The streets of Green Willow Town were lively because it was midday, but the noise stopped abruptly when a large, walking pig entered the main avenue.
Tian Wudi walked with a swagger. His belly bounced with every step, left and right, hypnotically. Although people stared at him with disgust, he did not care, because he is a Sovereign and he does not care about the opinions of sheeps.
He was bouncing juggling the pouch of stolen Spirit Stones in his hand.
He loved the weight of spirit stones inside.
"Money," Tian Wudi addressed to himself. "In my past life, I only needed a sword. I slept on rocks and drank morning dew. I was noble, but I was miserable & cold. Now, I have money, so I will buy warmth & happiness."
He stopped in front of the 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion'.
It was the most expensive restaurant in the town. The smell of roasted duck and spicy wine drifted out. Tian Wudi's pig snout twitched in the direction.
Sniff. Sniff.
"Good. The aroma contains trace amounts of spiritual energy," he analyzed. "The meat is from low-level Spirit Chickens. The wine is brewed with Spirit Grain. Perfect for correcting his foundation."
He stepped toward the entrance, but a waiter in a grey uniform jumped out to block him.
"Stop! Shoo!" the waiter shouted, waving a towel. "We don't allow livestock inside! Who let this pig escape? Go roll in the mud!"
Tian Wudi looked down at the waiter. The waiter was a thin man with yellow teeth.
"Are you blind?" Tian Wudi's voice raspy and dignified. "I am walking on two legs. I am wearing clothes. Do pigs in your village wear silk?"
The waiter was stunned for a moment, but he sneered. "You are just a monster freak. Get lost before I call the butcher!"
Tian Wudi did not get angry. He simply reached into his pouch and pulled out a glowing Spirit Stone.
Spirit Stones are rocks filled with the essence of heaven and earth. In this mortal town, one Spirit Stone is equal to 1,000 gold coins. It is a huge fortune for a commoner.
He tossed the Spirit Stone at the waiter's chest.
Thud.
The waiter caught it. His eyes bulged. He bit the stone to check if it was real. It was real.
"I... this..." The waiter stuttered, his attitude changing instantly from arrogance to squirminess, because in this world, money is the father and power is the grandfather.
"Prepare a private room," Tian Wudi commanded. "Bring me ten jugs of your strongest Fire Spirit Wine. Bring me five roasted Spirit Chickens. And bring me two catties of Spirit Beef."
"Yes, yes! Right away, Lord Pig... I mean, Honored Guest!"
The waiter bowed so low his head almost hit the floor, leading Tian Wudi inside.
As Tian Wudi walked through the main dining hall, the other customers went silent. They whispered. But Tian Wudi saw a woman sitting behind the counter.
She was the proprietress of the restaurant, Madam Rouge. She also saw and heard everything that happened with her waiter and this Honored Pig guest so she didn't react like her waiter did earlier.
She was a mature woman in her thirties. Her dress was cut low, revealing deep cleavage that was white as snow and soft as dough. She was holding a brush, calculating the accounts, but she looked up when the pig came close.
Tian Wudi stopped. His eyes zoomed in on her chest.
"Wonderful," he said aloud.
Madam Rouge frowned. "Guest, is something wrong?"
"No," Tian Wudi said, drooling slightly not because he was hungry, but because he was a healthy male soul. "I was just admiring your... accounts. They are huge. Very round. Very full."
Madam Rouge's face turned red. She knew exactly what he was looking at. "You act very human for a beast."
"Madam, underneath this rough skin beats the heart of a lover," Tian Wudi winked. "Perhaps after I eat, we can discuss 'Dual Entry Accounting' in private?"
"Shameless!" Madam Rouge scolded, but she covered her mouth with her fan to hide a confused giggle. She had been flirted with by many men, but being flirted with by a rich, arrogant pig was a new experience.
Tian Wudi waddled to his private room, sat on the chair, and waited.
Soon, the food arrived.
The table was full. The chicken skin glistened with oil. The wine jars were heavy.
"Finally."
Tian Wudi grabbed a whole chicken. He opened his jaw, revealing the terrifying jaw of a Spirit Beast. He crunched the bones in two bites and swallowed the chicken whole. Bones and all.
Gulp.
Then he grabbed a jar of wine and poured it down his throat.
"Burn! Yes!"
In his past life, Tian Wudi cultivated the Frost based Sword Art. That made his body always cold and no stimulation. He was always cold and miserable.
But now?
"To hell with abstinence!"
He chugged the spicy wine. It burned his throat like fire. Most people would cough, but to his pig throat, it felt like nectar.
However, simply eating is not enough. Any pig can eat.
He was here for more than eating.
Tian Wudi closed his eyes. He needed to circulate the energy.
Normally, when a Spirit Beast eats, the energy is dispersed into their flesh slowly over months. That is why beasts cultivate slowly. They rely on time.
Tian Wudi could not wait.
Inside his belly, the Spirit Chicken and the Spirit Wine met the gastric acid. But instead of just digesting, Tian Wudi manipulated his muscles to rotate his stomach walls.
Whatever Qi he could muster he sent it to his stomach.
Grrrgggle. Rooaar.
His stomach made noises like a thunderstorm.
He compressed the food.
"Refine!"
A wave of heat exploded from his belly. It rushed into his limbs.
The alcohol did not make him drunk. This method of digestion burned away the toxins of the alcohol and kept only the Yang Energy.
His skin turned red. Steam shot out of his pig ears like a kettle.
Pfffttttthhhhoooooo!
"Comfortable!" he cried out in pleasure.