Getting Kept to This Extent

Dusk deepened.

Cheng Han entered Shanyi Neighborhood and rode on for a while longer. He spotted two small figures playing beside his house.

Even from over ten meters away, he recognized them at once as the two children from next door.

One was a six-year-old boy named Zhang Tie. The other was a girl named Zhang Wen, who was a little younger at only four.

Cheng Han muttered quietly, "Could the smell of the bird I roasted in the kitchen last night have drifted next door through the flue?"

It was early autumn, and the temperature had dropped to around fifteen degrees. It was rather cold, and night was about to fall completely. What child would still be outside at this hour? The only answer was that they appeared to be playing, but were actually hoping to smell roasted meat again.

Cheng Han sighed softly. "Is this like quenching thirst by gazing at plums?"

The commoners in Shanyi Neighborhood generally had low incomes. The family next door had three children, so life was naturally quite difficult for them. They probably only got to eat meat once every ten days or half a month.

The two children had most likely been craving it for a long time before doing something like this.

Cheng Han jumped off his bicycle and pressed the bell on the handlebars.

"Ding-ling~"

The crisp ring startled the two children.

Zhang Tie turned around, looking alarmed as he stammered, "G-good evening!"

Zhang Wen hid behind her brother, her small hands tightly clutching his clothes.

Cheng Han looked at their patched clothing and gave them a gentle smile. "Hey, do you want some Mandarin Orange Candy?"

He took two pieces of candy from his pocket and held them out to the children.

Mandarin Orange Candy was a fairly common confection. It sold for four Copper Coins apiece in stores, which was not cheap. Low-income families naturally could not bear to buy it.

Perhaps only during the New Year or major holidays like the Divine Banyan Festival would these two children have a chance to eat candy.

Zhang Tie's eyes were full of longing, but he ultimately shook his head. "My mom said I can't take other people's things casually."

Zhang Wen peeked out from behind him and could not help swallowing.

"Gulp!"

Cheng Han deliberately put on an unhappy tone. "Hey, I've lived in Shanyi Neighborhood for more than half a year. Do you still treat me like a stranger?"

Zhang Tie hurriedly shook his head. "I don't!"

Cheng Han asked with a grin, "If I'm not a stranger, then I'm someone you know, right?"

Zhang Tie was stumped.

The child felt that something was wrong with those words, but he could not figure out what.

Cheng Han continued teasing the child. "Since we know each other so well, I want to give you a little something, but you refuse. Isn't that terribly rude?"

Zhang Tie wanted to explain, but he did not know how to defend himself. His little face turned red with anxiety.

Cheng Han laughed and stuffed the candy directly into his hand. "You have to be a polite child, so you must accept the candy."

Zhang Tie was completely confused. Accepting it felt wrong, but refusing it felt wrong too.

Cheng Han patted both children on the head and pushed his bicycle toward his house.

Zhang Tie glanced at the candy in his hand, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "This candy is too expensive! We really can't take it!"

Cheng Han stopped. He activated the Spirit Universe Imprint with his mind, and his eyes became slightly deeper.

He turned back to look at the boy, his voice carrying a trace of strange power. "Accept the candy and go home quickly!"

A flicker of confusion passed through Zhang Tie's eyes. The resistance in his heart vanished without a trace as he replied, "Okay!"

Cheng Han curled his lips into a smile, took out his key, opened the door, and carried the bicycle inside.

Besides enhancing Spirit Value, the Spirit Universe Imprint could silently seep into another person's Sea of Spirit, influencing their subconscious and making them obey his will.

Zhang Tie had obediently listened because he had been affected by the imprint.

Of course, with Cheng Han's current strength, he could only influence ordinary people. It would not work on Powerhouses at the Warrior level or above.

Outside the door.

Zhang Wen tugged on her brother's sleeve, her little face full of longing. "Big Brother, can I eat some candy?"

The little girl licked her lips and added, "Just one small piece."

Zhang Tie shook his head. "We'll talk about it when we get home."

Zhang Wen immediately looked disappointed.

But Zhang Tie's next words made her happy again at once. "Later, I'll cut each piece of candy into four. Two pieces make eight, and then we can eat one piece each day. That way, they'll last a long time."

The moment Cheng Han entered, he heard his Black Cat's customary greeting.

"Meow~"

Sheriff darted over, rubbed against his owner's trouser leg, then turned and lightly ran a few steps before stopping at the kitchen door.

Cheng Han followed it over and immediately saw a gray, dusty little animal lying motionless beside the stove. A smile appeared on his face.

It was a Cave Rabbit.

Yesterday, he had told the Black Cat not to catch birds anymore and to hunt Cave Rabbits instead. He had not expected it to actually bring one back.

"Meow~"

The Black Cat cried out, sat beside the rabbit, and looked up at its owner as though waiting for praise.

Cheng Han glanced at the rabbit, then at the Black Cat, and asked in surprise, "How did you catch such a big rabbit?"

This Cave Rabbit was longer than an adult's forearm and likely weighed no less than five jin.

The Black Cat only weighed around ten jin, yet it had caught prey half its own weight and dragged it back. It was truly astonishing.

Sheriff gently flicked its tail, seeming quite pleased with itself.

Cheng Han rubbed its head a few times and praised it lavishly. "You're getting better and better!"

The Black Cat narrowed its eyes, its tail wagging even more happily.

Cheng Han picked up the Cave Rabbit, feeling its considerable weight, and became a little troubled. "Too much meat is troublesome too."

At school, Qian Qingqing fed him every day. Recently, Wan Tengjiao also seemed inclined to feed him. Then, after returning home, he was fed by the Black Cat as well.

Being kept to this extent, even he admired himself.

Cheng Han drew a small knife, gestured at the Cave Rabbit, and sighed. "This rabbit is too big. Skinning it will be quite a project!"

It took him a full half hour. By the time he finally skinned the rabbit, both hands were covered in blood.

Unfortunately, since it was his first time doing this and he lacked skill, the knife had cut several holes in what had been a perfectly good rabbit pelt, leaving it tattered and torn.

Cheng Han smacked his lips. "The quality is too poor. It probably won't sell for much."

"Meow~"

The Black Cat cried out, as if saying: It's fine, I can catch another one.

Next came lighting the fire and cooking.

Cheng Han first placed a piece of Honeycomb Fuel into the stove. Activating the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame with his mind, he gave a light wave of his right hand, scattering a large shower of sparks over the fuel's surface.

"Whoosh~"

Blazing flames surged up instantly.

In the past, he had needed to pour in a little Brown Oil to ignite the stove quickly.

By comparison, this method was clearly more convenient and efficient.

The Black Cat crouched nearby, watching without blinking.

Cheng Han grinned happily. "I can save money on Brown Oil from now on."

Last night, he had analyzed the sun once more. The Completeness of the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame had increased by 0.34%, reaching a new high of 1.52%. The temperature of the Extraordinary Flame had also risen significantly, enough to ignite fuel with ease.