【System Store Opening——】

【The system store is now open. Please explore its functions on your own, Host.】

【Friendly reminder: Host, please spend within your means and purchase cautiously.】

Gu Qingyan glanced over the three prompts, then excitedly opened the store.

The next moment, he was stunned.

The store page was colorful and festive, with a strong big-sale vibe, divided into categories like Equipment, Items, Skills, Pets, and so on.

But without exception, the cheapest item started at 1,000 points.

【Soft Thorn Armor: 1,000 points】

【Ice Sword: 1,000 points】

【Perfect Rejuvenation Pill: 1,000 points】

【Cooking Skill: 1,000 points】

【Howling Heavenly Dog: 1,000 points】

Gu Qingyan gritted his teeth, “Not to mention anything else, I could get cooking skill for just one point by signing in. Charging 1,000 points for it is outrageous! What a rip-off!”

【System skill purchases can directly reach legendary level.】

“Legendary level?”

There were levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Master, Legendary.

Gu Qingyan’s eyes flickered. “Even if it’s legendary, it’s too expensive to sell at this price.”

【Store prices follow system rules. Host, please spend within your means.】

The system sounded cold and arrogant, as if saying, “If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.”

Gu Qingyan felt tempted but simply had no points left. To unlock the system store, he had worked hard for many days to save up 1,000 points.

Now the interface was nearly empty, with only a pitiful 37 points left.

Before, 37 points was enough for Gu Qingyan to sign in recklessly, and he couldn’t spend them fast enough.

But now, 37 points wasn’t even enough to buy the tail of the Howling Heavenly Dog.

Gu Qingyan slapped his forehead. What was the use of the Howling Heavenly Dog? He couldn’t fly to the sky and become Erlang Shen.

“System bro, is the Howling Heavenly Dog the real Howling Heavenly Dog?” Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but ask curiously.

【The current small world is a godless world. The Howling Heavenly Dog is just a dog breed name. Please stop having unreasonable fantasies, Host.】

“Then why does it cost 1,000 points?”

【Please explore on your own, Host.】

Gu Qingyan immediately closed the pet interface. “I have Big Black Bull, that’s enough. Big Black Bull even understands people better than a little dog.”

Comforting himself, Gu Qingyan was still unsatisfied. “So I spent 1,000 points just to open the store, and it’s a bottomless pit with no benefits at all?”

【Please explore on your own, Host.】

Gu Qingyan raised an eyebrow, feeling the store must hide something he hadn’t discovered yet.

Skipping over row after row of expensive but currently unaffordable treasures, Gu Qingyan explored the whole store interface.

Suddenly, he noticed a small hidden icon in the top right corner.

With a light tap, a huge map unfolded before him.

Gu Qingyan’s heart leapt. “World map?”

This map matched at least 70-80% of the world map he remembered.

“Where is Dazhou?”

Following his command, the map zoomed in quickly on that area while the rest shrank.

Soon, the territory map of Dazhou appeared before his eyes.

Gu Qingyan’s eyes shone brightly. The expensive items in the store were an unexpected surprise, but the system map was the real gem!

This was the territory map of Dazhou!

“Locate Qingzhou Prefecture.”

Following his order, the map zoomed in again and quickly locked onto Qingzhou Prefecture.

“Locate Lingchuan County.”

“Locate Meiling Village.”

“Locate my home.”

Gu Qingyan quickly noticed a little person icon above his home.

That was himself!

What compass, what sinan (ancient Chinese compass), all pale in comparison to this map positioning. With this, Gu Qingyan never had to worry about getting lost again. That forest last time? No chance of getting lost now.

Looking outward from Meiling Village, he could faintly see scattered sign-in points, each with different colors.

Gu Qingyan reached out to tap one.

【Dashan Village Sign-in Point — Not signed in yet.】 This sign-in point glowed golden.

【Lingchuan County Government — Already signed in.】 This one was a dark blue circle.

He could also see the points needed to sign in.

Gu Qingyan was deeply moved. Pulling the map to Qingzhou Prefecture, he indeed saw row after row of golden sign-in points.

He had left in such a hurry before, and hadn’t signed in many places.

Looking farther out, Gu Qingyan found areas outside Qingzhou Prefecture were all gray.

【Host has not set foot here yet, sign-in function unavailable.】

So that was it.

The bright areas on the map were places he’d visited and signed in, allowing him to view sign-in points on the map.

The gray areas were places he hadn’t been to and hadn’t signed in yet, so he couldn’t view those regions.

Gu Qingyan’s gaze fell on Qingzhou Prefecture.

According to this calculation, as long as he sets foot on the land of the prefecture, he can directly unlock all the sign-in points in the entire prefectural city.

Gu Qingyan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. Who cares if he can’t afford the products? This one map alone is worth over 1,000 points.

At this moment, Gu Qingyan almost wished to roam the world with his sword, to leave Great Zhou and explore the world.

“Calm down, calm down. One step at a time, lighting up the world is not a dream.”

Gu Qingyan took a deep breath to calm himself.

He looked over everything carefully. With the map in hand, he could clearly see how many places in Lingchuan County he hadn’t signed into yet and what rewards he’d get after signing in.

No more running around the city driving an ox cart, stepping on each sign-in point one by one just to get information.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh: “This is really a treasure. The 1,000 points weren’t wasted.”

After thinking for a moment, he returned to the product page.

Although most of the products looked like scams at outrageously high prices, after browsing for a while, Gu Qingyan still found a few items he liked.

【Storage Space: 1,000 points】

【Can store 100 cubic meters of items, time inside the space is frozen, but living things cannot be stored.】

A portable space — Gu Qingyan’s heart was deeply moved.

【Poison Immunity: 1,000 points】

【After consumption, completely immune to all poisons, detoxifies, beautifies, and prolongs life.】

A good item. If he could buy and consume this, thinking of Bai Yu’s last words, his mother would no longer have to worry about him being poisoned.

【Spirit Spring Source: 10,000 points】

【Produces 1 ton of spirit spring water daily, sweet and delicious. Regular consumption grants eternal youth and cures diseases.】

His mouth watered, and his heart hungered even more. Apart from the high prices, the store really had no other flaws.

Gu Qingyan’s gaze grew resolute. He made up his mind to work hard and earn points, and one day he would buy every item he wanted!

This was what you call a double blessing.

It seemed he was destined to conquer the world.

After holding the map, he had a good night’s sleep. When Gu Qingyan woke up, he felt the air was filled with fragrance.

He sniffed and confirmed it wasn’t an illusion — it really smelled good.

Stepping out of his room, he saw the table was already filled with food.

Gu Qingyan picked up a piece of millet cake and ate it. “Mom, why did you make so much?”

“Last night I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. Since I was up anyway, I decided to make some good food,”

Mama Liu said warmly and kindly, her eyes full of love as she looked at Gu Qingyan.

“Brother Yan is really doing well now. Having passed the county exam, he’ll be able to take the prefectural exam in April. Exams are hard; he needs to eat well to stay healthy.”

As she spoke, Gu Wangqing came in carrying a big bowl of chicken soup.

“Godmother’s right, brother has lost weight these days. He needs to eat more.”

Gu Qingyan touched his round cheeks, doubting her words.

But the other four all agreed he had gotten thinner and weaker, so he definitely needed to recover his strength before setting out again.

Mama Liu was worried deep inside.

The prefectural exam had to be taken in Qingzhou Prefecture. She didn’t know if the Xu family or that real young master would deliberately make things difficult for Brother Yan.

She was afraid that if she said anything, it might make Brother Yan worry unnecessarily and affect his exam.

“Brother Yan, how about I accompany you to Qingzhou Prefecture for the exam? I’m familiar with Qingzhou Prefecture and can take good care of you,” Mama Liu offered.

But Gu Qingyan didn’t want her to trouble herself with the back-and-forth journey.

“Mom, I’ll go with Zhang Cheng and the others. We’ll watch out for each other on the road, so nothing will happen.”

He added, “Besides, A Nian is coming too.”

Zhang Nian immediately said, “Auntie, I’ll definitely take good care of Brother Gu, not letting a single hair on his head fall.”

Mama Liu still wasn’t convinced. “But Qingzhou Prefecture…”

“Mom, we’re only going to take the prefectural exam. After that, we’ll come right back. It won’t even take a month total.”

Gu Qingyan understood her worries.

He wasn’t sure if the Li family would deliberately cause trouble in Qingzhou Prefecture. That was exactly why he didn’t want Mama Liu to come along and take the risk.

Gu Qingyan was confident he could protect himself, but if Mama Liu came too, he feared he wouldn’t be able to take good care of her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll study hard once I get there. After the exam, I’ll come right back. I definitely won’t run off anywhere.”

Mama Liu had no choice but to agree.

She turned around and immediately started packing, wishing she could bring the whole house with Gu Qingyan.

Gu Qingyan knew she was worried deep down, so he let her be. After all, bringing a few extra things wouldn’t be troublesome.

Since coming to Lingchuan County last year, this was Gu Qingyan’s first time going far from home.

The sign-in system required him to sign in everywhere, and he had to be physically at the sign-in points for it to register. Secretly, Gu Qingyan really wanted to keep traveling non-stop.

But seeing his busy family, a bit of reluctance grew in his heart.

Once he left, the family would surely worry about him.

Because of that, Gu Qingyan suppressed his eagerness to set off immediately to Qingshou Prefecture to collect sign-ins and ended up staying at home a while longer.

It wasn’t until Zhang Cheng came to urge him that the two agreed to depart the next day.

The day before departure, Mother Liu counted things over and over, afraid she might forget something, and kept reminding Zhang Nian again and again.

Gu Qingyan quietly pulled his two younger sisters aside.

“Take these.”

He took out silver notes — not many, just one ten-tael note each for the two sisters.

Gu Wangqing was startled, “Brother, why are you giving me so much silver?”

“Yeah, we have food and drink at home, so we don’t need silver. Brother, you keep it yourself. Poor family, rich roads—you shouldn’t worry about spending money while you’re away.”

Gu Wangqing added, “Now the third sister and I can even sell embroidered handkerchiefs. Brother, don’t ever try to save money.”

“Brother’s got money,” they said.

Gu Qingyan couldn’t help but smile wryly. He really wasn’t short on money; the system gave him enough for the imperial exams.

If he really ran out, he could always get more by signing in elsewhere.

But hearing his sisters talk like that, his heart felt warm.

“This is pocket money for you two…”

“We don’t want it and don’t need it,” the two sisters quickly said.

Gu Qingyan said, “Listen to me first. This time I’ll be gone for a whole month. At home, it’s just you two and Mother. I’ll be worried while away. Take the money—if anything happens, you won’t have to worry about not having cash on hand.”

“If you like embroidery, doing it for fun is fine, but don’t strain your eyes just to earn money. Otherwise, I’ll worry about you.”

Gu Shuyan still refused to take it, “But…”

“Take it. Just think of it as letting me set off with peace of mind,” Gu Qingyan said.

Travel was inconvenient in ancient times, and information was slow to spread. He worried about changes at home while he was away.

Gu Wangqing grabbed her sister’s hand and nodded, “Brother, we’ll take it. Take good care of yourself out there and don’t worry about us.”

Thinking about their big brother leaving for so long, the two sisters felt reluctant but dared not show it, afraid of making him worry.

“Yes, with Uncle Da here, no one in the village will bully us,” Gu Shuyan nodded repeatedly.

Gu Qingyan thought so too.

It wasn’t just the sisters—Mother Liu had money as well.

Gu Qingyan secretly slipped her one hundred taels of silver, including large and small notes and some loose silver for convenience.

Mother Liu also initially refused but accepted after hearing Gu Qingyan still had money on hand.

Before leaving, Gu Qingyan made a special visit to the old village chief’s house.

The village chief, Uncle Da, pounded his chest confidently, “Qingyan, just focus on your exams. I’ll look after your family. I won’t let your mother and sisters get bullied. You can rest assured.”

“In Meiling Village, no one dares bully our Gu family,” Aunt Da said as well.

“Cousin, don’t worry. Besides Dad, there’s me too. We’ll take good care of things,” Gu Dashan promised.

Only then did Gu Qingyan feel at ease.

“Qingyan, here’s ten taels of silver for you. Take it.”

Before Gu Qingyan could refuse, the village chief insisted, “I’m your real uncle. Now you’re going to Qingshou Prefecture for the exam. It’s only right that I give you something.”

“Unfortunately, Meiling Village is poor, and I can’t do much for you, but you must take this ten taels. Otherwise, when I die, I won’t have the face to meet your father.”

Gu Qingyan had no choice but to accept.

Thinking of Meiling Village’s situation, Gu Qingyan silently vowed that after his exam, he would find a way to help the clan become more prosperous.

The old village chief then brought up, “Qingyan, don’t you really need your uncle to go with you? How can you and Zhang Nian manage alone?”

“Yeah, Zhang Nian is even younger than you. Maybe I should go with you, or at least take two other clan members with the Gu surname,” Aunt Da also advised.

The couple grew more and more worried thinking about the two kids going far away alone.

Gu Qingyan didn’t think he needed anyone to look after or protect him.

“I’m leaving with my classmates. I know the route. Bringing too many people would just be troublesome.”

He refused repeatedly and gave a signal to Gu Dashan as they headed outside.

“Dashan, any news about that old coroner case?”

Gu Dashan sighed helplessly, “I thought I’d find out with just a single question, but after asking around, hardly anyone knows about that old coroner.”

“Later, I put in some effort and found an elder official at the yamen, who told me that old coroner came to Lingchuan County over ten years ago and was very skilled at autopsies.”

“The official records say the old coroner’s real name was Liu Ruchen, from Cangshan. He was fifty-six years old, but there was no other information recorded.”

Gu Qingyan frowned.

Liu Ruchen — that name didn’t sound like a coroner’s at all.

“Cangshan is so far from Lingchuan County, how did he come here?”

Gu Dashan sighed, “I thought that was strange too, but when I asked around, no one knew why he came all the way from Cangshan or how he ended up staying in Lingchuan County.”

“Everyone said he was highly skilled in autopsies but was a solitary person who never socialized with others.”

Gu Dashan felt apologetic, “Cousin, I’m really sorry. I couldn’t find out more.”

“Dashan, it’s not your fault. If nobody else knows, how could you have found out?”

Gu Qingyan could only put the matter aside for now.

If even the yamen couldn’t find out his background, it was obvious that old coroner Liu Ruchen had deliberately hidden it.

Thinking of what he had buried in the backyard, Gu Qingyan felt a mystery growing in his heart.

Soon, Gu Qingyan had no time to worry about the old coroner anymore; he had to set off for Qingzhou Prefecture to take the prefectural exam.

The prefectural exam was in April, and it was already late February. The journey would take some time, and upon arriving in Qingzhou, they still had to register at the yamen. Usually, candidates left early.

Gu Qingyan had agreed with Zhang Cheng to set off early together.

That morning, Mother Liu and the two sisters accompanied them partway, talking and walking along.

“Brother Yan, how about we see you off to the city gate?” Mother Liu suggested.

Gu Qingyan hurried into the carriage. “Mother, no need. If you three have to walk back on your own, I’ll worry.”

“Don’t worry. I know the way well. Just wait for my success in the exam and return,” Gu Qingyan said with a smile, signaling Zhang Cheng to drive.

They walked quite far, and when Gu Qingyan looked back, Mother Liu and the two sisters were still standing under the big tree at the village entrance.

“Mother, Second Sister, Third Sister, go back now,” Gu Qingyan called out.

But even after he couldn’t see them anymore, the three hadn’t gone home.

Mother Liu grew increasingly uneasy and couldn’t help but say, “Ah, maybe I should have gone along with you.”

“Godmother, don’t worry. A’nian will take good care of brother,” Gu Shuyan reassured her.

Mother Liu frowned, “It’s not that I’m worried about that, I’m worried about the Li family.”

At this, the sisters exchanged glances, also feeling uneasy.

“Brother grew up with the Li family; they wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for him, right?”

Fifteen years — even if you raise a dog, you’d get attached.

Mother Liu shook her head silently, not voicing her deeper worries.

After leaving the Li family, she always felt Madam Xu was too cold toward Brother Yan — always indifferent since he was young.

After finding out he was switched at birth, Madam Xu hurriedly drove him away and took the real young master back.

Fifteen years of raising, but no affection at all.

Now that Brother Yan was doing well and heading to Qingzhou — the Li family’s turf — Mother Liu couldn’t help but worry inside.

Looking down the path where the ox cart had disappeared, she sighed softly and could only pray for Gu Qingyan’s smooth journey.

On the other side, Gu Qingyan in the ox cart was also reluctant to leave.

He had heard of the pain of parting before, but now experiencing it, he truly understood the meaning in the poetry.

“I’m not at home; I don’t know if mother and the two sisters can take good care of themselves,” Gu Qingyan sighed.

Zhang Cheng was grinning foolishly.

Gu Qingyan glared at him, “A’nian, what are you laughing at?”

“Brother Gu, you’re the one who needs others to take care of you most. Auntie and the others are quite capable,” Zhang Cheng answered honestly.

Gu Qingyan was displeased. “That’s not true! Even if you leave me out in the wild, I can live just fine.”

He was the all-rounder Gu Qingyan, with system skills almost maxed out.

Zhang Cheng kept grinning.

Gu Qingyan rolled his eyes. “What do you know? When I’m here, they’re willing to spend money. I’m afraid that once I’m gone, the three of them will be stingy with food and drink, not even a minced meat dish for three meals a day.”

That was actually true.

If it weren’t for Gu Qingyan’s request, the meals at the Gu family wouldn’t be this good every day.

Gu Qingyan wasn’t afraid of anything else; he just worried that while he was away, the three women at home wouldn’t treat him well.

He glanced at the fully packed ox cart—it was all prepared by them: food, necessities, clothes—afraid that he wouldn’t have enough.

Suddenly, Gu Qingyan picked up a small bundle. “What’s inside here?”

He opened it and frowned. Inside were all small silver coins.

Counting them, there were nearly fifty taels of silver.

Gu Qingyan immediately knew this must have been secretly slipped in by Mother Liu.

After arriving at Lingchuan County, Gu Qingyan had gradually given Mother Liu some silver and banknotes; she had saved what was unused and now was returning it to him.

Their sincere love for him was evident beyond words.

For a moment, Gu Qingyan even felt the urge to turn the cart around and go back.

“Brother Gu.” Zhang Cheng’s voice stopped his thought.

Gu Qingyan sighed lightly. If he went back, Mother Liu would only worry more.

He put the silver away. Fortunately, he had given them more money before leaving, so there was no need to worry about their expenses.

“Brother Zhang.”

Besides Zhang Cheng, there were six more horse-drawn carriages at the city gate, all headed to Qingzhou Prefecture to take the prefectural exam.

Gu Qingyan recognized three of them—all classmates from the county school with a nodding acquaintance.

After exchanging introductions and greetings, the convoy of eight carriages set off.

Zhang Cheng didn’t want to ride in his own carriage; instead, he sat in Gu Qingyan’s ox cart.

Once on the cart, he began talking nonstop: “Before, going to Qingzhou Prefecture for exams always meant extra money spent on hiring escorts. The round trip cost was quite a lot.”

“Now, thanks to Brother Gu, that money is saved. My father said that ever since the mountain bandits were caught, the road from Lingchuan County to Qingzhou Prefecture has become much livelier.”

Gu Qingyan listened and felt happy.

“That’s how it should be—peace and prosperity, the people living and working in peace, how could bandits be allowed to ruin that?”

Zhang Cheng laughed loudly: “I actually hope a few more bandits come along so I can see Brother Gu’s skills firsthand.”

Gu Qingyan laughed and scolded: “Don’t be a jinx. I have no skills. I’m just a weak scholar unless in real danger. If we really met bandits, it’d be bad news for us.”

He was telling the truth, but unfortunately, no one believed him.

Zhang Cheng was convinced he was a martial arts master and said, “Brother Gu, you’re too humble.”

Gu Qingyan couldn’t explain and could only smile silently.

Without the threat of bandits, the scholars leisurely stopped and started, even taking time to enjoy the mountain scenery along the way—quite pleasant.

Passing a familiar mountain path, Gu Qingyan raised his eyebrows slightly.

【You have successfully signed in at Bandit Slope and earned 10 taels of silver.】

Zhang Cheng was loudly announcing: “Everyone, look! This is the place where bandits used to roam. Brother Gu fought a fierce battle here, 800 rounds with the bandits, and emerged victorious.”

“So this is Bandit Slope. Thanks to Brother Gu, the people of Lingchuan County have peace.”

“Brother Gu, come out and take a look. How does it feel to revisit old grounds? Let’s compose a poem to praise Brother Gu’s kindness.”

“Wonderful, wonderful.”

Gu Qingyan’s mouth twitched. What the heck?

No wonder this place could be signed in—it was weirdly given a name.

He really wanted to explain: he was actually kidnapped here, didn’t fight 800 rounds, didn’t even fight the bandits directly—the real fighters were cultists.

Gu Qingyan simply lay back in the ox cart. “You guys go ahead and recite poetry. I’m tired and want to nap.”

Zhang Cheng wanted to say more, but Zhang Nian shooed him away: “Clan brother, my Brother Gu wants to rest. Go back to your own carriage quickly and don’t disturb him.”

“Hey, you guys even changed your surname to Gu. Don’t call me clan brother anymore,” Zhang Cheng grumbled as he was driven off.

Gu Qingyan immediately fell asleep; in reality, he was entering a system training course.

He wanted points—more was better—and if no points, then reputation value would do.

Usually, with just a word, Zhang Nian never disturbed him, so Gu Qingyan could peacefully grind for points.

But that day, shortly after he fell asleep, Zhang Nian woke him: “Brother Gu, get up quickly.”

“Brother Gu, Brother Gu, wake up! We’ve encountered thieves!”

Gu Qingyan frowned and got up, his heart skipping a beat.

Could Zhang Cheng’s jinx be true? Had they really encountered bandits?