"This handsome guy is so good-looking, he probably wouldn't lie. Plus, the Hanfu he's wearing looks like it's made of pretty good material," the girl mused, stroking her chin. "Someone who can afford such expensive Hanfu wouldn't possibly cheat me out of 300 yuan, would they? His belt alone is worth more than that."
Her companion shook her head upon hearing this.
She wanted to say, "It's better to be safe than sorry," but the words caught in her throat, feeling unnecessary. So, she suppressed her unease and pulled the girl along, urging her to move forward.
Yan Hua, holding the 300 yuan, felt no sense of being cheated. He was simply looking down, studying the food sold at the roadside stalls.
Why were these meats skewered? They looked like the candied hawthorns they sold.
And the smell suggested the meat was no longer fresh.
Yan Hua glanced around and noticed many people at nearby tables were hunched over, eating these skewered meats. They seemed to be enjoying them, judging by how fragrant they smelled.
As he watched, Yan Hua gently fanned himself. He was about to try some, but before he could even ask, he heard the vendor calling out:
"Red willow big meat skewers, five yuan a skewer! Fifteen yuan for four!"
Yan Hua looked down at the numbers written on the paper in his hand and fell into thought.
Five yuan, how many yuan was that?
Why were the currency denominations here completely different from his own world?
How much was this bill in his hand worth?
Yan Hua wanted to ask someone, but he was a stranger in a strange land, with no one to turn to.
Yan Hua turned back to look at the crowd gathered around the small stalls.
He observed that some people were paying with cash and waiting for change.
Although he didn't understand the reason, he figured it was probably similar to buying things in his own world.
So, Yan Hua found a secluded corner, changed his clothes to resemble those of the locals, and casually walked up to a stall. He picked up a few skewers and a bowl of cold noodles, then handed over the 100 yuan bill he had.
He didn't say a word throughout the entire transaction. When the vendor asked if he wanted it spicy, he simply nodded, mimicking others nearby, and asked for less spice.
The vendor, noticing nothing unusual about Yan Hua's speech, responded with an "Okay" and went to roast the meat skewers and prepare the cold noodles.
While waiting, Yan Hua stood by the stall, contemplating whether the food would be tasty and how he could find the others. He realized the fastest way to locate anyone was to find the three:
Yu Yuan, Chen Xi, and Jin Yan.
Because the three of them were of the Dragon Clan, their dragon roars could resonate with each other.
Oh, to be more precise, there were a few more people he could potentially find.
There was also An Nuo, Shao Feng, and Feng Ming Xi.
Qi Yu and Si Qing, the brother and sister duo, should also be able to hear their dragon roars and would come together. As for whether others could hear them, Yan Hua wasn't entirely sure.
However, everyone had magical power. He had checked earlier and found his own magical power to be normal, so it shouldn't be too different, right?
As he was thinking, the vendor had already brought over the food Yan Hua had ordered. He also gave Yan Hua a head of garlic and a packet of dipping sauce, then led him to a seat, telling him to eat well.
Yan Hua took the plate in front of him with both hands, found a spot he liked, and sat down. He gently tapped the head of garlic, and it immediately split into pieces.
Some even turned into garlic paste.
The people sitting nearby were all stunned.
Yan Hua looked at the garlic juice on his hand and frowned slightly in distaste. After wiping it clean with a tissue, he summoned the vendor who had sold him the skewers. "Could you give me another head of garlic?"
The vendor's face showed confusion, thinking Yan Hua had already finished the first head so quickly.
He responded with an "Okay" and quickly brought another head of garlic.
As he handed it over, he saw the remains of the first head of garlic on the table.
"What happened to this garlic? Was it crushed by something?" the vendor quickly asked someone to clean it up with a rag.
Yan Hua, without thinking, explained, "It was an accident, I accidentally broke it."
The vendor froze.
He looked at Yan Hua as if he were a monster. "What did you just say? You accidentally crushed it? What do you mean?"
He understood each word individually, but strung together, it didn't make much sense.
"Like this..." Yan Hua casually picked up the garlic that had just been given to him and squeezed it gently.
It turned into garlic paste.
The vendor's mouth dropped open, his face filled with disbelief.
Yan Hua, seeing the shocked gazes of the people around him, felt puzzled.
Was crushing a head of garlic like this such a strange thing?
It shouldn't be.
The vendor took a deep breath.
Anyone could have the strength to break a garlic clove, but to crush it into paste like this gentleman... he had never seen such a skill before.
Yan Hua finally couldn't suppress his confusion. "Is this a very strange action?"
Garlic was so fragile, how could anyone not be able to crush it?
Qi Yu could crush small fruits and vegetables when he was just a dragon cub.
The vendor fell silent for a moment, then brought over an apple.
Yan Hua didn't quite understand.
The vendor gestured for him to crush it.
Yan Hua applied pressure with his index finger and thumb.
The apple shattered into pieces.
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock. Then, they began a series of experiments, handing Yan Hua things to bend or crush.
Initially, it was just garlic, apples, or a watermelon offered by some brave soul.
Later, as the novelty grew, the situation escalated. People started handing him white steel chopsticks, white steel forks, and even a large steel plate whose purpose was unknown.
Yan Hua found it quite interesting. He had never seen many of these items before, so he accepted them all. Some he crushed with a gentle force, while others required him to exert considerable effort, reducing them to powder.
Cheers and exclamations erupted from the crowd. Some people started recording the scene with their phones and posting it on Douyin.
Yan Hua was completely unaware of this.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Chen Xi, on his way back with a cushion, saw someone playing with a small black square. Out of curiosity, he wanted to conjure an identical one. However, not knowing what was inside the small square, even after conjuring it with magic, it was only externally identical. In reality, it couldn't be lit or opened.