The Bumpy Skeleton

After looking through information for a while longer, Wang Yi got up and stretched, then prepared to head out for food.

"I can't keep doing this. Looking through material every night is enough. Staying cooped up every day is making me lose my human touch."

Without realizing it, he had slipped back into the state of hiding out in his Mage Tower in another world. Wang Yi felt that he should make a few changes.

He had already returned to the modern world. There were no threats surrounding him, so there was no need for it at all.

There was plenty to eat around Shudian. Someone even noticed the physique beneath Wang Yi's T-shirt and asked whether he acted.

On his second day back in the modern world, Wang Yi went straight to Snack Street and completed the full sweep, scoring every little shop in his mind so he could pick out a few places to eat at in the future.

Casually biting into a fish ball skewer, he flicked the stick into a trash can several meters away after finishing it, then stuck out his tongue to lick the sauce from his lips.

It had to be said, there really were a lot of beautiful women in Shudian. They were quite pleasing to the eye.

He did not want to waste time and energy, but Wang Yi would not reject the occasional encounter that did not take much time and was not illegal.

"Oh-ho, girls in white stockings really are easier on the eyes."

Watching a beauty in white stockings pass by, wearing exquisite light makeup and cool clothes, Wang Yi gave her a few extra looks. Even in Shudian, she stood out from the crowd.

But his break was over. He still had to replenish a few Silver Bracelets as backups.

Natural mana nourished them far too slowly. Li Yao's Resentful Spirit was still dumb as ever and completely useless.

It would be nice if he could catch a fresher one.

In this mana-lazy world, even the birth of Resentful Spirits was fiercely competitive. Wang Yi was already considering putting up a Supernatural Affairs Office sign and taking on some side jobs.

Hmm, he also needed to go to the slaughterhouse and buy some cow bones. He would put together a skeleton first and have it do odd jobs.

One skeleton would not be much trouble. He could usually leave it in his room as some kind of novelty collectible. But if he wanted to use skeletons on a large scale in a factory later on, he would need to find a better location. He also had to think through the final fixed site for his Mage Tower and such.

None of that could be accomplished in the short term, though, so Wang Yi only gave it some cursory consideration.

After buying the silver bracelets and placing a big order for several dozen jin of carefully selected cow bones at the market, Wang Yi casually lifted the sack of bones with one hand.

"Whoa, young man, you're really strong."

The meat stall owner gave Wang Yi a thumbs-up.

He could lift it with one hand too, but he definitely could not make it look that effortless. As a butcher, he was built far sturdier than Wang Yi and had plenty of strength in his arms.

"I like eating cow bones, so I'm strong."

Wang Yi grinned, but just then, his phone rang.

He had thought it might be Li Vida, that copyright peddler, but when he picked it up, he saw that it was Liu Xiaoke, whom he had only added yesterday.

"Hello? What made Sister Xiaoke think of contacting me? Is there some good news?"

Holding the cow bones in one hand and his phone in the other, Wang Yi's voice carried a touch of teasing.

"Um, A Yi, there's something I'd like to ask you to help with."

"Sure. What is it?"

Although they had not known each other long, Wang Yi could tell that Liu Xiaoke was not the kind of person who casually troubled others, so he agreed right away.

If his judgment had been wrong and it really was some enormous hassle, he would still take it on. He could consider her previous financial aid repaid.

"Uh, I don't know how, but the bed in my room broke. I ordered a new one, and they'll deliver it to my door, but I need to clear out space myself. I'm not strong enough."

Wang Yi could not help recalling how he had fallen onto the bed when he came back. Could I have broken it...?

"Ahem, no problem. I'm buying groceries at the market right now and heading back."

"You know how to cook?"

Liu Xiaoke seemed quite surprised.

Uncle Li was a good man, but all the rental rooms had been modified. Each had its own bathroom, but there was only one shared kitchen on each floor.

Still, hardly anyone used it on ordinary days.

For many people, finding time to cook for themselves was actually a luxury...

"Uh, I guess I do."

Wang Yi glanced at the cow bones he had bought. Even if they ate some, there should still be enough left, right? Probably...

"That's so many cow bones! How did you know I like cow bones? This is my specialty!"

The surprised voice did not belong to Liu Xiaoke, but to the one-meter-ninety Ma Dong.

Looking at the burly man getting off a Pink Scooter at the stairwell, Wang Yi could not help giving him a deadpan look.

Like hell I knew you liked them!

"So many? You won't finish them anytime soon. My room is big, and I have a freezer. I'll store them for you."

A rather ferocious-looking smile appeared on Ma Dong's villainous face, though the little pink helmet on his head made it somewhat comical.

Then he came over, acting like they were old friends, to help Wang Yi carry them.

After hearing that, Wang Yi really could not refuse. The man meant well, and he truly did not have a freezer—not even a refrigerator. Could he really say that he had bought the bones to assemble a large figurine? That would be too strange.

Forget it. He would just treat them as groceries to cook and eat. He could buy more tomorrow.

"So heavy."

Taking Wang Yi's bag, Ma Dong nearly failed to lift it at first.

The bag looked large enough on the outside, but he had assumed it was mostly held up by half a rack of bones. Who would have thought the gaps inside were nearly filled as well?

"You really have trained before. With your build, becoming a featured extra would be easy. If you're agile enough, you might even become a stunt double. You wouldn't have to show your face—just show off your physique, then cut to the male lead. You'd definitely be in high demand."

As Ma Dong strained to carry Wang Yi's cow bones up to the third floor, his mouth kept running nonstop.

When the two of them arrived upstairs, they found Liu Xiaoke already waiting at the door. Since Ma Dong had not stopped talking the entire way, she was not surprised to see them come up together.

"A Yi bought these? That's so much."

Hearing Liu Xiaoke call A Yi so affectionately, Ma Dong felt a little sour inside. He then cleared his throat and said,

"Sister Xiaoke, I'll let you see Brother Ma's skills later. I guarantee you'll swallow your tongue."

After thumping his chest and boasting for a while, Ma Dong turned back to Wang Yi.

"I'll put the extra ones in the freezer first."

"Thanks for the trouble."

"Ah, it's nothing. The space is empty anyway. I usually don't have much time to make my own food, so this is fate. I'll go prepare the ingredients."

Ma Dong grinned.

"Then we'll be relying on Brother Ma's cooking later. A Yi, come on, come in with me."

Liu Xiaoke gave Ma Dong a sweet smile as well, then waved Wang Yi over and opened the door to her room...

Watching the two walk inside while talking about the bed and such, Ma Dong, carrying a huge sack of cow bones, felt utterly lost in the wind.

He looked at the cow bones in his hands and suddenly found them far less appealing.

After sighing, he still returned to his room in silence to prepare the ingredients.

Before long, loud thump-thump-thump sounds echoed out—the heavy chopping of bones...

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First chapter. The review process might be stricter lately, so please bear with it if review delays cause any skipped chapters.