"Humph." The man snorted in discontent.
"H-Here." Han Yu hesitantly handed the man the wine pot.
The man yanked out the cork and chugged the entire contents without hesitation.
"Damn." Han Yu was both impressed and horrified. 'I've never seen someone down that pig swill so easily before. That stuff burns like hell.'
He still remembered the time his friends had pranked him by replacing his drinking water with the same cheap, gut-wrenching liquor. It was strong, questionably legal, and probably distilled from the tears of regret.
But the ghostly man didn't flinch. He downed every last drop in one go, then slowly turned his gaze to Han Yu, his eyes now a fiery shade of red.
"Eek!" Han Yu took a step back, already preparing to run for his life.
The ghostly man collapsed face-first onto the ground. Then, to Han Yu's utter disbelief, a faint, contented smile spread across his face.
And just like that, the terrifying, mysterious figure had passed out drunk.
"What the actual fuck..." Han Yu muttered, blinking in disbelief.
The man who had seemed so intimidating was now happily snoozing, his arms sprawled out like a child who had just lost a battle against bedtime.
"Maybe he really was just a drunk who wasted all his money on booze," Han Yu mused.
He stared at the unconscious man and debated his next move.
"My work here is done. Should I just leave?" he mumbled to himself.
But as he looked at the helpless, sleeping drunkard, a strange sense of pity bubbled up inside him. Maybe it was because the man no longer seemed threatening. Or maybe it was because Han Yu had a soft spot for stray dogs, and this guy gave off the same energy.
"Am I going to regret this? Probably." Han Yu sighed and sat down next to the fallen tree.
Time passed, and the ghostly man began to stir from his drunken slumber.
A rather tantalizing aroma tickled his nose, pulling him from unconsciousness. He groggily opened his eyes and glanced to the side.
A boy sat with his back to him, tending to a small fire where a few pieces of meat sizzled on makeshift skewers. The boy was completely focused, oblivious to the fact that his terrifying drinking buddy was now awake.
The ghostly man stood up, his movements eerily silent. Then, without hesitation, he reached out.
Han Yu screamed as a pale hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere and snatched a skewer right from the fire.
He scrambled backward, heart pounding, and could only watch as the man took a huge bite of the freshly cooked meat. Within seconds, the entire portion was gone.
"Hey! My meat!" Han Yu wailed. "I bought that with my hard-earned money!"
He had been carefully cooking four portions, and now one had been mercilessly stolen.
"My meat! Give it back!" Han Yu cried, the anguish in his voice comparable to a man watching his life savings go up in flames.
The ghostly man scoffed. "Humph. It's just common beast meat." He wiped his mouth. "Not even spirit beast meat."
"It's still expensive!" Han Yu protested. "It took me weeks to afford that!"
The ghostly man merely rolled his eyes and sat back down, completely ignoring the boy's suffering.
'My meat... my precious beast meat,' Han Yu mourned internally. "This will set me back weeks!" he wailed.
The ghostly man raised a brow. "For what?" he asked nonchalantly.
"The sect recruitment is in a year. I need to reach the Eighth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm before then," Han Yu grumbled.
No longer afraid, he was now just mad. If not for his basic self-preservation instincts, he might have actually tried to fight the man.
The ghostly man snorted. "Ha! And what measly sect would recruit someone with just the Eighth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm?"
"The Copper Cauldron Alchemy Sect, the richest sect around here!" Han Yu said proudly.
"The Copper Cauldron Alchemy Sect?" The man frowned. "Never heard of it."
"What would a beggar like you know?" Han Yu scoffed. "I'll have you know their Patriarch is a Nascent Soul Realm expert!"
"Just a tiny Nascent Soul Realm expert is considered a patriarch?" The man's frown deepened.
To Han Yu, it sounded like the man was mocking the sect.
"You shouldn't talk like that," Han Yu warned. "It'll be fatal for you."
The ghostly man let out a loud harrumph. "A mere insect can threaten me? Impossible."
Han Yu sighed, now convinced the man had lost his mind.
'Probably drank himself stupid,' Han Yu thought. 'Even Fat Kui is smarter than this.'
Deciding there was no point in humoring a lunatic, Han Yu picked up his remaining skewers and turned to leave.
"Wait," the ghostly man suddenly spoke.
Han Yu paused. "What?" he barked.
"Give me more." The ghostly man shamelessly held out his hand.
"No." Han Yu rejected him immediately. "I bought this! With my money!"
The man smirked. "I'll teach you something if you do."
"What could you possibly teach me?" Han Yu scoffed.
"Martial arts," the man stated matter-of-factly.
Han Yu laughed. "Hah! What martial arts would a beggar like you know?"
"You brat!" The man's face darkened. "You dare insult the Immor—"
But then, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His expression shifted, and for a brief moment, Han Yu thought he saw something almost like sadness in his eyes. Then it vanished, replaced by frustration.
Han Yu rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm leaving."
As he took a step forward, the man spoke again.
"I can get you more beast meat."
Han Yu didn't stop walking.
"You can have it for free," the man added.
Han Yu froze in place. "Free?" He turned around, his expression shifting into one of unrestrained greed.
"Yes. But you have to cook for me too." The ghostly man grinned.
"Deal! No take-backs!" Han Yu shouted, his attitude doing a complete 180 as he ran back to the fire.
The ghostly man smirked. 'Hook, line, and sinker.'