In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 3: The Cherished Immortal Lord (2)

Chapter 3: The Cherished Immortal Lord (2)

 

Not long after Luo Yang left, Xi Yu’s expression tightened.

 

For one simple reason—he was hungry.

 

It had been so long since he last felt this sensation from his body that Xi Yu was momentarily dazed. His stomach let out a few loud growls, pulling him back from memories of countless years ago with an answer:

 

He was no longer the half-immortal on the verge of ascension…

 

Sitting on the hospital bed for half a day, Xi Yu began to curse himself for claiming he didn’t need food due to fasting.

 

As hunger surged, he felt like he could devour a person. Initially, he planned to wait for Luo Yang to return, hoping he’d be sensible enough to bring food. But after some thought, Xi Yu stood up, opened the door, and stepped out of the hospital room.

 

Even if Luo Yang brought food, Xi Yu wouldn’t lower himself to eat it.

 

Rather than relying on others, he’d rely on himself.

 

He had merely arrived in an unfamiliar place. He wasn’t crippled—how hard could it be to get some food?

 

The truth? Much harder than he thought.

 

After wandering in circles for what felt like forever, not only did he fail to find food, but he couldn’t even figure out where he had come from.

 

Irritation grew within him, his brows furrowing deeper until he could barely suppress the urge to smash something to ease his frustration.

 

His temper had always been explosive—set him off, and he’d erupt. That was why his first step in cultivation had been to abstain from grains. It was a grueling process, one where he thought he might die, but he persevered.

 

Now, however, he couldn’t endure like that. This body had no spiritual energy, and the place was suffused with heavy Yin energy. If he forced himself to fast, he really might die.

 

Coming to a quiet corner, just as his frustration was about to boil over, Xi Yu suddenly heard faint sobbing.

 

He took a deep breath, suppressing his temper, and followed the sound.

 

In a corner, a small child sat huddled, crying her heart out. She was so immersed in her sorrow that she didn’t notice Xi Yu until his shadow loomed over her. Startled, she raised her tear-streaked face.

 

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed, for a moment. Then, the child burst into even louder sobs.

 

“…”

 

In the past, Xi Yu would have thrown the child across the room to “meet her ancestors.” But now, perhaps because hunger was clouding his judgment, he found himself surprisingly patient. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to communicate:

 

“Why are you crying?”

 

The child was too absorbed in her tears to hear him. Xi Yu crouched down and repeated, “Kid, why are you crying?”

 

This time, she heard him, stopped crying briefly, and looked at him with wide eyes.

 

But as they locked eyes, her lips began to quiver, and her tears fell again, even harder this time, like a sudden downpour. Xi Yu felt ridiculous for trying to communicate with a child.

 

As he stood to leave, a calm, clear voice came from behind him: “Beibei?”

 

The voice was pleasant—cool with a touch of warmth, like sunlight on spring snow.

 

The child immediately jumped to her feet, ran past Xi Yu, and threw herself into the arms of a young man behind him.

 

Xi Yu didn’t know how foul his expression was, but it must have been bad enough to make the young man freeze momentarily.

 

The youth appeared no older than his early twenties, with handsome but not delicate features. His slightly seductive almond-shaped eyes and a beauty mark beneath his right eye lent him an air of charm that screamed attachment to worldly affairs.

 

Xi Yu’s first thought: In my time, this man would never qualify as a cultivator.

 

He scrutinized the man further and noted a redeeming quality: the youth’s hair was tied into a long braid that fell to his waist—a detail that exuded taste.

 

The child, now nestled in the young man’s arms, wiped her tears and pointed accusingly at Xi Yu with her chubby finger, her voice soft yet clear: “He was mean to me!”

 

Xi Yu wanted to snap that little finger in half.

 

What was worse, the young man believed her.

 

Surprised, he looked at Xi Yu and asked incredulously, “How old are you? Bullying a child?”

 

Xi Yu immediately retracted all the compliments he had just given the man. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to punch this unfair stranger and show him what “bullying” really looked like.

 

How old am I? By seniority, you’d call me great-great-great-great…grandfather!

 

Suppressing his frustration, Xi Yu replied coolly, “Which eye of yours saw me bullying her?”

 

“Then why was she crying?” The young man spread his hands in mock innocence. “Surely I didn’t instruct her to cry here just to frame you?”

 

Ignoring him, Xi Yu looked down at the child.

 

Startled, the child trembled slightly, tugged at the young man’s hand, and admitted softly, “It wasn’t him who made me cry. I was crying by myself first.”

 

Xi Yu turned his gaze back to the young man and raised a brow.

 

See? Brat.

 

But the young man merely offered him a polite smile, devoid of any apology. Taking the child’s hand, he gently said, “Let’s not cry anymore. Everything will be fine. Are you hungry? Let’s go eat.”

 

The child wiped her tears, holding onto the young man’s hand as they walked away.

 

Xi Yu stood in place for a while, watching the pair disappear from view. Deep down, he hoped they, too, wouldn’t find food.

 

Wait—they were going to eat?

 

Realizing this, Xi Yu finally moved, following them at a careful distance.

 

They walked, he walked.

 

They stopped, he stopped.

 

They turned a corner, he turned as well.

 

Eventually, the two paused outside a door. The child scampered inside, leaving the young man waiting outside. Sensing Xi Yu’s gaze, the man looked up. Just before their eyes met, Xi Yu quickly turned around.

 

He wasn’t sure why he had hidden, so he turned back, only to see the child skipping back out. The young man took her hand, and they continued walking.

 

When Xi Yu passed the room where they had stopped, something felt off. Instinct warned him, but he dismissed it and resumed following them.

 

Thinking his stealth was flawless, he was caught off guard when they stopped abruptly.

 

They entered a small, automatic door, which Xi Yu assumed led to the dining area. Without thinking, he stepped in, only to find himself in a cramped space with no food in sight—just two pairs of eyes staring at him.

 

One was smiling mischievously; the other blinked innocently and asked, “Big brother, are you following us?”

 

“I walk wherever I want. My legs, my choice.”

 

“Ew!” The child’s voice was full of disdain.

 

Xi Yu clenched his fists.

 

Just as he was about to snap back, the young man spoke: “You’re here to eat too, right?”

 

“Mm.” At least someone understood.

 

The young man studied him briefly before asking, “Do you have money?”

 

Xi Yu froze.

 

Money? He knew what that was, but… he didn’t have any.

 

The young man chuckled. “Forgot to bring it?”

 

Xi Yu glared at him.

 

“How about I treat you? Consider it a good deed.”

 

Xi Yu’s mood improved slightly. Though short-tempered, he was easy to appease. The young man’s offer felt like an apology, so he accepted it graciously.

 

Even better, it solved his immediate problem. For once, Xi Yu returned the favor with rare praise: “You’re quite sensible.”

 

Luo Yang finished his dinner at the hospital cafeteria, feeling great. Carrying a takeout box for Xi Yu, he hummed a little tune as he returned to the room.

 

Opening the door, he found it empty.

 

Luo Yang stepped back out.

 

Maybe he had opened the door wrong?

 

Just then, the attending physician approached with a group of staff. Seeing Luo Yang staring at the door, the doctor asked, “Why aren’t you going in?”

 

“Well…”

 

The doctor peeked inside, then asked worriedly, “Did the patient relapse? Was it serious? Did he hurt anyone?”

 

“Maybe he relapsed? Probably serious…” Luo Yang looked into the room carefully. “But I’m not sure about hurting anyone, because… he’s not in the room.”

 

The statement hit everyone like a thunderclap.

 

The door was flung open, and the group rushed in, scouring every corner of the room.

 

The verdict was clear:

 

The patient was not in the room.

 

Luo Yang tugged at his hair in frustration. Where could his friend, new to this place, have wandered off to?!

 

The television was still on, broadcasting melodramatic lines:

 

“How did you discover my true identity?”

 

“Your act was so amateurish. Did you really think you could fool me? I was just playing along. Someone like you, I’d kill without mercy.”

 

…

 

Comrade! Please don’t do anything that would harm others or go against heaven’s principles!