William Carter quietly felt his own pants pocket. He only had fifty yuan of allowance each month. Swallowing, he said, “David Bolton, I... didn’t bring any money…”

“I’ve got it. Order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

David Bolton could see through this guy’s little schemes and stinginess—a mortal’s mindset is always limited. Thinking about having to get along with these ordinary people in the future, he couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

It was rare for David Bolton to treat, and William Carter knew he only had three hundred yuan a month for living expenses. If they really went all out, just one barbecue meal could wipe him out. As a friend, he really couldn’t bear to do that. He pointed at the beer that had been brought over: “You know I don’t drink.”

David Bolton said, “I’ll drink!” He ordered two more cold dishes, grabbed a bottle of beer, and popped the cap off with his teeth.

William Carter was stunned, and even David Bolton was a bit surprised himself. The smooth motion of opening the bottle was pure muscle memory—this strong set of teeth must have been trained in the past.

The barbecue grill and a pound of lamb skewers arrived at the same time. David Bolton took a swig of the cold beer and, staring at the glowing red coals in the grill, couldn’t help but think of the Supreme Lord Laozi’s alchemy furnace.

His own body was just too weak. If only he could get an alchemy furnace and summon the Samadhi True Fire to refine some Essence-Nourishing Pills, he could quickly make up for all his innate deficiencies and greatly increase his maximum health. That was the most urgent problem right now.

An alchemy furnace was easy to find, but the Samadhi True Fire was hard to come by. He had already lost his immortal power—where could he possibly summon the Samadhi True Fire? It was just wishful thinking.

Three years, then three years. I’ll make the most of my three years in the mortal world, making every day meaningful. The greatest flavor in life is joy—I want to taste all the world’s delicacies and behold all its beauties.

Just from the way he was eating skewers, it was clear William Carter was in a hurry. In less than twenty minutes, he’d eaten most of the lamb skewers, then spent another five minutes finishing a big bowl of hand-pulled noodles. He smiled and said, “I’m full. I’ll head back to study.”

David Bolton didn’t stop him, just nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll sit a while longer. Oh, can you go to school with me tomorrow?”

William Carter paused for a moment, then quickly agreed with a smile.

After William Carter left, David Bolton continued drinking his beer, pondering his newly begun life. To be fair, this piss-colored liquid was cool and refreshing in the stomach, but it was nothing compared to the heavenly nectar of the Celestial Palace. The mortal world was just so-so.

As David Bolton ate, he listened to the people around him. The thing about barbecue stalls was that, though noisy, each table only talked about their own business, rarely paying attention to what others were doing.

David Bolton was an exception. As a newcomer to the mortal world, he was like a sponge, soaking up as much information from his surroundings as possible, good or bad, taking it all in.

“Boss, another pound of lamb!” David Bolton waved his hand. The barbecue here actually tasted better than in the Celestial Palace, and the pleasure of eating was addictive—he just couldn’t stop. He was never a self-disciplined person.

At that moment, four burly men walked in from outside. Although the weather wasn’t that hot, all of them were shirtless, their bodies covered in dragon and tiger tattoos. The bald leader wore a thick, shiny gold chain around his neck. As they passed by David Bolton, the bald man suddenly raised his palm and slapped David Bolton on the back of the head.

David Bolton was completely unprepared. The glass of beer he’d just brought to his lips spilled all over him, and a surge of anger instantly rose in his heart.

Chapter 6: Fire Source Stone

The bald man grinned and said, “You little brat, up to no good, sneaking in here to drink.”

David Bolton quickly assessed the situation. These four weren’t high in either IQ or EQ—definitely lacking in both—but they were all strong and muscular.

It would feel great to fly into a rage and slam the table, but if things escalated and a fight broke out, he’d be the one to suffer. With his current physical condition, he’d lose miserably in a one-on-one with any of them.

The anger on his face faded in a flash. Searching his memory for the man’s name, he put on a big smile and said, “Brother Qijin, it’s you! What a coincidence. Why don’t you join me?”

No one hits a smiling face. Henry Clark and his crew were all stunned. They’d always thought this kid was a dumb mute who couldn’t get a word out, but suddenly his mouth was so sweet.

The bald Henry Clark glared, “Don’t try to cozy up to me, kid. Give me a straight answer—when are you moving? When the hell are you moving?”

David Bolton realized it was about the demolition of his little house. These guys were all temp workers hired by the demolition office.

With the city’s development, the old neighborhood he lived in had been designated a shantytown. This year’s urban construction focus was on shantytown renovation, but as with all demolitions, there were always some problems—here, too, there were holdouts.

Henry Clark used to be one of the holdouts, but after resisting for a while, he quickly switched sides. Rumor had it he’d gotten quite a bit out of it under the table.

Guys like him—idle, self-serving street thugs—were always looking to curry favor and chase profit, forgetting loyalty for gain. Now he’d turned into a demolition team member and shamelessly called himself a regular staffer, but in reality, they were just a bunch of temps.