Meow Meow Meow

Pain swept through his entire body, leaving Lu Yibai at a loss for words.

A grown man was enjoying the full-service "menstrual pain" experience. It was quite something.

After who knew how long, Lu Yibai opened his eyes and recovered from his cultivation state.

He braced both hands against the floor and panted heavily.

Watching Lu Yibai gasp like a madman, Lin Xiaoqi said in the uniquely calm, experienced tone of someone who had been there:

"Your first time lasted longer than I expected."

A man whose body seemed hollowed out, unable even to sit steadily.

A woman who looked as if nothing had happened.

And then there was that line.

The imagery was rather powerful.

If Lu Yibai's mind weren't blank right now, he definitely would have made a few sarcastic remarks.

His "Gintama-style" dead-fish eyes narrowed slightly. After a while, he finally recovered from the pain.

Even so, he still felt some soreness throughout his body.

But his body also felt much lighter.

It was a little like getting a professional massage from an old master. The process hurt terribly, but afterward, his entire body felt refreshed.

Lu Yibai closed his eyes and vaguely sensed the tiny points of light gathered inside his body.

They were scattered and sparse, like seeing a few scattered fireflies in the wilderness.

But they truly existed!

Was this the power of the Night Watchmen?

"Do you cultivate every day?" Lu Yibai remembered something and asked Lin Xiaoqi.

"Of course, boss."

According to Lin Xiaoqi's instructions, because his level was currently too low, he was still only an apprentice Night Watchman. Thus, the pain he experienced during cultivation was also at its lowest.

Lin Xiaoqi was certainly much stronger than him, so naturally, she endured much more pain.

And that was every day!

She seemed to see what Lu Yibai was thinking and said casually, "I'm used to it!"

Up to now, Lu Yibai had been enduring the pain and cultivating through sheer novelty.

He had no idea how long he could keep it up.

He also couldn't understand, for now, what someone like Lin Xiaoqi cultivated day after day for.

At present, he was too lazy to think about it. He had sweated so much that it was as if he had just gone through intense exercise—and at an extremely high frequency, too.

He needed a wash.

Every room on the second floor of Answer Bar had its own bathroom, and the facilities were decent enough.

This also avoided the clichéd scenes in urban novels where men and women shared a bathroom and wound up in some extremely awkward situation.

Of course, if that kind of thing happened in real life, not many people would refuse it.

Crow City had already begun to feel slightly cool in October. Lu Yibai was surprised to discover that this bar didn't have hot water.

Later, he realized it was because hot water wasn't necessary.

Even with his current physique, he could tolerate cold water without feeling chilly.

He had only cultivated once, yet the results were already quite noticeable.

So far, he still didn't know what his cultivation method was called. Lin Xiaoqi said it had no name.

Should it be called "Pain Cultivation," or "Divine Self-Abuse Technique"?

It definitely couldn't be called "Menstrual Pain Technique," right?

After cleaning himself up, Lu Yibai felt a little hungry.

"Come on, let's go eat. My treat!" Lu Yibai said to Lin Xiaoqi.

"Are we going somewhere nice?" Lin Xiaoqi asked excitedly.

"Of course. Pick any restaurant you like!"

Crow City's cost of living was still far below that of the major cities. For Lu Yibai, who had money from a demolition payout, saying that came with plenty of confidence.

Although Lin Xiaoqi was somewhat lazy and lax, she had still put her whole heart into teaching him the technique. Treating her to a meal was only right.

"Boss, you looked especially cool when you said that!" Lin Xiaoqi said as she kicked off her slippers and changed into a pair of white canvas shoes. Then she turned around and urged him, "Come on, boss!"

Lu Yibai: "..."

How poor and hard-up had this girl been when she worked as Ji Dekeng's assistant?

The place to eat was chosen by Lin Xiaoqi. It wasn't far from Answer Bar, only about a ten-minute walk away. It was a restaurant with a fairly nice atmosphere.

"Boss, try the pickled-cabbage fish here. It's amazing!"

Lin Xiaoqi seemed to have an especial fondness for fish, living up to her codename, Night Cat.

Watching Lin Xiaoqi rapidly sweep through the food, Lu Yibai couldn't help asking curiously, "I've been running the bar for five days now. How come nothing seems to have happened?"

Lu Yibai wasn't so perverse that he felt uncomfortable if he didn't work. He was simply puzzled. This area seemed incredibly peaceful.

Demons and monsters? None whatsoever!

"Boss... didn't I tell you... Mmph—it's delicious! Ji Dekeng and I have the best performance records... Boss, you should eat too. Have some more!"

"That doesn't make sense. If your performance is good, shouldn't that mean you've dealt with many of the demons and monsters you mentioned?" Lu Yibai continued asking.

Lin Xiaoqi lightly dabbed the corner of her mouth with a tissue. Still picking up fish, she said, "Boss, you've got it backward!"

After Lin Xiaoqi explained it, Lu Yibai immediately understood.

It was like the police solving a murder case at lightning speed. That would naturally be impressive.

But what if murders kept happening in one area, one after another?

That meant the area wasn't being properly controlled!

After all, the Night Watchmen's duty wasn't to eliminate every supernatural, nonhuman creature.

Lin Xiaoqi had even revealed that there were some nonhuman members within the Night Watchmen, certain monsters that were relatively friendly toward humans.

This wasn't an extremely radical organization.

As long as everyone was willing to coexist peacefully, there would be no trouble.

Thus, the more stable and harmonious an area was, the better its performance record!

It was extremely consistent with the "Core Socialist Values"!

Now he understood why, when he had asked Lin Xiaoqi whether she would follow Ji Dekeng to Magic City, she had said no and claimed that Crow City was more comfortable.

Given her lazy and carefree nature, peaceful Crow City was naturally her best option.

"Should we order more dishes?" Lu Yibai had no choice but to ask as he looked at the thoroughly cleaned table.

"Oh, that would be too embarrassing!" Lin Xiaoqi said, her face full of anticipation.

Lu Yibai: "..."

Fortunately, he had money. He was a second-generation demolition beneficiary.

After finishing their meal, Lu Yibai and Lin Xiaoqi went to a nearby supermarket to buy some daily necessities.

In Lu Yibai's mind, girls like Lin Xiaoqi, who had a bit of a foodie streak, should all enjoy snacks. So he let her pick some for herself.

After all, she was currently responsible for teaching him cultivation, and a boss had to show the generosity befitting a boss.

Lin Xiaoqi was quite polite and didn't take too much.

Hmm, she was a girl who had a good sense of propriety and knew her limits.

But when it came time to pay, Lu Yibai was stunned.

How could such a small amount of snacks cost so much?

He looked more closely. Every snack Lin Xiaoqi had chosen was the most expensive of its kind.

Forget it. She had no sense of propriety at all and absolutely no restraint!

Fortunately, I'm a second-generation demolition beneficiary.

Seeing the faint resentment in Lu Yibai's dead-fish eyes, Lin Xiaoqi glanced at the price, stuck out her little tongue, and pretended not to understand, though there was a hint of guilt in her voice:

"Meow meow meow?"

(PS: This is the first update. The contract for my new novel still hasn't been mailed, so I'm currently publishing without a contract. There aren't many new readers yet, and I'm relying entirely on your support, so please don't hold back on your recommendation votes. And please remember to add the novel to your shelves. At the very least, help me secure a place on the urban new-book rankings. You know me—I care about my reputation.)