The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

The motorcycle tore down the road.

Soon, Lin Yi and Chu Zhengxiong arrived outside the small courtyard.

They got off the bike one after another and walked straight into the courtyard.

TING-A-LING—

The bronze bell chimed again.

A moment later, Old He emerged from the back, dressed in a chef’s uniform.

"Captain Chu, you’re here? Huh?"

When Old He saw Lin Yi beside Chu Zhengxiong, he couldn’t help but stare in surprise.

"Old He, hurry up and get the food out. I want the Full Beast Banquet, and make it good. My young brother here is at an age where he needs nourishment, so don’t you go skimping on me!"

Chu Zhengxiong said boisterously.

But then, Lin Yi walked over and said politely, "Master He, we meet again!"

"Hm? What’s this? You two know each other?"

Chu Zhengxiong froze. It seemed Old He and Lin Yi were already quite familiar with each other.

It left him a little dumbfounded.

Lin Yi nodded. "I’ve come here for noodles a couple of times. Master He’s cooking is excellent!"

Old He also smiled and said, "We’re all regulars then. Go ahead and sit. The Full Beast Banquet will be out shortly!"

With that, Old He headed back to the kitchen.

Just like the last two times Lin Yi had been here.

All the tables were empty. Not a single other customer was dining here.

After finding a random table and sitting down, Chu Zhengxiong asked, his face full of curiosity, "Hold on, you can actually eat here?"

"What’s wrong?"

Lin Yi was a little confused. He didn’t understand what Chu Zhengxiong meant.

’Isn’t this just a private kitchen?’

It uses Demon Beast Meat as ingredients, so the prices are indeed very high.

But that shouldn’t be enough to surprise Chu Zhengxiong this much.

"Looks like you don’t know shit!" Chu Zhengxiong seemed to have realized something.

He then pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and leaned back in his chair, puffing out clouds of smoke.

After a moment, he finally explained, "Do you know who this Old He is?"

Lin Yi shook his head. ’That he’s a Spirit Chef?’

Chu Zhengxiong would never ask such a stupid question.

’Could Old He have a hidden identity?’ Lin Yi watched Chu Zhengxiong, waiting for his answer.

"Ever heard of the Town Martial Department?"

"The Town Martial Department? Never heard of it!"

Lin Yi shook his head again. He really had never heard of any Town Martial Department.

Chu Zhengxiong flicked some ash from his cigarette. "It’s normal not to have heard of it. The Town Martial Department is a mysterious department in the New District!"

"They aren’t subordinate to the Demon Hunting Bureau, nor are they part of the Martial Arts Alliance!"

"It’s an independent department, and they have an immense amount of authority!"

"Let me put it this way: there are way more Martial Artists in the New District than in the Old District!"

"Isn’t there a saying? ’A big forest has all kinds of birds.’ There are good and bad Martial Artists, just like with Blood Drop. Those are the ones who turn into Blood Drop Believers!"

"The main job of the Town Martial Department is to suppress those Martial Artists!"

"When a Martial Artist commits a crime, they show up!"

"And there’s an ironclad rule in the New District: Martial Artists are not allowed to fight each other casually. Even if you two have a blood feud, you have to hold it in when you meet. If you really want to fight, you can, but you have to go to a Martial Artist arena and sign a death waiver!"

"Once you sign the death waiver, life and death are not accounted for, and no one is held responsible!"

"Aside from that, if a fight breaks out between Martial Artists, or if a Martial Artist bullies a normal person, they will be directly suppressed by the Town Martial Department!"

"It doesn’t even matter what their status or background is. Even if they’re from the Demon Hunting Bureau or the Martial Arts Alliance, the Town Martial Department will eliminate them directly!"

After Chu Zhengxiong finished speaking, Lin Yi finally had a rough understanding of the Town Martial Department.

To put it bluntly, their existence was similar to the Martial Arts Police Station.

Or rather, like the police stations and criminal investigation teams from the world he used to live in.

It was just that the Martial Arts Police Station was responsible for public order.

The Town Martial Department primarily managed the Martial Artists themselves.

Thinking about it, it was understandable. Students from the eighteen cities of the Old District were all breaking their backs trying to squeeze into the New District.

So naturally, the New District had far more Martial Artists than the Old District.

It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say that everyone there practiced Martial Arts.

If a conflict were to break out among so many Martial Artists, the consequences would be devastating.

It would even endanger other Martial Artists and ordinary people.

With that in mind, the existence of the Town Martial Department, which specialized in suppressing Martial Artists, was perfectly understandable.

It was precisely because of the Town Martial Department that the Martial Artists followed the rules, preventing the social order of the New District from collapsing.

"Brother Chu, since Old He is from the Town Martial Department, why did he come to the Old District? And even became a Spirit Chef?" Lin Yi asked, a little puzzled.

Chu Zhengxiong shook his head. "This is just how these people operate. They’re unrestrained, with no one to manage them. I’ve heard the Town Martial Department is directly managed by the Martial God!"

"Ever since the Martial God left a few hundred years ago, the Town Martial Department has been leaderless.

But strangely enough, even though the Martial God isn’t there to manage them,"

"they’ve always been very harmonious internally. There’s never been any infighting!"

"And these people especially love to disguise themselves as all sorts of people, with all sorts of identities!"

"They might even appear by your side with an identity you’d never expect!"

"He could be a Spirit Chef like Old He, or a Pharmacist, or a Daoist, a janitor, a Martial Arts coach, or even a beggar!"

"All in all, the people from the Town Martial Department are extremely mysterious. Every one of them loves to role-play. You’ll never know their true identity unless they’re willing to tell you!"

After Chu Zhengxiong finished speaking,

Lin Yi immediately thought of that old beggar.

He had suspected the old beggar’s identity before; he was definitely not a real beggar.

Lin Yi had never really thought about what reason could have led him to become a beggar, nor had he found any answers.

But Chu Zhengxiong’s words had just reminded him.

’Isn’t this a form of role-playing?’

’Old He is a Spirit Chef, and the beggar is also from the Town Martial Department.’

That explanation would make everything clear.

It would also explain how the old beggar was not only able to bring him here to eat that day, but also why the two of them seemed so familiar with each other.

’So they’re both from the Town Martial Department. They’re colleagues.’

Lin Yi nodded. "Brother Chu, what did you mean earlier about eating here? Can’t just anyone come?"

"Of course not! He’s a member of the Town Martial Department, and a level 5 Spirit Chef at that. You think just anyone can waltz in here for a meal? I won’t lie to you, today’s Full Beast Banquet alone costs this much!"

Chu Zhengxiong held up one hand, spreading his fingers.

He waved it in front of Lin Yi’s face.

"Five million?"

"Hah! Five million for a Full Beast Banquet? What are you dreaming of? Fifty million. And if you want to book a meal here, you have to pay a one-million-dollar deposit first, and you have to have a public service position!"

"In other words, public service units like the Demon Hunting Bureau or the Martial Arts Alliance. Civil servants, you get it?"

After Chu Zhengxiong finished,

Lin Yi was completely dumbfounded.

After a long moment, he finally came to his senses, and the way he looked at Chu Zhengxiong had changed.

"Brother Chu, you’re pretty wealthy, huh? Holy cow... spending fifty million on a single meal?"

"What exactly do you do? How is your family so rich? Are you a second-generation heir?"

Ever since Lin Yi had started to integrate into the world of Martial Artists,

he had slowly discovered that it was indeed much easier for Martial Artists to make money than ordinary people.

Killing a single Demon Beast could earn them several thousand, or even tens of thousands.

In the Old District, that was money an ordinary person would have to work hard for several months, or even a year, to earn.

Especially considering Lin Yi’s own savings had already reached several million.

Forget about this life; even in his previous life before he transmigrated, he had never seen so much money.

And now, Chu Zhengxiong was treating him to a meal that cost fifty-one million?

This once again overturned Lin Yi’s concept of ’money’.

’Are people from the New District all this extravagant?’

Chu Zhengxiong glanced sideways at Lin Yi.

"Wipe that country-bumpkin look off your face. In the New District, money is just a number to Martial Artists.

What’s truly valuable are materials from High-tier Demon Beasts and all kinds of potions!"

"Let me put it this way: fifty million seems like a lot to you, right?"

"Do you know how much money your cousin, Tang Qinru, can make by developing a single new composite potion?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "How much?"

"Hundreds of millions, billions, even tens of billions!"

"Holy shit!"

When Lin Yi heard that number, his jaw almost hit the floor.

’So Tang Qinru was that rich? A bona fide rich woman.’

Chu Zhengxiong shot him another glance. "But the cost of living is very low, about the same as the Old District. There’s no pressure when it comes to daily life!"

"After graduating from university, it’s easy to find a job, and the salaries are more than ten times higher than in the Old District, maybe even more!"

"However, if you want to break through to the next Cultivation Realm, you need to sink a lot of money into it!"

"Forget it. You won’t get it even if I tell you. You’ll understand once you get to the New District!"

"By the way, did your acceptance letter arrive?"

Lin Yi nodded. "It did!"

"So when are you planning to leave? How about coming over with me tomorrow?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "Isn’t tomorrow a bit too soon?"

"Too soon my ass! The moment some people get their acceptance letters, their whole family packs up and moves the very next day. And you think tomorrow is too soon?" Chu Zhengxiong said, his eyes wide.

Lin Yi smiled. Just as he was about to say he wanted to say goodbye to his classmates and fellow disciples before leaving,

a fragrant aroma drifted over.

Old He walked over, carrying a freshly prepared dish.