Chapter 66: Starving Someone Out

After the old dragon Ying Hong had ascended and disappeared for a while, the rumbling sound in the sky was no longer audible, and the rain clouds began to dissipate. Only then did Ji Yuan's legs give out, and he collapsed to the ground.

He let out a long sigh. Lying semi-prone, he rubbed his left chest and exhaled deeply. Ji Yuan was convinced that his heart would definitely grow stronger in the future.

It wasn't until he had rested for a good while longer that Ji Yuan finally recovered.

He stood up, brushed off his backside, then front and back, dislodging a large cloud of dust.

“Cough, cough, cough… cough… Just how much dust have I accumulated?!”

His scalp was a bit itchy. When he scratched his head, he could feel scalp buildup quickly gathering under his fingernails.

With a snap, he flicked his nail, sending the grime flying.

“Heh heh, I actually look a bit like a scruffy master now!”

He picked up his bundle, slung it over his back, then took the oiled paper umbrella from the corner and tucked it under his arm. With a push off the stone wall, he drifted and slid away, his sleeves billowing in the wind.

Since there had just been heavy rain, the ground was exceptionally muddy. Even with his long strides, a good deal of mud and water splashed onto him, but he didn't mind at all. Even though he could have used a minor water-repelling spell to avoid this, he wasn't going to waste spiritual energy. He was in a good mood, so a little mud didn't matter. Instead, like a playful child, he controlled his force while jumping, comparing whether the next splash would be smaller and listening to the sound of the mud splattering. Indeed, he found great joy in it.

The last time he had done something like this seemed to be when he was in first grade, getting a new pair of rain boots. Back then, though, he was competing with his friends to see who could make the mud splash higher.

In terms of cultivation, Ji Yuan still only possessed the 'Heaven and Earth Transformation' — a legitimate foundational Qi guidance technique for immortal cultivation. Without a proper Qi cultivation method, the energy circulating within him was less like true magical power and more like refined spiritual energy, used merely to nourish his body and perform minor spells. However, regarding his state of mind and spirit, even as a novice, he felt enlightened at this moment, which led to his sudden childlike exuberance.

Hastening along, Ji Yuan traveled directly northeast by instinct. As the sky completely cleared of clouds, he saw the outline of a city in the distance.

Deyuan County was considerably smaller than Ning'an County. Upon entering, Ji Yuan clearly noticed that both the population flow and the buildings were inferior to those in Ning'an County. However, that made sense. Although Ning'an County wasn't exceptionally large, it still had a population of nearly twenty thousand, with over ten thousand residing within the county seat alone. Furthermore, its officials governed effectively, leading to years of steady prosperity. By comparison, Deyuan County seemed to lag significantly.

Nevertheless, it was still a county town. Cries of street vendors echoed throughout, and there were many pedestrians and merchants coming and going.

Ji Yuan tightened the bundle on his back and followed the scent to an eatery about a hundred meters away. He didn't need to rely on his excellent hearing and poor eyesight to avoid pedestrians now, as most people actively steered clear of him. This made Ji Yuan suddenly realize his current state. Subconsciously, he raised his hand and sniffed his sleeve.

‘Hmm, the smell shouldn’t be that strong!’

Since it was around noon, as he approached the area dense with restaurants and inns, the surrounding sounds grew louder and the crowd became thicker compared to a hundred paces away.

“Come on in, come on in, esteemed guests! Today at Hui Ke Lou, we have freshly slaughtered lamb, exquisitely stewed chicken soup, and our homemade rice wine is also delicious! For those looking to dine or drink, please step right in!”

This inn, named Hui Ke Lou, had only two stories. Its footprint and architectural scale couldn't compare to the famous Miaowai Lou in Ning'an County. However, the attendant at the entrance truly yelled with great effort, his voice loud and clear. Ji Yuan felt this was a kind of talent; otherwise, a normal person would lose their voice shouting like that for so long. This man probably did it every day.

Knowing his own situation, Ji Yuan didn't expect a warm welcome. He simply followed other patrons into Hui Ke Lou. If he couldn't get in, he would just find another place to bathe. The attendant clearly saw Ji Yuan. He reached out a hand and opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to say anything to turn a customer away.

Inside the inn, the aroma of food wafted continuously towards Ji Yuan's nose with the rising steam. The sounds of chewing—some soft, some crisp—made his mouth water profusely. No matter how good fresh dates were, their flavor was ultimately singular, and he had run out of them anyway. Having not had hot, delicious food in a long time, Ji Yuan was absolutely ravenous. His keen eyes, even in his blurry vision, spotted an empty table, and he quickly went to claim it. He placed his bundle and umbrella at the corner of the table and waited for an attendant to come take his order.

At the counter, the portly, mustachioed middle-aged manager frowned at Ji Yuan’s muddy, dishevelled appearance. But, as the saying goes, 'all who enter are guests,' and he couldn't very well turn away someone who was clearly waiting to order, not if Hui Ke Lou wanted to maintain its reputation. However, he saw that the surrounding diners all looked disgusted. Some even turned around and left immediately upon entering and seeing Ji Yuan seated prominently in the main hall.

After a moment's thought, the manager beckoned to an attendant, who immediately came to the counter. “Go and ask that customer if he wouldn’t mind moving to a different table. We’ll set one up for him in a corner and give him a complimentary side dish. Be polite when you speak, understood?”

The turban-clad attendant looked in the direction the manager was pointing, spotted the conspicuous Ji Yuan, and nodded in response. “Yes, understood!”

After responding, the attendant quickly jogged to the table a few zhang away, by a supporting pillar, continually wiping his hands with a cloth. Before he could speak, Ji Yuan himself began to talk.

“Are you going to ask me to change tables? A corner spot is fine. Let's hurry over, and I can order my dishes on the way. Quickly, quickly!”

As he spoke, Ji Yuan had already stood up, grabbed his bundle and umbrella, and also picked up a pair of chopsticks he had already taken from the chopstick holder.

“Uh… yes, this way please, customer, this way please!”

The attendant paused, a little stunned by Ji Yuan's eyes, then quickly led the way, introducing some of the inn's specialty dishes as Ji Yuan inquired.

A moment later, at a table tucked behind the main entrance's corner, the attendant was a bit stunned again after hearing Ji Yuan's order.

“Braised pork hock, stewed hen, steamed wheat cakes, three-delicacy stew, boiled cabbage, pickled radish, stir-fried turnip greens… Uh, customer… we were only going to give you a complimentary plate of stir-fried turnip greens… This, your order…”

The attendant spoke softly, his gaze frequently sweeping over Ji Yuan’s entire person and his deflated gray cloth bundle. Perhaps only the oiled paper umbrella looked decent.

“Haha, don't worry, I have money to pay the bill. Just tell the kitchen to prepare the dishes.”

Ji Yuan smiled reassuringly as he took two pieces of broken silver from his bosom. He felt no anger at being looked down upon; he understood that from their perspective, it was only natural.

Once the attendant left, Ji Yuan was left alone, waiting impatiently. He hadn't felt it as much outside the city, but now that his cravings were fully aroused, it was almost unbearable. He gripped his chopsticks, sucking on their ends, and occasionally took deep breaths to inhale the aroma of the dishes. Oh, why was this so torturous!