Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chen Fei, having received directions from the villagers, walked up to the village chief, offering a cigarette as usual, and said, “Village Chief, we are tourists here for a visit, and we want to stay in your village for a while. We’ll pay. Could you help arrange accommodation for us?”

The old village chief smoking a cigarette slowly raised his head, and after a moment accepted the cigarette Chen Fei offered him. Chen Fei immediately lit it for the village chief and handed him the entire remaining pack.

The village chief accepted the cigarettes and said to the Middle-aged man that Chen Fei had talked to earlier, “Cao Laoer, take them to your house. Isn’t your house new? You can rent it out to them for a while.”

After speaking, the old village chief lowered his head and continued smoking, ignoring Chen Fei, while Cao Laoer, the Middle-aged man who had previously received a cigarette from Chen Fei, happily agreed.

Then he quickly approached Chen Fei and said, “The village chief agreed, you guys can follow me to my house. My house is new, and it’s comfortable to live in. My wife is a fantastic cook. I’m not bragging, but there’s no one in the village who cooks better. She’s always in charge of cooking during village ceremonies, so I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the food.”

With those words, the group quickly arrived at Cao Laoer’s house, which stood out among the villagers’ houses because while the others were low and old, his was a spacious red brick house.

The front door was wide open, the yard neatly organized, and on the right side was a small garden fenced off, filled with various vegetables, many of which were already ready to be harvested.

There were about a dozen chickens in the yard, and a Middle-aged woman was scattering millet on the ground, clucking to attract the chickens to eat.

Cao Laoer opened the door and called to the woman, “Jinhua, quickly tidy up a room, we have guests who will be staying for a few days.”

After calling to the woman, Cao Laoer turned enthusiastically to Chen Fei and Miao Shuangshuang and the others, “This is my wife, Jinhua. Her cooking is delicious. Later, I’ll have her cook a chicken for you, so you can enjoy a good meal. Our chickens are free-range, eating grain and insects, their meat is very flavorful, about the price…”

Chen Fei immediately understood, opened his backpack, reached inside to get money, reasoning that since the game had allowed them to stay in Lao Mountain Village, they wouldn’t lack the funds.

Chen Fei rummaged through the backpack and felt a stack of what seemed like money. He randomly pulled out about ten sheets. The currency looked different from real money, it was blue, with a denomination of one hundred each.

Chen Fei counted the money in his hand, a total of fifteen sheets, and handed all of it to Cao Laoer, smiling, “Sir, do you think this fifteen hundred can cover food and lodging for a few days at your place?”

Cao Laoer took the money from Chen Fei, counting it twice as though it were a treasure, then carefully tucked it into his pocket, “Seven days, this money allows you to stay at my house for seven days, including three meals a day with meat for lunch and dinner.”

Chen Fei nodded, not bargaining with Cao Laoer. Jinhua was watching the transaction between Chen Fei and Cao Laoer and only smiled when she saw Cao Laoer had collected fifteen hundred.

She promptly invited everyone warmly, “Please come inside and have a seat. I’ll start tidying up the house and cooking. Laoer, turn on the TV for the guests and pour some hot water.”

Having said that, Jinhua went to tidy up the house. Cao Laoer, in a great mood, invited everyone into the main room, turned on the TV, and brought a mismatched set of glass cups to pour hot water for everyone.

Miao Shuangshuang casually helped with the cups and struck up a conversation with Cao Laoer, “Sir, there seem to be quite a few people in your village. Nowadays many young people work in the cities; how come none of the young people from your village have gone out?”

Cao Laoer chuckled, “In our village, none of us have ventured out for generations. People here are used to it and don’t want to experience the outside world—it’s nice this way.”

With the water poured and the kettle empty, Cao Laoer went outside to fetch more water. The glasses were very clean, and as everyone had been walking for some time, they were a bit thirsty and began drinking.

After drinking, Miao Shuangshuang, Lin Yu, Chen Fei, and Zhao Chu huddled together, whispering about the game.

Ye Fuyu sat nearby, lost in her own thoughts, while Xiao Zhongjing sat dutifully by Miao Shuangshuang’s side, though clearly distracted.

Miao Shuangshuang cradled her glass, saying to Chen Fei, “We only have the hint that we must fulfill the Ghost Groom’s wish, but we have no idea who this Ghost Groom could be. Also, speaking of a Ghost Groom, it usually refers to a yin marriage, but it’s unclear whether this Ghost Groom is dead or alive. A Ghost Groom could mean the groom is a ghost, therefore a Ghost Groom, or it could mean that this Ghost Groom is the husband of a Ghost Bride, so even if he’s alive, you could still call him the Ghost Groom.”

Lin Yu nodded on the side, “I think we should interact with the villagers and try to gather information. If someone in the village has had a yin marriage, someone is bound to know, and it should be fairly easy to find out.”

Zhao Chu raised his hand, “I can take on the task of gathering information. I’m particularly good at talking to people and will surely find out the details.”

Miao Shuangshuang, Lin Yu, and Chen Fei pondered Zhao Chu’s personality. Though he could be a bit silly, he was actually hard to dislike.

Being with him would unknowingly make people relax, so he seemed quite suitable for information gathering.

With this in mind, the three nodded in agreement, allowing Zhao Chu to take on the task. Chen Fei reminded him, “When you’re gathering information, be cautious not to let people discover your intentions. The people in this village are especially united, having little contact with the outside world. Such a village can be sincere, but they’re also very wary of outsiders. If their guard is raised, who knows what consequences will follow. Remember, this is a game world—being suspected by NPCs might trigger deadly consequences. When you’re out gathering information, it’s better to come back empty-handed than to arouse suspicion among the villagers and put yourself in danger.”

Zhao Chu nodded repeatedly, “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful not to arouse any suspicion.”

Miao Shuangshuang, fiddling with her glass, thought pensively, “After the meal, we should explore the surroundings of the village. After all, the Ghost Groom might not necessarily involve a yin marriage; it could also be some form of sacrifice. For example, in the past, villages along river banks had customs of offering brides to the River God, these brides were drowned intentionally, so calling them Ghost Brides could also be fitting.”