43: Chapter 43 is a thank-you gift for my brother.

"Damn, what a greedy merchant."

Of course, Fang Xun didn't say it out loud, just muttered under his breath.

The price of the rat itself was reasonable, but the cage was ridiculously expensive.

That tiny cage was barely big enough to fit this Flower Branch Rat.

And a small bag of food, the size of half a palm, cost ten yuan!

It might as well be robbery!

Squeak, squeak, squeak—

Qi Lian carried the cage. Inside, the original-skinned Flower Branch Rat scurried around vigorously, looking extremely happy.

A rather unlucky mosquito, attracted by the dense crowd, finally fixed its target on Qi Lian, who was holding the cage.

It buzzed as it flew, about to land on the back of the hand holding the cage.

That delicate, fair hand looked incredibly tempting to the mosquito.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, swoosh...

A tiny whooshing sound cut through the air.

A black shadow shot out from the cage, swallowing the mosquito whole.

The Flower Branch Rat in the cage gently flicked its tail, looking at Qi Lian as if seeking praise.

"Hey, what was that sound?"

Fang Xun only heard a 'swoosh' and looked toward Qi Lian's hand.

He saw the Little Mouse staring intently at Qi Lian, looking incredibly docile.

Fang Xun reached out and scratched the little thing under its chin.

The little creature immediately revealed an expression of pure enjoyment.

Its tail even swung back and forth.

"It really is quite well-behaved."

"It's good as long as Brother likes it," Qi Lian said softly. "It's a thank-you gift for Brother."

"Alright then, I'll accept it. Thank you, Qi Lian."

"Just call me Lian Lian. Qin Qin and the others all call me that," Qi Lian reminded him.

"Then... Lian Lian?" Fang Xun tried tentatively.

"Yes, Brother," she replied.

"Heh heh, heh heh heh." Fang Xun unconsciously chuckled foolishly twice and took the cage containing the big black mouse.

Then the two walked past the stalls one by one.

Looking at these stalls, Fang Xun felt there were probably things he needed inside.

He had learned his lesson from the Scythe Demon encounter.

He needed to get some protective gear.

But he couldn't walk around with a mask all the time; that would be too strange.

So, Fang Xun started searching for some particularly useful small gadgets that could help him deal with that kind of situation.

"Brother, what are you looking for?" Qi Lian asked curiously.

"I'm looking for something that can turn me into a superhero," Fang Xun didn't hide anything.

After all, he had already told them plainly several times, but whether it was his sister, Lu Li, or even Pei Ruanruan, none of them believed him.

Qi Lian, being just an ordinary girl, was even less likely to believe him.

"What does Brother need?" Qi Lian inquired.

"I need... Huh?" Fang Xun realized. "You... believe me?"

"Of course, I believe Brother wouldn't lie to me," Qi Lian said with a serious look.

Fang Xun: "..."

What was this feeling?

Fang Xun suddenly felt like his head had been run over by that large transport truck again.

His mind went completely blank for a moment.

It was also like falling into a vat of honey, drowned by that cloying sweetness.

I believe Brother wouldn't lie to me.

She actually believes me?

Just like that?

"Ahem... Yes, I won't lie to you," Fang Xun swallowed hard and repeated the words.

"Yes, that's right."

"Then Brother, what do you need? Should I help you look for it?" Qi Lian asked again.

She looked around. Nothing in the vicinity seemed particularly special.

Except for the three police officers standing guard nearby, and Fang Jiangqin and Tang Xiaotang taking photos twenty meters away.

"Hmm, I need some small trinkets. They're all ancient relics that nobody looks at anymore, so you probably wouldn't know about them."

"Ancient relics?" Qi Lian glanced at the nearby stalls and directly tugged on Fang Xun's sleeve.

"Brother, follow me."

"Okay." Who could resist being led by such a well-behaved and obedient little sister?

Fang Xun immediately followed her.

After passing a few stalls, they arrived at a place where old items were indeed being sold.

Not only old, but truly ignored by everyone.

The Adventures of Little Carp, Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes, GG Bond.

Fang Xun looked at the items on this stall, along with corresponding small trinkets.

"The Changhong Sword," Fang Xun picked up the small green sword emitting a faint glow. This truly brought back memories.

"Brother, there's also candy," Qi Lian pointed to a small box nearby.

It contained several flat, giant lollipops that looked handmade.

"Super Lollipop," Qi Lian pointed to the handwritten label on the box.

"Brother wants to become a superhero, does he need to eat this?"

"Super Lollipop?" Fang Xun looked closely.

The appearance of the lollipop was exactly the same as the one in his memory, made from a mixture of rhino milk, ostrich egg yolk, and spring water from underground.

"What about the Koh-i-Noor Diamond?" Fang Xun asked subconsciously.

"It's on the table, that big one," the stall owner was a middle-aged man in his thirties. It seemed he wasn't expecting to make much money selling these items.

"I'll take it," Fang Xun spoke up. "This diamond, and these lollipops. How much is it all?"

"The diamond is fifty, the lollipops are twenty each. Packaged together, it's one hundred and fifty in total," the middle-aged man looked up only when he heard there was actual business.

"Deal."

Fang Xun immediately took out his phone and scanned the code.

Soon, the exchange for the Koh-i-Noor Diamond and the Super Lollipops was complete.

Fang Xun put all the items into a non-woven bag provided by the middle-aged man.

As he was packing them up, Fang Xun noticed there were only five lollipops in total.

"Very good. As expected of good stuff, not even a single cent discount."

Fang Xun couldn't help but exclaim.

"Ahem..." Hearing Fang Xun's sigh, the stall owner seemed a bit embarrassed.

Then, he took out something that looked like a marble and tucked it into the non-woven bag.

"Well, this Galen Flame Dragon is a free gift from me. This one is in pretty good condition."

"Thanks, Boss!" Fang Xun was very satisfied.

He didn't expect a surprise. If he got the chance, perhaps he could try to see if he could actually summon the Galen Flame Dragon.

"Hey, what's there to thank? If you need anything else, feel free to come again."

"Got it!"

Fang Xun said goodbye to the owner and left with Qi Lian.

After leaving the stall, Qi Lian asked curiously, "Can these really turn a person into a superhero?"

"Do you believe me?" Fang Xun asked, already taking out a Super Lollipop.

"I believe you," Qi Lian nodded, taking the cage containing the big black mouse that Fang Xun handed over.

"Then watch closely!"

Fang Xun immediately tore off the wrapper and licked the lollipop twice.

"Su-per! Lol-li-pop!!!!"

Fang Xun shouted while striking the pose from his memory.

Beside Fang Xun, Qi Lian watched with a serious expression until Fang Xun completed all the movements.

While Fang Xun was doing the poses, some people were already taking photos.

Just as Fang Xun finished and was about to throw another punch, Jiang Qin arrived after hearing the noise.

She grabbed him and pulled him away.

The picture of 'Magical Girl Sakura' swiftly responding to maintain harmony at the anime convention spread across all the major anime groups.