Beast Taming: I'm Really Not a Cultivation Master

Chapter 305: Chapter 276: Turning Grief into Appetite

”Alright, as long as you all are free, I’m good anytime.” That afternoon, Fatty An called to suggest a get-together, and Li Qian happily agreed.

Coincidentally, they chose the First Cafeteria. Being the closest to the dorms, it was the most convenient place for a get-together.

”Not planning on taking me with you?” Seeing that Li Qian had dinner plans for the evening, Lu Tianjiao shamelessly sidled up to him.

”In your current state? Is that really a good idea?” Li Qian retorted, leaving Lu Tianjiao speechless.

Even with his astonishing recovery ability, his relatively serious injuries wouldn’t heal that fast. He was still wrapped in a good deal of gauze.

If he went out right now, he’d definitely be the most eye-catching guy in the entire university, turning plenty of heads.

Li Qian, on the other hand, had only sustained minor injuries, which were practically invisible once he was dressed.

”Well, remember to bring me back something to eat,” Lu Tianjiao said with a hint of envy, watching Li Qian get up from the sofa and prepare to head out.

Li Qian joked, ”Don’t worry, we’ll order extra. There will be plenty of leftovers for you.”

Hearing this, Lu Tianjiao simply flipped him the bird. ”We’re through!”

After a bit more banter, Li Qian left.

”How’s it going? Getting used to the new environment?” Li Qian spotted Fatty An the moment he arrived at the First Cafeteria. It was hard not to—the guy was built like a brick wall.

”Not bad. My roommate and I get along great,” Fatty An said with a wide grin.

”I guess he’s also a total goof... I mean, a very outgoing person... Hahaha...” Li Qian almost let the word slip, forcing an awkward laugh.

Fatty An shot Li Qian a reproachful glare, a look that made Li Qian want to beat a hasty retreat.

”The lovely ladies are here.” Just then, two beautiful figures approached from a distance, and Li Qian quickly seized the opportunity to change the subject.

”Look at them, walking side by side. You’d think they were sisters...” Fatty An sounded confused.

”They are classmates and best friends,” Li Qian said without thinking.

”That was before,” Fatty An said faintly.

Hearing this, Li Qian instantly recalled something. He was left speechless, not knowing what to say.

’Anyway, it’s good that they’re like this now,’ Li Qian thought, ’regardless of whether it’s all just for show.’

”What do you two want to eat?” The two women approached, and Li Qian took a few steps to greet them before asking.

”Let’s just go to the main dining hall,” Li Lanying suggested, glancing around the First Cafeteria.

Fatty An sounded a little disappointed. ”Since it’s a get-together, shouldn’t we get something nice?”

”I’ve asked around about the First Cafeteria. Besides the main dining halls on the first three floors, there’s also a food court in the basement.”

”Then you should have also heard that the food in the main dining hall is excellent,” Tu Jiaojiao said. ”The three of us are from the same hometown. Since this is our first meal together at the university, it’s more meaningful to have it in the main dining hall.”

The two women had reached an agreement. Li Qian and Fatty An knew their opinions no longer mattered, so they didn’t press the issue and just went with the flow.

Since new students were arriving in waves, and some upperclassmen had stayed on campus, the cafeterias had actually been open all summer.

By the time their group entered, the dining hall was already sparsely populated with students.

Just as he had noticed upon arriving in Shazhou City, there were many students from the Alien Races in the dining hall.

The most numerous were, of course, students of the Gaochang Race, whose numbers were nearly equal to those of the Xia Race. Besides them, while students from the Wuxi and Snow Races were rare, you could still spot a few occasionally.

”You guys wait here. I’m going to the third floor to add some money to my card.” After they found a table, Li Qian immediately pulled out the student ID he’d gotten during orientation and gave it a wave.

A brand-new student card was naturally empty. Li Qian had spotted a service window near the entrance where you could load funds, located on the third floor.

”I’ll go with you. I need to add money to my card, too,” Li Lanying said, pulling out her own student ID.

”Then I’ll go as well.” Tu Jiaojiao followed their lead and took out her student ID.

Fatty An’s lip twitched. He was about to do the same when Li Lanying’s gaze fell upon him. ”In that case, we’ll have to trouble you to save the table for us, classmate An Junjie.”

In reality, the dining hall wasn’t crowded at all that evening. It was highly unlikely anyone would take their table, and even if they did, there were plenty of others available.

But since Li Lanying had spoken, Fatty An couldn’t really argue. He could only give a helpless grunt of agreement.

Then, he could only watch as Li Qian left the main hall flanked by two beautiful women, a pang of jealousy rising in his heart.

Before long, the three returned, only to go off together to get their food. Fatty An was once again left alone at the table, looking completely out of place.

He couldn’t help but pick up his chopsticks and start drawing circles on the tabletop.

After a good while, the three of them finally walked over carrying three trays. Two were piled with food—mostly unfamiliar dishes that were probably local specialties—and the third held four bowls of rice.

Fatty An was genuinely getting hungry. He grabbed a bowl of rice and started shoveling it down without a second thought. Of course, the more pressing reason was his frustration; he was ready to channel his sorrow and indignation into his appetite.

It had to be said, the First Cafeteria at Shazhou Beast Taming University truly lived up to its reputation. Even to the palates of the three from Jiangnan Province, the food was excellent.

”Huh? This is... a little different...” Just then, Li Lanying noticed something unusual, her voice tinged with confusion.

”What is it?” Li Qian asked.

”This food... it seems a bit special...” Li Lanying chewed a few more times, her brow furrowing in thought.

Li Qian gave a faint smile. He knew what she was wondering about and explained casually, ”The food in the main dining halls of all three of the university’s cafeterias is actually made with a small amount of Extraordinary ingredients. Eating it regularly helps improve your physical constitution.”

”I see.” Hearing this, Fatty An and the two women all showed looks of sudden understanding.

In truth, Li Qian hadn’t known this information himself; Lu Tianjiao was the one who had told him.

However, because the amount of Extraordinary ingredients was so small, most people couldn’t taste the difference. Only a few students who were particularly sensitive to Energy could detect a hint of something unusual.

’I can’t believe Li Lanying’s Perception is that incredible,’ Li Qian thought.

Upon learning that eating more could improve his physical constitution, Fatty An held back even less. He ate with abandon, and when one bowl of rice wasn’t enough, he went back for the free refills.

In the end, he alone probably ate as much rice as the other three combined, and he polished off at least half of the side dishes himself.

After dinner, Li Qian got another serving of food to-go for Lu Tianjiao.

Fatty An looked confused, so Li Qian quickly explained the situation.

Of course, he didn’t go into detail. He just said his neighbor was in a bit of a bind and couldn’t get out, so he was bringing him back some food.