Almost Charmed by You

The facts proved that Feng Jun had overthought it. The gorilla and the hedgehog were both exceptionally intelligent.

Both creatures possessed a certain spirituality. Whenever they fought to the point of exhaustion, they would separate and rest on their own.

Compared to the fights between Blue Star Realm sanda athletes, their battle was only missing a referee.

During their break, the hedgehog tried to leave, but the gorilla refused to let it go, roaring and provoking it.

However, whenever the gorilla retreated too far, the hedgehog would roll forward a few times as well. Its meaning was obvious—damn it, if you wanted to leave, did you ask me first?

Overall, Feng Jun could tell that the hedgehog was at a slight disadvantage, but the gorilla truly had no certainty of victory.

The hedgehog's refusal to let the gorilla leave might have been a strategy of advancing in order to retreat, while the gorilla's retreat was probably meant to seek an opening. With the gorilla's agility, if it truly wanted to leave, the hedgehog likely could not stop it.

Their great battle drew several birds of prey, somewhat like hawks or falcons, but each was at least three years—no, at least three meters—tall, enormous beyond compare.

Of course, compared to the two below, they were somewhat unimpressive in size, so they could only circle overhead and hope to scavenge some benefit.

Yet the two fighting below were clearly very unhappy with the creatures above—damn it, we're not even dead yet, and you're already waiting to eat our flesh?

What did they do about that? Suddenly, the gorilla and hedgehog both launched attacks from their standoff, targeting the birds of prey overhead.

The gorilla viciously hurled a Big Rock the size of a basketball, while the hedgehog directly fired its long spines.

The birds quickly fled. One of them flew too low and was struck by the rock.

However, the birds and beasts in this space were exceptionally tough. Even after taking such a heavy blow, it still struggled to fly away.

Just then, the hedgehog's long spine arrived and brutally pierced through the bird's chest.

As it fell, the gorilla swept at it with a tree trunk, intending to claim it for itself. But the hedgehog curled into a ball, bounced up from the ground, and slammed fiercely into it.

The two fought again, and in the end, each seized half the carcass before retreating to the side and ravenously tearing into the raw meat.

Even as they ate, they continued watching their opponent. Clearly, the battle was far from over.

Seeing this, Feng Jun broke out in a cold sweat. Trying to pick up a bargain could cost him his life?

Watching them fight without end, he had no desire to bury his own life here.

Remembering that he had already decided to leave the space after half a day, Feng Jun simply sneaked down the mountain. He pushed his motorcycle four or five li away, found a secluded spot, and hid the motorcycle along with the remaining supplies.

"Off you go~"

The next moment, Feng Jun was back in his rental room. He carried only the gains from this trip into the wilderness, along with a change of clothes.

He quickly changed into summer clothes, picked up the backpack containing jade, and pushed open the door.

He had chosen to enter the space at nine in the evening, when the old man was about to go to sleep.

Seeing him head toward the main gate, the old man called out from behind the glass window, "Remember to lock the door behind you. Are you coming back?"

"A friend got dumped and asked me to drink with him," Feng Jun replied with a smile. "I'll come back whenever he gets over it."

The answer left plenty of room for interpretation, but the old man found nothing wrong with it. He had been young too. It was normal to console someone for a day after a breakup, and normal enough to console them for ten days or so.

Still, he felt that something was off. Only after Feng Jun vanished into the night did he frown and mutter, "Why does it feel like... this brat has changed a little?"

Feng Jun had changed by far more than a little. He had grown taller again and lost much more weight. The weathered look on his face was impossible to hide. It was precisely because he had considered all this that he chose to enter Wilderness Space at night.

Rather than go anywhere else, he first visited Newman Bathhouse, a famous bathhouse in Yang City. It was extravagantly luxurious, offered every kind of service, and charged steep prices. Even a six-hour room cost 368 yuan.

The current Feng Jun no longer felt any pain over such small expenses. This place protected its guests' privacy well. No one cared how dirty he was when he arrived, and no one dared casually touch his belongings.

He booked an hourly room—after all, he still could not bear to book one for twenty-four hours.

After entering, he called a waiter to take away his clothes for washing. Although he had not worn them for long, he suspected that they carried a heavy odor, so it was best to get them cleaned.

Then he entered the bathroom and discovered that it was even larger than the room outside. The bathtub was a large round tub for two, though three people could soak in it without issue. There was also a sauna, a scrub bed, and a shower room.

He filled a tub of water and climbed in, only to discover that one tub... was not enough!

He filled three entire tubs before the water looked less filthy, then switched on the sauna and went in to steam.

Between soaking and steaming, he spent two hours. Then he entered the shower room, shaved, and rinsed himself under the shower.

Wrapped in a bath towel, he left the bathroom, looked in the mirror at the vanity, and nodded with satisfaction. "This young man has gotten even more handsome... I wonder how tall I am now."

Just then, someone rang the doorbell. His clothes had been washed and ironed, and the waiter delivered them.

It was already past eleven, but he had only booked the room at half past nine and had to leave by half past three in the morning. The attendants would not worry about whether they were disturbing his rest.

Just after the attendant left, someone immediately rang the doorbell again. "Sir, would you like any services?"

But thinking of the package on the shoe cabinet, he merely snorted and replied loudly, "No. Help me call a barber."

When he came out at one in the morning, he had gotten a haircut and felt refreshed. Seeing a scale by the entrance, he stepped onto it to check his weight and height.

He was 1.78 meters tall and weighed sixty-eight kilograms... Mm, that was a pretty good figure, quite standard.

After leaving, he picked a trash bin and threw in his tattered clothes from Wilderness Space. In a big city, scavengers were everywhere. They would put whatever they found to practical use, so this counted as destroying the evidence.

Then he chose a budget hotel, checked in, and slept soundly until hunger woke him at ten thirty the next morning.

Walking over to the full-length mirror by the door, he checked himself again and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, young man... I'm almost charmed by you."

Naturally, that was narcissistic, but honestly speaking, ever since he had been struck by lightning, he had changed considerably. He had gone from a slightly chubby, sturdy man standing 1.73 meters tall and weighing 150 jin to a standard handsome guy at 1.78 meters and just over 130 jin.

His face and features had not changed much, only slimming down slightly. But as long as someone's features were well-proportioned, appearance often came down to their spirit and bearing.

The same face could give people completely different impressions when someone was impoverished and downcast versus high-spirited and confident.

Feng Jun could not be called unbelievably handsome, but he had been a good-looking guy before too. Thick brows, large eyes, sharply defined features—he absolutely deserved to be called handsome.

This wilderness expedition had darkened his already less-than-fair skin a little further, but his eyes and brows now carried an added steadiness and gravitas, along with... indifference and calm.

That was precisely why he had checked into a hotel immediately after returning. He was worried that the old man at the gate would notice something unusual.

The only regret was that his pants were a little short. Should he buy two more pairs?

After thinking it over, he decided against it for now—he might keep growing, and what if they became too short again in a couple of days?

What he needed to consider now was how to sell the jade and stones he had brought back.

The antique shop beside Li Dafu's place was a good option, but then again... that owner knew he knew nothing about jade.

Another option was to ask Wang Haifeng for help. That guy had extensive connections in Yang City.

But Feng Jun did not want to do that. Wang Haifeng knew him too well and would definitely notice the obvious changes in him.

Besides, he could not explain where he had gotten the jade. They knew each other's backgrounds inside out.

How about... selling a few unusual stones first?

Feng Jun took an egg-sized stone from his bag, turning it over in his hand as he wandered aimlessly.

As he walked, he spotted a fast-food restaurant, and his stomach could not help growling.

He was not particularly interested in Western fast food, but it was eleven o'clock. Breakfast had already sold out, while lunch had not yet begun. Only this kind of Western fast-food place still allowed him to order.

Besides, there was a fair flow of customers here. Even if he ordered a little more and came back several times, it would not attract attention.

So he went in, lined up, ordered two burger meals, carried the tray to a seat, and lowered his head to eat heartily.

Across from him sat a young man and woman. They had been whispering to each other, but when they noticed how thoroughly the guy opposite them was enjoying his food, they could not help looking over.

Feng Jun ignored the two of them. He felt that his table manners were fairly elegant. He kept his eyes on his food, made no sound while chewing with his mouth closed, and even swallowed his cola silently.

Of course, he ate somewhat quickly and finished one burger meal in five minutes, but... that did not count as poor manners, did it?

In only ten minutes, he finished both burger meals, leaving behind just one cup of cola and a small packet of fries to hold the table.

He stood up to buy more. He felt that the backpack on his shoulder was conspicuous enough already, so there was no need to carry a stone in his hand as well.

So he set the stone on the table too.

When he returned carrying another two burger meals, he could not help pausing slightly. The young man across from him was playing with the unusual stone he had left on the table.

But the next moment, he relaxed. Although the other man was being somewhat rude, Feng Jun himself had not put the stone away and had simply left it there. It was normal for someone else to want to handle it.

Of course, he was not happy about it, which was only natural. So he did not greet them. After sitting down, he continued eating intently.

However, before he had taken two bites, a clear voice rang out. "This stone is rather interesting. I want it. Name your price."