Feeding~

Several people were taking turns arm-wrestling Lin Mo at the moment.

Lin Mo remained unfazed, but the veins on their necks were already bulging.

No matter how hard they tried, their hands stayed locked at the midpoint.

Only when they were exhausted did Lin Mo slowly press down to win.

It could only be described as an effortless victory.

Fang Jun clapped his hands and said, "See, I wasn’t lying! Old Mo here is a real martial arts expert—he can kick a thug flying with just one move."

As he spoke, An Yuexin respectfully handed over a drink.

"O-old... Old Master."

Lin Mo took the cup and nodded in satisfaction.

"Runtu, I think you’ve got potential~ Keep it up, and there’ll be plenty of badgers for you to spear in the future."

The other boys chimed in respectfully, "O-old... Old Master~"

The three girls turned to look at them.

"Are all these guys really like this?"

The few boys who hadn’t joined in were more self-aware, focusing on grilling and becoming handsome barbecue masters.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo held his cup, savoring his VIP ice-cold cola with dignity.

In his mind, he was already planning to head straight to Nankun Mountain later, ascend to the peak, and begin his Foundation Establishment.

Just then, a skewer of golden-brown grilled chicken wings was handed to him.

Thanks to the scoring cuts, the wings had cooked quickly.

"Try it. I’m not much of a cook, but I’m decent at grilling."

Lin Mo casually accepted it. "Thanks, smells great."

"You grilled shrimp for me, I grilled wings for you—we’re even."

Xie Yuling wore an expression that said "we owe each other nothing," practically the poster child for tsundere behavior.

Though, Xie Yuling wasn’t the aristocratic anime-type tsundere; hers was more of a girl-next-door, slightly prickly charm.

Gotta admit, it was kinda cute.

Lin Mo bit into the honey-glazed chicken wing—its crispy, slightly sweet exterior gave way to a savory grilled flavor inside, creating a perfect balance.

At that moment, Fang Jun lifted the lid of the cooler.

"Whoa! These oysters are huge! How do we open them?"

Staring at the palm-sized Rushan oysters, Fang Jun picked one up but had no idea how to tackle it.

Hearing this, Lin Mo walked over, still munching on his chicken wing.

"I’ll handle it. The garlic sauce is ready anyway."

Xie Yufei added, "Lin Mo said these are Rushan oysters—I’ve never had them before."

"I’ve heard of Rushan oysters. They’re huge, but you usually only find them in western Guangdong."

After finishing his wing, Lin Mo grabbed a small knife and got to work.

Normally, you’d use an oyster knife—double-edged for slicing the adductor muscle.

But Lin Mo knew exactly where to cut, so a regular knife sufficed.

With a quick slide along the seam, the knife parted the muscle, revealing the plump, snow-white oyster inside.

Fang Jun eyed the massive oysters and couldn’t help asking, "Where’d you even buy these? They’re enormous."

Lin Mo thought for a second. "From the market, but it’s not cost-effective. We only went there because we decided on this last minute. For real seafood deals, you’d want Hongsha Seafood Market."

"I know Hongsha, but they rip people off there too."

That was par for the course—whether in 2012 or now, getting scammed was always a risk.

But the real reason Lin Mo had gotten such a good deal was that he’d used his Soul-Snaring Art on the market vendor.

He’d compelled the man to give a fair price and guarantee top-quality oysters and tiger prawns.

Otherwise, who’d bother ordering such a small batch with premium ingredients?

Of course, Lin Mo had still paid—even left the vendor a profit.

But back then, seafood was a goldmine thanks to opaque pricing.

The opened oysters, slathered in garlic sauce, were placed on the grill.

Lin Mo also set a few aside for plain roasting.

The garlic sauce, thickened with starch, clung to the oysters as the heat worked its magic.

The starch absorbed moisture, creating a richer, more concentrated glaze in the shell.

The aroma of garlic grew fiercer under the flames.

Meanwhile, the plain-roasted oysters began to open slightly.

Xie Yufei hurried to the kitchen for some wasabi soy sauce—the only way to eat oysters this way.

With that done, Lin Mo left the rest to the others.

He returned to grilling tiger prawns for Xie Yuling.

As he worked, Lin Mo reminisced about Mid-Autumn Festival in his past life—how he’d ordered a KFC family bucket and eaten it alone at home.

Now, surrounded by chatter and the sizzle of the grill, he felt something different.

This... felt nicer.

Was cultivating immortality really that important? Maybe not.

[Host, do not entertain such thoughts. The Dao grants fifty, heaven claims forty-nine—mortals fight for the one that remains. As an immortal, you must seize it.]

"System bro, speak human."

[If Host doesn’t fight, Host might end up dead.]

"Which is why I’m hitting Foundation Establishment tonight. Only a fool wouldn’t grind with a system like you."

The Invincible Cultivation System emitted a satisfied hum.

So far, Lin Mo hadn’t detected any other cultivators in this world.

But he’d long since masked his aura to avoid exposing himself.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Xie Yuling handed him another bite.

"You haven’t eaten much today."

"Don’t worry. Eating later’s no big deal—I can polish off whatever’s left."

Lin Mo opened his mouth slightly, signaling for Xie Yuling to feed him the grilled pork belly directly.

His hands were busy with the prawns, after all.

Xie Yuling froze for a second before carefully blowing on the pork to cool it, then placing it in his mouth.

Only then did she realize how intimate the gesture might seem.

She... she was just worried it’d be too hot.

Yeah, that was all.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, chewed happily, his lips glistening with grease.

"Nice. The cumin’s on point—really packs a punch." He nodded, flipping the prawns.

Everyone noticed the exchange. In a corner, An Yuexin and Fang Jun whispered.

"At this rate, Lin Mo might end up with Xie Yuling," An Yuexin murmured.

"Hard to say. In galgame terms, everyone’s got flags raised. Let’s just hope Old Mo doesn’t pull a Makoto and leave us mourning at a shrine."

No one knew what Lin Mo truly thought.

Truth was, he hadn’t crossed any lines with anyone.

They just hadn’t reached that point yet.

In reality, Lin Mo had heard them—or rather, his divine sense had.

Even if they’d hidden in the bathroom, he’d have caught every word.

Their concerns didn’t worry him. He wasn’t about to get stabbed.

As for Xie Yuling...

Lin Mo could tell she’d grown somewhat dependent on him.

But he also knew it stemmed from emotional gaps in her life.

Losing her father, maybe other hardships, had locked her heart away.

Meeting someone with a similar past had drawn her in.

In his past life, his own desperation had scared her off.

In this life, his maturity naturally made him the young girl's pillar of support.

But Lin Mo didn't believe this was true affection.

At the very least, he would wait until she could genuinely distinguish between love and dependence.

Third watch—utterly spent!!!!