Gao Yang slowed his pace and made his decision quickly: he began walking toward the crowds.
In theory, a confrontation in a densely populated area would only attract more Chī Beasts, increasing his odds of death. But on closer consideration—if he was being followed by a Chī Beast, it meant this creature had already discovered, or at least suspected, his identity as an Awakened.
Yet it hadn't attacked immediately. Instead, it was tracking him. Which meant this Chī Beast wanted him all to itself. And if it wanted a private meal, it certainly wouldn't strike in a crowded place.
Soon, Gao Yang passed a twenty-four-hour convenience store. He took a deep breath, turned, and walked inside.
Moments later, a girl in a school uniform with chin-length hair came sprinting around the corner. She chased him to the store entrance, hesitated, smoothed her straight-cut bangs with one hand, and stepped inside.
The moment she pushed through the door, she collided face-to-face with Gao Yang.
She jumped with a sharp gasp. "Ah!"
Gao Yang had mustered considerable courage to execute this sudden about-face. When he saw her face, surprise flickered across his features—then quiet relief settled in his chest.
"Xiao Si?"
The girl was Wan Sisi, his classmate. Introverted and painfully shy, everyone called her "Little Si."
Wan Sisi panicked completely. She clutched her shoulder bag with white-knuckled fingers and launched into a stiff, nervous performance: "H-hi... Fancy seeing you here? I... I missed my bus stop, and then I got kinda hungry, so I thought I'd grab some snacks..."
"You're following me," Gao Yang said, flat and direct.
Wan Sisi flushed crimson from her neck to the tips of her ears. "I—I, well, that is..."
Gao Yang glanced around. The cashier and other customers were watching them with undisguised curiosity.
The two of them standing there blocking the entrance did look rather odd. Gao Yang grabbed Wan Sisi's hand and pulled her to a corner of the store, where they sat side by side against the glass display window. He bought some food and drinks.
A minute later, Wan Sisi sipped her instant coffee in small, careful mouthfuls. Gradually, her tension eased—replaced by something almost like quiet exhilaration. She lowered her head, murmuring almost to herself: "He held my hand. And bought me coffee..."
"What's that?"
"Nothing!" Wan Sisi's head snapped up, flustered. "Thank you for the coffee."
Gao Yang bit into a hot dog. "Alright. Why were you following me?"
Wan Sisi dropped her gaze again, her voice shrinking. "Gao Yang... You must be heartbroken about Li Weiwei, right?"
Gao Yang blinked, silent.
"You've seemed like a different person lately. You barely talk to anyone in class. Just sit there alone, staring into space." There was genuine concern in her tone.
"Have I?"
Gao Yang felt a spark of gratitude: Thanks for the heads-up. Seems I'll need to maintain my usual social circles going forward—otherwise I'll start raising suspicions.
"Death is... death. No one wanted this to happen..." Wan Sisi stole a cautious glance at him. "Please don't let it consume you. If you need to talk to someone, I'm here."
Gao Yang stopped eating and turned to study her properly: chin-length hair, straight bangs framing an oval face. Clear skin. Delicate, almost fragile build. Large eyes that blinked shyly, nervously—like a timid fawn.
Wan Sisi always spoke in a near-whisper, as if perpetually apologizing for occupying space. She struggled to meet people's eyes—the kind of soft, yielding girl that everyone, affectionately or otherwise, loved to tease.
Plenty of boys liked her, actually. She just never seemed to notice.
Normally, their relationship was cordial enough. Wan Sisi was the class English representative; Gao Yang occasionally asked her for help with English problems. But since Li Weiwei's death, he'd barely spoken two words to her. No wonder she'd grown worried.
Caught in his direct stare, Wan Sisi's face reddened again. She looked away, constrained. "Sorry... Forget I said anything..."
"Thanks." Gao Yang offered a grateful smile. "Didn't realize you cared this much."
"No! I don't care!" she denied immediately, though her expression betrayed her. "We're classmates, that's all! It's expected!"
"Don't worry. I'm not letting it consume me. Just need a few days to adjust."
They chatted on for a while—idle talk about life, university applications—until their drinks ran cold and their snacks vanished.
Wan Sisi volunteered to clear the trash. She glanced left and right, and when she thought no one was looking, she secretly slipped the disposable paper cup from her instant coffee into her pocket, her face radiant with happiness.
Gao Yang saw everything.
Wan Sisi... is she crushing on me?
Then he remembered his birthday night. Li Weiwei, who had nearly killed him—perhaps Wan Sisi was the same: whispering affection one moment, transforming into a ravenous Chī Beast the next.
Complex emotions churned in his chest.
They parted ways outside the convenience store. Gao Yang watched until her joyful silhouette disappeared around the street corner before reopening his system.
His Luck points hadn't doubled. So Wan Sisi truly posed no threat.
After this small interlude, Gao Yang continued walking. Two minutes later, he stopped again.
Wait... that feeling of being followed. It was still there.
Come to think of it, his senses had sharpened considerably—probably from his increased Mental Power. So these attribute boosts actually did work.
Gao Yang suddenly accelerated. At the next intersection, he spun around, hurled his backpack aside, and ducked behind a vending machine, holding his breath.
Seven or eight seconds later, a figure came jogging around the corner. The person immediately noticed the bag on the ground and bent to retrieve it—when Gao Yang sprang out: "Wang Zikai?!"
Wang Zikai jumped, yelping. "Agh—!"
"You're following me too?"
Wang Zikai laughed sheepishly. "Damn, bro! I was hiding so well! How'd you spot me?"
"I told you to stay home and cultivate properly!"
Gao Yang sighed with exasperation, a headache blooming behind his eyes: Brother, if you're determined to seek death like this, there's nothing I can do to protect you.
Wang Zikai's face crumpled miserably. "This cultivation shit is so fucking boring, I can't take it anymore!"
"How do you expect to get stronger without training?"
"Can't we just go kill some monsters? Or do literally anything else... Sitting in meditation every day—does that actually make you stronger? Feels like complete bullshit to me!"
Of course not.
But if you'd just stop making trouble, you might actually survive.
Gao Yang exhaled slowly. "Your constitution is extremely special. Your growth rate is slower than ours, but once you've mastered it, you'll surpass us all. You need patience. As the saying goes: 'When Heaven intends to place a great burden on a man, it will first exhaust his mind and body with suffering, famish his skin and flesh, and empty his being...'"
"I know, I know the logic." Wang Zikai looked utterly pitiful. "But it's just so tedious!"
Gao Yang fell silent.
Seeing Gao Yang's expression darken, Wang Zikai immediately switched to placating mode: "Bro, bro, don't be mad! I'll go back and keep cultivating, okay?"
"Quiet."
"What is it?" Wang Zikai dropped his voice, craning his neck with sudden excitement.
"We're... being followed."
Gao Yang was going to lose his mind.
Is this ever going to end?