What the Master Would Not Speak Of: The Strange, Forceful, Chaotic, and Divine

Everyone had picked up one thing or another as they wandered around.

The clothes weren’t expensive, but the girls took choosing them very seriously. They had to turn in front of the mirror three times for every item, then discuss it among themselves. In the end, they only bought a few pieces.

Chu Miaomiao had originally been followed by two bodyguards, but now only one remained. The other had been sent back to the car to put away their bags.

After all, carrying armfuls of shopping would ruin the mood.

One famous old shop after another lined Shangxiajiu Street, while snack shops squeezed into every available gap along both sides. All kinds of aromas mingled together, tempting people to stop at every turn.

Fang Jun came to a stop and looked around.

“Should we sit down and have a proper meal at one of the old-established restaurants, or keep eating as we walk?”

“I don’t mind either way,” Lin Mo said with a shrug.

“I choose walking and eating!”

Jiang Yunlu was the first to speak up. Her eyes were already fixed on a steaming stall not far away. “There are so many things here I’ve never tried before. I’m going to eat my way through all of them!”

Lin Mo and Xie Yuling exchanged a glance. They both understood the same thing from each other’s eyes.

Big Eater Number Two had officially declared war on the snack market.

There was another snack market nearby. Calling it a market was technically correct, but it looked more like a night market.

The layout was divided into sections like a nine-square grid, with walkways in the middle wide enough for several people to walk side by side.

The smell of stinky tofu hit them first, followed by the oily aroma of grilled giant squid. Farther in, a pot of beef offal bubbled away, while pan-fried tofu hissed in the heat.

Jiang Yunlu charged straight in.

Miss Jiang had a distinctive way of sweeping through a food market. She never looked at the prices. If she liked something, she bought it. If she didn’t, one glance was enough. She didn’t even bother listening when the vendors quoted the price—she simply paid, took her change and food, and moved on.

What was even more amusing was that she only tasted one or two bites of each dish before stuffing the rest into the hands of the people around her.

And the final destination for all of it was Lin Mo.

For one serving of stinky tofu, Jiang Yunlu bit off a piece, then handed it to Xie Yuling. Xie Yuling ate one piece and passed it to Chu Miaomiao. Chu Miaomiao shook her head, so the entire serving ended up in Lin Mo’s hands.

Three seconds later, it was gone.

The same thing happened with a serving of pan-fried tofu. In the end, it still wound up in Lin Mo’s hands.

Two seconds later, it was gone.

Then there was a bowl of beef offal. Jiang Yunlu took a sip of the broth and declared that the soup was good, but the beef was a little tough. She handed the entire bowl to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo took it. Ten seconds later, both the broth and the contents had disappeared without a trace.

Luo Ruiyu watched the entire process, her mouth opening wider and wider.

“What is your stomach made of?”

“An abyss.”

“Won’t you burst?”

Lin Mo wiped his mouth. “I’m fine. I’m not full yet.”

“...”

The others had long since grown used to it.

Luo Ruiyu turned to Fang Jun, her expression clearly asking, Is there something wrong with your friend?

Fang Jun, however, was completely unfazed. He patted Luo Ruiyu on the shoulder.

“He’s always been like this. He eats a lot and he’s strong. You have no idea how amazing he is.”

Even Fang Jun himself sounded a little sour as he said it. He had grown taller over the past year, but standing beside Lin Mo only made the difference between them look even more obvious.

An Yuexin was quietly chewing on a grilled sausage nearby when he added, “I don’t think he’s eating food. I think he’s processing kitchen waste.”

Lin Mo shot him a glance and slowly sipped the half cup of lemon tea Jiang Yunlu had just handed him.

The group continued wandering and eating, making their way from one end of the snack market to the other before continuing along Shangxiajiu Street.

The farther they went, the wider the street became, and the thinner the crowds grew.

At the end of the road, they arrived at Lelin Plaza.

Xie Yuling slowed her steps.

She looked up at the sky. It hadn’t rained today, but the weather was neither good nor bad. The sky was gray and hazy, so ordinary that it could hardly have been more unremarkable.

But that wasn’t what she was seeing.

Above Lelin Plaza, black energy churned and roiled, so dense it seemed almost solid. It pressed downward in heavy masses, exactly as it had the year before.

The entire plaza seemed to be wrapped in something that blocked out the light.

She instinctively looked at Lin Mo.

His expression was perfectly normal, no different from when they had been shopping just moments ago.

Noticing Xie Yuling’s gaze, he reached out and rubbed the top of her head, soothing her nerves.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

Fang Jun didn’t understand what he meant. “What won’t happen?”

Lin Mo ignored him.

At that moment, Chu Miaomiao suddenly grabbed Lin Mo’s arm.

Her hand was trembling.

Chu Miaomiao stared fixedly at the sky above the plaza. Something was reflected in her pupils, and her face had gone even paler.

Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. She only tightened her grip on Lin Mo’s arm.

Only then did Lin Mo remember that she had begun cultivating as well.

Those who cultivated mental techniques could naturally see the overwhelming black energy.

It was perfectly normal for her to be afraid.

Luo Ruiyu, meanwhile, watched the scene with curiosity. She had wanted to ask several times why Lin Mo was so close to these three girls, but she kept forcing the question back down.

She would ask Fang Jun after they got back.

After all, it was someone else’s private business, and she didn’t quite dare to ask outright.

Seeing that Chu Miaomiao and Xie Yuling both looked frightened, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help glancing at Lin Mo. Before she could say anything, she heard his voice transmitted directly into her mind.

“Don’t worry. You’re a martial artist, so your qi and blood are surging with vitality. Ghosts are the only things that should be afraid of you. As for the two of them, they’re only frightened because they can see some black energy.”

The moment Jiang Yunlu heard that she was seemingly immune to all ghosts, her confidence soared.

The slight unease she had felt vanished without a trace, replaced by the bold swagger of someone who believed she was invincible.

She strode over to Xie Yuling, pulled her into her arms, rested her chin on top of Xie Yuling’s head, and patted her back.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ve got you covered.”

Xie Yuling: “...”

You were looking around nervously just a moment ago, weren’t you?

Still, after Jiang Yunlu’s interruption, the chilly feeling in Xie Yuling’s heart faded considerably.

Fang Jun and An Yuexin remained utterly confused throughout. From their perspective, a few of the girls had simply been frightened by An Yuexin’s ghost stories.

This was the old district of Guangzhou, after all. There were plenty of local legends. It was perfectly normal.

Fang Jun looked at Luo Ruiyu, somewhat curious.

“Steamed Bun? You’re not afraid?”

Luo Ruiyu helplessly shrugged. “I’ve heard about this place since I was little. It’s nothing special. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She had indeed been a little frightened when she first heard An Yuexin’s story.

But afterward, she stopped being afraid.

After all, she believed in the saying: Confucius did not discuss the strange, supernatural powers, or disorderly spirits.

Fang Jun didn’t really believe in such things either, which was why he was walking at the very front.

An Yuexin didn’t find anything strange about the situation. He looked up at the sky. There was no sun, but it wasn’t exactly overcast either.

It should be fine, he thought.