Chapter 191: Guarding Him Until He Becomes the True Martial God
"All eighteen dishes of the All-Beast Banquet have been served!"
One by one, the dishes were all laid out before them.
Each one was a feast for the senses, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.
Moreover, these dishes contained a potent Qi.
You could feel it before you even took a bite.
"Kid, hurry up and eat. Have as much as you want. These dishes are all cooked with meat from 5-star demon beasts or higher. It’s good for you, so dig in!"
Chu Zhengxiong said to Lin Yi with a smile.
At his words, Lin Yi nodded, staring in astonishment at the huge table laden with food.
’These ingredients are all from 5-star demon beasts or higher?’
’That means it’s not just 5-star demon beasts, but maybe even 6-star or 7-star ones.’
’No wonder I could feel such pure Qi from these dishes without even taking a bite.’
’Considering that...’
’...this fifty-million-yuan All-Beast Banquet seems worth the price.’
’After all, forget about hunting 6- or 7-star demon beasts—even finding them is incredibly difficult. To hunt such a high-level demon beast...’
’...the cost would be immense.’
’And it’s not just about the hunt. The Spirit Chef doing the cooking would need to be extremely skilled, too.’
’All in all, for a feast like this...’
’...fifty million really isn’t expensive.’
"If I can’t finish it all, can I get it to go?" Lin Yi asked with a smile.
Chu Zhengxiong shot him a glare. "You’re planning to eat here and take some home?"
"Fine. If you can’t finish it, take it home and eat it slowly. But I have to warn you, reheating this Demon Beast Meat will greatly reduce its effects. It won’t be as good as when it’s freshly made!"
"So, you should eat as much as you can. Otherwise, it’ll go to waste!"
Lin Yi nodded. He was too busy eating to speak now.
He lowered his head and began to wolf down the food.
"A bottle of wine for you, my homemade Flower Clear Wine!"
Just then, Old He came over, holding a small wine jug.
Chu Zhengxiong’s eyes lit up. "Flower Clear Wine? Now this is the good stuff!"
"Old He, you’re being quite generous today, aren’t you?"
Old He chuckled. "If you hadn’t gotten injured a few days ago, why would I give you this Flower Clear Wine?"
"Go on, drink up. It’ll help your injuries recover!"
"Besides, the kid just finished his Martial Arts exam. He’ll surely want to say goodbye to some of his classmates."
"Why are you in such a rush to drag him to the New District?"
"Huh? I was just saying. I didn’t really mean for him to come back with me right away!"
"Besides, I have a mission tomorrow. I have to go back to the Bureau for meetings and reports. I don’t have time to take him with me!" Chu Zhengxiong said hurriedly.
Then, he picked up the wine jug and poured himself a cup.
A rich, fragrant aroma of wine immediately filled the air.
Chu Zhengxiong lifted the small wine cup, waved it under his nose, and took a deep breath.
He shook his head, his face a picture of bliss. "I have to say, Old He, your brewing skills are truly impressive!"
"This Flower Clear Wine has to be at least seventh-grade, right? It’s rare to get a cup of this even in the New District!"
Chu Zhengxiong said with satisfaction after downing the cup.
Old He just smiled and didn’t answer his question.
But his gaze kept drifting toward Lin Yi from time to time.
"By the way, Old He, you’re not staying in the New District. What brings you to the Old District?"
"Does your Town Martial Department have some kind of mission..."
"Stay out of the Town Martial Department’s business. Knowing too much won’t do you any good!"
Before Chu Zhengxiong could finish, Old He’s expression darkened, and he cut him off.
Hearing this, Chu Zhengxiong just smiled and nodded.
It wasn’t just him. Even the director of the Demon Hunting Bureau and those old masters from the Martial Arts Alliance...
...had no right to inquire about the affairs of the Town Martial Department.
The Town Martial Department existed to maintain order in the New District, with its main purpose being to suppress Martial Artists.
But their authority was above that of the Demon Hunting Bureau and the Martial Arts Alliance.
They were a mysterious department directly subordinate to the Martial God, with authority that reached the heavens.
"Alright, you two take your time eating. I’m going to get busy in the back!"
"Call me when you’re done. Young man, didn’t you want to pack up the leftovers? I’ll bring you some containers!"
Old He’s attitude toward Lin Yi was like he had become a different person.
Kind and gentle, his gaze lacked the sharpness it held when he looked at Chu Zhengxiong.
Instead, he was just like an ordinary old man.
"Okay, thank you, Master He!" Lin Yi said, looking up.
After Old He left, Chu Zhengxiong said in surprise, "I don’t get it. Why is Old He so nice to you?"
Lin Yi looked up at him. "????"
"Their Town Martial Department is directly managed by the Martial God, and every last one of them is incredibly arrogant."
"You heard the way he was talking to me just now!"
"I’m not exaggerating. If we were in the New District, I wouldn’t even be qualified to speak to Old He!"
"But just now, he sat here and had the patience to talk to me. And more importantly, his eyes... it seemed like they were on you the whole time!"
"Don’t tell me their mission in the Old District... is you?"
"Me?"
Lin Yi was dumbfounded.
Chu Zhengxiong nodded. "That’s right. Why else would they come to the Old District? To cook and make money?"
"But what use could you be to them? Hiss... I’m telling you, those people from the Town Martial Department are weirder than the last. The way their minds work isn’t normal!"
"Forget it. Let’s just eat. You eat up. We’ve spent all this money, so don’t let it go to waste!"
"Mhm, I’m eating!"
Lin Yi nodded repeatedly, continuously stuffing meat into his mouth.
After eating for a while, he realized that while eighteen dishes sounded intimidating...
...the portion size of each plate wasn’t actually that large.
Fortunately, after Lin Yi and Chu Zhengxiong had eaten their fill, there were still a few dishes left untouched.
Old He came over with takeout containers.
He packed up all the remaining dishes one by one and handed them to Lin Yi.
After saying their goodbyes, he and Chu Zhengxiong finally left the small courtyard.
Just as they left on the motorcycle,
three figures suddenly appeared in the small courtyard.
"Are you certain that kid just now is the future Martial God?"
a person in a black robe whispered.
Old He glanced at them and nodded. "The Old Beggar has already confirmed it. Only a Martial God can cultivate the [Qi Transformation Technique], and he already has Star River Source Qi in his body!"
"What’s the plan moving forward?"
a woman next to him asked, her face expressionless.
Old He sighed softly and looked up at the night sky.
"Protection... Until he truly matures into the Martial God, no one with ill intentions is allowed near him."
"That includes the Martial Arts Alliance. Otherwise... kill on sight!"
"Also, tell the others to prepare to return to the New District!"
After Old He finished speaking, the three of them bowed deeply and respectfully.
"Yes, sir!"
Then, they vanished from the small courtyard once more.
...
By the time Chu Zhengxiong dropped Lin Yi off outside his residential complex,
the sky had long since grown dark.
"Brother Chu, what time are you guys leaving tomorrow? I’ll come see you off!"
Lin Yi got off the motorcycle,
asking sincerely.
Chu Zhengxiong glanced at him. "No need. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again. Aren’t you going to the New District in a couple of days too?"
"Ah... yeah!" Lin Yi nodded.
"When you get to the New District, give me a call. Just watch how your big bro takes care of you!"
"The New District is my home turf. I guarantee I’ll open your eyes!"
Chu Zhengxiong said with a confident smile.
Lin Yi nodded. "Alright, see you in the New District then!"
"Mhm. Stay out of trouble for the next couple of days. If anything happens, find Old Yang and have him sort it out for you!"
"Okay, I’ll remember that!"
Like a true older brother,
Chu Zhengxiong kept giving Lin Yi instructions.
Only after he had said everything he needed to did he ride off on his motorcycle.
Lin Yi, carrying the few dishes packed up from the little restaurant, hurried back home.
Tonight’s All-Beast Banquet had been a great benefit to Lin Yi.
Right now, he could feel his body alternating between hot and cold.
’My body must have absorbed too much.’
’It can’t digest it all at once. I need to get home immediately and process all this Demon Beast Meat.’
Besides, the food he’d packed up was for Xiaoqi.
The level of this Demon Beast Meat was quite high. If Xiaoqi ate it, its power would increase even more.
He hurried all the way home.
But the moment he opened the door...
an intense, bone-chilling cold rushed out to meet him.
It didn’t feel like coming home at all; it was more like walking into a freezer.
The temperature inside the room was extremely low; even the walls were covered in frost.
Seeing the state of his home, Lin Yi’s expression darkened, and rage shot through him.
Just as he was thinking that Xiaoqi had taken advantage of his absence...
...to freeze the entire house,
he suddenly saw a figure standing in the living room.
Lin Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately went on high alert.
"Who are you?"
"..."
There was no answer. The person didn’t move a muscle.
CLICK—
Lin Yi flipped on the living room light.
And there, he saw a demon beast, completely frozen solid.
Just as Lin Yi was feeling bewildered,
Xiaoqi ran out from the bedroom.
It—it tried to grab me... I—I froze it. It wasn’t... I didn’t mean to...