Chapter 14: The Feast Beyond the Walls

Xi Yu smiled and greeted Guan Zhang, but Guan Zhang’s reaction was very cold.

He didn’t mind, though he held back a few questions he had originally wanted to ask.

Seeing that he remained silent, Ding Ren and the others didn’t press him further.

For the rest of the journey, Guan Zhang didn’t say another word.

Naturally, Ding Ren and his team had even less to say, closing their eyes to rest.

Ding Ren stopped meditating and prepared to catch some sleep, knowing another hard battle was ahead.

Xi Yu, having been awake all night, also closed his eyes for a nap.

Inside Guan Zhang’s mind, a fierce internal conflict was raging.

He had formulated a terrifying hypothesis.

Initially, he hadn’t thought much of Ding Ren bringing an ordinary person along; even if the youth possessed peerless beauty, he was merely curious.

But the attitude Ding Ren and Zhang Qingyuan displayed toward him finally raised his suspicions.

He recalled how Ding Ren had refused to ride in his car earlier—it was likely for the sake of this youth.

When things are out of the ordinary, there is bound to be a demon.

Combining these factors, he couldn’t help but doubt the youth’s identity—was it possible that the person before him wasn’t human at all?

Guan Zhang fell into a difficult dilemma.

If this youth truly wasn’t human, was it possible that Ding Ren and his team had already been brought under his control?

Just how powerful would a ghost be to control someone like Ding Ren?

Would they be next?

He didn’t care about his own safety, but he worried for Xincheng City.

He feared that they might be inviting a tiger into the house while trying to drive away a wolf.

If his guess was true and he allowed the entity into Xincheng, it would be a total catastrophe.

At this moment, Guan Zhang felt a mix of relief and panic.

He was relieved that his eagerness to meet Ding Ren personally had allowed him to discover their abnormalities.

He was panicked because if he had succumbed to the same influence and let them into the city, it truly would have been the end for Xincheng.

Shilu County hadn’t reported any trouble, but perhaps this monster’s appetite was too large to care for it.

Alternatively, Shilu County might have already fallen, and Chang Ping’s phone call was merely bait.

As for the Head-Swapping Ghost, he began to doubt that as well.

Thinking back, whether they had slain it or not was just a matter of Ding Ren’s word; after all, he hadn’t personally seen the ghost’s remains.

Guan Zhang kept his face impassive but carefully reached into his pocket to open his communicator and began blind-typing a message.

This was not difficult for a C-class expert.

Unexpectedly, the text was edited and sent successfully.

One copy went to Xincheng City, and another went to the vehicle ahead that wasn’t carrying any of Ding Ren’s team members.

Everything went smoothly.

The convoy soon split into two; one vehicle without any of the Realm Guard members didn’t pull ahead, but instead slowed down, falling behind the rest of the convoy.

Seeing that Ding Ren and the others hadn’t noticed any abnormality, Guan Zhang felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted.

****

Guan Zhang and his men had cleared the road on their way out, so the return journey was very smooth.

In less than an hour, they reached Xincheng City.

Xi Yu was already awake, peering out the window.

The area outside Xincheng was pockmarked with craters, and the gates and walls were covered in scars from various battles.

It clearly had endured many fierce, hard-fought engagements.

The convoy came to a stop.

Xincheng’s city gates remained tightly shut, with no intention of letting the vehicles inside.

“Captain Ding, I’m sorry, but we still need to check identification before entering Xincheng,” Guan Zhang said apologetically.

“City Seat Guan, you know that we Realm Guards never carry identification when out on missions.”

“How about this? I’ll call our superiors and have them confirm with you,” Zhang Qingyuan added quickly.

“That is certainly possible,” Guan Zhang nodded quickly. “Once the higher-ups confirm everyone’s identity one by one, there will be no problem.”

Guan Zhang didn’t emphasize the words “one by one,” but he intended to focus heavily on Xi Yu’s identity during the confirmation.

He hoped that he was just overthinking things and that Xi Yu’s identity was legitimate.

“Xi Yu is a reserve member we recruited on the road; we haven’t reported his identity yet,” Ding Ren spoke up.

“This…?” Guan Zhang acted troubled.

“Captain Ding, you know the rules; for the safety of Xincheng’s citizens, the inspection system cannot be bypassed.”

“How about this? I’ll set up some temporary housing outside the city.”

“I’m sorry to ask you to stay out here for a few days, but once this little brother’s identification is processed, I will personally apologize to you all.”

Guan Zhang sighed in his heart; the situation he feared most had occurred.

Xi Yu actually had no official identity.

If not for Ding Ren’s earlier attitude, he wouldn’t have been so pedantic, but even if he was truly mistaken, he didn’t care.

Even if it meant offending Ding Ren’s team, he couldn’t help it; he couldn’t gamble with Xincheng.

According to the rules, he should only stop Xi Yu, but he was using this excuse to keep everyone outside the city.

Guan Zhang was now prepared for a defensive struggle.

“Then let’s do that.”

To his surprise, the violent outburst he expected didn’t happen; Ding Ren was remarkably easy to talk to and agreed immediately.

“Alright, I’ll have people prepare it right away.”

Guan Zhang kept his face calm, but he was relieved.

One had to remember that besides his strength, Ding Ren carried a small nuclear warhead; his destructive power was significant.

If he truly entered Xincheng, the consequences were unthinkable.

Now that Ding Ren was being so cooperative, it made Guan Zhang feel like he might have indeed been overthinking.

However, he had no intention of stopping what he was doing.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, they just had to hold out until the Middle Continent’s B-class expert arrived.

At that time, he would apologize and make amends as needed.

“Captain Ding, to show my sincerity, I will stay out here with you.”

Guan Zhang was being doubly careful, fearing that they might have already been influenced without knowing it; therefore, everyone who had come out with him had to stay outside as well.

Caution leads to no great errors.

“Then we appreciate the trouble, City Seat Guan,” Ding Ren thanked him.

****

Guan Zhang moved quickly; as the head of Xincheng’s military guard, his authority was immense.

He had supplies lowered directly from the city walls and quickly constructed several simple houses outside the city.

He also set up many tents for his own men to stay in.

“Boss, did you do that on purpose?”

Although they were staying outside the city, they had plenty of supplies; the food and drink were even more lavish than in Shilu County.

The only downside was the lack of guaranteed safety, as ghosts could appear at any time.

But saying it was unsafe was relative; Guan Zhang and his men were guarding the first line of defense around them.

As long as no ghosts appeared, Ding Ren and his team could rest well.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others weren’t stupid; they naturally saw through Guan Zhang’s intentions.

Guan Zhang’s caution was correct, and they understood it—he was responsible for the safety of millions of citizens.

Furthermore, Guan Zhang’s character was beyond reproach; as the first City Seat of Xincheng, he was personally standing guard before them.

In truth, they didn’t mind for themselves, they just feared Xi Yu would be mistreated.

Inside the simple house, the eight of them, including Xi Yu, were sitting together.

Zhang Qingyuan was highly suspicious of Ding Ren.

He could accept that he himself might not be able to control his emotions, but he didn’t believe Ding Ren couldn’t.

Everything they were going through now was because of that look Ding Ren had given Xi Yu earlier.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ding Ren ignored him.

Zhang Qingyuan stopped asking, convinced Ding Ren was doing it on purpose.

“I actually think staying outside is quite good; it gives Xi Yu more freedom and fewer troubles,” Ping Feng said.

Like Gao Jie, Ping Feng liked cleaning battlefields and usually didn’t talk much. When he did speak, it was to state his position clearly.

He had also seen that Ding Ren was doing this intentionally.

Xi Yu’s identity was too special, and the way they treated him would eventually be noticed by the city; if a misunderstanding occurred then, it would be even more troublesome. It was better to stay outside from the start.

“The freedom to not be able to bathe,” Ding Ren complained rarely.

Zhang Qingyuan nearly rolled his eyes. ‘Still acting at a time like this?’

Xi Yu didn’t have any major objections to staying outside the city; the First Realm Guard hadn’t arrived yet, so it was all the same to him.

“Xi Yu, what are your thoughts on ghosts like the Star-Dream Jellyfish?” Zhang Qingyuan finally asked, impatient for guidance.

The Head-Swapping Ghost incident had begun to change his mindset.

Xi Yu might not actually need their protection; on the contrary, they needed Xi Yu.

Xi Yu nodded and directly explained the matter of Ghost Domains.

After listening, everyone’s hearts felt heavy.

Thinking about it, there were already several Ghost Domains across the Middle Continent.

After the catastrophe, places like the Xishan Peaks and the Kunlun Mountains—which were already sparsely populated—had become absolute forbidden zones.

No one knew how many terrifying ghosts were hidden inside; calling those places Ghost Domains wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

“Rest first and recover your spirits; tonight definitely won’t be quiet.”

“Xi Yu, shall we go see the Star-Dream Jellyfish tonight?” Ding Ren looked at Xi Yu.

“Alright.” Xi Yu also wanted to see how far the Ghost Domain had developed.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others responded in turn and prepared to leave.

“Wait a minute.” Xi Yu called out to everyone.

“Who’s going to borrow a pot? We’re having a feast tonight.”

Xi Yu tossed out a Tusk Donkey whose mutation traits had been completely removed.

“I’ll go borrow it!” Zhang Qingyuan volunteered immediately upon seeing the Tusk Donkey.

He had been filled with anticipation since Xi Yu collected the donkeys, and now he could finally verify if they could truly be turned into treasure.

Though he was still nervous, he believed more that Xi Yu, as a divine dragon, wouldn’t disappoint.

He was impatient to see the results.

He slipped away quickly, and Ji Yunbing and the others were not far behind, their enthusiasm high.

What if this Tusk Donkey really was edible?

Everyone divided the tasks, each handling a part of the beast meat.

They all knew how to cook, but they never had the chance to use those skills.

Now, they could finally attempt to make legendary delicacies.

Some prepared to grill, some to stew, and some to braise.

Zhang Qingyuan would borrow the seasonings when he went for the pot.

****

“They borrowed a pot and various seasonings?”

Guan Zhang looked puzzled. ‘Are they dissatisfied with the food we sent over?’

He shook his head. ‘What kind of flavor can you get out of vegetables and rice?’

Even so, ordinary people couldn’t even eat those; most people were lucky to have synthetic food.

“Give them whatever they want.”

Such items weren’t worth much, and Guan Zhang wasn’t petty.

But after a while, he felt something was wrong.

He smelled the aroma of meat.

Guan Zhang thought he had smelled wrong and sniffed several more times.

The next moment, saliva began to secrete in his mouth involuntarily; Guan Zhang quickly controlled his body’s instinctive reaction.

His eyes widened. ‘This is the smell of meat.’

He had eaten it countless times as a child before the catastrophe. He had even been fortunate enough to have it a few times in recent years, so there was no way he could mistake it.

But the difference was that this aroma was even stronger, making him nearly lose control of his physical instincts.

He walked out of his tent and found a circle of people already gathered outside the house where Ding Ren’s team stayed.

Almost everyone who wasn’t on sentry duty was there, swallowing hard.

It was simply too fragrant.

Various meat aromas interlaced, enough to drive one mad.

Mutated beast meat would never smell this good.

Guan Zhang couldn’t say anything seeing this scene; who could resist the smell of meat?

Furthermore, many among them hadn’t eaten real meat in their entire lives.

It wasn’t just them; inside the simple house, Zhang Qingyuan and the others were also losing their composure.

The aroma of meat so close at hand made it impossible to stop salivating. ‘How can it be so fragrant?’

Suppressing the urge to sneak a bite, plate after plate of prepared beast meat was served.

However, no one picked up their chopsticks immediately; as good as it smelled, they feared the texture would be the same as before.

“Who’s going to have the first taste?” Xi Yu smiled.

The group still hesitated. At that moment, a pair of chopsticks directly grabbed a piece of braised meat and stuffed it into a mouth.

“Boss, how does it taste?” Everyone looked over expectantly.