Chapter 6: The Fascinating World of Smell

He had just opened the door.

A strong whiff of red wine rushed to greet him.

That had come from the door of another apartment on the sixth floor.

Chen Yun remembered that his neighbor, Bai Shi, had brought back a bottle of red wine last night.

The scent must have originated from there.

Taking a closer sniff, Chen Yun detected aromas of fruit, vanilla, and oak.

There was also a slight hint of smokiness.

In the past, Chen Yun could only detect the scent of the wine, completely unable to identify the components within the complex aroma.

Clearly,

his sense of smell had changed.

This was one of those yet-to-be-discovered changes mentioned in the records.

Considering that he had not noticed any anomalies in his sense of smell while experimenting in his room last night,

Chen Yun felt that perhaps his body was still undergoing changes, and this olfactory ability might have just emerged.

If that was the case, things were becoming more complicated.

Thinking,

Chen Yun silently noted this and planned to record it once he was back home.

As for now,

Chen Yun hadn't forgotten that he was out to purchase some materials needed for his upcoming experiments and daily life.

Based on the periodic summary and plans he had previously laid out, this shopping trip was mainly for exercise equipment and food.

The exercise equipment was to support his daily physical activity, studying the changes in his physical fitness within a non-damaging range, and to quickly adapt to his slightly unfamiliar body post-transformation.

As for food,

it was the persistence of a foodie.

What if he wasn't unable to eat everything?

Maybe there were some things that didn't taste bland, and he just hadn't discovered them.

Holding this thought, Chen Yun decided to regularly purchase small quantities of various types of food to try.

Chen Yun was planning his shopping list while waiting for the elevator.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a door opening not far from behind him; he saw Bai Shi with slightly flushed cheeks, holding a deck of playing cards, walking out.

Approaching him was a mingling scent of red wine all over Bai Shi.

It was the smell of a hangover.

At this moment, it was so vivid to Chen Yun's nose.

Seeing Bai Shi holding the cards,

Chen Yun understood that the elegant, chubby fellow was about to start teasing the old men of the neighborhood again.

He had quite a skillful way of playing cards.

Chen Yun could not spot any flaws and truly found it impressive.

Typically during dull moments, the guy would set up a small table next to the garden in the community.

He'd spread out his playing cards on the table, competing with passersby to see who drew the higher card.

It wasn't for money, just to pass the time.

Chen Yun had never joined him, but when picking up items at Cai niao Station next to the garden, he often saw old men who had lost to Bai Shi, doubting their life choices.

However, it was still early in the morning.

It didn't seem like the usual time for Bai Shi to go out and play cards.

"It's just past eight. You're going out to play cards so early?"

Chen Yun asked curiously.

Having confirmed last night that the changes in his body were not immediately life-threatening, and might even be beneficial in the long run,

Chen Yun was much more relaxed than when he first discovered the changes.

Adding to that the fact that Bai Shi's wine scent had helped him discover his own olfactory mutation,

he was rather curious.

"Is it just past eight?"

Bai Shi paused, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and then glanced at his watch.

Upon confirming that it indeed was just past eight, he was startled.

Always boasting to Chen Yun how great his capacity for liquor was,

he certainly wouldn't admit that he had gotten drunk last night and got up groggy and confused about the time this morning because of a hangover.

So, he said politely yet awkwardly, "Well, the early bird catches the worm, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air went silent.

The two men looked at each other.

Chen Yun didn't expose Bai Shi's hangover mistake about the time.

Fortunately, the next second, the sound of the elevator arriving was heard.

Chen Yun silently stepped into the elevator.

Bai Shi followed suit.

He wasn't firm about his no-elevator rule when going downstairs.

According to him, everyone's goal when going downstairs was generally the first floor, so the probability of someone spotting which floor he lived on was quite small.

The two quietly took the elevator down to the first floor.

They silently walked out of the elevator and then headed to their respective destinations.

However, after they left the building, Chen Yun looked at Bai Shi's briskly retreating figure and couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

It seemed that Bai Shi heard the laughter because he stumbled slightly in his steps.

Then he pretended nothing happened and continued walking away.

Seeing this, Chen Yun suppressed his smile and turned to walk towards the entrance of Mingwang New Village.

After the interlude, it was time for the main event.

At the entrance to Mingwang New Village, there was a clinic, two supermarkets, and a vegetable market.

His shopping needs for the day could be mostly met right at the entrance.

He walked for a short while and soon arrived at the vegetable market.

As the first light of dawn appeared, the vegetable market was already bustling.

On the stalls, lush green chili peppers, prickly green cucumbers, and fine green onions were neatly arranged in rows.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass from freshly cut vegetables.

Vendors' cries rose and fell, blending with the sounds of haggling.

Chen Yun closed his eyes to concentrate.

After shutting out his sight and focusing less on hearing, his sense of smell sharply intensified.

The abnormal olfactory perception he had noticed earlier was now fully demonstrated.

Countless scents from the vegetable market rushed into his nostrils.

Numerous smells danced in the air, weaving together like musical notes into a wonderful melody.

The lush vegetables and brightly colored tomatoes emitted the scent of life in the sunlight.

Garlic and onions stung the nostrils, resembling chefs' secret recipes, while the salty fresh smell from the fish stalls reminded one of the vast ocean.

This was...

a new sensation where just by smell, he could see everything clearly around him.

This was...

a dazzling olfactory world!

This new world of senses was overly complex.

After all, the world for most people was dominated by surface-level visual and auditory perceptions.

The sense of smell, although important, was not considered powerful.

To have such a keen sense of smell that it could directly replace vision in perceiving the world was unprecedented.

Even Chen Yun felt unaccustomed to it at first.

If one had to describe this discomfort,

it was like having an extra pair of eyes on the back of one's head, with the brain able to receive images from a 360-degree range around.

This was completely different from the way he had perceived the world for the past 20-plus years.

However, in the next instant, the discomfort filled with countless scents vanished.

Chen Yun found that he had grown accustomed to this sensation.

It was as if he had possessed this ability for a long time.

Using it seemed to have become an instinct.

He could easily distinguish where certain scents among the countless ones originated.

Chen Yun tried to open his eyes.

This sharp sense of smell did not disappear but blurred for a moment and then returned to normal.

Standing at the entrance of the vegetable market,

Chen Yun carefully experienced this extraordinary sense of smell.

Besides being able to determine the specific directions of various scents from afar,

there was something special.

It was as if an obscure sense subtly suggested

that none of the foods he smelled at this moment were edible.

Because just by smelling them,

he couldn't help but frown.

While it wasn't enough to make him feel nauseous, he could distinctly sense his body's displeasure.

It was as if his body was saying, "Don't just shove anything into your mouth."

Clearly, he could judge directly through his sense of smell whether the food was edible.

Realizing this, Chen Yun smiled lightly and stopped walking further into the vegetable market.

This certainly saved the effort of shopping around.

Then he stepped aside from the busiest part of the entrance and closed his eyes in a slightly more secluded spot,

carefully experiencing the various scents from the entire vegetable market and the neighboring supermarket.