Chapter 25: The Price of a Free Meal

The footsteps drew near, and Chen Ye heard faint murmurs of conversation. Closing his eyes and focusing his senses, he was surprised to find he could vaguely make out what was being said.

"Damn it, we’ve been starving for a whole day and haven't found a single thing to eat!"

"Stop complaining. I heard someone hawking sugar-roasted chestnuts in this alley yesterday; let's see if we can get some food."

"Sugar-roasted chestnuts? We don't have a single copper coin on us. Are you sure you can afford them?"

"When I heard the peddler last time, it sounded like they were offering free samples. If it’s not good, you don't pay."

"But if it *is* good, wouldn't we have to pay? Zhao Cheng, are you sure you're not leading us into a trap? The forums say you can't just eat anything in this world. What if something happens?"

The young man named Zhao Cheng grew impatient, his temper flaring: "Why are you babbling so much?"

"If I hadn't risked my life to snatch a coin and trade it for the right to fetch water in West River, you’d all be dead of thirst by now!"

"If you think there’s a problem, then get lost. Don’t stand here whining like a woman."

The discussion grew louder, threatening to fill the entire alley. The others fell silent, the atmosphere turning stifling. Zhao Cheng walked at the head of the group with a sullen face.

Just then, he caught a whiff of sugar-roasted chestnuts. His eyes brightened. "There should be chestnuts nearby. Hurry up and look for where they’re coming from!"

In the darkness, a pushcart used for street vending slowly emerged from the end of the alley.

"Chestnuts for sale, fresh sugar-roasted chestnuts."

The ethereal voice suddenly became distinct, accompanied by the increasingly rich aroma of roasted nuts. In the blink of an eye, an old woman selling chestnuts seemed to step out of the mist, appearing directly before the group.

The eyes of Zhao Cheng and his companions locked onto the cart. For a moment, their consciousness seemed to dull, as if they were completely captivated by the scent.

*Gurgle!*

Their stomachs groaned in betrayal. The hunger became an overwhelming force; as they inhaled the fragrance, they seemed to lose the ability to think, leaving only one thought in their minds:

"I want to eat!"

"I want to eat!"

"I want to eat!"

In a flash, the cart stopped right in front of them.

The old woman smiled broadly. "Come and have a taste. Fresh sugar-roasted chestnuts, five copper coins a pound. If they aren't good, you don't pay."

But the greed in Zhao Cheng’s eyes grew more intense, as if he had lost all capacity for rational thought. Ignoring the old woman entirely, he reached barehanded into the searing hot pan. He seemed to feel no pain, stuffing the freshly roasted chestnuts directly into his mouth.

Then came the second, the third...

As Zhao Cheng chewed, a sound like cracking bone echoed from his mouth, as if he weren't eating chestnuts, but human phalanges. Hearing the sound of chewing and swallowing, the other companions were overcome by the same primal urge. They swarmed forward, grabbing the chestnuts from the pan like lunatics, shoving them into their mouths in a frantic, gluttonous frenzy, their mouths emitting wet, smacking sounds, much like pigs that hadn't been fed for a week.

Chen Ye watched calmly from the side, observing the aura of destiny above their heads, which was rapidly turning black. A faint blood-red light began to brew, but unlike the three novice players he had seen earlier at the West Street bakery—whose auras shifted from the outside in—this light was emanating from within.

After a while, Zhao Cheng let out a burp and stopped swallowing. As he raised his head, Chen Ye noticed his mouth was smeared with blood. The others soon followed suit, burping as they gradually regained their senses.

The old woman watched with a constant, smiling expression, indifferent to how they had ravaged her stall, scattering chestnuts everywhere, some falling into the filthy, muddy ground.

"Young man, was it delicious?"

The ethereal voice echoed once more, reverberating through the surroundings. Though the tone was calm and seemingly concerned, it carried a bone-chilling coldness that seemed to seep into the very marrow.

"It was..." Zhao Cheng started to say, his instinctual response to call it good. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. He sneered and grabbed another chestnut. After chewing it for a moment, he pulled a face of disgust, spat it out, and barked:

"It tastes like garbage!"

"Damn it, do you even know how to roast chestnuts?"

"If you can't cook, don't open a shop! This is disgusting, you’re making me sick!"

"It tastes so vile it makes me want to vomit, and you still want money? I should be charging *you* for the trouble!"

Zhao Cheng cursed with venomous intensity, his words becoming increasingly incoherent, until he sounded like a madman, his speech dissolving into hysterical ravings.

His companions, uneasy, tried to intervene. A young man with a buzz cut tugged at Zhao Cheng’s sleeve. "Brother Cheng... let it go... something bad is going to happen!"

"This is the Weird..."

"Get lost!" Before the buzz-cut youth could finish, Zhao Cheng shoved him aside with a sneer. "You idiots, didn't you read the forum? When dealing with the Weird, you must never show fear. Look at you cowards—if you're afraid of dying, don't follow me."

He looked up and declared aggressively, "Hey, old hag, you said it yourself, didn't you?"

"If it’s not good, no charge!"

"Since it tastes so terrible, we’re never falling for this again! Don't be ungrateful. If you really insist, we have a cup of water we can trade you. Keep pushing this forced sale, and don't blame us for reporting you to the Industry and Commerce Bureau!"

As he spoke, Zhao Cheng glanced at Chen Ye, noticing for the first time that a youth dressed like a beggar had appeared beside the old woman. But the boy looked harmless and delicate; the old woman could barely walk, so what threat could they possibly pose?

With this thought, Zhao Cheng felt even more emboldened, convinced that by following the logic of "no charge if it's not good," he could eat for free. He knew he could only use this trick once, but since they were starving, he’d take the meal first.

The old woman’s smile widened further. The corners of her mouth began to split, and her features twisted into a grotesque, hideous mask.

Zhao Cheng was startled and instinctively tried to flee.

But when he looked down, a scene of extreme horror struck him, a nightmare made manifest. His legs had fused into a single mass. His skin and flesh were cracking and sloughing off, dissolving into a thick, viscous pool of blood. The meat didn't look like an injury; it looked like dead flesh that had been charred at high heat and fused together. His entire lower body had swollen into a disgusting, tumorous lump.

His sense of touch began to fade. The sensation spread upward, from his waist to his arms, and finally to his mouth.

His companions, wearing expressions of sheer terror, tried to run, but they realized they were suffering the same horrific transformation as Zhao Cheng.

The old woman finally spoke again, chuckling softly:

"Young man, I did say that if it wasn't good, you wouldn't have to pay."

"But when did I ever say..."

"That if it wasn't good, you wouldn't have to pay with something else?"