The group had been tormented by the Taboo game for five hours, enduring life-and-death situations, and were completely exhausted, especially the little girl, who had long since climbed onto Hua Yue Yu and fallen into a deep sleep.
"What should we do with her?"
Hua Yue Yu sighed.
The little girl's mother had been incredibly unlucky; she had been just moments away from surviving and making it out.
"Take her to the police station?"
Lin Baici considered taking the little girl home, but how would he explain what happened to her mother?
"When we get to the city, I'll get off and take her home."
Sima Mu touched the little girl's head and expressed his gratitude toward Lin Baici, "In God's ruins, I was useless, I survived only by following you, so let me handle this. Otherwise, I'll feel too guilty."
"That's fine!"
Lin Baici didn't refuse. Sima Mu wasn't a trafficker; there was no need to be wary.
"How about adding each other on WeChat? In a few days, I'll treat you to a big meal."
Sima Mu took out his cellphone, planning to keep in touch with Lin Baici in the future.
This person had unlimited potential. It was best to foster a good relationship now—it would definitely pay off in the future.
"Your phone still works?"
Hua Yue Yu was astonished.
All three of her phones, her SLR, and her Gopro sports camera were all damaged beyond repair.
"Oh, I forgot!"
Sima Mu smiled awkwardly, "Then, can I leave you my number?"
"Give me yours, and I'll remember it."
Lin Baici was going to attend university in Haijing City, and he'd definitely need to change his phone number when that happened.
"1379026768."
After Sima Mu finished speaking, he saw that Lin Baici didn't seem to be taking note of the number and felt a bit doubtful—could you really remember it?
"Don't worry, it's impossible for me to forget it in this lifetime!"
Lin Baici laughed. When he memorized the number, he had activated the Divine Grace, Passing Ears Recitation, ensuring he would remember it clearly for at least the next ten years.
"All our stuff was forcedly donated to that Buddha statue carrying the Merit Box!"
Kim Myungjin explained on behalf of Lin Baici.
It was to prevent Sima Mu from thinking that Lin Baici was disrespecting him – after all, someone had given his phone number and just hearing it once would seem dismissive to anyone.
"Merit Box? Buddha statue?"
Hua Yue Yu was startled, "Did you also participate in other Taboo games?"
"Yeah!"
Kim Myungjin reflected on it and still felt frightened by the experience. If it weren't for White Oppa's power, her own head would have been smashed, turning her into a headless corpse.
"Impressive!"
Sima Mu gave a thumbs up, full of admiration.
I thought you were already strong, but you exceeded my expectations.
Even for a God Hunter, participating in a Taboo game is a life-or-death crisis.
The taxi driver glanced at these people through the rearview mirror.
"Am I driving a bunch of lunatics?"
The authorities wouldn't publicize any news about the Divine Ruins to prevent panic and unrest among the citizens, so the general population knew very little about such matters.
An hour and twenty minutes later, the taxi arrived downtown.
Sima Mu got out of the car, holding the little girl, and said farewell to Lin Baici and the other two.
"Let's stay in touch!"
Only after the taxi departed did Sima Mu enter a mobile service store, used his credit card to buy a new phone, and had his phone number re-issued.
He then made a call.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
After nine rings, the call connected.
"Uncle Nine, on my way home for the tomb-sweeping, I encountered a Divine Ruins!"
Sima Mu sat down at a roadside barbecue stall, "Boss lady, give me two kilos of skewers and ten bottles of beer! Uncle Nine, I met a newcomer, super talented!"
...
The Hilton hotel was in the center of the city, and together with the adjacent provincial TV tower, it was considered a landmark in Guangqing City.
At night, when the neon lights on the TV tower came on, the brilliant colors lent a vibe of a city bathed in neon.
The moment the taxi stopped in front of the hotel, the doorman came to open the door.
"Charge the driver to my account!"
Kim Myungjin instructed the doorman.
"Tsk tsk, she couldn't really be the heiress of a Goryeo conglomerate, could she?"
Hua Yue Yu muttered to herself. Kim Myungjin's demeanor clearly indicated she was accustomed to being served and ordering people around.
Upon entering the hotel lobby, as far away as the reception desk, the three receptionist girls bowed in unison and greeted.
"Miss Kim, good evening!"
"Open two more deluxe suites, go buy two latest Apple iPhones, one Samsung phone, and also get three new SIM cards!"
Kim Myungjin ordered casually; such petty expenses weren't worth her meticulous calculation.
"Oh, and he's lost his ID card; that won't be a problem for check-in, right?"
Kim Myungjin was referring to Lin Baici.
"No problem at all!"
The receptionist smiled warmly.
The person before her was a lifetime member of the Hilton Hotel. The general manager had instructed that she be thoroughly looked after, with all her requests attentively serviced.
Of course, being a lifetime member wasn't the big deal—it was that she seemed to be the Miss of some wealthy Goryeo family's conglomerate.
That was something.
And what was the story with this young man?
The receptionist's eyes quickly skimmed over Lin Baici.
So tall!
And with such good looks, he really did qualify for a life of leisure.
"This hotel's rooms are expensive, right?"
Lin Baici frowned; he had no money to spare.
"Oppa, this isn't something for you to worry about!"
Kim Myungjin's smile bloomed like flowers.
The receptionist was taken aback.
Something was off about this attitude, wasn't it?
Why did it feel like this Goryeo heiress was chasing after this big guy?
"I'll pay for my own share!"
Hua Yue Yu didn't want to take such a big advantage either.
"Don't fuss over such small things!"
To Kim Myungjin, spending a few tens of thousands of yuan was as common as buying a bottle of mineral water.
It took the receptionist two minutes to prepare the room and process the check-in, and after handing the room cards to Lin Baici and Hua Yue Yu, she led them towards the elevator.
"Watch your step, please!"
The lobby floor was clean and even; there was no risk of falling, but the receptionist still kindly reminded them.
Upon reaching the elevator, she took the initiative to open the door, blocked the elevator door until Kim Myungjin and the others entered, and only then did she enter, close the door, and press the floor button.
"My, my, this service... it's just short of treating the guests like royalty!"
Hua Yue Yu marveled. Was this the luxury of the wealthy?
This global chain five-star hotel was quite extravagant. The receptionist was also very attractive, dressed in a light blue suit dress with black stockings over her legs and small leather shoes. Her walk, perfected through training, was pleasant to the eye.
Hua Yue Yu couldn't help but take a few more glances and then sneakily peeked at Lin Baici, noting that he wasn't ogling the receptionist's behind, which was quite virtuous of him.
Um!
What a good man!
Hua Yue Yu felt she'd discovered another virtue in Lin Baici.
"If you need anything, you can call the front desk!"
After opening the room for the three, the receptionist left with the presence of mind to give the guests their private time.
[A girl who can be swayed with cash, just three thousand yuan per night, would you like to give it a try?] The Eater God commented, referring to the receptionist.
"I'll take a shower first; we can talk later!"
Kim Myungjin looked at Lin Baici. "Oppa, shall I run the bath for you?"
"No need!"
Lin Baici quickly refused.
Kim Myungjin's enthusiasm made Lin Baici uncomfortable.
Lin Baici walked into the luxurious suite, his feet sinking into the soft carpet, which felt great. He took off his dirty clothes and noticed the landline on the desk, so he promptly called his mom to report his safety.
He hadn't gone straight home because he was dirty and had some minor abrasions; returning home would only lead to a barrage of questions.
The call connected.
Lin Baici lied about staying overnight at his childhood friend Li Wei's house, easily glossing over the details.
After hanging up, he quickly called Li Wei to make sure he wouldn't accidentally spill the beans.
"Where are you off to, spending the night out?" Li Wei's voice boomed.
"An internet café!" Lin Baici didn't say he was in a hotel since his friend wouldn't believe it anyway.
"Old White, you know, once the summer break is over, we'll be university students. If you spend the night out then, it should only be because you're with a woman in a hotel room, not hanging out in an internet café, right?" Li Wei earnestly advised, "That's just too low!"
"You owe an apology to everyone who pulls an all-nighter at internet cafés!" Lin Baici thought to himself that this also counted as booking a room with women.
Moreover, two of them! And the pretty kind.
"Old White, seriously, I'm planning to head to Haijing City in the next couple of days to earn some money over the summer holidays. Gotta save up. Otherwise, once university starts, I won't even have enough to treat a girl to bubble tea, which would just be embarrassing. How about we go together?" Li Wei wanted Lin Baici to join him for company.
"I... maybe I'll wait?"
Lin Baici came from a single-parent family, supported solely by his mother's job. They weren't well off. Although Li Wei's parents were around, his father had sustained a work injury at a construction site years ago, leaving him disabled and homebound. Thus, Li Wei's allowance was quite limited.
If it had been yesterday, Lin Baici wouldn't have hesitated to agree, but after his experience at the Dragon Temple Divine Ruins, his thoughts had changed.
How much can you really earn from a part-time job?
He now carried the title of a God Hunter endowed with Three Divine Graces.
He had to ponder on how to monetize it.
And honestly, Lin Baici was more interested in becoming a content creator, making videos to earn money.
"All right, then!"
Li Wei didn't push further: "You just keep having fun for another half a month, and watch me, Li Wei, make a fortune and pile up gold and silver. Then, I'll cover all your abortion expenses for four years!"
"Get lost!"
Lin Baici laughed and cursed.
After ending the call, Lin Baici stepped into the lavishly decorated bathroom.
As the hot shower rained down on him, he couldn't help but exhale deeply, feeling as though the day's fatigue was washed away with the water.
[For a debut performance, your haul isn't bad!] The Eater God was satisfied: [You've earned the right to reward yourself!]
"What exactly are you?"
Lin Baici was curious. "A Divine Grace?"
The Eater God didn't respond.
"Forget it, speak up if you want to!"
Lin Baici felt Eater God had no ill will towards him, so he decided to tally his gains instead.
The Three Divine Graces,
They were Guo Er Cheng Song, Mantra Buddha Resound, and Floating Night Rain, Wild Buddha blowing a lamp.
How to monetize them?
Lin Baici wanted to make money so he could buy the latest smartphones, computers, and action cameras. It would also boost his confidence when chasing girls.
As for the Taboo things, they included the Songmu torch, Vanilla Padded Mat, Black Tripod Bowl, and the particularly formidable Bodhi Messenger's Cassock.
These Taboo items should be quite valuable, selling just one could probably net a million yuan, right?
It's just that he had no contacts, and recklessly selling them might end up getting him apprehended by some official organization, right?