Chapter 120: The Deal

"A bowl of shredded pork noodles."

"A bowl of large rib noodles."

"A bowl of braised beef noodles with large ribs, vegetarian chicken, shredded pork, egg, dried tofu, and noodles."

"…"

The three of them casually found a seat in the noodle shop. The location was quite out of the way, far from the main road, and the shop's sign was shabby and worn. Yet, the aroma of the noodles could be smelled from quite a distance.

It was already past 10 p.m., and the whole shop only had Lin QiYe's table occupied. They didn't choose to sit inside the dimly lit front part of the shop but instead settled at a small table outside.

In the quiet and dim alley, the faint light from the kitchen mixed with the neon lights from the adult store next door, casting a colorful glow on the greyish table. In the noisy city, it had its own unique charm.

"You're saying we're eating noodles… at a place like this?"

Bai Li PangPang glanced around and whispered to Lin QiYe, clearly displeased.

"Given our current situation, do you think I could take you to a fancy restaurant?" Lin QiYe rolled his eyes. "We have to pick a place like this, tucked away in a corner, so we can eat in peace."

"I see, you're always thinking ahead."

"Plus, my money's only enough for a meal here."

"…"

"Don't worry," Lin QiYe added, "even though the shop doesn't look great, the noodles are top-notch."

Soon, three steaming bowls of noodles were placed on their small table. In the dead of night, the rich aroma of the noodles was unexpectedly simple, yet astonishingly good.

"Boss, how much do I owe?" Lin QiYe pulled out his wallet.

"Shredded pork noodles, 10 yuan; large rib noodles, 12; and this young man's… 42 yuan. A total of 64 yuan," the boss smiled and extended his hand. Lin QiYe's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

"He pays for his own," Lin QiYe said, pulling out a 20-yuan bill and two 1-yuan coins, handing them to the boss, then pointing at Bai Li PangPang.

Bai Li PangPang froze, "QiYe, didn't you say you'd treat me…?"

"I changed my mind."

"…"

Bai Li PangPang hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Boss, do you accept cards?"

"…"

In the end, it was Cao Yuan who pulled out a crumpled 50-yuan bill and paid for Bai Li PangPang's noodles. In exchange, Bai Li PangPang would cover his meals and lodging for the next few days.

This wasn't because Lin QiYe was stingy; it was simply that he had only brought 50 yuan with him on the trip, thinking noodles would be cheap enough to manage. But who would've guessed…

Slurp!

As the three of them devoured their noodles, they discussed the earlier battle.

"So, you were ambushed directly? They managed to precisely bomb the 90th floor?" Lin QiYe frowned after hearing their description.

"Yeah, didn't you see I'm still wrapped in a bath towel?" Bai Li PangPang pointed at his tattered towel with a wry smile. "But they probably used some sort of large-scale destructive forbidden weapon, not thermal weapons."

"Anything with that kind of power is at least at the level of a Chuanjing realm fighter. Your strategy of jumping out of the building to escape was correct. If they had caught sight of you, you would've been caught up in the instructors' battle and wouldn't have had a chance," Lin QiYe analyzed.

"You're too conspicuous." Cao Yuan chimed in, "Staying in a hotel like that requires ID registration. Anyone who looks into it can easily track your whereabouts."

Bai Li PangPang muttered, "I... I'm just used to it. Back in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, I always stayed in better hotels."

"This is Cangnan, not your Bai family's territory."

"But I've been through hundreds of assassination attempts. This level of attack is nothing," Bai Li PangPang dismissed it with a wave.

Cao Yuan shrugged, "Seems like being a rich young master isn't as easy as it looks."

As the three of them spoke, four more figures walked into the shop.

"Shen Ge... we've already had two bowls of noodles. Are we having noodles again tonight?"

"What do you know, noodles… noodles are Cangnan's specialty. It's rare to come here, we have to eat a few more bowls."

Shen Qingzhu, accompanied by Deng Wei, Li Jia, and Li Liang, walked in swaggering, calling out before they even reached the counter:

"Boss, four bowls of clear soup noodles."

"Oh, it's you guys again? Two meals of clear soup noodles, and now you're having more?" The boss asked, surprised to see the four.

"Yep."

Shen Qingzhu walked up to the door, saw the three eating their noodles, and paused.

"You guys?"

"Yo, 'Arrogant Brother' also came for noodles?" Bai Li PangPang, with half a rib in his mouth, greeted Shen Qingzhu.

Lin QiYe and Cao Yuan both nodded slightly.

They were all comrades who had undergone half a year of brutal training together. Although they didn't interact much on a daily basis, there was still a bond from their shared experiences.

Shen Qingzhu gave a brief grunt, his gaze falling on the three bowls of noodles, and he pursed his lips.

Gulp.

Someone, it wasn't clear who, swallowed loudly. In the quiet alley, it was especially clear.

Shen Qingzhu glanced behind him. His three lackeys lowered their heads. He looked up at the menu hanging in the shop and appeared to be torn.

"Boss, change it up. Give us three bowls of shredded pork noodles, and one bowl of clear soup noodles."

Shen Qingzhu sat at the table next to Lin QiYe and shouted to the shop.

"Sure, shredded pork noodles, 10 yuan each, clear soup noodles, 6 yuan, a total of 36."

Shen Qingzhu pulled out his wallet, took out a few crumpled bills, placed them on the counter, and quickly put the wallet back in his pocket.

Lin QiYe scanned him with his spiritual sense and immediately knew his wallet was empty.

He had done the math on the price.

"Shen Ge, why are you eating shredded pork noodles again?"

"After so much clear soup, I figured you guys should be sick of it. Time to switch it up."

"And you, Shen Ge?"

"I just like clear soup," Shen Qingzhu said proudly, raising his head. "Simple, pure, that's the true essence of noodles."

His three lackeys exchanged glances but remained silent.

Shen Qingzhu seemed to remember something and turned to Lin QiYe. "By the way, how's your injury from the car earlier? Is it alright?"

Lin QiYe shook his head, "I'm fine."

Shen Qingzhu nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Thanks, by the way… If you hadn't blocked those shards, we would've all been injured."

"'Arrogant Brother,' when did you get so polite?" Bai Li PangPang asked suspiciously.

"Stupid fat man, I've always been clear about my debts and favors. What's polite about that?" Shen Qingzhu shot Bai Li PangPang a glare, then looked at Lin QiYe and slowly said,

"I know this vacation isn't going to be simple. If you're in trouble, feel free to talk to me. As fellow soldiers, I'll help if I can."

Lin QiYe raised an eyebrow, an idea suddenly coming to mind.

"Actually, I do have a business proposition for you," Lin QiYe said.

"What?"

Lin QiYe pointed at Bai Li PangPang and said, "During the holiday, protect him personally."

Everyone present, including Bai Li PangPang, froze.

"Him?" Shen Qingzhu's gaze fell on Bai Li PangPang, and he frowned slightly.

"As compensation, he'll pay you a thousand yuan a day for protection. What do you think?" Lin QiYe continued.

Shen Qingzhu's body stiffened. He stared at Lin QiYe's eyes, not knowing what to think.

After a long pause, he slowly said:

"Deal."

Then, he pointed to his three lackeys, "But this deal only applies to me. They're not included."

"Deal."