Chapter 54
Chen Huai'an glanced at the time; it was getting late.
He changed his clothes and prepared a bowl of white rice for Ba Ji. Just as he pushed the door open, he sensed something outside.
Looking down, he saw two packages.
"Lei Huo Fu" (雷火符, Thunder Fire Talismans) and "Qing Ran's Spirit Tea" (清然的灵茶) — these words were written on the packages.
Chen Huai'an fell silent, slowly typing out a question mark.
So, the Thunder Fire Talismans from the main quest were meant for him?
But what good would that do him?
If he stuck these on his door, wouldn’t people think he was crazy?
He opened the packaging and found ten exquisitely crafted Thunder Fire Talismans inside, with a faint scent of cinnabar wafting from them.
"Not very sincere, just ordinary stuff," Chen Huai'an muttered, feeling speechless.
These things were only good for decoration.
He stuck one on the window and another on the door, and with the black-scaled sword on the wall, the decor of this budget hotel room suddenly took on a rather eerie vibe.
"Not bad, it’s got a certain flair now."
Though he feigned dissatisfaction, he secretly thought it looked pretty good.
Chen Huai'an then opened the package of Spirit Tea.
He had expected tea leaves, but to his surprise, there was actually a cup of tea inside. The lid and cup were sealed with vacuum film, and when he tore it open, the tea was still warm.
"What the heck! These people can’t be living nearby, can they?"
In ancient times, Guan Yu had slain Hua Xiong while drinking warm wine; now, the game developers were sending him tea to enhance his experience.
Now that’s some dedication!
Without a second thought, Chen Huai'an raised the cup and took a sip of the Spirit Tea.
As he brought the cup closer to his nose, he caught that same refreshing fragrance that he had noticed from the talismans and the bracelet.
Chen Huai'an was entranced.
It was delicate, truly exquisite.
This gaming experience, even if he were just drinking ordinary tea, made his body feel light and his mind sharper.
Little did he know, the game was bombarding him with notifications.
"Your remaining lifespan: 45 days."
"Your remaining lifespan: 84 days."
"Your remaining lifespan: 79 days."
The notifications kept popping up, his lifespan fluctuating like a heart monitor.
Finally, it settled on "Your remaining lifespan: 78 days."
After finishing the tea, Chen Huai'an placed the cup under his pillow. He had just taken a couple of steps when his expression changed, and he looked down at his legs.
"My legs... I can walk?!"
He moved around a bit, removed the plaster, and found that he could indeed walk.
As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone.
For someone like him, a patient with osteosarcoma, it should have been a matter of permanent disability. But now, the fracture had healed, and he felt more comfortable moving than ever before.
"Whoa—! Something’s off..."
Chen Huai'an stroked his chin, deep in thought.
What could be the reason?
Spring needles? Meridian opening needles? Cancer cells activating latent genes?
Had the cancer cells transformed him into a vampire with extraordinary healing abilities?
Without hesitation, Chen Huai'an grabbed a blade and made a small cut on his finger.
A bit of blood oozed out, but the wound quickly clotted and scabbed over.
Chen Huai'an was astonished, then elated, hands on his hips.
"Whoa! Am I turning into Superman?!"
"Hahahahahaha! I am, indeed, Superman!"
…
A gap opened in the shoebox.
Ba Ji peeked out, its cat-like eyes fixed on Chen Huai'an.
"Whoa—! What’s this guy so happy about? Isn’t it just the Qi circulating in his body, speeding up the healing of internal and external injuries? Does he not know the basics, with his magical artifacts and swords?"
"I can’t stay here. There’s something off about this place, even if there’s fortune to be found..."
"I’ve just awakened; I can’t die here..."
As a young Taotie (饕餮, a mythical creature known for its insatiable appetite) that had taken over a black cat’s body, Ba Ji only needed to eat to grow stronger.
It had thought following this big shot would lead to good food, but here it was, stuck eating plain rice every day. Plus, this big shot seemed to be showing signs of going off the deep end.
Danger, extreme danger!
It had to leave!
If it didn’t leave soon, it would be doomed!
Its gaze locked onto the door.
As long as it waited for this person to leave, the world was vast; there were countless places to go.
It just needed to keep eating, and one day it would grow into an unparalleled existence.
Hehehe!
It seemed to have already envisioned that day.
Ba Ji’s lips curled into a wicked smile.
…
…
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Chapter 56: Dude, You Look Amazing
Half an hour later.
Chen Huai'an had been out for quite a while.
Ba Ji stood by the window, gazing at the sunset, its eyes filled with sorrow.
On the window was a piece of yellow paper, inscribed with incomprehensible characters.
Though it couldn’t read them, Ba Ji knew that getting too close to the window would mean getting struck by lightning.
"Ultimately, I can’t escape, can I…"
"Heh, I was too naive," Ba Ji sighed, lowering its head.
How could a big shot with a broken celestial artifact not know its little schemes? There was no way it would let it leave this cage easily. As for the big shot’s strange behavior, it was probably in the midst of enlightenment.
There were cultivators who suppressed their power and sealed their memories to experience the hardships of life for the sake of understanding the Dao.
That big shot was likely in such a situation.
"Well, I can still eat plain rice."
Times had changed; the rice now was much better than what it had in its day, though it still felt like it never filled it up.
Ba Ji crawled up to the bowl and took a few bites.
As it ate, tears began to fall from its golden cat-like eyes.
"This rice…"
"Damn it, it’s undercooked!!!"
…
"Feels like I forgot something?" Chen Huai'an scratched his chin.
"Oh right, the rice, I think I might have undercooked it..."
A twinge of guilt surged in his heart.
But Ba Ji seemed to be getting better and better, which meant he was doing something right. Ba Ji was a farm cat; back when it lived in the countryside with its grandparents, it ate whatever the family had, far from the finicky city cats that had to eat cat food and were prone to stomach issues.
The guilt was fleeting.
Chen Huai'an felt a sense of relief; after all, Ba Ji was easy to take care of.
Today was his first time flying, and he felt a bit excited.
He had always taken the train to Ling Mountain before, mainly because he didn’t have the money.
Originally, he had planned to take the train to the production team, but after spending a long time with Qing Ran in Tianquan City, he was running out of time and had to splurge on a flight.
"Strange, why are so many people staring at me today?"
Carrying his luggage to the check-in counter, Chen Huai'an noticed more than one pair of scrutinizing eyes on him. Most of them were women, though there were a few men glancing his way, their gazes tinged with anger and jealousy. Whenever he looked over, those eyes would quickly dart away.
Chen Huai'an squinted, sensing that something was off.
He hurried into the restroom to check the mirror; there had to be something on his face!
…
Little did Chen Huai'an know, just as his figure disappeared from the restroom door, a wave of fiery gazes locked onto him.
"Whoa, a once-in-a-lifetime handsome guy, no joke!"
"Ahhh! I got it, I got it! That profile is absolutely stunning!"
"OMG, who dares to ask him for a green bubble tea?"
"Forget it, I’m afraid I’d faint standing in front of him. Isn’t he way more handsome than that trending guy, Cai Yifan?"
"Is he some kind of celebrity? I don’t recognize him..."
Chattering discussions erupted all around, sounding like a swarm of green flies buzzing, inciting a group of men nearby to grind their teeth in frustration.
Some of the ladies who weren’t in a hurry to board lingered near the restroom, especially the younger girls, who were using various items as cover to prepare for a sneak shot. The older ladies were more reserved, thinking to themselves that just one last look would be enough to brighten their day.
…
"Huh, there’s nothing on my face..."
Chen Huai'an stared at himself in the mirror, looking left and right, but couldn’t find anything different.
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