The Destiny Bureau's enforcement officers escorted the black-market vendors away in a grand procession.
A few minutes later, the once noisy, crowded air-raid shelter had emptied out completely, leaving the floor in shambles.
Zhang Tian leaned against the wall and raised an arm to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Damn, that scared the hell out of me. I thought I was about to get free room and board at the state's expense."
He came to his senses and abruptly turned to glare at Gu Yuan, gritting his teeth.
"Gu Yuan! You bastard! You sure sold me out fast back there!"
He then turned to Zhang Yining.
"And you too, Yining! You nodded along with him, didn't you? After all the times I've looked after you! I even used to share half a leftover sausage with you!"
Zhang Yining awkwardly scratched his head and shuffled backward.
"Cousin, I messed up this time. My brain just crashed back there. I was sweating buckets, you know?"
"It was just a reflex, I swear I didn't do it on purpose."
Gu Yuan spread his hands, looking utterly innocent as he retorted with righteous indignation.
"Brother Tian, how can you call that selling out a teammate? It was a tactical retreat! If I hadn't cleared myself as fast as I could, how would I have been able to save our strength and go get help?"
Gu Yuan pointed at the phone in Zhang Tian's pocket.
"Besides, if I hadn't relied on my face this time, would you be standing here in one piece?"
"How else could you have sold those few bottles of defective Blood Qi Pills so quickly? That's 250,000! You're loaded now!"
For a moment, Zhang Tian was left speechless.
Thinking it over, he realized Gu Yuan did have a point.
"Enough, enough. Quit talking nonsense." Gu Yuan stepped forward and patted Zhang Tian on the shoulder.
"You've sold the pills and got the money. Time to make good on your promise and treat us to dinner, right? You said the new Beast Hot Pot restaurant in the south of the city was all-you-can-eat."
Zhang Tian felt the phone in his pocket, then swept one hand forward.
"Let's go! I'm treating you guys to something good! Order whatever you want today. It's all on me!"
The three of them chatted and laughed as they left the black market through another passageway.
Meanwhile, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows at the air-raid shelter's entrance.
He was still wearing his martial arts school training uniform.
It was the student who had secretly taken photos at the martial arts school and called in a tip earlier.
He'd been fantasizing about his tip paying off and how he'd enjoy spending the reward money.
But he'd been hiding in the shadows the whole time, watching everything unfold with his own eyes.
Though he was too far away to hear exactly what they were saying, he'd seen it all clearly.
Those three guys selling illegal goods hadn't been arrested by the Destiny Bureau. Instead, they'd been chatting and laughing with the officer in charge!
Most outrageous of all, the Destiny Bureau officer had personally transferred money to them—and then taken their pills!
What was this?
A drug deal in broad daylight?
Collusion between officials and criminals?
The young man gripped the wall in a daze, his legs turning weak as his entire worldview crumbled.
Even the Destiny Bureau was doing business with illegal-goods dealers in the black market, splitting the money in public!
"Could it be... that Sea City's sky has finally gone dark?"
"I... I'm just a passionate young man who stood up for justice! I... I... How am I supposed to survive in Sea City from now on?"
The young man muttered to himself, his face full of regret and terror.
"I actually reported an underground criminal enterprise inside the Destiny Bureau... I walked right into the emperor's domain!"
A cold gust of wind blew past, and the young man shivered.
Just then, a message came through on his phone.
"Dear citizen, your report was inaccurate. The parties' actions did not constitute a crime. Thank you for your report, and we wish you good health and success in your martial arts career!"
The young man stared at the message, his eyes widening as his breathing quickened.
"Good health... success in my martial arts career..."
He repeated those eight words over and over, cold sweat trickling down his forehead and into his collar.
They'd even sent him a message.
Wasn't this just a warning not to keep reporting them?
On the surface, they were wishing him good health. What they really meant was, if he kept sticking his nose into their business, they'd make sure his health took a turn for the worse!
"Success in my martial arts career" was obviously a hint that his martial arts career was over!
The young man shakily stuffed his phone into his pocket and ran.
He swore he wouldn't leave home for a while.
He wouldn't even go to the martial arts school! If those three found out he was the one who'd called in the tip, they'd surely dump him in the moat outside Sea City to feed the vicious beasts! Terrifying!
Half an hour later, in the south of the city.
The luxurious private room at the Beast Hot Pot restaurant was filled with steam.
Bubbles rolled across the red-oil broth, filling the room with a rich aroma.
The table was covered with large platters of pre-prepared vicious beast meat.
Gu Yuan took the menu and went straight for the meat that cost over a thousand a plate, draining Zhang Tian's wallet without the slightest courtesy.
"Mm! This tastes amazing! Why is it so fresh?"
Zhang Yining took a sip of the complimentary chicken soup.
He smacked his lips and took three more big swallows.
"This chicken soup is incredible. I feel heat spreading through my whole body as soon as I drink it. My blood and qi are surging."
Zhang Tian glanced at Zhang Yining and smiled.
He picked up his chopsticks, lifted a slice of beef, and swished it in the pot.
"Of course. I looked into it. All the chefs at this restaurant are Spirit Chefs."
"Spirit Chefs?"
Gu Yuan and Zhang Yining stopped eating.
They'd clearly never heard the term before and looked puzzled.
Zhang Tian stuffed the cooked vicious beast meat into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed.
He set down his chopsticks and continued.
"Never heard of them? Spirit Chefs know how to prepare vicious beast ingredients properly."
Zhang Tian pointed at the raw meat on the table.
"When an ordinary chef cooks vicious beast meat, more than half the blood and qi is lost. Eating it only fills your stomach, with a conversion rate of less than ten percent."
"Spirit Chefs use special techniques to preserve the blood and qi in a purer form, bringing the conversion rate to over thirty percent."
Zhang Tian took a sip of tea and cleared his throat.
"Some advanced Spirit Chefs can even tailor meal plans to suit each person's constitution."
"If you eat their food for a long time, it can even greatly increase the speed at which you cultivate your blood and qi."
Zhang Yining was astonished by what advanced Spirit Chefs could do.
"That's insane. You can improve your cultivation just by having a meal?"
Zhang Yining scratched his head.
"But, Cousin, you sure know a lot."
Zhang Tian leaned back in his chair and lifted his chin smugly.
"Of course! My Martial University has a Spirit Culinary Academy."
He looked at Zhang Yining and spoke earnestly.
"Yining, if you really can't get into the Martial Arts Academy, you could give this a try."
"You can even take the exam early. If you pass, you won't have to take the college entrance exam. Afterward, you can become a head chef at a big restaurant and make quite a bit of money every year."
Zhang Yining didn't like hearing that.
He slapped the table and stood up on the spot.
"What's that supposed to mean, Cousin? Who are you looking down on?"
"I'm the number-one Tiger Leopard Fist practitioner at Haicheng No. 1 High School!"
He dropped into a horse stance, clenched his fists, and swung twice through the air.
"I get up at five every morning to practice my punches, rain or shine! I've already mastered this martial art!"
Zhang Yining relaxed his stance and sat back down.
"When the time comes, my score will get bonus points too! Getting into the Martial Arts Academy will be a piece of cake!"
Gu Yuan, sitting nearby, heard that and covered his forehead, turning away.
He pretended not to know the boy.
"Tiger Leopard Fist?"
"Wasn't that the basic martial art taught to first-year students at Haicheng No. 1 High School? The one the PE teacher taught?"
Zhang Tian stared at Zhang Yining in disbelief.
He set down his teacup and leaned forward.
"You're saying you've mastered it???"
Zhang Tian pointed at Zhang Yining's nose.
"Are you bored out of your mind? You could've learned another martial art in all that time."
Zhang Yining raised an eyebrow scornfully.
"Hah! Never mind what martial art it is. Haven't I already mastered it?"
Zhang Yining shot back.
"Doesn't it earn bonus points on the college entrance exam? If it gets me bonus points, who cares what kind of fist it is?"
Zhang Tian stared at his cousin, speechless.
He rubbed his cheeks hard.
"Come on, man. Do you not even look at the college entrance exam bonus-point rules???"
Before you continue