lu Mingfei's face. He squinted, like a groundhog peeking out of its burrow.

Lu Mingfei took a deep breath. The air was filled with the long-lost freshness unique to the village. He hadn't left the house for a long time, and even when he did, it was only to go from his house to Bai Yuekui's house.

What do you mean by telling me to get ready? Lu Mingfei leaned on the railing in front of the door, looking at the people coming and going in the distance from above. He didn't quite understand what Boss Bai was saying. Boss Bai's words seemed to come out of nowhere. Could it be that there was a Devouring Beast hiding down there waiting to give him a surprise?

He pursed his lips and shuffled down the creaking mountain steps.

As soon as he arrived at the market, Lu Mingfei sensed something was wrong. A subtle sense of stagnation appeared, and the surrounding noise suddenly subsided.

Why does it feel like everyone is looking at me?

Lu Mingfei looked around and found that everyone around him had stopped what they were doing and were all looking at him.

"Is there a flower on my face?" Lu Mingfei touched his face, finding no rice grains on it. He then brushed his hair back, finding it wasn't sticking up either.

Lu Mingfei stood frozen in place, frantically trying to recall if he had done anything stupid recently that might have gotten out, but he couldn't think of anything for a long time. These past few days, he had just been eating and sleeping, or sleeping and eating, and he hadn't done anything stupid.

Before he could figure it out, a middle-aged woman with sunspots on her face, who was closest to him, wiped her hands on her apron and suddenly strode toward him.

Lu Mingfei subconsciously stopped in his tracks, somewhat bewildered.

Lu Mingfei recognized her; she often sold roasted potatoes at the east end of the market, and her face had two red blushes from years of exposure to the fire.

The woman stopped in front of him, her eyes seemingly a little red.

She opened her mouth, her voice trembling with emotion, "Lu Mingfei, thank you, thank you so much!"

As she spoke, she bent down deeply, "My husband and my eldest son were both at the medical center a couple of days ago... If it weren't for you, our family would... would..."

She couldn't finish her sentence; she was too agitated to form coherent sentences, only repeatedly saying "thank you," bowing lower and lower.

Lu Mingfei was completely stunned, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, his face flushing red. "Auntie, no, no! Get up! I... I didn't do anything... I was just talking."

Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded.

He was rambling incoherently, and though he wanted to help him up, he felt it would be too abrupt and was so embarrassed that he just wanted to disappear into the ground.

The commotion attracted even more attention. A robust young man walked over, his voice booming, "Brother Lu! I'm so glad to see you up in the ground! How are you feeling? The doctor said my arm was definitely beyond saving, but look at it now!"

He tried hard to show off his arm; the new arm showed a clear difference in skin color at the junction with his original body.

His face beamed with a bright smile. "My own hands are still the best! They can get the job done! My life, and this strength, are all thanks to you!"

"And my daughter!"

"My brother's eyes..."

"Thanks to you, child..."

More and more people gathered around. There were elderly people with gray hair, supported by their younger relatives, who tremblingly reached out their withered hands to pat his shoulder; there were women with haggard faces but tears in their eyes, holding their bewildered children in their arms, letting the children say "thank you, brother"; there were young team members who had witnessed the "miracle" at the medical center a few days ago, their faces flushed with excitement...

They chattered amongst themselves, their words weaving together into a sincere and passionate wave that completely overwhelmed Lu Mingfei.

Gratitude, relief, the excitement of surviving a disaster, and the undisguised respect and enthusiasm for him as a "benefactor" or even a "savior" enveloped him as if they were a tangible thing.

Lu Mingfei stood frozen in place, like a puppet suddenly pushed to the center of the stage, having forgotten all his lines and movements.

He had never encountered such a scene before; he felt his face burning and his ears ringing.

He wanted to step back, but the crowd naturally formed a semicircle. He wanted to wave his hand and say, "Don't thank me," "It's nothing," "I didn't think that much about it," but those simple yet heavy emotions choked him up.

He felt lost and helpless in the face of this situation.

This scene of being the center of attention and surrounded by people expressing their gratitude was an experience he had never had in the first eighteen years of his life.

In the original world, he was an invisible nobody in the corner, a dispensable loser. No one would pay attention to him; people would only remember him when they were playing games.

Here, however, he became a "hero" in the eyes of others because of an almost instinctive outburst that even he himself could not fully understand.

But this feeling... wasn't as pleasant as he had imagined. Those repeated "thank yous" and those eyes filled with complex emotions weighed heavily on his heart.

He saw the ecstasy of renewed hope, and also the complex emotions of grief and envy in the eyes of those who had lost their loved ones.

This "gratitude" carries the weight of too many lives, a burden that his soul, accustomed to escapism and self-deprecation, could hardly bear for a moment.

What should I say? What should I say?

Or how about saying, "Fellow villagers, this is what I, Lu Mingfei, should do?"

Faced with those increasingly intense gazes, Lu Mingfei could only awkwardly shake hands with each one, wishing he had dozens of hands.

"Lu Mingfei," a loud-voiced woman suddenly raised her voice from the crowd, asking with a broad smile, "how old are you this year?"

"I'm eighteen." Lu Mingfei answered subconsciously.

"Oh, that's perfect! My daughter is seventeen this year, about the same age as you. In a couple of years, we can make a perfect couple."

The crowd suddenly fell silent, then, as if struck by a sudden realization, they began to enthusiastically recommend it.

"Hey, my daughter is eighteen this year too. Being the same age makes them a better match."

"My daughter is even prettier!"

"My niece is very diligent!"

The topic veered off in a bizarre direction with astonishing speed. What was just a heartwarming thank-you ceremony had instantly transformed into a bustling matchmaking event.

Lu Mingfei stared in disbelief at his aunts and uncles who had suddenly started arguing about whose daughter was more suitable, completely forgetting the aunt who had started the "battle" at the beginning.

He felt his scalp tingle and sweat bead on his forehead; this turn of events was just too outrageous!

"Alright, alright, everyone disperse!" A familiar voice broke the silence with a smile.

It was Xu Tong. He pushed his way through the crowd, his usual cheerful smile on his face. He patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder, "Can't you see our hero just woke up and is still weak? Your enthusiasm might scare him back to bed for three days! Go do what you need to do and let him catch his breath!"

Hearing this, the villagers, though still reluctant to part, smiled understandingly and slowly dispersed. As they left, their gazes toward Lu Mingfei were still full of goodwill and gratitude, and whispers and praises occasionally drifted into his ears.

After the crowd dispersed, Lu Mingfei felt the suffocating pressure ease slightly, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his back from the earlier commotion.

He let out a long, silent sigh.

"How does it feel to be treated like a hero?" Xu Tong chuckled, leaning closer and teasingly asking, "Is it particularly uncomfortable?"

Lu Mingfei nodded with a wry smile, his honesty bordering on pitiful: "A little...scary." He paused, then looked at Xu Tong, "They...are all family members of those people from the medical center a few days ago?"

"Most of them are." Xu Tong's smile faded slightly, replaced by a touch of emotion. "Some came simply to thank you after hearing the news. What you did the other day saved not only dozens of lives, but also dozens of families that were almost broken apart."

His gaze swept over the villagers in the distance who had regained their vitality. "In this godforsaken world, being alive and having your family intact is more important than anything else. You have given them that hope."

Hope? Lu Mingfei pondered the word, suddenly feeling its weight.

Just over two months ago, he was still a high school student, sleeping in class every day, fawning over Chen Wenwen, and going to internet cafes to play games after school. His greatest achievement was being able to beat all the top players with a red dot sight. The most thanks he received were for playing games with a few classmates, and a few bottles of nutritional drinks and a cup of instant noodles with ham sausage on his desk.

Now, the word "hope" weighs heavily on him, and for a loser like him, he doesn't know how to cope.

"Don't overthink it," Xu Tong seemed to see through his unease and patted him hard again. "They saved him, that's a fact, and it's a great thing. Don't feel pressured. I have to go now, you can go wander around by yourself."

After saying goodbye to Xu Tong, Lu Mingfei was alone again. He touched his hair, wondering if it had grown a bit longer recently, and decided to get a haircut.

Before long, Lu Mingfei strolled over to "Starting Over" with a few small oil paper packets in his hand.

He received it from several shop owners when he passed by the food street in the market. Despite his repeated refusals, he couldn't resist their enthusiasm.

"Sister Feng, get a haircut," Lu Mingfei called out to Jiang Feng, who was lying on a chair with her hands holding a book.

"Sister Feng, reading like that might be bad for your eyes." As he spoke, Lu Mingfei sat down in front of the mirror and even took a few self-admiring glances.

"Yo!"

The book slammed shut. Jiang Feng sat up from the rocking chair, tossed it onto a small table, picked up a pair of scissors from the table, and expertly twirled them between her fingers, her green hair swaying slightly with the movement. She walked behind Lu Mingfei, looked at him in the mirror, and a teasing smile played on her lips.

"Who do we have here? Isn't this Lu Mingfei, the 'God of Games,' 'Miraculous Hero,' and 'Medical Master' of our Dragon Bone Village?" Her tone rose, carrying a familiar teasing. "Oh, you even have snacks? I'm a little hungry, so feel free to eat."

As he spoke, his hand naturally reached into the oil paper bag that Lu Mingfei had placed beside him, picked up a snack, and popped it into his mouth.

"Sister Feng, please stop making fun of me..." Lu Mingfei's ears burned. He hadn't expected to be given all sorts of titles so quickly. He was a little dizzy from being bombarded with this series of exaggerated "titles." "It makes me feel really embarrassed."

"Haha, what's there to be embarrassed about? You have to bear the consequences of your actions." Jiang Feng chuckled twice, placing her hands on either side of Lu Mingfei's head and gently straightening his slightly tilted head. Looking in the mirror, she said, "So, my hero, what kind of haircut do you want today? How about the most fashionable one?"

"Just keep it the same as before," Lu Mingfei said.

"Okay." Jiang Feng stopped joking, picked up a comb and a spray bottle, and began to wet his hair. The cold touch made Lu Mingfei flinch slightly.

The sound of "snip, snip" continued, as sharp scissors danced along his scalp, making a rhythmic and light sound. Fine strands of hair fell in a rustling sound, some landing on the back of his neck, causing a slight itch.

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but shrink his neck and reach out to scratch.

"Don't move!" Jiang Feng slapped Lu Mingfei's hand away and picked out the few strands of hair that had fallen onto Lu Mingfei's neck.

Lu Mingfei dared not be dishonest; he was genuinely afraid that if he twisted his hair, it would be cut crooked.

After getting his haircut, Lu Mingfei looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but sigh, "Still so handsome."

"Narcissistic, doesn't he even know whose skills are better?" Jiang Feng carefully wiped away some of the hair that had fallen onto Lu Mingfei's face with a towel.

"Alright, you can go now."

"Thanks, sister." Lu Mingfei took out two crystal coins from his bag and handed them to Jiang Feng.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Feng handed it back to him: "I won't take your money this time, and I won't take it in the future either."

"That won't do, Sister Feng. I'm not going to cut it for nothing." Lu Mingfei didn't understand and handed the crystal coins back.

"Lu Mingfei, do you know?"

"Know what?"

"My dad was also in the medical center the day you saved him. He's been lying there for several years," Jiang Feng said softly, her eyes sparkling like springs in the sunlight, and her green hair looking exceptionally bright.

Lu Mingfei stood there, stunned.

"So, you are our family's benefactor. I can't accept this money, and I don't want to." Jiang Feng stuffed the crystal coins into Lu Mingfei's palm, then clenched them into a fist.

"But..." Lu Mingfei was still unwilling.

"But what? You think my dad's life isn't worth that little bit of money?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant!"

"Oh, I was just kidding. How about we compromise?"

Seeing that Lu Mingfei was still hesitating, Jiang Feng's eyes darted around and she said, "I'll cut your hair for free this time, but from now on, when you come for a haircut, I'll only charge half price, consider it my hard-earned money. In return, please come and support my business more often, and don't let your hair grow like weeds."

"But...but..." Lu Mingfei couldn't come up with a coherent answer even after a long pause, and this suggestion made it impossible for him to refuse. He held the crystal coins in his hand and nodded: "...Okay."

Leaving "Starting Over" and walking again on the village paths, the afternoon sun was still warm.

Lu Mingfei touched his neat short hair and then gripped the two undelivered crystal coins in his pocket.

A complex and indescribable emotion quietly crept into my heart.