Chapter 3 Bounty Quests

  "Uh..."

  Xie Pu's mouth slightly opened, paused for a few seconds, and then adjusted into a smooth smile: "Ah, I've said too much... But what's so strange about that? I'm the owner of this tavern, after all. Naturally, I've seen more things than ordinary people. Why, I've even seen three-eyed crows, two-headed giants, and women with only one..."

  "......" Lei Ga was clearly dissatisfied with the other party's answer, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  Xie Pu slowly turned around, holding a steaming hot iron pot with both hands: "The meat soup is done, if you want it reheated after it's cooled down, there will be an extra charge."

  Lei Ga's lips moved slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, he finally took the iron pot and sat back down at the wine table.

  Xie Pu smiled and sat down opposite Le Ga: "Why so tense? Foolish kid, since you dare to walk around with the Cang Hu sword, you should have been prepared to expose it sooner or later."

  Lei Ga didn't even bother to respond, grabbing the spoon and shoveling it into his mouth. The first sip of hot broth made his tongue tense up, his throat felt like a piece of charcoal had been stuffed in, but he still managed to swallow it down. His hand holding the spoon trembled slightly, half from the scalding heat, half from finally getting something to eat.

  "Slow down, you fool."

  Sheppard said, "I don't want to tell stories in the future and say that I've seen a three-eyed crow, a two-headed giant, a ** woman, and a fool who choked to death on meat soup."

  Lei Ga let out a laugh, shook his head, and finally slowed down his movements, using the spoon to gently stir the steaming hot stewed meat. The iron pot emitted the aroma of meat, pepper, and cardamom, as well as something else that Lei Ga couldn't quite put his finger on. Anyway, as long as there was meat, it was enough; although the iron pot wasn't large, it was sufficient to fill his hungry stomach.

  "Now that I've let the cat out of the bag, might as well talk more about this sword."

  Xie Pu asked with a curious expression: "How did you get it?"

  "It was picked up." Lei Ga said lightly.

  "Picked up?"

  Xie Pu was taken aback, and couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh loudly. The few wrinkles on his face also disappeared: "You interesting little kid, I thought you'd come up with some unreliable story to cover it up! I even prepared myself to mock you, but didn't expect that you little kid wouldn't even bother to make up a story... Are you taking me for a fool?"

  "Yes." Lega nodded seriously while eating.

  "You actually admitted it..."

  Xie Pu couldn't help but laugh and cry: "You little brat, among the ten levels of equipment in the Four Kings Continent, only equipment with enchantments above level 5 can have a name. And this Azure Swan Sword is absolutely the king of swords, a legend among legends! Whoever wants to own this sword must also be a legend. What makes you think you're qualified, you little kid who hasn't even grown all his hair yet?" He ended with a cold laugh.

  "Is it legendary..."

  Lei Ga buried his head, blew a mouthful of meat soup, and a wave of hot air rose to cover his face.

  The true master of the Azure Dragon Sword was an old man named "Azure Dragon" who had taken care of Leiga since he was a baby. He wasn't Leiga's father and didn't want to teach him how to cultivate his Chi, nor would he even tell Leiga his real name, so Leiga could only call him Azure Dragon. In Leiga's impression, Azure Dragon wasn't anything legendary. Leiga had followed him wandering around since childhood, suffering from cold shoulders and hardships until the day he died, Leiga never saw him draw out this sword. Even when Azure Dragon was beaten to the ground by a group of thugs who urinated on his face, he didn't pull out his sword to counterattack.

  But every time Laga wanted to touch this sword, Cangyu would stop him: "Laga, you are not old enough to play with swords."

  "You're still too young to play with swords!"

  The same words came out of Shep's mouth, and he revealed a seemingly sinister cold smile: "Although as a fourth-stage fighter, you can rely on the sharpness of your weapon to surpass the fifth-stage fighter Dek, but without legendary strength, you absolutely can't keep it!" He exposed Rega's true strength in one sentence.

  "I will be." Rega said coldly. A fourth-stage warrior, only slightly stronger than the vast majority of ordinary mercenaries. However, it was also at this level that Rega had honed his aura through his own efforts.

  “……”

  Leiga's joke was funnier than "picking up a legendary sword", but Shepu tried several times and couldn't laugh out loud. He had to put on a serious face: "Don't you understand? The robbers of Crow Ridge may not be strong, but they have eyesight. Even if they can't tell that your sword is a legendary sword called Cangyu, at least they can judge that your sword is above the enchanted level. I don't know how you got through before, but from now on, the news that you own a good weapon will definitely be leaked out, and in the future, the enemies who find you will absolutely not be able to deal with just relying on the sword in your hand!"

  Lei Ga surprisingly did not refute.

  "So, you dumb kid, it's not certain if you can see tomorrow's sun or not! You'd better drink up the meat soup and leave this place quickly. Also, I advise you not to use that sword, the legendary Azure Swan Sword is forged from hellfire, a demonic object will surely bring misfortune to humans. It's best for you to go to the main city and find a reputable auction house to sell it off, then buy a few acres of land, plant some wheat, raise some pigs and sheep, and marry a decent girl... Oh, may holy light bless her to still be a virgin on your wedding night..."

  "No." Rega replied softly.

  Xie Pu's eyes widened: "Don't want to marry a virgin? Are you kidding me, you little rascal likes married women and young mothers? Tsk tsk... I really didn't see that coming..."

  "I won't sell this sword."

  "Unless I'm dead."

  "Listen up, kid!"

  "As a businessman, I've never interfered with things outside the tavern. But let me stress again, you haven't even mastered basic swordsmanship, yet you're carrying around a legendary weapon, it's like a naked girl walking down a street full of thugs, do you understand what I mean?"

  "Ah, I see."

  Lei nodded: "I will hide the Cang Hui sword well. If anyone dares to have evil intentions towards it, I will not show mercy."

  Xie Pu stroked his chin whiskers, let out a sigh: "Alright alright, don't blame me for not warning you before you die. Now, it's time to talk about your mission reward. You killed people in my tavern, damaged my tables and chairs, dirtied my floor, scared away my customers, and those bastards' unpaid bar tabs are also on your head! And and..."

  "A bottle of coagulant, a bottle of restorative potion, a bottle of antidote, and the meat soup you're currently drinking... including the firewood used to cook the soup..."

  "Just tell me how much of the task reward is left," Rega said.

  "Two silver coins."

  Xie Pu raised an eyebrow and emphasized with a thick face: "I said, I am a businessman."

  "There is still some left."

  Lui was somewhat surprised: "It's really beyond expectation."

  “……”

  Xie Pu didn't expect Le Ga to react this way, and he couldn't help but feel a bit disheartened: "Hmph, forget it, two silver coins are even a waste on you. If you don't leave now, you'll definitely be killed by the bandits who will be driven back!" He stood up and tossed down two clinking coins.

  Leiga didn't take back the silver coins: "I still want tomorrow's food, even if it's just dry rations."

  Xie Pu said coldly: "One and a half."

  Lei Ga pushed two silver coins over.

  "I don't have copper coins to give you."

  "Lend me an iron shovel then."

  "What's wrong?"

  "I want to bury the girl under the tree outside the door." Rega said calmly.

  Xie Pu hesitated: "Young man, Wuya Ridge has never had the habit of burying corpses. The frozen soil here is very hard, and you don't have much time left..."

  "It doesn't matter." Laga picked up the meat soup again and drank down the last drop.

  Xie Pu narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said nothing, turning around to walk into the room behind the bar...

  In the late afternoon, a light rain started at Wuya Ridge. The cold wind wrapped around the fine rain, whipping against the wooden sign of the Violent Crow Tavern, making a creaking sound.

  Outside the tavern, Rega dug a shallow grave and buried the girl's body under an old oak tree. His two arms were sore from wielding the iron shovel, and the warmth he had gained from eating the meat soup was almost gone - there was one thing Shep said that was right, the frozen soil of Raven's Ridge was very hard.

  The entire burial process was eerily calm, and the owner of the Black Raven Tavern, Shep, stood behind the bar, wiping a glass with his hand, while intentionally or unintentionally staring at Rega's every move. When Rega turned around, Shep quickly shifted his gaze to somewhere meaningless.

  Lega shook off the rain from his cloak and returned to the tavern. Compared to when he first entered, there was an additional small package under his cloak given by Shep, containing food bought with his last few silver coins: a hard black bread like stone, and a thin roasted garlic sausage like a finger.

  "You should leave, we've settled everything between us. I'm a businessman, and you're penniless." Xie Pu skillfully rotated the wine cup, re-wiping the already spotless cup once again.

  "I know." Lui nodded, but after nodding, he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he walked slowly to the wall by the bar with task reward notices and stopped to take a look.

  "Listen, kid, do you understand what I mean?"

  Xie Pu stopped what he was doing and said irritably, "If you don't understand, then don't nod!"

  "I'll take the mission." Lelouch said, pointing at the emblem on the wall.

  "Are you trying to waste my bread and sausage and now you want to waste my wanted poster?"

  "Bread and sausage I will eat away, tasks I will also complete." Rega's voice had a subtle confidence.

  "You naive little kid!" Xie Pu paused for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Forget it, why am I being stingy with just one wanted poster? You can choose whatever you want, and after that, hurry up and leave. I don't ever want to see you again. If you dare to return to the Violent Crow Tavern to hand in your task, I guarantee I won't even give you a single copper coin."

  Leiga ignored Shep's bad attitude and raised his hand to point at the latest wanted poster on the wall, "I'll take this task."

  "Take it." Xie Pu quickly tore off the wanted poster and threw it to Le Ga, "The village chief of Fenglin Village needs help. Their village was attacked by barbaric beasts. This task is to help them eliminate the barbaric beasts. The reward is sixty silver coins. After leaving Wuya Ridge, head north, cross the wooden bridge, and walk for a while. You will see Fenglin Village. That's all the mission introduction. Now, hurry up and disappear from my sight!"

  Lei Ga quietly accepted the wanted poster and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he stopped and said without looking back: "Thank you, boss."

  Xie Pu pursed his lips tightly, responding to Le Ga with silence. It wasn't until Le Ga's figure became a small black dot in his field of vision that he let out a deep sigh. "This kid is somewhat pitiful... won't live for much longer..."