Enjoying Equal Treatment

Ye Wudao heard Hu Lianfeng's words and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

It was already 5:30 PM; it was indeed time for dinner.

However, back at the detention center, everyone went to the cafeteria together for meals.

He looked at Hu Lianfeng and asked, "Master, it's this late already. Why haven't the prison guards come to open the door so we can go eat?"

Hu Lianfeng paused for a moment, then chuckled, "We don't go to the cafeteria to eat. The guards bring it to us."

Ye Wudao pursed his lips, thinking: Is the treatment in Cell No. 1 really this good?

Before long, the sound of keys clinking echoed from outside the door.

Ye Wudao looked toward the cell entrance with anticipation, licking his lips.

He wondered what kind of food was served in this special Cell No. 1.

Back at the detention center, breakfast was just two steamed buns, lunch was one meat dish and one vegetable dish, and dinner was cabbage, radishes, and potatoes.

For someone like him who was still growing, that lack of grease and substance meant his nutrition was severely lacking.

Moreover, he didn't know if it was because of his training, but he felt incredibly hungry right now, to the point where his stomach felt glued to his spine.

As the door to Cell No. 1 opened, a prison guard pushed a three-tiered cart inside.

Every level of the cart was packed with plates.

Braised pork knuckle, steamed chicken, red-braised pork, steamed fish, roasted lamb chops...

At a glance, it was all meat dishes; there wasn't a single vegetable in sight, and there wasn't even any rice.

"The three of you! Time to eat!"

After the guard pushed the cart in, he said softly.

Then, he glanced at Ye Wudao and said, "Number 4567, you come with me to the cafeteria to eat."

Ye Wudao froze for a moment and stood up.

He had thought he would be eating right here in Cell No. 1!

He hadn't expected that he would still have to go to the public cafeteria.

At this moment, Hu Lianfeng stood up and said, "He will eat here. Go and prepare an extra portion."

The guard looked at Ye Wudao with some surprise, then smiled at Hu Lianfeng and said, "Elder Hu, that's not according to the rules! He's just an ordinary person; how can he enjoy the same treatment as the three of you?"

Hu Lianfeng narrowed his eyes, his white brows knitting together, and he said in a deep voice, "What? My words carry no weight?"

"I have already taken Ye Wudao as my disciple. From now on, his food and drink must be provided for."

"If you think that won't work, have your warden come and tell me himself."

The guard pursed his lips, looked at Ye Wudao once more, and then said, "I will go ask the warden for instructions."

Hu Lianfeng snorted coldly, "Go quickly!"

"I'll let my disciple have this portion of mine for now."

"I'm telling you, if I don't get my dinner today, I'll tear this prison of yours down."

Hearing this, the guard hurried his pace as he walked out, not even bothering to lock the cell door.

Hu Lianfeng watched the guard scurrying away and spat with disdain.

Then, he took a plate of pork knuckle to Ye Wudao's side and said softly, "Disciple, eat!"

"You have just begun your cultivation and need to replenish yourself with plenty of meat."

"On the path of martial arts, eating is also very important. You must never go hungry, or you will damage your body."

"Whenever you are hungry, just tell me, and I will have the prison staff bring food over."

Ye Wudao took the pork knuckle handed to him by Hu Lianfeng, and for a moment, his eyes grew warm.

He even wondered if he had been judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's measure.

However, his thoughts shifted.

Wasn't Hu Lianfeng letting him eat and drink well just so he could cultivate properly?

Regardless, one must always be on guard; everything would only be revealed the day he advanced to the Houtian Realm.

If Hu Lianfeng didn't intend to use him as a human furnace, then he would acknowledge this master for good!

He held the plate of pork knuckle and asked Hu Lianfeng, "A pork knuckle this big—it wouldn't be right for me to eat it all by myself, would it?"

"What about those two seniors? They haven't eaten yet either!"

Hu Lianfeng smiled slightly and said, "Elder Qin no longer eats these mortal foods, and this amount is actually enough for the three of us."

After speaking, he looked at the middle-aged man and said, "Zhang Hankuang, you don't have any objections to my disciple eating this knuckle, do you?"

The one-eyed middle-aged man shrugged, "It's rare for you, Old Ghost Hu, to speak to me so politely. It's just a knuckle, let him eat it!"

"I, Zhang Hankuang, am not a stingy person. A junior has just stepped onto the threshold of martial arts; he is at the age where he needs to build up his body. Would I really restrict him from eating?"

After saying this, he shifted his tone and whispered, "But I must warn you, if you intend to take him to the Rift tonight, you had better protect him well."

"If something goes wrong, don't come looking for me for help!"

Hu Lianfeng curled his lip: "That is no concern of yours. My disciple, I will naturally protect."

Having said that, he looked at Ye Wudao and said, "Eat quickly! Get some good rest when you're finished!"

Ye Wudao nodded, picked up a pork knuckle, and began to wolf it down.

He felt as though his stomach were a bottomless pit, capable of swallowing anything.

Just as he was halfway through the knuckle, the prison guard who had left earlier returned, pushing a small, single-tiered cart.

It was once again piled high with meat dishes, with not a single vegetable in sight.

After steadying the cart, the guard approached Hu Lianfeng cautiously and whispered, "Elder Hu, the warden asked me to inquire."

"Since Ye Wudao is enjoying the treatment of Cell No. 1, will he also be going to the Rift to kill demonic beasts?"

Hu Lianfeng raised an eyebrow and snorted coldly: "Rest assured, I will take him with me."

"Tell your warden clearly: since Ye Wudao is going to the Rift, he will certainly follow the Rift's reward and punishment system. As long as he can kill demonic beasts, his sentence will surely be reduced."

Upon hearing this, the guard nodded hurriedly: "You can rest easy on that; we will certainly follow the rules."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"

With that, he turned and walked out of the cell, fearing to stay even a second longer.

Listening to their conversation, Ye Wudao paused his movements. After the guard left, he looked at Hu Lianfeng curiously and asked, "Master, what is the Rift? And what are these demonic beasts? Can killing them really shorten a prison sentence?"

Hu Lianfeng took a steamed chicken from the newly arrived cart and said softly, "You'll know when you go tonight. I can't explain it to you clearly in a short time."

"In a moment, I will teach you a set of fist techniques. Once you are there, you must have some ability to protect yourself."

"Eat first, then rest. After an hour of rest, I will teach you the techniques."

Ye Wudao pursed his lips. From the conversation between the guard and Hu Lianfeng, he sensed that many things were not quite right.

In particular, the earlier exchange between Hu Lianfeng and Zhang Hankuang left him feeling a trace of unease.

The "Rift" they spoke of seemed to be an extremely dangerous place.

It was dangerous enough that even Hu Lianfeng, a martial arts expert at the peak of the Houtian Realm, might not be able to protect him.

However, there was also a point that concerned him.

That was what the guard said: killing demonic beasts could shorten his sentence.

He just didn't know yet what exactly these demonic beasts were.

He had played some games and seen monsters in various xianxia titles.

He wondered if the demonic beasts the guard mentioned were the same as the ones he understood.

He thought about this while gnawing on the pork knuckle.

He felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

After finishing the knuckle, he rubbed his stomach and looked at Hu Lianfeng, asking, "Master, can I eat a little more?"

Hu Lianfeng laughed heartily: "Haha! Eat up!"

"The food they provide is portioned for one person, but Elder Qin basically doesn't eat, so we usually can't finish it all."

"If you can eat, then eat more. After entering the Body Tempering Realm, you will often be hungry, and sometimes you have to rely on the fat and muscle stored in your own body to push through."

"In the early stages of martial arts training, eating more is never a mistake."

Ye Wudao nodded, ran to the cart, picked up a bowl of braised pork, and began to eat it in large chunks.

He couldn't help it; he was truly starving.

A single pork knuckle had gone into his stomach without providing the slightest feeling of fullness.

He finally understood why the saying went: "Literature for the poor, martial arts for the rich."

If an ordinary family were to practice martial arts, they probably wouldn't even be able to afford the daily cost of food.