Chapter Forty-Five: I Want to Eat Meat

This was truly strange—could it be that the clue indicated by the jade pendant was incorrect? Or perhaps we had simply chosen the wrong spot? If that were the case, why would the location displayed on the jade pendant suddenly vanish? I walked over to the stone and carefully examined the area around it. The stone, apart from its impressive size, showed no suspicious features whatsoever.

I turned to Feng Zimo and Wei Yan. "Brother Feng, Wei Yan, do you think you could split this stone open?" Lin Wei Yan nodded at me; the Scarlet Dawn Sword appeared in her hand, and she struck down with a single slash. The stone was instantly cleaved in two, yet there was no trace whatsoever of the Soul-Seizing Pearl.

It was clear now: this was nothing but an ordinary stone. Still, I was reluctant to accept it. The last location shown on the jade pendant had been right here. I lingered, searching for quite some time, but found nothing. Helpless, I could only give up.

My heart was filled with disappointment toward the jade pendant. Had I known the outcome would be like this, I wouldn’t have come to Azure Cloud Mountain at all. Not only had we failed to find the Soul-Seizing Pearl, but now the Crimson-Eyed Demon had been released. The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I felt; all because of that damned old man.

As we prepared to leave, I gave the split stone a hard kick. I misjudged the force, and the pain made me yelp and howl, which drew peals of laughter from Feng Zimo and Xiaoling nearby. I glared fiercely at Feng Zimo; only then did he cover his mouth and stop laughing.

Limping, I returned to the hotel, where Fatty was, as usual, playing cards at his computer. In truth, he didn’t run the hotel to make money—I knew this well. He kept the hotel simply to fulfill the ancestral command passed down in his family.

Seeing us return, Fatty looked at me and asked, "Brother Chu Yun, what happened?"

"It’s nothing, just a little accident. Fatty, why do I always see you playing cards?" I replied.

Fatty chuckled, "Brother Chu Yun, you don’t understand. Card games are a test of intelligence, and they help you meet fellow players. If you’re lucky, you might even meet a pretty girl to date."

Now I understood: the card game was just a front; the real goal was to meet girls.

"Alright, have you eaten yet, Fatty? Shall we grab something together?"

Hearing this, Fatty rubbed his belly and glanced at the computer. "Let me finish this round first, okay?"

I was speechless. "No problem! I’ll go upstairs and change."

When I came out of my room, Fatty had already shut down his computer and was lounging comfortably, humming a tune.

He looked as happy as if he’d just won five million. I wondered—was inviting him to dinner really such a big deal?

"Let’s go, Fatty. Time to eat."

Fatty stood up from his chair and left the hotel with us. As we walked toward the restaurant, he leaned in and whispered, "Brother Chu Yun, could you do me a favor tonight?"

I was puzzled. "What kind of favor?"

Fatty winked at me, obviously expecting me to understand. But I hadn’t the faintest idea what he wanted.

I asked again, "Just tell me, Fatty—what do you need?"

He finally revealed his true colors, looking sly as he said, "Tonight I’ve arranged to meet a top-notch card partner. I’m going to her place to play cards. I’d like you to cover the night shift at the hotel for me."

So that was it—meeting a girl under the guise of playing cards. I wondered what sort of girl would be interested in him.

Since he’d asked, I couldn’t refuse. I teased, "No problem, Fatty. Go meet your girl, but be gentle with her."

Fatty grinned and thanked me profusely. "You’re the best, Brother Chu Yun. Tonight’s meal is on me—pick any restaurant you like."

"That’s too generous, Fatty. I couldn’t let you pay," I replied.

But Fatty insisted, so I relented. Clearly, he was thrilled at the prospect of tonight’s adventure—even refused to drink when I offered. After dinner, Fatty didn’t even return to the hotel, heading straight for his rendezvous with the girl.

We went back to the hotel first. After spending some time in our rooms, I told Feng Zimo and the others, "I’m covering Fatty’s shift tonight. You all get some rest."

With that, I went downstairs, sat in Fatty’s usual spot, and turned on the computer to watch television. Time slipped by unnoticed, and soon it was eleven o’clock. No guests had arrived all evening.

It made sense, since Fatty had picked such an unusual name for the hotel. I pushed back the chair; behind it was a small bed. I lay down, figuring that at this hour, no one else would come.

Lying there, I watched a drama about the struggle between Chu and Han. Liu Bang, the founder of Han, was truly remarkable—rising from a humble position to become emperor through sheer determination.

After a while, sleepiness overcame me. Half awake, half asleep, I suddenly heard footsteps.

Then, a voice called out, "Is anyone here?"

It was a woman’s voice. I sat up from the bed.

Standing before me was a flamboyant woman, likely just out from some club.

"Hello, miss. Single room is fifty, double is sixty," I said, mimicking Fatty’s usual tone.

"Miss?" The woman frowned in displeasure. "What did you just say? Who are you calling ‘miss’?"

What? Her mood changed in an instant—just like Sun Wan Yi.

I rubbed my eyes—was I seeing things? No, it was a woman.

Ah, I remembered: women who work in those places hate being called “miss.”

I quickly corrected myself, "No offense, I meant nothing by it. Are you looking for a room?"

Her expression softened slightly. "I need a single room. Here’s two hundred. Go buy me some food—the rest is yours."

What was happening—had I just encountered a wealthy woman?

But where could I get food at this hour?

"Beautiful lady, it’s so late—there aren’t any places selling food now," I said.

She placed two hundred on the counter. "That’s not my concern. I just really want to eat."

"Instant noodles, perhaps?" I pointed to the shelf.

Suddenly, her face darkened. Two long fangs appeared.

"No, I want meat."

Seeing her sharp teeth, I realized she wasn’t human at all—she was a monster.

"Don’t get excited. I’ll go buy meat for you," I said, trying to calm her while searching for the Universe Mirror.

But after fumbling for so long, I couldn’t find it. Damn—I must have left it in my coat pocket when I changed clothes.