Chapter 106: Taking the Demon God Shopping

By the roadside, a hunched old woman, basket in hand, stood before a young man.

"Young man," she said, "buy a flower wreath. They're woven with fresh flowers and will bring you good luck."

The young man, engrossed in his phone, saw the old woman and her sales pitch. His first instinct was to pretend he hadn't seen her. He didn't want to deal with it, didn't want to buy anything. Avoiding her was the best option.

Buy a flower wreath? Only a crazy person would buy a flower wreath. he thought.

The old woman moved on to a child with a backpack, whose mother was also looking down at her phone.

"Little one," she coaxed, "buy a flower wreath. It'll look so pretty on your head."

The child's mother looked up from her phone and pulled the child closer. "Pretty? Don't touch my son with your hands. Go away." She then led the child far from the wreath-selling granny.

The surrounding pedestrians watched with impassive faces. They were all just trying to make a living in Yanhai City. Encountering this kind of situation, they wouldn't bother interfering, and spending money was even less likely.

Too expensive! they thought. Just surviving in Yanhai City was hard enough. Spending money was a headache they'd rather avoid.

A look of "just as I thought" flashed in the old woman's cloudy eyes. It was a dangerous signal. At that moment, her gaze was blocked by two figures. In her line of sight, a demonic rooster, held by a leash, lowered its head fearfully, not daring to meet her eyes.

The demonic rooster smelled something amiss. It had resisted when the two humans pulled it towards the old woman, but their grip was too strong. Forced to comply, its legs trembled as it stood before her, a primal fear stemming from a higher bloodline suppression.

Uh oh… This is bad. it thought. Don't these two humans sense the dangerous aura she's exuding, even though she's trying to hide it?

If the demonic rooster could speak, it would have yelled, "Run! Don't mess with her! I'll lay four eggs for you, just let me go!"

"Grandma, are you alright?" Lin Fan asked gently.

"Do you want to buy a flower wreath?" the old woman asked with a benevolent expression, her withered hand offering a wreath. "It will look very nice on you."

Lin Fan took the wreath and placed it on Lao Zhang's head, smiling. "It looks great!"

"Really?" Lao Zhang touched the wreath on his head, then took it and placed it on Lin Fan's head.

"Wow! It really does look good!"

They both laughed heartily, a genuine joy radiating from within.

The surrounding pedestrians kept their distance.

Crazy people… they thought. Something's not right with them.

The old woman was slightly taken aback. This wasn't how she envisioned things going. "Buy two, then," she suggested with a forced smile.

"Okay!" Lin Fan reached into his pockets, turning them inside out. Empty. "Lao Zhang, do you have any money?"

Lao Zhang rummaged through his pockets, turning them inside out as well. He shook his head. "I don't either."

"Grandma, we don't have any money," Lin Fan said.

The old woman looked at them kindly, a peculiar glint in her eyes. Her meaning was clear: If you don't have money, why are you bothering me?

"That's a shame," she said. "I can't sell them to you if you don't have money. I'll have to sell them to someone else."

"But our friend has money," Lin Fan said. "He has a lot of money. We'll go find him, and he'll buy them for us."

The old woman rubbed her leg and sighed. "I can't walk. I'm old. I can't walk anymore."

Immediately, Lin Fan crouched in front of her, patting his back sincerely. "I'll carry you. Come on up."

The old woman stood there, looking at him strangely. She had never encountered such a situation. It left her at a loss.

Lao Zhang helped the old woman onto Lin Fan's back without waiting for her to refuse.

"We're going to find Xiao Bao," Lin Fan announced.

The old woman's expression shifted slightly. This wasn't going according to plan.

Soon, a strange scene unfolded on the street, attracting the attention of passersby.

"If you want them, I can give you the wreaths," the old woman said from Lin Fan's back.

"No, you work hard for your money. We can't let you give them away," Lin Fan replied. "Xiao Bao is our good friend. He's rich, and he'll buy them for us."

Lao Zhang nodded in agreement. "That's right. Xiao Bao is very good to us. He loves being friends with us."

The old woman looked at the two, wondering if they were mentally ill. She didn't ask, choosing to observe them carefully instead.

Not far away, a young man with dyed blond hair smoked a cigarette, impatiently snapping at his grandmother who trailed behind him. Don't ask, don't interfere, I have my own life, I have my own friends. Can you please stop managing me every day? Who I choose to hang out with is my freedom.

His father had died early, and his mother had abandoned him to remarry. He had been raised by his grandmother, who collected garbage for a living. He was rebellious but still respected and loved his grandmother. He just didn't want to be constantly controlled.

Suddenly, the young man saw the scene in the distance: Lin Fan carrying the old woman on his back, Lao Zhang walking beside them, chatting happily. He didn't know what they were talking about, but they seemed very happy.

The scene deeply impacted the young man. His nose tingled, and his eyes stung. He looked back at his grandmother… A wave of guilt washed over him.

At a barbecue stall, the aroma captivated Lin Fan and Lao Zhang. They lingered there for a long time, the scent of grilling meat enticing them.

"It smells so good," Lin Fan said.

"I want to eat," Lao Zhang added.

They couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food. They had agreed to find Xiao Bao, but the aroma was too alluring, and they couldn't bring themselves to leave.

They looked at each other, a little sad.

"Lao Zhang, we don't have any money," Lin Fan said.

"I know, but can we stay a little longer? I just want to smell it," Lao Zhang pleaded pathetically, like a poor child watching others eat their fill while he could only swallow his saliva.

The demonic rooster, suppressed by the old woman's aura, didn't dare move.

The old woman observed them. She decided to drop the act.

Alright, I'll come clean. I'm a Demon God. The first thing I did after waking up was randomly choose a city to play a little game with the humans. If they don't pass, I'll turn this city into ruins.

She had already decided to destroy this city. Until Lin Fan and Lao Zhang appeared.

Strange humans… What are they thinking?

Standing at the entrance of the barbecue stall, the billowing smoke choked her, polluting her smooth skin – or rather, the skin of her current elderly form.

"I'll treat you to some skewers," the Demon God Granny said, pulling out a red banknote.

Lin Fan hesitated to accept the money, but seeing Lao Zhang's expectant look, he took the bill, promising to repay her, and then ordered 100 yuan worth of barbecue.

Members of the Special Department were searching for the powerful being that had appeared. Jin He Li's team analyzed the energy tide fluctuations.

"We've pinpointed it," a staff member announced. "The strongest energy reading is on Yunzhong Road."

However, half an hour had passed since he'd analyzed the energy tide's location. It seemed a little late.

At this critical juncture of life and death, everyone was on edge.

Ordinary power users in Yanhai City were unaware of the inside story. Only a small group knew the truth. Other city's Special Departments knew that the energy tide that had appeared ten years ago had resurfaced in Yanhai City.

They could only pray. Pray for safe passage through this crisis.