Chapter 46: Uneasy Mu Lingche

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Uneasy Mu Lingche

Jixiang Hall was massive, boasting a full three stories.

Chen Qiang led them straight up to the second floor, claiming a spot right by the railing where they could look down at the ground floor just by turning their heads.

"The fragrant meat here is excellent. I used to come here all the time," Chen Qiang said, gesturing for the five of them to sit. "The taste is top-notch. You all have to eat your fill and really savor it."

Chen Qiang took one side of the table, and Mu Lingche took another. Jiang Hongfei and Liu Zhi grabbed their seats.

"Brother Lu, over here," Liu Zhi quickly called out, pulling out the stool next to him.

"Mm," Lu Yuan nodded and walked over.

Yu Qiuyang’s gaze swept over the table, suddenly realizing he had nowhere to sit. He couldn’t sit next to Mu Lingche, and he had just fallen out with Jiang Hongfei the night before.

"What, do you have sores on your ass? Can’t sit down?" Chen Qiang raised an eyebrow, shifting over to make room and pulling up a stool. "Come on, sit next to me."

Annoyed as he was, Yu Qiuyang had no choice but to sit.

Chen Qiang wasn’t in a high position, nor was he particularly strong, but if he gave Yu Qiuyang a bad performance review, it would be difficult to survive in the Demon Suppression Bureau moving forward. Even returning to his family wouldn’t end well for him.

"Alright, it’s fate that brought us together, and even more so that we’re sitting at the same table," Chen Qiang said, glancing at the five of them. "We’ll be working together from now on, entrusting our lives to one another.

"So, whatever conflicts you have, drop them. Forget them completely.

"Remember, in the face of life and death, everything else is trivial. And in the face of the greater good, even life and death are trivial.

"Therefore, let’s forget everything for tonight. Eat well, drink well, and then we’ll go do great things together!"

"We can drink?" Jiang Hongfei’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Just a little," Chen Qiang replied, scanning the group. "Can the rest of you drink? Have you ever had alcohol before?"

"I don’t drink," Liu Zhi quickly waved his hands.

"I won’t drink either," Lu Yuan shook his head. Drinking clouded judgment and slowed reaction times—it was far too dangerous.

"Heh, little kids. Still haven’t grown up," Jiang Hongfei smirked, mocking them.

"I won’t drink either," Mu Lingche said, shooting Jiang Hongfei a sideways glare. He thought, "You dare talk about me?"

"COUGH, COUGH," Jiang Hongfei coughed awkwardly.

"It really doesn’t matter whether you drink or not," Chen Qiang said, before shouting out to the staff. "Drink! We must drink! Waiter, one large pot of fragrant meat, and bring us a jug of wine!"

"Right away, sir! Just a moment!" a voice responded from across the floor.

Located outside the third ring road, Jixiang Hall was a mid-to-low-tier restaurant that primarily catered to Martial Artists. Its patrons were usually below the Seventh-Grade, mostly consisting of Ninth-Grade and unranked fighters, with very few at the Eighth-Grade. They were vagrants, gang members, and martial arts apprentices... Though, of course, an occasional hidden dragon might wander in.

"Waiter, more meat! Bring more meat!"

"Waiter, where the hell did you go? Where’s our meat? Why isn’t it here yet?"

"Waiter, bring the wine! Did you forget the wine? What the hell is in that pig brain of yours?"

"Waiter, why are you so damn slow? Son of a bitch, did you skip lunch?"

The restaurant was filled with the rich aromas of wine and meat, layered with shouting and cursing. It was a perfect, unapologetic display of the vulgar and crass underbelly of society.

"Here’s your meat, sirs."

"Ours is here. Hurry up and try it, let’s eat," Chen Qiang picked up his chopsticks and urged the five to dig in. He grabbed a large chunk of meat for himself and shoved it into his mouth. "Mhm, delicious! So tasty!"

Tempted, Yu Qiuyang and Liu Zhi tentatively picked up their chopsticks. A moment later, they had their heads down, devouring the food. The taste really was incredible.

"Is it really that good?" Jiang Hongfei asked. Growing up, he had never eaten anything like this.

"It’s good," Lu Yuan nodded.

"It’s fragrant meat. How could it not be good?" Chen Qiang added.

"If you dare lie to me..." Jiang Hongfei muttered. He took a bite, and then promptly went silent, focusing entirely on eating.

Only Mu Lingche sat motionless, his brows furrowed tightly. The atmosphere and environment made him deeply uncomfortable; he simply couldn’t stomach the thought of eating. Looking at the grease stains on the table and listening to the deafening clamor all around them... he didn’t want to stay a second longer.

Chen Qiang and the other four paid him no mind. How could a young master from a top-tier noble clan be the same as them? There was no need to force him.

"Delicious, absolutely amazing!" Chen Qiang grabbed the wine jug and poured a cup for both Jiang Hongfei and himself. "Come on, let’s have a toast."

"Alright." Jiang Hongfei picked up his cup and downed it in one gulp. His youthful face quickly flushed red. "Ah, that hits the spot!"

"Hahaha, you know how to live! Eating fragrant meat and drinking wine, it’s better than being an immortal," Chen Qiang laughed heartily.

The young masters weren’t so difficult to get along with after all, he realized. His little squad was basically coming together.

SCRAPE!

Mu Lingche suddenly stood up. "I’ll wait for you outside."

A sudden silence fell over the table.

"I’d advise against that," Lu Yuan spoke up.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Mu Lingche looked at him.

"Look at where we are, and look at the kind of people coming in and out," Lu Yuan said, pointing downstairs. "You stand out too much. Wandering around alone will only invite trouble."

"You think I’m afraid of them?" Mu Lingche scoffed dismissively before turning to head downstairs.

"Heh, those who don’t listen to advice always suffer for it," Chen Qiang chuckled, glancing at Lu Yuan with a look of praise. "You’re the one with real street smarts."

This was the sole benefit of coming from the bottom rung of society—being closely tied to the common masses made it very easy to blend in.

Jiang Hongfei gave Lu Yuan a sidelong glance, his thoughts unreadable. Yu Qiuyang and Liu Zhi remained silent.

"Yo, where did this pretty boy come from?"

"Damn handsome! You don’t see that often."

"Son of a bitch, how can a man look like that..."

"He has an unusual aura... Is he from out of town?"

Mu Lingche attracted a massive wave of attention the moment he reached the ground floor. Coming from the Marquis Mansion, his genetics were naturally flawless, and his bearing was incredibly distinguished. He stood out like a crane among a flock of chickens, a true dragon among men. It would be hard for him not to draw attention.

"Damn it, I hate pretty boys the most! They all deserve to die!" A burly man suddenly stood up and stomped toward Mu Lingche, radiating aggressive hostility.

"That’s Jia Kaihu, an Eighth-Grade Middle Tier Martial Artist!"

"I heard the beautiful wife he spent a fortune to marry ran off with a pretty boy. He despises them more than anything."

"Haha, everyone knows he was the one who hired that pretty boy in the first place!"

"This kid is just unlucky. He’s in for a brutal beating."

The surrounding diners gossiped, quickly exposing the burly man’s identity and past.

Hearing the whispers, Jia Kaihu didn’t rein himself in at all. Instead, he grew even more arrogant, his oppressive aura surging. "Motherfucker, I won’t kill you. I’m just gonna flay your skin open and make you wish you were dead!"

Mu Lingche stood rooted to the spot. He didn’t speak or react, simply watching quietly. To the onlookers, it looked like he was scared stupid.

"Heh heh, let’s see how I smash that pretty face of yours," Jia Kaihu sneered, raising a massive hand to slap Mu Lingche across the face.

BANG!

A muffled thud echoed through the hall. Jia Kaihu’s body doubled over, his spine suddenly bulging out like a camel’s hump.

Then...

SMASH!

Mu Lingche grabbed one of Jia Kaihu’s arms and slammed him horizontally into the ground. The floorboards shattered, sending a tremor through the entire restaurant.

Finally...

CRUNCH! CRACK!

Mu Lingche stomped his foot directly onto Jia Kaihu’s mouth, ruthlessly grinding his boot down until every single one of his teeth shattered and his entire face deformed.

"Feel good? Are you happy?" Mu Lingche asked coldly. "Who else wants to try?"