Chapter 143 - 142: How Many Plates to Break Even?

Chapter 143: Chapter 142: How Many Plates to Break Even?

In the end, Shouyangzi and He Xiaotian struck a deal for mutual assistance. The old Taoist would provide him with ten Water-Repelling Talismans, plus an extra Communication Talisman as a bonus.

In return, a certain brute paid the price of thirty Spiritual Energy Crystals—not a huge amount, but not a small one either.

The Communication Talisman, by the way, was a paper crane folded from a Taoist talisman.

He Xiaotian asked Shouyangzi why it wasn’t some other animal.

The question earned him an eye-roll from the old Taoist. ’This thing was drawn by my senior brother, so how the hell would I know?’

The talisman was extremely convenient to use. You just had to hold the Communication Talisman to your mouth, speak your message, and then shout, "FLY!"

The paper crane would then spring to life and fly toward its target.

Of course, the talisman wasn’t perfect. If the distance was too great, it would fall from the sky mid-journey and burn to ash.

It was also vulnerable to water; getting it wet would render it useless.

In short, while the talisman sounded incredibly mystical, its conditions for use were ridiculously restrictive.

However, in certain situations, it could be irreplaceable.

For example, the immense yin energy of some evil spirits or strange entities could cause disruptions in the magnetic field.

This would cause communication devices to fail and people to lose their bearings, making them wander in circles.

But the Communication Talisman was unaffected and could guide people in the right direction.

He Xiaotian pursed his lips after hearing Shouyangzi’s explanation.

’It’s a good talisman, sure, but for me, it’s pretty much useless!’

Because of their deal, the old Taoist warmly insisted that He Xiaotian stay, saying he wanted to treat him to a vegetarian meal.

To a certain stingy fellow like him, this was a dream come true.

And so, to Shouyangzi’s tearful dismay...

He Xiaotian ate and drank his fill, then casually departed with a flick of his sleeves, not leaving a single scrap of food behind.

The master and disciple stared at the empty plates on the table—plates so clean they didn’t even have a drop of oil left on them. They were speechless, with tears welling in their eyes.

’I make one polite offer, and you inhale everything edible on the table like a human hurricane?’

They seriously suspected that if the table itself had been edible, it too would have fallen prey to He Xiaotian’s "vicious maw."

"Master, I’m hungry."

How could he not be?

He’d been sweeping the grounds all morning, and on top of that, he was a growing boy.

"Just bear with it. Someone from the monastery has already gone to procure this week’s supplies. We should be able to eat around noon."

Daoxuan: "..."

He Xiaotian, the Food-Terminator, began to explore Snake Mountain. To be honest, even though he was a university student in Shanghai, he didn’t actually like to go out much.

He had genuinely never been to some of the more famous tourist attractions.

Seizing the opportunity, he had a ’satisfying’ and ’luxurious’ day out.

He spent less than a hundred yuan in total, which included a sixty-something yuan all-you-can-eat buffet.

When it came to frugality, who could possibly compare to him?

That evening, Snake Mountain was buzzing with activity. The number of tourists was several times greater than the day before.

It was the largest crowd the place had seen in half a year.

Why?

It was all because of the sensation caused by He Xiaotian’s battle with Mr. Men!

Within a day, the news had spread across the online forums, and the hot-headed netizens were in an uproar.

At first, there was no video, let alone any pictures.

As the commenters put it: "Pics or it didn’t happen. Without proof, you’re just talking shit."

But as luck would have it, there was an illustrator among the morning’s tourists.

After the personnel from Department 037 finished questioning him...

...the guy went home and immediately drew what He Xiaotian looked like after stacking all his buffs.

Naturally, he took some artistic liberties.

And thus, a Super Saiyan was born.

The forum discussions descended into chaos, with people spouting all sorts of theories.

The Cleaner Department hadn’t expected this either.

They had assumed that with no video or photos, no one would believe the story.

After all, the internet was full of "shocking" stories, and netizens had grown numb to them.

But then an illustrator came out of nowhere!

Still, they didn’t pay it too much mind. The hype would eventually die down.

Taking it down would only spark even more discussion.

Snake Mountain, meanwhile, indirectly benefited from the surge in tourists.

As evening fell, people still lingering by Moon Lake chatted with each other about the incredible sight they had witnessed the day before.

He Xiaotian, the culprit himself, broke out in a cold sweat as he listened to the tourists’ chatter.

’Good thing I’ve always liked wearing a mask.’

A gigantic ancient ship emerged from Moon Lake, sailing slowly toward the shore.

Two young women in the attire of ancient court ladies stepped off and recited the same familiar lines as the day before.

"Tickets are 500. Experience the culture of a bygone era. Limited to one hundred and fifty people. First come, first served."

A crowd immediately surged forward.

He Xiaotian was no exception. Although the 500-yuan price pained his heart...

...the thought of the massive haul of Experience Points he was about to get made him feel much better.

Led by the attendants, one hundred and fifty people boarded the ship in succession.

The gigantic ancient ship then departed from the shore, sailing toward the center of Moon Lake.

They were led into a passenger cabin, which appeared to be on the second deck.

It was a grand hall, large enough to hold three hundred people, with a stage in the center.

The stage was surrounded by ancient-style couches and low tables, upon which sat ceremonial wine vessels.

"Well, well!"

’Not bad at all.’

The crowd took their seats as arranged by the attendants.

"Welcome aboard the *Seyu Zhiyuan*. Today, we will be presenting performances of *Cloud Gate*, *Xianchi*, *Dashao*, *Great Xia*, *Dahao*, and *Dawu*. We hope you all have a wonderful time."

...a woman of enchanting grace announced from the stage.

As her voice faded, she descended the steps and left the hall.

Just then, a troupe of women in ancient costumes streamed in from the doorway and took to the stage to perform.

The atmosphere was electric; for most of the tourists, it was their first time witnessing such ancient dances.

Coupled with the Warring States-era wine vessels on the tables, it was easy to get completely lost in the moment.

The crowd clinked their cups together again and again, many of them drinking until they were completely smashed.

He Xiaotian felt something was off. ’What’s so great about this?’

’Now, if there was a pretty girl pouring the drinks, that would be a different story!’

The bar snacks on the low tables were also very simple: just a single dish of plums.

He Xiaotian had boarded the ship on an empty stomach, hoping he could eat enough to get his money’s worth.

’And what do I get? You serve me one goddamn plate of plums? Are you kidding me?’

’How many plums would he have to eat to make back his 500 yuan?’

With his calculations falling flat, he spent nearly the entire time drinking with a sour look on his face.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’for 500 yuan, you get food, drinks, and a song and dance show.’

’And it seems like we’re spending the night on the ship, too.’

’So, I guess getting a plate of plums is already a bargain.’

By the time the stage had been cleared and all the wine on the low tables was gone, it was already around midnight.

A group of attendants entered the hall, along with the woman who had spoken earlier.

"Everyone, it’s getting late. Time to turn in for the night."

Her words were a little suggestive, and the drunken men gave each other knowing looks.

Only He Xiaotian sensed the deeper meaning behind the woman’s words; it was definitely not what everyone else was thinking.

’There were too many strange things about this ship,’ he realized.

’A ship of this size, sailing on water, couldn’t possibly be this steady. There was no rocking at all.’

’From the moment the performance began, the atmosphere in the hall had become unnaturally feverish.’

’Shouldn’t people have been watching quietly?’

’All one hundred and forty-nine of them, every last one, was just chugging booze like crazy.’

’What a joke!’

’The odds of gathering a boatful of tourists who were all raging alcoholics were just too low!’

’And he’d also noticed that anyone who left mid-performance, presumably to use the restroom, had never returned.’

’Where did they go?’