Chapter 40

He roared like an injured beast, running wildly through the snow until he had no strength left in his body. He fell to the ground, laughing and crying like a madman.

He lay down on the side of the road, snowflakes falling from the sky, slowly covering his body. But he was calm, feeling no cold at all, and the snow began to melt.

He was now in a residential area on the eastern outskirts of Huai City, by the Dong River. The Dong River is a small local river in Huai City, originating in the eastern mountains, flowing through Huai City, and then into a larger river.

The sky gradually brightened, and more pedestrians appeared on the road. He still lay in the same spot, motionless. Pedestrians and vehicles automatically avoided him, and no one came too close. However, a crowd gradually gathered nearby.

He could vaguely hear someone ask softly, "What is that?"

Another person replied, "It looks like a person, but it's not clear. Half of him is buried in the snow."

A person who seemed to be a cleaner added, "It is a person, no doubt. I saw him when I got up to clean. He might be a homeless person. I saw him lying there, so I didn't dare to clear the snow around him."

Another person said, "I came home late last night and passed by here around one in the morning. I didn't see anyone here then."

The first person speculated, "Oh! So he appeared here after one in the morning."

The person who spoke earlier said, "If I didn't miss anything, that's right. I wonder if he's dead."

The person who speculated immediately said, "He must be dead. The cleaner saw him when he got up to clean, and it's already nine o'clock. At least three or four hours have passed. Who can survive in such cold weather for three or four hours? Even if he was alive at first, he would have frozen to death by now."

Another person said, "I also think he's dead. It's not right for someone to die here. We should call the police."

Someone agreed, "That's right. This person is probably frozen to death, but it could also be a murder victim dumped here. Who has a phone? Call the police."

Someone responded, "I'll do it."

This person probably put the call on speaker, and as soon as he finished speaking, the dialing tone could be heard. The call was quickly connected, and he said, "Hello! Is this the police station? We found a body on Donghe Road. Yes, it's this place..."

Just as he said this, he suddenly froze, looking as if he had seen a ghost, and said hesitantly, "Oh my God! That... that person... he... he's alive again..."

Xu Mo heard the person calling the police and could no longer lie there. He stood up, and as he did, countless droplets of melted snow water fell from his clothes.

He couldn't help but take off his coat, throwing it on the ground and kicking it away in frustration: "Since I have mastered the Static Breathing, why should I wear such cumbersome and heavy clothes?"

He glanced indifferently at the crowd and walked away. The crowd was stunned, staring at his back with looks of disbelief. After a long time, someone exclaimed, "What the hell! Am I still asleep? Was everything just a dream?"

Xu Mo emerged from the crowd and walked aimlessly down the road. He had no direction and didn't know where he was going, just following the Donghe Road forward.

He had mastered the Static Breathing, which controlled his breathing, blood circulation, and energy consumption. Combining these three abilities, he easily discovered some useful techniques. Focusing on the Static Breathing, the pain from Xiao Qing's death was temporarily alleviated.

He walked with his head down, not looking at the road, when he suddenly heard someone shout, "Kid, are you looking for death?"

He looked up and realized that he had somehow ended up in the middle of the non-motorized vehicle lane. A middle-aged man with a nose ring was riding a motorcycle in the wrong direction and almost hit him. The man was very aggressive, slowing down and kicking Xu Mo as he cursed.

Xu Mo dodged, feeling a surge of anger. The pain and resentment from Xiao Qing's death and his own misfortunes burst out, and he kicked the man's thigh.

The man, on the motorcycle, couldn't dodge and was kicked in the buttocks. He panicked and lost control of the motorcycle, falling to the ground. The road was slippery due to the snow, and he slid several meters with the motorcycle. Fortunately, the snow cushioned the fall.

"Looking for death!" The man, already aggressive, was even more determined not to let it go. He got up from the ground and charged at Xu Mo.

Although Xu Mo had mastered the Static Breathing, it only controlled his breathing, blood circulation, and energy consumption, offering no help in a fight.

Moreover, he was not good at fighting and was quickly grabbed by the man.

The man was a local thug, skilled in fighting. Seeing Xu Mo kick him, he assumed Xu Mo had some background or was at least a good fighter.

When he charged at Xu Mo, he didn't intend to grab his arm but was afraid he would run away. Unexpectedly, he managed to grab Xu Mo's arm. Without hesitation, he twisted Xu Mo's arm behind his back, intending to break it and punch him in the head.

Xu Mo activated the Static Breathing, and his wrist immediately began to sweat. The sweat, containing salt, was much more slippery than water, and he easily broke free from the man's grip.

The man was startled, feeling his hand sticky and uncomfortable. He shook his hand in disgust and cursed, "Damn, what is this?"

But he only paused for a moment before charging forward again, swinging his fist at Xu Mo's face. Xu Mo barely dodged, but the man grabbed his shoulder. The man then reached out with his other hand to choke Xu Mo's neck.

Xu Mo tried to pry the man's hand off but was far weaker. Seeing no way out, he cleverly reversed the Static Breathing, and his body instantly became ice-cold.

The man, who had finally managed to choke Xu Mo's neck, felt as if he was choking a block of ice. He was startled again and instinctively let go, asking in panic, "Are you human or a ghost?"

Xu Mo's heart raced, but he remained silent, his face turning pale, and he showed no expression. He stared at the man without blinking.

The man, meeting Xu Mo's gaze, felt even more uneasy and couldn't help but reach out to check Xu Mo's breathing. Xu Mo held his breath, stopped his blood circulation, and his heart stopped beating.

The man felt no breath when he touched Xu Mo's nose, feeling terrified and trembling. He then checked Xu Mo's heartbeat.

Feeling no heartbeat, the man was terrified and screamed, "Ghost!" He stumbled backward, fell to the ground, and scrambled to get up. He fled without even retrieving his motorcycle, disappearing in a moment.

Xu Mo, having scared the man away with the Static Breathing, felt no joy. Since the night before last, he hadn't eaten anything. Running the Static Breathing since last night had consumed a lot of energy, and he was almost starving.

He had no money and was too proud to beg. Looking ahead, he thought sadly, "If the cold doesn't kill me, will I die of hunger?"

He touched his stomach, which, as if understanding his thoughts, growled in protest.

He thought, "Where can I find something to eat?"

He walked forward, head down, eyes fixed on the ground. His pride kept him from showing his desperation, but he hoped someone would drop money or food.

This was clearly impossible. He continued walking and found himself in a residential area.

This area seemed to be for the wealthy, as he saw many luxury cars and standalone garden houses and villas.

But in his eyes, these luxury cars, garden houses, and villas all looked like bread or steamed buns.

In the residential area, there were gardens everywhere. In one garden, he saw an old wooden shed. He examined it carefully and confirmed that no one was inside, then entered.

He looked around, but the shed was empty. Disappointed, he left the shed.

Standing at the door of the shed, he looked around and saw a trash bin outside a garden house on the right.

He couldn't help but look at the trash bin several times, and a thought suddenly came to him: There might be something to eat inside.

This thought startled him: How can I eat something from a trash bin?

But he was very hungry, and his feet moved toward the trash bin without his control. He consoled himself: I'm just passing by, not looking for food in the trash bin.

When he passed the trash bin, he couldn't help but look inside. He saw an apple, which from his angle looked fine, though it might have some bad spots on the back, but at least half of it was edible.

He hesitated, struggling with his inner conflict. Several times he almost reached for the apple but was stopped by his remaining pride.

His stomach growled again, and he felt dizzy and weak, thinking sadly: If I don't eat, I will surely die. No one is around to see me. Even if I eat it, who would know?

He looked around, saw no one, and finally decided to reach for the apple.

But just as he grabbed the apple and was about to pull it out of the trash bin, he heard a child's voice, "Mom!"

He turned and saw a young woman leading a four- or five-year-old girl coming out of the garden house, looking at him in surprise.

——

PS: I have always liked the feeling of being aloof and detached from the world, thinking that immortals should be like this: The world has abandoned me, but I don't need the world.

Like Xu Mo thought at the beginning of the second volume, "I don't interfere with the natural world, and the natural world cannot affect me."

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