Chapter 81: Eighteen Years Old, a Werewolf
At Big Mouth Barbecue in the Eastern District, Yu Xian and Nora sat at a table by the street, chatting as they waited for their order. Just then, several students in school uniforms walked over and took a table nearby, laughing and joking among themselves in hushed voices.
From their conversation, Yu Xian gathered that one of them was celebrating his eighteenth birthday. To mark the occasion, they had decided to throw caution to the wind and venture into the Eastern District to sample food meant for supernatural beings.
Nora whispered, "They're from Class Two."
Because of her striking looks, she had received quite a few love letters from students over the past several days. However, she had not read a single one, burning them all to ashes with her Blood Flame. Even so, plenty of boys still wandered past the Class One classroom, hoping to catch her attention.
She had no interest in any of them, but some impressions inevitably remained. This one was childish, that one was stupid, and that one was ugly.
Yu Xian smiled. "Man, must be nice to be young."
Nora immediately rolled her eyes at him. Those students were celebrating an eighteenth birthday, while Yu Xian was only seventeen himself. He still had several months to go before turning eighteen.
At that moment, the students at the other table noticed Yu Xian and Nora, and their voices dropped even lower. A chubby boy whispered, "Old Zhao, there's the girl of your dreams. Looks like she's already gotten together with Fish God, though."[1]
The corner of Yu Xian's mouth twitched. Fish God? When did I pick up a nickname like that? Why did no one tell me?
This nickname had been spread by the students from Class One, whom he had saved. Back then, he had torn through the Aberrant Parasites at school, slicing them to pieces with silver threads before they could even get close. The sight had been horrifying and disgusting, yet also incredibly satisfying and undeniably cool. On top of that, Zhang Shou, Chen Ling, and several of his old classmates all knew that his old nickname was Salted Fish.
As a result, many students at school had quietly started calling him Fish God. Yu Xian did not know about this because he was often absent and usually hung out with only Zhang Shou, Chen Ling, and Nora.
Zhao Kang stole a glance at Yu Xian and Nora. His face turned red, and he said in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense. Today is Old Li's birthday."
Ignoring Zhao Kang, the chubby boy flashed an overly enthusiastic grin. "What's there to be afraid of? We're all classmates. Why don't we invite them over to celebrate with us?"
The birthday boy quickly rejected the idea. He had no interest in spending his birthday with strangers. Eating and drinking with a few close friends was relaxing, but inviting over two classmates he barely knew would only make things awkward.
Since Yu Xian and Nora had arrived first, their food was served soon. In the blink of an eye, the table was covered with all kinds of dishes.
Nora took a bite of blood tofu and stuck out her tongue. She looked doubtfully at Yu Xian. "So spicy. Can vampires really eat this? We are not going to get a stomachache, are we?"
Yu Xian nodded as he ate the barbecue. After swallowing a piece of meat, he said, "Of course. Zhang Shou and I have been here twice before, back when I still couldn't eat normal food."
Nora watched Yu Xian devour piece after piece of meat and suspected he was showing off. She wanted to eat meat too. She desperately wanted to know what it tasted like. Spiciness was technically a form of pain rather than a matter of taste, which meant vampires could still experience it.
At that moment, the students at the other table began making a commotion. The waiter had brought over a specially prepared cake made from a mound of meat. The students rose to their feet and said their wishes with cheerful smiles.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Old Li, happy birthday! May you celebrate this day every year and enjoy this moment for many years to come!"
The birthday boy, Li Cheng, stood up with a smile, visibly touched by the gesture. But just as he was about to blow out the candles, his face flushed and the world spun around him. He braced one hand against the table while pressing the other to his head. The veins at his temples throbbed violently.
His friends immediately crowded around him in concern.
"Old Li?"
"Are you okay?"
Li Cheng shook his head, intending to say that he was fine, but his eyes turned red. He rapidly swelled up, tearing his clothes, and his head gradually transformed into that of a wolf.
Li Cheng, eighteen years old, was apparently a werewolf! Yu Xian rose from his seat and immediately cast Appraisal on him.
Name
- Li Cheng
Codename
- Old Li
Race
- Werewolf
Gender
- Male
Age
- 18
Lifespan
- 521 years
Rank
- Lower Insect Rank
Affiliation
- Supernatural Academy, Senior Year Class Two, Student
[Abilities]
Night Wolf Transformation
- Transforms into a werewolf at night, which greatly enhances all physical attributes.
Summary
- You may not be a ruthless man, but you are definitely a werewolf!
After reading through Li Cheng's attributes, Yu Xian immediately understood what was happening. However, by then, Li Cheng had fully transformed into a two-and-a-half-meter-tall werewolf. He threw his arms wide and let out a long howl toward the sky.
His classmates stared at him in complete disbelief. They had all agreed to remain ordinary people, so they didn't understand how Li Cheng had suddenly become a supernatural being.
Without warning, Li Cheng opened his jaws and lunged at Zhao Kang. The attack looked strong enough to tear off Zhao Kang's head in a single snap.
However, at the last possible moment, a bubble enveloped Zhao Kang. Li Cheng's jaws clamped down on its surface, but the bubble was so large that his fangs merely scraped across it without producing so much as a ripple.
Nora reminded Yu Xian. "Don't hit him too hard. His werewolf bloodline has probably just awakened."
Yu Xian nodded, then used Spatial Leap to appear behind Li Cheng. With a light chop to the back of the neck, he knocked the werewolf unconscious. He smiled at the others. "All right. Everyone, you can go back to eating. It's over."
He sealed Li Cheng inside a bubble, took out his phone, and called Zhang Kai to come and take him away.
Zhao Kang's legs were still trembling. The moment the bubble disappeared, he collapsed into his chair. Once he recovered his senses, he hurriedly thanked Yu Xian. "Fish God, thank you!"
"It was nothing. Carry on." Yu Xian waved him off and returned to his seat.
As a Serpent-rank expert capable of defeating opponents above his rank, dealing with a mere Insect-rank posed no challenge whatsoever to Yu Xian.
Many of the diners began laughing. Some remarked on Li Cheng's incredible luck, while others discussed Yu Xian's strength. Zhao Kang and his friends, however, had completely lost their appetites. They sat at their table in silence. With the birthday boy unconscious, they were left at a loss over what to do next. They also wondered whether Li Cheng's sudden transformation into a werewolf meant that he had become a supernatural being.
Nora continued eating. "This is the first time I've ever seen a bloodline awakening."
Yu Xian smiled. "Same here. I used to wonder whether one of my ancestors might have possessed some special bloodline that would awaken again in my generation."
Nora chuckled. "What if you really do?"
Yu Xian shrugged. There was no telling with things like this. After all, many supernatural bloodlines were so difficult to awaken that their descendants gradually faded into the ranks of ordinary people.
1. Fish God (鱼神, Yú Shén) is a nickname based on Yu Xian's surname, 余 (Yú), which is pronounced the same as 鱼 (yú), meaning "fish" in Chinese. ☜