Chapter 27: Expensive Breakfast

  Remember in one second

  After listening to Xie Pu's story about Chun Yu Fu Ren, Lei Jia couldn't help but recall his offense towards her in the carriage and felt ashamed, lowering his head.

  The palm that had been pressed against Chunyu's chest was scorching hot with pain, and Lei Ga gently spread it open to find that the mark left by the Cang Lü sword had already taken shape, forming a clear Cang Lü emblem in the center of his palm.

  Xie Pu leaned over and said, "There's a kind of potion that can wash away scars."

  "It doesn't matter."

  Lei Ga lightly shook his head, "Like this... it's good, can urge me to constantly become stronger."

  "Alright then."

  Sherlock yawned, "That's it for today's lesson. You can't digest too much at once."

  He stood up, quickly and skillfully clearing the remaining dishes on the table, while saying to Lei Ga: "Drink all the wine, then go to bed and sleep. Tomorrow you still have to get up early to help me clean the tavern. You will be the only partner of Bao Ya Tavern since its opening, I look forward to your performance."

  As he spoke, a sly smile played on his lips.

  Lei Ga shook the wine bottle, and drank the remaining deer whip wine in one gulp. The last dregs were full of essence, more intense than any previous mouthful, choking him into another fit of coughing, each cough causing his ribs to ache as if they were being torn apart from his body. But when the coughing stopped, his whole body felt a numbing comfort.

  "Boss, you won't give me this wine to drink again tomorrow, will you?"

  Lei Ga's worried expression asked. Luo Bian wine can indeed treat injuries, but...

  "Don't worry, I said tomorrow we'll rebuild your diet, you certainly can't drink deer whip wine anymore." Shepu solemnly guaranteed.

  "That's good."

  Lei Ga slowly got up and just reached the bedside when he heard Xie Pu say behind him: "Tomorrow is Hu Ben wine, hehe."

  "Boss, you..."

  When he turned back, Shep was nowhere to be seen, and the crow was secretly pecking at the crumbs on the table, revealing its naughty nature.

  "Wow!"

  Found by Lei Ga, the crow hastily raised its head and chest, proudly looked at him with a white eye, and flew out with a twisted butt.

  Lei Ga couldn't help but chuckle and gently lay down on the bed board.

  Today's events were too many, almost died at the hands of witch A Xing, then rescued by Spring Rain Lady, and was robbed of the Cang Yue sword by evil servant Dou Dun - he thought he would surely die...

  He really died. But Chepu brought him back to life again.

  Since he has been reborn, then he has no reason not to live a good life, work hard to improve his strength, and quickly reclaim the Cang Yue Sword.

  This goal will definitely be achieved...

  Lei Ga slowly closed his eyes and soon fell asleep under the influence of alcohol and the warmth of the fire.

  An hour later, the attic door opened silently and Shep slipped in from the shadows, tiptoeing to Rega's bedside.

  He leaned forward, gazing at the sleeping Lega, observing the color of his cheeks, and then extremely gently probed his forehead, wrists, and the slight depression above his heart on his throat.

  "That guy called Cang Yue..."

  Xie Pu sighed softly, "Why did you seal your Qi's upper limit? If it wasn't sealed, shouldn't you have already broken through and advanced to become a Hero?"

  Lei Ga's chest rose and fell silently with each breath, the only sound in the entire room was the slow and steady breathing.

  Xie Pu gently covered Bei Jia Lei with the quilt again and stood by the bed for a while before quietly exiting the attic room.

  Back in the tavern downstairs, Xie Pu found paper and pen, spread it out on the bar, but hesitated to start writing. He furrowed his brow, with both hands propping up his chin, standing still like a stone statue.

  A crow flew over and leaned on his shoulder to take a nap, and soon fell fast asleep.

  A few hours later, the clouds in the east shot out the first ray of sunlight. Xie Pu finally made up his mind and quickly wrote a line on the white paper, signed his name, rolled it into a paper tube, and tied it to the crow's leg with a thin rope.

  "Ua, deliver this letter to the alchemist in Dusk Village."

  "Wow!"

  The crow quickly came to, flapped its wings and flew out of the Raven's Tavern.

  "Everything is at stake now... I hope this decision isn't wrong..."

  Xie Pu let out a long sigh, rubbed his sore temples, and stepped up onto the attic.

  Lei Ga was sleeping soundly when the quilt on his body was suddenly lifted up.

  "Get up! Lazybones!"

  "Get to work!" Shepu bellowed at him.

  Lei Ga rubbed his sleepy eyes and got up from bed.

  Xie Pu threw a black garment over his face and shouted loudly: "Put on your clothes, go to the tavern and wipe the tables and chairs one hundred times, the wine cups one hundred times! All of them!"

  "Yes, boss."

  Lei didn't feel any sadness at all, on the contrary, he had already gotten used to Xie Pu's cold outside and warm inside attitude. He quickly put on his clothes and got down from the bed. The wound from yesterday still hurt, and the fracture of his ribs hadn't fully healed yet, but after being nourished by the medicinal wine and having a good rest, he was able to move around freely again.

  "After you've done all this, will you start training me?"

  "Training?"

  Xie Pu cruelly and savagely smiled, "Wait until you can complete the task I give you within half a day before talking!"

  Within half a day, wiping the tables and chairs one hundred times, and the wine glasses one hundred times, seemed like an unreasonable request, but Leiga felt that he could do it.

  "Alright then, boss."

  After finishing speaking, he picked up a rag at any time and walked downstairs.

  "Wait a minute!"

  Xie Pu called out to him from behind.

  "Anything else, boss?"

  "Remember, you're a partner, not the master. We run an inn and we must smile at our guests, especially the wealthy ones!"

  "Uh, I'll try my best."

  Xie Pu waved his hand and Lei Jia finally walked down the stairs with clumsy steps.

  The tavern itself was already very clean, and even the bloodstains from the previous day when he had killed Dirk in the tavern had been washed away, leaving no sign that a murder had taken place here. As an assassin, Xie Pu had good tidying habits, and things that passed through his hands were almost always spotless and dust-free.

  Lei Ga was stunned for half a day and didn't know where to start.

  He walked to the table near the entrance and started wiping it randomly. Every time he lifted his hand, a sharp pain would come to his body, but Leiga gritted his teeth and didn't stop the movement in his hands for a moment.

  Xie Pu narrowed his eyes and leaned against the kitchen door frame, quietly watching Le Ga's performance.

  When the sun had fully risen, Lega had already wiped down all the tables and chairs in the tavern a hundred times. Chep suddenly beckoned to him, "Come have your breakfast first."

  Lei Ga's whole body was already drenched in sweat, and his muscles were stretched to the limit. Upon hearing Xie Pu's words, he couldn't help but slump down into a chair with a thud.

  "That's for rich guests!"

  "Remember who you are, pal!" Sheriff yelled at him.

  Lei Ga's body suddenly stood up like being electrocuted. "Sorry boss, I guarantee there won't be a next time."

  Xie Pu hummed and turned his head into the kitchen. "Come in and eat."

  Lei Ga lightly sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and dragged his tired body into the kitchen.

  The kitchen was steaming hot, with a large black iron pot the size of a bathtub sitting on the stove. The pot was bubbling away, filled to the brim with top-grade beef and all sorts of strange herbs.

  The aroma of meat and a sense of happiness arrived simultaneously. In the days of wandering, not to mention meat, even a warm breakfast was an extremely luxurious thing.

  Reiga's eyes were steaming hot and he almost shed tears. He hastily blinked his eyes, found a seat and sat down.

  Xie Pu ladled out a large basin of meat from the iron pot and placed it in front of Le Ga. "Eat it all up."

  Lei Ga was startled, thinking he had misheard, "Eat it all? This is a lot of meat!" If this dish were to be served to guests, considering Xie Pu's personality, they would at least charge thirty silver coins.

  "Don't be so shocked, it's just your breakfast."

  Xie Pu said lightly: "From now on, every meal of yours will be more abundant than this one."

  A single breakfast costs thirty silver coins, and three meals a day almost cost one gold coin! If he trains here for a month, it would cost thirty! Enough to buy the villages around Crow Ridge! And if it's a year of training...

  Lei Ga has lost count of how many villages he will devour in a year, his mouth agape as he stares at Xie Pu, staring at this city slicker who wouldn't let go of even a single copper coin's profit, staring at this forty-year-old man who loudly claims he can't afford to hire strippers, just like he was staring at a complete stranger.

  "Hurry up and eat, after finishing you still need to entertain the guests!"

  Xie Pu's vicious and evil appearance has not changed at all, but instead became even more so.

  "It's... boss."

  Apart from following Shep's orders, Rega really didn't know how to express his emotions. He lowered his head and stuffed a large piece of beef into his mouth, chewing vigorously.

  "Wow!"

  A raven flapped its wings and flew in through the kitchen window, landing on Shep's shoulder.

  "Good job..."

  Xie Pu saw that there was no reply on the crow's leg, and he couldn't help but furrow his brow, but soon relaxed. He turned around and scooped out the remaining meat from the pot and put it on the table.

  The crow also didn't stand on ceremony, jumping down from Shep's shoulder and landing on the table to eat with gusto.

  Xie Pu himself left a small piece and savored it slowly.

  Two people and a bird were quietly enjoying their food in the kitchen, no one spoke.

  Lei Ga didn't speak because he didn't know what to say, Xie Pu didn't speak because he hadn't received a response from the alchemist and was distracted, Crow didn't speak because...

  Because it is a bird, it can't speak.

  After finally finishing all the meat in the bowl, Leiga had already let out dozens of burps and his stomach was so full that he could hardly stand up.

  "Boss, I've eaten it all."

  Xie Pu looked at the empty basin and nodded in satisfaction. "Get to work."

  Lei Ga struggled to stand up, leaning on the back of the chair, and just as he reached the kitchen door, Xie Pu said coldly: "The tables and chairs you wiped today are not qualified, go and re-wipe them."

  Lei Ga's mouth twitched, but unexpectedly he didn't talk back. Having received so much kindness from Xie Pu, nothing could make him happier than being treated strictly.

  "Alright, boss."

  He replied happily.