Luo Ran was now tied up.
Thick green vines coiled around his arms, legs, and torso, binding him so thoroughly that he looked rather like a badly wrapped package. To make matters worse, Jin Huang had casually slung him over one shoulder, leaving Luo Ran's head and upper body hanging down his back.
He looked like a bad little boy being carried home after causing trouble.
"PUT ME DOWN, YOU BASTARD!"
Jin Huang continued walking.
"I'LL REMEMBER THIS!"
"I'LL FIND YOU! I'LL FIND EVERYONE YOU KNOW! I'LL FIND YOUR FAMILY! YOUR FRIENDS! YOUR NEIGHBORS!"
Jin Huang yawned, "Are you finished?"
"NO!" Luo Ran yelled as he flailed about, kicking uselessly against the air.
"I'LL EVEN FIND YOUR PET TURTLE- er, if you have one."
Jin Huang paused, a crooked smile on his face. "I don't have a turtle."
"THEN I'LL FIND ONE AND KILL IT!"
"Why?"
"BECAUSE I HATE YOU!"
"That's a little excessive."
"I'LL FIND YOUR FUTURE PET TURTLE AND MAKE A NICE STEAMING POT OF TURTLE SOUP!"
Jin Huang resumed walking. The western gate of Spearhead City was already visible ahead. "You're very noisy, Luo Ran."
"AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO BE NOISY!? I'VE BEEN ABDUCTED BY A WEIRDO!"
"You're the weirdo!"
"WHAT!?"
"And you're weak."
"I AM NOT!"
"You tried to rob me with a fake toll, acting like you owned the place. Pft!"
Luo Ran seemed deeply offended. "Hey! That was legitimate business! I have a permit!"
Jin Huang was entirely unimpressed. "You also threatened to slaughter my entire family because I wouldn't pay you."
"That was just some psychological warfare!" Luo Ran scoffed as though there was nothing wrong with threatening someone's entire family.
"Then you screamed when I touched your shoulder."
"That was acting!" Luo Ran defended proudly.
"You cried about needing therapy."
"That was—" Luo Ran stopped. "...That was also acting."
"Of course." Jin Huang shook his head as he walked through the city gates. The moment they entered, the sounds of Spearhead City swallowed them.
Vendors shouted from both sides of the street. Carriages of various designs passed through the broad avenues, some rolling along the ground and others hovering a short distance above it. Magic-tech projections floated above stalls, displaying images of weapons, clothes, pills, magical beasts, food and countless other goods.
Prices appeared beside the projections in glowing characters. A vendor selling roasted meat had an enormous projection of a sizzling skewer rotating above his stall.
Jin Huang's eyes immediately locked onto it and his footsteps slowed. Luo Ran, still hanging over his shoulder, noticed.
"...Are you looking at food?"
"No."
"You definitely are."
"No."
"You just drooled."
"I did not."
"You did. I can feel it running down my leg. Ew."
Jin Huang continued walking. Unfortunately, before he could investigate the meat stall, someone approached from the side.
"Jin Huang."
Hearing his name, Jin Huang turned. Two figures had already reached him by the time he did so.
The first was a middle-aged-looking man wearing spectacles. His face was covered in an almost excessive amount of stubble, giving him the appearance of someone who had simply forgotten that shaving existed. Yet his demeanor was calm and measured.
Behind the spectacles, his eyes were sharp. This was Ximen Ming.
To ordinary cultivators, he was the master of Mo Kuang and a powerful figure from the Magic Beast Society. But that description was woefully inadequate.
Ximen Ming was the Beast Master of the Magic Beast Society. His position stood even above that of the Grandmaster. And beneath that ordinary-looking exterior existed something far older.
Ximen Ming was an ancient Magic Beast. An immensely powerful one. At least, that was what Jin Huang had heard. Truthfully, he had no concrete evidence or accurate way of telling.
Beside him stood his disciple, Mo Kuang. The young man's hair was wild, seemingly refusing to obey any natural law, while his eyes were even wilder. He stared at Jin Huang with barely concealed curiosity.
During the alchemy gathering, the master and disciple had both noticed something peculiar about him. Something about Jin Huang's aura had been different.
Neither of them had been able to properly identify it, but the Magic Beast Society possessed knowledge of energies and auras that most cultivators could never hope to understand. Ximen Ming, in particular, had lived long enough to recognize things that others would simply overlook.
And whatever Jin Huang's aura was... something about it piqued their interest.
"Beast Guy and.... Furnace Abuser." Jin Huang said, with a straight face, as he greeted them.
Ximen Ming smiled faintly, trying his best to ignore the nickname. "Do you have a moment?"
Jin Huang glanced at him. "I suppose."
"There are some matters concerning the recent alchemy gathering that I would like to discuss with you."
Mo Kuang stepped forward. "We were thinking that perhaps we could sit somewhere and have some snacks while we talk."
Jin Huang's expression changed immediately. "Snacks?"
Ximen Ming nodded. "Yes."
"You said snacks?"
"Yes."
Jin Huang's eyes lit up. "Let's not waste any time, then."
Mo Kuang blinked; Ximen Ming's mouth twitched. "Uh... Indeed."
Only then did they notice Luo Ran. The dusty young man had been cursing continuously throughout the entire exchange.
"AND ANOTHER THING! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST—"
He finally noticed that two strangers were staring at him. "...What?"
Mo Kuang pointed. "Who is that?"
"Some nuisance," Jin Huang replied. Luo Ran immediately began struggling again.
"NUISANCE!? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW—"
Ximen Ming studied him for a moment. "Would you like to deal with him first?"
Jin Huang's eyes immediately darted toward the direction of the marketplace. "No. Not necessary."
Luo Ran continued, "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOUR ENTIRE BLOODLINE! I'LL FIND YOUR TURTLE AND—"
"Shut up." Jin Huang's response came instantly, and his aura rose just beneath the surface. With just one slight push, it would explode outward. "I have snacks to eat, Luo Ran."
The captive young man froze. "...What?"
Jin Huang shifted him slightly over his shoulder. "Please lead the way, Beast Guy."
"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—"
PA!
Jin Huang's hand flashed and a lightning-fast strike landed behind Luo Ran's neck. The young man's eyes widened, then his entire body went limp.
"...You..." A weak groan escaped him, then his head dropped and he passed out.
Jin Huang adjusted his grip as though nothing had happened. Mo Kuang and Ximen Ming stared, neither saying anything for a moment.
Jin Huang looked between them. "Please."
Ximen Ming slowly adjusted his spectacles. "Right... Of course."
The two began walking toward the venue. Luo Ran remained completely unconscious, still wrapped in vines and hanging over Jin Huang's shoulder.
The establishment Ximen Ming led them to was surprisingly easy to overlook.
Nestled between two larger buildings along one of Spearhead City's busier streets, it possessed none of the gaudy projections or enormous signs common to the marketplace. Its entrance was framed by dark wood and polished stone, with a single modest plaque hanging above the door.
Yet the moment Jin Huang stepped inside, he could tell that the place was anything but modest.
The furnishings were elegant without being extravagant. Soft magical lamps illuminated the interior, while faint formations concealed the sounds of the bustling street outside. The staff immediately recognized Ximen Ming and Mo Kuang.
Neither said much. A few quiet words were exchanged, and they were soon led upstairs. Their private room was spacious, tastefully decorated, and completely secluded from the rest of the establishment.
The door closed behind them as Jin Huang immediately looked around. "Not bad."
Mo Kuang smiled. "We thought you'd appreciate somewhere quiet."
"What I really appreciate is food. So, where's it at?"
Ximen Ming took his seat, smiling wryly. "We've already ordered."
Jin Huang's eyes brightened as he licked his lips and asked, "How much?"
Mo Kuang hesitated. "...A lot."
Ximen Ming pitched in with a laugh and said, "The kitchen has prepared nearly everything that can be served as a snack."
Jin Huang's eyes widened. "Everything?"
"Pretty much," Mo Kuang confirmed.
Jin Huang nodded. With that, he casually grabbed Luo Ran from his shoulder and tossed him onto the floor. "Excellent."
Thump!
The unconscious young man rolled once before coming to a stop beside the table, still completely wrapped in vines. Jin Huang didn't even look at him.
Almost immediately, dishes began arriving one after another. Plates of roasted meat, steamed buns, crispy pastries, fried dumplings, glazed fruits, savory cakes, spiced nuts, skewers, sweet rice treats, thin slices of magical beast meat seasoned with fragrant herbs.
Even several small dishes specifically prepared with rare ingredients.
The table rapidly disappeared beneath the food. Mo Kuang watched Jin Huang's expression with a measuring glance and asked, "Is that enough?"
Jin Huang stared at the mountain before him. "Truthfully? No."
Ximen Ming's mouth twitched. "I thought you'd say that."
He turned toward the door. "Bring a second order of the same."
Outside, light footsteps could be heard hurrying away from the room.
Jin Huang's hands were already moving. He grabbed a skewer, then a bun, then three dumplings. Within moments, his cheeks were stuffed.
Ximen Ming watched silently. His spectacles reflected the spectacle before him.
The young man ate with such enthusiasm that the elegant private room seemed to have become a battlefield.
Mo Kuang leaned toward his master and whispered, "Master…"
"Hm?"
"Did we order enough?"
Ximen Ming remained silent for a moment, then he glanced at the empty plates accumulating around Jin Huang. "I'm beginning to question that myself."
Across the room, Luo Ran's unconscious body twitched. Neither Jin Huang nor the two from the Magic Beast Society paid him any attention.
"So, Jin Huang," Ximen Ming started with a harrumph.
"Yeah... what's up... Beasty Guy?" Jin Huang managed to speak in between mouthfuls, loud gulps and exclamations of pure joy.
Ximen Ming put the sight out of his mind and instead focused on what he wanted to speak about in the first place. His sudden conviction was reflected in his eyes, and even Jin Huang noticed, so the young man slowed his eating but did not stop entirely.
Mo Kuang sat back as his master began. In a hushed voice, Ximen Ming leaned closer to Jin Huang, his glasses catching the light.
"You... Are you perhaps a... body cultivator?"