Lin Yu downed the tonic in one gulp.
He shot Lin Yi a smug look.
It was as if he were showing something off to him.
Lin Yi smiled.
In his eyes, Lin Yu was nothing more than a clown now.
He didn't pique Lin Yi's interest in the slightest.
Bickering with him would only make Lin Yi feel like he was becoming more foolish himself.
Using tonics to boost one's Qi and Blood value.
In fact, many students had always done this.
But, as the old saying goes,
every medicine has its poison. Tonics have side effects, too.
It's just a matter of how severe they are.
Whether it's a liquid decoction, a powder, or a pill, they are all divided into three grades: high, medium, and low.
In other words, a low-grade tonic has more significant side effects.
A medium-grade tonic's are slightly weaker, and a high-grade tonic's are practically negligible.
But their prices are also ridiculously high.
Given their family's financial situation, even if Lin Dazhi spent everything he had, he couldn't afford a single dose of a high-grade tonic.
The one Lin Yu just drank was, at best, medium-grade.
However, based on the price Liu Hongmei had mentioned...
'One-hundred-fifty yuan for a dose... it must be a low-grade tonic. It might not even have been bought from a legitimate pharmacy.'
'If it really wasn't purchased through a legitimate channel,'
'a tonic like that is basically poison.'
'The side effects are numerous, and in severe cases, it can block one's fundamental potential, making it impossible to cultivate Martial Arts ever again.'
Because Wei Nan had also taken them for a while, and a single dose of his low-grade tonic cost 280 yuan.
The price of the tonic Liu Hongmei bought was nearly half that...
Lin Yi finished the congee in his bowl and set down his chopsticks.
He looked up at Lin Yu with a smile.
"Keep up the good work. The whole family is counting on you."
"If you can get into a Martial Arts University in the future, we're hoping you can take the whole family away from here to live in the New District!"
After saying this, Lin Yi grabbed his schoolbag and walked toward the entryway.
However, his uncharacteristic behavior...
left Lin Yu dumbfounded.
Liu Hongmei also looked astonished.
Even Lin Dazhi, who was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, found it hard to believe.
'Is this still the Lin Yi we know?'
Ever since Liu Hongmei and Lin Yu came to live with the Lin Family,
for so many years, Lin Yi had always worn a stern expression.
He had always maintained a hostile relationship with Lin Yu.
He rarely even took the initiative to speak to him.
'What happened today? How could Lin Yi say something like that?'
It wasn't until the door shut with a SLAM...
that Lin Yu and Liu Hongmei snapped back to their senses.
They glanced at each other.
Lin Yu said in disbelief, "Mom, did you hear what Lin Yi just said? D-did I mishear him? Did he actually give in?"
As he finished, Liu Hongmei nodded as well.
Her face filled with astonishment, she said, "You didn't mishear. I heard it too. Lin Yi was definitely acting strange today... Old Lin, did you say something to him yesterday? How did he suddenly see the light?"
Lin Dazhi put down his newspaper.
He stood up and walked over to the dining table.
A smug look crossed his face. "I talked to him yesterday. I told him to give up on university and get a job after graduation. He was extremely reluctant at first and even had a fight with me about it!"
"It seems that after a night's sleep, he's finally come to his senses. That's good!"
"From now on, our whole family will focus on Xiaoyu. Even if we have to sell everything we own, we have to support Xiaoyu and get him into a Martial Arts University. Once that happens, our family will have finally made it..."
Once he said that,
Lin Yu and Liu Hongmei finally understood what was going on.
A strange glint flashed in the depths of Lin Yu's eyes.
But he smiled and nodded. "Dad, you and my brother have sacrificed so much for me... I'm so grateful!"
"My brother doesn't have the chance to get into a Martial Arts University, but I still do! In the future, once I'm accepted, I'll take you, Mom, and my brother to the New District, and our whole family will start a new life!"
"I definitely won't let you down!"
Lin Yu's sweet words...
...made Lin Dazhi so emotional he could hardly think straight. He nodded repeatedly, his eyes turning red.
"You truly are my good son. Mom and Dad are counting on you from now on!"
"Don't worry..."
The family of three sat at the dining table in a scene of happy harmony.
Meanwhile, Lin Yi took the bus to school.
Just as he got off, he saw a crowd of students gathered outside the school gate.
They were discussing something. Lin Yi's gaze swept the surroundings.
He was searching for Wei Nan...
But after searching all around, he couldn't find him.
'Maybe he's already in the classroom?'
Lin Yi slung his schoolbag over one shoulder and walked onto the school grounds.
As he made his way to the classroom, he noticed many of his classmates talking in small groups...
"Lin Yi, have you heard?
Another demon beast came out and hurt someone last night!"
A girl sitting in the seat behind Lin Yi quickly said to him.
Her name was Yang Qian, and she had a very cheerful and sunny personality.
She sat right behind Lin Yi and often livened up the atmosphere.
If it weren't for her, the morning's academic classes would have definitely made many people drowsy.
In fact, ever since Martial Arts was included in the college entrance exams,
many people felt that academic classes had become meaningless.
'We're all going to pursue the path of Martial Arts in the future anyway, so what's the point of studying this stuff?'
'It's just a waste of time.'
However, Lin Yi didn't think so.
Even if Martial Arts could change one's destiny, academic classes were just as important.
Therefore, he paid close attention in every academic class and always took meticulous notes.
He would conscientiously complete the homework assigned by the teacher every day.
This was also why his grades in academic subjects were consistently in the top three of the class.
He had never dropped below that...
"A demon beast hurting someone? Doesn't that happen every day?"
Lin Yi replied with a smile.
Yang Qian shook her head. "Last night was different. The bodies of a person and a demon beast were found lying together. Isn't that strange?"
"The bodies of a person and a demon beast? What do you mean?"
Lin Yi's brow furrowed slightly.
Then he saw Yang Qian stealthily take out her phone.
She found a news article that had just been published this morning.
The headline was: [Human and Demon: Mutual Destruction?].
Lin Yi quickly took a look.
At the top of the article was a picture.
The picture showed the corpse of a Cat Demon. Lin Yi recognized it at a glance.
'Isn't that the very demon beast he had killed last night?'
But, next to the Cat Demon's corpse,
was the body of a middle-aged man. His neck had been almost completely chewed through.
Only a few flaps of skin and flesh still connected it to his shoulders.
Half of his body had been mauled by a demon beast, a mangled mess of blood and gore...
'That's not right. When that Cat Demon died last night, there was no one else there.'
'How could there be a dead body? Could it be that another demon beast was drawn to the area after I left?'
Lin Yi muttered to himself.
Yang Qian gave him a strange look. "What are you mumbling about?"
"Huh? Nothing!" Lin Yi shook his head.
After returning the phone to Yang Qian, he glanced around the classroom a few more times.
Still, there was no sign of Wei Nan.
'How come that kid isn't in class yet? This isn't like him. Did he oversleep?'
Lin Yi found it a little strange.
However, he didn't give it too much thought.
He took out all the books he would need for the morning's academic classes.
The class bell rang, and all the other students returned to their seats.
Only Wei Nan's seat remained empty.
The homeroom teacher pushed open the door and came in, his gaze sweeping over the class.