The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

[Breaking News] In recent days, multiple cities, including Xinghai City, Beining City, and Heiliu City, have reported cases of missing persons... According to authorities, all the missing individuals are Martial Artists...

In Xinghai City alone, more than eight people have gone missing in the past week. Officials are issuing a special warning to the public, urging everyone to avoid going out after dark if possible, not to travel alone, and to stick together in groups...

Lin Yi had just walked out of his room.

A news report caught his attention.

However, by the time he walked out of the bathroom, that news report had already ended.

Lin Yi changed his clothes and went to the living room.

Lin Yu was sitting alone at the coffee table, eating breakfast.

Liu Hongmei was busy in the kitchen.

Only Lin Dazhi was nowhere to be seen.

When Lin Yu saw Lin Yi walking over, he instinctively glanced up.

The moment their eyes met, Lin Yu reflexively looked away.

Lin Yi sat down on the other side of the sofa.

"Xiaoyi, you’re awake? I figured you had the day off, so I wanted to let you sleep in.

Something came up at your dad’s work, so he had to rush out!"

"Breakfast is ready. I’ll bring it over to you right now!"

Liu Hongmei, emerging from the kitchen, was acting unusually warm today.

She even took the initiative to bring Lin Yi his breakfast.

It was a bowl of congee, a few steamed buns, plus two fried eggs and some sausage...

Lin Yi nodded and muttered his thanks.

Then he lowered his head and started to eat.

He had the day off today, and he needed to go to the Martial Arts Hall to work as a sparring partner.

So, he had to get there early.

As for whether Lin Dazhi had really gone to work or was just deliberately avoiding him,

Lin Yi couldn’t be bothered to care.

And just as Lin Yi and Lin Yu were sitting there, eating in silence,

Liu Hongmei came over, holding a bowl of congee with a smile on her face.

She sat down on a stool, her gaze darting between Lin Yi and Lin Yu.

With a smile, she said, "Xiaoyi, here, eat these slices of bacon..."

Liu Hongmei pushed a plate in front of Lin Yi.

It held five or six more slices of fried bacon. Lin Yi’s brows furrowed slightly.

"Aunt Liu, if you have something to say, just say it. No need for all this buildup..." Lin Yi glanced at Liu Hongmei and her son.

Normally, this fried bacon was reserved for Lin Yu.

If Lin Yi so much as ate an extra slice, Lin Dazhi would scold him.

But today, Liu Hongmei had pushed all the bacon over to him.

The idea that she had nothing to say and was simply trying to be nice to him? Not even a ghost would believe that.

Liu Hongmei laughed. "Oh, you. Why must you be so suspicious? Aunt Hongmei just wants you to eat a little more!"

Lin Yi looked up at her, nodded, and went back to his food.

He quickly ate half of the bacon.

Seeing Lin Yi remain silent, Liu Hongmei couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Putting down the bowl in her hands, she said with a light laugh, "Xiaoyi, you really shouldn’t have gotten so angry with your father. Wasn’t he just doing it for your own good?"

"You’re all about to graduate high school, and your dad went ahead and found a job for you. It might be a little dangerous, yes, but working as a transport guard pays really well. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

You know our family’s situation. Your dad only makes so much a month, and I don’t earn much either. Your little brother has so many expenses right now, so if you could just go..."

Before Liu Hongmei could finish,

Lin Yi shot her a look.

In that instant, Liu Hongmei got the feeling that if she continued to speak, Lin Yi might actually kill her. The thought was so terrifying she immediately snapped her mouth shut, forcing the rest of her words back down her throat.

After a long moment, Lin Yi finished his third steamed bun.

He polished off the two fried eggs and bacon, and placed the congee bowl on the coffee table.

He put down his chopsticks and looked up at Liu Hongmei and her son.

"Aunt Liu, you don’t need to worry about my future... If you feel that the burden of Lin Yu’s expenses is really too heavy, then just stop paying for them!"

"A family like ours can’t afford such an expensive Martial Arts Hall in the first place. Why make things so hard on ourselves?"

After he finished speaking, Lin Yi gave a contemptuous smile.

He shot a glance at Lin Yu and Liu Hongmei, then stood up.

"I have to go out. I’ll be back tonight!"

He walked to the entryway, put on his shoes, opened the door, and left.

With the SLAM of the door,

Liu Hongmei’s expression grew even darker.

She hadn’t expected Lin Yi to say such things, and she certainly hadn’t expected him to reject her so directly.

’A plan for the future?’

’What kind of plan could he possibly have? Does he really think he can take the college entrance exams? Or even the Martial Arts exam?’

With a grim face, Liu Hongmei picked up her phone and made a call.

It rang a few times before the call connected.

Liu Hongmei gritted her teeth and said coldly, "Lin Dazhi, I don’t care where you are right now, get your ass back here immediately!"

...

「Dongcheng District, Xianghe Road.」

A bus slowly pulled into the station.

The moment it stopped, the doors opened.

A few students got off from the back door, talking and laughing.

Lin Yi was the last to get off the bus, alone.

During the whole ride, the students had been chattering about an upcoming Martial Arts Hall tournament.

From them, Lin Yi had managed to get the general idea.

Next week, Xinghai City was holding a city-wide Martial Arts Hall tournament.

All the various Martial Arts Halls would be sending their students to compete.

The favorite, of course, was New Star.

Aside from New Star, three other halls were also generating a lot of buzz.

They were considered the three main obstacles that could prevent New Star from taking the championship title.

But none of this was of much interest to Lin Yi.

He came here today to make money.

As long as he earned enough money to register for the Martial Arts exam, he would have overcome a major hurdle.

Lin Yi arrived in front of the New Star Martial Arts Hall.

It was a freestanding, three-story building with a large footprint.

Outside, a dozen or so luxury cars were parked in a row, and a group of young people were walking through the Martial Arts Hall’s main doors.

Lin Yi paused for a moment, then followed them inside.

He stepped inside and found himself in a magnificent, palatial lobby.

The decor was extravagant, practically screaming wealth and luxury.

’No wonder the fees here are so high. This decor alone is enough to bluff people!’ Lin Yi thought, silently amazed.

The entrance hall was just like a hotel lobby.

The only difference was the row of striking posts on the left and the several groupings of sofas and coffee tables on the right.

The students who had entered earlier all walked further inside.

Directly opposite the entrance was a front desk, with three young women standing behind it.

They were all quite pretty. On the wall behind them, the name "New Star Martial Arts Hall" was prominently displayed.

Promotional posters were plastered on the walls to either side.

On another wall were profiles of the Martial Arts Hall’s coaching team, complete with their photos and Martial Arts cultivation ranks.

"Hello, are you here to sign up for classes?"

As Lin Yi walked up to the counter, a girl with a sweet smile approached him.

Even the sound of her voice was pleasant.

However, it did nothing to faze Lin Yi.

He simply shook his head with a polite smile and said, "Hello, I’m here for the sparring partner job."

"Sparring partner? Oh, I remember now. Please wait a moment..."

A look of sudden understanding crossed the girl’s face.

She then picked up the desk phone and made a call.