Chapter 212: Zeal and Thieves (Extra Chapter)

He poked the air in front of him forcefully with his index finger. "Money can't buy it; tell me, is it in high demand or not?"

He Lingchuan laughed. "The Tianshuang Tavern?"

"Who goes to that poor place? Even their best wine is watered down." Hu Min was disdainful. "If we're going, we're going to the Yixiang Pavilion!"

The prestige of Yixiang Pavilion was reflected in its environment, and the fact that its food and wine were twice as expensive as commoner joints like the Tianshuang Tavern.

He Lingchuan touched his pocket; fortunately, he had saved a bit of money from completing patrol guard missions a few times.

Xiao Maoliang was busy, but A Luo came as invited. He Lingchuan also invited Liu Tong, Menban, Shouzi, and Liutiao; as soon as these current teammates heard he was hosting a drink at Yixiang Pavilion, they didn't hesitate to get up and come.

Only then did He Lingchuan learn that their squad had lost three members in the fierce battle eight days ago, and now, including him, there were only six living people left. This establishment would definitely need to be adjusted, and before new personnel were added, they could take a short rest.

The sacrifice of comrades was always a sad story. However, the group didn't show much sorrow, but instead drank and ate quite happily.

He Lingchuan knew that these people were used to living on the edge of a blade, having long since looked past life and death, enjoying the moment.

Even if they felt sad, it was only for a moment.

Living in Panlongcheng, one had to learn to let go.

After every major or minor battle, business in the city's restaurants, taverns, and red-light districts was always particularly good. Soldiers who had just received their military merit rewards didn't mind going into the marketplace to spend money and buy some fun, promoting consumption.

This noon, Yixiang Pavilion was bustling with customers.

Menban grabbed his wine cup and stood up, roaring at the surroundings: "He Lingchuan is here, who wants to have a drink with him?"

The room went quiet, and everyone turned to look.

Until Menban reached out, pointing and gesturing at He Lingchuan, and shouted again: "Huh? Who's coming?"

With a boom, responders were like clouds.

A man even sturdier than Menban jumped out of the bench first, taking two steps to reach He Lingchuan, spilling nearly half the wine in his cup.

He raised his cup to his nose, speaking in a rough voice:

"Good man, I toast you!"

What else could He Lingchuan say? He had to raise his cup and drain it in one gulp.

Shouzi hurriedly poured him more wine.

Two more people squeezed over, one of them half a step ahead, his wine cup almost poking He Lingchuan's nose. "You brought my fiancée back, I thank you!"

He Lingchuan was stunned, and the crowd burst into laughter. Several people jeered, "He risked his life to bring your wife back, and you just say a few words? No, no, that's too stingy!"

The man grinned. "Do I need a bunch of bastards like you to teach me? I sent something!" He turned to ask He Lingchuan, "Are those jars of pickles stinky?"

So he was the one who sent them! He Lingchuan didn't know how to respond for a moment, hesitating before saying, "Stinky... stinky beyond belief!"

The man beamed. "Stinky is right! Stinky means they're good pickles!"

He stepped closer. "Let me tell you, every time my old lady pickles a batch, others fight to buy them; they're no worse than the Chuntai Tavern south of the city!"

He had sent them as a good thing, so He Lingchuan drank another cup with him. "Good, I'll ask you for more when I finish them."

The man gave him a thumbs-up and then made room for others.

After a few more guests toasted him, a woman actually came over, carrying a pair of short daggers at her waist. She placed her wine vessel in front of He Lingchuan and turned to point at the man who had sent the pickles. "I'm his fiancée! If you hadn't jumped into that demon cave, he might have gone off to find some little beauty by now. I thank you!"

A Luo was drinking and choked when he heard this.

He Lingchuan looked at the woman, who was broad-shouldered and sturdy, then at her fiancé, who was thin and tall, and coughed lightly. "I wish you a hundred years of harmony."

The woman said to He Lingchuan, "I'll toast you three cups; drink as you please." With that, she poured three cups, tilted her head back, and downed them, more refreshing than drinking water, then said, "My sister isn't married yet. She's looked at several marriage prospects, but she's picky and has high standards. Want me to introduce you?"

Before He Lingchuan could speak, someone nearby chimed in, "Don't look, don't consider it; her sister is also a fierce shrew. Once you get tangled up with her, you won't be able to run!"

Everyone laughed, and the woman sneered, "Wu Laoliu, get up here, let's fight one-on-one!"

The focus was no longer on He Lingchuan. He silently downed a cup of wine, turned his head, and saw at least dozens of people queuing up and hundreds watching behind him, feeling his scalp tingle.

Just two quarters of an hour later, he was half-slumped from being forced to drink.

He slumped on the table to avoid more drinks, and Shouzi patted his back and said to the crowd, "He's down, he's down, don't toast anymore, come back early next time!"

After he fended them off for a while, the enthusiastic drinkers slowly dispersed.

He Lingchuan took a long time to recover, then used his true qi to forcefully suppress the intoxication.

In the battle of the Ghost Needle Stone Forest, everyone fought back-to-back in a desperate situation, and He Lingchuan had sacrificed himself to blow up the demon nest, instantly building a firm revolutionary friendship with everyone. Now, catalyzed by the alcohol, they were calling each other brothers, chatting and laughing as if they were old friends of many years.

Liu Tong explained to He Lingchuan, "I reported your performance, and the higher-ups appreciate it very much, but they think you've been a patrol guard for too short a time and lack experience, so they won't promote you for the time being."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Being promoted to squad leader would give him a chance to be selected for the Great Wind Army, but he wasn't even a fire leader yet.

But as Liu Tong said, he lacked battlefield experience himself; how could he command others? Liu Tong's face flushed red as he patted his chest and promised, "Brother He, you have courage and luck; as long as you go on a few more missions and don't die, you'll definitely be promoted!"

Liutiao had a higher tolerance for alcohol than men, and had already drunk two small jars. However, she loved to laugh when she drank too much, unlike her usual look of thinking everyone owed her money.

She patted He Lingchuan's shoulder hard. "These men are all cowardly as hell, afraid to deliver Sun Jiayuan's compensation in person, saying they can't stand women crying and wailing, so they actually made me go. You tell me, I wasn't even close with that guy Sun!"

She patted him again and lowered her voice. "After the compensation was delivered, his sister Sun Fuling didn't cry at all; she was very calm. I even chatted with her for a while. It turns out Sun Jiayuan owed a mountain of bad debts outside, the so-called donkey-skin debts, with interest rolling over who knows how many layers. The last time, he even stole Sun Fuling's land deed and jewelry to gamble, but lost it all again. He had once chopped off the little fingers of both hands, swearing a poisonous oath never to gamble again, and then... then he died before he could start chopping off his ring fingers."

No wonder Sun Jiayuan was determined to die; in this world, gambling debts were the only ones that couldn't be owed. "He was posthumously honored as a hero, so the gambling debts can be written off?"

"Of course. Although the creditors aren't willing, Panlongcheng stipulates that the families of heroes have one chance to offset criminal debts. Never mind owing money, even a murder charge can be offset; this is called clearing the merits and faults."

"That works too?" He Lingchuan ate a peanut. The peanuts at Tianshuang Tavern sold for one wen a plate, but here they were four wen a plate, and he didn't taste anything special. Hmm, especially expensive. "I thought Panlongcheng banned gambling."

"Are you kidding? Panlongcheng certainly bans gambling!" Shouzi, who had been busy drinking, chimed in. "But gamblers can always find a place, just like cats can always smell fish."

He Lingchuan shrugged. Sure enough, light and darkness always followed each other; whatever should be here, and whatever shouldn't, were all present here.

Liutiao went to pat He Lingchuan's shoulder again, but he dodged. This woman didn't know her own strength when she drank.

After they were full, everyone went home. Shouzi even packed up the leftovers. According to him, he was responding to the official initiative of frugality and not wasting food, especially since it was so expensive.

He Lingchuan and A Luo both lived in wooden shacks, so they found a donkey cart together to go home.

A Luo was dazed and almost fell when getting off the cart.

He Lingchuan had recovered, his mind much clearer, so he paid the fare, helped him into his house, and then walked back to his own place.

He stood in front of his door and sighed.

This kind of door was just for show; one could jump over it with one hand. However, all his rewards had been exchanged for a storefront, so he could only accumulate more merit and strive to change houses as soon as possible.

Actually, military merit in Panlongcheng wasn't easy to earn. He had only managed to get an individual opportunity for great merit this time. Ordinary patrol missions required facing crazed demons, and the risk wasn't low, but the accumulated merit and rewards were only a tiny bit.

Most soldiers could only climb slowly within this system, like a snail climbing a tree, and they couldn't break the law or make mistakes; accumulating merit was hard, but losing it was very easy.

Didn't A Luo make a big mistake once and become a poor wretch living in a wooden shack? He hadn't turned things around even now.

Just as he was about to push the door open, a voice suddenly came from the side: "Hey!"

Very close, right beside him.

He Lingchuan turned his head and saw a woman with a seven- or eight-year-old boy standing four feet away.

She covered her face with a cloth, revealing only a pair of almond-shaped eyes, with slender eyebrows and skin as white as milk.

"Something up?"

As soon as He Lingchuan spoke, the boy struggled violently, as if he wanted to run away, but was controlled by the woman.

He had thought this was a mother and son, but looking closely, the boy's shoulder was gripped by her hand. He was as thin as a monkey, but his expression was like a little wolf cub, baring his teeth at everyone.

What was going on?

The woman spoke again: "What did you lose?"

"How did you..." Her words were incomplete, and it took He Lingchuan a beat to react. "A bundle of firewood, two crucian carp."

"This brat stole from seven households nearby, including yours. He came to your place a second time, wanting to steal things from the doorway, but was called out by a passerby, so I went to chase him." The woman grabbed the boy and pulled him forward. "Well, I'm a victim too."

"Where have I seen you?" He Lingchuan felt the boy looked familiar. Thinking carefully, damn, wasn't this the little thief he met when he first entered the Panlongcheng of his dream? At that time, this little brat was about to steal the God Bone Necklace, and He Lingchuan had intended to teach him a lesson, but Hu Min happened to call him in the street. The two met happily and were busy catching up, and the little thief took the opportunity to slip away.

After going around in circles, this brat still stole his stuff. "So it was you!"

The boy turned his head, refusing to look at him. "I don't know you!"

Today was too busy, and I forgot to press the publish button for the extra chapter.

This chapter is specifically added for the strong support of Shilexiang and haha. Thanks to the birch student who loves to dream for the sponsorship~

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 213 =====