'A demon beast hiding among humans?'
Lin Yi was stunned.
In his brief moment of shock, he realized the strange man from before had already vanished.
Then, the bus slowly pulled away.
Lin Yi looked out the window, trying to find the man again.
But he was nowhere to be seen, even after the bus had traveled a good distance.
Only then did Lin Yi slowly pull his gaze back.
It wasn't exactly rare for demon beasts to appear in the Old District.
They usually disguised themselves as humans.
However, some low-level demon beasts couldn't completely erase their own features or fully transform into a human's appearance.
They would only appear stealthily in the dead of night.
A strange man like the one just now, daring to appear in broad daylight, was a truly rare sight.
They were the 'Hunters' of the night, relying on the cover of darkness to move through the Old District.
They hunted the 'prey' they had targeted.
However, Lin Yi had heard people say before...
...that once a demon beast's realm reached a certain level...
...it could shed all traces of its demonic nature and gradually evolve toward a human form.
In the end, they would be completely indistinguishable from humans, making it almost impossible to tell if they were human or demon.
Unless they committed another evil act and revealed their true form.
Otherwise, it was impossible to distinguish them with the naked eye.
'If that man just now was a high-level demon beast, then that can only mean a High-tier Demon Beast has completed its transformation and blended in with humanity!'
'Otherwise, how could a normal human possibly possess a talent entry like [Bite]?'
Lin Yi pondered this matter carefully.
Before he knew it, the bus had arrived at his stop.
A cold, automated announcement pulled Lin Yi from his thoughts and back to reality.
He quickly grabbed his backpack and headed for the rear door.
…
"You're back?"
As soon as he opened the front door, he saw Lin Dazhi sitting on the sofa, reading a book.
Seeing it was Lin Yi, he spoke, his expression neutral.
Lin Yi grunted in acknowledgment and started toward his room.
But just as he was passing Lin Dazhi...
...he put down his book. "Don't be in such a hurry to go to your room. Sit down. Let's talk."
"About what?"
Lin Yi glanced back at Lin Dazhi.
"What, are you too lazy to even speak to me now?"
Seeing Lin Yi's somewhat cold attitude...
...a hint of anger rose in Lin Dazhi. Lin Yi just shook his head.
"I'm going to my room to change..."
Before Lin Dazhi could say another word, he went straight into his room.
A few minutes later, Lin Yi came out wearing a tracksuit.
He made a point of glancing toward the kitchen.
Liu Hongmei wasn't home, and Lin Yu hadn't returned either.
In other words, only Lin Yi and Lin Dazhi were home.
Sitting on the stool opposite the sofa, Lin Yi asked indifferently, "What did you want to talk about?"
Seeing Lin Yi's persistent attitude, Lin Dazhi's anger flared up again.
"Lin Yi, I've noticed you have a real attitude problem lately!"
"Do you resent me? Are you holding a grudge because I won't let you take the Martial Arts exam?"
Lin Dazhi said, his face darkening.
When Lin Yi remained silent, he continued, "It's not like you don't know our family's financial situation!"
"I work myself to the bone every day just to earn a little money. Your Aunt Hongmei's salary isn't high, and we still have to support you and Xiaoyu through school. We can't afford to be careless with a single expense!"
"If you had some real Martial Arts talent, if you had a chance of getting into a Martial Arts University, you wouldn't even have to ask. I would sell everything we own to pay for your application!"
"But you're just not cut out for it! Don't you know your own limits? Giving you the thirty-thousand-yuan registration fee would just be throwing money down the drain, wouldn't it?"
Lin Dazhi grew more agitated as he spoke.
From his words, however, Lin Yi understood.
'He's trying to brainwash me into giving up on the Martial Arts exam.'
'But as he said all that...'
'...did he ever stop to think that just yesterday he spent so much money to enroll Lin Yu in a Martial Arts Hall?'
'He keeps saying I don't have any Martial Arts talent.'
'But has he ever really paid attention to my Martial Arts results?'
'Now, all his attention is focused on Liu Hongmei and Lin Yu.'
Lin Yi knew perfectly well that even if he tried to explain, would his father even listen?
It was better than wasting his breath arguing.
It was better to rely on himself to change his own situation.
After a long moment, Lin Dazhi's anger gradually subsided, and his tone softened.
"Xiaoyi, you're a part of this family too, and you're Xiaoyu's older brother. Our family's situation... we can't afford to support you through university..."
"Listen to your dad. After you graduate high school, just get a job.
Come to my workplace. I've already arranged things for you!"
"Take on some responsibility for the family. If Xiaoyu can get into a Martial Arts University in the future, our whole family can leave the Old District and live in the New District..."
"Heh."
After Lin Dazhi finished speaking...
...Lin Yi couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
Looking up at Lin Dazhi, he said softly, "Dad, you've really been brainwashed, haven't you? Helping raise another man's son, spending everything you have to support his dream of attending a Martial Arts University, and cutting off your own son's future?"
"No, not just cutting it off. You plan to make me join you in supporting that mother and son? Is that something a human being would even say? Who's your real son?"
"...I can take responsibility for my own life. You don't need to be involved anymore.
You want me to be like you and support them? I can't do it. It will never happen in this lifetime, so give up on that idea!"
With that, Lin Yi stood up and walked back toward his room.
Unsurprisingly, Lin Dazhi's furious roar once again echoed through the living room.
Lin Yi closed the door and took out his homework for the day.
He quickly entered the state of [Absolute Focus].
It took him about an hour to finish all of it.
At this point, he could no longer tolerate this family.
He was now desperate to complete his first Demon Hunting mission.
To get that 15,000-yuan reward.
Even if it was just to rent an apartment and get away from this place.
To focus solely on preparing for the Martial Arts exam.
It would be better to leave this place forever, to never see them again for the rest of his life...
CLICK—
Lin Yi opened his bedroom door and came out.
He saw that Liu Hongmei and Lin Yu still hadn't returned.
The living room was filled with a strong smell of smoke and alcohol.
Lin Dazhi had drunk too much and was lying on the sofa, snoring.
Lin Yi glanced at him, walked to the entryway, put on his shoes, and left without a word.
When Lin Yi got downstairs, he blended in with the night.
The goal in his heart became even more resolute.
He looked up at the pitch-black night sky. There was no moon tonight, only thick, dark clouds.
After a long moment, he walked directly into the darkness.
He quickly merged with the night and vanished.
Tonight, he would appear in this city as a 'Demon Hunter'.