Chapter Nine: Wealth, Companions, Teachings, and Place—Hunger Like a Dragon

Because of his cultivation, Lin Yi, who hadn’t slept, still felt exceptionally clear-headed and refreshed.

With the Divine Severance Sutra in hand, and now so many treasures acquired, Lin Yi truly believed there was nothing to fear. Not even offending Lady Huang Jiu.

He packed up his things, settled the bill, and strode out the door with long, confident steps, ignoring the suspicious look from the shopkeeper.

...

Before long.

At the “You in Me” tavern.

“Owner, we are now officially sealing off your hotel. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used as evidence in court, so please consider your words carefully.”

“Hmph, you don’t even have a fire safety certificate, and you dare run a hotel? Look at this place—filthy and disorderly. Just wait to be arrested!”

The sleazy owner of the small inn was so terrified he was trembling at the bar, his whole body shaking.

Lin Yi had no idea that shortly after he left, a squad of police officers arrived at the “You in Me” tavern and completely sealed off the premises.

The person speaking now was a young police officer.

Standing beside him was someone who would have surprised Lin Yi greatly had he been present—for it was An Miaoyi.

An Miaoyi held a state-of-the-art device, sweeping it back and forth.

“This isn’t right... There haven’t been any murders in this little inn, it doesn’t make sense. But why are there so many screams of agony...?”

Moans and shrieks, occasionally emanating from some rooms.

And this was early morning!

The sleazy little owner was on the verge of tears!

An Miaoyi, who thought she was hearing cries of pain, suddenly blushed furiously.

Someone inexperienced might not recognize these sounds, but anyone with experience would know immediately... Though An Miaoyi herself had no experience, she’d at least heard enough to guess.

Stomping her foot in exasperation, An Miaoyi glared at the registration form outside Room 207, fixing her eyes on the name Lin Yi, eyes wide.

“So... that’s why... No wonder the energy detector didn’t pick up anything. Lin Yi was here, which means that expert must have appeared as well? That’s why everything’s so peaceful. Very well... Lin Yi... you’re mine—pah, nonsense! I need to recommend you! I’ll take down you and the master behind you, both at once!”

...

Walking down the street, Lin Yi saw everyone as a moving warehouse.

Many people were carrying breakfast—steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soft tofu pudding.

With his enhanced physique, Lin Yi’s sense of smell had reached a new level. Smelling the aroma of food, he swallowed unconsciously.

At this moment, Lin Yi felt only one thing: hunger.

He hadn’t felt it before, but now… he was ravenous, desperate to eat. He could probably clear out an entire bun shop by himself.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Yi decided to find a buffet restaurant and have a good feast.

It was seven in the morning, so many buffets hadn’t opened yet. However, Lin Yi knew of one near the university called Hanjins, supposedly open twenty-four hours.

With a goal in mind, Lin Yi started running.

Soon, his pace picked up.

Passing an elderly man out for a morning jog, Lin Yi’s speed sparked a competitive spirit in the old man.

Thud, thud, thud...

This old gentleman had once been a sprint champion, breaking some national records and winning medals.

He even held the title of martial artist!

Despite his age, he prided himself on being faster than any young man.

But this time, the old man miscalculated.

He realized that in the blink of an eye, the young man with a backpack had overtaken him.

Blinking again, he was more than ten meters ahead.

A third blink, and the young man was dozens of meters away.

The old man was stunned.

Wait, did my rheumatism flare up today? Why am I running so slowly?

But then he realized—it wasn’t that he was slow, it was that the young man was unbelievably fast! Twice his speed—this was a new sprinting star.

This young man should be competing in the national games, bringing glory to the country. With proper training, earning the martial artist’s title would be a breeze.

With the backpack slung over his shoulders, it was clear the young man was a university student.

The old man made up his mind—he needed to talk to his old friend. Last time he’d asked if there were any promising sprinters at the school, his friend had said no. How could they not tell him about such a talent!

He had to call his friend to scold him, then ask him to find this young man.

In fact, it wasn’t just the old man who was shocked. Many people stopped what they were doing to watch Lin Yi.

Sensing the attention, Lin Yi relied on his familiarity with the neighborhood to take shortcuts, avoiding too much commotion.

Arriving at Hanjins, Lin Yi’s eyes lit up at the piles of pasta, steaks, assorted fruit salads, various sausages, and even beer.

After paying, Lin Yi grabbed a tray and began piling on food. Soon, he had over twenty trays, each piled high.

This frail-looking youth ordering so much food left everyone astounded.

Some even whispered that he wouldn’t be able to finish and would be fined.

But Lin Yi ignored them and started eating.

When he finished the first tray, people shook their heads. But by the twentieth, many stared at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed as if beholding a prehistoric dragon.

Only a creature of that size could eat so much.

The buffet manager turned pale.

Over twenty trays—if each weighed a kilo, that was more than twenty kilos! Was he even human?

Lin Yi still wasn’t full.

After clearing more than twenty trays, he was about to get more food.

But as he stood up, a middle-aged man approached, wearing a smile uglier than crying. “Sorry, sir, we’re closing now.”

“…”

Lin Yi.

“You must be joking—it’s only seven in the morning. Aren’t you open twenty-four hours? Let me have another twenty trays and I’ll be on my way. You can’t chase away your patron—I’m your bread and butter.”

“…”

Bread and butter, he says.

With a customer like you, I might as well close up shop for good.

That was what the manager thought, but he didn’t dare say it out loud.

He could only force a bitter smile.

“You misunderstand, sir. We’re having some issues in the kitchen—supplies are temporarily out. See, those spots are empty, over there too. We’re closing for now. Perhaps you could come back later?”

He tried to squeeze out another painful smile.

After a moment’s thought, the manager took out his wallet and handed Lin Yi a hundred yuan, pointing across the street.

“There’s a buffet chain over there called Skingham. It’s a bit smaller, but the food’s good and it’s also open twenty-four hours. Sir, I think you’d be better off there…”

...

Lin Yi found the manager quite talented.

He’d thought the manager would be angry, but instead, he made Lin Yi feel embarrassed.

This manager had brains—redirecting him to trouble the competition.

Lin Yi nodded, picked up his backpack, and left.

He was still hungry, though he could bear it.

At the same time, Lin Yi felt as if energy was spreading from his stomach to every part of his body, filling him with even more strength and vitality.

Bones that had once been cracked and flawed felt greatly restored by this nourishment.

Lin Yi really did walk into Skingham buffet.

Half an hour later, Lin Yi emerged, while Skingham buffet promptly closed its doors.

At the same time, a burly man in a suit marched up to Hanjins and started cursing.

“Yang Liben, you son of a—! How could you send that glutton to our place? That’s low—hurting others and not benefiting yourself…”

...

Lin Yi returned to campus.

Last night, when the red mist appeared, Lin Yi had felt the concern of his roommates.

He decided to buy some meat buns to feed these animals.

He bought thirty buns before heading upstairs.

Back at the dorm, he found the group of beasts still asleep.

But as soon as he opened the door, all seven sat up.

The eldest, Lin Tianwen, shared Lin Yi’s surname. Second was Ma Si, third was Bai Qi, fourth Zhu You, fifth Wang Fang, sixth Liu Ming, and eighth Zhao Wuji.

“Come clean—was that childhood friend yesterday a guy or a girl? Seventh bro, none of us slept well last night. Still, you had the sense to bring back some meat buns, but you can’t escape punishment! Spill it—what’s the story?”

“Yeah, hurry up, old seven, or you’ll regret it later!”

“Hand over the buns already!”

...

Facing the barrage of questions from his seven savage roommates, Lin Yi rolled his eyes.

“If it was a girl, would I hide it from you? It was just a high school classmate—a guy—who insisted on drinking, so we stayed out.”

“Yeah, right.”

All seven roommates flipped him off in unison.

“Like anyone believes that. Anyway, let’s talk about the red mist last night. Honestly, we couldn’t sleep because it was terrifying—those thirty-three mountains…”

“Lots of people say you can’t see through those mountains, but there seem to be screams coming from within. Do you think there might be monsters in there?”

“There should be balance everywhere—where there are monsters, there are immortals. What worries me most is that those mountains become a world of their own. That would be a real problem.”

...

After some banter, the group began discussing the red mist.

Lin Yi listened intently, sometimes frowning, sometimes relaxing.

Having absorbed some of Lady Huang Jiu’s memories, Lin Yi vaguely sensed she had visited one of those mountains.

And that mountain was colossal—vast enough to seem like a world unto itself.