Chapter 45: Have You Become Beautiful Today?

The happier and more joyful the young couple smiled, the less Chen Shijin and Lv Jun and the others could.

This kind of aesthetic can't just be called distorted; it's outright a hellish form of torture.

Yet, the people here consider this torture as beauty, treating it as a reward given to everyone.

"Dear guests who are not yet beautiful enough, you have now observed our beauty slimming project. Would you like to give it a try?"

The tailcoat beautician was exceedingly cheerful: "Rest assured, our Royal Dream Beauty Salon is committed to the most perfect service. All our services are free of charge. You can become beautiful without any stress or debt."

Chen Shijin raised an eyebrow.

Lv Jun murmured behind him: "Yeah, it doesn't cost money, but who knows how much those fats and flesh they take away are worth?"

Chen Shijin rolled his eyes and kicked him to shut up, but the tailcoat beautician had already narrowed his eyes, focusing on the murmuring Lv Jun.

"Indeed, those fats and flesh do have some uses. However, we're not running a charity here, there ought to be some profit, right?"

"So, would you like a beauty treatment? Being overweight here makes it hard to get around."

Chen Shijin straightforwardly shook his head: "Not for now, we'd like to check out other shops. After all, it's wise to compare options."

The tailcoat beautician was not upset at all, instead, he nodded in agreement: "Absolutely, it's good to compare. After seeing others, you'll realize our Royal Dream Beauty Salon is the best."

"Then, I'll be waiting for your next visit."

He bowed slightly, very politely, and Chen Shijin and his group quickly left the dentist-ache-inducing beauty salon.

Unfortunately for the exiles, the other beauty salons they queued up to visit were just as the tailcoat beautician said, each worse than the last.

It wasn't that the salons' decor and service were much worse, but the beauty equipment used was even more brutally cruel.

They even saw a beauty salon called "Goddess" where the method of weight loss was to directly cut open the skin on limbs and belly, and remove entire chunks of flesh.

The syringes used for liposuction were replaced with sharp surgical knives, and the skinned flesh cut off was stacked on metal trays, reminding Chen Shijin of fresh pork, beef, and lamb meat displayed on supermarket shelves.

All similarly fresh red and even pulsating.

"Oh dear, please don't make such a face. Though this method of weight loss is more painful and stressful than liposuction, it can earn you extra energy points!"

"Earning a bit of extra income while becoming beautiful, isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Chen Shijin politely declined and quickly retreated.

By this time, it was already past 4 PM.

Following the time pattern of previous devouring worlds, darkness would fall by 6 PM.

At that time, they would need to return to their own houses in the residential area to spend a safe night.

However, more unbearable than the need for sleep was the scorching hunger from nearly a day without food.

And—

The increasingly blatant and disgusted looks from the citizens around them.

In just a day's time, most of the normally proportioned citizens of the Beautiful City had become noticeably thinner. Some citizens had even opted for a drastic transformation at the beauty salons, turning from normal appearances to skeletal figures.

Thus, these thinned-down citizens looked at Chen Shijin and his group, who had not lost weight, with increasing intolerance and viewed them as outcasts.

In the morning, walking around hadn't been a problem, but as dusk approached, they encountered disdainful looks and eye rolls from passersby.

Lv Jun was almost at his breaking point: "Oh my God! Brother, did you see the way they looked at us?! Ah! What kind of look is that, as if they're seeing trash or monsters?!

Even though they themselves look like skeletal frames, they find us, the normal ones, repulsive! Oh heavens, oh heavens, I can't take this anymore! When have I ever been looked at with such eyes?!

I'm just a pretty boy, but I'm not ugly at all!!"

"Of course, brother, you are even more handsome, intelligent, and heroic!"

"But I have a bad feeling, if this continues, these citizens might actually,"

Before Lv Jun could finish his sentence, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

It seemed a group was encircled by another group, the people inside trying to escape but were blocked by citizens pointing and gossiping.

Chen Shijin and his group quickly approached and soon caught snippets of their argument.

"Oh my goodness! Young man, how can you still have the face to walk around in public? Look at yourself, all bloated and fat, aren't you ashamed?"

"Exactly, walking around in public, you're simply a blight on the city's beauty, literally hurting all of our eyes! How can our beautiful city tolerate a fatty like you?"

"You really are, you really are, you're just so ugly!"

When one of the citizens finally pointed and uttered those words, the expressions of the other citizens surrounding the group of exiles changed instantly, as if a line of tolerance had been crossed.

Thus, the chubby exile, pointed at by a thousand fingers, received countless malices and judgments at that moment.

"You're so ugly! How dare you come out and frighten people?"

"I've never seen anyone as fat as you! So ugly, what's the point of you living? You're just wasting air by existing!"

"Being so fat, you must have no control over your body, right? Fat means dumb! Fat means no self-control! Fat means failure! Fat means ugly!!"

"Ugly freak!"

"Ugly thing!"

"Ugly fatty!"

…

"So ugly, why don't you just die?!"

Amidst the shrill cries of a skeletal female citizen, the surrounded chubby exile suddenly covered his head and started wailing in pain.

It was as if he had been brainwashed, beginning to punch and bite into his own fat, yelling as he did, "Why am I so ugly? Why am I so fat? How can I have the face to live in this world looking like this?!

I deserve to die, I deserve to die, I deserve to die!

I deserve to die, I deserve to die, I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"

His roars were accompanied by the cries of another female exile beside him: "Ah Pang, Ah Pang, don't be like this! Snap out of it! Don't hurt yourself like this,"

Her words were cut short as the chubby young man suddenly turned his head with a ferocious expression: "See, even when you call me, you call me Ah Pang, not by my name."

That was the last thing he said.

After these words, he tore open his rounded belly, spilling his intestines and blood all over the ground, and collapsed, not getting up again.

"...Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

His female teammate first covered her mouth, but eventually couldn't hold back a painful scream.

However, unlike the female exile's screams, the citizens of the City of Beauty, who had been frowning in anger and full of rage and blame, now all showed satisfied smiles at this moment.

"Ah, the eyesore is gone. The Beautiful City has become more beautiful."

"Very good, very good. Without the ugliness, I feel much better."

As they spoke, they slowly dispersed, but some of the skeletal citizens didn't go far, their eyes still roving over the slightly overweight exiles.

Clearly, they were waiting for the next target of public condemnation.

After the crowd dispersed, Chen Jin recognized the encircled group of seven as the Natural Group of elemental exiles, including Zhao Xiaofeng among them.

Zhao Xiaofeng, upon seeing Lu Jun and Zhou Mo, couldn't hide the joy on her face. She quickly approached them. Her gaze shifted upon seeing Zhao Yujun's six people, but after spotting Chen Jin, she paused, her expression changing again.

Eventually, her face showed joy and relief.

It was obvious she had realized something.

"Xiaofeng! What happened? How did you guys suddenly get surrounded?"

Lu Jun asked directly without beating around the bush.

Zhao Xiaofeng glanced at Chen Jin before seriously responding, "Actually, we're not quite sure why this happened."

"As we arrived here, we were suddenly surrounded, and the citizens started accusing Liu Bo."

"We were completely unprepared because, though the citizens had been giving us dissatisfied looks during the morning and noon, there had been no direct confrontations."

"It just happened all of a sudden."

Chen Jin lowered his gaze.

It's about time.

Another voice echoed, "It's about time."

"As time passes, the citizens' demands from us become more stringent. Or rather, their standards for beauty escalate.

If we don't meet the beauty standards acknowledged by the citizens today, we might all be surrounded and pointed at, being called ugly before dusk."

Chen Jin looked up to see another group approaching, faces familiar.

Yet, none of the exiles here wished to encounter her.

It was the pale-faced Bai Ling from the Mutual Aid Society, supported by others.

Chen Jin gave her a cool glance, while Lu Jun sarcastically commented, "Wow, wow, wow, so the white lotus here hasn’t died yet?

"Indeed, as the saying goes, a scourge lives for a thousand years. Tsk tsk!"

Bai Ling couldn’t care less about this green tea who joined the Mutual Aid Society only to constantly spout cynical remarks. She just focused on Chen Jin, "At times like these, we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. It’s just a waste of energy."

"We can settle our scores once we get out."

"Moreover, I have a way to get us out of our current predicament," Bai Ling said, as a girl with an innocent look stepped forward.

"Aruan’s ability is [Visual Deception]. She can disguise anyone she chooses, making the citizens see us as skin and bones."

Bai Ling’s words shifted the expressions of those around; this ability seemed quite remarkable, potentially solving the dilemma posed by the City of Beauty.

However, having been betrayed by the Mutual Aid Society once, the cautious exiles, led by Zhao Xiaofeng, immediately asked, "Is the disguise permanent? How often must it be reapplied? Whose energy does it consume? Moreover, how many people can she disguise, and are there any conditions?"

Bai Ling smiled appreciatively at Zhao Xiaofeng but turned to look at Chen Jin, "Aruan’s ability is only at level three, which allows her to disguise up to eighteen people for thirty minutes."

"But you’re looking to protect more than just eighteen people, right? Xiong Zhuang’s Thundering Squad, for instance, almost all of them are tall and robust."

Chen Jin regarded the woman who was as pure as a white lotus, "So?"

Bai Ling coughed painfully but managed a smile, "Mouth Brother’s ability is widely acknowledged as strong."

"What if we upgrade Aruan to level four? Once she reaches the hunter level, she can disguise a hundred people, each for fifteen minutes."

"And those fifteen minutes should be enough for everyone to safely return to their own district housing."

"Also, my body is quite weak at the moment, but I believe I still possess some wisdom and capabilities. In such a perilous world ruled by a tyrant, I kindly ask Mouth Brother to restore my health, so we can cooperate better and survive, right?"

Consequently, all eyes turned towards Chen Jin.

Although they didn't verbalize it, the citizens of the City of Beauty had already proven that looks could indeed convey everything.

Upon seeing those looks, Lv Jun was about to burst into curses right then and there. Morally blackmailing him, a master of playing the green tea role?! Have they no shame at all?!

At this moment, from a distance, came Xiong Ge and others’ voices: “What’s wrong with these people? Why do they keep blocking my way and won’t let me pass?”

It seemed like the only option left was to comply with Bai Ling's request.

But then, Chen Jin suddenly burst into laughter, his smile carrying traces of chill, mockery, and disdain.

He spoke up:

“You really have a thick face.”

Bai Ling: ?!

Before she could react, she suddenly heard exclamations from the people around her: “Bai Ling, your face! Your face!”

Disbelievingly, Bai Ling reached out to touch her face and screamed on the spot.

“What’s wrong with my face?! What did you do to me!!”

Lv Jun laughed uproariously: “Gaga! My brother said you have a thick face, and there you have it, a thick face indeed! Hahaha, oh my, your face is so round and big now, haha, damn?"

"Cousin, remember the fifth-grade bully whose face swelled up like a basin the next day at school? Was that your doing?!”

He had always wondered why, after that incident, no matter how much he tempted the bully, he never bothered his cousin again.

Chen Jin glanced down at him from his elevated position.

Lv Jun: “……” Alright, he once again realized how close he had been to having his face swell up like a basin.

Meanwhile, Bai Ling's companion, A Ruan, was fuming: “How can you be like this?! Don’t you want the comrades you specially came to rescue to survive here?! Restore Bai Ling to her original state now, or I won't help you!”

Chen Jin scoffed.

"Who said I wanted your help? Eighteen people for thirty minutes, that’s barely enough to whet my appetite.”

Then, Chen Jin waved over to Xiong Ge and his group coming from afar: “Xiong Ge, come here, I'll help you lose weight manually.”

Being already circled by the citizens with an increasingly hostile intent, Xiong Zhuang, seeing a stranger waving at him but standing next to Lv Jun, Zhou Mo, and Xiao Feng, didn’t think twice before sprinting over, while cautioning, “These citizens have gone mad! Think of something fast or scatter!”

When Xiong Ge reached Chen Jin, those skeletal citizens of the City of Beauty once again slowly gathered around.

This time, they encircled all the dozens of people standing in that spot.

Looking like ghouls with gleaming eyes full of malicious anticipation, they seemed to be waiting to devour these ugly, despicable beings that didn’t meet their aesthetic standards!

“You big oaf, all brawn and no brains, huh?!”

“Look at you, so bulky and fat without a hint of beauty, how can you even dare to walk the streets?”

“Oh my, your arms are almost thicker than my thighs, for heaven's sake, isn’t that shameful? Why don’t you lose some weight?!”

"You walking makes the earth tremble, it's just too embarrassing, too embarrassing, too ch—"

Just as the skeletal man was about to utter that word with gleaming eyes, Chen Jindan abruptly grabbed Bear Brother, who was full of vigilance, cutting him off:

"Lose five pounds." N-20+50

Bear Brother was puzzled: "Huh?"

Then, to his surprise, he felt a bit lighter!

Meanwhile, the words of the citizen about to insult Bear Brother for his ugliness got stuck in his throat. After a few seconds, there was a sudden turn: "Ugly, why do you suddenly look a bit more pleasing to the eye?"

Other citizens also changed their expressions at this moment:

"Wow, young man, you look quite sturdy, losing five pounds still isn't enough, huh? You should continue to lose weight tomorrow!"

"Health is important, but beauty is even more so! Young man, keep up the diet tomorrow!"

Bear Brother, witnessing their quick change of face akin to flipping a book, wore an indescribable expression.

Yet, at this moment, he also recognized the young man in front of him, whose appearance was unfamiliar yet pleasing to the eye.

Enthusiastically, Bear Brother laughed out loud, giving Chen Jindan a bear hug: "Jindan! Brother owes you another life!"

"Your one sentence diet is even more effective than those machines, wow!"

Chen Jindan laughed, then his smile faded.

"This method only works for the first two or three days. As time goes on and more weight needs to be lost, the body won't be able to handle it."

But getting through today was still pretty easy.

So, from the start, Chen Jin had no intention of dealing with Bai Ling and her group.

At this moment, the citizens, failing to condemn Xiong Ge, turned their attention to another towering member of the Thunderclap Squad.

Instantly, the man felt the hairs on his back stand up and hurriedly stepped forward to Chen Jin with a desperate plea: "Jin Ge! Save me!"

Hearing that, Chen Jin felt a headache coming on but steadied the man, touching his hand with a slimming decree:

"Lose five pounds." N-20+50

The giant instantly felt the scrutinizing gazes lighten and grinned, "Jin Ge, trim off another five pounds for me! I reckon my figure's still not quite safe; dropping ten pounds sounds more prudent."

Thus, under the watchful eyes of the townspeople, Chen Jin commenced a foolproof small business of manual slimming—

Each reduction not only shed weight but also netted him thirty energy points; after all, every little bit counts!

While Chen Jin was busy with the manual slimming of his companions, the Thunderclap Squad's member, now ten pounds lighter, started inhaling and exhaling deeply by his side. After a series of ten breaths, he let out a thunderous roar that echoed in the skies.

[All exiles of the Beautiful City, hurry to the west side of the square for painless, side-effect-free slimming—]

This announcement resonated clearly in the ears of all exiles within the Beautiful City.

Ability: [Thunderclap at Ear]

Although somewhat noisy, it proved effective.

Chen Jin touched his ear, pondering that communication here indeed relied on shouting.

Hence, as the exiles drawn by the thunderclap one by one reached the west side of the beautiful square, they were met with the sight of a solemn-faced youth seated on a luxurious chair, shaking hands with each exile who queued before him.

It resembled a scene of bestowing blessings.

The exiles: ????

To their astonishment, they discovered that every exile whose hand was shaken by the youth seated in the chair visibly slimmed down!

"Holy smokes, haha, is this a reincarnated living Buddha?!" Seal Heaven Fire burst out laughing, voicing what everyone was thinking.

Then, everyone dutifully lined up to wait for their turn to slim down.

Isn't this way better than those deadly beauty salons?!

The tailcoat-clad beautician standing at the entrance of the nearby beauty salon remarked,

"I thought you were just shopping around, but it turns out you were stealthily snatching business?"

While the exiles queued obediently at Chen Jin's side, the expressions of those with the Mutual Aid Society, led by Bai Ling, turned sour.

Zhao Yujun was caught in a fierce internal struggle, debating whether to align with Chen Jin or stay with Bai Ling.

As he hesitated, Bai Ling, still sporting a face as round as a basin, coldly stated, "He might manage to slim people down today and tomorrow, but can he keep doing it on the fifth or sixth day?"

"By then, I fear everyone will be reduced to skin and bones!"

"Ah Ruan, your ability seems safer by comparison. We don't need to beg for his assistance. Reduce the duration to fifteen minutes and provide everyone with a disguise."

Ah Ruan nodded, biting her lip.

She had thought she could leech a level up and have these people groveling at her feet, only for Chen Jin to ruin her plans.

Yet, his verbal slimming method was not a permanent solution; after a few days, these people would come begging to her! By then, she wouldn't be satisfied with just one level up.

Thus, Ah Ruan began to apply disguises to the members of the Mutual Aid Society, and by the time Chen Jin had finished slimming down the hundred-plus exiles, the society members had all been disguised.

At first glance, Lv Jun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "These people suddenly look like skeletons, huh?"

Hearing his words, Ah Ruan's lips curled in a smug smile, "My ability is unlike any of yours."

"A perfect disguise in one go is all it takes."

She did this deliberately, to show off her strength to Chen Jin.

As dusk fell, it was time to return to the residential area.

The townsfolk surrounding the exiles, seeing them slim down and beautify, lost their interest in staying and turned to head home with normal expressions.

However, they looked at the Mutual Aid Society's forty-two skeletons with admiration in their eyes.

"Wow, so beautiful! Truly lovely!"

"Look at how thin they are, barely any flesh on their bones, but oh so beautiful!"

"This frail appearance is the peak of beauty, people should look like skeletons to be truly beautiful!"

The forty-two members of the Mutual Aid Society wore proud expressions, but then one of them accidentally bumped into a townsfolk praising them.

The townsfolk, initially apologetic with a "Sorry, beautiful," suddenly turned fierce.

Grabbing the exile, he demanded, "Why are you so heavy?! Why do your arms have so much flesh?!"

"You're deceiving us! You possess false beauty — deceiving us all—"

In that instant, Chen Jin saw all the townsfolk around the square suddenly turn, glaring at the captured exile with eyes full of hatred and loathing.

Everyone gasped in shock.