Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

Zhou He reached out his hand, his icy fingers pressing against the box.

The box has a warm, smooth surface.

"Please change my bedding in my room; I want to lie down and rest."

Zhou He showed no sign of anything amiss and opened his mouth to give the order.

Old Han nodded in response, remained silent, and turned to leave.

Zhou He followed behind him, standing on the steps at the entrance of the main room. On the apricot tree in the courtyard, apricots hung sparsely, resembling one bluish-gray eyeball after another.

He watched as Old Han, bowing low, entered the wing room on the right, which was probably where Young Master Zhou lived.

Old Han carried the quilt out and hung it to dry in the yard. He then took out a new bedding to replace it, and then bowed and walked out of the inner courtyard, leaving Zhou He alone.

Zhou He silently walked into the room, picked up the door latch, thought for a moment, then put it down and left the door open.

When Zhou He killed the old hunchback, he thought he had jumped off the chopping board and was no longer the fish.

But it was only then that he truly realized that everyone in this world could be a predator.

Only I, from the moment I opened my eyes until now, have been nothing but flesh.

The only difference is whether or not one knows they will be eaten.

Sitting at his desk by the window, Zhou He pressed his hands to his forehead, and the familiar fear made his body tremble once again.

He thought he had adjusted himself and could, as he had planned, understand the world and escape it, or at least have the opportunity to no longer be "meat".

But damn it, this world… Zhou He recalled the words Old Han had just said.

It is a warning, and also coercion; it is a rule, and also a command.

Master Zhou instructed him to follow the path of the Qiu God, and Old Han was the spokesperson for his will.

If it were the original Young Master Zhou, there might still be a chance to fight for it or to change things.

...No, even Young Master Zhou couldn't change it; his only form of resistance was refusing to eat meat.

He still had to obediently come to this old house, be fed again and again, just waiting to save enough money to leave.

What about yourself?

He looked down and saw his tattered clothes.

Zhou He believed the peddler's perfume, and Old Han probably didn't realize that he had already gone out to become a meat carrier.

Or rather, Lao Han at least has no evidence to prove that he has this identity.

However, the "decent" way he returned, the story that had just happened, and the small box that was forcibly stuffed into his hands all indicated that Lao Han had become suspicious.

But the other party didn't care, because he was confident enough to keep himself obediently on the chopping board.

Zhou He silently asked himself:

"So, what should I do now?"

Is it to accept one's fate, continue to be fed, accumulate enough travel expenses, take the guide from the god of water, then grow two heads, and finally eat oneself?

Or should I look for an opportunity to escape?

He lowered his hand from his forehead, extended his index finger, and slowly tapped the table. Zhou He's eyes gradually hardened.

If he wanted to escape, he wouldn't go back to the Zhou family's old house.

Isn't the point of coming back to have an identity so that I can continue to explore this world and find a way to escape?

Since Lao Han still considers himself the young master of the Zhou family, then I am the young master of the Zhou family!

No matter how much suspicion there is, as long as it is not exposed on the surface, it means that there is some reason requiring Lao Han to also maintain a facade of peace.

This is something I can use.

And then there's the peddler, and his "big business."

Could this be something we could work on?

Zhou He slowly relaxed, leaning back in his chair, pondering the matter while looking around at Young Master Zhou's room.

The room was small, with blue bricks paving the floor. It was swept regularly, and there was no loose soil in the cracks between the bricks.

Facing the door and window is a kang (a heated brick bed). It's summer now, and the kang isn't heated. The freshly changed bedding looks fluffy and soft.

A cast iron pipe extends from the side of the kang (a heated brick bed), and this faucet is connected to the pipe.

This is the kang pipe, filled with water. The kang is heated overnight, and the water inside is heated so that it can be used for washing in the morning.

Behind the door was a washbasin stand with towels draped on it, which looked new.

There was a wardrobe on the other side. Zhou He walked over and opened the wardrobe.

There were two sets of clothes hanging inside, the same style: a black, crisp school uniform with gold buttons and a school cap with a black plastic brim.

There was a black hard leather bag under the wardrobe, which seemed to be used to carry books.

Zhou He opened the black leather bag, inside which was a student ID.

It's from the Meat Research Institute of Kyoto University.

There is nothing else besides that.

Back at his desk, Zhou He opened a drawer and found a black notebook inside, with no name written on it.

The notebook was thick, and from the first page, each line contained a number.

9.10

10.1

12.20

……

6.7

6.8

6.9

It looks like a date?

Zhou put the notebook back in the desk, but after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find the pen.

Silently, he took the washbasin down from the shelf, placed it under the kang pipe, and let the water in the basin distill.

Zhou He took off his tattered clothes and carefully washed himself with a towel.

Then he lay back on the bed naked and fell asleep.

I slept until it was almost dark when I heard Old Han's voice from outside the door:

"Young master, dinner is ready."

Zhou He silently got up, walked to the wardrobe, changed into a school uniform, practiced his smile in front of the mirror on the washbasin stand, and gently pushed open the door:

"The door is open, just come in."

"Young master is too kind. I've put the food on the table for you. Also, this bundle contains a set of clothes that I made and washed clean. You can change into them."

Old Han placed a blue bundle and some food on the desk, then turned and left, pulling the door open.

Zhou lit a candle, and the warm yellow light in the room wasn't very bright.

The meal was very simple: eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes stir-fried together in a bowl. It didn't look very appealing.

Next to it, in a large bowl, a bowl of noodles with minced meat sauce was steaming hot.

The chopsticks were placed on a tray, which also contained a few peeled garlic cloves, a small bottle of vinegar, and a bowl of chili oil.

Zhou He ate the garlic with relish, and felt a little unsatisfied.

After finishing eating, he wiped his mouth and opened his bundle.

Inside the bundle was a complete set of clothes, which Zhou He put on with a forced smile.

The clothes were navy blue.

The clothes fit her well, but there were patches sewn on her arms, chest, back, thighs, and calves.

The inside of the jacket had a large inner pocket, just big enough to fit the old hunchback's tin box.

Inside the bundle was a fisherman's hat, patched upon patched, with the brim drooping down, so Zhou He could only vaguely see his chin in the mirror.

The smile on his face could no longer be maintained.

Most of the things he had planned before going to bed were overturned by this brand-new set of tattered clothes.

Old Han now knows he's a meat shopper!

Wearing tattered clothes and concealing knives are the rules for meat vendors.

But he still forced himself to take the travel permit and ask the god of the pool for directions.

Zhou's teeth chattered, and his hand unconsciously rubbed the clothes.

The other party knows perfectly well that a person cannot take two paths, so what does this mean?

What should I do?

Gritting his teeth, Zhou He walked out of the house, stood in the yard, and called out to Old Han.

Old Han walked from the porch into the inner courtyard, still with that respectful butler's demeanor:

"Young master, have you finished eating?"

"Old Han, I'm going on a long trip the day after tomorrow. I don't like the meat you found. I'll go to Jincheng Mine myself."