After what seemed like eternity, Bei Feng finally crawled out of the lake. His body looked as thin as a stick, as though he was only made up of skin and bones.
His eyes, however, were shining brilliantly, and his lips were curled up in a smile. "I've pulled through!"
Bei Feng truly felt as though he had died a moment ago. Large amounts of his blood and cells had been disintegrated by the tyrannical Yang Qi into ashes, then excreted out of his body.
However, the cells which had survived were strengthened innumerable times over! That was the only reason why Bei Feng had been able to pull through!
As for his bountiful Mental Power, it was like a well-refined piece of steel which had been thoroughly tempered by flames, expelling any impurities.
Right now, Bei Feng's perception could only extend outwards for three meters. However, it was much more concentrated!
His body was reduced to a bag of skin and bones, but not only did he not become weaker, the bonds between his cells were even stronger! It was like the best essence extracted from the tempering of a furnace.
Sending his perception into his body, it was not an exaggeration to describe the situation inside as disorderly and barren. Although he had indeed managed to pull through this time, all the potential and energy which had been sitting in his body for a long time had all been consumed. There wasn't even a single drop left!
If the process had lasted any longer, Bei Feng's foundation might even have been damaged!
Right now, Bei Feng only felt an extreme hunger, as though he could eat an entire cow by himself!
Picking up his jacket with slightly trembling hands, he pulled out his mobile phone and looked at the time. It was already about 2 pm.
He dialed the number for Bai Xiang and instructed him to start cooking an extra large portion of Variant Giant Salamander with the medicinal cauldron while he dragged his wet and skinny body out of the park.
After offering 500 yuan, Bei Feng finally managed to get a driver to take him all the way to Mt. Qing Ling. And that was only because he paid first on the spot.
The other drivers earlier had all driven off after taking a single look at the skeleton-like refugee figure of Bei Feng.
This particular driver only agreed to let him onto the car after demanding 200 yuan in cleaning fees for washing the car, as well as compensation for the loss of potential business while taking this trip.
Along the way, Bei Feng could not help but urge the driver constantly, hoping that he would drive a little faster. Bei Feng had never felt such an intense hunger before. His stomach and intestines felt like they had shrunk inwards and were swallowing each other.
The driver was like a professional race track driver as he drifted through the twisting mountain road with incredible speed, only slowing down for the extremely sharp turns. Throughout the entire journey, the taxi had never gone below 80 km/h!
The trip which would usually take at least over 30 minutes to cover was reduced almost in half, reaching Qing Ling Village in around 20 minutes!
Bei Feng opened the car door and rushed off immediately after arriving, disappearing completely from the spot in the blink of an eye.
"Oh sh*t! A ghost in broad daylight...?! Oh my god! No, I gotta stop driving for today. It's better to go to temple later instead and offer some incense and ask Buddha to remove this negative energy from me!"
The driver mumbled nervously. Although the sun was hanging brightly in the sky, he was covered in a layer of cold sweat. How could humans possess this kind of speed?!
His face changed dramatically as he turned the car around and stepped the pedal to the metal without any hesitation. In his hurry to escape the place, his actions became extremely smooth and quick as he switched the gears and worked the gas pedal. Perhaps even Jay Chou himself could not outrun the current him in a race down the mountain! [1] Even a professional racer might not be able to bring out the full potential of the taxi as well as this panicking driver right now. With the speed of a fully tuned race car, the rickety old taxi disappeared down the road.
Bei Feng of course did not know what sort of scare the poor driver had received because of him. His stick-like figure was somehow able to explode with incredible speed. With every step, he seemed to flash forward by several meters!
The road which would have taken a regular person at least 20 minutes to traverse was covered in less than 3-5 minutes under his maximum sprinting effort.
As he reached the old mansion, an irresistible and mouthwatering aroma floated out to receive him, causing the terribly starved Bei Feng to lose all sense of reason in an instant.
"Bam!"
The huge and solid front door did not even manage to obstruct Bei Feng in the slightest. With a ferocious punch, it shattered into numerous large pieces of wood which flew into the yard!
He charged right towards the large cauldron and grabbed at the Variant Giant Salamander meat with his bare hands and began wolfing it down on the spot.
He wasn't in the mood to appreciate the taste of the meat or the fragrance of the soup at all. What mattered right now was to stuff everything down his throat!
"Who the f*ck is this disgusting beggar?"
Bei Feng had created such a huge commotion coming in that unless Bai Xiang and the rest were dead, it was impossible for them to not hear him! In an instant, they all rushed out of their rooms, only to see a crazed fellow hugging a huge chunk of meat, gorging it down in an extremely vulgar manner with his back against them.
Bai Xiang roared with rage and was about to rush forward and teach this intruder a lesson when he heard a familiar voice. "Bai Xiang, bring out another piece of meat!"
"Boss?!"
Bai Xiang did a double take in shock. Although this person's voice sounded a little hoarse, it obviously still belonged to Bei Feng.
"It's me. Go and prepare more, this is not enough!" Bei Feng lifted his head and commanded lightly before turning his attention back to the meat.
Bai Xiang widened his eyes, clearly astonished. He had not seen the boss for only one day, but how did he end up in this state?
"Did he bump into an evil fox spirit and had his vitality all sucked away?"
Bai Xiang mumbled curiously as he looked at the corpse-like Boss in disbelief. Even if he 'did it' with a fox spirit for a few hundred rounds, it still shouldn't be to this extent, right?
Bei Xiang did not stay and press for the answers, but directly ran into the kitchen. He pulled out a large piece of Variant Giant Salamander meat which seemed to weigh at least 30 jin!
This was something that Bei Feng had prepared earlier and stored in the refrigerator.
The nutritious Variant Giant Salamander meat along with the soup filled with countless medicinal essence flowed into Bei Feng's body. With his overpowered digestive abilities which were over 10 times stronger than those of an average person, the meat and the soup were quickly converted into nourishing energy like a timely rain after a long drought. The energy was greedily absorbed by the cells in his body which previously seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.
Bei Feng's stomach was like an immense black hole. The large piece of meat which neared 20 jin in weight seemed to have completely disappeared, with not even a tiny bulge in his stomach to show for it.
"Huu!"
Bei Feng heaved a heavy breath as he swallowed the last mouthful of soup. His stomach felt somewhat better, although it was still wreaked with hunger. Only, that hunger was not as madly intense as the one before.
Bei Feng even suspected that if he had waited even longer, his stomach acids might have even completely dissolved his stomach!
Ignoring the dumb gazes of Mystic One and the rest, Bei Feng calmly entered the bathroom and took a thorough bath, not forgetting to change his clothes before coming out again.
The clothes which originally fitted him extremely well were rather loose now that he had lost so much weight all of a sudden.
As though sharing a tacit understanding, nobody went up to ask Bei Feng what happened.
Another half an hour passed, and the second round of meat was finally cooked. This time, Bei Feng's dining etiquette was much improved. Of course, the speed at which he ate was still incredibly scary. Two entire chunks of nearly 50 jin of Variant Giant Salamander disappeared down Bei Feng's stomach. Only then did Bei Feng finally feel full.
"Whew, it feels so good to be able to eat till you're full!"
Bei Feng sighed heartily as he rubbed his tummy. This incredible feeling of satisfaction was something that he had never experienced before.
At the same time, a flash of fear fleeted through his pupils. Although that golden light ray was like a powerful tempering hammer which helped to thoroughly refine his body, that kind of suffering was not something that just anybody could endure!
The process was extremely dangerous, but the benefits he had obtained were similarly huge! Of course, such benefits came with an equivalent amount of risks!
Bei Feng decided that he would not practice the Minor Illumination Breathing Technique at any time other than dawn. He didn't dare guarantee that he would still have the luck to survive it the next time!
Lying on the deck chair in the yard and feeling the warmth of the sun on his face, Bei Feng closed his eyes and gradually fell asleep.
As he slept, a tremendous change was taking place within his body. With the 50 jin of Grade 1 Demonic Beast meat within his stomach as well as the soup rich in medicinal essence, waves of nourishing energy swam about within his wretched body, quickly healing all the damage within him.
The dried up cells which were on the verge of turning into dust became filled with energy again as they freely absorbed the bountiful energy. When one of them reached its maximum capacity, the cell would then split into new cells, which would then split once more, and so on, and so on.
This process of assimilating the new and the excreting the old, which should have taken at least a year or two to complete, was accomplished in just a few short hours!
[1] TL/N: Initial D anyone? I added this bit myself, hope y'all don't mind. ED/N: Let me add that while Initial D is a (hella awesome) Japanese work, there was a movie adaptation made in... Hong Kong, I think. Tried to watch it once (couldn't stand what they did with Bunta and quit... other changes turned me off too). I'm guessing Jay Chou starred Takumi there.