Why is my anime art style so weird?

Since using the search function requires paying to become a member, Xu Ming could only flip through the pages one by one.

I opened several very popular posts with many clicks and replies, only to find that they were either clickbait titles or photoshopped images. The key issue was that the photoshopping was of very poor quality, and the flaws were obvious to the naked eye.

Xu Ming flipped through about ten pages, but all he found were useless junk information.

A sense of annoyance arose in his heart.

Just as Xu Ming was about to close the webpage, a post caught his attention.

The title of the post was nothing special; it was basically saying that his classmate had gone missing, so he was seeking help.

However, the title mentions that the location of the disappearance was a burned-down club activity building in the Totsuki Tea House.

"It can't be such a coincidence."

Xu Ming muttered something to himself.

I'll check the last post. If I still don't find any useful information, I'll close the page and leave...

After making up his mind, Xu Ming clicked on the post, which had very few clicks and replies.

The post contains a more detailed account of what happened.

The poster first introduced himself, saying he was a student at a high school near the Totsuki Culinary School campus.

A year ago, one of my good friends made a bet with someone and went to the abandoned Totsuki Tea House to play a ghost hunting adventure. After that night, no one ever saw him again.

The man's family reported the incident to the police, but the matter was ultimately dropped.

Left with no other option, the original poster turned to the internet for help.

According to the original poster, he had previously posted on various forums, but his posts were immediately deleted and he was banned. So he had no choice but to post a help request on this small website.

Unfortunately, there were very few replies to this post. The few that did reply were either mocking the story the poster wrote as terrible or just there to grab the first comment or second comment.

Xu Ming sneered inwardly. So many people had died or gone missing in Totsuki, and Azami Nakiri had made such a big news story, yet the news hadn't reported it extensively. How could he not have a powerful force supporting him?

Considering that he seized power before Senzaemon Nakiri could react, it would be a lie to say that he didn't have any powerful backing.

Who knows how many dirty deals and evil schemes are behind this, and how much money and power are involved?

The original author simply refrained from revealing this darker side to maintain the purity of a shonen (hot-blooded) food manga. That doesn't mean these aspects don't exist.

The so-called support from the Ten Elites is nothing more than an excuse for Azami Nakiri to rightfully take over.

Xu Ming noticed that the original poster last edited the post 9 months ago, and then, perhaps because he did not receive a response for a long time, he became disheartened and stopped going online.

In his final edit, the original poster added a somewhat blurry photo, a selfie sent to him by his good friend before he entered the burned-down building.

Xu Ming clicked on the photo.

Under the cover of night, a smiling young man made a 'V' sign at the camera.

Behind him is a building with a unique style.

The architectural style is somewhat similar to that of a large mansion from the Qing Dynasty, with blue bricks and green tiles, a vermilion gate, and two majestic stone lions on either side of the gate.

However, this exquisite and elegant mansion seems to have been ravaged by a fire. Most of the porch has collapsed, and the snow-white exterior walls are charred black, with the plaster peeling off in chunks like dried skin.

The two 3-meter-high vermilion gates were mostly burned, leaving only a small number of fragments that still showed their original color.

Xu Ming's eyes suddenly narrowed.

Through the burned-through gate, one can see into the front hall of the courtyard, where something seems to be.

Xu Ming quickly downloaded the original photo to his phone, then stretched out two fingers and kept stretching the photo.

Finally, after the entire photo began to show obvious pixel blocks, Xu Ming roughly saw what the thing really looked like.

It was a charred coffin!

Although it was partially obscured by the gate, and due to the distance from which the photo was taken, as well as the fact that it was nighttime, the image appeared quite blurry.

Xu Ming wouldn't mistake the coffin's distinctive shape.

"It seems we need to investigate during the day..."

Xu Ming muttered to himself.

—Should I accept the side quest 'Scratching Sounds from the Coffin (Half Star)'?

"determine."

—Branch task accepted.

—Tip: Please go to the 'Chinese Cuisine Research Association' when the blood moon rises, and you will discover the 'truth' hidden under the blood moon.

—Note: Please do not bring any items related to fire.

—Tip: When the coffin lid is opened, don't let it see you, otherwise... you'll bear the consequences. Remember that!!

"..."

Xu Ming was speechless for a moment.

This damn system is practically ready to stick a piece of paper on that coffin and write in big letters—there's something wrong with this coffin.

Okay, Xu Ming also knew that if a coffin, such an unlucky thing, appeared in a haunted place, there was 99.99% chance that the coffin was problematic.

After a quick wash in the bathroom, Xu Ming packed his things, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and prepared to go home for a good day of rest and recuperation.

Although he accepted the mission, Xu Ming did not plan to complete it today.

After staying up all night, Xu Ming desperately needed a bed to rest, otherwise he would really die from exhaustion.

Xu Ming, carrying his bag, went down to the first floor and was walking towards the main entrance when he suddenly heard someone calling him from the side.

"Hey, kid."

Xu Ming turned his head and saw that Granny Wenxu was sitting on a chair in the side hall, waving at him.

Xu Ming walked over with some confusion and greeted them.

Good morning.

"Good morning, you're lucky today, kid. You didn't have breakfast, did you? Sit down and eat with us."

"Grandma Wenxu said."

Chapter Twenty-One: I Got a Free Breakfast

"No, I'll go back..."

Glug~~!

Xu Ming instinctively wanted to refuse, but his stomach protested first.

Having not slept all night and being in a state of high tension for a long time, and only eating emergency food such as biscuits, how could I not be hungry?

Xu Ming couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Grandma Wenxu showed no sign of anything amiss, but simply pointed to the seat opposite her.

"Ahem! Then I'll take my leave of you."

Xu Ming didn't want to stay and freeload, but once his stomach started protesting, it became increasingly uncontrollable.

Hunger surged up in waves like a tide.

The thought of having to walk for one or two hours along a mountain path to reach the gate of Far Moon made Xu Ming afraid that he would faint from hunger halfway there.

There are hardly any living people left in this vast far moon. If you faint in a place like this, you might as well just wait to become a Buddha on the spot.

In reality, he wouldn't get a chance to reload his save file and start over.

Faced with the choice between his life and his reputation, Xu Ming decisively chose his life.

What puzzled Xu Ming was that he had been sitting in his seat for quite a while, and Grandma Wenxu showed no intention of getting up to make breakfast.

'You're not planning to wait for me to do it, are you...?'

The thought had just crossed Xu Ming's mind.

A disheveled figure carrying a large bowl walked out of the kitchen; it was none other than Tadokoro Megumi.

Megumi Tadokoro still held the doll that looked exactly like Soma Yukihira tightly in her arms.

After placing the bowl on the table, she began eating the ramen from the bowl with one hand.

While eating, she was whispering something to the doll.

Having already learned the origin of the doll, Xu Ming watched her every move with a complicated expression.

This scene was both chilling and tender.

"Alright, kid. If you want some, go get it yourself from the kitchen."

The voice of Granny Wenxu came from the side.

Xu Ming turned his head and saw that Grandma Wenxu was also carrying a bowl as she came out of the kitchen.

Xu Ming quickly followed suit and ran into the kitchen next door.

Sure enough, there was a soup pot on a stove in the kitchen, filled with a lot of milky white soup, and next to it was a large pot containing cooked ramen.

Xu Ming ladled out a large bowl of ramen and brought it to the dining table.

At this point, Grandma Wenxu had already begun to enjoy her meal.

Xu Mingxian picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and took a sip.

A pleasant fragrance wafted over.

Rich yet not cloying, refreshing and pleasant, like a gentle morning breeze on your face.

Xu Ming immediately felt as if the fatigue from staying up all night had been swept away, and his tired body was completely awakened.

The broth for this ramen is actually made with soy milk and vegetables!

It's amazing!

Xu Ming then ate a piece of fried lotus root, burdock, and bamboo shoot.

After being deep-fried, the fresh aroma of the vegetables is locked inside the crispy outer layer, while the soy milk removes the greasiness of the deep-frying.

In no time at all, the bowl of noodles was gone from Xu Ming's stomach.

When Xu Ming put down his chopsticks, only he and Granny Wenxu were left at the table; Tadokoro Megumi had long since disappeared.