Chapter 14 : Chapter 14
Chapter 14 - Meiyao
Watching Lin Zhi devour the food in front of him without the slightest regard for his appearance, a faint glimmer flashed in the girl’s autumn-water-like eyes.
The fear in her heart faded somewhat, and she soon picked up the meat in her hand and began eating in large bites.
As a maid who specialized in serving these powerful individuals, although she did not need to enter the mines every day, she usually survived on nothing more than thin soup and watery porridge. She rarely had the chance to taste such delicious food.
Sometimes, if she made even the slightest mistake and angered those powerful figures, she would be beaten without reason and might even lose her life.
Lin Zhi set aside several pieces of beast meat and placed a jar of wine beside them. Then the two of them swept through the basin of meat like a storm, finishing it completely.
While eating, Lin Zhi poured himself a cup from the other jar of wine.
After swallowing the wine, he was surprised to feel a trace of violent Spiritual Power flowing into his mouth.
It traveled down his throat, swept through his meridians, and finally gathered within his dantian.
Faintly, Lin Zhi felt that his body had become slightly stronger once again, so he quickly drank several more cups.
“This is Beast Spirit Wine. When paired with beast meat, it strengthens the body. The higher the grade of the beast meat, the better the effect. It was personally brewed by Lady Meiyao after studying the Barbarian Race’s brewing techniques for a long time. Ordinary people would never have the fortune to drink it.”
Seeing the surprise on Lin Zhi’s face, the thin girl explained softly.
Hearing this, Lin Zhi wiped the grease from his mouth with his sleeve and leaned lazily against the chair.
“So Lady Meiyao is that demoness dressed in thin, gauze-like clothing?”
“That’s right. Lady Meiyao belongs to the Charm Spirit Race.”
“What is your name? Can you tell me more about this Meiyao? I just arrived here and that woman already has her eyes on me. Will I be in danger?” Lin Zhi continued asking.
The thin girl frowned slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant. Her voice became hesitant.
“You may call me Xiaolan, my lord. Lady Meiyao rarely behaves this way. Before, there were several young and strong men assigned here as well, but she never treated them to beast meat and fine wine like today.”
“What happened to them?”
“They… they all died. Their deaths were extremely miserable. They looked like dried corpses, as if all the moisture had been drained from their bodies.”
The girl’s face instantly turned pale, and she spoke in a trembling voice, still clearly frightened.
Hearing this, Lin Zhi’s heart sank.
“Damn it… Were they drained dry?”
He suddenly felt deeply uneasy about his situation. Even the beast meat he had just eaten no longer tasted good.
“So this is meant to make me a well-fed ghost before I die. That woman really has bad intentions.”
Lin Zhi clenched his teeth and muttered angrily.
After eating and drinking their fill, the girl cleaned up the mess on the table. After thanking Lin Zhi, she picked up the basin and walked toward the door.
However, when she reached the doorway, she hesitated.
Gathering her courage, she turned back and spoke softly to Lin Zhi.
“My lord… actually… Lady Meiyao is not a bad person. Although she can be ruthless, she usually takes good care of us maids. If not for her, I might have died long ago…”
After saying that, she seemed to feel relieved and quietly left the room, gently closing the door.
“A good person? Perhaps that is because you do not have the value of being drained dry.”
Lin Zhi sat there gloomily, thinking to himself.
He had just arrived here and was completely alone. Finding someone to help him was nothing but a foolish dream.
Fighting was even more impossible.
Lin Zhi did not believe that cultivating for only a few days had given him any real strength. After all, he had not even learned a single combat technique yet.
If he rashly attacked, that Meiyao would probably crush him in an instant.
Run?
Where could he possibly run?
Outside the mines, the Barbarian Race had watchers everywhere. To prevent the miners from escaping, there were guards all over the place.
Especially that old man who could fly. One glance was enough to tell that he was extremely powerful.
Lin Zhi thought of several possible plans, but each one proved useless.
For a moment, he felt like a headless fly with no direction, slumping helplessly into his chair.
He gently rubbed against Lin Hua on his neck and glanced down at the faintly glowing Jade Plaque in his chest.
Lin Zhi could not help complaining again.
“I still do not understand what is going on with this Jade Plaque. One moment it swaps bodies, the next moment it teleports me to some dangerous place like this. This thing is really unreliable.”
After complaining for a while, Lin Zhi felt thirsty. He grabbed the wine cup and drank several more cups, continuing to grumble endlessly.
Vaguely, Lin Zhi felt that he had forgotten something important, but he could not remember what it was.
After muttering to himself for a while, Lin Zhi stood up and picked up several pieces of beast meat and a jar of wine that he had set aside earlier.
He planned to visit Old Master Qingshan.
After all, they had traveled together for several days and often chatted along the way. Lin Zhi’s understanding of this world largely came from the old man’s extensive knowledge.
And that timid little girl who called him “big brother”—Lin Zhi had grown quite fond of her as well.
“Damn!”
Lin Zhi suddenly remembered what he had forgotten.
When he and Lin Hua woke up, they had been teleported here immediately. So where had Fatso gone? Had he been transported here as well?
Lin Zhi hurriedly lowered his head and asked Lin Hua.
Lin Hua tilted her small head and thought for a moment before shaking it.
At that time, all her attention had been focused on Lin Zhi. How could she have noticed anyone else?
“Hopefully Fatso was not transported here. Otherwise, that would be terrible.”
Lin Zhi felt extremely anxious, worried about Fatso’s safety. He secretly resolved that if he ever got the chance, he would ask people from the King Kong Stronghold about it.
After straightening his clothes and carefully hiding Lin Hua beneath them, Lin Zhi walked slowly along the path outside.
Before long, he stopped in front of a dilapidated door.
He knocked lightly.
The noisy sounds inside instantly disappeared, and soon Old Man Ji Qingshan opened the door.
Seeing that it was Lin Zhi, the old man welcomed him inside.
The moment he stepped in, Lin Zhi smelled a nauseating stench.
The odor of sweat mixed with the smell of feet rushed straight into his nose, almost making him vomit the meat he had just eaten.
The others inside recognized him as one of the people brought from the King Kong Stronghold to mine. None of them paid him any attention and continued their conversations.
The old man’s place was right by the door.
There was not even a bed—only a wooden plank lying on the ground.
A piece of torn cloth with a large hole covered it.
Ji Xueyan was sitting on the plank. When she saw Lin Zhi, she softly called out, “Big brother.”
Lin Zhi rubbed the little girl’s head and smiled warmly.
“Xueyan, guess what delicious thing your big brother brought you?”
Ji Xueyan shook her head silently and simply looked at him.
This four-year-old girl had followed her grandfather through countless hardships. At such a young age, she no longer expected much from life.
“Ta-da! Fragrant meat!”
Lin Zhi took out the beast meat he had hidden in his clothes.
He tore a piece into finger-sized strips and handed it to Ji Xueyan.
Looking at the meat in front of her, drool flowed from the little girl’s mouth.
Having been hungry for several days, she could hardly resist such food.
However, she first turned to look at her grandfather.
After receiving his permission, she sweetly said, “Thank you, big brother,” before eagerly nibbling at the meat.
Lin Zhi then placed the rest of the beast meat in front of the old man, along with the jar of fragrant wine.
“Eat something, Old Master. You have been hungry for days.”
Ji Qingshan stared at the beast meat before him.
Only a few hours had passed since they parted, yet Lin Zhi had already returned with meat.
There was even a jar of fine wine.
For people who had been starving every day, this was almost unimaginable.
“Young friend Lin, where exactly did you obtain these?” Ji Qingshan asked without touching the meat.
He knew very well that obtaining such food in their current situation would be extremely difficult.
He was truly curious how Lin Zhi had managed it.
“That demoness gave it to me. She even arranged a spacious room for me alone, with all kinds of furniture. She probably has bad intentions. Go ahead and eat. I already ate a lot earlier—my stomach is still full.”
Having experienced the hardships of the chaotic world and witnessed countless intrigues, the old man instantly understood Lin Zhi’s dangerous situation upon hearing these words.
He had also seen the moment when the demoness teased Lin Zhi earlier.
What no one else knew was that he had recognized at a glance that the woman belonged to the Charm Spirit Race.
The unique ability of the Charm Spirit Race was to charm living beings and eventually drain their essence.
Seeing that Lin Zhi, despite knowing some of the danger, still worried about him and his granddaughter, Ji Qingshan felt deeply moved.
Very well. When the critical moment comes, I will help this boy if I can, Ji Qingshan thought silently.