Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

As Zhou He walked out of the laboratory and slowly closed the door, he could feel the smell of oil lamps being gradually cut off by the iron door, and the fog in his mind was slowly rising again.

He curled up his right thumb, keeping the other four fingers together, and slowly clenched it.

The left hand, hidden in the sleeve, instinctively pulled out a lighter.

"Very well, now let me see what you're capable of."

Zhou He exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly walked out of Jincheng University.

The rain had completely stopped, and the ground was covered with shimmering watermarks. He slowly began to hunch over.

Ga Gouwa hid under the awning of a shop across from the school, waiting for Zhou He to come out.

Upon seeing Zhou He, his gaze was somewhat complicated. He went to greet him, pulled his coat tighter around himself, and said:

"Sir, you're back."

Zhou He nodded and followed Ga Gouwa back to Yongqiang Guesthouse.

The boss was still hiding behind the counter, listening to the radio, but not to a play or the news today.

Amidst the crackling of the electricity, Zhou He heard an old voice telling a story:

"They say there are thirty-six legitimate professions in this world, but if you don't know the tricks of the trade, you'll see that everyone looks just like you, with no difference in clothing, food, shelter, transportation, walking, sitting, or lying down."

"If one day you open your eyes and enter this profession, you will understand that there are tricks to this profession, and within those tricks, everyone has their own skills."

"The first trade is that of a butcher. They travel to avoid karma, cutting meat along the way. Once they pass three tests, they become quite remarkable, collecting travel expenses in one hand and..."

Zhou He stood in front of the counter, listening quietly. Ga Gouwa didn't go back into the counter to wake up Boss Yongqiang. Instead, he lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

"You're back?"

Seemingly having been stared at for too long, the boss, Yongqiang, sat up, glanced at Zhou He, saw the coat he was wearing, and without saying anything, simply pointed to the room before lying back down.

Back in the small room, Zhou He noticed that there were even more newspapers on the bedside table.

The newly delivered newspaper was filled with the same trivial matters, but the other GG newspaper had some different content.

A donkey pulled a cart into the house.

"The old tailor said that some clothes need to be altered before they can be worn."

Zhou He was feeling dizzy. He managed to glance at the newspaper a few times before lying back down on the bed and falling asleep.

the next day.

The sun, washed clean by the rain, shone brightly outside the door. The entire street was shrouded in misty steam, making everything obscured.

Zhou He washed his face in the basin that Ga Gouwa brought him as usual, dried it off, and went out with Ga Gouwa.

It was still the boiler room, with a secret passage leading outside the city. Today, Zhou He chose the "old" gate for the mine.

The owner of the old shop was a tall young man who looked nearsighted but didn't wear glasses, so he always squinted at people.

"Sir, please choose a good piece of meat."

Zhou He silently looked at the fish tank, in which floated elderly people with white hair and wrinkled skin, both men and women. Some had white hair, some had black hair, and some had lost all their hair, leaving only bald heads.

He randomly selected an old woman with gray hair, and the young man, who was also wearing a hook, reached out to hook her.

The meat displayed on the counter was that of a bald man, strong and dark-skinned, who looked like someone who had long been used to physical labor.

Zhou He didn't say much, casually took out 80 yuan and handed it to the counter. The young man picked it up, brought it close to his nose to examine it carefully, and then said:

"Sir, you're 20 yuan short."

Zhou He placed a fifty-yuan note on the counter, turned around, picked up the bald old man, and was about to leave when the man called out to him:

"Sir, you've given too much money."

The man approached Zhou He and handed him a banknote.

Zhou He nodded to him and walked out of the cave dwelling.

Outside the mine, Ga Gouwa had a blade of grass in his mouth; the little boy had a rather profound look about him.

Seeing Zhou He come out, he went up to him and made a gesture as if to drape a coat over Zhou He's shoulders, carefully buttoning it up. After he finished, he was covered in sweat again.

We followed Ga Gouwa back to Jincheng, where there were quite a few people along the way.

It seems that because of yesterday's heavy rain, many people had something to do and flocked to the streets.

Zhou He followed Ga Gouwa and walked to a square-like place where many vendors had set up stalls and all sorts of items filled the half-square street.

Some people spread a cloth on the ground, and on the cloth were layers of clothes. Others were pulling a box, which was opened and filled with all kinds of jewelry.

There was also someone pushing a small cart, shaking a rattle-drum in their hand, making a clanging sound.

The crowd was bustling, but no one seemed to notice Zhou He, even though his disguise wasn't perfect and the clothes he was wearing were too big and ill-fitting.

No one else gave them a second glance.

Zhou He didn't care about looking at anything else; he just kept his head down and walked silently behind Ga Gouwa.

He wasn't as tired as he was yesterday, but as he walked, he became a little dazed, forgetting how long he had been walking. He called out, "Gagaowa!"

"Little Gouwa, how much longer until we arrive?"

At this moment, Ga Gouwa would always softly agree:

"We're almost there, it's just ahead."

I don't know how many times this conversation was repeated, but as I walked, I finally arrived at the gate of Jincheng University.

Yao Yao and the other three were waiting in an inconspicuous corner.

It's inconspicuous because that corner is hidden between two houses, and few people usually go to see it.

But Jiang Qi was not inconspicuous today.

He was dressed in a well-tailored white suit with a red tie. What caught people's attention was that he was holding a huge balloon in his hand, and his face was covered in paint, red and white.

A red line is drawn on the lips, forming a large smiling face, while white is used as a base, making it look particularly eerie.

What's most eye-catching is that there's a large red dot on his nose, painted with red paint. From a distance, it looks like he has a red nose.

Behind him, Chen Hai and his companion each held a bouquet of roses, one of them dazzlingly red, and the other carrying a bouquet of lilies, shimmering white.

Ahead of them, Yao Yao looked helpless, gritting her teeth several times while forcing herself to hold back. When she saw Zhou He, her first words sounded like she was about to accuse him.

"Senior, what exactly did you say to him yesterday?!"

Zhou He lowered his head, did not answer, and walked towards the side door on his own.

Yao Yao paused for a moment, then quickly followed, leading Zhou He to the laboratory. The three of them stood in a line behind them, attracting many onlookers who pointed and whispered.

Upon arriving at the laboratory, Zhou He placed the meat on the altar, his face covered in sweat, and leaned against the table.

Only after Yao Yao lit the oil lamp did a glint of light flash in his eyes.

Recalling what he had seen and heard on the way, a smile slowly appeared on his lips:

"All the familiar faces are here... What's with that outfit?!"

It turned out that Jiang Qi had approached Zhou He, hesitant to speak, as if he wanted to say something.

Zhou He was so startled that he almost pinched the tiger's mouth.

"Senior, didn't you teach me?"

Zhou He: "???"

Jiang Qi whispered:

"Didn't you tell me that pursuing girls requires Pan, Donkey, Deng, Xiao, and Leisure?"