Richest Rag-picker

As the Medicine Pill entered his mouth, Fang Chenyi didn't feel anything different.

He chewed it a little. It was soft and spongy, not much different from eating a piece of candy.

GULP. He swallowed it down and blinked.

'Don't tell me this thing is just for staving off hunger!'

The moment the thought crossed his mind, his eyes suddenly shot wide open. Immediately after, his face began to twist in agony.

A moment later, Fang Chenyi felt as if countless ants were tearing at him from all over his body. In an instant, there wasn't a single spot, inside or out, that didn't ache with pain or burn with an unbearable itch.

He collapsed to the ground with a THUD, the pain sending him rolling about uncontrollably.

Seeing this from nearby, Luo Lanzi instantly grew frantic. He scrambled over to Fang Chenyi, wanting to help him up and find out what was wrong.

But by the time he knelt down in front of Fang Chenyi, the pain had already caused him to lose consciousness.

'Curse the system's eighteen generations of ancestors!' After that final thought, Fang Chenyi's entire being entered a sealed-off state. He was completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world. All he knew was an indescribable pain that wracked his body.

"Boss, what's wrong with you! Do you need—Ugh—"

Luo Lanzi only got halfway through his sentence. It wasn't that he didn't want to finish; after a dull THUMP, his entire body was sent flying backward, a deep fist print now indented in his chest.

He slammed heavily against the wall, his eyes rolled back, and all sensation ceased. He was, quite clearly, deader than dead.

And the perpetrator of all this, Fang Chenyi himself, was still rolling on the ground, his hands flailing wildly in agony.

It was just Luo Lanzi's bad luck to be in the path of one of those flailing arms, taking a punch squarely to the chest.

Luo Lanzi, a man powerful enough to severely injure Qi Xiaotian with a single punch, had just been killed on the spot by one of Fang Chenyi's random swings. This just went to show how absurdly formidable Fang Chenyi had become.

As Fang Chenyi's body thrashed on the ground in pain, low, guttural sounds rumbled from deep in his throat.

As he rolled about and his mouth fell open, it became filled with the white Bone Powder.

Time ticked by. A quarter of an hour later, Fang Chenyi's body gradually began to calm down.

However, he remained unconscious, looking as if he had fainted dead away.

...

When Fang Chenyi opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a luxurious ceiling.

He shot to his feet with a kip-up, only to find himself in his room on the cruise ship.

He twisted his neck, producing a series of loud CRACKS. Fang Chenyi felt an indescribable sense of comfort pervading his entire body, as if every pore was soaking in a hot spring.

"Brother Fang, you're finally awake! This is great!"

Fang Chenyi, who was still savoring the pleasant sensation, was startled by the voice. He then saw an excited Qi Xiaotian on a nearby sofa.

Looking closely, he saw that the guy's arms were in a sling, but his face was filled with delight.

Fang Chenyi paused at the sight, then began to remember. He had thrown the Bone Powder into a woven bag, and the system had rewarded him with an unknown Medicine Pill. He had eaten it, and then... an agonizing pain had consumed his entire body.

The memory of that pain made Fang Chenyi shudder involuntarily.

'Wait, what? Wasn't I in the stone hall, writhing in pain? How did I end up here? Why does it feel like I'm missing time?'

"Brother Fang, how are you feeling? I'll go get the medical staff on the cruise ship to come check on you!"

Seeing Qi Xiaotian get up to call for someone, Fang Chenyi snapped back to his senses. He quickly stepped forward, stopped Qi Xiaotian, and asked in confusion:

"No, no, I'm perfectly fine. I've never felt better. But what about you, Xiaotian? Your arms are all bandaged up. Are they broken? And another thing, wasn't I in the stone hall? How did I get back?"

Qi Xiaotian gave Fang Chenyi a confused look before speaking.

"You don't remember, Brother Fang? Sigh... then again, that makes sense. The battle must have been incredibly dangerous. It's a miracle you survived unscathed."

Qi Xiaotian's words only made Fang Chenyi more confused. 'What battle? Didn't I just eat a Medicine Pill? Where did a battle come from?'

With that thought, Fang Chenyi quickly interrupted him.

"Hang on, hang on. What battle? What are you talking about?"

Qi Xiaotian was also taken aback. He looked at Fang Chenyi and asked uncertainly:

"Brother Fang, you really don't remember anything? You don't remember fighting that Luo Lanzi guy?"

"Fighting Luo Lanzi?? When did that happen? Where is Luo Lanzi? Take me to him!"

Fang Chenyi was completely bewildered now. 'Me, fight Luo Lanzi? How is that possible? Luo Lanzi was brainwashed by my Celestial Gods; he would never betray me. And I would never attack him for no reason, right?'

'As for why it happened, I'll find out once I ask Luo Lanzi.'

But upon hearing this, Qi Xiaotian said:

"Luo Lanzi is already dead, Brother Fang. You really hid your strength well. To be honest, I've never seen an expert of his caliber before. Anyone who can take me down in one move has to be among the world's absolute elite. I just... I never imagined that you were one of them too, Brother Fang!"

'Luo Lanzi is dead? And I killed him? What the hell is going on? What happened after I ate that Medicine Pill?'

Waving his hand to cut Qi Xiaotian off, Fang Chenyi asked bluntly:

"Alright, Xiaotian. I have no memory of it at all. I only remember telling you all to leave, with just me and Luo Lanzi remaining in the stone hall. What happened after that?"

Seeing that Fang Chenyi wasn't joking, Qi Xiaotian adopted a serious expression and began to explain:

"It was like this, Brother Fang. Shortly after I came up, the others followed, leaving only you and that Luo Lanzi behind. I was worried about your safety, so I immediately called Liu Yishou and told him to hurry over."

"And when Liu Yishou arrived, he tried to contact you on the radio, but no matter how many times he called, we got no reply. We realized something was wrong and rushed back down..."