Chapter 147: Procurement

Lin Xiao could not fathom what Luo Yao was up to. Regardless, he found the whole situation inexplicable. He was certain that she had an ulterior motive for seeking him out, yet she had never voiced it. Moreover, compared to their previous encounters, she seemed different. She had teased him several times during this meeting, which sent a chill down his spine. To be honest, he preferred the unreasonable Luo Yao from before; the current version made him feel as though she were plotting something against him. Could she be after his good looks? At this thought, Lin Xiao shuddered involuntarily. "Witch, stop dreaming! I am the man you will never possess!"

Lin Xiao returned to the dormitory shortly after. His three roommates were likely heavily intoxicated, as they were already sound asleep, their snoring echoing through the room. Shaking his head, Lin Xiao washed up and lay down. Although he had slept well enough in the secret realm over the past few days, nothing compared to the comfort of a bed. He decided to take full advantage of this time to rest.

With two days of break ahead, he had no intention of staying idle. The recent trip to the secret realm had made him realize just how dangerous these places could be. Feeling that his preparation had been insufficient, he decided that since there was no military training tomorrow, he would have Hu Yu and his two friends take him out to procure supplies. He needed to restock, and as the cook for the War Wolf Mercenary Group, he was missing several necessary seasonings. He would take this opportunity to buy them.

...

The night passed without dreams. The next morning, the dormitory alarm clock rang before Lin Xiao had even woken up. He checked the time—3:00 AM. It seemed his three roommates had taken his words to heart and were truly training diligently. Despite the amount they had drunk the night before, none of them lingered in bed once the alarm went off. They scrambled up and immediately raced for the bathroom. Lin Xiao watched the scene with a wry, maternal smile. After washing up, the four of them headed straight to the training ground. Lin Xiao wanted to see if they had made any progress.

Once at the grounds, they began their workout. After several days of training, their physical fitness had clearly improved. Even with added weights, they no longer panted as heavily as they had before after a few laps. Lin Xiao pointed out a few of their shortcomings and handed them some dried meat before leaving them to continue their training while he began his own.

When day broke, the four of them stopped. "Not bad, you’ve all made significant progress. Keep at it. You're both free today, right?" All three nodded. Although their homes were in the capital, they had no intention of returning, fearing they would only be scolded. "We're free. Does Master Lin have any plans?"

"I'm planning to buy some supplies. Want to come along?"

Hu Yu’s eyes lit up. "No problem! Master Lin, please let me foot the bill this time. I felt terrible that you had to pay at the auction last time." Lin Xiao did not decline; he wasn't planning on buying anything particularly expensive, and he didn't want to disappoint Hu Yu, who wanted to show his devotion. What Lin Xiao didn't realize was that Hu Yu’s gesture was driven more by guilt. By selling information about Lin Xiao, Hu Yu had secured many lucrative projects from Luo Yao, and his family had rewarded him handsomely for it. Spending this money on Lin Xiao made him feel slightly better.

After showering, they set off. Not knowing exactly what Lin Xiao needed, they took him to the largest commercial street in the capital. Whatever caught his eye, they would buy it! Lin Xiao wasn't sure either, so he decided to browse and pick up anything that might be useful. He started with seasonings; although many spiritual herbs could serve as substitutes, not every seasoning had a perfect match, so it was better to be prepared.

Hu Yu and his friends were baffled. "Master Lin, are you planning to rent a place outside? And cook for yourself?"

"Master Lin, you aren't thinking of abandoning us, are you?"

"Master, we can't bear to let you go!"

Lin Xiao was speechless. It was just some seasoning—did they have to react so dramatically? "What are you thinking? I have no plans to move out. I just find the cafeteria food mediocre and thought I’d cook for myself when I have the time."

"Master Lin knows how to cook?"

"A little bit." Knowing he wasn't moving out, the three were relieved.

Lin Xiao then entered a shopping frenzy, purchasing everything he thought might be useful in future secret realms. Even so, the total cost remained quite limited. When Lin Xiao felt he had enough, Hu Yu became dissatisfied. "Master Lin, you’re looking down on me. You’ve barely spent anything! I just remembered, you don't have a vehicle yet, do you? Let’s go buy a car! My treat!"

Lin Xiao didn't object; he did need a vehicle. He had been commuting frequently between the school and the Mercenary Association, and he couldn't keep borrowing theirs forever. With Lin Xiao’s agreement, Hu Yu took him to a dealership owned by the Hu family. They initially wanted to get him a supercar, but Lin Xiao refused. He ended up choosing an off-road vehicle; supercars were flashy, but lacked practicality.

In addition to the SUV, Lin Xiao bought twelve dirt bikes. He had thought of it on the fly—the trip back from the last secret realm had taken a full day and a half, which was a waste of time. With dirt bikes, the travel time would be significantly reduced. Hu Yu didn't ask why he needed so many; he was only too happy to spend money on him. Hu Yu used his connections to get the registrations sorted that very day, saving Lin Xiao a lot of trouble. While waiting, Lin Xiao realized that although his driving skills were god-tier, he didn't actually have a license. Seeing how capable Hu Yu was, he asked if he could handle that too. Hu Yu readily agreed, and by the time the license plates were ready, so was Lin Xiao's driver's license. Lin Xiao was very satisfied with the result.

With his shopping done, he took the three back. Upon returning to the Capital Spirit Martial Academy, Lin Xiao realized he hadn't checked in with the elderly folks at the nursing home for a while. He opened the "Happy Family" group chat. Scrolling through the messages, he found many of them talking about him, with quite a few calling him heartless for not keeping in touch. Lin Xiao quickly sent a greeting to the group. Not many people were active at any given time since they were all together in person, but as soon as Lin Xiao popped up, the chat exploded. In the blink of an eye, he had over 99 notifications. Touched, Lin Xiao gave a brief update on his situation and began chatting with them. They talked until ten in the evening.