Chapter 15 Who Did I Steal Them For?

"I mean, think about it," the old man said. "I didn't kill anyone, burn anything, rob people, scam anyone, or steal energy from others. If that's not a setup, what is?" Felix smirked. "Senior, you're being way too modest." "What's that supposed to mean, kid?" "N-Nothing! Just complimenting you, that's all!" "Hmph. Never mind. Since you ate my chicken, how about you tell me what's been going on outside? It's been ages since anyone's come in here. You know how boring it gets, right?" Felix scratched his head awkwardly. "The thing is, I told you when I first got here—I've lost my memory. I don't remember anything." He couldn't exactly start talking about modern things, and he had no idea what had been happening in this world lately. "Well then, at least tell me how you lost your memory and what landed you in here this time." "I swear, Senior, I'm innocent this time!" That roast chicken had completely won Felix over, and without hesitation, he spilled everything that had happened to him over the past few days. The old man listened quietly before asking, "Do you remember why you went to the herb garden in the first place?" "Nope, not a clue." "Well, I do." "You… you do?" Felix asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "How could you possibly know that?" "You were here about a year ago," the old man explained. "They locked you up for half a month back then. You purposely got yourself in trouble just to get assigned to the herb garden. I remember you saying it was because of four Millennium Spirit Mushrooms. Someone needed them, so you planned to steal them." Felix's heart skipped a beat. His hands trembled as he asked, "Oh, no… Who? Who did I steal them for?" If he could figure out who had asked the original Felix to steal those spiritual mushrooms, he'd finally know who was the murderer. It had to be someone who got the spiritual mushrooms, then turned around and killed him to cover their tracks. "You didn't say it, but I'd bet it was for a girl." "A girl? You sure about that?" "Live for a woman, die for a woman, become No. 1 for a woman. You're a young, capable guy—are you really gonna steal for another man? Nah, it's gotta be for a woman!" The old man's words made Felix fall into deep thought. He had a point, but it didn't necessarily mean the original Felix did all that just for a girl. First of all, the old Felix wasn't exactly a good guy. He had a habit of flirting with the girls in Void Sect, so, as a scumbag, it seemed unlikely that he'd go through so much trouble and risk for one woman. And then, if stealing the spirit mushrooms was his goal, why did he wait a whole year and a half after getting into the herb garden? It didn't add up—he could've stolen them within the first couple of weeks. If his delay was to avoid suspicion, that felt unnecessary. Knowing the kind of person he was, anyone with half a brain could've guessed it was him. Besides, Felix doubted that any female disciple in this so-called righteous sect would be ruthless enough to kill him just to keep the spiritual mushrooms. This was murder, not plucking a chicken. Though the old man's theory didn't fully convince him, it did give Felix some useful clues. First, the original Felix got himself assigned to the herb garden on purpose with the clear intent of stealing the spirit mushrooms. Second, someone else must've been pulling the strings—whoever wanted the spiritual mushrooms was probably the same person who killed the original Felix. It was too much of a coincidence that the spiritual mushrooms went missing, and Felix got buried in a mass grave right after. Suddenly, the roast chicken in his hands didn't taste so good anymore. With a sigh, he muttered to himself, "What the hell am I supposed to do now? Die again?" Just then, the old man's raspy voice echoed in his mind. "There's something I don't get, kid. You're Dragon's disciple. Who'd dare mess with you? He earned his position through merit, and he's got serious influence in the Void Sect. You're his only apprentice—no one would dare touch you." Felix nodded, finally connecting the dots. "If my master was around, I wouldn't be in this mess." "What? Your master is dead?" "Well... uh, it's not like he's dead or anything. I heard he went down the mountain to... uh, visit some friends, and he hasn't come back yet." The old man chuckled dryly. "You've been telling me that story for three years. Maybe he kicked the bucket in some woman's bed." Felix coughed awkwardly. "I mean... probably not. He's probably just tied up with something important." Felix wanted to ask if he had mentioned any specific names during his previous time in the prison, but the old man fell silent again. Figuring the old man had dozed off, Felix decided not to push. After finishing half the roast chicken, he lost his appetite. Sitting in the corner, he started brainstorming ways to get out of his situation. Right now, Felix was in a pretty tough spot. Without his memories, it was hard to come up with a solid plan. For now, his only option was to focus on improving his cultivation. If he could get stronger, maybe he'd finally be able to protect himself. Even though he didn't know any specific cultivation techniques, over the past few days, he'd figured out a few things while circulating his energy for healing. He managed to learn how to move his internal energy and breathe in the spiritual energy from the world around him. Once absorbed, that energy would convert into spiritual power and settle in his dantian. "It's probably like those novels I read: the more spiritual power I store, the higher my cultivation gets. Since I can already absorb some spiritual energy, I'll just keep at it. Once my dantian fills up, I should be able to break through to the level of Flight Control." Felix wasn't the type to overthink things—when he decided to do something, he just got right to it. So, without wasting any time, he started meditating. Not that he had anything better to do anyway. But he underestimated how difficult cultivation really was. Without any proper techniques or guidance, all he could do was heal himself by moving the true essence through his meridians and absorbing tiny amounts of spiritual energy to replenish what he'd used up. However, just absorbing random bits of spiritual energy wasn't nearly enough to level up. True cultivation required expanding his meridians, developing his spiritual senses, and purifying the impurities in his body to make both his mind and body clearer. He didn't understand any of that. All he was doing was playing a kid's game, pretending to cultivate. After sitting in meditation for hours, his dantian and meridians were full of spiritual power. But no matter how hard he tried to absorb more energy, it wouldn't convert into true essence. Instead, the excess spiritual power just leaked out through his pores. It was like trying to fill an already full bottle of water—no matter how much more you pour in, it just spills out. Felix groaned in frustration. Then, an idea popped into his head. "I'm such an idiot! The old guy next door is from Void Sect, right? Why not just ask him to teach me?"