He wanted to quickly go see the fat guy; after all, in this sect, the fat guy was his only friend.
Arriving at the North Peak chore duty area, perhaps due to the quiet surroundings, the snoring was especially loud and clear. As soon as Meng Hao got close, he heard the rumbling snores coming from inside the room.
Meng Hao was very familiar with this sound. Having stayed in the chore duty room for four months, he heard this snoring every day.
The horse-faced youth in charge of the North District chore duty room was sitting cross-legged on a large rock. At this moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, startled as he looked at Meng Hao. Very quickly, he stood up and cupped his fist in greeting.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Meng!”
He wanted to quickly go see the fat guy; after all, in this sect, the fat guy was his only friend.
Arriving at the North Peak chore duty area, perhaps due to the quiet surroundings, the snoring was especially loud and clear. As soon as Meng Hao got close, he heard the rumbling snores coming from inside the room.
Meng Hao was very familiar with this sound. Having stayed in the chore duty room for four months, he heard this snoring every day.
The horse-faced youth in charge of the North District chore duty room was sitting cross-legged on a large rock. At this moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, startled as he looked at Meng Hao. Very quickly, he stood up and cupped his fist in greeting.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Meng!”
In the past few days, there had been many rumors about Meng Hao; how could this horse-faced youth not know?
“Senior Brother, there’s no need for such formality,” Meng Hao said. “I’m just here to see an old acquaintance!”
Meng Hao looked at the horse-faced youth. His cultivation was clearly at the third level of the Qi Condensation Stage; it seemed he had been stuck there for many years.
The horse-faced Senior Brother nodded, watching Meng Hao step into the chore duty yard. He then sat cross-legged in his original spot again, his expression a little complex. He sighed inwardly, then closed his eyes without speaking.
Meng Hao entered the chore duty room and saw the western room. As he approached, he heard the fat guy’s snores echoing through the heavens and earth. When Meng Hao pushed the door open and entered, a strange look appeared on his face, and the discomfort in his heart greatly diminished.
Inside the room, the fat guy lay on his back, spread out like the character ‘Da’, snoring non-stop. The bed next to him had been moved, blocking the corner of the room, creating a gap between the bed and the wall.
There, a big man who called himself Lord Tiger was present. At this moment, he was sound asleep, but his body was curled up, and his face still carried a look of fear, as if he was experiencing something terrifying in his dream.
The wooden bed was covered with countless teeth marks; some spots were directly bitten through, looking truly tattered. And the table that had been there before was gone. Meng Hao could imagine that the table had probably been bitten to pieces. Even the four walls had teeth marks. Only the bed the fat guy was lying on had no teeth marks at all, a stark contrast.
As he watched, the big man in that spot suddenly trembled, his eyes tightly shut as he let out a miserable groan; he must have been having a nightmare. Looking at his pale and sallow appearance, his dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept for a long time, Meng Hao couldn’t imagine what tragic events the other party had encountered to be tormented into such a state.
Hearing the big man’s groans, the fat guy impatiently opened his eyes. When he saw Meng Hao, he immediately became excited.
“Wild Chiggen, did you bring any wild chiggen?”
Meng Hao looked at the fat guy and couldn’t help but smile.
The fat guy was still as round as a barrel, not having lost any weight; in fact, he seemed a little fatter. Especially his fangs; when he spoke, his teeth gleamed, and they seemed to have grown by half their length.
“I heard you’ve reached the first level of Qi Condensation,” Meng Hao said. “I came to see you, but I was in a hurry, so I didn’t bring anything!”
Meng Hao sat by the fat guy’s bed, looked at his teeth, and said with a smile.
That night, the fat guy was immersed in his own smug satisfaction, talking a great deal. Meng Hao spoke less and less, eventually just listening to the fat guy's incessant chatter. As the moonlight faded and the sun began to rise, the wound in Meng Hao's heart slowly closed, but the scar remained. Like the fingernails left behind in his cave abode, and the cold glint hidden in his eyes that outsiders couldn't perceive, all merged into the sixteen or seventeen-year-old Meng Hao, making him much more mature.
Early that morning, as the burly man who called himself Hu Jia grew so emotional that tears welled up in his eyes, Meng Hao led the fat guy out of the North District. The fat guy was deeply moved. As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, he ran back to hug the burly man. He said a few words, though what they were, Meng Hao didn't know, but the burly man's face immediately drained of color, and his body trembled.
“What did you say to him?”
As they neared the Outer Sect, Meng Hao couldn't help but ask.
“He’s a good person,” the fat guy said, a look of sorrow on his face. “He was my good friend when you left the Servants’ Quarters. You saw how sad he was when I left; I couldn’t bear it either. So I went back and told him I’d make time to visit him again in a few days!”
“Don’t let his fierce appearance fool you; he’s actually very timid. He often has nightmares at night, it’s quite pitiful!” The fat guy shook his head, sighing with emotion.
Meng Hao immediately fell silent, not mentioning the burly man again until the two of them entered the Outer Sect. Along the way, anyone who saw Meng Hao displayed expressions of disdain and scrutiny.
“Oh!? Well, of course! Meng Hao, you’re doing really well in the Outer Sect, aren’t you? So many people are looking at you along the way!” The fat guy exclaimed excitedly, thinking that with Meng Hao backing him, he wouldn’t be bullied in the Outer Sect anymore.
Meng Hao smiled, offering no explanation. When they arrived in front of the Treasure Pavilion, Meng Hao stopped, not entering. After saying a few words to the fat guy, he simply watched as the other man scurried inside.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fat guy emerged excitedly, holding a small sword. The sword seemed to be covered in a layer of fish scales, rough to the touch, and not at all sharp.
“Meng Hao, look at the treasure I got! This is a real treasure!”
The fat youth excitedly fiddled with the small sword in his hand. Meng Hao looked on in surprise, wondering why he considered this a treasure. But then, he watched as the fat youth brought the sword to his mouth and began rubbing it back and forth against his teeth like a grinding machine. The *shua-shua* scraping sound that echoed out left Meng Hao not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
“Good stuff! My teeth keep growing longer and longer. I’ve found plenty of things to grind them on, but none of them last more than a few days, so I always have to waste so much time looking for new ones.” The more the fat youth thought about it, the happier he became.
That day, Meng Hao took the fat youth around to help him familiarize himself with the Outer Sect. He also suggested that they share a cave abode, but the fat youth refused. Having shared cramped quarters with so many people in the past, he had long yearned to become an Outer Sect disciple just to have his own place. No matter how Meng Hao tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t agree, insisting that he would only feel truly satisfied living on his own.
Meng Hao didn’t press the matter further. That evening, he returned to his own cave abode and sat down cross-legged to cultivate.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed. Two months prior, Meng Hao had resumed setting up his stall in the low-level public district. Perhaps because his clash with Wang Tengfei had caused such a massive stir, many people had their eyes on him, which in turn caused the business at his miscellaneous goods stall to flourish more and more.
In addition to medicinal pills, Meng Hao began dealing in magical artifacts, which boosted his business even further. However, he was no longer working alone. Beside him now was always a fat youth, constantly clutching a flying sword and grinding his teeth. This fat youth actually possessed quite a knack for business; he would occasionally run into the market crowd to hawk and promote their wares, becoming an indispensable partner. Working in tandem with Meng Hao, his efforts had significantly increased their earnings over the past few days.
Then came a day when the harsh winter arrived, and snowflakes danced across the sky. Meng Hao was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed on Pingding Mountain when suddenly, the fat youth opened his eyes, let out a loud shout, and came running toward him, dragging someone along.
“Meng Hao, Meng Hao, look who’s here!”