Chapter 9: Sir, How Shall I Address You?

  Seeing that each one of them wanted a cup of ayran, Jin Kai’s smile widened even further. He immediately brought four more cups of ayran and placed them on the table. In total, there were six drinks, but that didn’t seem to concern him at all.

  He arranged the ayran one by one in front of them and extended his open palm slightly: "Here you are, enjoy your drink."

  The members of the Zou Gang shuddered at his casual demeanor. Just moments ago, this man had appeared with eyes as if they were filled with blood, and now he was serving drinks as if nothing had happened!

  Zou Shun cast a pained look at Jin Kai’s open palm—awaiting payment—and then exhaled as he paid 8 Qi Stones.

  Jin Kai looked at the 35 Qi Stones in his palm and smiled with delight. Today was a rather profitable day.

  On the other hand, the five members of the Zou Gang were almost on the verge of tears. As they looked at the bagel and ayran before them, the only thought that crossed their minds was, ("Fuck, the most humiliating day of my life!") But there was nothing they could do. The memory of that damned wooden puppet’s fingers, lashing like whips, still sent shivers down their spines. They would most likely never forget this moment for years to come.

  At the table, the five individuals sat quietly, hands in front of them and heads bowed in shame. But this did not concern Jin Kai in the slightest. He had returned to his usual place, ready to serve the incoming customers.

  Minutes passed.

  Zou Shun shook his head in shame and gave up.

  What was done was done; there was no remedy for the dead… It was futile to ponder further on the matter.

  Unable to resist the enticing aroma of the bagel before him any longer, he finally tore off a piece and put it into his mouth.

  "?! "

  A tremendous explosion of flavor occurred! Zou Shun’s eyes widened, his eyebrows shot up. As he continued to chew, he tilted his head and murmured: "Is... is this real?"

  The crispy crust, combined with its soft, tender interior, left an indescribable taste on his palate!

  Next to him, Zou Yan, upon witnessing his brother’s reaction, hesitantly tore off a piece and put it into his mouth.

  With his first chew, his expression changed. "You're kidding…" he muttered to himself.

  But no, this was no joke.

  Zou Ning had already reached for the bagel. Following him, Zou Yijun and Zou Jia, unable to wait any longer, grabbed their bagel as well.

  The five brothers, almost entranced around the table, ate in silence but with great appetite. Each bite was more delicious than the last!

  Suddenly...

  "?!!"

  Zou Jia suddenly froze, his eyes widening. Then he shouted in delight:

  "My broken hand… has healed!"

  "My wounds have healed too!"

  "Mine too!"

  "Mine too!"

  "Mine too!"

  The other members of the Zou Gang also shouted with the same astonishment and joy.

  Zou Yan, with great astonishment and the excitement of discovering a hidden treasure, shouted:

  "These bagels truly deserve their price!"

  Immediately after, his other brothers nodded in agreement.

  Meanwhile, Zou Yijun took the ayran bottle in his hand and began to inspect it. There was a note on the bottle:

  "Shake well before opening."

  With a confused look, he glanced at Jin Kai, about to ask when…

  He suddenly paused.

  His eyes widened, and his body trembled slightly.

  Because he recalled that dreadful expression on Jin Kai’s face!

  His whole body shuddered. "That expression will undoubtedly haunt my nightmares tonight…" he thought.

  Seeing Zou Yijun’s pitiable state, his brothers also exhaled and shook their heads. Then they, too, took the ayran bottles in their hands and noticed the writing on them.

  Without further questioning, Zou Ning shook the bottle vigorously.

  When he flipped the cap, a ‘p?ss’ sound was heard.

  The eyes of the other four brothers immediately turned to him.

  That sound had once again whetted their appetites!

  Zou Ning smiled gently at his brothers, then brought the bottle to his mouth and took a small sip.

  And at that moment…

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  His eyes widened once again!

  Immediately after, he took another large gulp!

  Seeing his reaction, the other members of the Zou Gang quickly shook their own ayran bottles.

  One ‘p?ss’ sound was heard from each, and all of them took a big gulp at the same time!

  What kind of flavor was this!

  What kind of refreshment!

  The five brothers, closing their eyes, took another sip each. They wished that this moment would last forever.

  With great delight, Zou Shun placed the bottle on the table, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and bit into the bagels. His eyes immediately fixed on the small package on the plate.

  He took the package in his hand and read the word written on it:

  "Salt."

  Seeing him examine the package, the other four brothers also noticed the salt packets and immediately picked them up with curiosity.

  Zou Jia mumbled in astonishment:

  "Why add salt? Does ayran taste better with salt?"

  This question made the others ponder as well.

  Zou Jia opened the salt packet and examined the tiny white crystals inside. He curiously touched one with the tip of his tongue. Instantly, his face puckered.

  "This really is salt. But wait... I've never tasted anything this delicious before! This must undoubtedly be the highest quality salt!"

  The other four members of the Zou Gang, intrigued by his words, tasted a bit of the salt. Simultaneously, their faces contorted.

  "This is truly the best salt I've ever eaten in my life!"

  Zou Jia poured some of the salt into his ayran and was about to drink it when…

  He suddenly stopped.

  "I almost forgot to shake the bottle!"

  He immediately closed the cap again and shook the bottle thoroughly. Once he was sure that the salt was completely mixed, he opened the bottle and took a sip.

  "?!"

  'DELICIOS!!'

  He cried out involuntarily.

  "Ayran must definitely be consumed salty!"

  Seeing his enchanted expression, the other members of the Zou Gang, without any hesitation, added some salt to their ayran and shook their bottles.

  The moment they took a big gulp…

  "DELICIOUS!"

  "Salt has tripled the flavor of the ayran!"

  If Lin Feng were here, he would certainly curse under his breath. Because until now, neither the ayran bottle nor the salt packet had ever featured such an explanation!

  At that moment, Crazy Yijun had a brilliant idea. He sprinkled a pinch of salt over the bagel and took a huge bite.

  His eyes suddenly widened. An excited smile spread across his face.

  "Give it a try!"

  Zou Yan mimicked his action. He added a pinch of salt to the last piece of bagel and put it in his mouth.

  "Magnificent!"

  His eyes widened once again.

  The other members of the Zou Gang, witnessing his reaction, became curious.

  "Salty bagel huh?" mumbled Zou Shun with skeptical glances. He sprinkled some salt on his bagel to try it and took a bite.

  And…

  Unable to contain himself, he shouted:

  "Divine!"

  While the five brothers savored the taste of the salty bagel and salty ayran, suddenly Zou Ning emerged with an even crazier idea.

  The eyes of his four brothers widened. Because…

  Zou Ning dipped the bagel into the ayran!

  The bagel, immersed in the ayran, quickly softened and took on a slightly doughy texture. The sesame seeds scattered into the ayran.

  Everyone held their breath.

  Zou Ning pulled the bagel out of the ayran and, with an expectant look, took a large bite.

  His four brothers were all watching him. However, when the reaction they expected did not materialize, they frowned.

  Why was Zou Ning not reacting?

  As they pondered that very question…

  A tear rolled down from Zou Ning’s eyes.

  And this sight caused all four of his brothers to immediately dip a piece of bagel into their ayran and put it into their mouths!

  And…

  "?!"

  A great astonishment spread across all four of their faces. However, none of these bewildered looks were positive.

  "Screw your taste buds!" blurted Zou Yan involuntarily, his eyes fixed on Zou Ning with anger.

  Among the Zou Gang, Zou Ning was the one who despised this flavor the most. He managed to swallow the bite in his mouth with difficulty.

  Zou Shun and Zou Yijun, though not entirely disliking the taste, did not see it as indispensable. Instead of dipping the bagel into the ayran, they preferred to consume them separately. Whether they mixed in their mouths or stomachs, but not externally!

  The five Zou brothers continued to happily sip on their bagel, ayran, and tea…

  Time passed swiftly.

  Ten minutes had elapsed.

  Zou Yijun, Zou Yan, Zou Ning, Zou Shun, and Zou Jia were finishing the last pieces of bagel with great appetite. They had even ordered two more bagel at that moment.

  At that very moment, Zou Shun suddenly paused. He furrowed his brows and looked at his brothers in astonishment. Muttering in a manner that was ambiguous as to whether he was asking himself or them, he said,

  "Why did I become so stupidly aggressive just now?"

  This question stunned the other members of the Zou Gang as well.

  "Yes… What happened to us just now? We would never act so foolishly!"

  "That's right! We have always been careful up to now. How could we suddenly lose control?"

  Their confusion quickly turned into fear. Suddenly, they felt as if a weight had descended upon them. Beads of sweat began to trickle down their foreheads.

  Zou Yan, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, trembled slightly. Then he whispered in a fearful voice:

  "Could we be haunted by evil spirits?"

  Those words plunged the atmosphere into a frigid silence. The members of the Zou Gang momentarily forgot to breathe.

  Then, Zou Shun quickly rejected this idea:

  "Evil spirits only exist in legends! Besides, we are merely Martial Novices; how could something like this happen to us? We can't be that unlucky!"

  However, Zou Jia, with his mind racing, expressed an even more unsettling thought:

  "But I… I suddenly felt a strange surge of anger within me. It was as if something had taken over my mind and was ordering me to strike the table."

  These words sparked a glimmer in the eyes of the other Zou Gang members. It was as if they were recalling something.

  Zou Shun shuddered.

  "Yes! I too lost all sense of reason in an instant! I even wanted to demolish this shop and kill the shop owner! Yet, I was just gathering information about him not long ago! Why did I suddenly make such a foolish decision?"

  This confession sent chills down the spines of the others.

  "I suppose we have indeed been haunted by evil spirits..." whispered Zou Ning in a trembling voice.

  At that moment, Zou Shun realized a truth. Lowering his voice, he thought,

  "The shop owner... must be a secret expert. And strong enough to beat us with nothing but a wooden puppet! Otherwise, how could we have been beaten by a wooden puppet?"

  There was a reason he said these words. It was an indirect question aimed at Jin Kai. The reason for lowering his voice was to make it seem as though he was not asking him. It would have been good if Jin Kai had answered this question, but even if he didn’t, Zou Shun would not lose anything…

  The five members of the Zou Gang waited with great curiosity for Jin Kai’s reaction.

  But… Jin Kai did not respond.

  After a two-minute long discussion, Zou Shun finally gathered his courage and addressed Jin Kai:

  "Sir, how shall I address you?"

  Jin Kai’s eyes glimmered slightly. He smiled excitedly and interrupted Zou Shun:

  "Do you want another bottle of ayran?"

  Zou Shun’s brave expression froze instantly. He tried to smile faintly and began, "No, I—" but…

  Jin Kai’s smile faded slightly. He interrupted him once more:

  "Do you want a bagel?"

  Cold sweat appeared on the foreheads of Zou Shun and his brothers.

  Zou Shun, swallowing slightly, answered nervously: "No—"

  Jin Kai’s smile completely vanished. He furrowed his brows and, with mild astonishment, interrupted once more:

  "Is there a problem with the food or drink?"

  Zou Shun’s unease grew further: "No—"

  The corners of Jin Kai’s lips curled slightly, his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. A dismissive expression appeared on his face. And then those famous words flowed from his lips:

  "HAA?!? THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU DISTURBING ME?!"