"Hello, Auntie..."
Lin Yi smiled and nodded.
Li Fenglan said hurriedly, "Come, come, don't just stand outside. Come in and talk!"
"Do you want a drink? Grab whatever you want, don't be shy!"
Li Fenglan urged warmly.
But Lin Yi shook his head and said, "No, thank you, Auntie. I came to see Wei Nan. He didn't come to class today..."
"Oh, you're here about that?"
"Sigh, didn't Wei Nan explain it to you? Making you come all this way.
Here's what happened. You know his dad works for the local patrol, right?"
"There's an old master on the force with a very high Martial Arts level. I think he's some kind of Martial Arts consultant for the police department, but I'm not too clear on the details... His dad begged the man for days before he finally agreed to give Wei Nan a few pointers!"
"So, he was taken over there first thing this morning. He could be there for a week at least, maybe even a month and a half at most!"
"When his dad called your homeroom teacher today, he said you all are starting preparations for the Martial Arts exam tomorrow, right? And that you don't need to attend academic classes anymore. So he just told your homeroom teacher that it would be fine if Wei Nan came back to school right before the Martial Arts exam..."
After Li Fenglan finished speaking,
Lin Yi finally understood what had happened.
The worry that had been weighing on his heart was finally lifted.
"Oh, so that's what happened. I'm relieved!"
"You're such an earnest kid. Couldn't you have just called Wei Nan and asked? Instead you ran all this way!" Li Fenglan said, her voice full of sympathy.
Lin Yi smiled. "I did, but his phone was off!"
"Off? Right, silly me. His dad didn't let Wei Nan take his phone this morning, said it would affect his training... How ridiculous is that? I'll have a word with Old Wei later for making you run all this way for nothing..."
After Li Fenglan finished her explanation,
Lin Yi smiled and said, "Auntie, as long as Wei Nan's okay, I can rest easy. I'll be heading back now!"
"Don't go yet! Here, let me get you a couple of drinks for the road, and a couple of buns to eat..."
Li Fenglan grabbed a plastic bag and started packing two drinks and some buns for Lin Yi.
Lin Yi didn't want to accept them at first, but Li Fenglan was just too insistent.
He had no choice but to take them.
In the end, Lin Yi took one drink and one bun.
Only then did she let him leave...
By the time he took the bus back home, night had begun to fall.
A series of roars echoed from the street.
A dozen or so ghost fire youths zipped past on heavy motorcycles.
The tremendous noise was an unbearable nuisance to many people.
However, besides muttering a few curses, there was nothing anyone could do.
No one wanted to bring unnecessary trouble upon themselves over a few ghost fire youths.
This had become an ironclad rule of the Old District.
Just surviving here was hard enough.
Who would go looking for trouble?
As the bus traveled down the road toward the next stop,
suddenly, the dozen or so ghost fire youths were seen swarming a person in a hoodie, completely surrounding them.
They circled the hooded figure endlessly, letting out strange cries.
This attracted the attention of many passersby and passengers on the bus, who all started to stare.
Some private cars even stopped at a distance.
Perhaps they were afraid of getting caught in the middle, or maybe they just wanted to watch the show.
But when Lin Yi saw the person trapped in the center,
he was stunned to see talent entries appear above their head.
[Bite: Possesses astonishing bite force, capable of easily tearing off any piece of flesh...]
[Hunter: This is a term for a specific type of Hunter. They often appear at night, taking pleasure in the hunt and enjoying the process of killing...]
[Lust Fiend: Inherently craves beauty, with a particular fondness for young girls.]
[Bloodthirsty: A severe psychological condition. Has killed at least 30 people.]
[Head-down Fragrance: Can track and hunt prey using the scent left on physical objects...]
As the talent entries popped up one by one above the person's head,
Lin Yi was deeply shocked.
Every single entry was monstrously evil.
Aside from innate talents, a talent like [Bloodthirsty]...
...was a talent entry that could only be cultivated after killing a certain number of people.
'Does that mean that person has already killed more than 30 people?'
Lin Yi's expression turned grave, a flicker of worry in his eyes.
He wasn't worried about the person in the hoodie.
He was worried for the ghost fire youths. They were facing their doom and didn't even know it.
'Wait, Head-down Fragrance?'
'Isn't that a term used to describe hunting dogs? There's Head-down Fragrance and Uplifting Incense, right?'
'Head-down Fragrance tracks prey using the scent left on an object, while Uplifting Incense can lock onto a prey's direction through the air...'
'Could it be... that person is a Dog Demon?'
Thinking of this, Lin Yi quickly turned his head to look.
Unfortunately, the bus had already driven off, and he could no longer see the ghost fire youths.
Fifteen or sixteen minutes later, the bus reached his stop.
Lin Yi got off and glanced back in the direction they had just come from.
Even if he rushed back now, he probably wouldn't be able to find that person.
Besides, this wasn't the first time that person had appeared.
'If I remember correctly, he showed up outside the school yesterday, didn't he?
'In that case, a Lust Fiend... appearing near the school... is it looking for its next target?'
Lin Yi's heart sank. He clutched his schoolbag and hurried home.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Lin Dazhi, Lin Yu, and Liu Hongmei—the family of three.
They were all sitting at the dining table, eating, talking, and laughing.
"Xiaoyi is back? Go change your clothes and come eat!" Liu Hongmei said with a beaming smile.
Lin Yi just nodded lightly.
He went into his room, changed his clothes, and washed his hands in the bathroom.
By the time he walked to the table and sat down, Lin Dazhi, reeking of alcohol, was looking smug.
"Lin Yi, your little brother is really something!"
"From now on, the Lin Family will really have to rely on Xiaoyu. He was selected for the elite class at school today. Do you know what it means to get into the elite class?"
After Lin Dazhi finished speaking with a laugh,
Lin Yi looked up at Lin Yu, smiled, and said, "It means it's going to cost even more money from now on!"
As soon as the words were out, Lin Yu's expression changed slightly.
Liu Hongmei's brows also furrowed.
They both subconsciously glanced at Lin Dazhi.
However, Lin Dazhi waved his hand. "No, no, no... What's a little money? Worst case, I'll pick up a part-time job starting tomorrow. Besides, you're about to graduate. When you start working, you can help support your brother. Once he gets into a Martial Arts University, our family will have finally made it!"
"When that time comes, you'll be able to ride his coattails and move to the New District too..."
Lin Yi gave a contemptuous smile.
He found Lin Dazhi's fantasies laughable.
'Never mind whether Lin Yu can even get into a Martial Arts University.'
'Even if he does, do you really think that mother and son will take you with them to the New District?'
'To them, you, Lin Dazhi, are nothing but an ATM.'
But, Lin Yi smiled and nodded. "You're right, Old Lin. You should treat Lin Yu better from now on. Wait for him to bring you a life of luxury and support you in your old age..."