CHAPTER 286: CHAPTER 286: YOU FORCED ME, REN NAISER UPDATE

Ren Suo didn’t know what kind of reasoning a sliver of his True Form’s consciousness, under the influence of the medication, had used to persuade others to go to the Ghost Stall alone with him.

Fortunately, he had met Gu Yueyan first. This might indicate that the remaining consciousness of his True Form still retained some rationality, knowing to leave the accomplice until last to give Ren Suo some time to think.

This meant his True Form probably took advantage of them when they were alone, luring them to the Ghost Stall with sweet talk. Then, due to the Ghost Stall’s inherent power, they had no choice but to sit down and eat.

However, there was a minor issue—his True Form had gone to the Ghost Stall with all four of them.

So, how did his True Form enter the Ghost Stall multiple times?

Ren Suo naturally knew that he hadn’t fed his True Form, keeping it in a state of Hunger throughout so that it could approach the Ghost Stall repeatedly. But how could Ren Suo explain finding the Fairy Palace Food God and yet not eating?

"Ren Suo, is your stomachache any better?" asked Dong Chengling. "You’ve been running around with a stomachache, taking us to find the Fairy Palace Food God. You’ve really put yourself out."

Hearing Dong Chengling’s question, Ren Suo was slightly taken aback and nodded. "Much better."

"Did you go eat then?"

"I did. Once I realized my stomach didn’t hurt, I immediately went to eat," Ren Suo said, glancing at Gu Yueyan, who turned her head away without speaking.

It seemed the pretext Ren Suo had given himself was a sudden stomachache that prevented him from eating, which was why he hadn’t eaten anything during the first three visits to the Ghost Stall with the others.

"Then we should head back. I’ll drive you all first," Qiao Muyi said, starting to walk out of the park. The others followed closely, leaving Ren Suo looking bewildered.

Ren Suo followed behind them, pondering for a moment before tentatively asking, "Are you all full?"

"Mhm."

"I ate so much!"

"I’m full."

"It was alright."

Ren Suo had a hunch and asked another question, "So, would you say these past ten days haven’t been wasted?"

"Yeah," Gu Yueyan said, stepping on Lin Xianyu’s shadow ahead of her. "You’re pretty lucky."

The others also nodded in agreement. Ren Suo blinked and said no more, obediently following behind.

Although the ’Let the Game Proceed Smoothly’ Barrier didn’t affect him, it did affect the others. Ren Suo had no intention of forcing them to realize the importance of what had just happened, so he also pretended to have overlooked the significance of the Ghost Stall and the Fairy Palace Food God.

Sitting in the car, Lin Xianyu pouted and said, "Tomorrow we won’t have any more free late-night snacks from Big Brother Ren..."

"I won’t be on the night shift tomorrow either," said Qiao Muyi. "Finally, I can get some beauty sleep."

Dong Chengling turned to Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan. "We agreed that everyone will go back to regular hours starting tomorrow. There are only a few days left before school starts. Xiao Yan, you need to adjust your biological clock as soon as possible."

"Alright," Gu Yueyan said earnestly. "Xiaoyu and I are moving into our dorm in a couple of days."

"Ah—" Lin Xianyu leaned against the passenger seat like a salted fish. "Right, I’ll be sleeping with the Class President again..."

"What’s wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all, I love sleeping with the Class President."

Ren Suo, sitting on the left side of the back seat, was very quiet the whole time. Looking at the scenery whizzing past outside, he thought to himself, Tonight was a close call, but ultimately successful.

While waiting for a red light at a crossroads, Ren Suo, who had been looking at the closed shops, suddenly noticed a strange pedestrian on the road.

It was a tall, thin teenager wearing a white shirt and black pants. His features were gaunt but still handsome, and he had a head of silver hair slicked back.

The teenager, standing across the two-lane road, noticed Ren Suo’s gaze and returned it. His eyes were sharp, seemingly questioning with an implied, ’What are you looking at?’ This made Ren Suo subconsciously want to turn his head and avoid him!

Ren Suo’s first instinct was to check if he had equipped the Goddess Jade Pendant.

No! Then it doesn’t matter!

Ren Suo glared back. Yeah, I’m looking at you. What about it?

Besides, this wasn’t like the period right after Guan Yu’s death, when the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade had a habit of slashing people indiscriminately. Apparently not used to such a brazen human, the teenager hesitated for a second, then ignored Ren Suo and continued walking towards Cultural Park.

When Qiao Muyi was about to drive them back to Heavenly Lotus Academy, Ren Suo, who had been keeping an eye on the time, silently counted down in his head. Time’s up.

Suddenly, Qiao Muyi hit the brakes hard. Fortunately, no one was thrown forward hard enough to be injured. Lin Xianyu, who had buckled her seatbelt, only dropped her phone. Ren Suo had anticipated that Dong Chengling, being a Third-turn Cultivator, would be unaffected. When Gu Yueyan was jolted by inertia, Ren Suo and Dong Chengling simultaneously reached out to steady her shoulders.

Qiao Muyi tapped the steering wheel. "Did we just... encounter the Fairy Palace Food God and have dinner?"

"Yes," Dong Chengling said calmly. "And I can clearly sense that my awakened spells have changed. It must be due to the power of that meal."

"Me too," Gu Yueyan and Lin Xianyu said in unison.

"Don’t worry. Based on previous intelligence, the changes to your awakened spells should be beneficial, and your Awakening Abilities will be strengthened," Qiao Muyi assured them, turning her head to look at Ren Suo in the back. "What about you? You went to eat at the end, right?"

"I haven’t noticed anything," Ren Suo said honestly. "It’s probably because I don’t have any awakened spells."

"That’s okay. Even if you don’t have awakened spells, it could still enhance your Talent," Qiao Muyi comforted. "I didn’t expect you to actually encounter such a fortuitous opportunity on the last day."

"Even though you didn’t gain much from this fortuitous opportunity, we gained a lot!"

Ren Suo’s face darkened. Are these supposed to be comforting words?

"But... it truly is worthy of the Fairy Palace," Qiao Muyi said through gritted teeth. "We clearly ate in there. I remember that before I went in, I just wanted to confirm if it was real and planned to report it immediately after coming out. I can’t believe I completely forgot after eating... No, it’s more like I overlooked the matter entirely!"

"Although I’d heard similar intelligence reports before, I never imagined this ability was so powerful..."

Gu Yueyan asked, "So, do we need to go back now to catch... or rather, find the Food God?"

Qiao Muyi shook her head. "It’s no use. By the time we remember her, it means she has already left."

"She appears and disappears like a phantom, no one knows her whereabouts, and whoever eats there once can never go a second time... Wait, what about you, Ren Suo? Did you remember the Food God just now?"

Ren Suo blinked and said, "After I finished eating and came out, I overlooked this matter as well."

"So you’re saying, if you eat the Food God’s food, you’ll completely overlook anything related to her..." Qiao Muyi murmured. "But as soon as I went over, I couldn’t help but want to order..."

"It’s only because you had a stomachache and didn’t want to eat, Ren Suo, that you managed to resist ordering."

Lin Xianyu and the others deeply agreed. "They have whatever you want to eat, and it’s super tasty and super attractive—it’s too difficult to resist this temptation."

Did that Ghost Stall also have this effect? Ren Suo really didn’t know, since by the time he returned to his True Form, he was already full.

So, does the Ghost Stall have an allure for hungry people similar to how a 99% OFF sale tempts Players?

Lin Xianyu asked, "Should we notify the Tactical Bureau right away?"

The car fell silent.

The three people in the back row didn’t really care. Even Ren Suo, after thinking it through, realized he had excuses and justifications for his actions, so he remained quite calm.

However, the only Tactical Bureau member present, Qiao Muyi, was silent.

After a minute, she finally said slowly, "According to previous records, no electronic devices record any customers who visit the Food God, and eyewitnesses don’t remember them."

"If customers don’t report to the Tactical Bureau’s system themselves, we have no way to find these people."

Qiao Muyi’s words already made her stance clear to the others.

"If we report it, then the Tactical Bureau’s system will subject us to strict inspections, including trying to figure out the details of our awakened spells," Qiao Muyi said. "And my awakened spells... are not suitable to be disclosed to anyone."

"The Tactical Bureau already has related investigations underway. They won’t miss us if we’re not involved, and our involvement wouldn’t significantly add to their findings. So..."

"Is it possible for you not to mention tonight’s events to anyone?" Qiao Muyi asked. "Consider it a personal favor I’ll owe you."

Qiao Muyi felt a bit bitter. She truly hadn’t expected to encounter the Fairy Palace Food God.

If she hadn’t gone in to eat, that would be one thing. But she had eaten the Food God’s cooking. Furthermore, the Awakeners in Ben Gang City who had previously reported themselves were confirmed to have their awakened spells further strengthened.

Qiao Muyi had presented herself as an Awakener with ’Extremely Fast Cultivation Speed’. However, if the Tactical Bureau’s system were to check the extent of her awakened spells’ augmentation, Qiao Muyi wouldn’t be able to demonstrate it. Her ’Extremely Fast Cultivation Speed’ was just one facet of her Ability; what had truly been enhanced was its very core.

"I have no objection, Xiao Qiao," Dong Chengling said immediately. "We all have our own private secrets. This incident was just a chance encounter for us; we were merely ordinary passersby who stumbled upon it. If you think this is better, I’ll keep it secret."

"Nor do I."

"If the Class President has no objection, then neither do I."

Qiao Muyi looked at Ren Suo through the rearview mirror. "What about you, Ren Suo? If anyone here can make that decision, it’s only you, because you were the one determined to find the Fairy Palace Food God."

"If you insist, I’ll understand. Having the experience of a close encounter with someone from the Fairy Palace would be very helpful for your future as a Researcher."

At this moment, Dong Chengling, Gu Yueyan, and Lin Xianyu all looked at Ren Suo with slightly unfriendly expressions. Although Qiao Muyi liked to bicker with them, she was indeed a good person at heart. She had come every day to drive them for the past ten days, and she was also pretty and cute, making her likable.

At this moment, Ren Suo was secretly pleased, but on the surface, he appeared conflicted.

Although Ren Suo felt that even if the Tactical Bureau inspected him, it wouldn’t be a major issue, he preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, now that Ren Naiser had uploaded the video, their intelligence was practically worthless. So, naturally, he also supported Qiao Muyi’s suggestion.

It’s not like I suggested not reporting this. You all basically forced my hand!

As for the experience of contact with the Fairy Palace... believe it or not, if Ren Suo wanted to, he could get a Truth Seeker from the Fairy Palace to play a dress-up mini-game. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to see the dressing-up process.

Outwardly, however, Ren Suo had to act somewhat reluctant. "Well... okay, I’ll keep it secret. It’s only because it’s you that I’m agreeing."

"Thank you," Qiao Muyi said with sincere gratitude.

The car started again. As they were preparing to pretend nothing had happened and return to the academy, Lin Xianyu, who was playing with her phone, suddenly exclaimed, "Ren Naiser has uploaded a new video!"

"At this time!?"

Qiao Muyi’s expression changed. She stopped the car again and immediately took out her phone to open the video app.

The three in the backseat also quickly pulled out their phones, using their mobile data to watch. They immediately realized that Ren Naiser uploading a video at this particular moment might be related to the Fairy Palace Food God they had just encountered!

Only Ren Suo himself was very calm. Although he had no basis for it, he knew that the video Ren Naiser posted wouldn’t feature him. It wouldn’t even mention Stedley, the Little Nine-Tailed Fox, or similar content.

Having watched so many of Ren Naiser’s videos, Ren Suo had a subtle feeling that Ren Naiser was like another version of himself, someone who knew him inside out.

Although he couldn’t control when Ren Naiser uploaded videos, it seemed that whenever she did, she was considerate of Ren Suo’s thoughts and feelings. She made sure the videos wouldn’t interfere with Ren Suo’s ’showboating’ in the game, nor would they affect his real life.

So Ren Suo casually opened the video app and discovered that Ren Naiser had actually uploaded ten videos at once.

He clicked on the first video. The screen showed a brightly lit Ghost Stall parked beside a park path in the dead of night.

After watching for a few seconds, Ren Suo immediately realized—The Tactical Bureau probably won’t be able to use these videos to find the customers anymore.