The First Full Meal

The sky was faintly bright, like diluted ink, barely squeezing through the cobwebs on the broken window frame into this dark side room.

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

He didn't rise immediately but first carefully sensed the changes inside his body. A night of breath regulation, plus the "special" dinner from last night, had yielded significant results.

The "Crimson Sun" within him still rotated slowly at the center of his Sea of Qi, its light steady, radiating warmth that dispelled the morning chill. In his meridians, faint yet genuine threads of "Crimson Sun Qi and Blood" flowed like streams, nourishing the parched land. The bone-deep, icy cold that had plagued him for ten years was almost entirely gone, leaving only a weakness like recovering from a serious illness—but this weakness was rapidly being filled by newborn strength.

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked more crisply than the night before. Under the previously loose skin of his arms, he could faintly feel the outline of tightening muscle. The hunger remained, but it was no longer the burning emptiness that hollowed out his organs; instead, it had become a clear, directed need—his body, his "Crimson Sun," craved more, higher-quality energy.

His gaze swept over the nearly empty slop bucket in the corner of the room. The "essence" within it had been drained dry by him last night. What remained was true filth, from which even the "Crimson Sun" could extract nothing useful.

He had to find a new source of food—a better one.

He patted himself down and found only three worn copper coins, his entire fortune. These three coins weren't even enough to buy half a meat bun at a tavern, let alone the blood-rich meat of Fierce Beasts.

But sitting around waiting for death had never been his choice.

He listened carefully to the sounds outside the door. The two guards assigned to watch him seemed to be changing shifts. They exchanged a few low words, then one set of footsteps faded away, probably heading to breakfast, leaving only one person pacing outside.

An opportunity.

Li Yuan took a deep breath, loosened his joints, and walked to the door. He didn't try to break it down—that would be suicide. He needed to create a brief opening.

He raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door with his knuckles.

The pacing outside stopped. An impatient voice rang out: "What is it? Stay put!"

"This elder brother," Li Yuan made his voice sound as weak as possible, with a hint of a cough, "I... I have a terrible stomachache. I must have caught a chill last night. Could you... do me a favor and let me go to the outhouse?"

There was a moment of silence outside, as if weighing the request. The Third Elder's order was "keep a strict watch, don't let him leave," but he hadn't said anything about not using the toilet. Besides, the kid inside had been quiet since coming down from the Altar last night, looking half-dead. He probably couldn't pull any tricks.

"Troublesome!" the guard grumbled. "Hurry up! Don't try anything!"

The lock was opened. Li Yuan kept his head down, clutching his stomach, and walked out with unsteady steps. The guard was a dark-faced man. He eyed Li Yuan warily, saw that his complexion was still somewhat pale (a result of Li Yuan deliberately controlling his Qi and Blood), and his frame was thin and weak, hardly a threat. He waved his hand.

"The outhouse is in that corner. Go yourself! One incense stick's time. If you're not back, I'll come drag you out!"

"Thank you, elder brother." Li Yuan murmured his thanks, still clutching his stomach, and hurried in the direction the guard had pointed.

As soon as he was out of the guard's sight, he straightened up. The weakness vanished from his eyes, replaced by a sharp clarity. He didn't go to the outhouse. Instead, like a ghost, he used the shadows of the courtyard's rockeries and trees to quickly slip toward a remote side gate of the Li Family estate that he remembered.

He knew the Li Family grounds too well, especially the secluded paths used by servants and laborers. Soon, he reached the vicinity of the side gate without incident. The side gate usually had a guard, but it was early morning, shift change and breakfast time. The guard was lax, leaning by the gate and yawning.

Li Yuan held his breath, waited for a moment, and as the guard turned to speak with someone else, he slipped out silently like a civet cat, merging into the streets that had just begun to stir.

In the early morning of Black Mountain City, the air still carried last night's chill and the aroma of breakfast. Shops along the streets were opening one after another, and vendors' cries rose and fell.

Li Yuan had a clear goal. He didn't glance at the tempting bun shops or noodle stalls—those were beyond his means. Following his memory, he turned into a narrower, damper alley, its ground covered in sewage.

This was a mixed area of low-level martial artists and commoners in Black Mountain City. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, livestock, and a faint, barely noticeable scent of blood.

His eyes searched both sides of the alley and finally settled on an inconspicuous stall under a shabby awning. The stall owner was a burly man with a fierce face, wearing a greasy leather apron, busy at a large iron pot. The pot bubbled with murky, dark red broth, in which irregular, bone-in chunks of meat boiled, emitting a rich, slightly gamey odor.

"Broth made from Fierce Beast trimmings..." Li Yuan's heart stirred. These stalls sold the leftovers from hunters processing Fierce Beasts—scraps, sinew, bones, offal, and trim meat—at extremely low prices. Usually, only the most destitute laborers or low-level martial artists patronized them. Though the blood energy in these things was mixed and faint, it was still far better than ordinary livestock.

He walked to the stall and placed the three copper coins, warmed in his grip, on the grease-stained counter.

"One bowl of soup, extra meat." His voice was calm.

The stall owner glanced at him, saw a sallow, thin youth, said nothing, and scooped a large ladle of the dark red broth from the bottom of the pot, full of shredded meat and bones, into a chipped clay bowl. He handed it over.

Li Yuan took the bowl. His fingers touched the rim, feeling a warmth that was far beyond ordinary meat soup, a faint, restless heat. He didn't drink immediately. Instead, he carried the bowl quickly to a secluded corner deep in the alley, pressed his back against the cold wall, and made sure no one was watching.

He looked down at the bowl. The broth was murky, with white fat floating on the surface and bits of shredded meat. Several dark chunks of meat with cartilage and sinew sat at the bottom. The appearance was terrible.

But he could feel a clear craving from the "Crimson Sun" inside him.

Hesitating no longer, he raised the bowl, ignoring the heat, and gulped it down directly from the rim.

The broth was scalding, with a strong fishy and salty taste, and an indescribable wildness belonging to Fierce Beasts. The texture was rough; the shredded meat and cartilage required hard chewing.

Yet, as this food entered his stomach—

"Wum!"

The "Crimson Sun" seemed injected with a stimulant, instantly accelerating its rotation! A surge of heat, far stronger and more intense than when he had devoured the slop residue last night, erupted from his stomach!

The power of "Refining" operated at full force, efficiently stripping and refining the "Blood Qi Essence" contained in these Fierce Beast trimmings—though mixed, it was real!

Streams of pure "Crimson Sun Qi and Blood" were transformed, like trickling streams merging into a river, rushing through his Whole Body. His parched cells greedily absorbed this rare nourishment. Muscle Fibers trembled slightly, and a tingling itch spread deep in his bones.

After a bowl of hot soup, fine beads of sweat even seeped from his forehead.

Not because of the soup's temperature, but because of the surging heat within him!

He set down the empty bowl, licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, and felt that long-lost warmth and fullness spreading from his stomach to his entire body.

Full.

Not the bloated feeling of being stuffed with rough food, but a genuine "satiety" brought by energy abundance and Qi and Blood fullness!

He could clearly feel that his strength had grown a little more, most of his weakness had been driven away, and even his vision seemed a bit sharper.

This was what food should feel like!

This was the "fuel" the "Crimson Sun" should enjoy!

Li Yuan looked down at his empty hands and the bowl bought with three copper coins. An unprecedented craving grew wildly in his heart.

He wanted more.

He wanted better.

He wanted to make this "Crimson Sun" burn even fiercer!