How could this little food possibly be enough for me?
But looking at Zhou Nan across from him, he couldn't bully such an enthusiastic classmate.
Then...
Shi Tiexin swept his gaze around the cafeteria, trying to find another way in. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He had it!
"Let's go." Shi Tiexin picked up his tray and stood. Zhou Nan had no idea why, but he obediently followed behind. Seeing Shi Tiexin march toward a clear target without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Nan secretly glanced over in curiosity and immediately understood who he was after.
It was actually Teng Chaoguo's four lackeys!
The four lackeys, bruised and battered, sat at a table with miserable faces. The area where they usually sat had always been utterly empty within a two-meter radius, with no one daring to join their table. But now, the four of them could only squeeze into the crowd. The Street Sweeping Tiger's intimidating Killing Intent seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Teng Chaoguo hadn't come.
That was only natural. With Teng Piss-Drinker's current reputation, how could he possibly show his face in public? In fact, Teng Chaoguo had not even met with his lackeys. The four of them had no idea where he had gone or what he was planning. They could only sit obediently in the cafeteria, eating with furrowed brows. Those with aching teeth bared their teeth and clutched their cheeks, their faces full of misery.
Just then, someone walked over and slammed a tray down onto the table between them.
The four lackeys immediately flared with anger. They were about to turn their heads and curse out of habit when they looked up and saw a nightmare-like figure.
It was Shi Tiexin.
Zhou Nan followed behind him.
"Y-you, you, you—!" The four nearly leaped to their feet in fright, shocked and confused, with no idea what this big brother intended to do in the cafeteria.
Big brother, we did offend you before, and we offended you badly. But surely throwing Teng Chaoguo in a soup vat wasn't enough for you? You don't want to throw us in there to soak too, do you? This is still the cafeteria, big brother. Please consider the impact!
The four of them thought much like Zhou Nan, but Shi Tiexin paid them no attention. After setting down his tray, he saw that all four had stood up, so he sat down grandly in the empty seat. Without saying a word, he swept his eyes over them, then suddenly reached out and dragged their trays in front of himself.
These bastards seemed to have extorted me before... Thinking carefully, they had even specifically surrounded me to steal the Elite Class's specially luxurious meals... And they blocked me three times a day!
What did one beating even count for against these shriveled little bastards? How many times had these people beaten me? And what about all the delicious food they had extorted away?
So today, no need to talk about anything else. First, I'll collect the interest for that other consciousness!
Other consciousness, watch carefully. Make them spit back out everything they ate from us!
Without the slightest courtesy, Shi Tiexin picked up a piece of meat. His pearly white teeth snapped together, cleanly biting off all the lean meat. Before he had even chewed or swallowed, the remaining fatty portion landed back on its owner's tray with a smack.
The four men and Zhou Nan beside them were all dumbfounded. Like lackeys serving a big shot during a meal, they formed a circle around Shi Tiexin. The four were at a complete loss and heartbroken beyond measure as they watched Shi Tiexin sweep through all the lean meat like a gale scattering clouds, leaving every piece of fatty meat behind.
In the blink of an eye, the cups and plates were a complete mess.
Yet the four of them did not dare move. They did not even dare speak.
Shi Tiexin had beaten the fear into them. It wasn't as though their injuries were that terrible; after all, none of them had lost an arm or a leg. But Shi Tiexin's imposing might and dominance had shaken them to their core. How could they dare act up again?
Now, they felt an inescapable sense of destiny, like the cycle of Heaven and the turning of karmic retribution. Bullies had met an even crueler bully; bad men had met an even worse man. Never before had the four felt so wronged or so powerless.
The four looked pitiful, but Shi Tiexin showed no mercy.
Eating only meat wouldn't do either. Nutrition needed to be balanced. Shi Tiexin picked up some greens with his chopsticks, looked at the old oil coating them, then dunked them in the four men's soup bowls as though swishing hotpot before taking them out, stuffing them into his mouth, crunching them up, and swallowing.
It wasn't that I was picky. This had to be done properly; too much grease was bad for Essence Nurturing.
As the saying went, one never tired of fine grain or finely sliced meat. One major trait of Body Nourishing Essence Food was refinement—exceptional refinement. To nurture Essence quickly, this was how one had to eat.
And the quantity had to keep up too.
Thus, Shi Tiexin picked up another huge mouthful of vegetables and soaked them in the soup bowls. The four watched their own bowls, oil slicks floating on the surface, their faces twitching as they had no idea what to say.
Chopstickful after chopstickful, Shi Tiexin ate incredibly fast. Before long, he set down his chopsticks and let out a long breath.
Mm, not bad. It'll do.
But it wouldn't do to have one meal and no next meal. This had to flow steadily like a thin stream, with sustainable development, so... Shi Tiexin stood up, looked at the four men, and said with an unyielding force that allowed no argument, "Every meal, here." He jabbed the table hard, glared around like a beast, and emphasized, "Every meal."
The four men's eyes widened instantly.
I-I, I...
Ignoring their reactions, Shi Tiexin turned and left, dashing off with effortless swagger. It looked as though he had even left the task of clearing his tray to the four of them. The four men and Zhou Nan—five people in all—stood there blankly watching Shi Tiexin walk out of the cafeteria. Only after his tall back disappeared beyond the doors did the four come to their senses.
They seemed to have been... extorted?!
Zhou Nan's expression was the most complicated. Hard—he had to admit, this guy was really hard. He had been hard from the first moment Zhou Nan saw him, and now he was hard as iron.
But one mountain could not hold two tigers. Class 28, First Year could only have one Boss. You couldn't become one of the Four Heavenly Kings by being someone else's lackey. After thinking it over and over, Zhou Nan still felt that Shi Tiexin could not possibly have discovered that he was the one plotting behind the scenes. Otherwise, his fate could not have been like this—his own tray had not been touched at all.
So there was still room to keep stabbing people in the back.
"You lot look like you'll be meal tickets for a long time from now on." Zhou Nan cast a sidelong glance at the four, truly experiencing what it meant for one side to rise as the other fell. Not long ago, these people had strutted their stuff in front of him, as if nobody in the world could touch them. Now, who still cared about them?
Four dogs that had lost their homes gathered together were still just a pack of homeless dogs.
"You motherf—!" The four slammed the table and were about to roar.
But Zhou Nan immediately spat in disdain. "What, am I wrong? Didn't you hear that guy? Every meal, you have to make offerings here and pay tribute. Do you dare not come?"
Tomorrow was New Year's Eve. Because I'm on duty, I can't personally offer New Year greetings, so let me wish everyone a happy Spring Festival in advance today! Shou Shou has been working hard these past few days and has saved up a small stockpile of chapters. Together with the regular daily updates, there should be a small burst of releases. Starting from New Year's Eve, there will be three updates a day, and it should last until the third day of the Lunar New Year! So, it's the New Year—won't everyone give me some bookmarks, recommendations, and good ratings? ~~
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