36 Eating

Zhou Bai saw how upset Elsa was, and he tried to convince her. "Elsa, don't throw a tantrum. We're so poor right now, we're lucky enough that we can eat this."

Elsa sobbed.

"Don't think two hundred points are a lot. I only get two hundred points a month. If I eat three meals a day, that's three points. You eat three meals too, which adds up to six points between the two of us. That means we have to spend one hundred eighty points each month."

Elsa sobbed some more.

"That's just considering meals too, not including the other expenses of clothing and living necessities. It's a good thing Christina doesn't need to eat. Otherwise the two of you would eat me out of house and home."

As he said this, Zhou Bai downed a few mouthfuls of rice. A content smile appeared on his face, and he said to Elsa, "It's so good, Elsa. Eat it. This rice is delicious."

Elsa sniffed it for a while and finally couldn't resist opening her mouth and wolfing down her food.

Watching Elsa down her food, Zhou Bai smiled. He finished the rice in his bowl.

He instantly felt his body and mind recover after a day of exhaustion. He even felt like a completely new person.

"This is great. This costs only one point, and it probably can't be exchanged for outside the school."

Zhou Bai blinked. The same point could exchange for only a bowl or two of rice outside the school, but that definitely wouldn't have any special effects. Being able to exchange for this type of food that quickly restored mental and physical strength with one point was a benefit of attending Tao academy.

Outside the school, the civilian population probably got only 100 to 200 points a month too. It seemed similar to the Tao academy students, but the quality of their lifestyles was completely different.

Zhou Bai had just finished eating when he saw Elsa walk over to him with the food bowl in her mouth. She set her food bowl in front of him.

"Elsa, what's the matter?" Zhou Bai saw the half-finished rice in the food bowl and looked at Elsa strangely.

Elsa moved her head to point at Zhou Bai and then at the rice.

"You want me…to eat more?"

Elsa immediately widened her mouth and wagged her tail.

Zhou Bai patted Elsa's head, looking at her drool and said, "That's all right, Elsa. I'm full. You finish your food."

Elsa still wouldn't. She kept pushing the food bowl toward Zhou Bai.

Zhou Bai thought silently for a while. He looked at Elsa's wide eyes and said slowly, "Elsa, what happened at the base has nothing to do with you. They…they didn't die because you ate too much.

"Rest assured—eat. I'll think of ways to earn more points in the future. When that time comes, the two of us will eat everything in this cafeteria until we vomit."

Watching Elsa eat the rest of the rice obediently, Zhou Bai nodded with contentment.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. A figure sat across from him with a tray of food.

Zhou Bai examined him. It was a young man with long blond hair, pale skin, and a beauty mark beneath his eye.

Zhou Bai looked at his plate, then swallowed.

Crystal Demon Core 20 points, Hundred Grass Porridge 20 points, Simmered Luan Wings 30 points.

These three dishes were already 70 points—not including the Bashe Bone Soup that cost 120 points.

Elsa opened her mouth, dumbfoundedly staring at the bone soup on the table. She didn't even notice the rice falling out of her mouth.

"One hundred ninety points…" Zhou Bai swallowed again. He asked the blond young man in front of him, "Aren't you in our class too? You used up one hundred ninety points so carelessly. Are you planning to starve for the rest of the month?"

The blond young man ate a spoon of Hundred Grass Porridge, and he looked at Zhou Bai with a smile. "Hello, first place. How unusual for a genius like you to recognize me. My name is Qian Wangsun, third place in the entering class."

He looked at the food on the table and said with a casual expression, "Points are for spending. Rather than eating just to fill my stomach every day, I'd rather convert my points into strength."

"Then what are you going to do afterward?"

Qian Wangsun gave it some thought, then said casually, "There's always a way. I don't think the school will just let us starve to death."

"Whatever makes you happy." Zhou Bai turned away, forcing himself to stop staring at the pile of points on the table. He lifted his bowl and got ready to leave.

But he heard Qian Wangsun say, "Hey, don't be impatient to leave! I have something to tell you!" Seeing how Zhou Bai didn't turn around, Qian Wangsun sighed. "Guess I can't get any free meals from him."

Zhou Bai pulled Elsa away. He didn't want to see Qian Wangsun feasting to his heart's content.

But on the way back to his dorm, Zhou Bai saw two young men stand in front of him.

Seeing one of the long-haired men, Zhou Bai asked, "Zuo Dao?"

Zuo Dao looked at Zhou Bai and said in a low voice, "Zhou Bai, I came to tell you, you better try your hardest to become stronger in the next two months. I don't want you to have any excuses when I defeat you in the next test."

Zuo Dao took a long look at Zhou Bai, then turned and left.

Zhou Bai thought, This guy is so juvenile.

Next to Zuo Dao, a bald young man smiled with embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Zhou Bai. Zuo Dao is…sigh, I don't know what to say. He's actually a good person. He's just too persistent sometimes. Don't take it to heart. He means no harm."

As he said this, the baldy reached out his hand, "My name is Jian Xing."

Zhou Bai reached out too, shaking his hand. "That's okay, I didn't take it to heart."

Jian Xing smiled then looked at Elsa. "I saw you take your dog to the cafeteria. It must be very important to you."

Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then nodded.

Jian Xing said, "Times are getting harder. The Tao academy's resources have become scarcer too. With a dog, two hundred points might not be enough to get by, but it's not impossible to do."

Zhou Bai's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What can I do?"

Jian Xing said, "The purpose of Tao academies is to nurture talented practitioners. The students with greater potential naturally get more points. The following tests every two months will decide how many points you can get each month."

"So that's how it is." Zhou Bai suddenly frowned, "Speaking of, I got first place in the entrance exam. Why didn't I get more points?"

Jian Xing smiled and said, "I'm going now. Bye."

"Bye."

After he bid farewell to Jian Xing, the sky appeared darker. The artificial light overhead also slowly became dimmer. Zhou Bai led Elsa back to the dorm building.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but when he returned to the dorm building, he felt the corridors looked a little too dark. He also caught a whiff of something nasty.

"What the hell. Did someone pee in the corridor?"

Zhou Bai frowned and walked toward his door. He suddenly froze.

The door was open.

"Christina? Are you there?"

Zhou Bai lightly pushed the door open.