Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

Under the lantern, Xiao Shuanzi rubbed his hands together, and through the morning mist, he could see blurry figures.

"Young Master really came! Uncle Han, you're really something, how did you know?"

Old Han ignored him and kept his back straight.

"Uncle Han, I can smell something."

Shuanzi frowned. He could smell the blood on Zhou He from a distance, but he couldn't tell at first. He subconsciously asked Lao Han.

Old Han didn't answer, but coughed and said:

"Clean up the basin and boil water for the young master's bath."

When Zhou He arrived at the courtyard, Shuanzi had already started a fire in the stove and was boiling a large pot of water.

Nodding to Lao Han, Zhou He returned to his room, changed out of his shady clothes, and waited for Xiao Shuanzi and Lao Han to bring in a basin so he could soak and wash away the bad luck.

Zhou He had barely sat down and rested for a few minutes when he heard Lao Han knocking on the door.

"Young master, you should reply to the master's letter."

Zhou He then remembered that there had indeed been a letter earlier, but Lao Han said he wasn't in a hurry to reply, so he hadn't paid any attention to it.

Why can I go back now?

Was it because Qiu Shen went out?

Or... is it because Yongqiang is gone?

Zhou He didn't know, nor did he say much. He took the pen that Lao Han handed him and gestured for him to close the door.

He took out a letter left by Zhou's father from the drawer. The letter contained only a few words:

My son Zhou He:

Seeing this letter is like seeing you in person. There are many things to do in Jincheng, and I hope you can handle them all well.

As for matters concerning the household, I will discuss them with Old Han. Qiu Shenxing is the right path. Since you are interested, I will ask someone to find a way for you.

But if you must go out, you must pay homage to the gods.

Pay close attention to everything else yourself.

Also, now that things are settled here, I plan to return to the old house in a month. You can wait for me at home.

Zhou He unfolded the letter and read it carefully. It seemed to be just a letter from a father to his child, with no details worth pondering.

But he always had a vague feeling that some of the things said in the letter had a deeper meaning.

Shaking his head, Zhou He found another sheet of paper, unfolded it, thought for a long time, and then stuffed it into the drawer.

He was unable to meet with Zhou's father.

Communication is also impossible.

For some reason, even though Lao Han knew he had problems, he still identified himself as Young Master Zhou, and sometimes this even helped him cover things up.

But Zhou's father was different.

If she were to meet him, there would be no way to hide it.

He stood up, walked to the wardrobe, and saw two school uniforms hanging inside.

Old Han had already thrown away the clothes he had taken from the old hunchback.

The clothes he made for himself as a butcher were now dirty, so he took them to be washed.

Looking at the student cap hanging next to his school uniform, Zhou He's brow twitched.

He walked quickly to the door, opened his mouth as if to call for Lao Han to bring a mirror, but after a while, he stopped talking.

Zhou He pursed his lips, silently changed into his school uniform, put his tin box into his black hard leather bag, and pondered for a long time while holding his school cap.

Finally, he made up his mind and slowly pressed it to his head.

The clothes and hat fit perfectly.

But Zhou He always felt a little awkward, and as a psychiatrist, he knew that this awkwardness was actually due to psychological reasons.

With a sigh, Zhou He pulled down the brim of his hat, stepped out of the room, stood in the courtyard, and looked up.

Only a few days have passed, and the jujubes in the yard have already turned red, standing out conspicuously against the green.

Where should we go now?

Zhou He suddenly remembered Ga Gouwazi, and Yao Yao and the others.

Are we still going to Jincheng?

Let's go to Jincheng then.

Carrying his bag, Zhou He pushed open the door to the connecting corridor. Outside, Shuanzi was sweeping the floor; the broom was so big it took two hands to hold it. Seeing Zhou He, he quickly stopped and said somewhat apologetically:

"Young Master, why do you walk so quietly?"

Zhou He forced a smile, then suddenly felt a little sleepy. He shook his head and gave a perfunctory reply:

"I have to go out."

He got up and walked outside again.

Shuanzi remained in the courtyard, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to.

Following the road, we walked out of the ditch, but after less than ten miles, we were still quite a distance from Jincheng.

Zhou and his companions came across a forest.

Previously, when I passed by on Qi Bashi's motorcycle, Qi Bashi scattered paper money here, saying that there was something here.

Zhou He found a relatively empty spot and sat down to rest against a tree.

Perhaps because he hadn't been sleeping much lately, he felt a bit sleepy and drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

In my dream, a mirror stood in front of me.

Zhou He smiled wryly, looking at the person in the mirror dressed exactly like himself.

Young Master Zhou in the mirror had a gentle complexion and a soft expression.

The two looked at each other, neither speaking first.

There is no concept of time in dreams, and Zhou He didn't know how much time had passed before he vaguely heard a laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

Young Master Zhou in the mirror opened his mouth and asked.

Zhou He frowned.

Aren't you the one laughing?

In the mirror, Young Master Zhou shook his head, his expression instantly turning ugly.

Zhou He suddenly felt a chill run through his body, and the mirror in front of him became unreal.

A feeling of weightlessness washed over him, and the next second, he opened his eyes.

It was still an open space, with the shadows of the trees swaying in the breeze. The afternoon sun, filtering through the leaves, had lost much of its power.

His brows were furrowed.

What exactly is going on?

Is it really not Young Master Zhou?

He stood up, not daring to linger, and after determining the direction, he strode out of the woods.

After walking for a short while, I heard the sound of a spatula being banged.

A fragrant aroma wafted into Zhou He's nose. The smell was wonderful, as if all the world's delicacies had been stewed together, yet they didn't clash but complemented each other perfectly, creating a harmonious and wonderful aroma.

Zhou He had not eaten normal food for many days.

I don't have much of a desire for food.

But at this moment, he clearly felt his hunger.

It's not the kind of greedy hunger that comes from wanting to possess "meat," and it has nothing to do with money.

It was just pure hunger and craving.

It was as if some real craving was hanging in his throat, bouncing back and forth, causing Zhou He to salivate and making his eyes lose focus, staring only at the tip of his nose.

My nose twitched slightly as I followed the scent and slowly walked towards it.

The aroma comes from a stone pot.

A young man stood by the stone pot. He was short and very thin, but his belly was conspicuously large. He was dressed in all white and wore a chef's hat on his head.

The young man held a spatula in his hand, stirring the pot. When the spatula hit the stone pot, it made a crisp sound.

Upon seeing Zhou He, the young man sized him up and then smiled as he spoke:

"My friend is here? He was sleeping soundly, so I didn't want to disturb him."

At this point, he picked up a spatula, scooped up a small amount of some unknown food from the pot, tasted it, and his eyes lit up:

"The food is ready, and it tastes great. Come and have a taste."

Zhou He stared intently as he approached the pot and the young man step by step.

His saliva dripped onto the ground, making him look like a starving ghost.